er, and they thought he was drowned.
But he was brought away by Birog of the Mountain, and she brought him to
his father Cian; and he gave him to be fostered by Taillte, daughter of
the King of the Great Plain. It is thus Lugh was born and reared.

And some say Balor came and struck the head off Cian on a white stone,
that has the blood marks on it to this day; but it is likely it was some
other man he struck the head off, for it was by the sons of Tuireann
that Cian came to his death.

And after Lugh had come to Teamhair, and made his mind up to join with
his father's people against the Fomor, he put his mind to the work; and
he went to a quiet place in Grellach Dollaid, with Nuada and the Dagda,
and with Ogma; and Goibniu and Diancecht were called to them there. A
full year they stopped there, making their plans together in secret, the
way the Fomor would not know they were going to rise against them till
such time as all would be ready, and till they would know what their
strength was. And it is from that council the place got the name
afterwards of "The Whisper of the Men of Dea."

And they broke up the council, and agreed to meet again that day three
years, and every one of them went his own way, and Lugh went back to his
own friends, the sons of Manannan.

And it was a good while after that, Nuada was holding a great assembly
of the people on the Hill of Uisnech, on the west side of Teamhair. And
they were not long there before they saw an armed troop coming towards
them from the east, over the plain; and there was a young man in front
of the troop, in command over the rest, and the brightness of his face
was like the setting sun, so that they were not able to look at him
because of its brightness.

And when he came nearer they knew it was Lugh Lamh-Fada, of the Long
Hand, that had come back to them, and along with him were the Riders of
the Sidhe from the Land of Promise, and his own foster-brothers, the
sons of Manannan, Sgoith Gleigeil, the White Flower, and Goitne
Gorm-Shuileach, the Blue-eyed Spear, and Sine Sindearg, of the Red Ring,
and Donall Donn-Ruadh, of the Red-brown Hair. And it is the way Lugh
was, he had Manannan's horse, the Aonbharr, of the One Mane, under him,
that was as swift as the naked cold wind of spring, and the sea was the
same as dry land to her, and the rider was never killed off her back.
And he had Manannan's breast-plate on him, that kept whoever was wearing
it from wounds, and