Young Irish sisters
Author: Pretty Sleepy Art. Source: Pixabay
Two hundred years after the departure of the Nemedians, new Scythians set foot on Irish soil. They were the 18th generation of their ancestor, Aitech. They call themselves the Fir Bolg. In their language, Fir means Men and a bolg means a leather bag for carrying soil. According to some historians, the term bolg is the etymology of the Belgian. In this respect, we can recall that the Roman army that occupied the island of Britain much later compiled a list of the island’s populations. This list included several Belgian populations (grouped in the south and south-east of the island).
The Fir Bolg are ruled by five brothers, the eldest of whom, Slaine, was Ireland ‘first king’. They are descendants of the Nemedians group who left Ireland for Greece. At first they were warmly welcomed by the Greeks, since the exploits of the Greek warriors on the island of Ireland were still fresh in their minds. However, the soaring population of the Nemedians eventually worried the Greek authorities and they decided to enslave the Scythians.
Tired of their servitude, the descendants of these Nemedians escaped from the ‘stony’ mountains where they were confined to forced labour. They used a stratagem by hiding in leather bags used to evacuate the soil (stones?). Then they eventually reached a place of embarkation. The Book does not give details of the chartering of ships and the sea journey.
Once on the island of Ireland, they divided it into five territories. The Book says little about the Fir Bolg, but it does state that their sovereignty over Ireland was never contested until the arrival of the Tuatha De.
In conclusion, the Fir Bolg were divided into three tribes: the Fir Bolg themselves, the Gailioin and the Fir Domnann. Concerning the Fir Domnann, we can recall that in Roman times, there were Damnonii and Dumnonii tribes on the neighbouring island of Britain.