The Lebor Gabála Érenn laid out the coming of the Tuatha dé Danann, the fifth group of settlers to arrive in mythical Ireland. This group hailed from four cities north of the Emerald Isle, where they had learned the arts and sciences of their time, including magic. At this time, the Dagda was their chief. Though he did not hold the title of king, he was consulted and respected by many as if he was one.
The Dagda fell for Boann, goddess of the River Boyne and wife of Elcmar, a judge of the Tuatha dé Danann. In order to court her, the Dagda sent Elcmar away to High King Bres. With her husband out of the way, Boann soon fell pregnant with the Dagda's child. To prevent Elcmar from seeking retribution against the child, the Dagda held the sun in place for nine months, allowing Boann to carry and give birth to the child in a single day. The Dagda then gave the child to his son Midir to raise, and the boy became Aengus, god of love and poetry.
In time, Aengus grew to manhood, and the Dagda helped him trick Elcmar out of his rightful home at Brú na Bóinne. Using a carefully worded ploy befitting the gods of wisdom and poetry, they asked Elcmar to allow them to dwell there for “a day and a night.” This Old Irish phrase had two meanings: a literal day and a night, and all days and nights. In agreeing to their request, Elcmar had unwittingly given his home to his enemies for eternity. Soon after, the Dagda and Boann assisted Aengus in his quest to find the girl haunting his dreams.
Some time later, while Aengus was away, the Dagda distributed his land among his many children. Upon his return, Aengus discovered that his father had saved nothing for him. Using the same careful wording through which they had gained their home, Aengus tricked the Dagda into passing Brú na Bóinne on to him.
Upon arriving in Ireland, the Tuatha dé Danann consolidated power by eliminating or conquering the land's earlier settlers. The most powerful of these groups was the Fomorians, a monstrous race ruled by the cruel king Balor. Knowing conflict with the Fomorians was inevitable, the Dagda made careful plans to trick them out of key resources, including their sheep. On Samhain, he went to his wife, the Morrigan, goddess of battle and of death, and found her bathing. After they made love, she prophesied the coming battle: they would be victorious over the Formorions—at a price.
At long last, both sides met at Moytura, in County Sligo, where they fought for control of Ireland. During the fierce battle, both Balor and the Dagda’s brother Nuada were laid low. The Dagda himself was also mortally wounded by Cethlenn, wife of Balor. During the battle, the Dagda's magic harp was stolen, though it was ultimately recovered later. After the battle, the Dagda returned to Brú na Bóinne, where he succumbed to his injuries and was laid to rest in the mounds. At his time of death, he had already ruled for seventy or eighty years, depending on the source.
Like many of the Tuatha dé Danann, he could still be consulted by those visiting the fairy mounds, as well as those who drifted into the perilous Otherworld.
While not as prominent as Brigid or Lugh in the rest of the Celtic world, the Dagda was not without his counterparts. Wise gods wielding powerful clubs and cauldrons of plenty were found throughout both France and Great Britain. Like the Dagda, the Gaullish Sucellus carried a hammer alongside a cup or barrel and ruled over agriculture. Dorset’s Cerne Abbas Giant, a nameless giant wielding a club with an erection, may also have represented one of the Dagda’s counterparts.
The Dagda was also compared to the Germanic Odin and the Roman Dis Pater, as they bore certain similarities to him.
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