In the seventh year of his rule, a Tuatha dé Danann decided to leave their magical lands and settle in what is now Ireland. Nuada was fair and strong, and her sword could kill any enemy. Nuada was a god who led the powerful Tuatha dé Danann for a short time. In Proto-Celtic, “noudent” meant “to capture or gain through the ability of hunting.” This is where some people think his name came from. He was much better at hunting and fishing than anyone else in his kingdom. “Nuada of the Silver Hand,” which is what his full name means, is Nuada Airgetlám.
He got the name because he lost a hand in one of the bloody battles to take over Ireland. Nuada was a good leader who made sure that everyone followed the rules he set up. Nuada’s sword is a powerful weapon that can easily beat any enemy when it is drawn. He was from Br na Bóinne at first, but when he became leader of the Tuatha dé Danann, the Dagda took his home away. Nuada’s marriage to Boann, the river goddess, did not produce any children. After many years of marriage, they got a divorce, and Nuada gave Bres the Emerald Isle. But this plan turns out to be a bad one.
King Nuada brought his men from the other islands to Ireland to find a new place to live. But it had been settled before, so when they got there, they did not have full control. For a while, he lived in Br na Bóinne, and the Hill at Tara was where he ran his court. Soon, Nuada began making plans to take over the island. He wanted to take the city back from the Firbolg and the scary Fomorians who had moved there.
Two major wars were fought over who would be in charge of Ireland. The Firbolg were fought against in the first fight at Cong. In their first fight with this group of people, the Tuatha dé Danann fought bravely and eventually won without losing many people. Even though they won, King Nuada was hurt, and a Firbolg fighter named Sreng took it over. As sad as that was, it normally wouldn’t affect the king’s job, but it did in this case. Nuada is always played by the book. The rule he made said that the king of his people had to be physically and fully whole. So, after losing one hand, he had to give up because he could no longer rule with both hands. As payment, that Firbolg fighter who had already taken off his hand was given back some land to rule. Seeing that he could no longer lead, he gave up power and let a guy named Bres take over.
Unfortunately, this choice caused yet another argument. There was another part of Bres that was Fomorian. He was connected to the gods of a Tuatha dé Danann and had married the goddess Brigid. While the fight between the Tuatha dé Danann and the Fomorians was going on, Bres stood with the Fomorians. The Tuatha dé Danann were his slaves for a long time after he beat them. Nuada was furious about his choice of a replacement at the time. He came up with a plan to restore his kingdom. His brothers were Goibniu, the god of smiths, and Dian Cécht, the healer. They helped him get a new hand. This one, on the other hand, was made of real silver. He was able to take back his place as king after getting the silver hand. Later, he used magic to make a new hand out of flesh. Once Nuada was able to get rid of Bres, he became king again. They had won, but they hadn’t yet fought their Fomorians to take control of Ireland. In this case, the party was too early.
During the celebrations, Lugh, a young man, showed himself to Nuada. He stepped up to help. Nuada agreed and asked Lugh for a plan on how to beat the Fomorians. On the other hand, Nuada knew that Lugh was really a half-Fomorian. Besides that, he was the grandson of the famous Balor of an Evil Eye. Because of the omen, Nuada had to get Lugh to help them kill his grandfather. The plan worked well in battle. Lugh killed his grandfather after Balor of the Evil Eye cut off Nuada’s head. But it wasn’t enough to keep the Fomorians from losing. Lugh took over from his father, King Fionn mac Cumhaill, as leader of the Emerald Isle and the Tuatha dé Danann. He had all the traits of a good boss, like Nuada.
