Partholón
Leader of the second legendary settlement of Ireland
- Known from
- Lebor Gabála Érenn (11th century)
- Descent
- From Noah through Magog
- Achievements (legend)
- Cleared plains; introduced farming, brewing and other crafts
- Enemies
- The Fomorians
- Fate
- His people died of plague in a single week; Tuan mac Cairill survived
The leader of Ireland's second legendary settlement after the Flood, whose people cleared the plains and then all died of plague in a week.
What is Partholón known for?
Partholón leads the second settlement of Ireland in the Lebor Gabála Érenn, arriving some centuries after the Flood. The text traces his descent from Noah's son Japheth through Magog, part of its effort to link the Irish to biblical genealogy.
His people clear new plains, form lakes, and introduce agriculture, cattle, brewing and other arts. They also fight the Fomorians, a recurring hostile race in Irish legend. In the end Partholón's people die of plague within a single week. One man, Tuan mac Cairill, survives and, like Fintan, lives on through a series of animal forms to tell the history to later Christian saints.
Earlier Latin sources such as the Historia Brittonum mention a Partholomus. Scholars see Partholón as a learned medieval invention, possibly modeled on the name Bartholomew, rather than a figure of older myth.
He leads the second wave of settlers, wiped out by plague, in the site's account of the Lebor Gabála Érenn.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeLebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions)
- PersonNemed
Sources
- Nancy Effinger Wilson, 'Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of Invasions)', Irish Mythology (Texas State University Pressbooks)Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Lebor Gabála Érenn'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Partholón'Reference
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