The "real" Tuatha Dé Danann were...
- Earlier pre-Celtic inhabitants of Ireland, later mythologized into gods then demythologized by Christian scribes, and who possibly followed a real goddess Danu. Some have claimed they were represented a folk memory of Bronze Age invaders (why else would The Fair Folk be afraid of iron?), and the association with sídhe might relate to ancestor-worship taking place at even older burial mounds.
- One particular theory in this regard is that the Fair Folk might represent the Bythronic Celtic (Welsh/Cornish/Breton) inhabitants who were invaded by Celtiberian Warbands who would eventually become the Gaels. The basis on this theory rests largely on the Medieval Irish interpretation of their history in the book of invasions which claims that the Gaels were led by Míl Espáine (a Gaelicized form of the Latin term for "A Spanish Soldier"). Compounding this is the Iverni/Eráin whom a few early scribes mention as having their own language, of which only two words are recorded that seem to be Bythronic in origin. The strongest argument for this is based on the Q/P grouping of Celtic languages as opposed to the more traditional Continental/Insular; Here, Linguists remark that Gaelic and Celtiberian words developed towards k/g where Gaulish and Brythonic use p/b sounds. This branching is observable in the modern surnames with Irish Mac and Welsh (M)ap.
- Aliens- perhaps due to the fact that they arrived on clouds (UFOs?) and had super-powerful objects which could be associated with advanced technology. Not this troper's own opinion, but is the basis of Julian May's Saga of the Exiles, as well as being suggested by this somewhat fanciful article
and even being the honest opinion of certain UFO nuts.- Ancient Aliens had a whole episode on this. They also had an episode claiming that said fairy aliens were somehow involved with the Blarney Stone's magic powers(that don't actually exist).
Some Celtic gods were Norse gods under other names
Sort of like how Greek deities can be conflated with Italian (not just Roman!) ones. There was likely a degree of interaction between Ireland and Scandinavia, so it's not surprising that a few things got passed between them. There are some clear parallels. Allow me to enumerate:- Nuada is a somewhat brooding war god who loses a hand, a bit like Tyr.
- Lugh wields a spear and is known for fighting against his more savage ancestors, a bit like Odin.
- Dagda plays up Thor's more oafish, party-animal side.
Cú Chulainn isn't just a Memetic Badass, but an Ur-Example of such
Due to what to this troper look like seemingly obvious wild exaggerations of his prowess, particularly the childhood tales. Possbily he and the figures surrounding him were loosely based on real people.- This is actually a legitimate theory believed by many Real Life historians. In fact many myths and legends are based around real happenings, and got a little bit more warped with each retelling. Someone would forget what happened next and make something up, give "magic" as an excuse for something unexplained, then the next person did the same... Most myths and legends in many cultures that weren't completely made up were created this way.
