Creidhne

What it is

Creidhne, spelled Credne in Old Irish, is the smith of Irish legend who works precious metal for the Tuatha Dé Danann. His trade is gold, yet the tales give him bronze and brass too. He stands beside two brothers, Goibniu and Luchtaine, and the three together form the Trí Dée Dána, a trio of divine makers. Between them they supply the arms their people carry into war against the Fomorians. His best-known single work is a hand of silver, made for King Nuada in partnership with Dian Cecht. In Irish story he belongs to the craft side of the divine family: a god of the workshop rather than of battle, though what leaves his forge arms the fighters.

Where it comes from

Creidhne's stories belong to Irish mythology, where he stands with the Tuatha Dé Danann in their war against the Fomorians. He appears in the tales chiefly through his craft. One event from his life does survive in verse: a poem attached to the Lebor Gabála Érenn relates that he was lost at sea, in waters the lines paint as treacherous, while bringing a cargo of fine gold from Spain to Ireland. The same verses remember him warmly, as a maker whose work gave pleasure. This poem is the fullest single episode of him that the record keeps.

Tools and materials

Metal defines him. Gold comes first: he is the goldsmith among the Tuatha Dé Danann. Yet the tales widen his range to bronze and brass, two copper alloys, so his workshop handles more than precious metal. The famous hand made for King Nuada was silver, worked together with Dian Cecht. The trio's output served war as well: the weapons the Tuatha Dé carried against the Fomorians came from their forging. His materials, in short, run from treasure metal to arms metal, with one piece of fitted silver at the centre of his fame.

What it is for

Everything the tales say he made points to two uses. The first is war: with Goibniu and Luchtaine he forged the arms that let the Tuatha Dé Danann meet the Fomorians in battle, so his craft underwrites his people's survival in the story. The second is restoration: when King Nuada needed a hand of silver, Creidhne and Dian Cecht made it between them. Within the myth, then, he is the one who equips: both the fighter's weapons and the king's silver hand pass through his forge.

Peoples and places

Creidhne moves in a small, clearly marked company. His brothers Goibniu and Luchtaine work beside him, and the three are grouped under a single name, the Trí Dée Dána. Their kin and customers are the Tuatha Dé Danann, a divine people of Irish story, whose weapons the brothers make. Their opponents in the tales are the Fomorians, the power the Tuatha Dé rise against. Two figures touch his story directly: King Nuada, who receives the silver hand, and Dian Cecht, who works on it with him. One more name causes mix-ups: an Irish warrior called Creidne shares the smith's name almost exactly, and readers sometimes take one for the other.

What people believe

The myth's world runs on craft. Skill in making is a divine attribute here: three brothers hold it, and the name given to their trio, Trí Dée Dána, marks them out as divine makers. Their labour matters because the Tuatha Dé Danann's war against the Fomorians is fought with what the smiths produce; arms from the forge decide that contest. The story of Nuada's silver hand adds a second idea: in this world a king's body can be remade by divine workmen, with metal standing in for flesh. Even Creidhne's end keeps a maker's shape, a craftsman drowned at sea on a voyage to bring gold home to Ireland.

Compare and confuse

The likeliest mix-up is with Creidne, an Irish warrior who carries almost the same name. The two are separate figures, and the smith is the gold-working one. Within his own myth he is easy to tangle with his co-workers, Goibniu and Luchtaine, since the three share one collective title and one trade. The title Trí Dée Dána covers all three brothers together, not Creidhne alone.

Questions people ask about Creidhne

Good reading and sources

• Creidhne on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data