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Of the kings who succeeded Eremon, and the battles they fought and the forests they cleared away and the rivers, and lakes that broke out in their reign, there is little of note to record till we come to the reign of Tiernmas, fifth in succession from Eremon. He
is said Crom Cruach was no doubt a solar deity, but no figure at all resembling him can be identified among the Danaan divinities. Tiernmas also, it is said, found the first gold-mine in Ireland, and, introduced variegated colours into the clothing of the people. A slave might wear but one colour, a peasant two, a soldier three, a wealthy landowner four, a provincial chief five, and an Ollav, or royal person, six. Ollav was a term applied to a certain Druidic rank; it meant much the same as 'doctor', in the sense of a learned man – a master of science. It is a characteristic trait that the Ollav is endowed with a distinction equal to that of a king. Source: T.W. Rolleston, Myths of the Celtic Race, 1885.
© Shee-Eire:
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