The Missing Battle: How I Wove New Mythology into Ancient Celtic Lore

Perhaps one reason I’m not one of those authors who churn out a book a month and rake in mad loot is that I spend a fair amount of time researching and developing Celtic mythology and lore. It’s the gaps in ancient oral traditions that sparked the idea for my Last Battle of Moytura series. I buried myself in research, sifting through the fragmented myths of the Tuatha dé Danann and diving into Hindu mythology to explore the cycles of creation and destruction of both the universe and human societies.

The Tuatha dé Danann, the Celtic gods, fought two legendary battles in Ireland: the First and Second Battles of Moytura. The first was against the ancient inhabitants of Ireland, the Fir Bolg, and the second was against the wicked Fomorians. The ancient Celts had a fascination with things occurring in threes—triple goddesses, three worlds, three brothers put to the test, and it’s always the third brother who makes the right choice.

But the original mythology only mentions the Tuatha fighting two battles. Where is the third? That missing battle became the conceptual starting point for my series. When would it take place? What would spark it? Who would be the new enemy, and why? These questions drove me to imagine not just the Last Battle of Moytura, but to refine the story world and set the stage for the series.

The original stories of the Tuatha are fragmented and conflicting, so I filled in the gaps and bent the narrative to serve the mythology of my series. Some gaps were so vast I turned to the myths of India for inspiration. Ancient Ireland and India share a common Indo-European ancestry, and their mythological parallels run deep. Two concepts in particular—Nada Brahma (“the universe is sound”) and the Hindu Yugas—helped me deepen the worldbuilding in my series.

The Cycles of Hindu Yugas and the Battles of Moytura

In Hindu mythology, time and human civilization cycle through four repeating epochs, known as the Maha Yuga:

1. Satya Yuga (Age of Truth): A golden age of spiritual harmony where moral order (Dharma) stands strong.
2. Treta Yuga (Age of Ritual): Humanity begins to lose its inherent connection to the divine, relying on rituals to maintain balance.
3. Dvapara Yuga (Age of Doubt): Materialism and ambition rise, and Dharma weakens further.
4. Kali Yuga (Age of Darkness): The current age of greed, selfishness, and moral decline, where the seeds of renewal lie within the decay.

The Celts viewed cycles similarly, but with a darker twist: their cycles often begin in darkness, just as Samhain marks the start of the dark half of the year. The Battles of Moytura mirror these inflection points. The Last Battle of Moytura, as I imagined it, represents the end of an age—an apocalyptic turning point akin to the end of a Kali Yuga.

The Golden Spiral and Celtic Worldview

The Celts saw cycles not as linear or repetitive, but as spiraling—a concept visually captured by the golden spiral or Fibonacci sequence. Life, death, and rebirth follow this ever-evolving pattern, building complexity with each turn. It’s the geometry of creation, echoing the Oran Mór (The Great Song), a spiraling melody of life and renewal.

This spiraling structure shaped the mythology of my series. When the Tuatha dé Danann retreated to the Underworld, humanity was left vulnerable to the Fomorians, whose greed and exploitation echoed the moral decay of the Kali Yuga. Their absence set the stage for the Last Battle of Moytura, a final confrontation in a spiraling cycle of destruction and rebirth.

Filling in the Mythological Gaps

To link the original battles to my imagined Last Battle, I crafted a timeline spanning these epochs. The Last Battle of Moytura serves as both the climax of an Age of Darkness and the dawn of a new cycle. The Hindu Yugas seemed deterministic to me. The Celts conception of the Great Song suggests we are both song and singer. Created and creator. Free will plays a role and our decisions can shape events. I emphasize this as a driving force.

The Cycles of the Oran Mór happen, but they’re ultimately driven by the choices of all. When our collective choices lead to imbalance, a massive event, like the battles, realign the world and bring a new equilibrium.

In my mythology, the Tuatha Dé Danann’s decision to leave humanity and retreat to the Underworld fundamentally altered the course of events leading to the third battle. Had they remained as guides, the enemy might once again have been the Fomorians. Instead, their absence allowed humanity to chart its own path guided by the malevolent hand of Fomorians who seize power in the Tuatha’s vacuum.

In the Kali Yuga and the Age of Destruction in the Last Battle of Moytura series ignorance, greed, and dishonesty rise. The Fomorians exemplified these traits that align unsettlingly well with unfettered Western capitalism. It’s no coincidence they appear as CEOs in my series.

Who’s the Enemy?

The answer depends on perspective. For Badb Catha, humanity is the enemy, and the protagonist is the natural world. For Harper O’Neill, the heroine of my series, the Fae army led by Badb represents the existential threat. As alliances shift and choices are made, the battle lines blur, but one thing remains clear: the Third and Last Battle of Moytura will transform the world forever.

Final Thoughts

This mythology isn’t just the backdrop for a fantasy series—it’s a reflection of our collective struggles and choices. The Last Battle of Moytura explores the collision of cycles of destruction and renewal with human agency. It challenges us to reconsider who our enemies are and what kind of future we want to create.