Читать книгу The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic - John Matthews - Страница 188

Balor was the leader of the Primaeval Fomorian people, an Irish giant of such hideous aspect that he is known as ‘Balor of the Evil Eye’. He acquired the ability to petrify and disempower people when he was a child. He peered into a forbidden room when his father’s druids were creating a powerful potion in the cauldron. As the potion bubbled to the boil, drops spurted out into his eye, which forever afterwards had the ability to bring fear and havoc to all who looked upon it. It was so baleful that Balor kept it lidded. When he needed to look with that eye, four men were required to lift up the lid.

Balor was the lord of Tory Island off the western coast of Ireland. Here he kept his beautiful daughter confined, safe from the society of men, because of a prophecy that his own grandchild would kill him. Cian swam out to the island and slept with the giant’s daughter, making her pregnant with triplets. She put the infants into a boat to save them from the wrath of Balor, but two of them drowned. The surviving child became Lugh Lamhfada. One day, the giant saw the young boy Lugh perform an athletic feat with his spear and gave him his nickname ‘Lamhfada’ (Long-Arm), not knowing him to be his own grandson. When the boy grew up, he defeated Balor in battle. Just as he was about to strike off his grandfather’s head, Balor begged Lugh to place the severed head above his own and he would become all-powerful. Fortunately, Lugh didn’t listen to his blandishments, for the severed head of Balor would have grafted itself onto Lugh’s own body. Lugh flung the head into the depths of the sea so that Balor could quell no more people with his evil glance.

(See Ysbaddaden Pencawr.)