deity · mythological cycle

Nuada

NOO-ah-dah

The first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who loses his arm in battle and is fitted with a working replacement of silver.

Nuada is the king of the Tuatha Dé Danann at the time of their arrival in Ireland and their first great conflict, the Battle of Mag Tuired against the Fir Bolg. During that battle, Nuada loses an arm to the Fir Bolg champion Sreng. Under the law of the time, a king could not rule with a physical blemish, so Nuada is forced to step down, and kingship passes to Bres — whose reign turns out to be oppressive and heavily favors his Fomorian relatives. The physician-god Dian Cécht, with the smith-god Credne, crafts Nuada a fully functioning arm of silver, restoring him to wholeness — earning him the name Nuada Airgetlám, "Nuada of the Silver Arm." Even so, tradition holds him unfit to reclaim the throne until his own son's more thorough healing (in some versions, Dian Cécht's son Miach regrows Nuada's actual arm of flesh) makes his restoration complete. Once whole again, Nuada retakes the kingship from the increasingly resented Bres, a turning point that leads directly into the Second Battle of Mag Tuired against the Fomorians. Nuada dies in that second battle, killed by the Fomorian king Balor along with his wife Macha, shortly before Lugh — who arrives at Nuada's court and is initially barred entry until he proves mastery of every skill at once — takes up leadership of the Tuatha Dé Danann in the battle's climax.

As a name: Nuada is still given to children today. See its meaning, pronunciation and popularity on NameCipher →

Connections

ally Lugh Nuada cedes the kingship to Lugh ahead of the Second Battle of Moytura
appears in Cath Maige Tuired (The Battle of Moytura)
appears in Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of Invasions)
enemy The Fomorians Loses his kingship and his arm fighting the Fomorians at the First Battle of Moytura.
located at The Hill of Tara Nuada holds court at Tara before Lugh's arrival and admission as a master of every skill.

Referenced by

ally (from) Dian Cécht Dian Cécht fits Nuada with a working silver arm after Nuada loses his own in the First Battle of Mag Tuired, restoring his claim to kingship.

The Four Cycles of Irish mythology
Cycle	Entries here	Focus
The Mythological Cycle	17	The oldest of the four cycles, telling of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the successive invasions of Ireland.
The Fenian Cycle	6	Tales of Fionn mac Cumhaill and his band of warriors, the Fianna, set generations after the Ulster Cycle in a world of hunting, romance, and roaming adventure.
The Ulster Cycle	12	The heroic tales of Conchobar mac Nessa's court at Emain Macha, centered on Cú Chulainn and the great cattle raid of the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
The Historical Cycle	1	Also the Cycle of the Kings — legendary and semi-legendary tales of Ireland's High Kings, treated by medieval scribes as genuine national history.

Sources

Cath Maige Tuired (The Battle of Moytura)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Nuada?

Nuada is the first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Ireland, best remembered for losing his arm in battle and later receiving a fully functioning silver replacement, earning him the epithet Nuada Airgetlám, "Nuada of the Silver Arm."

Why did Nuada have to give up kingship after losing his arm?

Tuatha Dé Danann law held that a king had to be physically whole, so losing his arm at the First Battle of Mag Tuired forced Nuada to step down, leading to Bres's troubled reign until Nuada's arm was restored and he reclaimed the throne.

Who made Nuada's silver arm?

The physician Dian Cécht crafted the original silver arm, though it's later replaced with a fully living arm of flesh and blood made by Dian Cécht's son Miach — a feat of healing so impressive it reportedly led a jealous Dian Cécht to kill his own son.