In Irish mythology, the Fomoire or Fomorians were a semi-divine race and were believed to have been one of the first tribes to inhabit Ireland in ancient times. They are believed to be the people who preceded the gods, similar to the Greek Titans, and are sometimes said to have had the body of a man and the head of a goat (no kidding!). They represented the gods of chaos and nature, as opposed to the Tuatha Dé Danann who represent the gods of human civilization. In later times the name ‘Fomorian’ was a label given to any settled pirates or seaborne raiders and so it is possible that they may have come from as far away as Africa or The Orient. Famous recorded Fomorians were Balor of the One Eye, Bres, Buarainech, Cethlenn, Cichol Gricenchos, Conand, Corb, Elatha, Ethniu and Tethra. This Painting of The Fomorians was done by John Duncan in 1912.
