THE THREE QUEENS OF IRELAND

According to the ancient text known as the Leber Gabala Erinn (The Book of Invasions), when the Sons of Mil--the Milesians, the ancestors of the modern Irish--first came to Ireland, they found a people living there who called themselves the Tuatha de Danaan, which means "the sons of Danu." They were ruled by three kings and their three queens: Eriu, Banba, and Fodla. The queens, being in reality goddesses, had foreseen the coming of the Milesians and knew they were destined to win the island. One by one, they greeted them, welcomed them, and told them they were prophesized to conquer the land.