-Ruadan, the fomorian spy- In Irish mythology, Ruadan is one of the fomorians, a mysterious race of monstrous sea-raiders who terrorized Ireland during ancient times. They had a complicated relationship with the Tuatha de Danaan, the pantheon of Irish gods, with sometimes the two races being in friendly terms, some even in romantic relationships, and others with both acting as fierce enemies. When the Tuatha Dé arrived in Ireland the fomorians were already in there for a long time, and so were a group of people called the Fir Bolg, who did battle with the gods. The Tuatha Dé emerged victorious, but at the cost of their king, Nuada, losing his arm, and alongside it, his right to rule his people. One of their warriors, Bres is chosen as their new king, but he ends up oppressing the Tuatha Dé, putting them under the rule of the fomorian tribe, humiliating them and asking huge amounts of tributes in their honor. Bres is eventually deposed and alongside with the help of Balor, the great fomorian king, he declares war on the Tuatha de Danaan, starting a long conflict between the two tribes. Ruadan was actually the son of Bres with Brigid, the goddess and queen of the Tuatha de Danaan, making him only 1/4 fomorian. Nevertheless, he joined his father's army and chose to fight on the fomorian side against the gods. During the war, the fomorians realized that after every battle, the Tuatha always seemed to return the following day with their warriors completely healed and equipment restored, while the fomorian were suffering multiple losses. Puzzled by this, they sent Ruadan, who looked human enough to mingle with the gods unnoticed, to spy on their campsite. There he saw three smith gods, Goibniu, Credne and Luchta, fixing all of their broken weapons in seconds with just a swing of their hammers. On the backside, there was also a magical healing spring managed by the gods of medicine, Dian Cecht and his daughter Airmed, capable of returning any wounded warrior back to full health. Ruadan informed his companions of what he saw and they returned the following day planning an attack. Ruadan once again disguised himself and asked for a new spear from one of the smiths, impaling him with it as he got his hands on one. Meanwhile, a group of fomorians led by Octriallach, son of the fomorian general Indech, attacked the healing fountain by throwing huge stones at it, but not before the Tuatha managed to heal the impaled smith. Ruadan tries to escape, but is captured by the soldiers and then executed in front of his mom, the goddess Brigid. Lamenting for her son's death, she invents the Keening, a sort of vocal lamentation for the dead.
