The Buile Suibhne tale in American Gods

Chapter 1 - The Madman and The Great Golden King

Buile Suibhne (The Madness of Sweeney or Sweeney's Frenzy) is an Irish tale about Suibhne mac Colmain, king of the Dál nAraidi who has been cursed with madness by Saint Ronan Finn (6th-century Irish saint) after he speared one of his monks. The thing I love about this story is the way they tell it in the American Gods TV series and maybe in the book with the same name which I haven't finished yet.

They relate the story to the Irish tale but with some big changes.

In the episode named "Treasure of the Sun", Mr. Ibis reveals that before Sweeney became Buile Suibhne, he was Lugh the king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. but Lugh wasn't just a king, he was also a God, he was a rightful king and a Golden God of the sun. They also named Lugh, Lámfada (of the long hand) because of his skills with a spear.

Lugh was the son of Cian of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and Ethniu the daughter of Balor of the Fomorians. One day a druid told Baldor that one of his grandsons will end his life and driven by the druid's prophecy, Baldor tries to kill Lugh and his other two brothers by drowning them in a whirlpool. He killed the other two brothers and Lugh survived later on killing Balor in the battle of Second Battle of Mag Tuireadh. Lugh had several wives and three kids. Two boys, Ibic and Cú Chulainn, and he also had a daughter named Ebliu. Buach, one of Lugh's wives had an affair and to get revenge, Lugh killed the son of the man which Buach had an affair with. Lugh got killed by a son of Buach being drowned in Loch Lugborta.

Coming back to the Buile Suibhne tale about Suibhne mac Colmain the king of the Dál nAraidi, the tale says that Saint Ronan Finn cursed Suibhne after he killed one of Ronan's monk.

While Ronan was making boundaries for a new church, the sound of the church bell reached Suibhne's ear making him rush out to expel Ronan from his territory even after his wife Eorann tried to stop him by grabbing his cloak leaving Suibhne to exit house stark naked. Suibhne grabbed Ronan's Psalter and threw it into the lake. A messenger from Congal Claen interrupted Suibhne requesting aid in the Battle of Mag Rath. The next day, the Psalter has returned in Ronan's hand unharmed and Ronan laid a curse upon Suibhne condemning him to wander and fly around the world naked and to meet his death by spear-point.

In the outgoing war, Ronan has mediated a truce that will last from each evening until morning when the killing would not be permitted. But Suibhne broke this truce by killing during the truce time. One day when Ronan and his psalmists were blessing the troops, Suibhne killed one of Ronan's psalmists and cast another in Ronan himself piercing a hole in Ronan's bell which was hanging on his breast. At this Ronan repeated the same curse, that Suibhne will wander like a bird, perch on tree branches at the sound of the bell, and die by the spear just as he had killed the monk. After the battle resumed the noise of the armies clashing drove Suibhne insane. His hands were numbed and his weapon fell.

Suibhne fleed the battlefield reaching a forest called Ros Bearaigh and perched on a yew tree.

Later on, he went to his home territory of Glenn Bolcáin and wandered seven years throughout Ireland then returns to Glenn Bolcain where once his fortress and dwelling stood, and a celebrated valley of madmen. After many events that I won't be talking about here, Suibhne returned to Ireland, to his home dominion of Glen Bocain where he meets his end by the spear just like Ronan's saying.