52. As for the Tuatha De, however, that is discussed here.
53. After Bres, Nuadu was once more in the kingship over the Tuatha De; and at that time he held a great feast for the Tuatha De in Tara. Now there was a certain warrior whose name was Samildanach on his way to Tara. At that time there were doorkeepers at Tara named Gamal mac Figail and Camall mac Riagail. While the latter was on duty, he saw the strange company coming toward him. A handsome, well-built young warrior with a king’s diadem was at the front of the band.
54. They told the doorkeeper to announce their arrival in Tara. The doorkeeper asked, “Who is there?”
55. “Lug Lormansclech is here, the son of Cian son of Dian Cecht and of Ethne daughter of Balor. He is the foster son of Tailtiu, the daughter of Magmor, the king of Spain, and of Eochaid Garb mac Duach.”
56. The doorkeeper then asked of Samildanach, “What art do you practice? For no one without an art enters Tara.”
57. “Question me,” he said. “I am a builder.”
The doorkeeper answered, “We do not need you. We have a builder already, Luchta mac Luachada.”
58. He said, “Question me, doorkeeper: I am a smith.”
The doorkeeper answered him, “We have a smith already, Colum Cualeinech of the three new techniques.”
59. He said, “Question me: I am a champion.”
The doorkeeper answered, “We do not need you. We have a champion already, Ogma mac Ethlend.”
60. He said again, “Question me.” “I am a harper,” he said.
“We do not need you. We have a harper already, Abcan mac Bicelmois, whom the men of the three gods chose in the sid-mounds.”
61. He said, “Question me: I am a warrior.”
The doorkeeper answered, “We do not need you. We have a warrior already, Bresal Etarlam mac Echdach Baethlaim.”
62. Then he said, “Question me, doorkeeper. I am a poet and a historian.”
“We do not need you. We already have a poet and historian, En mac Ethamain.”
63. He said, “Question me. I am a sorcerer.”
“We do not need you. We have sorcerers already. Our druids and our people of power are numerous.”
64. He said, “Question me. I am a physician.”
“We do not need you. We have Dian Cecht as a physician.”
65. “Question me,” he said. “I am a cupbearer.”
“We do not need you. We have cupbearers already: Delt and Drucht and Daithe, Tae and Talom and Trog, Gle and Glan and Glesse.”
66. He said, “Question me: I am a good brazier.”
“We do not need you. We have a brazier already, Credne Cerd.”
67. He said, “Ask the king whether he has one man who possesses all these arts: if he has I will not be able to enter Tara.”
68. Then the doorkeeper went into the royal hall and told everything to the king. “A warrior has come before the court,” he said, “named Samildanach; and all the arts which help your people, he practices them all, so that he is the man of each and every art.”
69. Then he said that they should bring him the fidchell-boards of Tara, and he won all the stakes, so that he made the cro of Lug. (But if fidchell was invented at the time of the Trojan war, it had not reached Ireland yet, for the battle of Mag Tuired and the destruction of Troy occurred at the same time.)
70. Then that was related to Nuadu. “Let him into the court,” said Nuadu, “for a man like that has never before come into this fortress.”
71. Then the doorkeeper let him past, and he went into the fortress, and he sat in the seat of the sage, because he was a sage in every art.
72. Then Ogma threw the flagstone, which required fourscore yoke of oxen to move it, through the side of the hall so that it lay outside against Tara. That was to challenge Lug, who tossed the stone back so that it lay in the centre of the royal hall; and he threw the piece which it had carried away back into the side of the royal hall so that it was whole again.
73. “Let a harp be played for us,” said the hosts. Then the warrior played sleep music for the hosts and for the king on the first night, putting them to sleep from that hour to the same time the next day. He played sorrowful music so that they were crying and lamenting. He played joyful music so that they were merry and rejoicing.
74. Then Nuadu, when he had seen the warrior’s many powers, considered whether he could release them from the bondage they suffered at the hands of the Fomoire. So they held a council concerning the warrior, and the decision which Nuadu reached was to exchange seats with the warrior. So Samildanach went to the king’s seat, and the king arose before him until thirteen days had passed.
75. The next day he and the two brothers, Dagda and Ogma, conversed together on Grellach Dollaid; and his two kinsmen Goibniu and Dian Cecht were summoned to them.