The Giant with an Evil Eye

Myths and Illustrations

Balor is a fairly good example of the difficulties inherent with the act of translating ancient mythological patterns into images. Illustrations can either be figurative or realistic. The more realistic they are, the further they stray from the essence of a Myth. Myths, as long as they are alive, always evolve. Ancient Irish myths have reached us through late medieval transcriptions of much older tales, orally transmitted for over two thousand years. Orality and written words don't follow the same rules. Writings are closed, orality is open. Writings show, oral tales suggest.

Why then, this myth-illustrating-frenzy ? Even Worse, why on earth would anyone want to write fictions about myths which didn't do us any harm in the first place ? What for  ?

Well, there ain't any other good reason than this : we do this for pleasure.  Fiction and Illustration are our means of expression. There is no other reason.

Why is myth-illustrating a delicate process ? First, because a myth is, or has been, sacred. Then, because the characters involved in most myths are exceptional beings, and realistic illustrations simply aren't large enough for them. You can picture for yourself, the scene of Odin, Vili and Vé building Midgard from the cadaver of the giant Ymir, but actually drawing the scene is not an easy thing. The resulting drawing will be pathetic, more often than not.

Short Biography of a Demon Lord

The giant Balor is one of the most unforgettable figures of Irish mythology. Is he really a giant to begin with ? We chose to picture him as one, even if the debate on this point is not closed⁽¹⁾. One of the two manuscript sources for the second Battle of Mag Tured, mentions the origin of Balor's evil powers. Like Obélix (one of the two main character of the Belgian comic book series 'Asterix the Gaul'), Balor fell into it (magic potion) when he was young.

Balor peaks through a window and watches his father's druids making charms. Noxious vapours flow through the window frame and get inside Balor's eye, poisoning it forever.Balor has a unique eye (fact not fully ascertained), big as three men's fists, in the middle of his brow. The eyelid of this poisoned eye  is always closed, "except on the battle field" (cit). Balor seems unable to lift it by himself and requires the helping of soldiers, who open the lid with a great polished hook, carefully avoiding the eye's stare. When the eye is opened, when the furrowed skin is lifted, a flood of poison gushes out and strikes down any man, friend of foe, who has the misfortune of being on the way :

«the liquid poison, blazing and noxious, with the he heavy and stupendous downpours of water from the eyebrows and the brims of this poisoned eye " (C.J. Guyonvarc'h, Textes Mythologiques Irlandais, 1980, p69.)

Text contradict themselves as concerns Balor's military assistants : one source tells that "four men lifted his eyelid with a polished hook", whereas the other mentions "three times nine good warriors" to accomplish the same task. Though enumerations are not to be taken too literally as concerns Irish Celtic Mythology ⁽²⁾, still, twenty seven men holding a hook is easily said, less easily drawn. Mirlikovir chose to trust this job to two warriors, or four, depending on his illustrations. It happens taht in this precise situation, we stick to the text. Otherwise, we have to make visual decisions. For instance, Mirlikovir finds Cyclops' in general, and the ocular globe set in the middle of their brow, rather anaesthetic. This is why "his" Balor is wearing a helm, the visor of which hides the giant's eye.

Balor intervenes in Irish mythical epics, especially during the Second Battle of Mag Tured. The isle of Ireland is dominated by the Fomores, who, with some help from the Tuatha de Danan,  defeated the native people of the Fir Bolg, who owned the land before them. The Fomores are often pictured as malevolent creatures, incarnating the disorder and chaos which prevails prior to any civilisation.

The future masters of the Irish land are the Tuatha de Danan (the tribes of Dana), and their heroes confront the Fomores in a bloody  war. Those heroes are Nuada, Lug (the shining one), Dagda (the good god), Diancecht, Cian, Miach, Airmed, Oghme,... They will also become the gods of the Irish people in pre-Christian times. Lug is, unquestionably, the champion of champions. He incarnates thoroughly the first Dumezilian function, with a strong warlike flavour (we're in Ireland !).

When the two armies confront, Lug defies the Balor the giant.

« Balor then started squirming around the royal warrior, around Lug, and he provoked him. He aroused such fear, such terror and such fright, from his dark blood clotted cavity (...)» (C.J. Guyonvarc'h, Textes Mythologiques Irlandais, 1980, p67.)

The Tatha army, threatened by Balor, owes its victory to Goibnu's intervention. Goibnu quickly forges, with the assistance of his one hundred and fifty sons (not one less), an iron projectile, and throws it towards Lug. Lug catches it and throws it at Balor's face.

« (The projectile) pierced the very hard skin (…) so that the hole made by the sling's stone into the hero's head was like a huge cavity, wide and empty, and the dark, gloomy and red trail of the eye was, through the head in the back, and the eye was a huge infernal mass and a round shapeless heap before him» (C.J. Guyonvarc'h, Textes Mythologiques Irlandais, 1980, p69.).

Balor and Setanta

Eh he he,... I know what you're about to ask. What the hell... might the relationship between Balor and Setanta be ? Well, there is one. Readers who don't want to spoil the reading of our (to-be) comic books might as well stop reading.

SPOILER

Balor is Lug's grandfather... and whose father is Lug ? eh ?

Blood does not lie...