Bile is a character in the
Lebor Gabála Érenn, a medieval Christian pseudo-history of Ireland and the Irish (or
Gaels), and in the genealogies of
John O'Hart based on this tradition. He is described as a king of
Galicia, an ancestor of the Gaels, the son of
Breogan, and the father of
Milesius. The
Lebor Gabála purports to be an account of how the Gaels descend from
Adam through the
sons of Noah and how they came to Ireland. It tells us that they spent 440 years wandering the Earth and underwent a series of trials and tribulations, which is based on the tale of the
Israelites in the Old Testament. Eventually, they sail to
Iberia and conquer it. There, one of their leaders, Breogán, founds a city called Brigantia and builds a great tower. From the top of the tower, his son Íth glimpses Ireland. The Gaels—including some of Breogán's sons—sail to Ireland from Brigantia and take it from the
Tuatha Dé Danann, the Irish pagan gods. Brigantia likely refers to
A Coruña in Galicia (which was then known as Brigantium) and Breogán's tower is likely based on the
Tower of Hercules (which was built at A Coruña by the Romans). The idea that the Irish Gaels came from Iberia may be based on the similarity of the names
Iberia and
Hibernia and the names
Galicia and
Gael.