38-814: Boann or Boand is the Irish goddess of the River Boyne ( Bóinn ), an important river in Ireland's historical province of Meath . According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn and Táin Bó Fraích she was the sister of Befind and daughter of Delbáeth, son of Elada , of the Tuatha Dé Danann . Her husband is variously Nechtan or Elcmar . With her lover the Dagda , she is the mother of Aengus . Her name
76-499: A ) ( Irish: [ˈmʲeːw(ə)] ) and Méibh ( Irish: [mʲeːvʲ] ), and often anglicised as Maeve ( / m eɪ v / MAYV ), is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology . Her husband in the core stories of the cycle is Ailill mac Máta , although she had several husbands before him who were also kings of Connacht . She rules from Cruachan (now Rathcroghan , County Roscommon ). She
114-446: A branch. Another Buan, named the wife of the one-armed King Mesgegra of Leinster, dies of grief after Conall Cernach beheads her husband. A hazel tree then grows through her grave. Modern-day commentators and Modern Paganism sometimes identify Boann with the goddess Brigid or believe Boann to be Brigid's mother; however there are no Celtic sources that describe her as such. It is also speculated by some modern writers that, as
152-602: A lapdog, Dabilla, which was swept out to sea. Torn into pieces by the water, the two halves became the rocks known as Cnoc Dabilla , or Hill of Dabilla. She also appears in Táin Bó Fraích as the maternal aunt and protector of the mortal Fráech . In that story, Fráech's people tell him to go visit his mother's sister Boand to receive the raiment of the Sídhe . Boand then gives Fráech fifty intricately worked mantles and tunics with animal details, fifty jeweled spears that lit
190-462: A male. Buan's son is named as Baile, loved by both men and women, who falls in love with Ailinn, daughter of Lugaid, son of Fergus of the Sea. The two lovers arrange a tryst, but before they can meet, Baile rests his chariot and releases his horses to graze. There he is intercepted by an unnamed character (likely Manannán in his trickster guise), described as a horrible apparition, approaching fitfully with
228-673: A share of the throne when he and Medb later became lovers. Conchobar raped Medb after an assembly at Tara , and war ensued between the High King and Ulster. Tinni challenged Conchobar to single combat, and lost. Eochaid Dála of the Fir Domnann , who had been Tinni's rival for the kingship, protected the Connacht army as it retreated, and became Medb's next husband and king of Connacht. Medb demanded her husband satisfy her three criteria—that he be without fear, meanness, or jealousy. The last
266-406: A son called Maine, so she renamed all her sons as follows: The prophecy was fulfilled when Maine Andoe went on to kill Conchobar, son of Arthur, son of Bruide – not Conchobar, son of Fachtna Fathach, as Medb had assumed the druid meant. Medb and Ailill also had a daughter Findabair and another daughter called Cainnear or Cainnear Dearg (Red Cainnear) who was killed violently with a spear in
304-467: Is an apparent anachronism: the stories of the Ulster Cycle are traditionally set around the time of Christ, but the Connachta , after whom the province is named, were said to have been the descendants of Conn Cétchathach , who is supposed to have lived several centuries later. Later stories use the name Cóiced Ol nEchmacht as an earlier name for the province of Connacht to get around this problem. But
342-669: Is buried in Miosgán Médhbh , a 40-foot (12 m) high stone cairn on the summit of Knocknarea ( Cnoc na Ré in Irish ) in County Sligo . Supposedly, she is buried upright facing her enemies in Ulster. Her home in Rathcroghan , County Roscommon is also a potential burial site, with a long low slab named 'Misgaun Medb' being given as the most likely location. Tomás Ó Máille was the first to suggest in 1928, that Medb
380-653: Is described as a fair haired wolf queen, whose form was so beautiful that it robbed men of two-thirds of their valor upon seeing her. How Medb came to power in Connacht and married Ailill mac Máta is told in the tale Cath Bóinde ("The Battle of the Boyne"), also known as Ferchuitred Medba ("Medb's man-share"). Her father, Eochaid Feidlech , the High King of Ireland , married her to Conchobar mac Nessa , king of Ulster, because he had killed Conchobar's purported father,
418-419: Is interpreted as "white cow" ( Irish : bó fhionn ; Old Irish : bó find ) in the dinsenchas , where she is also called "White Boand". Ptolemy 's 2nd century Geography shows that in antiquity the river's name was Bouvinda [Βουουίνδα], which may derive from Proto-Celtic *Bou-vindā , "white cow". An alternate version of her name is given as Segais , hence Well of Segais. We are also told that Eithne
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#1732772084679456-524: Is probably an allegorical figure representing the sovereignty of Connacht, "whom a king would ritually marry as part of his inauguration." Medb Lethderg , who performs a similar function in Tara , is probably identical with or the inspiration for this Medb. Her name is said to mean 'she who intoxicates', and is cognate with the English word ' mead '; it is likely that the sacred marriage ceremony between
494-648: Is probably identical with Medb Lethderg , the sovereignty goddess of Tara . In Old Irish her name is Medb ; in Middle Irish , Meḋḃ ; in Early Modern Irish , Meadhbh or Meaḋḃ ; and in modern Irish Méabh ( a ) or Méibh . This is generally believed to come from the Proto-Celtic *medu- (" mead ") or *medua ("intoxicating"), and the meaning of her name has thus been interpreted as "mead-woman" or "she who intoxicates". This
532-399: Is reported that it took thirty men to satisfy her, or Fergus once. Medb's relationship with Fergus is alluded to in the early poem Conailla Medb míchuru ("Medb has entered evil contracts") by Luccreth moccu Chiara (c. 600); it asserts that Medb wrongly seduced Fergus into turning against Ulster "because he preferred the buttocks of a woman to his own people". Because of a divine curse on
570-470: Is the enemy (and former wife) of Conchobar mac Nessa , king of Ulster , and is best known for starting the Táin Bó Cúailnge ("The Cattle Raid of Cooley") to steal Ulster's prize stud bull Donn Cúailnge . Medb is strong-willed, ambitious, cunning and promiscuous, and is an archetypal warrior queen. She is believed by some to be a manifestation of the sovereignty goddess . Medb of Connacht
608-544: Is thought to reflect her role as sovereignty goddess. In ancient and medieval Ireland, the drinking of mead was a key part of a king's inauguration ceremony. In myth, a supernatural woman representing the sovereignty of the land chooses a king by offering him an alcoholic drink, thus bestowing sovereignty upon him. However, it is also suggested that the name comes from Proto-Celtic * medwa ("the ruler"). The name has been Anglicised as Maeve , Maev , Mave or Maiv . There are several place names in Ireland containing
646-555: The Tain Bo Flidais . Medb insisted that she be equal in wealth with her husband, and started the Cattle Raid of Cooley when she discovered that Ailill was one powerful stud bull richer than her. She discovered that the only rival to Ailill's bull, Finnbennach , was Donn Cúailnge , owned by Dáire mac Fiachna , a vassal of Conchobar's. She sent messengers to Dáire, offering wealth, land and sexual favours in return for
684-667: The 'rebirth' of the sun at the winter solstice. As told in the Dindsenchas , Boann created the Boyne. Though forbidden to by her husband, Nechtan, Boann approached the magical Well of Segais (also known as the Connla's Well), which was surrounded, according to the legend, by nine magic hazel -trees. Hazelnuts were known to fall into the Well, where they were eaten by the speckled salmon (who, along with hazelnuts, also embody and represent wisdom in Irish mythology ). Boann challenged
722-868: The Boyne, including River of Segais, the Arm and Leg of Nuada's wife, the Great Silver Yoke, White Marrow of Fedlimid, the River of the White Hazel, Banna, Roof of the Ocean, Lunnand, and Torrand. In a variant of the same story as told in the Dindsenchas, Boand tried to hide her infidelity with the Dagda by washing herself in Nechtan's well, but when she approaches it, it overcomes her, and she drowns. She had
760-459: The Ulstermen, the invasion was opposed only by the teenage Ulster hero Cúchulainn , who held up the army's advance by demanding single combat at fords. Medb and Ailill offered their daughter Findabair in marriage to a series of heroes as payment for fighting Cúchulainn, but all were defeated. Nevertheless, Medb secured the bull. However, after a final battle against Conchobar's assembled army, she
798-457: The death of Baile. With that news, Ailinn drops dead on the spot, and an apple tree grows on her grave with the form of her head at its top. The two trees are eventually cut down, turned into tablets, and inscribed with poems. On Halloween there was a poet's competition in Cormac's court, and the two tablets were brought together. When they met, they sprang together and intertwined as woodbine around
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#1732772084679836-414: The death of his mother. He took a rope and measured the distance between the pool and the shore, and practised with his sling until he could hit an apple on top of a stake Medb's height from that distance. The next time he saw Medb bathing he put his practice to good use and killed her with a piece of cheese. She was succeeded to the throne of Connacht by her son Maine Athramail. According to legend, Medb
874-458: The five senses from which knowledge is apprehended. The hazels, which drop nuts into a pool of five salmon, are called the hazels of Buan . The combination of the well, hazels, salmon and the name Buan (meaning "enduring" or "persevering") likely points to a common origin with the story of Boand and the Well of Segais . Another tale relates the fate of the only son of "White Buan," here identified as
912-423: The former High King Fachtna Fáthach , in battle. They had a son, Glaisne, but the marriage was a bad one and she left him. Eochaid gave Conchobar another of his daughters, Eithne (or Clothru), but Medb murdered her while she was pregnant; her son Furbaide was born by posthumous caesarian section . Eochaid deposed the then-king of Connacht, Tinni mac Conri, and installed Medb in his place. However, Tinni regained
950-576: The importance of the landscape when she goes to great lengths to permanently alter it to show her contempt for Ulster. "She preferred to cross the mountain by leaving a track that would show forever her contempt for Ulster… to make the Pass of the Cualinge Cattle". Out of jealousy for his affair with Medb, Ailill had Fergus killed. In his old age, after Conchobar's death, the Ulster hero Conall Cernach came to stay with Ailill and Medb, as they were
988-490: The king and the goddess would involve a shared drink. Medb's "pillow talk" argument with her consort contains suggestions of matrilineality , as does Ailill 's taking his name from his mother Máta Muirisc. Recently, Irish and Irish-American poets have explored Medb as an image of woman's power, including sexuality, as in "Labhrann Medb" ("Medb Speaks") by Irish-language poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill and "Intoxication" by Irish-American poet Patricia Monaghan . The name "Connacht"
1026-457: The loan of the bull, and Dáire initially agreed. But when a drunken messenger declared that, if he had not agreed, the bull would have been taken by force, Dáire withdrew his consent, and Medb prepared for war. An army was raised including contingents from all over Ireland. One was a group of Ulster exiles led by Conchobar's estranged son Cormac Cond Longas and his foster-father Fergus mac Róich , former king of Ulster and one of Medb's lovers. It
1064-735: The more well-known goddess, and later saint, the legends of numerous "minor" goddesses with similar associations may have over time been incorporated into the symbology, worship and tales of Brigid. Irish mythology Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 546809865 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:34:44 GMT Medb Medb ( Old Irish: [mʲeðv] ), later spelled Meadhbh ( Middle Irish: [mʲɛɣv] ), Méabh (
1102-479: The name Aengus as meaning "one desire", because the Dagda had been Boann's one true desire. It has been suggested that this tale represents the winter solstice illumination of Newgrange at Brú na Bóinne, during which the sunbeam (the Dagda) enters the inner chamber (the womb of Boann) when the sun's path stands still. The word solstice (Irish grianstad ) means sun-standstill. The conception of Aengus may represent
1140-1407: The name Medb. According to Kay Muhr of the Ulster Place-Name Society, some of these names suggest Medb was also an earth and fertility goddess. They include Ballypitmave ( Baile Phite Méabha , " townland of Medb's vulva ") in County Antrim and Sawel Pitmave ( Samhail Phite Méabha , "likeness to Medb's vulva") in County Tyrone , both in northern Ulster . Other placenames include Maeve's Cairn in County Sligo , Barnavave ( Bearna Mhéabha , "Medb's gap") in County Louth , Boveva ( Boith Mhéabha , "Medb's huts") in County Londonderry , Knockmaa ( Cnoc Meá , "Medb's hill") in County Galway , Meskanmave ( Meascán Mhéabha , "Medb's lump") in County Donegal , Milleen Meva ( Millín Mhéabha , "Medb's knoll") at Rathcroghan in County Roscommon , and Rath Meave at Tara in County Meath . Medb
1178-559: The night like the sun, fifty dark horses with gold bells, fifty swords with golden hilts, seven hounds in silver chains, seven trumpeters, three jesters, and three harpists, which Fráech uses to dazzle Medb and Ailill . According to the story "Cormac's Adventure in the Land of Promise", there is a well in Tír na nÓg surrounded by nine purple hazel trees. Called the Well of Knowledge, it yields five streams that Manannán mac Lir later explains are
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1216-489: The only household capable of supporting him. Medb tasked him to keep an eye on Ailill, who was seeing other women. Finding Ailill in flagrante , she ordered Conall to kill him, which he was happy to do in revenge for Fergus. However, the dying Ailill sent his men after him, and he was killed while trying to escape. In her later years, Medb often went to bathe in a pool on Inchcleraun (Inis Cloithreann), an island on Lough Ree , near Knockcroghery . Furbaide sought revenge for
1254-541: The power of the well by walking around it tuathal ; this caused the waters to surge up violently and rush down to the sea, creating the Boyne. In this catastrophe, she was swept along in the rushing waters, and lost an arm, leg and eye, and ultimately her life, in the flood. The poem equates her with famous rivers in other countries, including the River Severn , Tiber , Jordan River , Tigris and Euphrates . Additionally, it mentions alternate names for various parts of
1292-490: The speed of a hawk or the wind from the green sea. When Baile asks the trickster from whence he comes and the reason for his haste, the trickster lies and tells Baile that he brings news of the death of Ailinn, who was killed by the warriors of Leinster and that she and her lover will only be reunited in death. With that news Baile drops dead on the spot, and a yew grows on his grave with the form of Baile's head at its top. The trickster moves on to intercept Ailinn, whom he tells of
1330-615: The text of the Táin Bó Cúailnge. Examples of this occur when Cúchulainn "slung a stone and killed a pet stoat as it sat on Medb's shoulder by her neck, south of the ford. Hence the name Meithe Togmaill, Stoat Neck" and when he kills Medb's handmaid: "He slung a stone at her from the heights of Cuincu and killed her on the flat place that bears her name, Reid Locha, Locha's Level, in Cualinge". Medb's behaviour further illustrates
1368-477: Was forced to retreat. Donn Cúailnge was brought back to Cruachan, where it fought Ailill's bull, Finnbennach, killing him, but dying of his wounds. Also, throughout the Táin Bó Cúailnge Medb has several encounters with Cúchulainn in which he kills either her pets or handmaidens and the place in which they were killed is then named after them, which illustrates the importance of landscape throughout
1406-474: Was particularly important, as she had many lovers. While married to Eochaid Dála, she took Ailill mac Máta, chief of her bodyguard, as her lover. Eochaid discovered the affair, challenged Ailill to single combat, and lost. Ailill then married Medb and became king of Connacht. Medb and Ailill had seven sons, all called Maine. They originally all had other names, but when Medb asked a druid which of her sons would kill Conchobar, he replied, "Maine". She did not have
1444-491: Was the wife of Elcmar and that another name for Eithne was Boand. In the tale of Aengus 's birth, Boann lives at Brú na Bóinne with her husband Elcmar . She has an affair with the Dagda , who impregnates her after sending Elcmar away on a one-day errand. To hide the pregnancy from Elcmar, the Dagda casts a spell on him, making "the sun stand still" so he will not notice the passing of time. Meanwhile, nine months pass and Boann gives birth to Aengus. The Dindsenchas explains
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