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Celtchar
Celtchar, son of Uthechar or Uthidir, is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. In '' Scéla Mucce Maic Dathó'' ("The Tale of Mac Dathó's Pig") he is described as "a grey, tall, very terrible hero of Ulster". When he challenges Cet mac Mágach for the champion's portion, Cet counters that he once emasculated Celtchar with a spear at Celtchar's own house. He lives in Dún Lethglaise, also known as the Mound of Down (Irish ''Dún''), or Rathkeltair (Irish ''Ráth Celtchair'' or Celtchar's Fort) in Downpatrick, County Down. His wife is Findmór of Dún Sobairche (Dunseverick, County Antrim). He wields a spear or lance, the '' Lúin Cheltchair'', whose lust for blood is so great it has to be dipped in a cauldron of poison to control it. In the ''Táin Bó Cúailnge'', after the Ulstermen have roused from their debility, he and Conchobar mac Nessa rescue eight captive Ulster women from eight men of Ailill and Medb's household at Áth Féinne. In compensation for murder ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lúin Of Celtchar
In the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature, the ''Lúin'' of Celtchar (Irish: ''Lúin Celtchair'') is the name of a long, fiery lance or spear belonging to Celtchar mac Uthechar and wielded by other heroes, such as Dubthach Dóeltenga, Dubthach, Mac Cécht (warrior), Mac Cécht and Fedlimid mac Daill, Fedlimid. Properties Detailed descriptions of the spear's special use and terrible effect are to be found in the Middle Irish texts ''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' ("The Destruction of the Hostel of Da Derga") (Recension II) and ''Mesca Ulad'' ("The Intoxication of the Ulstermen"), both of which employ the so-called "watchman device" to describe the fearful appearance of the warrior Dubthach Dóeltenga. In ''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'', it appears when the spies of Ingcél Cáech report on Conaire's large retinue of warriors in the hostel of Da Derga in Leinster. Lomnae Drúth observes: The interpreter Fer Rogain identifies the figure as Dubthach Dóeltenga and explains: In ''Me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conganchnes Mac Dedad
Conganchnes (''"the horny-skin"'' in Irish) is a hero mentioned in the legend of the death of Celtchar mac Uthechair; he does not, however, kill him, but is killed himself. Conganchnes is a son of Dedu mac Sin or sometimes Cú Roí. He went to Ulster to avenge the death of his nephew Cú Roí mac Dáire mac Dedad and wrought much destruction upon the land on his way, being invincible due to his tough skin "as of horn" deflecting spears and swords. Conchobar asked Celtchar to get rid of the mighty Conganchnes, and Celtchar agreed. He sent his own daughter to him, Níab, to gain his trust, and offered him "feasts for a hundred men every afternoon." Níab asked her new husband how he could be killed; Conganchnes replied that red-hot spits must be stuck into his soles and thrust up into his shins. Níab relayed this information to her father, and told him to prepare a sleeping spell and a large army as well. The instructions were followed to the letter, the men sneaking up on Cong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle ( ga, an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and Louth. It focuses on the mythical Ulster king Conchobar mac Nessa and his court at Emain Macha, the hero Cú Chulainn, and their conflict with the Connachta and queen Medb. The longest and most important tale is the epic ''Táin Bó Cúailnge'' (Cattle Raid of Cooley). The Ulster Cycle is one of the four 'cycles' of Irish mythology and legend, along with the Mythological Cycle, the Fianna Cycle and the Kings' Cycle. Ulster Cycle stories The Ulster Cycle stories are set in and around the reign of King Conchobar mac Nessa, who rules the Ulaid from Emain Macha (now Navan Fort near Armagh). The most prominent hero of the cycle is Conchobar's nephew, Cú Chulainn. The Ulaid are most often in conflict with the Connacht ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blaí Briugu
Blaí Briugu (Blaí the Landholder or Hospitaller) is an Ulster warrior in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. He was wealthy and kept a hostel, and had a ''geis'' which required him to sleep with any woman who stayed there unaccompanied. When Brig Bretach, wife of Celtchar Celtchar, son of Uthechar or Uthidir, is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. In '' Scéla Mucce Maic Dathó'' ("The Tale of Mac Dathó's Pig") he is described as "a grey, tall, very terrible hero of Ulster". When he challenges Ce ..., stayed there on her own, he slept with her (as required by his ''geis'') and for that Celtchar killed him. References {{DEFAULTSORT:Blai Briugu Ulster Cycle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Downpatrick
Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be the burial place of Saint Patrick. Today, it is the county town of Down and the joint headquarters of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. Downpatrick had a population of 10,822 according to the 2011 Census. History Pre-history An early Bronze Age site was excavated in the Meadowlands area of Downpatrick, revealing two roundhouses, one was four metres across and the other was over seven metres across. Archaeological excavations in the 1950s found what was thought to be a Bronze Age hillfort on Cathedral Hill, but further work in the 1980s revealed that this was a much later rampart surrounding an early Christian monastery. Early history Downpatrick (''Dún Pádraig'') is one of Ireland's oldest towns. It takes its name from a ''dún' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cú Roí
Cú Roí mac Dáire (Cú Ruí, Cú Raoi) is a king of Munster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is usually portrayed as a warrior with superhuman abilities and a master of disguise possessed of magical powers. His name probably means "hound of the plain/field", or more specifically, "hound of the battlefield". He is the son of Dáire mac Dedad (or Dáire Doimthech), and thus belongs to the Clanna Dedad. However, T. F. O'Rahilly believed this to be artificial, stating that "Cú Roí and Dáire are ultimately one and the same". Though often an outsider figure, for instance in the role of intervener or arbitrator, Cú Roí appears in a great number of medieval Irish texts, including '' Forfess Fer Fálgae'', ''Amra Con Roi'', ''Brinna Ferchertne'', ''Aided Chon Roi'' (in several recensions), ''Fled Bricrenn'', '' Mesca Ulad'' and ''Táin Bó Cúailnge''. The early Irish tale-lists refer to such titles as '' Aided Chon Roí'', ''Echtra Chon Roí'' (List A), ''Orgain Chathrach ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Tale Of Mac Da Thó's Pig
''The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig'' (Old Irish: ''Scéla Muicce Meicc Da Thó'') is a legendary tale in the Ulster Cycle. The story tells of a dispute between the Connachta, led by Ailill and Medb, and the Ulaid, led by Conchobar mac Nessa, over the acquisition of the hound of Leinster, Ailbe. The dispute is ultimately resolved through the plan of the king of Leinster, Mac Da Thó, to hold a feast at his hostel, at which a fight breaks out over the assignment of the ''curadmír'' or champion's portion. The work is an example of early Irish literature, written primarily in prose attributed to an unknown author of Leinster c. AD 800, and survives in at least six manuscripts, written between the 12th and 18th centuries. The story was apparently popular in the Middle Ages and later times, and became the subject of a number of independent poems. Although apparently the quintessential Ulster Cycle story in many respects, the tale's composition also displays a sophisticated satiric q ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ulaid
Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh (Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in Cóiced, Irish for "the Fifth". The king of Ulaid was called the '' rí Ulad'' or ''rí in Chóicid''. Ulaid also refers to a people of early Ireland, and it is from them that the province of Ulster derives its name. Some of the dynasties in the over-kingdom claimed descent from the Ulaid, but others are cited as being of Cruithin descent. In historical documents, the term Ulaid was used to refer to the population group of which the Dál Fiatach was the ruling dynasty. As such, the title ''Rí Ulad'' held two meanings: over-king of Ulaid and king of the Ulaid, as in the Dál Fiatach. The Ulaid feature prominently in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. According to legend, the ancient territory of Ulaid spanned the whole of the modern pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conchobar Mac Nessa
Conchobar mac Nessa (son of Ness) is the king of Ulaid, Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Emain Macha (Navan Fort, near Armagh). He is usually said to be the son of the High King of Ireland, High King Fachtna Fáthach, although in some stories his father is the druid Cathbad, and he is usually known by his matronymic, ''mac Nessa'': his mother is Ness, daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide, King of Ulster. Legendary biography Birth There are several versions of how Conchobar was conceived. In the earliest, Ness, daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide, the then king of Ulster, asks the druid Cathbad what it is an auspicious time for. Cathbad replies, "for begetting a king on a queen". There are no other men around, so Ness takes Cathbad to bed and she conceives a son. In a later version, Ness is brought up by twelve foster-fathers, and while all twelve are at a feast, Cathbad, leading a ''fianna, fian'' or landless war-band, attacks the house and kills them all. Eochaid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuno Meyer
Kuno Meyer (20 December 1858 – 11 October 1919) was a German scholar, distinguished in the field of Celtic philology and literature. His pro-German stance at the start of World War I in the United States was a source of controversy. His brother was the distinguished classical scholar, Eduard Meyer. Meyer was considered first and foremost a lexicographer among Celtic scholars but is known by the general public in Ireland rather as the man who introduced them to ''Selections from Ancient Irish Poetry'' (1911). He founded and edited four journals devoted to Celtic Studies, published numerous texts and translations of Old and Middle Irish romances and sagas, and wrote prolifically, his topics ranging to name origins and ancient law. Early life Born in Hamburg, he studied there at the Gelehrtenschule of the Johanneum. He spent two years in Edinburgh, Scotland, as a teenager (1874–1876) learning English. From 1879, he attended the University of Leipzig, where he was taught Celti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medb
Medb (), later spelled Meadhbh (), Méibh () and Méabh (), and often anglicised as Maeve ( ), 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 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.Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. pp. 294–295Monaghan, Patricia. ''The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore''. Infobase Publishing, 2004. p.319Koch, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ailill Mac Máta
Ailill mac Máta is the king of the Connachta and the husband of queen MedbMatson, Gienna: ''Celtic Mythology A to Z'', page 2. Chelsea House, 2004. in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Cruachan (Rathcroghan in County Roscommon). Family background, marriage and offspring The sagas explain ''mac Máta'' as a matronymic: his mother is Máta Muirisc, daughter of Mága, of the Fir Ol nEchmacht, a tribal grouping of Connacht, through whom he claimed the throne of the Connachta. His father is Rus Ruad, king of the Laigin, whose other sons include Cairbre Nia Fer, king of Tara, Find Fili, who succeeded him as king of the Laigin, and in some texts Cathbad, chief druid of Conchobar mac Nessa of the Ulaid. The ''Táin Bó Cúailnge'' says Medb chose him as husband, ahead of Find, Cairbre and Conchobar, because he alone among them was without meanness, jealousy or fear.Cecile O'Rahilly (ed. & trans.), ''Táin Bó Cúalnge from the Book of Leinster'', Dublin Institute fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
