Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

, Banba (modern spelling: Banbha ), daughter of

Delbáeth Delbáeth or Delbáed (modern spelling: Dealbhaoth or Dealbhaodh) was one of several figures from Irish mythology who are often confused due to the repetition of the name in the mythological genealogies. Name According to the Dindsenchas, the nam ...

and

Ernmas Ernmas is an Irish mother goddess, mentioned in ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' and "Cath Maige Tuired" as one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Her daughters include the trinity of eponymous Irish goddesses Ériu, Banba and Fódla, the trinity of war goddesses ...

of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gae ...

, is a matron goddess of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. She was married to

Mac Cuill In Irish mythology, Mac Cuill of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was a son of Cermait, son of the Dagda. Mac Cuill's given name was Éthur and he was named Mac Cuill after his god, Coll, the hazel. His wife was Banba. Description He and his brothers Mac ...

, a grandson of the

Dagda The Dagda (Old Irish: ''In Dagda,'' ga, An Daghdha, ) is an important god in Irish mythology. One of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Dagda is portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia' ...

. She was part of an important triumvirate of matron goddesses, with her sisters,

Ériu In Irish mythology, Ériu (; modern ga, Éire ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic (Old Norse or Ol ...

and

Fódla In Irish mythology, Fódla or Fótla (modern spelling: Fódhla, Fodhla or Fóla), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was one of the tutelary giantesses of Ireland. Her husband was Mac Cecht. With her sisters, Banba and ...

. According to

Seathrún Céitinn Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and a ...

she worshipped

Macha Macha () was a sovereignty goddess of ancient Ireland associated with the province of Ulster, particularly the sites of Navan Fort (''Eamhain Mhacha'') and Armagh (''Ard Mhacha''), which are named after her.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A H ...

, who is also sometimes named as a daughter of Ernmas. The two goddesses may therefore be seen as equivalent. Céitinn also refers to a tradition that Banbha was the first person to set foot in Ireland before the

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

, in a variation of the legend of

Cessair Cessair or Cesair (spelled Ceasair in modern Irish, meaning sorrow, affliction) is a character from the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'', a medieval Christian pseudohistory of Ireland. According to the ''Lebor Gabála'', Cessair was the leader of the firs ...

. In the ''Tochomlad mac Miledh a hEspain i nErind: no Cath Tailten'',The Progress of the Sons of Mil from Spain to Ireland TCD H.4.22
, Celtic Literature Collective it is related that as the Milesians were journeying through Ireland, "they met victorious Banba among her troop of

faery A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

magic hosts" on Senna Mountain, the stony mountain of Mes. A footnote identifies this site as

Slieve Mish , translation = ossiblymountains of Mis , language = Irish , photo=File:Fenit Marina Ireland.JPG , photo_caption= Slieve Mish Mountains from across the Tralee Bay in the village of Fenit , country=Republic of Ireland , location = Kerry , ...

in Chorca Dhuibne, County Kerry. The soil of this region is a non- leptic

podzol In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathland, which is often a construct of ...

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If the character of Banba originated in an earth-goddess, non-leptic podzol may have been the particular earth-type of which she was the deification. The

LÉ Banba (CM11) LÉ ''Banba'' (CM11) was a in the Irish Naval Service (INS) and was one of three purchased by the Irish government in light of changing politics in Northern Ireland that was creating more gunrunning, and, the beginning of the drugs trade. The o ...

, a ship in the Irish Naval Service, was named after her. Initially, she could have been a goddess of war as well as a fertility goddess.

References

Irish goddesses Tuatha Dé Danann War goddesses Fertility goddesses Tutelary deities Irish royal consorts Personifications of Ireland National personifications Names for Ireland {{celt-myth-stub