In Irish mythology, Banba (modern spelling: Banbha ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, is a matron

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

of Ireland. She was married to Mac Cuill, a grandson of the Dagda. She was part of an important triumvirate of matron goddesses, with her sisters, Ériu and Fódla. According to Seathrún Céitinn she worshipped Macha, 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, in a variation of the legend of Cessair. 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 in Chorca Dhuibne,

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

. The soil of this region is a non- leptic podzolbr>
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), a ship in the

Irish Naval Service The Naval Service ( ga, An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) is the maritime component of the Defence Forces of Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork. Though preceded by earlier mar ...

, 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