![7 Fergus goes down into the lake](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/7_Fergus_goes_down_into_the_lake.jpg)
Fergus mac Léti (also mac Léte, mac Léide, mac Leda) was, according to Irish legend and traditional history, a
king of Ulster
The King of Ulster (Old Irish: ''Rí Ulad'', Modern Irish: ''Rí Uladh'') also known as the King of Ulaid and King of the Ulaid, was any of the kings of the Irish provincial over-kingdom of Ulaid. The title rí in Chóicid, which means "king of ...
. His place in the traditional chronology is not certain - according to some sources, he was a contemporary of the
High King Conn of the Hundred Battles
Conn Cétchathach (; "of the Hundred Battles"), son of Fedlimid Rechtmar, was a semi-legendary High King of Ireland and the ancestor of the Connachta, and, through his descendant Niall Noígiallach, the Uí Néill dynasties, which dominated Irela ...
,
[D. A. Binchy (ed. & trans.)]
"The Saga of Fergus mac Léti"
''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 languages, Germani ...
16, 1952, pp. 33-48 in others of
Lugaid Luaigne
Lugaid Luaigne, son of Finnat Már, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He came to power after killing his predecessor, and his father's killer, Bresal Bó-Díbad, and ruled for five or fift ...
,
Congal Cláiringnech
Congal Cláiringnech ("the cripple"), son of Rudraige, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a king of Ulster and High King of Ireland. He was the brother of Bresal Bó-Díbad, the former High King, who had been killed ...
,
Dui Dallta Dedad and
Fachtna Fáthach
Fachtna Fáthach ("the wise"), son of Cas (or Ross), son of Rudraige, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He came to power when he defeated the previous High King, Dui Dallta Dedad, in the ba ...
.
Appearances
According to the ''Caithréim Conghail Cláiringhnigh'' (''Martial Career of Congal Cláiringnech''), while
Lugaid Luaigne
Lugaid Luaigne, son of Finnat Már, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He came to power after killing his predecessor, and his father's killer, Bresal Bó-Díbad, and ruled for five or fift ...
was
High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...
, Fergus ruled the southern half of Ulster while
Congal Cláiringnech
Congal Cláiringnech ("the cripple"), son of Rudraige, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a king of Ulster and High King of Ireland. He was the brother of Bresal Bó-Díbad, the former High King, who had been killed ...
ruled the northern half. The
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 ...
objected to having two kings, and the High King was asked to judge which of them should be sole ruler of the province. Lugaid chose Fergus, and gave him his daughter Findabair in marriage. Congal refused to accept this and declared war. After trying and failing to overthrow Fergus, he marched on
Tara and defeated and beheaded Lugaid in battle. Installing himself as High King, he deposed Fergus as king of Ulster, putting his own brother Ross Ruad in his place. In the reign of
Fachtna Fáthach
Fachtna Fáthach ("the wise"), son of Cas (or Ross), son of Rudraige, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He came to power when he defeated the previous High King, Dui Dallta Dedad, in the ba ...
, Ross was killed in the Battle of
Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle ( or "loch of the lip"), is the estuary of the River Foyle, on the north coast of Ireland. It lies between County Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Sovereignty over ...
, and Fergus was made king of Ulster again.
In the ''Saga of Fergus mac Léti'', he encounters water-sprites called ''lúchorpáin'' or "little bodies"; this is thought to be the earliest known references to
leprechaun
A leprechaun ( ga, leipreachán/luchorpán) is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. I ...
s.
[ The creatures try to drag Fergus into the sea while he is asleep, but the cold water wakes him and he seizes them. In exchange for their freedom the ''lúchorpáin'' grant him three wishes, one of which is to gain the ability to breathe underwater. This ability will work anywhere but ''Loch Rudraige'' (]Dundrum Bay
Dundrum Bay (Old Irish ''Loch Rudraige'') is a bay located next to Dundrum, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is divided into the Outer Bay, and the almost entirely landlocked Inner Bay. They are separated by the dune systems of Ballykinler to th ...
) in Ulster. He attempts to swim there anyway, and encounters a sea-monster called Muirdris, and his face is permanently contorted in terror. This disfigurement would disqualify him from the kingship, but the Ulstermen do not want to depose him, so they ban mirrors from his presence so he will never learn of his deformity. Seven years later he whips a serving girl, who in anger reveals the truth to him. Fergus returns to Loch Rudraige in search of the sea-monster, and after a two-day battle that turns the sea red with blood, kills it, before dying of exhaustion.
His kingship of Ulster, his association with the sword Caladbolg
''Caladbolg'' ("hard cleft", also spelled Caladcholg, "hard blade") is the sword of Fergus mac Róich from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.James MacKillop, ''Dictionary of Celtic Mythology'', Oxford University Press, pp. 64-65
Fergus calls h ...
and his death in water have led some to identify him as a double of the 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 coun ...
character Fergus mac Róich
Fergus mac Róich (literally " manliness, son of great stallion") is a character in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Formerly the king of Ulster, he is tricked out of the kingship and betrayed by Conchobar mac Nessa, becomes the ally and lo ...
,[MacKillop, pp. 190-191] although the two characters appear together in the ''Caithréim Conghail Cláiringhnigh'' as enemies.
In the Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People
''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' is a 1959 American fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the ''Darby O'Gill'' stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh. Directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Lawrence Ed ...
, the leprechaun King Brian says he sits upon the throne of "Fergus Mac Leda."
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fergus Mac Leti
Cycles of the Kings
Legendary Irish kings