Nechtan is a figure in

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 C ...

who is associated with a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

marking the source of the

River Boyne The River Boyne ( ga, An Bhóinn or ''Abhainn na Bóinne'') is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newberry Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through C ...

, known as Nechtan's Well or the Well of Wisdom. He was the husband of Boann, eponymous goddess of the Boyne. Nechtan is believed to be another name for Nuada.

Etymology

According to Georges Dumézil the name ''Nechtan'' is perhaps cognate with that of the

Romano-British The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, ...

god

Nodens *''Nodens'' or *''Nodons'' ( reconstructed from the dative ''Nodenti'' or ''Nodonti'') is a Celtic healing god worshipped in Ancient Britain. Although no physical depiction of him has survived, votive plaques found in a shrine at Lydney Park ...

or the

Roman god Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

called

Neptunus Neptunus is a baseball and softball club in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Following its 2014 championship season, the club signed a sponsorship contract for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons with Curaçao and competes under the name Curaçao Neptun ...

and the Persian and Vedic gods sharing the name

Apam Napat Apam Napat is a deity in the Proto-Indo-Iranian religion, Indo-Iranian Pantheon (gods), pantheon associated with water. His names in the Vedas, ''Apām Napāt'', and in Zoroastrianism, ''Apąm Napāt'', mean "child of the Ap (water), waters" in San ...

. The name could ultimately be derived from the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo-E ...

root ''*nepot-'' "descendant, sister's son", or, alternatively, from ''nebh-'' "damp, wet". Another etymology suggests that ''Nechtan'' is derived from Old-Irish ''necht'' "clean, pure and white", with a root ''-neg'' "to wash", from IE ''neig^u̯-'' "to wash" As such, the name would be closely related mythological beings, who were dwelling near wells and springs: English

neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...

(from Anglosaxon ''nicor''), Swedish ''Näck'', German ''Nixe'' and Dutch '' nikker'', meaning "river monster, water spirit", hence Old-Norse ''nykr'' "water spirit in the form of a horse".

Description

He inhabited the otherworldly Síd Nechtain, the mythological form of Carbury Hill. In the

Dindsenchas ''Dindsenchas'' or ''Dindshenchas'' (modern spellings: ''Dinnseanchas'' or ''Dinnsheanchas'' or ''Dınnṡeanċas''), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word ''dinnseanchas'' means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Ir ...

Nechtan is described as the husband of Boann and the son of Nuadu. Elsewhere in the Dindsenchas Nechtan is said to be the son of Labraid or called "mac Namat". Similarly in the ''Book of Invasions'' Nechtan is named along with his brother Caicher as the sons of Nama, sons of Eochu Garb, but Caicher is elsewhere in the same text named as the son of Nuada.''

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...

'
§64
Only Nechtan and his three cup-bearers named Flesc, Lam, and Luam were permitted to visit the '' Tobar Segais'' or "Well of Wisdom" into which nine sacred

hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...

trees dropped their wisdom-bearing nuts. In that well swam the Salmon of Wisdom, which ate the hazelnuts. Eating one of the salmon could in turn imbue a person with knowledge of all things. In the ''Book of Invasions'' Nechtan killed Cairpre and was in turn killed by Sigmall, the grandson of

Midir In the Mythological Cycle of early Irish literature, Midir (Old Irish) or Midhir (Modern Irish) was a son of the Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann. After the Tuatha Dé were defeated by the Milesians, he lived in the sidh of Brí Léith (believed ...

Legacy

''Nechtan'' or ''Nectan'' became a common

Celt The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

ic name and a number of historical or legendary figures bear it. Nechtan was a frequent name for

Pictish kings The list of kings of the Picts is based on the Pictish Chronicle king lists. These are late documents and do not record the dates when the kings reigned. The various surviving lists disagree in places as to the names of kings, and the lengths o ...

. Nectan of Hartland, said to have lived in the 5th century AD, is the patron saint of Hartland, Devon. Some however argue that St. Nectan never existed as a historical person, but was instead a Christianized form of the god Nechtan.

St Nectan's Kieve Saint Nectan's Kieve ( kw, Cuva Nathan, meaning ''Nathan's tub'') in Saint Nectan's Glen, near Tintagel in Cornwall, Great Britain, is a plunge pool or basin fed by a waterfall on the Trevillet River. Geology The river is carved into Late De ...

in St Nectan's Glen near

Tintagel Tintagel () or Trevena ( kw, Tre war Venydh, meaning ''Village on a Mountain'') is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle are associated with the legends surroundin ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

is said to be named for St. Nectan - though this is a Victorian invention. The place was called Nathan's Cave in 1799. and was named after a local landowner.Ceri Houlbrook (2016) Saints, Poets, and Rubber Ducks: Crafting the Sacred at St Nectan's Glen, Folklore, 127:3, 344-361, DOI: 10.1080/0015587X.2016.1197593 The name MacNaughton derives from "MacNeachdainn", meaning "Son of Nechtan."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nechtan (Mythology) Irish gods Water gods Tuatha Dé Danann

Etymology

Description

Legacy

See also

References