Taran son of Ainftech was a King of the Picts from 693 until 697, according to the Pictish king-lists. His name is the same as that of the Gaulish thunder-god,

Taranis In Celtic mythology, Taranis (Proto-Celtic: *''Toranos'', earlier ''*Tonaros''; Latin: Taranus, earlier Tanarus) is the god of thunder, who was worshipped primarily in Gaul, Hispania, Britain, and Ireland, but also in the Rhineland and Danube reg ...

. His father is just a name, which occurs in various forms, e.g., ''Entifidich'' in the ''

Poppleton manuscript {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The Poppleton manuscript is the name given to the fourteenth-century codex probably compiled by Robert of Poppleton, a Carmelite friar who was the Prior of Hulne, near Alnwick. The manuscript contains numerous work ...

'', ''Enfidaig'', ''Amfredech'', ''Anfudeg'', and as ''Amfodech'' in the French king-list embedded in the '' Scalacronica.'' The list in

National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...

MS, Advocates' 34.7.3, seems to say that Taran was the brother of King Nechtan m. Der-Ilei, which could mean that Taran's mother was the Pictish princess

Der-Ilei Der-Ilei (born late 7th century) is believed to have been a daughter, or less probably a sister, of Bridei map Beli, king of the Picts (died 693). There are no explicit mentions of Der-Ilei in the Irish annals or other sources, and her existence ...

. However, the latter list is problematic and places the reign of King Bridei m. Der-Ilei, Nechtan's brother, after Nechtan; on the other hand, the list is one of those that is aware that Bridei was the son of Dargart, indicating access to material not available to some of the other lists. Some of the king-lists say he reigned for fourteen years; however, the ''Poppleton'' and ''

Lebor Bretnach ''Lebor Bretnach'', formerly spelled ''Leabhar Breathnach'' and sometimes known as the Irish Nennius, is an 11th-century historical work in Gaelic, largely consisting of a translation of the ''Historia Brittonum''. It may have originated in Scotl ...

'' lists, along with the ''Scalacronica'' list, give four years only, so the ''x'' may be a mistake. He was almost certainly succeeded by Bruide, the son of Dargart and Der-Ilei, although in what circumstances, it is hard to say. Entries from the

Irish annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...

, which Alan Orr Anderson suggested may be related to this Taran, are a report in the ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

'' reporting "the killing of Ainfthech and Nia Néill and the sons of Boendo", where Ainfthech may be Taran's father, and then Taran's deposition in 696, and finally the report in the ''Annals of Ulster'' that "Tarachin went to Ireland" in 698.the ''Annals of Tigernach'' used the ''Tarachin'' form in reporting Taran's deposition.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ainftech, Taran Mac 7th-century births 697 deaths Pictish monarchs 7th-century Scottish monarchs