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Mess Búachalla
Mess Búachalla (the cow-herder's foundling) was the mother of the High King Conaire Mór in Irish mythology during the first century BC or first century AD. Her origins are somewhat confused. In the tale ''Tochmarc Étaíne'' she was the daughter of the High King Eochu Airem and his own daughter, whom he slept with after being fooled into believing she was her mother Étaín. (In the ''Banshenchas'' Eochu and Étaín's daughter was named as Esa). In ''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'', she was the daughter of Eochu's brother Eochu Feidlech and Étaín herself.Gantz, 1981, pp. 60-106 Because of her incestuous conception her father ordered her exposed Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website * '' Exeposé'', a student-run newspaper of the University of Exeter Film and TV ..., but she was found and brought up by a herdsman and his wife. She grew up to be very b ...
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High King Of Ireland
High King of Ireland ( ) 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 was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to legendary figures. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken line of High Kings, ruling from the Hill of Tara over a hierarchy of lesser kings, stretching back thousands of years. Modern historians believe this scheme was crafted in the 8th century from the various genealogical traditions of powerful dynasties, and intended to justify their status by projecting it far into the past.Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, "Ireland, 400–800", in Dáibhí Ó Cróinín (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland'', Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 182–234. John T. Koch explains: "Although the kingship of Tara was a special kingship whose occupants had aspirations towards supremacy among the kings of Irela ...
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Conaire Mór
Conaire Mór (the great), son of Eterscél, was, according to mediaeval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland sometime during the 1st century BC or 1st century AD. His mother was Mess Búachalla, who was either the daughter of Eochu Feidlech and Étaín, or of Eochu Airem and his daughter by Étaín. In the Old Irish saga '' Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' he is conceived when his mother is visited by Nemglan who flies in her skylight in the form of a bird, and is brought up as Eterscél's son. According to the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'', he took power after killing his predecessor, and his father's killer, Nuadu Necht. In ''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' he succeeds Eterscél directly. When Eterscél dies, a bull-feast is held. A bull is killed, a man eats his fill of its meat and drinks its broth, and sleeps as incantations are chanted over him. Whoever this man sees in his sleep will be the new king. He sees a naked man coming along the road to Tara with a ...
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Irish Mythology
Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were Early Irish literature, written down by Celtic Christianity, Christian scribes, who Christianized them to some extent. Irish mythology is the best-preserved branch of Celtic mythology. The myths are conventionally grouped into 'List of literary cycles, cycles'. The Mythological Cycle consists of tales and poems about the god-like Tuatha Dé Danann, who are based on Ireland's pagan deities, and other mythical races like the Fomorians. Important works in the cycle are the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' ("Book of Invasions"), a legendary history of Ireland, the ''Cath Maige Tuired'' ("Battle of Moytura"), and the ''Aided Chlainne Lir'' ("Children of Lir"). The Ulster Cycle consists of heroic legends relating to the Ulaid, the most important of whi ...
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Tochmarc Étaíne
''Tochmarc Étaíne'', meaning "The Wooing of Étaín/Éadaoin", is an early text of the Irish Mythological Cycle, and also features characters from the Ulster Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. It is partially preserved in the manuscript known as the '' Lebor na hUidre'' (c. 1106), and completely preserved in the '' Yellow Book of Lecan'' (c. 1401), written in language believed to date to the 8th or 9th century. It tells of the lives and loves of Étaín, a beautiful mortal woman of the Ulaid, and her involvement with Aengus and Midir of the Tuatha Dé Danann. It is frequently cited as a possible source text for the Middle English Sir Orfeo. Harvard professor Jeffrey Gantz describes the text as displaying the "poetic sense of law" in Irish legal society. The story Although the manuscript evidence is not entirely clear on this, the editors Best and Bergin have divided ''Tochmarc Étaíne'' (''TE'') into three subtales, ''TE I'' (§§ 10), ''TE II'' (§§ 11-14) and ''TE III' ...
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Eochu Airem
Eochu Airem ("the ploughman"), son of Finn, was, according to mediaeval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland during the first or second century BC. He succeeded to the throne after the death of his brother, Eochu Feidlech, and ruled for twelve or fifteen years, until he was burned to death in Fremain by Sigmall Sithienta. He was succeeded by Eterscél. The ''Lebor Gabála'' synchronises his reign with the dictatorship of Julius Caesar (48–44 BC). The chronology of Geoffrey Keating's ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' dates his reign to 82–70 BC, that of the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' to 131–116 BC. He played an important role in the Old Irish saga ''Tochmarc Étaíne'' ("The Wooing of Étaín"), which tells of the lives of the beautiful Étaín, the lover of Midir of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who was turned into a fly by Midir's jealous wife, which had been swallowed by the wife of Étar, an Ulster warrior. Étar's wife became pregnant and Étaín was reb ...
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Étaín
Étaín or Édaín (Modern Irish spelling: Éadaoin) is a figure of Irish mythology, best known as the heroine of '' Tochmarc Étaíne'' (''The Wooing of Étaín''), one of the oldest and richest stories of the Mythological Cycle. She also figures in the Middle Irish ''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' (''The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel''). T. F. O'Rahilly identified her as a sun goddess. Name The name ''Étaín'' () is alternately spelt as ''Edain'', ''Aideen'', ''Etaoin'', ''Éadaoin'', ''Aedín'', or ''Adaon''. It is derived from a diminutive form of Old Irish ''ét'', "passion, jealousy". She is sometimes known by the epithet Echraide ("horse rider"), suggesting links with horse deities and figures such as the Welsh Rhiannon and the Gaulish Epona.MacKillop, p. 195. In ''Tochmarc Étaíne'' Midir names her Bé Find (Fair Woman). However, the poem embedded in the text, "A Bé Find in ragha lium" may be an older, unrelated composition that was appended to the story later. ...
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Banshenchas
''An Banshenchas'' (literally "the woman lore") is a medieval text which collects brief descriptions of prominent women in Irish legend and history into a poetic narrative. Unlike much of early Irish literature, ''An Banshenchas'' may be attributed to a specific author and date. The introduction of the poem states that Gilla Mo Dutu Úa Caiside, of Ard Brecáin in Meath, composed it in 1147. Content ''An Banshenchas'' is framed in a historical context and starts with Eve and other biblical women, moves to the legendary women of Irish mythology such as Étaín and Emer, then completes with later-day characters who are almost certainly historical, including a few women of the Hiberno-Norse aristocracy. The references to each of the characters within are short; a few lines at most. For example, in regard to some early biblical figures: Adam, Seth, pious Sili and Cain were the four first men who propagated multitudes. Eve, Olla, Pib and Pithib (women of power in the etern ...
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Togail Bruidne Dá Derga
''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' (''The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel'') is an Irish tale belonging to the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It survives in three Old Irish, Old and Middle Irish recensions, it is part of the Lebor na hUidre, Book of Dun Cow. It recounts the birth, life, and death of Conaire Mór son of Eterscél Mór, a legendary High King of Ireland, who is killed at Da Derga's hostel by his enemies when he breaks his ''geis, geasa''. It is considered one of the finest Irish sagas of the early period, comparable to the better-known ''Táin Bó Cúailnge''. The theme of gathering doom, as the king is forced through circumstances to break one after another of his taboos, is non-Christian in essence, and no Christian interpretations are laid upon the marvels that it relates. In its repetitions and verbal formulas the poem retains the qualities of oral transmission. The tone of the work has been compared with Greek tragedy.Byrne, pp. 59–64. Summary After Conaire ...
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Eochu Feidlech
Eochu or Eochaid Feidlech ("the enduring"), was a High King of Ireland, according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions. He is best known as the father of the legendary queen Medb of Connacht. Family Eochu was son of Finn, son of Fionnlogh, son of Rogen Ruad, son of Essamain Emna, son of Blathnachta, son of Labraid Lorc, son of Enna Aignech. Various Middle Irish tales give him a large family. With his wife Cloithfinn, he had six daughters (Derbriu, Eile, Mugain, Eithne, Clothru and Medb) and four sons (the triplets known as the '' findemna'', and Conall Anglondach). Derbriu was the lover of Aengus of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Her mother-in-law, Garbdalb, turned six men into pigs for the crime of eating nuts from her grove, and Derbriu protected them for a year until they were killed by Medb. Four of Eochu's daughters married Conchobar mac Nessa after he became King of Ulster, making him Eochu's son-in-law four times. The daughters were Mugain, Eithne, Clothru and ...
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Incest
Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineage (anthropology), lineage. It is condemned and considered immoral in many societies. It can lead to an increased risk of genetic disorders in children in case of pregnancy from incestuous sex. The incest taboo is one of the most widespread of all cultural taboos, both in present and in past societies. Most modern societies have laws regarding incest or social restrictions on closely consanguineous marriages. In societies where it is illegal, consensual adult incest is seen by some as a victimless crime. Some cultures extend the incest taboo to relatives with no consanguinity, such as Milk kinship, milk-siblings, stepsiblings, and adoptive siblings, albeit sometimes with less intensity. Third-degree relatives (such as half-aunt, half-nephew ...
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Infant Exposure
In ancient times, exposition (from the Latin ''expositus'', "exposed") was a method of infanticide or child abandonment in which infants were left in a wild place either to die due to hypothermia, starvation, animal attack Justin Martyr, '' First Apology.'' or to be collected by slavers or by those unable to produce children. Following exposure, the infants usually died, or were taken by slave traders or were adopted by others. Mythological This form of child abandonment is a recurring theme in mythology, especially among hero births. Some examples include: * Sargon, King of Akkad – exposed to the river. * Karna – exposed to the river. * Tang Sanzang – exposed to the river on a wooden plank. The historical person he is based on never suffered such a fate. * Oedipus – exposed in the mountains. * Paris – exposed at the top of Mount Ida. * Zāl – exposed in the Alborz mountains. * Telephus – exposed on Mount Parthenion. * Atalanta – exposed on ...
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