M, muin, vine in the ogham. Totems are mintan ... - Rodney Mackay

M, muin, vine in the ogham. Totems are mintan, the titmouse and the 

colour mbracht, tartaned or parti-coloured. Dates September 2 -29. 

MAB, to stutter, lisp, stammer, a tassel, a fringe, abuse, 

vilify, reproach in anger, affront; mabag or babag, a short 

piece of yarn, a filthy female. mabach, entangled, confused, 

ravelled, fringed. Mab righan, Queen Mab, the Mhorrigan. 

Mabladh, hacking, maiming; she was a noted warriorgoddess. 

This legendary queen of the Tuatha daoine went to 

earth in western Ireland, beneath Cruachin, and was 

supposedly the sidh-spirit of sovereignty. In ancient times, 

the kings of Tara kept a house of virgins who tended the 

sacred fires of Briid (the bride). One of these was expected 

to yield her virginity to the Ard Righ, or High King, at each 

festival of Samhainn (May 1). This pagan rite was expected 

to rejuvenate the king, and the general fertility of the soil, 

men and cattle. No king could rule the Gaelic countryside 

without lying first at the side of "Mebd". It is suspected 

that the goddess that the king symbolically married was 

arachaic, pre-dating the Milesians and perhaps the Tuatha 

daoine. 

Katherine Scherman says that the Gaelic goddesses 

were mother-fertility figures, but also "agents of death". 

She describes all of them as "amorphous...of multiple 

personality...veiled in shadows", which is another way of 

saying that their stories are inextricably tangled. Badb, 

Mebd, or Maeve is closely linked with both Emain, Nemain, 

Emain Macha, or Macha, and Mhorrigan, Morrigan, or Morgan.

To put the situation concisely, these are a trinity, often 

represented under the single name Morrigan, a virgin 

goddess of youth. Her mature counterpart is Medb and her 

elder-form, the Macha. Morrigan corresponds with the 

summer-goddess, who the Scots called Samh, a lady who 

personifies the season they call samhradh, or summer. This 

goddess-spirit ended her reign on the last day of November, 

thus the festival called Samhainn (the fires on the hill of 

Samh). Her alter-ego is the Cailleach Bheur, or Winter Hag, 

another name for the Emain Macha, or Swift-moving One. 

She was also known as the Geamir, the Gamer or Huntress, 

and hence her season, the geamhradh, or winter. It is 

notable that "cailleach" currently describes a "frosted" or 

aged human woman, as well as an inhuman house-spirit, the 

mate of the bodach, who the English refer to as the brownie. 

MAC, obs. clear, pure, clean, as a verb, to bear, carry. Mac, 

son; mic, the plural, sons; macaibh, the dative plural form, 

also, the young of any animal species, poetically for a male 

animal. Also seen as mhac. Macadh, obs. bearing, carrying. 

See the next entry which relates. 

MACAIBH MOR, aibheil, huge; mor, great. A favourite giant in 

Gaelic folk tales. 

MACALAIDH, fostering a son. 

MAC A' LUIN, the sword of Fionn mac Cumail which fought of 

its own accord.1 

MAC-AN-TOISICH, Macintosh, son of the priest. In the 

wester Ross, whisky, from the fact that priests were 

involved in the manufacture. 

MAC, MHAC AOD, son of the day, son of hearth-fire, son of 

Aod (see separate entry), the Mackay. Also termed the Clan 

Morgan after the pagan goddess Mhorrigan. 

1Tales Until Dawn, pp.. 35-36.

MAC CÉCHT, mac May, a son of Ogma. After the death of 

Nuada of the Silver Hand at the second battle of Magh 

Tuireadh, he and his two brothers took the body for burial to 

Grianan Aileach, on the Inishowen Peninsula. Here, arguing 

over the disposition of their father’s estates in Ireland, 

they sought the advice of a stranger named Ith. They came 

to suspect that this Milesian visitor was spotting the land 

for his own folk so they killed him. It was in revenge for 

thus killing that the Milesians sailed against Ireland, 

ultimately defeating the Tuatha daoine. During the invasion 

this lad was killed by Eremon, the son of King Mileus. He 

was a husband to Fodhla, one of the three goddesses who 

treated with the invaders to name the land after them (the 

others were Banabh and Eire). 

MAC CUILL. A son of Ogma and husband of Banbha, slain by 

the Milesian named Eber. See Mac Cecht. 

MAC DHUIBHSHITH, son of the black sigh, the Mac Phee. This 

clan lived on South Uist in the Hebrides and were said to 

have been anciently "in touch with the fairy-folk." They are 

related to the MacDuffies, whose name is a phonetic variant. 

The chief of the clan was resident at Colonsay, and island 

which afterwards passed to the Macdonalds and the 

Campbells, and finally to the MacNeills in the seventeenth 

century. It has also been suggested that their patriarchal 

ancestor was Dubhsidhe, who was Lector of Iona in 1164. If 

so they may have been related to the sacred clan later 

known as Mackinnon and were apparently Christians from a 

very early date. "On the other hand there are those who say 

the Macfies descend from a seal-woman." (The Hebridean 

Connection, p. 80) 

MAC GRÉINE. The son of Ogma, husband of the goddess Eire, 

whose name was given to Ireland in earlier times. He was 

slain by the Milesian druid named Amerigin. 

MAC MHAOLIN, “Son of the tonsured one,” the Macmillan. 

Pre-Reformation names were limited to those of ancient 

and royal blood, thus this name implies descent from a very

old monastic family. Unlike the Roman Catholics the 

Culdees were allowed to marry and reproduce. The Celtic 

tonsure was not the bald circle later approved by the Roman 

Catholic Church but the shaving of the whole front of the 

head from ear to ear, leaving everything from their back to 

grown untrammelled. 

MAC MOINCANTA. When Manann left Ireland in disgust after 

the election of Boabd Dearg as head of the Daoine sidh, Mac 

Moincanta took his place as ruler of the sighe at Meadha. In 

folklore this short-lived “king of the fairies” was 

supplanted by Fionbharr. 

MACNAS, sport, wantonness, festivity; the root mac, from 

the rear, son. Implies sexual "sports." Confers with the OIr. 

mhac, son. Ritual mating for the continued fertility of man, 

beast, and the land, was the root element of Quarter Day 

festivals.

MACHA, (mah-kha), machair, a plain, the Royston crow. 

Also, a third part of the triad goddess Bafinne. She is often 

defined as “Macha daughter of Aod the Red, wife to Neme, 

although she is also represented as married to Crundchu.” 

She alone governed the direction of future events. She was 

the crone who cut the threads of the spirits of men and the 

gods. 

She befriended Ulster and had her first residence at 

Emain Macha, but cursed the men of this province and 

afterwards became the patroness of Connaught. Here she 

was incarnate as Badb, Mebd or Maeve and fought an 

unsuccessful battle against King Conor and his hero 

Cúchullain. She also corresponds with Mhorrigan (the 

goddess of the past) and is represented in folklore as the 

Cailleach Bheurr or “Winter Hag,” the seeker after souls of 

the dead. 

Aside from her presence as myth,the reincarnate 

Macha represents the beginnings of record The eleventh 

century historian Tierna was astute in noticing that “All 

historical records of the Irish, prior to the reign of 

Cimbaoth (ca. 300 B.C.) are dubious.” Much which followed 

was equally so, but it certainly marked the beginning of 

some firm ground for history. This was the time of the 

founding of the northern kingdom called Ulaid, or Ulster and 

at its centre was Emain Macha, now represented by a few 

grassy ramparts near Ard Macha, now named Armagh. Emain 

is supposedly derived from eo, a bodkin and muin , the neck, 

hence “a brooch worn near the neck.” The old Irish brooches 

were large circular things of silver or bronze crossed by a 

long thorn-like pin, and they do resemble the circular 

ramparts of the old Celtic fortresses. Perhaps Macha wore 

one of these? 

It is said that she was the daughter of Aod ruairdh, 

the Ulster king, whose two brothers Dithorba and Cimbaoth 

succeeded him. “they agreed, in turn, to enjoy the 

sovereignty of Ireland.” Translated this meant they 

proposed to cohabit with Macha, who was technically

queen, but could not rule alone by the laws of the time. She 

declined their first advances and fought and killed Dithorba 

At last she forced Cimbaoth to accept her in a formal 

marriage. The five sons of Dithorba by an earlier marriage 

were put out by this and fled into Connacht where they 

plotted against Macha. 

Travelling on their trail the warrior-queen found them 

in a wooded region, where, wearied from a hunt, they were 

drinking and eating before an open fire. A master of 

disguise, or perhaps a shape-changer, the lady put on “her 

grimmest aspect.” Some have represented her disguise as 

that of an ancient crone, while others say she took on the 

looks of a war-goddess “red all over, with the terrible 

flashing eyes as powerful as death itself.” Whatever the 

case the brothers were individually taken by her 

powerlessness or her sinister beauty, and not recognizing 

her tried to lead her off into the woods for private parties. 

She overpowered them all by arms or magic, and returned 

with them as bound prisoners to Ulster. With the spear of 

her brooch she supposedly marked the circle of the first 

fortress of Emain Macha and set these captive princes at 

the work of masonry and earth-filling. 

She founded the legendary Emain Macha, the capitol of 

Ulster for six hundred years after her death. Macha's 

foster-son, Ugani-Mor (the Great) who succeeded her, led 

armies into Britain and some say his ambition took him to 

the Continent, where he conquered some of the 

Mediterranean lands. All of the present leading families of 

Ireland trace descent to Ugani Mor, the patriarch of royalty 

in three provinces of Ireland. 

This woman was the living model for the “goddess” 

named Macha, Emain Macha or Nemain . As we have already 

noted she was later reincarnate as the deer-like woman 

who went to live with the woodsman named Crundchu. When 

he wagered her in a race against the Ultonian horses this 

caused her to abandon Ulster for Connaught and place her 

curse for “nine times nine generations” upon the fighting

men of the north. The counterpart for the mature warriorqueen 

Baobd, was unquestionably Mebd, also known as 

Maeve, or May, the daughter of the high-king Eochaid 

Feidlech. 

She may also be remembered as the first wife of 

Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster. Leaving him she 

secured Connaught as her principality through a May- 

December union. After that she made a third marriage to 

Ailill of Leinster. Macha-dubh, the otter. 

MACHLAG, matrix, womb, belly, mating. Machlagach, uterine, 

bellyingmachuil, a spot or blemish 

MAC-MALLACHD, “son of curse,” The Devil. 

MAC-MIC, grandson. 

MACNAS, wantoness, sport, lasciviousness, festivity; 

machnasach, licentious, gay, festive, buxom. 

MAC-RATHA, a prosperous or innately lucky fellow, godgifted. 

MAC-TALLA, son of rock; an Echo. The name given North 

America’s first all Gaelic periodical (Antigonish, Nova 

Scotia). 

MAELDUIN, mael + duin, miller, a maul, grinder + man. The 

voyages of Maelduin are found in the ms. entitled The Book 

of the Dun Cow (1100 A.D.) He was one of Celts supposed to 

have explored the Atlantic. In the process he landed upon 

the Island of Mill and nearby found "a grim looking mill" (a 

whirlpool). Here he interviewed the sea-giant in charge and 

was told, "Here comes to be ground all that men begrudge 

one another." The voyagers saw that this was a very busy 

place so they "sained" (crossed themselves) and sailed 

away. In their voyages the company saw the undersea 

realms of the Fomors: "They found themselves in a sea, thin 

like mist, that seemed as if it might not support their craft.

In the depths they saw a fortress, and a fair land beneath 

them. A monstrous beast lodged in a tree there with droves 

of cattle and an armed warrior beneath it. As they watched 

the beast foraged at will among the cattle, devouring them 

one by one.” Fearing they should fall through the mist-like 

sea-sky, Maelduin ordered that they should sail on. See 

imrama. 

MAAG MOULACH, mag, powerful, great, lustful, a paw or 

claw, arable field, Productive; molach, hairy, rough, shaggy. 

The weregild of Tillochgorum, Scotland. Maag has 

correspondence with the Eng. Mab or Maeve, which is 

founded on the Gaelic Mebd who was one of the three 

bafinne. The Cailleach bheurr or “Winter Hag.” "One with the 

left hand, all over hairy." A creature invisible except as a 

forerunner of death and destruction. A boabh, similar to the 

male bodach described above. Alexander Macpherson noted 

frequent references to this banshee in Presbyterian Synod 

Records. Apparently attempts were made to verify or deny 

her existence but the researchers could not come to any

conclusion. They did interview two men who testified upon 

the Bible that they had seen her: "A young girl with her left 

hand all hairy." Magach, creeping, crawling, mocking. 

Magair, a jester, an ape, a stone, testicle. 

MAGA. The daughter of Aonghas Og she who wed a human 

named Ross the Red. Their son Fachtna married Ness. 

MAGH, a field, level, country, field of battle; mag-aoraidh, a 

field of worship. Confers with the early Celtic magos. This 

word is scattered all about France in compound word-names 

and is also commonly seen in Ireland. It is also buried 

within modern maps of countries that are no longer 

considered Celtic. Thus in Switzerland we find Uro-magus 

which has become Promasens. In the Rhineland there is 

Brocomagus, currently called Brumath, and in the 

Netherlands Nimègue. There are several variants on this 

last name in Lombardy and Austria. The nominative form of 

this word is the Gaelic Màigh, which corresponds with the 

English May. A bit of linguistic research reveals this lady as 

the tri-partite goddess often identified as Bridd but more 

accurately designated as Bas-finne, her parts being the 

goddesses Mhoriggan, Badb and Macha. She is sometimes 

given as the daughter and/or mate of the creator-god. 

MAGH DA CHEO , Plain of the Two Mists, also a synonym for 

lands in the west, the Otherworld. Significantly there are 

two major fog zones in the northwestern Atlantic. 

MAGH INDOG, INDOC, “Plain of the Sewer.” Features in 

Christian embellishments of the myth of Dead Lands in the 

west. Hell, Hades. In The Book of the Dun Cow Cúchullain 

was conjured back from the west by Saint Patrick to argue 

the merits of paganism against those of the new religion. 

Instead, the hero recounted his deeds in times long past and 

strongly suggested that the pagans who was present convert 

to Christianity. 

MAGH MELL, (Moy Mal), the Great Plain (of the sea). 

Sometimes said to be the site of Tir-nan-Og and the other

Fomorian undersea kingdoms. Certainly the location of the 

"Dead World" known as An Domhain. See also Maelduin. 

MAGH MON, “Plain of Sports,” Plain of Indolence; synonym 

for the Otherworld. According to tradition the first 

business of the gods after the creation of their homeland 

was the creation of playing fields. The patron of sports 

was Lugh, the sun/creator god, and the preoccupation of the 

gods was horsemanship and betting. 

MAGH TUIREADH, (Moy Tirra), Plain of Thunder, “Plain of 

Towers.” “Thor’s Plain.” The first battle fought here was 

between the Firbolge and the Tuatha daoine. The Daoine won 

but King Nuada lost his hand and his kingship. The second 

followed from this when Breas became king, was deposed 

and led the Fomorians against the Tuatha daoine. Here 

Nuada was slain, but Balor of the Evil Eye was brought 

down by Lugh and the day went to the warrior-magicians. 

The second battle was actually at a more northern location, 

the place being technically Ess Dara.. When it was over only 

three Fomorians remained in Ireland, the rest retreating 

into the Western Ocean. The four sea-giants continued to 

spoil the country of corn, milk and fruit “and whatever 

came from the sea,” until they too were driven away on a 

Samhain eve by Mhorrigan and Aonghas Og. 

The exact lands from which the Tuatha daoine came is 

unknown but they had no intention of returning there. Once 

they beached their vessels on the strands of ancient Ireland, 

they burned them so that they could not be used by the 

Firbolgs, or tempt them to retreat. This done they wrapped 

their host in an impenetrible black cloud and marched 

inland. When the Firbolgs became aware of their peril the 

Tuathans were entrenched on a mountain near the Plains of 

Sligo in the western province later called Connaught. The 

Firbolgs were conscious of their own numerical superiority, 

but disliked the tales of irrestible weapons, and did not 

immediately respond to demands for battle or capitulation. 

When the two armies were drawn up at Mag Tured (Moytura, 

on the Mayo-Galway border), the Firbolgs insisted that the

etiquette of war be observed. While the Tuathans shuffled 

impatiently, emissaries explained that time would be 

needed to sharpen swords and spears. On another day it was 

found that armour needed refurbishing, and weeks later, the 

Firbolgs insisted on time to refurbish their helmets. Not to 

be rushed into warfre, the dark curly-haired clansmen 

insisted on the perfection of their last wickerwork shield 

before they would march. In fairness, they observed that 

the Tuathans lacked the heavy spears that they carried and 

insisted that their enemies have time to equip themselves. 

On the other hand, the Firbolgs noted that they needed a 

few weeks to forge the light-weight swords preferrred by 

the Tuathans. Altogether, the Firbolgs managed tom keep 

the Tuatha daoine fuming and freting and impotent for a 

hundred and five days before any conflict took place. 

While the Tuathans were technologically superior it 

seemed that they lost the war known as trickery, but they 

did manage one point: As the Firbolgs had obvious numerical 

superiority, the Tuthans suggested that the armies should 

fight one-on-one, excluding the majority of Firbolgs. The 

latter were reluctant to go this far with the ethics of 

battle, but recognized the justice of the argument and 

agreed. 

When the battle came, it raged for four days. The 

Firbolgs seeing themselves cut down, arranged a truce and 

suggested that casulties be restricted by pitting 300 

hundred men from each side against one another in the 

concluding fray. Some reporters said that the Firbolgs were 

absolutely "routed to the outermost isles of the sea," but it 

appears that the Tuathans gained a pyrrhic victory: "So 

bravely had the losing ones fought, and so sorely exhausted 

the De Dannan, that the latter, to end the struggle, were 

glad to leave to the Firbolgs that quarter of the Island 

wherein they fought (Connaught)."2 

Scherman has another version of the fate of the 

2 Macmanus, Ibid., p. 3.

Firbolgs: "The subordinate people retreated to the wild 

places of the south and east, the provinces of Munster and 

Leinster, to pursue a style of life simpler and rougher than 

that of the new aristocracy..."3 

Where they went is unimportant. A major event of the 

battle at southern Moytura was the slaying of the High King 

Eochaid, the Horseman of Heaven. He fought so notably he 

was incorporated as a god-spirit of the Tuatha daoine. 

Sreng, a fierce warrior of the Firbolg side had cut off the 

hand of the Tuathan king called Nuada. This was not an 

irreplacable member since the new race included Creidne a 

master of mechanical magic, who created a new articulated 

hand made of silver. Unfortunately, one of the laws of the 

Tuatha daoine excluded men with physical blemishes from 

holding leadership, any defect being seen as a weakening of 

the god-spirit of the king. Nuada was therefore forced into 

retirement with consequences which we will outline in the 

next chapter. As for the Firbolgs, those banished to the 

outer islands (presumably the Hebrides of Scotland) 

returned to the larger Island in the second century of the 

Christian era. Their chief was Angus, a leader of Clann 

Umor. They were given an unpleasant welcome in Ulster and 

eventually took the side of southerners under Queen Maeve 

of Connaught. For this, they were granted the seaboard of 

Galway and Clare and the Arran Isles. On Inishmore, one of 

these islands, they built Dun Angus, a notable redoubt whose 

dry-stone walls were up to twelve feet in thickness. The 

seaward wall of this fortress once overlooked a sheer cliff 

two hundred feet above the water, but much has eroded 

away. Nevertheless, it is still obvious that this holding 

place of the ancient Firbolgs once covered eleven acres of 

the Island. 

Among the Gaels the Pictii (Latin, painted ones) were 

termed the Cruithnians (wheat-eaters). They became 

confounded with the Firbolgs because they occupied common 

lands, were equally obscure in origins, and shared a 

3 Katherine Scherman, Ibid, p. 260.

matriarchal system of government, with descent in the 

royal line according to female succession. According to 

legend, Crimthann in the interest of resettling these violent 

folk gave them Irish wives to take to Alba with them. This 

was done on condition that inheritance favour these women, 

and this became a hereditary condition among the Scottish 

Picts. 

MAGOG & JAPHET. Partholon was a descendant of these sons 

of Adam. It must be understood that the transcribers of 

unwritten tradition were Christians, who wished to give the 

Hibernians the best possible geaneology. Whatever his 

background, Partholonan followed the example of the 

Biblical Cain and murdered his father Sera, hoping to inherit 

his kingdom. 

This is very reminiscent of the killing of the Oolathair 

by his sons and this portion of the tale may be a 

reinterpretation of that myth as Sera appears to be a form 

of the Gaelic siar or iar, the “west.” Note that none of the 

murderers inherited their fathers holdings but were all 

forced into exile. It was thus that Partholon and a number 

of close friends set sail upon the ocean and finally settled 

in Munster, Ireland, arriving singnificantly on the first day 

of May, which is to say beulteinne. It was sometimes 

claimed that this hero came from Spain, but it will be 

recalled that the Gaelic for this place is more correctly 

understood as a synonym for the “dead-lands,” which were 

understood to be placed in the western Atlantic.Some 

biographers insisted that Sera had a kingdom in Scythia but 

a ballad-sheet has Tul-tunna, the survivor of the flood sing 

these words: 

When Partholan came to the island 

From Greece in the Eastern Land, 

I welcomed him gaily to my land 

And feasted the whole of his band 

We think that this early Munster-man did not come

from the west and have T.W. Rolleston for support. He says: 

“The Celts as we have learned from Caesar, believed they 

were descended from the God of the Underworld, the God of 

the Dead. Partholan is said to have come from the West, 

where beyond the unsailed Atlantic, the Irish Fairyland...the 

Land of the Happy Dead, was placed. His father’s name was 

Sera (?the West?). He came with his queen Dealgnaid and 

twenty-four men and an equal number of female companions. 

He is recorded as having three legitimate sons, the eldest 

named Eber (the same name as one of the sons of Mil), and 

one “a hireling.” His other sons were Rudraihe (Roderick) 

and Laighhlinne (Lochlann), and an unnamed by referred to 

as “the hireling.” When Rudhraidhe died his was buried by 

his father in a place which erupted water from the 

gravesite, and this flood continued creating the modern Loch 

Rudraidhe. The first record of fornication in Ireland was 

followed by a second. 

The queen was “ignored” by her husband and while he 

was away on a journey she had an affair with a household 

servant named Todga. When the leader returned he forgave 

his mate, noting that he was not blameless and had been 

wrong in leaving her without company. 

When the Partholonians arrived in ancient Eiru it was 

a wilderness embracing three huge lakes and nine rivers on 

a single plain. The persistence of these numbers in druid 

magic dates from these early observations. The new men on 

the land are said to have hunted the plain, set up the first 

hostels, and cleared the land for agriculture. The old tales 

insist that the Farlanders had two ploughmen in their 

retinue and that these men were equipped with four working 

oxen and ploughs with iron blades. 

These men were not long in place before they met the 

sea-roving Fomorians, This race emerges again and again in 

the Book of Invasions and they are hardly ever represented 

as a “civilzed race,”an epitaph which Donnelly gives them in 

his book Atlantis the Antediluvian World. They did come 

with “sixty ships and a strong army” as this writer

suggested, but they did not kill Partholon and they failed to 

defeat his people as he suggests. Some of the Irish claim 

descent from the sea-folk of the underwater kingdoms, and 

perhaps Ignatius Donnelly is one of these! 

A greater number of Irish have taken the other court, 

e.g. Katherine Scherman: “In Partholan’s time these savages 

lived on costal islands, and fought against Partholan’s race 

although equipped with but “one foot, one hand and one eye.” 

Some men said that these intruders were shape-changers, 

cannibals often observed to have the heads of animals 

(probably because they wore the hides of their totem 

animals), Strangers always have an uncanny appearance! 

This historian thought that the Fomors were probably some 

faint racial memory of Mesolithic man, a stone-bearing 

creature “who crept round the edges of the country catching 

what food he could with his rude weaopons and eking out a 

static existence...presenting his infelicitous countenance 

and his paltry resistence to more progressive successors.” 

We shall soon see that that the Fomorians were not all 

that ineffectual although Partholon did meet and defeat 

these hordes who were led by Cichol Grinchenghos (the 

Footless). The Farlanders actually fell prey to the first 

plague in Ireland after they had gathered for some unstated 

purpose near the Old Plain called Senmag. Tallaght, on the 

west slope of Dublin mountain is notorious as the actual 

site of the death of nine thousand men and women, the 

descendants of the original settlers. It is claimed that they 

all expired within a week and those who survived gave them 

a mass burial. 

One can see tumuli on the hillside which seem to 

support theis myth. In the year 774 A.D. the king of Leinster 

gave this place to Christian monks for a monastery, but 

even less remains of their monastery. This place was much 

too close to a very good harbour, which the viking Norse 

preferred when they came to establish a settlement at 

Dublin.

MAIDE-DOICHIOLL, “the stick of inhospitality.” A white 

wand placed across doorways when people were dining or 

engaged in matters which required privacy. Inns used this 

means of declaring a full house. 

MAIDSEAR MOR, a changeling, maidsear, a major from 

English models; mor, great. The Daoine sidh, having a small 

genetic stock, plundered the "human" population for wetnurses, 

day labourers and breeders. It was said that 

unbaptized infants and pregnant women were preferred for 

their exchanges. To disguise the pilfering of people, the 

sithe left behind a shape-changed member of their own 

race, typically a decrepit elder of their own race. Where 

such was not available, the sithe sometimes substituted 

their own children, reclaiming them at some later date. 

Sometimes the pseudo-child would appear to sicken and die, 

while the real baby was raised as one of the sigh. In other 

instances, in spite of the close similarity in form, the 

exchange might be noted because the "child" appeared 

wizened, or sickly, or fretful, or displayed an unnatural 

appetite for food. In such cases, the changeling was 

abandoned or made to reveal itself when approached with a 

hot branding iron. The changeling also fled when placed in 

the intertidal zone of the ocean. When the replacement 

retreated the true baby was likely to be found in a basket at 

the door. 

MAIGH, the month of May, obs. pleasant, agreeable. 

MAIGHDEAN, a maiden, possibly from AS. maegden. last 

handfull of corn cut from the land. Considered a lucky omen 

if done before Samhain, otherwise the sheaf cut war an 

cailleach, the “Old Woman.” The cutter of this heaf; a 

virgin, maid, maiden. Supports for a spinning wheel. 

maighdeanas, the maidenhead. maighdean-buaine, the last 

corn cut. maighdean-chuain, a mermaid. A May-lady, one of 

the main actors in the ritual sex of May Day, typically a 

virgin. Confers with the Gaelic Mhorrigan, which is 

essentially the same word. She is of course Badb or Mebd 

who Shakespeare borrowed as his model for the literary

creation called Maeve, the Queen of the May. In ancient 

Ireland the Ard-Righ, or “High King” at Tara, held tenure 

only on promise of annual couplings with the virgins from 

Lugh's mound, from the hill called Brugh-na-Boyne. His 

public failure was considered a sign that he lost favour 

with Lugh/ Aonghas the god of love. In that event, he was 

rather unpleasantly "retired" and his ashes scattered on the 

fields so that his spirit could be returned to his people. 

Consumption of this treated grain invariably "impregnated" 

some "fortunate" woman after the next harvest. The rebirth 

of the spirit of Lugh was revealed to the woman in a vision 

or a dream. It will also be noted that Lugh's virgins were 

considered to be of the race known as the Daoine sidh; thus 

the little people, the magicians of the earth, were annually 

reunited with the Milesian race which supplanted them. 

MAIGHDEAN CHUAIN, maiden of the ocean, mermaid. 

MAIGHDEAN MARA, maiden of the sea, a sea-trow of the 

female sex, a mermaid, muir, the sea, gen. mora, Latin mare, 

English mere, a lake. 

MAIGHDEAN BUIN, the Meddling Maiden. Buin is a common 

nickname for the Winter Hag. This word implies possession, 

belonging to (the maiden); buin, to meddle, interfere, tear 

away from, set apart. It was thought that the spirit of Samh 

or the "maidhdean" (maiden) was literally embodied in the 

"kern" (corn, horn or harvest grain). While the corn might be 

spirited it was seen that it could not over-winter in 

northern climates and had to be cut down. The spirits of the 

corn were assumed to flee before the reapers, the queen of 

the corn being finally entrapped in the last standing sheath. 

The honour of cutting down the Samh fell to a person 

whose destiny was to find marriage before the following 

harvest. The last sheath was itself called the 

"maidhdeanbuin" (the violated or shorn maiden) if cut 

before the night of Samhuin; if after, it was the Cailleach 

Bheur, or Winter Hag. The defoliation of a maiden meant 

that it was acquired by the household of the cutter, and this

was considered a good omen for the farm; but having to 

board the Hag was thought to presage a bitter winter for the 

community and very bad luck for the person responsible for 

the cutting. Not unnaturally, a lot of subterfuge went on in 

attempts to acquire the maiden and avoid getting the hag. 

In either case the sheath, embodying the "spirit of the corn" 

was made up into a doll which hung on the kitchen wall 

until the spring planting. It was then baked into a loaf and 

fed to ploughmen and his horses, both of whose droppings in 

the field, returned the spirit to the soil. It then spread 

through the crops and entered people, impregnating females 

who gave birth to new embodiments of the queen of the 

corn. 

The chief event of Samhain Eve was the "samhnagan", 

or fire of Samh, which noted the end of Samh's ride, winter 

beginning of the first day of Samhainn, or November. While 

there were agricultural rites attached to this date. the 

harvest in Ireland and Scotland was usually in the barns by 

this time, leading to the conclusion that the first pagan 

rites honoured some imperative of a herding rather than a 

food gathering race. Sir George James Fraser has 

suggestive that mark was originally the time when the 

herds were returned to their winter byres from the upland 

meadows. 

MAIGHDEAN UAINE, A green maiden or banshee. The banshee 

is sometimes said to stand in a middle position between the 

sighe and mortal men, since she is often said to have been 

“a mortal placed under an enchantment that gives her a 

fairy nature.” 

In the Highlands she is sometimes called the glaistig, 

or “grey-green-monster,” and here she is observed as a panlike 

creature, beautifully human from the waist up, a 

female goat from there down. To hide this deformity she 

wears a long green shift and is thus known as the 

maighdeann uaine, or “Green Maiden.” In life the Green Lady, 

or banshee, was usually a woman of high scruples and

honourable position if less than perfect morality. After 

death she haunted the house, or castle, that she supervised 

in life, and in death wandered the corridors and by-ways, 

often putting things in order. 

When any great fortune or misadventure was about to 

befall a household she let forth cries of joy or lamentation. 

This was the torman mulaid, a cry which could be of 

unearthly sweetness and melancholy. Hugh Miller speaks of 

the Green Lady of Banffshire, “tall and slim and wholly 

attired in green, with her face wrapped up in the hood of her 

mantle, who haunted the grounds of the castle wherrre she 

had once been mistress.” Another of this kind is tied to 

Ardblair, “a property given to the Blairs by William of 

Lyon.” Stonehaven also has a Green Lady, in fact “Green 

Ladies are so common that people (in Scotland) have become 

quite accustomed to them, remarking only, “There she goes 

again.”” 

MAIGHEACH, MHAIGHICHE, (myuch), EIr mil + maige, beast of 

the plain, a hare, a shape-changed witch. The hare, the cock 

and the goose were identified by Caesar as the prime 

animals in Celtic cult-rites. One of the animals preferred 

for shape-change. 

MAIGHISTER. master, the May Lord, the King of Tara at the 

time of Milesian rule. Confers with the English mayor and 

magician. Connected with the Latin magister. In former 

times, the reign of the High-King was limited in time. 

Whether he failed or not at public sex, he was ritually 

eliminated on the battlefield by his next of kin if any 

physical weakness revealed a loss of god-spirit. He was 

later thought reborn, as Lugh incarnate, in some branch of 

his extended family. The master was often a magician since 

he often rose to power through promotion within the druidic 

class. As time passed, certain very cagey kings began the 

habit of creating substitute "monarchs" to "go to earth" on 

their behalf at the time of the fire festivals. At first, 

close relatives, who were thought to share his god-spirit, 

were sacrificed; but as the concept of the clann developed

(and all people were seen as relatives of the king) the 

druid-priests became less selective, substituting blood in 

quantity where quality was not to be had. The May-Lord and 

Lady became publicly entwined at the Beltane and Samhain, 

and their actions were thought to inspire general fertility 

(partly by example) in men, beasts and crops. 

MAIGHRE, very finely woven cloth. In some locales the 

weaver's loom was referred to as an beairt, a spider's web, 

and weavers were known for their beairteas or wealth. The 

best, and most closely woven cloth, supposedly came from 

the looms of the Daoine sidh, and they sometimes gave bits 

to humans as a special sign of a relationship (note the 

"fairy-flag" of the MacLeods). In other instances it was 

exchanged for a needed product or service. 

MAILE, obs. Ancient funeral pyre, mala, a husk or shell of 

anything. It was thought that the spirit could best be 

returned to the land, from which it had come, by being 

reduced to “earth.” 

MAINNE, name given each of the seven sons of Mhorrigan. 

They were outlawed from Ireland but periodically raided the 

place and took part in the ambush of King Conaire Mor. 

The Mhorrigan herself was pictured as sexually 

voracious and her sons were said to be seven in number, all 

named Maine, a word related to An Domhain, the Deep, and to 

Maigh, May, one of the names given their mother, The Gaelic 

mainne, has the sense of a place where one is delayed, hence 

a residence; thus do-mainne, the residence of Don. 

Mainisdir, or monastery, is from this source. The sons 

Maine Andoe (the Swift); Maine Athairamail (the Fatherlike); 

Maine Gaib Uile (the Furious); Maine Mathairamail (the 

Mother-like); Maine Mingor (the Dutiful); Maine Milscothach 

(of a Thousand Shadows); Maine Morgor (of the Blue-green 

Sea) and Maine Mo Epirt. A nasty bunch they responded to 

their mother’s call to march against the north in the Táin 

war. 

They were exiled to England by King Conaire Mor and

joined the one-eyed king of that land and Conaire's three 

dissident sons in a military effort that ended in his death. 

As noted the word mainne is nothing more than a form of 

maigh. The latter is connected with the obsolete magh, 

great, from which the modern magh, a wide expanse of land, 

a plain. Also related is mag, a ridge of arable land, a lazy 

bed, a paw, or hand. This last word circles back on the 

Cailleach who is also known as Mag Molloch, the One with 

the Hairy Hand. As the human testicles are hairy they are 

magairlean, the great, powerful things, the source of 

increase. From this last maghar, “things that hang down,” 

or fish bait. This word is also wrapped into maigheach, a 

hare, literally “a beast of the great plain,” and an 

appropriate symbol of sexual increase. In this family of 

words we also find maigean, a child just beginning to walk, 

a fat one, a little man. These essentially Celtic words 

resurface in the Anglo-Saxon tongue as maeg, where it also 

means strength, power or force. The English words may and 

main can be shown to confer in meaning but this use is now 

obsolete except in the expression, “with might and main.” 

This word also has the connotation of a broad expanse, and 

was used to designate both mainland and the main or high 

sea. The State of Maine and the Spanish Main are two 

examples of this employment. The word may also denote 

the chief centre of interest, desire or ambition, and is 

related to the Latin magus, a magician; manus, hand; and 

magister, from which magistrate and master. There is also 

the Anglo-Saxon maegden, which is the source of the word 

maiden. The word magicus passed from the Latins to the 

French to the English to become magic. Maineas, mistake or 

blunder, mainidb, madness, rage, folly. 

MAIRT, DI-, (je maarsch), Tuesday; genitive singular of 

mart, cow, market-day." The mairt is a beef animal as 

opposed to the bo or milk cow. The killing of the sacrificial 

mairt was first described by Pliny. "After due preparations 

are made for a sacrifice and a feast has been made under 

the oak tree, they hail it as a universal healer and bring to 

the spot two white bulls whose horns have been bound 

before. A priest then climbs the tree and with a gold sickle

cuts the mistletoe upon it which is caught in a white cloth. 

They then kill the animals praying that god may cause all to 

prosper..." It is possible that this day may have once been 

set aside for similar rites, but more recently it has been a 

time for local markets, at which the herder offered the 

meat of the mairt.Tuesday is a good day to get married, or 

for setting the warp in the loom, or shearing, which means 

cutting the corn, not the sheep. The Devil cannot touch what 

is done on Tuesday." (CM, p. 162). 

When Breas and his Fomorian allies were defeated by 

the Tuatha daoine he made entreaties for his life and was 

refused until he promised that he would reveal information 

which would allow his conquerors to “plough, and sow and 

reap” successful crops. His advice was this: “Let the 

ploughing be on a Tuesday, and the casting of seed on a 

Tuesday, and the reaping on a Tuesday.” Lugh felt that this 

information was adequate to allow the release of Breas. 

MAL, rent, tax, obs. King, prince, champion, soldier, poet. All 

individuals having a levy on the common folk; MIR. mal from 

AS mal, tribute-money. Confers with Eng. blackmail. Mala, a 

money bag. Rent was taken at the quarter-days. Malach, a 

heavy load, malairt, business. Mal-sluagh, a host or army. 

And see the next. 

MALLACHD, a curse, oath, imprecation; obs. to grow mild 

(the effect of all this?) from Latin, maledictio. Malc, to 

putrefy. A spell intended to produce blight or disease in 

crops, cattle or men. 

MANADH, an omen, a sign of luck, Also, chance, luck, an 

omen, a sign, the Owl, an apparition, incantation, 

enchantment, a lot. EIr. mana, perhaps from the sea-god 

Manan mac Ler, the sea-people being noted for their ability 

at fore-tellings. AS. manian, to warn or exhort, Latin 

moneo, warn, advise. Manadaireachd, foreboding, predicting, 

forete;;ing. 

MANACH, monk, a foreteller, manachainn, monastery. An

isolated place like those preferred by Manan mac Ler. 

MANANN, MANAN, MANAUN MAC LER, (Manaunan), a god, also 

Manannán, literally “the son of the Sea.” Teut. Mannus 

(according to Tacitus), the Skr. Manu, the “law-giver.” 

Connected with the Island of Man, thus the EIr. Inis Manann. 

a genitive from Mana, the Lat. Mona. The Manx form is 

Manninagh, the Cy. Manau. This is the English man, a male 

human. See entries above; leir, far-sighted, altogether, 

complete, a single entity, an "eye." According to Manx 

tradition the first ruler of their island, the Isle of Man, was 

Mannanan-Beg-mac-y-Leirr, ""who kept the land under mist 

with his necromancy." 

At least one Manx historian has identified this ardrigh 

as King Finian of Scotland. Although Ler was immortal, 

Manann mac Ler was not, and this Fomorian sea-giant is now 

said to lie in a thirty-foot grave outside Peat Castle. Here 

his barrow served as the centre of pagan cult activities 

until the middle of the nineteenth century. Until 1910, his 

adherents used to appear annually to bless the fishing fleet. 

This is almost certainly the Gaelic Manann mac Ler who 

sometimes occupied Castle Manan in Ulster. Although the 

sea-god lived partly on land he said that his true kingdom 

was "a happy plain with a profusion of rose coloured 

flowers, through which sea horses scamper in summer. 

Speckled salmon leap among the clouds of the sea in that 

place." 

It is known that he was lord of Tir-nan-Og, the Land 

of the Young, an island in the western Atlantic and that he 

had dominion over An Domhain, “The Deep,” the place of 

keeping for the unvirtuous dead. Once a year, at the season 

called mid-winter Manann sailed his magical ship the 

“Wavesweeper” to pick up souls of all the dead for 

transport to one of these two realms. His places were offlimits 

to humans while alive, thus Manann was a master of 

illusion keeping the west uninhabited by cloaking it in mist, 

surrounding it with icebergs or moving it below the surface 

of the ocean when required. Manann and his wife Taillte

were foster parents to the Tuathan-Milesian hero Lugh, and 

the sea-giant loaned him his sword and his own white seastallion 

to lead the battle against the Fomorians. In late 

mythology Cúchullain was pursued by Manann's wife Fand 

but they were separated by sea-god who shook his cloak of 

invisibility between them so that they might never meet in 

any reincarnation of their spirits. See Ler. 

MANNIN, the island of Man, G. Manninagh, the Manx people. G. 

Gailek, the language which they spoke. EIr. Inis Manann, the 

Isle of Man, early Cy. Manau, Latin, Mona, the EIr. god-name 

Manannan mac Lir, Skr. Manu, the “Law-giver.” Teut. Mannus, 

Eng. a man. In one tale Cúchullain and his friends landed 

there, and penetrating a wilderness to the centre, they 

found a pit swarming with venomous serpents. 

In the legends of the world serpents represent not 

only the sea-folk but their vast hordes of treasure. The 

adventurers fended off these creatures but were soon 

attached by an army of frogs, strangely equipped with birdlike 

beaks. As they fought these animals they turned into 

bird-headed dragons, like those on the prows of the Old 

Norse longships. The Hibernians prevailed and carried off 

three magic crows and a marvellous cauldron which on 

command with overflow with gold and silver or an 

inexhaustible supply of porridge mixed with meat. The 

mariners harnessed the crows (befinds) to pull their vessel 

back to the west and Ireland. At the last moment the gods 

who guarded this place conjured up a storm and wrecked the 

ship. Cúchullain and his companions were by then within 

sight of the shores of their homeland and were able to swim 

to shore, but they lost all the treasures of that magical 

land. Here the Isle of Man is represented as the magical 

counterpart of the western kingdom of An Domhain. 

MANARAN, MANRAN, a necromancer or a conjurer, manas, 

strength, power. mannainn, fool, sin, manna, bad, naughty, 

mannar, obs. loosening of constraints, evil. 

MAOIL DUBH, maol, brow, bald, barren, bleak; the “black-

owed hill.” The place of a waterfall in Cean Loch Gilp, 

Lochgilphead, Scotland, the residence of a powerful river 

spirit. When the people of Kintyre were returning home 

from their successful war against Prince Charles they 

paused here and the hindmost man fought a “a tererible 

being.” When he overcame the beast he was able to extract a 

favour from it. He chose “the speechless art” over “artless 

speech” and became a successful blacksmith, a posessor of 

witchr=craft and the evil-eye. 

MAOLMOIRE, servant of the sea-born, servant of Mary, Myles, 

Lat. Milo from miles, a soldier. The patriarch of the 

Milesians, the final invaders of Ireland. 

MAOR-SELIGE, game-keeper, maor, an official, baron, gravedigger; 

often a minor actor in officialdom. The English 

mayor, an official + silly. From the last the family name 

Seely. The original game-keeper was An Cailleach bheurr, 

“the Winter Hag,” or Macha, the weathered form of the 

Bafinn. 

MARBHADAIREAN. It was formerly held that food in the 

stomach was processed by small living creatures who were 

thus named. 

MARBHPHAISG, the death-shroud, gave clothes, marb, dead, 

lifeless, marble-like, Marbhphaisg ort! A useful curse, “A 

death-shroud upn you!” The wish for a catastrophic and 

fatal end. 

MARC, horse. Norse marr, the Eng. mare. The Celts were 

horsemen, a fact revealed in the naming of their creatorgod 

as Eochaid oolathir, the “Horseman of the Heavens.” The 

horse-goddess is supposed to have been imported to Britain 

from the Continent during the period of Roman activity in 

both places. The Irish goddess Macha was of this type since 

she raced on her husband’s wager against the kings stallions 

and won. Mebd and Mhorrigan were her alter-egos, and 

their connection with horses are mentioned elsewhere. 

Other mythological characters show horsy-aspects, note:

Lair Dearg, the “Red Mare;” and Etain Echraide, the “Horserider,” 

the latter a mate to Midir, a god of the Underworld. 

Similarly, the god-hero Cuchulainn had two totem-horses, 

born at his nativity, whose life-lines were bound to his. 

MARRACH, enchanted castle, thicket used to entrap wild 

cattle. Root mar, to deceive. Such places were often said 

hidden behind magical thorn trees. Similar cover protected 

the side-hills of the sighe. 

MART, March, Tuesday, time for farm work, busiest time of 

the year, in great haste, seed time, a cow, a beef cow., 

cattle of any description. Notice that all the Gaelic months 

were moveable, depending upon the arrival of “suitable” 

weather. The Old Saxon Mart which is honoured in some 

parts of Gaeldom, came mid-way through the current month 

of March. The first Tuesday of sewing , or butchering, was 

the day entitled an Mart. In agricultural districts the month 

was sited after the snows, approximately April 12 to May 

1. Ir. marta, Sc. mart, a cow killed and salted for use in the 

winter. Martach, having many cows; martair, a crippled 

animal or person. Thus Martain, the lowland Scot. 

Martinmas in summer, (July 4) and Martinmas in Winter, 

(about Nov 11), the former being the day that corresponds 

with the English Whitsunday, which the Christians said was 

the “translation day for St. Martin.” The later day was 

thought appropriate for the ritual and practical killing of 

the mart. 

The time of a minor fire-festival, sometimes 

considered a continuation of Samhain, or, at least, the 

Samhain as displaced by the corrections in the Gregorian 

calendar several centuries ago. The root may be marbh, to 

die. The pagan festivities probably centred on the killing of 

an ox or even a human representative of the king. In later 

days the Christians said that the holiday was named for St. 

Martin of Lourdes (France). 

In popular lore he was embodied in the form of an ox 

and cut up and eaten on the annual anniversary of his day.

This does not appear to be a Christian activity and the same 

may be said for the taking of blood from the dead animal to 

be spattered at the four corners of each home as a 

protective against witchcraft. In addition, it was 

traditional to smear the blood on the forehead of every 

participant in the Mart. In Ireland, this day demanded the 

eating of roast goose, the omission of this rite, leading to a 

lack of this meat through the rest of the year. 

The Mart was also taken as the appropriate time to 

butcher animals and offer the carcasses for trade or sale. 

As the business of taking in crops was at an end. and there 

was usually a surplus of food, beggars were fed on this 

date. The new wine was usually ripe by now and sampling 

was a requirement of the pagan fire-festival. In Britain 

drunkenness is still sometimes referred to as "St. Martin's 

evil." Fishing was not allowed on the Mart it being expected 

that rebellious souls would first meet the "horseman of the 

waves" (the sons of Manann) and thus invite storm. No 

wheeled vehicles (such as those used by the winter soulcollectors) 

were allowed passage in this time for fear of 

bringing on hunger and depravation during the winter 

months. 

In Germany and Scandinavia men drank the new brew 

from the bragacups, ship shaped vessels of great capacity. 

Here harvest-cakes were set out to honour Odin, and he or 

the Dagda may be the prototype of the Mart, who was 

annually cut down for the general good of the community. 

Then again, the descendant god may be Lugh or Lokki for 

Martin's Summer is the name given the "dog days"(which we 

call Indian Summer), the last weeks of warm sultry weather 

before winter. If this warmth occurs in October, the 

designation is often St. Luke's Summer, or Little Summer of 

St. Luke. If it happens about the end of November it is 

typically referred to as Samhain Summer; if after this date, 

Mart summer, or Saint Martin's Summer. 

Notice that the Gaelic Samhuinn may actually 

correspond precisely with the Day of the Mart as a result of

an adjustment of the calendar in the sixteenth century. At 

that time, eleven days were removed from September, with 

some people following the new mode and others the old way 

of reckoning time. It will be observed that the "Mart in 

Winter" (Nov. 11) falls precisely eleven days beyond the 

Samhain,, just as the "Mart in Summer" comes eleven days 

after the Beltane (May 1). There are similar confusions 

with the Lugnasad and the Imbolg, or Bridd's Day, and with 

supplementary holidays attached to the English Quarter- 

Days. Compare this with the lore surrounding milk-cows, 

viz. bo, Boann, etc. An Aran islander has said: “The custom 

was that on the 11th of November they would have a sheep 

and they blessed it. St. Martin’s Day was a special day, they 

killed a foul, maybe a cock or a hen. It was the custom to 

cook it then. Some people wouldn’t spin that day, as Blessed 

Martin was killed by some type of engine or machine. People 

wouldn’t use any sort of a machine with a wheel on it.”4 

MATH-CAILLEACH. “The Good Old Woman,” math. Precedes 

and aspirates the noun, obs. noble, heroic; presently good; a 

nick-name for “Small-pox” (Cape Breton Island). 

Presumably used to avoid offending the spirit of this 

disease. See following. 

MATHA MAC UMOTR, “Hero,” the chief druid to King 

Laoghaire of Ireland in the fifth century. Before the 

Christian missionaries arrived this man predicted that: 

"One shall arrive here, having his head shaven in a circle, 

bearing a crooked staff, and his table shall be in the eastern 

part of his home; and he shall sing forth wickedness, and all 

his household shall answer. When this man cometh he will 

surely overturn our altars, seduce the people and bring them 

after him. Further, he will free the slaves and magnify 

kindred of low degree, and shall subdue personally the kings 

that oppose him, and his doctrine shall reign forever after." 

When a individual of this description, and twenty four 

companions, arrived on the Wicklow coast in 432 the locals 

4Bridget Donohoe, Shapel village, on Inisheer, as quoted by 

Bernadette Campbell in the Magazine “Am Braighe,” p. 8, August, 1994.

slightingly referred to him as Padruig because of his 

unassuming appearance, but he came to be called Saint 

Patrick. The druids and the king were worried enough to 

attempt to assassinate the newcomer, but he eluded them 

using the "magic" of the Christian God. 

MATHGAMAN, The patriarch of the land folk is spoken of as 

Mathgaman, from math, a bear, good, forgiving, tame; 

combined with gamhainn, (the French gamin) a year old 

animal or stirk. It is thought that the word may compare 

with the Welsh madawg, a fox, and that it may appear in the 

Gaullish names Matugenos, Matuus and Teutomatus. Note 

that this last brings us full circle to the god Teus the 

Gaelic Hu. This last word becomes the Welsh huan, the sun. 

Hence, mathgaman, the “bear-god.” The high-bear is of 

course mathair, the Welsh modryb, the Latin mater, the 

Norse móthir, our word mother. 

In Welsh myth the patriarch of all the land gods was 

said to be Mathonwy. Please note the corresponding 

Brythonic “god” Artair who seems to derive from arto-s, a 

bear. From him we have clann M’Artair, the Mac-arthurs. 

This shadowy figure, who may be cognate with Don himself, 

gave rise to the Gaelic goddess Danu, who the Welsh 

labelled as Dòn. Her brother was also named Math, creating 

another element of confusion with the parent-gods. 

Fortunately Math proper had no offspring, but Danu, 

sometimes called Anu, Boann, Boyne or Dana married Bil, the 

Mouth (of Death) creating the hierarchy of land-gods for the 

people known as the Tuatha daoine, literally, the folk of 

Danu. Bil, whose holiday was the Beultuinne (fires of Beul) 

was the son of Mangan, a “brother” to Mathgaman. Beul 

(pronounced beahl), or Bile, or Bil, who the Welsh called 

Beli, and the Gauls Bele, was informally the Dagda, the 

daddy or father of the deagh, the good ones, or the gods. 

In Irish myths the sons of this Union were Ogma of the 

Honeyed Tongue, the god of politicians and tricksters; 

Aonghas Og, the Young and Choice One, the god of love; and

Lugh, god of the sun, and Nuada, god of the moon. A daughter 

was Bridd, or Bride, who the Christians preferred to name 

Saint Brigit or Brigid. There were, of course, many extramarital 

children, the most fearsome the multi-headed 

Macha who had a heart made of ice. 

In Welsh myth the genealogy is more complex, the 

children being noted as Gwydion, the slayer of Pryderi, the 

keeper of the gates of the dark land; Arianrod, a dawngoddess; 

Gilvaethwy; Ameethon, god of agriculture; 

Govannan, the smith-god (who is noted as the Goban saor in 

Irish myth); Nudd or Lludd, the sky-god; Pendaron, a goddess 

and the “twins” Nynniaw and Peibaw. In these lines we 

find Gwydion the defender of men and the gods against the 

dark lords. He married his sister Arianrod, giving us 

Nwyvre, Dylan and Llew or Llaw, the last being cognate with 

the Gaelic sun-god Lugh. 

This being the case Lugh of The Long Arm is a third 

generation god. The sun-god may correspond somewhat with 

the second-generation Llud, who is a sky-god. His son was 

Gwy, warder of Hades sometimes called Avalon, “an island 

of the west.” To confuse the issue, Pendarun a sister to 

Lugh, married the god the Welsh called Llyr, giving rise to 

the House of Llyr , the Gaelic House of Ler. Thus it is clear 

that the sea gods and the land gods were one race rather 

than separate entities as Tuathan mythology sometimes 

suggested. See next entry. 

MATHANACH, Matheson, MG. Matgamna, the Ir. Mahon, “bear.” 

M’Mhathan resembles M’Mhata, Mathew-son, as opposed to 

Matheson. Math was a progenitor of the House of Don. 

MATHGEN, the druid to the Tuatha daoine who promised to 

“throw down all the mountains of Ireland upon the Fomor” 

when the two races contested for ownership of the Emerald 

Isle. 

MEABH. Mebd, Maebd or Maeve, also Badb or Baobh; a spirit 

within the triad goddess Bafinn and the prototype for the

Gaelic baobh or witch. Meabhal, obs. fraud, deceit, perfidy, 

shame, reproach, meabhra, obs. a fiction, a lie, meabhrach, 

cheerful, merry, pleasant. She was the model for the 

English May Queen and Shakespeare's Queen Maeve. She was 

the mature warrior-goddess, A virgin-goddess reincarnate, 

as opposed to her “sisters, ”the Samh or Mhorrigan. Of 

summer and the Macha, or Winter-Hag of the winter-season. 

The Gaelic kings anciently assumed power, and held it, 

as a result of their annual bonding with her at the Samhain. 

She was often reincarnate in warrior-queens, and appeared 

to service the king at Tara in the virgin maidens of the 

Daoine sidh, who emerged from the hollow hill of the Brughna-Boyne. 

The archaic Mebd, or Badb, was thus the queen of 

sovereignty, with whom every king of Tara had to couple. 

Her first encounter was with the god-giant Dagda, patriarch 

of the Tuatha daoine. When they mated it was said that 

their legs were planted on the two sides of the river Boyne, 

and that their frenzy created earthquakes throughout the 

land. That was not a happy union for the offspring was 

Mecha, a monster quite like the world-worm fathered by 

Lokki. Later the renewed "maiden" invested the Dagda's 

"son" Lugh, and after that all monarchs down to the 

Christian era. She was believed incarnate in the semihistoric 

Mebd of Connacht (Connaught), the lady who 

instigated the southern war with Ulster. 

Like Odin, Mebd had informants, but these were 

squirrels or magical songbirds, rather than the two dark 

ravens of the Norse god. In Gaelic mythology Mebd was the 

raven, or a wolf or any number of wild animals, since she 

was the consummate Fomorian shape-changer. The Ulster 

warrior Cethern described her as, "A tall, fair, long-faced 

woman with soft features...She had a head of yellow hair 

and two golden birds on her shoulders. She wore a purple 

cloak folded about her, with five hand's breaths of gold on 

her back. She carried a light stinging, sharp-edged lance in 

her hand, and an iron sword in the woman's grip, held over 

her head. She was massive..." and once declared, "the 

hardest woman warrior in the world." One of six daughters

of the high-king of Ireland, Mebd herself boasted: "I outdid 

all the others in grace and giving and in battle and warlike 

conduct." As a neophyte she led fifteen hundred soldiers and 

an equal number of freeborn men. 

When King Conor of Ulster proved unequal to her 

sexual demands she left him for King Ailill of Leincester, 

but even then kept a young man named Fergas as her lover. 

It has been suggested that those men who lusted after the 

queen lost two-thirds of their strength to her by simply 

gazing upon her. Her lover was no ordinary stud, since it 

was claimed that "his nose, his mouth and his penis were 

each seven fingers long and his scrotum the size of a flour 

sack." While he was parted from Mebd, Fergas required 

seven women per night to keep him happy. At that Mebd said 

quite openly that she never took any man unless there was a 

replacement standing in his shadow, and her quota ran to 

thirty men per month. King Ailill was patient with all this, 

saying simply, "I know all about queens and women. I lay 

first fault straight at women's own sweet swellings and 

loving lust." 

For her part Mebd said: ""were my husband a coward , 

it would be unfit for us to be mated, for I by myself have 

broken battles, and it would be a reproach should my 

husband be less full of life than myself, and no sin that we 

are equally bold. Should he be jealous, that would not suit 

me...Ailill thou art not a sluggard...but it is to me than 

compensation is due for a man dependant upon my 

sovereignty is exactly what thou art!" The war between the 

north and the south was supposedly fought over 

misappropriated livestock, but the base cause seems to 

have been King Conor’s preference for Mebd's sister Ethne 

(literally, sweet kernal of the nut). 

In her repeated attempts to seduce the northern hero 

Cuchullain, Mebd seemed to be seeking sexual vengeance, 

and her wrath was even more aroused by this warriors 

repeated rejections. Although Ulster drove back the 

invaders, Mebd finally overcame Cuchullain with her black

arts. 

A mortal-goddess she was finally killed by a missile 

from the sling of one of Conor's sons. Maeve's Lump, on a 

mountaintop one thousand feet above Sligo Plain in 

Connaught is rumoured to be her current resting place. From 

sea-level it looks like a pimple on a hill, but close-up it 

looms as a pile of loose stones fifty feet in height and two 

hundred feet in diameter. Around it are satellite tombs, 

smaller rock piles and stone circles. It is unlikely that the 

historic Mebd is buried here since this pile dates the same 

time as Newgrange (about 2500 B.C.) and is considered to be 

a product of the Neolithic forerunners of the Celts. It is an 

impressive artifact and it may be that the original 

inhabitant was the primeval Mebd, the first form of the 

mother-destroyer. 

MEAMNA, MEANMNA, spirit, will, desire, strength, OIr. 

menme, from the root men, to think, Skr. manman, the Latin 

mens, the mind. English mean, mind, etc. The skull cage 

was considered the site of a physical construct which 

housed an invisible ghost or spirit which responded to the 

god-spirit or "breath of life." It kept the blood-spirit, 

resident in the heart from following a completely emotional 

path. Thus the centre of clear thought and reason. 

MEAS, fruit, acorns, "fruit of the forest." In Gaul it was 

said that the druids ate acorns to gain prophetic powers. 

Note that acorns constituted one of the fruits born on the 

mythological sacred yew Eo Mugna. See separate note under 

this heading. 

MEASARRAS ALBH, direct reasoning, measarras, 

measurement; allaban, wandering. 

MEASARRAS BRIOSG, reasoning following upon subsequent 

steps. See above 

MEAMNA, spirit, will, root men, think, mind; Skr. manman, 

mind, thought. A physical being thought to be stationed in

the head. This creature wandered during bouts of heavy 

passion, during sleep and in severe illnesses. 

MEANMAINN, MEANHUINN, an itch prognosticating news or an 

omen. Usually having reference to good news or the arrival 

of a wanted visitor (Sutherlandshire). "Gifted" individuals 

were supposed able to project their primary souls upon 

their befinne, and bring back information from the past, 

present or future, through the sensory apparati of this 

invisible spirit. As a rule the cowalker channelled 

information through the eyes as foresight, hindsight or 

farsight, but a few people sensed coming events through 

touch; thus, "Somebody would say, rubbing his lips, "Indeed 

it is the itch of a kiss (or the itch of a dram) I feel today." 

And there was indeed an itch on his lips at the time. And 

somebody else would say, "Indeed I am going to shake the 

hand of a stranger today." "And how do you mean that?" "Oh, 

there is an itch in the palm of my right hand." And another 

man would say, "And what does it mean that a person's eye 

is quivering."... "It is good news when the right, and not so 

good when the left." And another might say, "Lord, how hot 

my ear is." "Oh, well then, that's good enough...when the 

heat is in the right ear they are making talk about you and it 

is probably not very good. But when the great heat is on 

your left ear, they are making excuses for you." (Tales Until 

Dawn, pp. 209-210). 

MEBD, MAEVE, MEABH, May Eve, “Drunk Woman.” The 

reincarnate warrior goddess, a third part of the Bafinn . It 

can be argued that she was the most engaging character in 

the Táin , for her antagonist Cuchullain, the “Hound of 

Ulster,” was predictably heroic. While Mebd was his equal in 

beauty and ferocity she betrayed unusual appetites and an 

unpredictable lack of fair play, to the extent that she might 

be called an anti-heroine. This mature queen of the Celts 

was very unlike the youthful raven- black Mhorrigan: A 

warrior who was lucky enough to escape Mebd’s attack 

described her as “A tall, fair, long-faced woman with soft 

features. She had a head of corn-yellow hair, and wore a 

purple cloak with five hands width of gold upon the

shoulders. She carried a light, stinging, sharp-edged sword 

in her hand and held an iron sword in a woman’s grip aloft 

over her head. A massive figure...” For her own part Mebd 

said that she was “the last and haughtiest” of the six 

daughters of the high queen. “I always outdid them all in 

grace and giving and in battle and warlike combat.” 

Moreover, she had charge of a battalion of fifteen hundred 

mercenaries and an equal number of freeborn men. 

While her dominion was peopled by some of Milesian 

blood, the west of Ireland was largely a retreat for those 

whose ancestors had been Firbolgs, Tuathans or Fomorians. 

The problem of the brown bull arose from a domestic 

squabble in which the queen and her consort were comparing 

their earthly worth. Ailill pointed out the fact that his 

personal possessions included the red bull called 

Finnebenach. the best of its breed in the land. Mebd, in a 

huff, went to her steward and asked if there was a better 

animal in Ireland, and he said there was; “...the Brown Bull 

of Cuailgne that belongs to Dara, who lives in Ulster.” Mebd 

attempted to hire stud services but the drunken steward 

made a bad impression when he visited Dara’s complex. 

As a result Mebd was forced to make a foray into 

Ulster to take the animal. Ferdiad, the former friend of 

Cuchullain was now Mebd’s lover, but he would have 

marched against Ulster without this alliance, for he longed 

for vengeance because of the death of Deirdre and the sons 

of Uisna. Here it should be noted that the bull represented 

strength, virility and divine kingship. Druids bent on 

divination ate the flesh of the white bull “from the sea,” 

drank its blood and slept within its hide. Their dreams were 

taken as an absolute reflection of coming events, for it was 

said that the hide would tighten upon the body of a false 

magic-worker, crushing the life from his body. 

The west of Ireland was always equated with the 

Otherworld that lay further toward the sun, and the advance 

of Mebd’s army may be read as the on fall of night and the 

forces of darkness. It was said that the two great “bulls”

of Ireland had originally been swineherds serving the kings 

of the Tuatha daoine. “They had been successively turned 

into two ravens, two serpents, two human warriors, two 

demons, two animalcule, and finally fallen into the bodies 

of these two kine.” Those who gathered on the Connaught 

side were extraordinary: “the seven sons Maines. all sons of 

Aillil and Mebd, each with his retinue; Cet and Anluan , the 

sons of Maga with thirty hundreds of armed men; the 

yellow-haired Ferdiad with his company of Firbolgs; the 

boisterous Fomors who delighted in war and in strong ale. 

There came also Mebd’s men from Leinster, so difficult to 

control they were broken into small companies and 

dispersed among the others. Then there was Cor mac 

Conaire and Fergus mac Roi, and all the other exiles from 

Ulster, those who had revolted against the northern king for 

his duplicity with the sons of Uisna. 

Before hostilities commenced Mebd went to her chief 

druid and asked what might be the outcome of war and he 

was enigmatic saying only that she would survive all 

battles. On the way back from this meeting, she met an 

apparition from the side. “a young maiden with yellow 

tresses that fell below her knees,clan all over in a mantle 

of green and holding a shuttle of gold for weaving upon the 

loom.” This was clearly a form of the Bafinn, one of the 

weavers of fate, and when questioned, she admitted being 

involved with “weaving the hosts together for the foray 

into Ulster.” Mebd asked what material emerged and the 

maiden replied, “All the fabric of the future is becrimsoned.” 

Mebd was surprised at this answer for her spies had 

already told her that the warriors of Ulster were disabled 

by pains resembling childbirth. When she asked who would 

reduce her host she was told: “I see a man of small stature, 

but the hero’s light is on his brown, a stripling young and 

modest, but a dragon in battle, by him your slain will lie 

thickly.” Notwithstanding, Mebd thought the foretellings 

sufficiently positive to proceed.

While this was happening, Cúchullain sent his mortal 

father Sualtam to Emain Macha to rouse the troops. To 

block the progress of Mebd’s host Cúchullain journeyed 

south to Ardcullin and enacted magic at the standing-stone. 

At first none of the southern druids could undo this magic 

and Mebd’s army of 54,000 men were forced to encamp in a 

sleet storm. 

When this geise came unravelled Cúchullain killed 

four men at the edge of the host and impaled their heads on 

a four-forked pole. Again this was taken as a device 

requiring counter-magic, and again some time elapsed 

before the pole could be extracted from the ground. “By 

these devices Cúchullain delayed the invaders until the men 

of Ulster had recovered from their debility.” In all of the 

earliest encounters Cúchullain was an unseen killer, a 

guerilla, slaying men by twos and threes. In one notable 

instance he killed a squirrel and a pet bird with his sling 

while they sat on Mebd’s shoulders. 

Afterwards, as the host moved closer to Ulster 

Cúchullain was seized by the riastradh, a “battle frenzy,” 

usually said to have been brought on by drinking blood and 

other more active ingredients. In this condition the boyhero 

was seen as “a fearsome and multi-formed creature 

such as had never been known before.” This “frenzy” may 

have involved the magic of disguise as well as that of 

ventriloquism for it is said that the sound of his voice “like 

that of a lion” came from all quarters, while his head was 

surrounded by “a blaze of light.” At that, Cúchullain made 

no attempt to harry the host provided that they made no 

advances and sent one warrior against him at a time. 

Tiring of this game, Mebd sent Natchtantal into 

combat, and taking a third of her army went by another 

route on a sudden foray into Ulster, penetrating as far as 

the northern coast at Dunseverick. There the keeper of the 

Brown Bull had taken refuge, and the raiders captured him 

and all the herds of the north, driving them south in full 

view of Cúchullain as they returned. Cúchullain killed the

leader of the escort for the cattle but had no means of 

taking back the Brown Bull. The supposed object of the war 

having been obtained it might be suspected that Mebd would 

withdraw in triumph, but she smarted under the failure to 

kill Cúchullain and sent twenty warriors against him at a 

time. He somehow kept them at bay. 

In the midst of this operation a curious incident took 

place: A young woman came to Cúchullain explaining that 

she was the daughter of a king, and attracted by tales of his 

exploits, had come to offer him her love. Tired from overexertion, 

Cúchullain put her off saying he had no interest in 

women as things stood. Thus the woman “clad in the mantle 

of many colours,” rewarded his rudeness saying, “It will go 

hard with you for this act. When you do battle again I shall 

be the eel about thy feet in the ford.” Her chariot then 

carried her into the distance, where he saw her fly away as 

a crow. 

Immediately, the hero knew that he had rejected the 

love and help of the redoubtable Mhorrigan. When Cúchullain 

fought next against Loch, the Mhorrigan appeared as his 

supernatural enemy. At one point she came charging at him 

in the form of a white heifer with red ears, but he turned 

her aside, blinding one of her eyes with the cast of his dart. 

She then came swimming up the river as a black eel, that 

attempted to upset him. While he was driving her off Loch 

was able to wound him. Again she attacked as her totem, 

the grey wolf, and again he was wounded, although he drove 

her off. At this his battle fury took hold, and he drove the 

gae bolg up against Loch “splitting his heart in two.” 

The Mhorrigan was nearly killed by these efforts, but 

so was Cúchullain, whose further duties at the Pass of 

Ulster had to be assumed by his father, the god named Lugh. 

With Lugh there fought one hundred and fifty boys of Ulster, 

those in their puberty, not afflicted by the curse of Macha. 

Three times they drove back the southern host, but were at 

last slain. Cúchulainn awoke from his wounds to see this 

carnage, and “drove furiously round and round the host, and

as he passed “the demons, goblins, and wild things of Eriu 

all echoed his taunts.” In the uproar, the host thought that 

many men had descended upon them and fell to killing one 

another in the confusion of the moment. 

It was said that six score and ten princes were lost to 

Mebd as well as horse, women and wolf-dogs and common 

men without number. Here again, it is said that Lugh fought 

on at the side of his son. Cuchullain was now faced with the 

magic of the druids of clann Cailtlin and with battle against 

his former comrade Ferdiad, but he survived both 

encounters. In the meantime the Ulster druids were able to 

lift the curse of Macha and the hosts of Conchobar marched 

southward to relieve the long-suffering hero. “And 

Conchobar’s army fell upon eight scores of men in Meath, 

who were carrying away a great booty of women-captives, 

and they slew all. 

Mebd was forced to fall back towards the south but 

stood at last on the Plain of Garach in Meath. There she 

personally led three charges amidst the Ulstermen, but even 

so the men of Munster and those of Leinster retreated 

leaving the Connaught men alone in battle. and these were 

routed into their own country. Cúchullain even rode down 

the seemingly invincible Mebd, but finding her cowering 

under her chariot said, “I am not wont to slay unarmed 

women.” He went further, protecting her from his own 

forces until she safely crossed the Shannon at Athlone. 

Thus Ailill and Mebd were forced to respect a peace 

that lasted for seven years. Mebd felt obligated to 

Cúchulllain for her life, but had a black hate for him 

because of the dishonour his bravery had settled on her. She 

sought vengeance and south the widow of the druid Catlain , 

whose family Cúchullain had slain. Pregnant at her 

husband’s death, this woman had given birth to three 

misshapen children, three boys and three girls, “all 

mischievous, hideous, poisonous, born for evil.” Mebd 

hoping to use them sent them to learn the black arts of 

Alba. “And even further they travelled acquiring lore, so

that they came back mighty in their craft, well able to be 

loosed against Cuchullain. Aside from these foes, Cúchullain 

had enemies in Erc mac Cairbre, whose father he had killed 

in battle, and Lewy son of Cu Roi, the one time king of 

Munster. Mebd sent secret messages to all these folk, and 

they waited until the monthly curse of Macha again brought 

down the Ulstermen, and then marched to the Plain of 

Murthemney. 

There the new host encamped and the children of 

Catalin took hooded thistles and puff-balls and leaves and 

made them into the semblance of marching men, and 

Cúchulainn fought this fairy-host. Sickened and wearied 

from mock-battle he was forced to seek the healing house 

in a solitary northern glen. While he recuperated, the druids 

filled the air with signs of war and loss, with flames and 

smoke and cries and wailings “and goblin chatter and the 

sounds of trumpets of horns failing on the wind.” A 

daughter of the Catalin then put on the form of Cúchullain’s 

nurse and bade the hero rise up to defend Ulster. “And the 

Mhorrigan came and sat at no great distance croaking of 

war and slaughter.” Cúchullain was convinced and rising 

from his sickbed, called his charioteer to harness his 

horses and make read. Lost amidst phantoms the hero 

fought his way to the fortress of Emain Macha, which 

seemed to be aflame, but when he arrived it had suffered on 

damage and his wife Emer was unhurt. Nevertheless he 

departed for the south convinced that war was upon the 

land. 

At the ford upon the plain of Emain he saw the 

kneeling washerwoman, “a young raven-haired maiden, 

weeping and wailing, and she washed bloody clothes which 

he saw to be his own.” It was soon after that Cúchulainn 

was tricked by three old hags (the Bas-finn) into eating 

dog-meat, which was his geis. Doomed to death by these 

omens of the Mhorrigan/Baobd/Macha , Cuchullain 

nevertheless extracted a heavy toll of death from his 

enemies before he died with his back to the pillar-stone, 

and the black crow plucked out his eyes.

The Mhorrigan did not remain incarnate much beyond 

her nemesis,and her human counterpart, the queen Mebd , 

had no easy life in what remained of her eighty-eight years. 

Her lover Fergus was slain by king Ailill when he 

discovered the younger man bathing in a lake with his wife. 

Ailill was in turn slain by Conal of the Victories, and Mebd 

retired to Inis Clothrann (now known as Quaker’s Island) in 

Loch Ryve. Here she continued the practise of bathing each 

morning, and here Forbai the son of Conchobar discovered 

her “and shot her with a bullet from his sling, so that she 

was smote in the centre of her forehead and fell dead.” 

In discussing the matter of warrior-queens Antonia 

Fraser noticed that such these strong-willed Bronze Age 

queens were no fable, but she thinks that “the status of 

women as a whole was not superior to that of men.” “The 

existence of these spirited and respected individuals 

represents a state of affairs which is a far cry from the 

dreams of true matriarchy and matrilineal succession, the 

evidence for which is “very dubious,” and “best consigned 

to the large corpus of myths (i.e. fables) surrounding Celtic 

society.” 

The ravenous raven was the totem of Medb or Maeve. 

In folklore she was one of the sidh, who lived "under the 

hollow hills". is mentioned by name in the tale called "The 

Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel". At the entrance of this 

guest-house King Conaire went to meet a giantess who 

reeled off her various names, including Samhainn (the time 

at which the events were said to have taken place) and Badb. 

Conaire knew that The Badb was a banshee of misfortune, 

and one of the forms of Morrigan. In addition, he was under 

a "geis", or magical proscription that denied him from 

admitting any woman into his hostel after sunset. He was 

forced to do so, when The Badb impugned his hospitality, but 

the result was bloodshed, and she appeared to him as a 

black bird as he lay dying. 

Queen Medb's taste for blood is also seen in the

peculiar mating customs of her people. At the Samhainn, 

men converged on Cruachain, her royal capital, to woo the 

maidens of the land. For each successful suitor carried 

away from the city, one of his clan had to secretly select 

and slay a substitute for the goddess. Each maiden was an 

embodiment of this territorial deity whose goodwill was 

needed as a prior ritual to intercourse. Medb herself said 

that she "never had one man in her bed, without another 

waiting in his shadow." The Queen is known to have had 

thirty lovers, and Rutherford suggests that they were 

sacrificial victims. Remembering the troubles that King 

Arthur had with Queen Guinevere reminds one that the Welsh 

Morgwyn (Gwen of the Sea), is a form of Morgan. Supposing 

Guinevere was a territorial goddess helps in understanding 

her various sexual liaisons, and illustrates the fact that all 

divine kings had a need to keep an eye on their divine 

spouse. See Meabh. 

MEBD LETH DEARG, of the “Red Side,” the daughter of Conán 

of Cuala, a queen of Leinster. She was the local goddess of 

sovereignty who the kings of that realm had to marry to be 

legitimate. She had fifty foster children in addition to those 

from her own loins, and”founded many tribes and nations.” 

Although she had numerous affairs she was regenerated as a 

virgin so that she could become wife to nine high-kings, 

including Conn of the Hundred Battles, Conn’s son Art, and 

Art’s son Cormac in the short list. Corresponds with the 

Cailleach bheurr, or “Winter Hag.” 

MECHI, MECHE, MEICHE, MACHI. The illegitimate son of Dagda 

and Mhorrigan, goddess of battles. He was slain by mac 

Cécht because it was prophesied that he was certain to 

bring disaster to Ireland. Some said that he had several 

heads, but he was, at least, born with three hearts, each 

the seed for a serpent, which when born would devastate 

the land. After Mechi was killed the three hearts were 

removed and burned and their ashes scattered on the waters 

of the river Barrow. It was said that this caused the death 

of plant and animal life within the river. These serpents are 

reminiscent of the Norse “World Worm” born to the giantess

Anngurboda by Lokki. 

MEIRBH, spiritless, the same root as marbh, dead. Similar to 

the Eng. marble. 

MEIRNEAL, Merlin, a hawk, perhaps conferring with the Old 

Norse Ve, their god of the wind. Meirle, a thief. The Cymric 

Myrddin. Rolleston equates Merlin with Nudd or Lludd, who 

confers with the Gaelic Nuada of the Silver Hand, but the 

latter is certainly a moon-deity and the former a sun-god. 

It is more certain that ancient Britain was entitled Clais 

Meirneal, “Merlin's Enclosure (his fortified place)” and that 

men travelled there not to gape at Stonehenge but to 

observe "the source of the winds between the worlds," a 

cave located southwest of this latter-day tourist 

attraction, itself one of the wonders of the old stone-age 

world. Merlin's cavern has been described as "a close 

neither of iron nor steel nor timber nor stone, none of these 

exactly, but plain air, done by enchantment so strong that it 

may never be undone by any means while the world endures." 

There is a tradition that Merlin actually created 

Stonehenge, rafting the elements through the air from 

quarries in western England. At the last, Merlin came down 

from the sky upon Bardsley Island (Wales) and with nine 

attendant bards went into retirement, taking with him the 

Thirteen Treasures of Britain," thenceforth lost to men." In 

some versions of his myth it is said that he was magically 

imprisoned by his girl-friend Vivienne, "sleep being the 

bond forged against him." With his imprisonment the 

location of Merlin's "cave of the winds" was also lost to 

men. This god was later an important character in the 

Arthurian romances. In mythology this bird is considered 

malevolent, note for example Mossad mac Maen, who reared 

a giant hawk which wasted Ireland. 

MEURAN SITH, “fingers of the sidh,” meur, a finger from 

mak, great, might; sith, a “fairy.” The woodland foxglove, a 

poisonous plant which in controlled doese is a cardiac 

remedy, the active ingredient being digitalis. The

Highlanders useed it to treat fever and skin complaints. 

MEURBHEILEACHD, moirbhull. a marvel; meur, a finger; beil, 

meil, to grind, meile, a hand-mill, to move the fingers in a 

motion similar to that seen in hand-grinding. A druidic 

miracle observed to follow such movements. “The priests of 

Beil was the men they called Druids, the miracles which 

they pretended to perform were called meurbheileachd 

(beil-fingering)...” John Dewar as quoted by J.F. Campbell. 

MHORGHA, MORGHA, MORGAN, mor+righa, mor, large, grast in 

rank, important; righan, queen. Morgantach, obs., magificent. 

morganaileach, boastful. The morgha is the folk-descendent 

of the Celtic Cailleasch bheurr, the original Mhorgan or 

Mhorrigan corresponding with Samh, the alter-ego of the 

winter hag. This goddess was described as a perpetual 

virgin, one who lay annually, at Samhuinn, with the kings of 

Tara, thus ensuring their divine right of kingship. In the 

medieval romances, she was described as Morgan Le Fay the 

half sister of Arthur. Morgan and Arthur shared the 

European carrion-crow as their familiar. Like her "sisters" 

Mebd or Maeve (May Eve) and Macha, Mhorrigan was the 

daughter of a chief of the Tuatha daoine. This triad 

composed the Celtic "befind", "those who predict the future 

and endow it with good or doubtful gifts." 

In this they were exact counterparts of the Norse 

Norns, the three witches of past, present and future, who 

promised Macbeth his fate in Shakespeare's play. Latter day 

befinds were sidh assigned by the gods to serve as the 

familiars of mortal men. As such, they could be invisible 

but often took the form of the crow, the totem-animal of 

the siol, “seed” of Morgan, also known as Clan Mackay. In 

the myths of the Gaels, the Mhorrigan was also known as the 

"bean-nighe" (washer-woman) from her habit of frequenting 

highland streams where she washed blood from the 

garments of those fated to die. Note that when she made 

such appearances she was always shape-changed into a hag 

and wore red clothing.

Corresponds with the English “white” or “witch” 

woman. In Canada, this raven-haired sidh, with the blood red 

pupils and webbed fingers and toes (all revealing her 

Fomorian ancestry) is know as the keener, caney (Gaelic 

"caoine", a shriek) or caney-caller from her habit of 

announcing the approaching death of an enemy or any 

member of her clan. These are the creatures better known 

as banshees, those of the sidh who attached themselves "to 

families of the old Milesian lines, who are known by the 

"O'", "Mc" or "Mac" which they prefixed to their names." 

The keeners of Maritime Canada were sometimes 

identified with roving swamp lights and on Morden 

Mountain, near Auburn Nova Scotia, Helen Creighton found an 

Irish family possessed of a wailing corpse-cart follower. 

Elaborating, Creighton explained that "In the Irish tradition 

the banshee was supposed to wail when a member of a 

certain family (e.g O'Keefes or O'Sullivans) died. Her wail 

was quite distinct from the mourning cries of near 

relatives or of the (human "keeners" who were in olden days 

called upon to mourn a dead person." 

Creighton has also recounted the case of an unnamed 

wireless operator who was drowned while rowing across 

Hawk Inlet, near Clarke's Harbour, Nova Scotia. At the 

wireless station, other workers were bedeviled by "a steady 

shrill noise" whose source was never found. This continued 

without ceasing until the body was recovered from the sea. 

At the turn of the century, a Scot named James MacDonald 

insisted that "The mhorag as a rule shows herself on Loch 

Morar (Scotland) when a member of a certain clan (Clan 

Morgan?) is to die...She reassembles herself on the surface 

of the lake in three portions, one a figure of death, another 

a coffin, the third an open grave." See next. 

MHORGUINN, MG form of Morgan. OG. Morgunn, gen. Morcunt, 

Cy. Morgan, OBry. Morcant; mori-cantos, “sea-fire,” the root 

being knd,, kindle, as in connadh, the Lat. candeo, to shine, 

our source for candle. The stem word relates to Aoidh, 

which, see. Disassembled as: mhorr, “great;” combined with

“rig,” queen and possibly Anu. The first word confers with 

muir, “the sea,” thus her name may also be translated as 

“sea-queen.” Her name is sometimes represented in Gaelic 

as Mórrigán or Mórrigú but it is not unknown in the 

mythology of other lands, being represented in English as 

Morgan. In the ancient lands of the Bas-breton this lady 

was known all along the coast as the Korrigan or Korrigwen 

and in Cornwall as the Horridgwen. In Italy this sea-deity 

was Fata Morgana, “who is perhaps a personification of 

Fortune, a being of a higher order (of supernatural).” The 

Morgain of the Near East has even been philologically tied 

with the Arabic Merjan Peri, “equally celebrated all over 

the (Far) East.” The ancient pagan goddess Mhorigann, “the 

sea-born,” a “daughter” of the Dagda.. The Gaelic mermaid. 

See entry immediately above. 

MIALLADH, bad fortune, "overridden with lice." In ancient 

times all bad luck was considered an unwanted visitation of 

the gods or their representatives. 

MIATH, earlier Miaiat, L. Maeatae, Cy. Maead, Mayad, William 

Watson says the name is comparable with the ECeltic. gaisatai, 

“spearman,” from the Gaullish gaesum. These folk 

were not originally a tribe but mercenaries, of various 

nationalities. The word may compare with the Ir. Magnatai 

who are mentioned by Ptolemy. The Romans regarded this 

tribe as one of two principal enemies in the north of 

Britain. “The Maeatae dwell close to the wall which divides 

the island into two parts and the Caledonians are next ti 

them.” There is no way of being certain whether this 

reference was to Hadrians Wall or Antonine’s Wall, but Di 

Cassius writes as if there was only one, and there is 

evidence that the more northern wall was in disrepair by 

his time. If so, these folk lived between the walls, while 

the Caledonians were north between the Forth and the Clyde. 

MICHEIL NAM BUADH, “Michael the Virtuous,” the Christian 

replacement for Lugh of the Long Arm. According to some 

tales St. Michael took possession of Lugh’s sword of 

creation when the Christians gained control of Britain. His

festival was September 29 and was situated to pre-empt 

the Samhuinn. Like Eochaid Oolathair, the pagan creator 

god, St. Michael was the patron of horses and horse-racing 

and in the islands a part of his holiday was the oda, the Old 

Norse, odaidh, or “horse fights.” 

Like Eochaid and Manann mac Ler, Michael was always 

represented as riding a milk-white steed (sea-serpent). 

This is an overt sexual symbol since Manann frequently 

“rode” his mate Fand, “The White Wave of the Sea.” Like 

the Fomors, St. Michael carried a three-pronged spear in his 

right hand (they carried theirs in the left) His shield was 

three cornered and equal sided. It is noted that “theft of 

horse was never condemned” on this day, although the 

animal was expected to be eventually returned unharmed. 

By tradition horses were “borrowed” the night before the 

races. The races were bare-back affairs, and contestants 

were not allowed saddles or bridles or spurs, but urged the 

animals on with sea-weed whips. The men carried their 

sweethearts behind them on horseback, and afterwards 

exchanged small presents with them, the women being sure 

to give their men some of the carrots obtained at Domhnach 

curran (which, see). 

Married men could take part in the “circuits,” which 

were run sun-wise in Christian times, but were expected to 

confiscate someone else’s wife for the ride. The procession 

was usually three times about some local landmark; a firehill, 

standing-stone or Celtic cross. Those who 

distinguished themselves in the races received small 

awards which were counted for more than a golden plate. 

At a communal fire, very like that on the Quarter-Day, an 

unblemished white lamb was slain and eaten and the 

bannock known as Struan Micheil (see separate note) was 

shared. In the course of events there was always a 

cavalcade about the graves of ancestors, athletic contests, 

races, betting, and an evening dance. 

MIDACH, MIACH. A Tuatha daoine physician, the son of the 

“leech” Diancecht. He was the better physician being able

to replace Nuada’s silver hand with regenerated flesh and 

blood. He is also said to have transplanted the eye of a cat 

in a human recipient. The older physician grew jealous of 

his son and murdered him scattering his collection of 

healing herbs. From his grave their sprung a number of 

useful medicinal plants including one supposed to give 

almost eternal life. 

His sister Airmid gathered them and categorized them 

according to their use but Diancecht finding her work shook 

the cloak on which they were placed negating her work and 

hiding the secrets of their use. The descendants of these 

druids, limited as they were by Diancecht's vandalism, were 

known on the Continent for their grasp of botany and herbal 

healing. 

The Gaelic physicians used their herbs orally and in 

medicinal baths and were also skilled in surgery, conducting 

operations that ranged from stitching a wound, to Caesarian 

sections and trepanning of the brain-cavity. They 

understood the importance of clean running water, 

cleanliness and fresh air to the healing process, and 

physicians were obliged by the laws of their order to build 

their workshops over a running stream. They were also 

required to have doors facing the four quarters of the earth 

to allow cross-ventilation of the sickroom. While the 

descendants of this clan were usually involved with the 

healing arts, they were sometimes hired to invoke evil 

spirits that might invade the body of an enemy producing 

some hideous malaise, which might range from boils, to 

ulcers, through falling hair, to drivelling insanity. 

MIDE. central, middle, (Mee), the ancient province now 

known as Meath, Ireland. In the days of the Ulster Cycle, 

Ireland had only four provinces, Connacht, Leinster, Munster 

and Ulster. Even then the word for province, cóiceda, a 

fifth, suggested there had been an earlier central province 

at the hub of geography. A province called Mide was reestablished 

in the time of King Tuathal Teachtmhair (the 

Acceptable), 130-160 AD. He named it as the as a territory

of the High Kings, and it survives at present as Counties 

Meath and Westmeath; thus the expression, “Royal Meath.” 

Somewhat like the Norse Misgarth or “Middle Earth” the 

world reserved for the use of men. 

MIDER, MIDIR (Meeth-er), one of the sons of Dagda, the 

patriarch of the Daoine sidh. Sometimes entitled Mider the 

Proud from his splendid appearance. He dwelt at Slieve 

Callary with his wife Fuamnach, and eventually took a 

second wife named Etain the Fair. Fuamnach jealous of the 

beauty of her rival turned her into a butterfly and blew her 

out of her underworld keep on a blast of air. She fell into 

the Brugh na Boyne of the god Aonghas, who recognized her 

in spite of her altered form. Unable to break Fuamnach's 

spell, he was able to restore her at night, when he took her 

as a lover. Her refuge was eventually discovered by 

Fuamnach who again blew up a magic wind that carried her 

to the palace of an Ulster chieftain named Etar. There she 

fell into the drinking-cup of Etar’s wife, and the lady having 

swallowed the sigh was forced to bear her as a reincarnate 

mortal child, Etain could remember nothing of her past 

history and so married Eochy the high-king at Tara. 

Mider rediscovered Etain and made a partially 

successful attempt to woo her, but she would only agree to 

rejoin Mider if her husband agreed. While this appeared an 

impossible impediment, Mider managed to talk King Eochy 

into playing a board-game with the forfeit unstated. Having 

lost the game Eochy learned that Mider claimed a kiss from 

Etain. The kiss went beyond mere familiarity as the pair 

floated into the air and shape-changed into white swans 

that retreated to Mider’s underground palace. Not knowing 

where his wife had been taken Eochy had his druid fashion 

three wands of yew overwritten with ogham characters, and 

by throwing them was able to determine that she was 

within the sidh-mound of Bri-Leith. The king and his forces 

went there and after nine years of digging ravaged the hill 

and regained their lost queen. She returned to the world of 

men, bore Eochy a daughter, and remained with him for the 

remaining ten years of his life.

MIL, MILE (mee-leh), milidh, champion, mill, destroy, mel, 

crush, mil-each. war-horse, milanta, stately, pompous, of 

military bearing. Mile, a thousand, thus a host. The King of 

the Milesians while they were resident in Spain. He came to 

regard Hibernia (Ireland) as the "Isle of Destiny" for his 

people, but did not live to see the invasion, which took place 

under the leadership of his nine sons. 

We are almost in touch with “true history” when we 

come to the Milesians, but there is a good deal of 

uncertainty regarding the time of their invasion, If 

antiquarians represent a greater authority than others then 

the sixteenth century scholar, named O’Flaherty, says the 

Milesians arrived about the year 1000 B.C. at about the time 

that the Biblical Solomon was ascending his throne. 

Victorian historians liked later dates up to and including 

the year 200 B.C., but the latest trend has been in the 

direction of an earlier origin for the invasion, Donnelly 

suggesting 1700 B.C. An unknown Greek writer quoted by 

Plutarch (ca. 12O A.D.) This individual said that “The Land 

of the Dead” was the place of origins for the Gauls, and 

that these lands were thought to lie “in the western 

extremity of Great Britain (i.e. Ireland).” It was rumoured 

that this place was cut off from the world of men by an 

impassable wall. 

On the northern coast of Gaul, says the reporter there 

was once a group of mariners whose only business was 

ferrying the dead from the continent to their resting place 

somewhere in the west. The mariners claimed they were 

awakened, in the night, by whisperings from offshore, and 

that they then went to the strand where they found the dark 

ships anchored. These they attested were not the craft of 

any known people and the pilots and were invisible. These 

men awaited the loading of equally invisible passengers 

who sank the ships to the gunwales. Those who hired aboard 

these ships said that the vessels made the other shore in a 

single hour, where it took m,any hours for a normal craft to 

reach Britain under sail. At the Otherworld, “passengers”

were not seen to disembark, but the ships lightened and 

rose in the water as a voice was heard intoning the names 

of new arrivals, presumably now added to the population of 

the Dead Lands. On the return voyage the vessel was also 

seen to be similarly loaded and emptied. The voyage always 

took place at midnight and often at a quarter day, for by the 

laws of nature, these appeared to be the times when the 

fabric of otherness faded, and the land of the living became 

open to the land of the dead, and vice versa. 

It was this invariable way of things that allowed Ith 

the grandfather of Mil to perceive the wealth of Eiru from 

a tower “at the centre of winter.” He resolved to go there 

and embarked at last with ninety warriors, and took land at 

Corcadyna in the south-west of Ireland. On landing,Ith 

discovered that the Tuathan king, Neit had just been killed 

in a battle with the Fomorians. His sons were at Aileach, in 

County Donegal, trying to equitably divide their inheritance. 

At first the three kings-apparent were suspicious of the 

motives of the newcomer, but seeing him as a rational man, 

asked him to help settle their differences. Equivocating, Ith 

suggested that they divide this country “rich in fruit and 

honey, wheat and fish, and temperate in climate” according 

to “the laws of justice.” The three kings could not be happy 

with this judgement and the little talk about the goodness 

of Eiru led them to suspect that the visitor had a hidden 

agenda. 

His companions on the voyage afterwards recovered 

Ith’s body and transported to back to “Spain.” Here the 

children of Mil ostensibly plotted revenge, but seem 

actually to have decided on an invasion of Ireland based on 

the reports of its wealth. As noted elsewhere this entire 

story may have been a fabrication, as the people of the land 

of Ith or Bith (Munster) later insisted that they were 

unrelated to any of the Milesians. Whatever their rationale, 

the thirty-six chieftains of Milesia put together a equal 

number of sailing craft. 

In the old accounts it is claimed that the forces of Mil

(which did not include the now dead patriarch) arrived on 

Thursday, 17th, on the seventeenth day of the dark moon, 

the first day of May, anciently termed the beulteinne. Soon 

after landing, the Milesian host advanced on the main city of 

Tara, where they found the three Tuathan kings awaiting 

them. The invaders immediately demanded unconditional 

surrender, and the Tuatha daoine seem to be disposed to 

comply, but they did ask that the host withdraw for three 

days so that they could consider how to bring about a 

surrender. The poet Amergin agreed that this was a proper 

request and so the Milesian fleet withdrew to a distance of 

nine waves from the shore. 

No sooner were they anchored than a mysterious mist 

tightened about their ships and a storm came up,, all raised 

by the sorcerers of the Tuathans. The winds soon dragged 

the shipped into deep water and they were dispersed to in 

the Irish Sea. A man was sent aloft to see if the storm was 

natural, and before he fell to his death from the rigging was 

able to shout out: “There is no storm aloft.” At this 

Amerigin began to chant a counter-spell and the winds 

dropped. 

The Milesians were thus able to point their prows to 

the shore but one of the Milesian lords, a man named Eber 

Donn, fell into a berserker rage against the Tuathans and his 

tempest reinvigorated the one at sea, with the result that 

most of the ships went down. The remainder of them found 

their way into the estuary of the Boyne, while a few more 

landed in the southwest of the island. 

The first engagement was in the high mountains of 

Slieve Mish in Kerry, the other at Telltown. Some say that 

the three queens of the Tuathans bargained away the land in 

exchange for a promise that the Milesians would name the 

countryside after them, and indeed it is still called Eiru, 

Banbha or Fodhla in Gaelic. Others claim that the three 

ladies and their husbands were killed in battle. Whatever 

the situation, the last of the mythic invaders had broached 

Irish shores and entered upon their sovereignty of the lands.

After a great slaughter at the edge of iron weapons, the 

somewhat jaundiced poet Amergin was called upon to make 

an “honourable division” of the lands of Eiru. 

In the world’s best example of technical justice he 

deeded all the sunlit lands to the Milesians and gave the 

Tuatha daoine control of all the natural caverns of the earth 

and islands “beyond the horizon” in the north and western 

seas. As it turned out these latter properties were no mean 

piece of real estate. Amergin might not have been so quick 

with his judgement if he had known the actual extent of 

caves and weems and man-made souterrains in Ireland. 

Archaeologists have suggested that these structures, 

probably pre-dating Tuathan control, were frequently 

occupied by men from a very early date. Sean O”Riordin 

notes that: “Only a small proportion of souterrains are 

known, and it is not possible to give any estimate of their 

number. The total must be very large...” (1942). 

In response to this the Tuathans assembled at the 

mouth of the Boyne under the chairmanship of the Fomorian 

Manann mac Ler, a sea-god who had always had a soft spot 

for the kin of his foster-son Lugh. The Dagda his kingship 

because of the defeat and an election brought Boabd Dearg, 

the “Red Crow” to leadership. Manann offered the defeated 

people cloaks of invisibility to help them avoid detection by 

the Milesians, and promised those who wished refuge in the 

western lands of the Atlantic. 

Some of the Tuathans elected to join their former 

Fomorian enemies in those lands but others fled to Alba 

(Scotland) and its islands. The remaining survivors at first 

tried to co-exist with the invaders, but the Milesians 

noticed their skill at the arts and their conspicuous wealth, 

and placed the best craftsmen in bondage, and created laws 

prohibiting the Tuathans from having any part in politics or 

other highly remunerative jobs. To make matters more 

difficult they levied heavy taxes and insisted that the 

conquered people remain out of sight. In the end large-scale 

movements of the Tuathans were limited to the quarter

days while individuals were only allowed freedom of 

movement in the night hours. These restrictions forced the 

Tuathans into the remote countryside where they took up 

the more menial occupations. 

These fugitives were only seen as shadows moving 

through the twilight by successive generations of Milesians. 

As a result of the seemingly magical skills the Tuathans 

had at avoiding detection, they became known as the Dei 

terreni, the “gods of the earth,” residents of the “hollow 

hills,” the descendants of powerful deities.Wealthy beyond 

reason or belief they were seen as having fairy palaces 

within the earth, and there held revels in unending sunshine, 

nourished by magical meat and an unending source of ale, 

both of which imparted undying youth and beauty and near 

immortality. 

From these places they occasionally emerged to 

mingle with men in acts of love or war. The original 

concept was one of a heroic race, whose gods were 

admissible in the Milesian pantheon. In the latter days, 

under the influence of Christianity, they were at first 

disparaged, being referred to as the Daoine sidh, the “sidehill 

folk,” or as the Tuatha athach, the “people of the wind.” 

Notice that the latter word athach is a synonym for “giant,” 

thus, an “imaginary people.” These “rent-payers,” 

sometimes entitled “rent-payers to hell,” actually were a 

mix of all the earlier peoples who had become subject at 

one time or another. Each of these made notable, but futile, 

attempts to regain power and property in historic times. 

The Tuathans, “ground down by rents and compulsory 

toil,” overthrew the Milesian king under the leadership of 

Cabri Cinn Cait, the “Cat-Headed,” in the first century 

before Christ, and he ruled through five years when there 

was “but one acorn on the stalk.” At his death, his son 

Morann, recognizing the fact that the goddess of earth had 

attached herself to the Milesian line, refused the crown. 

This allowed the ascension of Feradach Finn-feactnach, 

whose reign was equally unhappy. In the reign of the next

Milesian, the Tuathans again banded together and resumed 

power for twenty more years. Tuathal Feachtmar, “the 

Desired” was the next Milesian to get the upper hand, but he 

had to fight 133 battles against the “little people.” 

In the end he did break the tribes of the north and 

scattered them so widely they were never again a force in 

Irish history. The sigh never quiet perished, but among 

present-day inhabitants they are quiet creatures of the 

imagination, who infrequently trouble the affairs of men. 

The Milesians were left with only two sons of Mil when 

Ireland was first conquered. There had been eight, but Bith 

had fallen from the mast, and Donn and his other brothers 

had been drowned in storms at sea. 

This left Eber Finn and Eremon, who approached 

Amergin for a judgement concerning the portions of 

property they should hold. The druid-poet declared that 

since Eremon was the oldest he should first rule all the 

lands passing them at death to his younger brother. Eber 

would not submit to this arrangement and thus the Irish 

“troubles” commenced nearly 4,000 years ago. At first 

Eremon agreed to keeping the peace by dividing the land into 

northern and southern halves, the division line running 

“from the Boyne to the Waves of Cleena.” The northern half 

was deeded to Eremon with a small northeastern corner 

granted to the children of a lost brother named Ir. This was 

the land first invaded by the Norse, and encounters with 

this tribe caused the whole island to be called Irlande. The 

south was the land of Eber, excepting a southwestern part 

of Munster which was given to a cousin named Lughaid 

because he was the son of Ith or Bith. This settlement held 

for a single year, but in that time Eber’s wife began to 

politic for possession of Tara which was within the 

northern bounds. This “quarrel between women” concerning 

“the pleasantest of all Irish hills,” led to war between 

their husbands in which Eber was defeated and the 

sovereignty settled upon Eremon. See next. 

MIL. gen, meala, honey. mild, milbhir, mild beer. mead. mil-

hriathrach, mild words, sweet-nothings. mileachadh, 

benumbing. milliudh, having a blasting eye (like that of 

Balor), fascinating, millteach, destructive. Sweet but 

dangerous. 

The reign of the game-keeper, or Cailleach followed 

that of the Maidhdean (maiden), who was sometimes 

referred to as the Samh. This summer moon-maiden 

corresponded with the ancient goddess Morrigan, while the 

winter hag was Macha. The rites of Samhainn commenced in 

Gaelic communities with the celebration of the cern (corn, 

or horn) which the English named the harvest home. In 

Gaelic communities the earliest harvest were taken during 

the first week of August, when the festival of Lugh, called 

the Lugnasad (and currently Lammas), was celebrated. 

The last fruits were gathered at harvest home, which 

was also named a feast to mark the end of work in the 

fields. The harvest home originally embraced magical 

religious rites which were widespread in all of Europe. As 

the time of taking the final harvest varied from one year to 

the next, this was a "moveable feast" whose date ranged 

from mid October through mid-November, with Samhain 

falling before or after the rites. In every case, the kirn 

involved the creation of a rude figure constructed from the 

last of the grain crop (a survival being the "kitchen 

witches" sold in kitchen specialty shops). This god-figure 

was paraded home in front of the last load to come home 

from the fields amidst singing, shouting and surreptitious 

drinking. The kern doll, kern maiden or Gaelic 

"maidhdeanbuain", literally "the shorn or defrocked maiden" 

was identified as the goddess-spirit of the cern, a female 

relieved of her virginity by a kern-king, such as the ancient 

horned-god Cernu, who the Romans called Cernunnos. 

Sometimes, a pair of harvesters was dressed in grain 

and ribbons, as a living personification of long dead deities. 

In the earliest times, it can be guessed that these kernpeople 

were paired off and encouraged to indulge in ritual 

sex followed by a "bone-fire" and the return of the male

spirit to the land. While impregnation of "the land" was 

required at Beltainn to bring on a successful season for 

crops and animals, it was also needed at Samhainn so that 

the "spirit of the land" could overwinter. In some English 

communities the harvest home was described as the mell, 

while herding villages practised parallel rites which they 

referred to as the hookey, or hockey, after the hooks used in 

tending animals. 

Early harvests usually spoke of abundance while late 

harvests were regarded as unlucky; hence, there were 

numerous superstitions related to "taking the maiden". The 

symbolism of the cern could not have been more explicit, 

the "shorn maiden" being cut down with a horn-shaped 

sickle or scythe. It was claimed that the kern-spirit or 

spirits fled before the reapers, the queen of their kind being 

finally cornered in a remote field. Highland reapers 

contested one another to get this maiden, and tried all sorts 

of diversions to secure the last sheaf. Some bundled a 

small uncut portion away beneath a sod of earth coming 

back to cut it at a later date. Local handling of the maiden 

varied. In a few places the sexual nature of the act was 

most explicit, the final sheaf being termed the maidenhead, 

or more simply the head. Where the pagan rites were more 

hidden it was called the "clyack", another word for sheath. 

In Scotland, the maiden often fell , in a nice bit of 

symbolism, to the sickle of the youngest girl on the field, 

who was assumed to be a virgin. MILLEADH NOT BATH ADH, 

destroying entity, spoiler. This phrase encapsulates the 

Tuathan attitude toward the Milesian invaders of Ireland (ca 

250 B.C.) 

MILUCRA, the youthful Aoine once admitted that she had no 

interest in white-haired men and her sister Milucra saw 

this as a means of having the hero Fionn mac Cumhail for 

herself. The Fiann were at the hunt at this time. They came 

upon a doe near the Hill of Allen, and ran it northwards until 

it was forced onto Slievenamon, the “Holy Hill,” a focal 

point of Tuathan magic, a place very similar to Hugh’s Hill 

in legendary lore. Fionn alone saw the doe disappear into

the mountain-side, and it was he who encountered the 

weeping lady of the mountain. She claimed to have lost a 

golden ring in a nearby lake and asked Fionn to find it for 

her. He tried and at last succeeded, at which the lady 

plunged into the lake and disappeared. Fionn then saw that 

the waters had been magically charged agianst him for his 

youth had fled, and he was so feeble and ancient that his 

hounds failed to recognize him. When the chase party 

caught up with Fionn his voice was so weakened he could 

barely whisper his identity. Fionn said he thought he 

recognized the perpetuator of his misfortune as Milucra of 

Slievegallion. 

The Fiann, therefore, placed their leader on a litter 

and carried him to that side, where they began to dig. Like 

others before them, they eventually penetrated the gates of 

the Otherworld, where they were met by a maiden carrying a 

drinking horn of red gold. She was Aoine, the goddess of 

love and youth, and the first from the cup restored him, but 

left his hair white. It is said that Fionn’s hair colour 

would have been returned with another sip, but he was 

content to be young again and turned away with prematurely 

grey hair. At Slievegallion there is an antique standing 

stone on the mountain-top, which the locals used to avoid 

as the dwelling place of the Baobd or “Witch” of the Lake. 

Although the place was not often visited a mysterious 

beaten path, worn by inhuman feet, is still seen to lead 

from the lake-side up the mountain to the standing-stone. 

MINIFIN, "delicate and white", ghosts, superstition. 

MIOBHADH, ill-used (by the weather). Control of the weather 

was considered the major magic of the Daoine sidh. 

MIOLCACH, a clown, a flatterer, miolan, a lie. 

MIONN, an oath, imprecation, vow, curse, skull, crown, 

diadem, EIr. mind, an oath, a diadem; anciently swearing by 

the name of a god. More recently, utilizing the "swearing 

relics" of a Christian saint. OHG. menni, a neck ornament,

AS. mene, a neck chain, a symbol of authority on which 

oaths were taken. Among the Celts the neck ornament was a 

partial circle of precious metal (a "torc") worn with the 

opening at the front. This explains why the Gaels felt that 

the Christian clerical collar was worn "backwards." 

MIOSACH, fairy flax, purging flax, EIr. miosach, monthly. A 

menstrual pad, proposed for human use by the Daoine sidh; 

probably a species of cotton sedge. Natural Kotex. Mios, 

moon, less often, The Moon, fuil mios, menstrual courses. 

MIRE, pastime, wanton behaviour, flirting, Ir. sport, 

madness. Related to mear, our word merry. AS. merge, EIr. 

mer, insane. Allied with the G. mearachd, error, wandering 

in purpose. The Eng. marr, originally to stumble, OIr. 

meraige, a fool, a Quarter Day “monarch.” OBr. mergidhaam, 

I am silly. 

MISG, drunkenness, EIr. mid, gen. mead, the English mead 

MITHEAR, weak, crazy; mithlean, sport, playfulness. Mith, a 

humble person. 

MOD, court, trial, meeting, from the ON mod. a townmeeting, 

English moot, meet. The earth was once considered 

an inspirited being its power points being high land. Sacred 

spots were scattered all about the countryside each being 

considered a reflection of the prime rise of land. In Ireland 

that place was Hugh’s Hill which stood at the boundaries of 

the ancient provinces. In Scotland it was the Moot Hill at 

Scone. Scone was the capital of the kingdom, and the Lord 

Lyon King of Arms still identifies the Moot Hill as “the 

constitutional centre of Scotland.” This, in spite of the fact 

that political power has moved elsewhere. In the elder days 

the King was crowned here and each chieftain brought with 

him from his own district some of his own mod soil which 

he stood upon while swearing allegiance. At the individual 

mods assemblies were held, religious rites performed, laws 

made, and judgements passed.

MODOMNOC. A member of Clann O’Neill, this sixth-century 

monk was a student under Saint David of Wales. His 

specialty was beekeeping, and when he returned to Ireland 

bees followed his ship. They were, it is claimed, “the 

gifted race of Ireland’s bees.” 

MOGAIRE, a mocker, a jester, a clown, a ritual victim of the 

Quarter-Day. The English mocker. The major male 

participant at the Beltane and Samhain had to have a 

twisted sense of humour since he was destined to die in the 

concluding hours of ritual. For some time before his 

departure he had all the prerogatives of the monarch, and 

thus had no compulsions against levelling his ire against all 

who offended him. Having nothing to lose, he often made 

light of the king and his closest advisors, thereby providing 

the rest of the community with an escape valve for the 

considerable feelings of hostility that were bound to exist 

in a day when power was very unevenly distributed. 

MOID, vow, EIr. moit, Cy. mun, AS. mund, Latin, manus, hand. 

A promise made at the raising of the right hand. Among the 

Gaels the right hand often appears in heraldry where a clan 

wishes to make the point that it represents legitimate 

descent, where there are pretenders to power. If a left hand 

is preferred pagan attachments are suspect. 

MOILEAN MOIRE, MORAG, “Lugh’s bannock,” The plump child, 

lump, heap, fatling of; Sarah, Mary, the sea. Ultimately, 

there is reference to the pagan Mhorrigan. The Lugnasad 

bannock persisted into La Feill Moire, the “Feast of Mary,” 

which fell on August 15, two days later than the pagan 

feast, Old Style. On the morning of this day people plucked 

fresh grains, which were placed on a rock to dry. These 

were husked by hand, winnowed, ground, and kneaded on a 

sheep-skin into bannock. This was roasted before a fire of 

rowan and other sacred woods. The husbandman broke 

bannock for his family and doled it out by age, chanting a 

rann to the Christian “goddess” as he did so. After going 

three times around the fire he put embers of the fire into a 

pot to be carried three times about his home in a sunward

direction. Sometimes he protected his flocks and field with 

a similar rite. 

MOL, unsolicited praise; compare with mollachd, a curse, 

the northern form is mallachd. It was generally held that 

those who praised in this fashion were not friends but 

enemies seeking a favour or advantage through magic. "The 

Power of Evil should not be allowed to hear praise of any 

person or beast. A man was one day ploughing with a pair of 

horses in Barra when a Uist man came by praising them very 

much, asking where he was likely to get such horses; and 

they chatted in a friendly manner together for some 

minutes. The Uist man then went his way... but had not been 

gone long when both horses fell down as if dead... It was 

evidently the work of the Evil Eye, and the Barra man 

followed the other and upbraided him bitterly. The Uist man 

declared himself innocent in intention, but said that his 

"friend" should find them all right on his return, as in fact 

he did." Thus praise is seen as a dangerous commodity even 

if damage is not intended. "If a person praises your ox, or 

your ass, or anything that is yours, be sure to say (in 

response):- "Wet your eye, " which if kindly disposed he 

will perform literally (thus reversing any effect of the 

evil-eye)... If a person should praise a child or beast, you 

should praise what he praises, only in more extravagant 

terms... If you commend the size or appearance of your child, 

you should use some such formula as, "God bless it, how big 

it is!" (Celtic Monthly, p. 162). In the highlands any comment 

concerning children was thought proper if suffixed with the 

words, "may their number increase." Similarly, upon 

counting out animals in a field or pen it was more than 

polite to end with, "Let not my tongue or eye rest heavily 

upon them." 

MOLACH, rough, hairy, the Irish-born missionary better 

known as Molloch and also called Lugaid, one of the first 

Christian missionaries to the Highlands of Scotland and the 

Hebrides, where his name is still invoked against the threat 

of madness. See also Maag molach.

MOLLACHD, MALLACHD, a curse. The first spelling is used in 

northern Scotland. The English malediction, harm created 

with mere words. Resembles malc. putrefy, decay and mel, 

to grind down. In 1886 John and Ann-Margaret Henderson of 

Kilchoan in Arnamurchan were at odds with the shire and 

his landlord over matters of taxation and land rent. An 

eviction party was led by one of the McColls, who stood 

watching as the pair and their six children were removed to 

"an old tent." "It was as Ann-Margaret was being taken from 

her cottage that she pointed her finger at McColl and laid a 

curse upon him... she prophesied "bad cess" to him and said 

that he would soon die and when he was dead and buried the 

very grass would not grow on his grave, but only docks and 

nettles." This all took place as promised and "when grass 

was sown on his grave it withered and died and in its place 

grew ugly dock leaves and nettles. His relatives weeded it 

again and again and planted more grass seed, but still the 

weeds crawled over the grave. The ground was dug over, 

cleared and covered with new turf but it was no use, the 

docks and nettles returned even more strongly." (Scots 

Magazine, Aug. 1982, p. 541). 

MOLTRAD. The wedder-folk. A tribal or sept name with the 

suffix rad, collective feminine. Mol, hairy, rough, bushy. 

MONACH MOR, The “Great Curser;” monachd, a curse, an 

experienced druid or magician. One given this name ruled the 

island of Tile nd was an ancestor of Clan MacLeod. Mollachd 

is a northern Gaelic form of mallachd, Oir. maldacht, the 

Eng. malediction. 

MONAR, diminutive person or thing. Monaran, a mote; munar, 

a trifle, a trifling person, one of the Daoine sidh. 

MONGFHINN, MONGFIND, mountain woman, the daughter of 

Fidach of Munster and wife of High King Eoachaid Muigmedon 

(358 - 366 AD). The hostile and bitter stepmother of Niall 

of the Nine Hostages, she made several attempts on his life. 

She died by accidentally taking poison she had prepared for 

him. As her death was at the Samhain, this Festival was

sometimes alternately referred to as the Festival of 

Mongfhinn, and her evil shade is still said to stalk the 

southern countryside at this time when she preyed upon 

children. 

MONGÅN. The son of Manan mac Ler by the queen of Dal n 

Riadi, Scotland. He married Dubh Lacha but once promised a 

”friend” named Brandubh anything he desired. He wanted 

Mongán’s wife and under the ancient laws of hospitality 

promises were inviolate. The poor man was forced to 

surrender his mate but was a shape-changer because of his 

father’s heritage. He called at the castle of Brandubh in the 

guise of a travelling druid and slept with his wife under his 

rival’s roof. Eventually he returned in the guise of a young 

king accompanied by a very beautiful woman. Since this 

lady whose name was Cuimne carried a love charm Brandubh 

found her irresistible and gladly traded Dubh Lacha away. 

When the two reunited lovers were far away the charm 

faded and the replacement was seen to be an ugly hag. 

MOR, great, Cy. mawr, Cor. maur, Br. meur, Gaul. maro, OHG, 

mari, famed, ON. moerr, famous, Latin, merus, English mere. 

Confers with G. muir, the sea. Often seen as a combined 

word, e.g. Mhorri-gan.

MOR BRIDD, "The Great Bride." Also referred to as “Great 

Bride of the Horses.” It was once said that no man ruled the 

Gaelic realms unless he first married the goddess of the 

land. The first such marriage supposedly involved Lugh, the 

sun god, and Mebd, the earth goddess, whose youthful form 

was the reincarnate "bride" named Mhorrigan. In the old 

theology it was explained that the triad goddess, who 

became a hag during the winter months, was annually 

transformed by the sperm (sunlight) of the sun into a virgin 

queen. 

Morgan was known to the ancient continental Celts as 

Matrona. The matron has her fullest exposition in folklore 

as the "moerae" of Greece. Here again these demi-goddesses 

presided over the destiny of each new-born child. Again, 

they were a triad: Clotho, corresponding with Mhorrigan; 

Lachesis, with Badb or Mebd; and Atropos, Macha. The first 

spun the thread of life, the second goddess knit or wove it 

and the last cut it short when the job was finished. 

The Norns of Scandinavia had similar duties: "to warn

the gods of future evil, to bid them make good use of the 

present, and to teach them wholesome lessons from the 

past. They were personified as weavers rather than 

spinners, their loom being the sky. The threads of their 

weft were cord-like clouds, whose hues varied according to 

the nature of events due to occur. Black "threads" running 

from north to south, were interpreted by the scalds as 

omens of death. It was reputed that the sisters were not 

free to act but bound to the wishes of the Orolog, the keeper 

of hours.The moerae were said to be disfigured by their 

stitchcraft: crooked from bending over their work, with 

drooping eyelids caused by squinting under poor light as 

they worked through the nights as well as the days. Clotho 

stood, but Lachesis had an enormous bottom from sitting at 

her job. Atropos had huge pendulous lips and long teeth 

from her habit of breaking the thread of life in her mouth. 

The norn and the mor bridd were similarly 

characterized. As personifications of time these weird 

sisters were represented as varying in age, looks and 

temperament. Like the youthful mhorrigan, Verdhandi, 

goddess of the present was active, and fearless and stared 

without hesitation at all within her gaze. Urd was old and 

decrepit, continually gazing backward over her shoulder as 

if contemplating past events. Skuld , was closely veiled so 

that her interests could not be fathomed, but it was known 

that she perceived the future. The first two goddesses 

were usually considered beneficent guardians of order in 

the world, as they constructed the fabric of men's souls. 

When the work was near completion Skuld often evidenced 

the petulance of Morgan le Fay, angrily tearing the finished 

material to shreds, the remnants scattering on the wind as 

clouds in the sky. 

Like the befind the moerae were duty-bound to appear 

before men at the most important events of their lives. 

Thus they were seen to materialize, and sometimes 

prophecize, at births, marriages and deaths. In Greece, the 

individual guardians sent by these goddesses arrived on the 

third night after a baby's birth, to foretell his future, give

him advice and favour him with a birthmark such as the caul 

of luck. Great care was taken to prepare for their coming, 

the house being fully cleaned and the table laid with honey, 

bread and three white almonds. In some areas a few coins 

were laid out beside the food. The door was left open, a 

light left burning, and a decent quiet observed by the 

residents. Once the moerae pronounced the fate of an 

individual it was understood to be unchangeable. 

A similar ceremony was, until recently, conducted in 

Scotland on the eve of the arrival of "bridd" (bride). Here 

the revival of vegetation was named bride's day (February 

1). THus, in the Hebrides, "the mistress and servants of 

each family take a sheaf of oats, and dress it up in woman's 

apparel, put it in a large basket and lay a wooden club by it. 

This they call briid's bed; and then mistress and servants 

cry three times, "Briid is come; briid is welcome." This 

they do just before going to bed and when they rise in the 

morning they look among the ashes, expecting to see the 

impression of briid's club there; which if they do, they 

reckon it a true presage of good fortune and the contrary an 

ill omen." 

This ceremony was clearly aimed at the spiritual 

revival of the cailleach bheur as a summer spirit like samh 

or "brigit". Fraser notes that some of the customs of this 

time of year were addressed to Saint Brigit, but he says she 

no other than Brigit, the Celtic goddess of fire and the 

crops. We know her as the daughter of Dagda, the sister of 

Lugh and Ogma, and hence a half-daughter of mhorrigan. In 

the far north, the Norns were consulted daily by Odin and 

the other gods, and they generally answered all questions 

although the answers were often of veiled meaning. These 

guardians of the gods and mankind would tell Odin nothing 

of his personal fate, but were lavish in gifting their 

favourites seldom failing to provided gifts on the 

anniversaries of important human events. The moerae were 

always invited to weddings, births and funerals, and women 

who were about to marry, or who were pregnant, visited 

their caves hoping to receive favour. Like the befind, these

fay were the last seen before a person died. 

The ancient Romans adopted the three fates as the 

"parcae", but unlike other Greek deities they did not thrive 

in Italy. Their descendants are loosely attached to that land 

and there are three fates who attend Christian homes at 

Epiphany. Like Santa Claus, they bear gifts for good 

children and punishment for others. They are the Befana, 

Maratega and Rododesa, little woman under five feet in 

height. The Maratega in ancient and brittle and can stretch 

its limbs to improbable lengths, while the Rododesa has the 

habit of budding candies from her fingertips. Best known is 

Befana who is most athletic, slipping down chimneys or 

through keylocks to reward good children with gifts. She 

leaves coal for bad boys and girls and is only visible on the 

final day of Yule, spending the rest of the year spinning 

within a chimney recess or some dark cavern. 

Similar spinning women are known all over Europe, those 

in Albania being called the "Mir" or wives of "Rica". These 

are the "Trois Maries" of Switzerland, the "Witte Wijven" of 

Holland, "Les Bonne Dames" of France and "Mutter Gode" of 

Germany. 

In addition to their other duties, the norns had to tend 

"yggdrasil", the tree of life, experience and knowledge, 

allowing none but Idun to pick the fruit, which was the 

source of the renewed youth of the gods. The norns also fed 

and tended two swans who inhabited their Urdar fountain, 

and from these pair are descended all the swans of our 

Middle Earth. At times, the norns are said to have visited 

our world in swan plumage, but more apropos, they came as 

mermaids, appearing before men to foretell the future and 

give sage advice. 

In Germany, the lady was termed the White Woman or 

"Bertha", who lived in a hollow hill in Thuringia, caring for 

the souls of unbaptized infants, emerging with them in the 

spring to water the newest flowers of the field. She spent 

some time among humans, being identified as the 

ancestress of Charlemagne and the entire imperial house of

Germany. She is frequently represented in medieval art 

being drawn or painted as a woman at a treadle wheel, one 

foot splayed from overwork. 

As matriarch of German royalty, the White Lady 

appeared in the palace after the fashion of the banshee, 

announcing death or some other family misfortune. This 

superstition was very firmly entrenched the last report of 

her visit appearing in a newspaper dated 1884. 

As "la reine pedanque" Bertha was noted as a spinner 

and patroness of all female work that had to do with 

manipulating thread. She was formerly see flitting through 

the streets during the twelve days of Yule, and was said to 

peer into every window to inspect the household spinning 

and weaving. Maidens who had been careful and industrious 

had no worry and might be rewarded with a gift of an extra 

fine distaff of flax or a basket full of threads of pure gold. 

Others found their flax soiled, and those who failed to bake 

a fruit cake in her honour might find themselves pushed 

before an irresistible wind and unceremoniously dumped 

into a mud slough. 

The Norse goddess "Ran" is very similar in character 

to all these others. She was the wife-sister of Hler, who 

was often depicted as a greedy, talon-clawed old man, who 

greedily pulled ships to the bottom of the sea. Her name 

translates as "robber" and she was as cruel, cunning, 

insatiable and greedy as the mhorrigan at her worst. In 

mermaid form, she lurked near dangerous rocks; there she 

spread her met and sang to men, enticing them to their 

doom. 

For this she was counted the sea-going equivalent of 

Hel, the land-goddess of death. Northern nations fancied 

that this creature entertained the drowned in her caves, a 

place where mead flowed as freely as in Valhalla. The 

goddess, like the crow-woman, lusted for sex and gold, and 

was sometimes called "the flame of the sea", because she 

used this metal to illuminate her halls. To protect

themselves from Ran's bad humour Norse seamen kept gold 

on their persons and set at least one coin beneath the mainmast 

of their ships, a practise followed to this day in 

Maritime Canada. The 

descendants of the Fomor and the Vana are known as the 

"ceasg" (sea-hags), the "daoine mara" or the "maighdean 

mara" in present day Scotland. A subspecies is the "fachan" 

a sea-sidh, or trow, identified by the fact that it has but 

one eye, hand and leg. These are, of course the "morgans" of 

Brittany, the "ben-varrey" of the 

Isle of Man, and the people called 

"merrows" or the "mara-warra" In 

Ireland. Keightley says there are 

no sea-sidh in that country 

comparable with the horse-like 

Scottish "kelpie" and their "ness", 

best exemplified by the Loch Ness 

monster. 

See entry immediately below. 

MORGAN, “Dogfish,” one of the 

kings of the Land Beneath the 

Waves, the husband of a monster 

woman named Coinchend, but the 

father of the beautiful Delbchaem. 

He was slain by Art when he 

journeyed to the undersea world 

seeking her love.

MORGAN, MORRIGAN, MHORRIGAN (mor-rig-ahn), one of the 

Bafinn triad of goddesses, the remaining two being Mebd and 

Macha. She was the youngest and most nubile and was the 

fate who represented the past. Her name combines mor, 

great, the sea; righ, queen, with gan,procreator. Like the 

others in her triad, Mhorrigan was said to be of mixed 

Tuathan and Fomorian blood and was often described as the 

mate/daughter of Don, the creator-sea-god; nevertheless it 

was this goddess who helped the human warrior-wizards 

remove the sea-giants from Britain. Today, Mhor is 

considered the equivalent of the English personal name 

Sarah while mhorair, describes a person who possesses 

"airgead", or silver, a nobleman. The sea was vast and 

important to all the Celtic islanders, and the word was 

extended, in to the Atlantic Ocean and the "moors" of 

England, Scotland and Ireland. In the Celtic tongue "muir" is 

the sea, and in Wales one who lives near the sea is a 

"morgant", a name also applied to an individual seaman or 

the seashore. The English word morass and the word mere 

(a lake) belong to this same family as does the defunct 

"moorburn", which describes a fire on the wastelands or an 

outbreak of bad temper. Marine, marsh, mermaid and merrow

are all related words suggesting that Mhorrigan was 

probably one of the Fomorian tribe, who came to land from 

the deep sea, establishing their principal base on Tory 

Island northwest of Ireland. 

Although her father was Fomorian her mother was 

said to be Ernmas of the Tuatha daoine (people of Danu). 

Returning from a reconnaissance of the Fomorian camp at 

Scetne, Ireland Dagda, the patriarch of land-gods is 

reported to have seen her for the first time among men: “On 

his way he saw the Battle Crow, the Morrigu washing 

herself in the river Unius of Connacht. One of her feet was 

at Ullad Echne, to the south of the water, and the other at 

Loscuinn, to the north of the water, and her hair was 

hanging in nine loosened locks. And she said to the Dagda, 

that she would bring the heart’s blood of Indech mac De 

Domnann (i.e. Don), he who had threatened the Dagda, to him, 

and give it up to the men of Ireland (in return for sexual 

favours). This was consummated as she wished and when 

the Cauldron of the Deep was purloined by Dagda from the 

undersea kingdom, it was placed for safe-keeping in the 

hands of Mhorrigan. 

After that, the sea-goddess settled at Tara where she 

kept her great cooking-spit, which held a shish-kebob of 

three different meats, one raw, one dressed and one 

buttered: “And the raw was dressed, the dressed not burned, 

and the butter unmelted in spite of the three being together 

on the one spit.” While it was often said that men who 

aspired to kingship at Tara had to mate with Mebd, this not 

entirely accurate as she represented a warrior-woman at 

the height of power, and the high-kings coupled with a fresh 

virgin-goddess. The aspect of newness and virginity was 

embodied in Mhorrigan, while Macha, the old crone, 

represented the final phase of the triad. Mhorrigan was 

then the Samh, or summer-goddess just as Macha was the 

winter-goddess. The rituals of Samhain were once thought 

essential for the conversion of the coldness of winter into 

the warmth of summer.

"At Samhain men from all over Ireland converged on 

Cruchain (in Connaught province) to woo a maiden. For each 

suitor, one of his people had to be slain, The maiden must 

be (represent) the territorial goddess whose goodwill is 

secured by these sacrifices." (Celtic Monthly, p. 111) These 

were not actually seen as "sacrifices," but as an important 

reshuffling of the life-force, and it should be noted that 

these annual deaths were in addition to that of the "king" 

whose body was "returned to earth" so that the crops, as 

well as the animals and men, that fed upon them might be 

"reinvigorated." While Mebd has been described as 

somewhat "horse-faced" and blonde, Mhorrigan is usually 

represented as a raven-tressed seductress. It is 

interesting that her descendants, the morgans, or mermaids, 

are often represented as having hair which is the colour of 

seaweed when seen in the depths, but this becomes a 

blinding flaxen colour in sunlight. While Mebd had small 

golden birds as her informants, the Mhorrigan, like Odin, 

fancied a coterie of ravens or hooded crows. Like Mebd and 

Macha, she was an accomplished shape-changer but 

preferred the wolf and crow-form over others. 

A perpetual virgin, renewed through magic, the 

Mhorrigan was very interested in the sex act as a means of 

bestowing or taking power; the flow being always toward 

the stronger party in the union. This explains why the 

Befinne would never keep a partner less spirited than 

herself, any other relationship leading to the death of the 

underspirited individual. It follows that Mhorrigan made 

every attempt to seduce her enemies especially where she 

felt they might be less spiritually potent than herself. Even 

with one of equal staying-power, a psychic union was 

formed which might mean that the enemy warrior might be 

unable to offer further opposition. It was with this in mind 

that Mhorrigan offered herself to Cúchullain in the guise of 

a human maid. As it happened the Ulster hero was too tired 

to perform and refused her a he explained. In a tiff, she 

left him and thereafter warred against him as he protected 

the ford at the border with Connaught. She appeared as a 

wolf , as hornless red heifer and as a water serpent in

isolated attempts to kill him, but he nearly finished her. 

Near death, she was forced to come to him seeking a boon, 

and in the end he granted it, sparing her life. 

Although her alter-ego, Mebd continued to war on 

against Cúchullain, Mhorrigan imparted some of her spirit to 

the Grey Mare, which was his friend and protector. She also 

became his befinne and banshee and passed through Emain 

Macha, breaking the axle of his chariot to warn him that his 

last battle was at hand. As with the latter day Morgans, and 

Mackays, she took the crow-form and perched upon the 

shoulder of Cúchullain to signal that his spirit had moved 

on. 

The Mhorrigan appeared as the Macha, at a later time 

when she travelled to Da Derga's Hostel to bring down King 

Conary: "As long as a weaver's beam were her two shins, 

which were as black as the surface of a stag-beetle. Her 

hair reached to her knees. Her mouth awry." When he 

admitted her against a personal "geis" he and his company 

became subject to events which led to their death. King 

Conory was the last of the line Etain and Eochy, who had 

defeated Mider, the king of the underworld. Conory was his 

great, great great-grandson, and it was thus that the 

Daoine sidh evened the score between the side-hill people 

and men. 

When Cúchullain was still a boy she appeared to him 

when he was in thrall to some external enchantment of an 

enemy. Thinking to arouse him she noted, “There is not the 

making of a hero in you, you lie enthraled at the feet of a 

mere shadow.” Enraged he sprung to his feet and threw his 

hurly-stick at the shadow clipping off its head. When King 

Conchobharr was attempting to raise the debilitated men of 

Ulster in the Tain wars, he bade his messenger go to the 

crow-woman seeking help for Cúchullain. She was always 

ambivalent toward him and argued with him as she was 

bringing cows down from the peak of her hill at Cruachan. 

In another instance, she assented to help Talchinem, a

druid to Conaire Mor, when he sought to steal a bull his wife 

had set her mind on having. She pilfered a cow from Odras, 

a female keeper in the household of the cow-chief Cormac 

Hua Cuined. Pursued to the Cave of Cruachan in the Hill of 

the Sidhe she caught Odras as slept and “sang songs over 

her until she was changed into a pool of water which is the 

source of the west branch of Slieve Buane. In the battle of 

Magh Rath she fluttered over the unfortunate Congal Claen 

in her bird shape so that he lost all sense of friend and foe. 

Again, at the battle of Cluantarbh she flew above the 

head of Murchadh mac Brian to his detriment. She showed 

herself, similarly, in the battle of Dunbolg taking the part 

of the southerners against Leinster, which had the support 

of the goddess known as Bridd. See also Aoine, who some 

identified as a daughter of Manann mac Ler, while others 

insisted she was simply a form of Mhorrigan. Note that she 

confers with Morgawr, the Cornish “Sea Giant.” said to live 

in the seas nearby, There were sightings of this monster in 

1876: Two fishermen off Lizard Point described the 

creature as having, “a great head like an enormous seal 

(with a) long neck...The body was black and the head was 

grey and we saw a total length of about 22 feet... a bog 

rounded back (with) humps on the top.” 

Every north western land had its version of this 

óighea muir , or “sea-maiden,” who left descendants in the 

Anglo-Saxon mermaydes. In her book Somerset Folklore 

(1961) Miss Ruth Tongue has noted that the people of her 

coast related the morgan with the conger eel: “There was 

once a sea morgan with a beautiful face, and she’d sing on 

the autumn evenings and anyone heard her had to go, and 

they’d wade further out and further to reach her till the 

quicksands got them, and the conger eels had a feast. They 

always knew when the eels barked she would be about on 

the low tide...” The dwelling place of sea-morgans led to 

such names as that of the Glamorgan coast of Wales. 

Thomas Keightley says that the Breton korrigan had 

its counterpart in the creatures that the Romans called the

gallicenae, the “strangers of Sena (the Isle of Saints 

opposite Brest, France).” These were regarded as oracles of 

a Gallic god, living in the Mare Ofismician, the now called 

the English Channel. These were said to be nine virgin 

priestesses, “able to charm the winds, turn themselves into 

what animals they will,, cure wounds, and predict the 

future; but the last they will only do for those navigators 

who go to that island to consult with them.” Keightley 

thought that these ladies had “all the attributes of the 

Damoiselle de Lais de Marie du France.” 

One of this kind was wounded by Gugemar in the form 

of a doe, afterwards addressing him “with a human voice.” 

Another “loved Lanval, and carried him off to an island.” A 

third proposition Graelent, and he and his mistress crossed 

“a very deep and broad river” to arrive in her country. Like 

the Gaelic visitors from the Otherworld, the ladies of the 

lake appeared to visit their human lovers without being 

seen coming or going. 

Keightley says this matter may be resolved through a 

reading of Lai d’Ywence. The hero of that song is a shapechanger 

like these women, “a real man, but one capable of 

assuming the shape of a bird.” Note the resemblance to 

Lugh who was often seen flying the sky as a hawk or an 

eagle. Lanval’s mistress informed him that she was always 

available to him, although distance might separate them. He 

had merely to wish for her presence and, “I will presently 

come to you, All commands ready to do. No one but you will 

me see, Or hear the words that come from me.” Granlent’s 

paramour warned him: 

I shall love you trewely; 

But one thing I forbid straitlÿ 

You must not utter a word apérte 

Which might our love make discovérte. 

I will give unto you richlÿ 

Gold, silver, clothes and fee. 

Much love shall be between us two - 

Night and day I’ll go to you:

You’ll see me come to you alwáy - 

With me laugh and talk you may. 

You shall no comrades have to see, 

Or who shall know my privacy. 

Take care that you do not boast 

Of things by which I may be lost. 

Unfortunately, humans were always human, and never 

able to live by their pledges to these sea-morgans, so the 

ladies always felt it within their right to “travel on” to 

some new love when the oath of secrecy was inevitably 

broken. In relating the korrigans to the gallicenae, 

Keightley quoted an ancient Breton poem: “There are nine 

korrigen, who dance, with flowers in their hair, and in robes 

of white, round the far fountains, by the light of the full 

moon.” Speaking of the sea-woman and their sea-daughters, 

Keightley added that, “they draw down to their palaces of 

gold and crystal at the bottom of the sea, or of ponds, those 

who venture imprudently too near the edge of the water. 

Like the mermaids they sing and comb their golden hair.” In 

ancient Italy it was sometimes suggested that the Fata 

Morgana was not the ultimate authority in the affairs of 

men, but a spirit subject to the Demogorgone. 

Keightley says that this overlord of the witches was 

“a being unknown to classical mythology,” but we would 

guess that reference was made to the “demon gorgons,” the 

three fabled sisters of Greek mythology, who had snaky 

hair and faces that were so terrible they turned people to 

stone. According to Aristoto the Demogorgon had a temple in 

the Himalayan region, and here the Fates were summoned 

annually to give an account of their actions. “To get there 

they travelled through the air in various strange 

conveyances, and it is no easy matter to distinguish 

between their convention and a Sabbath of the Witches.” 

On the other hand, the people of the continental 

lowlands of northwestern Europe were as certain that the 

headquarters of the faee qui estoit appéllee Morgane was

“en Iysle des Zeelande,” which is to say “Zealand” or 

“Sealand.” In Ireland her palace was said to lie in the 

underground of Connaught province, but in Scotland it was 

more traditionally located within Coire-Bhrecain, or 

“Corryvreckan,” the famous whirlpool located between the 

northern end of Jura and the Isle of Scarba within the Inner 

Hebrides. 

The Island of Eigg, which lies in this same group 

(whose name is prohibited from polite speech) is also her 

property being properly spoken of as Eilean Nem mBan More, 

the “Island of Big Women.” Occasionally her residence was 

said to be within the largest hollow hill on the Island of 

Pomona, which is in the Orkneys. None of these lands may 

be counted as her place of origin, which is said to have 

been the beginning-gap known as An Domhain. 

The Mhorrigan’s parents are not often mentioned as 

she is an elemental of the water, and possibly the elemental 

Domnu, the feminine form of Donn. the creator-god. She is 

sometimes represented as the daughter or “wife” of Ler, 

Manann mac Ler, Lugh or the Dagda. but it appears that she 

stands beside each man-god, in turn, as his sovereignbride, 

the source of his temporary power. The Mhorrigan was 

the physical type of the Daoine mara, or “sea-folk,” and for 

this reason there was always a bit of fish in her native 

form. She was not as obviously finned, or scaled as the 

male of her species, but she did have a translucent skin, 

cod-fish like eyes with reflective red pupils, and a slight 

webbing of all her fingers and toes. Her hair was variously 

described as blond, red, or black, depending on whether it 

was seen in sunlight or beneath deep water. Some men who 

saw her said that her hair was actually the colour of rockweed. 

A consummate magician she never had to put up with 

natural deficiencies and could alter her form, or coloration, 

to suit circumstances. She had the ability to take any 

organic form, and could become a seal, a fish, a half-fish, a 

dog, cat or horse on a whim. In Ireland, the offspring of her

ocean matings were termed the múrivgach, the “seadaughters” 

or the mara-uara, the merrows, or mermen. In 

Scotland the males were the ceasg, or “hairy ones,” and the 

females the maighdean mara, or “sea-maidens.” In the 

northern islands they were termed sea-trows, or sea-trolls, 

after Old Norse models of language. The Mhorrigan and all 

her kind had a vast knowledge of history, and could use this 

as a base for predicting the future. They also possessed the 

ability known as far-sight and the blighting- or evil-eye. 

The Mhorrigan was also a channel for what the old 

Gaels termed anim or “spirit” (the word being linguistically 

attached to her name). The Celtic root of this word was 

amnion, that which “stirs” or causes motion, a word close 

to the Latin animus and our current word “animal.” It was 

believed that the Anu could add to the life force of an 

individual, or subtract from it, in the sexual act. It was said 

that a highly spirited individual could profit from such a 

union as the flow of energies was always in the direction of 

the individual having the greater potential energy. This 

explains why the Mhorrigan always insisted on mating with 

an individual who was at least her equal in terms of lust 

and endurance. The Mhorrigan could increase the life 

expectancy of a lover by simply kissing him or blowing upon 

his face, but these acts could attenuate the life of a older 

man or someone with low energy levels. She could also act 

indirectly by blowing her anim upon food or drink placed 

before a friend or an enemy. 

The Anglo-Saxon tribes of southern England 

eventually collided with the Celts and described the 

descendants of this sea-woman as the Blaec Annis. She was 

said to dwell within sloughs and backwaters emerging to 

abduct children or kill adults by blowing her fetid breath in 

their direction. Although the history of this goddess is 

incomplete it would appear that she allied herself with the 

Dagda when he and his sons invaded An Domhain. It was 

thus that she became a totem of the land-dwelling tribe 

known as the Tuatha daoine and left the Great Plain 

dispirited. Although she is often represented as the

guardian of the Cauldron of the Deep, it is clear that she is 

the cauldron of regeneration, the source of balance between 

the world of living and dead things. 

Peter Ellis has said that she is “interchangeable with 

Macha, Badb and Nemain (Emain Macha),” but this is not 

entirely correct since the Mhorrigan was a source of 

constructive anim. The other ladies might act as a 

mhorrigane, but both were basically destructive elementals. 

It is really improper to label the Mhorrigan as embodying 

“all that was perverse and horrible among the supernatural 

powers.” Where the Mhorrigan was seen to commit any act 

of terrorism she was no longer the great renewable virgin 

but a “more mature”goddess. 

Nancy Arrowsmith is closer the truth in saying that 

the sea-folk “reflect the nature of the waters which they 

haunt.” At times the morgans could be as serene as the 

calmest waters of summer, seeking to delight, charm and 

accommodate anyone they happened to encounter. A few 

days later their summery looks could change, and under 

black clouds, they might become baobhe, dragging victims 

into the deep, sometimes devouring them. The summer 

occupations of the sea-folk were usually less likely to lead 

to violence than the things they did during the winter 

months. In the warm days they were seen lounging offshore, 

or on the headlands, singing, hair-combing, dancing 

and shape-changing so that they could attend the festivals 

of humans who lived near the seashore. At every time of 

the year the sea-people had charge of generating weather 

and brewing storms. They were considered responsible for 

upwellings, “tidal” waves, hurricanes, sea-cyclones, the 

trade winds, and when men were killed by these phenomena 

they had charge of their spirits which were taken into the 

undersea kingdom. 

At one time it was commonplace for ocean-going 

captains to placate the mer-folk with gifts thrown into the 

sea. In the process it was often said that the wreath or 

offering of food was donated “for the old cat,” who was, of

course, the Mhorrigan. Many verbal bouts ensued between 

sea-captains and mer-people, the winner being considered 

the individual who managed “the last word.” In situations 

of extreme danger, some seamen promised a son or 

daughter, or the next born, in exchange for help in 

overcoming a storm at sea. Fishermen also routinely tried 

to bargain with the sea-folk because the taking of fish, or 

the crossing of wide expanses of water, was though 

impossible without the complicity of these supernaturals. 

In Scottish folklore, the tale is told of a fisherman, 

who being unmarried, and without heirs, promised that he 

would surrender his son at the age of twenty to a sea 

morgan. Eventually he did marry and his wife gave birth to 

a son, who learning of his father’s bargain tried to escape 

his fate by journeying in parts away from his homeland. 

During his trip, the lad was constantly reminded of his 

destiny by the strange creatures who opposed him, two 

Fomorian giants, an old crone and the three-headed serpent 

of Loch Laidly (representing the triune goddess). In each 

case he was able to put down these monsters, and after 

saving the life of a local princess, acquired a her as a bride. 

The one thing that the Mhorrigan could never tolerate 

was a female competitor, so dead on the date of this young 

fellow’s twentieth birthday she appeared “without leave or 

asking” and “swallowed him whole.” This is a polite way of 

saying that the Mhorrigan was nubile and nearly 

irresistible as an object of lust. In polite versions of the 

tale, a sea serpent “ensnared” the youth and carried him 

down into the depths of the loch. The princess who went to 

retrieve her prince from the Otherworld, took the advice of 

“an old soothsayer” (druid) who remembered that mermaids 

were unable to resist beautiful music. She therefore took 

her harp to the shore and played upon it until the sea morgan 

surfaced. She then stopped her hand, at which the mistress 

of the seas asked her to “Play on!” She said she would but 

only after seeing that her husband was unharmed. 

To oblige the morgan thrust the captive man out of the

water until he was visible above the waist. The musician 

then continued, and the piece was so sentimental that the 

mhorrigan lost her grasp and the prince shape-changed 

himself into a falcon which broke free. In one of the 

variants of this tale the “sea-monster” regurgitated the 

man. Seeing that she had been tricked the morgan took the 

princess in place of the man who had escaped her grasp. The 

prince, in turn, consulted his druid, who assured him that 

there was only one way to overcome the morgan: “In the 

island that lies in the midst of the loch is the white footed 

hind (doe), and if she is caught there will spring out of her a 

hoodie (crow), and if she is caught, out of her will come a 

trout, and the trout containeth an egg, and here is 

encapsulated the soul of the sea-maiden, and it the egg is 

crushed she will die.” 

Now, there was no known way of crossing to Eilean 

Mhorrigan for the sea-maiden routinely sank each boat and 

raft that ventured upon the “loch” (a metaphor for the 

ocean). So it was that the prince decided to jump the gulf 

using his black stallion (a symbol of storm clouds ). On the 

island this prince called upon his magic black dog to track 

and bring down the doe. When the morgan shape-changed 

into a crow his totem falcon brought her down, and the trout 

was caught up by his magic otter. When the egg spewed 

from the trouts’s mouth, the prince put his foot upon it, and 

the witch cried out, “Break not the egg, and all that you ask 

will be given up to you!” The prince then demanded his 

wife, and having her in his arms stepped down soundly upon 

the egg. It was never said that Mhorrigan was an immortal. 

Having complicity in the death of the Oolathair, she 

was subject to numerous reincarnations, but her elemental 

spirit could not be destroyed and re-emerged time and again 

as the renewed virgin of summer. In one of her first 

appearances among men, Mhorrigan assisted the Tuatha 

daoine in routing the last of the Fomorian sea-giants. When 

these god-warrior-magicians were, in turn, defeated by the 

Milesians she found no compromise in giving herself to the 

heroes among the Milesian invaders. It has been suggested

that she was named Eriu when she and her sisters, Banbha 

and Foldha stood on the shores greeting these newcomers: 

“Welcome warriors,” she supposedly cried out, “to you who 

have come from afar this island shall henceforth belong, and 

from the setting to the rising of the sun, there is no better 

place than Ireland. Your race will be the most perfect the 

world has yet known.” 

As we have noted elsewhere the House of Donn was 

named after the death god, who was sometimes associated 

with the Dagda and Bilé. In current folklore Donn has the 

same weight as Ler, or the Norse god Hler, being commonly 

associated with shipwrecks and sea storms. In some 

folklore, he is represented as the son of Midir, god of the 

Underworld. More often he is confused (and understandably 

so) with the eldest of the eight sons of Mil. It was this man 

who was hospitably greeted by the three soveran goddesses 

of Ireland, and he reacted by “paying scant respect.” In this 

case, “scant respect” meant a little more that ignoring her, 

for elsewhere it is reported that “Eiru was overrun at Inver 

Sceni in Bantry Bay.” She survived long enough to predict 

the doom of prince Donn . The Milesians put to sea after 

this and Manann mac Ler caused a great storm to blow up 

against the invaders. 

In one version of events Donn lost his life while 

checking out the nature of this magic storm from the 

mainmast. Others state that he was killed attempting to 

make land, or on the land, and that his brothers agreed to 

his request that he be buried on an offshore island. Here the 

traditions of Donn og and Donn sean , “Old Don) become 

intermixed, for the Irish death god also had an offshore 

island entitled Tech Duinn, at the southwest of Ireland. In 

spite of this bad start, the Mhorrigan was always attracted 

to the newcomers, often with fatal effect. 

She was central to the Táin Bó Cuailgne, “the Cattle 

Raid of Cooley,” which is the most famous Gaelic epic. The 

first reference to it in written form is mentioned by 

Senchan Torpeist, the chief poet of Ireland, who died in the

year 647 A.D. Surviving texts date much later than this, 

perhaps as late as the eleventh or twelfth centuries, but 

essentially all describe the troubles that a Connaught queen 

named Mebd had while trying to capture the prized Brown 

Bull of Cuailgne, which was kept in Ulster province. She led 

a host of warriors against Ulster, whose warriors were 

rendered useless by “ a strange debility inflicted on them 

by the Macha. Only the youthful champion Cúchullain was 

unaffected by this “curse of child-bearing,”since he was in 

training in the Land of Shadows at the time of 

pronouncement. He defended the northern kingdom at the 

Ford of Ulster, until these men were relieved and able to 

come to his aid. As we will see, the Mhorrigan attempted 

to befriend Cúchullain while her two sisters fought against 

him. 

MORAG, another name for the Mhorrigan. Diarmuid was 

approached in a dream by this woman, who introduced 

herself as the sister of the king of Donn, the ruler of the 

Land Under Waves. “She was the one of the three colours - 

the whiteness of snow, the redness of blood, and the 

blackness of the raven that drinks the blood that has flowed 

on the snow. She was graceful in her stature and graceful 

in all her movements,” 

When Fiann travelled to the Otherworld to assist 

Abartach , the king of Sorc, he was given magical 

assistance by Morag. In the battle neither army yielded until 

Diarmuid’s sword pierced the shield of Donn. With that done 

Abartach was declared the victor, and Fiann was led off to 

be introduced to Morag: “When the harps played Morag 

chanted a poem meant for Fiann alone, and remembering that 

he had once been a bard, Fiann returned the compliment. 

Then the sigh-woman turned to Fiann and said, 

enigmatically, “I shall be with you in Ireland!” Considering 

this promise, Fiann made no further demand on the king for 

his services, but Conan demanded the use of the mare of the 

ocean: “Put fourteen women of this realm on her back, and 

let your own mare, who is queen of this place, bear up in the 

rear where Liagan was forced to hold, then return us all to

our homeland.” The other fourteen who had been abducted 

cheered for this plan. The king of Sorca merely smiled and 

turned to Fiann saying, “Look now upon your men.” When he 

did as he was told, the Fionn were no longer in a strange 

land but on the wide beach below the hills of Kerry. The 

people of the west gone. There was no sign of the fourteen 

handmaidens, but Fiann found at his side Morag. “He lifted 

the woman on his shield so that she could see her new home. 

And with shouts and songs they all marched inland to 

Fiann’s house which was on the hill at Alma. 

The sigh-woman in this tale is sometimes named 

Tasgaidh, loosely translated as “Tasha,” but having the 

real-meaning of “a treasury,” or “depository for good 

things.” In any instance this story clearly represents 

another form of the rape of An Domhain, the treasure which 

was carried away being represented in this instance as the 

female spirit of the deep. Morag may also confer with 

another woman possessed by Fionn, namely Sadb, a daughter 

of Boabd Dearg. Her name translates as the “straying-” or 

“lounging-one.” She was supposedly shape-changed into a 

fawn by the “Dark Druid” for some unspecified offense. One 

day while Fionn was hunting near his home fortress he came 

across her in this form and kept her from being killed by 

hounds. That night she appeared to her rescuer in human 

form, and became his mistress. They lived happily for a 

while, but the Dark Druid hearing she had been released 

from her spell, pursued her and made certain that she had no 

further relations with Fionn. Fionn searched Ireland 

attempting to recover her, but at Ben Bulben came upon a 

naked boy reputedly raised by a doe. Fionn recognized him 

as his own son by Sabd and called him Oisin or “Little 

Fawn.” One can guess that the “Dark Druid” was Donn who 

tracked the lady for her duplicity in the battles of the Fiann 

with the king of the Land Under the Flood. 

MORAN, MORAIN, great number, multitude, many, a meadow, 

, the first day of May, heath rush, meadow saxifrage. 

MORANN, the chief judge and druid of Ulster at the time of

the Red Branch. He was born with a caul or “bag of waters” 

in place over his head. His “father” judging him to be of 

inhuman (i.e. Fomorian) blood, gave ordered that he should be 

drowned in the sea. It is now well-known that those who 

are “caul-born” cannot be drowned, but the servants 

attempted to carry out their orders. When they dropped the 

child into the ocean, the “birth-cap” split and the child 

spoke to the men asked that he be rescued. The troubled 

gilles did not dare return with the child so they took it to 

the door of the smith for fosterage. The craftsman raised 

the child and eventually returned it to the father. Morann’s 

most famous judgement was who should have charge of the 

education of Cuchulainn. The matter was referred to him 

when Conchobar mac Nessa’s druids could not settle the 

matter amongst themselves. Morann decreed that Sencha 

should teach the boy languages and rhetoric, that Fergus 

mac Roth should be responsible for teaching him 

gamesmanship and that Amergin would instruct him in all 

other matters. 

MÓR-ANOCH, great assembly, market-place, a great heath or 

moor. 

MÓR-FHLEADH, great feast. 

MÓR MUMAN. The daughter of Aod, thus a manifestation of 

the sun-goddess. A matriarchal queen of Munster who bore 

a child by her father. Hence the old text: “This Mughaim 

was his mother, he to her a brother.” She corresponds with 

Mhorrigan who was also said to have cohabited with her 

father. 

MORGHAN, gravel, shingles, a pebbly beach. See Mhorrigan. 

MORT, murder, from the Latin mors. death. 

MÓR UACH, UAICH, MURIVGACH, mor + uagneach, great and 

lonely. The Irish merrow, or sea-maiden, resembling the 

English mer-maid. All are descendant from the goddess 

Mhorrigan. To pass through the hostile ocean between its

deep-sea abode and the land, these sea-sidh wore the red 

cap known as the cohuleen driuth, without which they were 

deprived of the ability to travel the seas. 

The Fitzgeralds and the O'Sullivans were clans whose 

members were romantically involved with these remnant 

members of the once powerful Tuatha daoine. La Dame du 

Lac, who appears in the earliest prose romance concerning 

chivalry, which was printed in 1494: This tale commenced 

with the death of King Ban, who died watching his castle 

burn under the torch of his treacherous seneschal. His 

afflicted queen was forced to abandon her new-born infant 

at the edge of a lake while she attempted to minister to her 

dying husband. On her return to lake she discovered her 

child in the arms of a strange woman, who carried the child 

with her into the water. This was Viviane, La Dame Du Lac, 

who lived "en la marche de la petit Bretaigne." 

As we have said, Merlin came to know her intimately 

and taught her portions of his art. In consequence of this 

knowledge, she became one of the fay, who the Gaels termed 

sidh. The author of this particular romance says that, "the 

damsel who carried the young Lancelot to the lake was fay, 

and in those times all women were so called who were 

enchantresses, and there were many of them at that time, 

principally in Greater Britain. They knew the power and 

virtue of words, of stones and of herbs, by which they were 

kept in perpetual youth and beauty, and in riches as much as 

they desired." 

The lake itself was "feerie" an illusion made possible 

through the teaching of Merlin. The "lake" was actually a 

wooded hollow with "many fair houses and very rich...and 

this place was so secret and so concealed, that right 

difficult was it, for the semblance of the said lake covered 

it..." When Viviane's apprentice in magic and knighthood had 

completed his education he was presented at the court of 

King Arthur, where his subsequent history is well known. 

The "korr, korrid, korrig or korrigan" of Breton have

een identified with the "fee" of southern France and are not 

improbable cousins of the Welsh creature known as the 

"koridgwen", which must surely bear a relationship with the 

Irish mhorrigan? Thomas Keightley said that all of these 

corresponded with entirely human women, who were called 

the "gallicenae" among the people of ancient Gaul (France). 

Of them the Roman traveller Pomponius Mela wrote: "Sena 

in the British sea opposite the Ofismician coast, is 

remarkable for and oracle of the gallic God. Its priestesses, 

holy in perpetual virginity, are said to be nine in number, 

and are thought to be endowed with singular powers, so as 

to raise by their charms the winds and the seas, to turn 

themselves into what animals they will, to cure wounds and 

diseases incurable by others, to know and predict the 

future. but this they do only to navigators who go thither 

expressly to consult them." 

It is interesting that the Lady of Little Van Lake in 

Wales was also represented as having a keen interest in 

medicine. In Vita Merlini, (The Life of Merlin, 1150) Morgan 

was represented as living on an island with her eight 

sisters and tending herbs which were used to cure Arthur 

after his final battle, saving him from seemingly mortal 

injuries. The korid-gwyn was similarly assigned nine 

attendants. To this being the poet Taliesin entrusted a 

magic vase (or cauldron), the edges of which were adorned 

with sea-pearls and which contained the wondrous waters 

of bardic genius and of universal knowledge. In Gaelic 

folklore this cauldron of the deep was given by Arthur to his 

sister Morgan Le Fay. 

The korrigan, it was said, could "predict the future, 

assume any form, move from place to place with the 

rapidity of thought, and cure maladies by the aid of charms 

which they communicate to their favourites." These fee, or 

fayres, were no more than two feet in height but 

proportionate to adult humans rather than dwarfed. They 

dressed in a single white veil and seen at night, appeared to 

radiate a light which was very beautiful; "but by daylight 

their eyes appear red, their hair white, and their faces

wrinkled; hence they rarely let themselves be observed by 

day." Their favourite past time was singing, but they were 

never much given to dancing. They lived near the Breton 

springs. Their chief occupation seems to have been the 

combing of their long hair. One might suspect that they had 

access to the ale of the cauldron of the deep for at May eve 

they held a banquet at which they passed "a liquor, one drop 

of which would make one as wise as God himself." 

Unfortunately, few outlanders drank this brew as the 

korrigans vanished at any human intrusion. This is probably 

to the good as they had extreme halitosis, their breath being 

deadly. It is of note that the Black Annis of England and 

gwrach y rhibya of Wales are hags possessed of similar 

appearance and bad breath. 

Keightley has noticed that the korrigan were very 

similar to the elle (elf) maids of Scandinavia and the trolls 

of that northern land. They had the same aversion to 

Christian artifacts (eg bells) as the korrigan, had their 

chief holiday on May eve and May Day and could foretell 

events. The korrigan came equipped with a purse full of 

gold (obtained from her prophetic work), but if any human 

wrestles it from her it is found to contain nothing more 

than hair clippings and her scissors. 

The Bretons distinguished these from the sea-going 

mermaid, who they named the morgan (sea-woman) and 

morverc'h (sea-daughters). They saidthat these creatures 

captured people and carried them away to their palaces of 

gold and crystal at the bottom of the sea. Like the 

korrigans, the morgans sang and combed their hair which 

was crow black as they swam through the water, but a 

blinding red-yellow colour in sunlight. 

In the romance entitled Maugis d'Aygremont et de 

Vivian son Frere we again find in Perceforest a version of 

La Dame du Lac, who lived in a castle surrounded by a river 

over which lay a fog so persistent none could cross except 

as the lady allowed. Here Alexander the Great came to be 

cured of his wounds. While he stayed, he was entertained

and told that his lineage was the same as that of "le roi 

Artus". 

In this same romance we meet another character 

living "en lysle de Zelland" (off the coast of Denmark). 

Described as a "ancient jade" she is said to be "une faee qui 

estoit appellee Morgane." This Morgane was said to be on 

intimate terms with "un espirit Zephyr. This youth was 

taught "enchantemiens et des conjurations" along with the 

abc's of sex. Keightley declares that the amorous 

adventures of this rake in training "form one of the most 

interesting portions of the romance. The Zephyr of this 

story clearly corresponds with Sir Launcelot of the Lake. 

In Sir Launfal this same character is represented in 

metrical form by Thomas Chestre, who wrote during the 

reign of Henry VI of England. In Chestre's tale, Launcelot is 

represented as serving at the court of King Arthur until the 

arrival of Gwennere, daughter of Ryon, King of Ireland. 

Slighted by the lady, Launfal retired to a forest retreat. 

Here he encountered Dame Tryamour (another morgan) whose 

father was "king of Faerie". He soon found her naked body to 

rival "snow that snoweth in winter's day" and observed that 

(like the mermaids) "her haire shone as golde wire." As 

marks of affection this lady gave him her never-failing 

purse filled with gold and dismissed him, promising him 

additional favours provided he remained constant to her. 

Launfal now returned to court where he was able to 

present a much better image, one sufficient to catch the 

interest of Arthur's queen. In other versions the knight 

succumbed to her sexual wiles, but in this one he refused 

her advances and was sentenced to death on a trumped up 

charge of attempted rape. Before the execution ten five 

damsels arrived at the pyre on horseback and Launfal was 

rescued by his lady of the lake. 

A thirteenth century version of the Arthurian tale 

entitled "The Dream of Rhonabwy" introduced the Welsh 

Owein (Lancelot), who was represented as the son of a

mortal, King Urien, and the goddess Modron (who is 

obviously Mhorrigan). She has been equated with Matrona, a 

Celtic river-goddess whose domain extended from the Rhine 

to northern Italy. Owein's ancestry was revealed in his 

playing of the board game "gwddbwyll" (god battle) at the 

court of his patron, King Arthur. Owein and the King 

engaged in a "game" which appeared to operate at two 

levels, the more serious being a battle in the real world 

which corresponded with moves made on the board. In the 

former, Owein appeared to be supported by flights of 

battle-ravens, his mother's totem animal. 

In all of these versions of the Arthurian myth, Morgan 

le Fay is presented as the foster mother-lover of Sir 

Launcelot of the Lake and is not an unsympathetic character. 

All of that changed when Chretein de Troyes identified 

Morgan as Arthur's half sister and the mistress of 

Guingamor, lord of Avalon. In all later romances the lady 

tended to be more in common with the ancient Irish 

Mhorrigan. In Gawain And the Green Knight she is introduced 

as a wrinkled crone rather than a golden-haired lass, and 

Thomas Mallory was first to represent her as totally 

corrupt, a plotter against King Arthur and his throne. 

John Steinbeck started to interpret Malory in 

idiomatic English and he characterized Morgan as "dark, 

handsome, passionate, cruel and ambitious." In Malory's 

tale, Morgan fashioned a sword and sheath exactly like King 

Arthur's Excalibur. She then seduced Sir Accolon of Gaul 

arranging that he should kill Arthur while under her spell. 

Arthur was then misled in the woods and his sword changed 

for a dull-edged double. The true Excalibur was given to 

Accolon who used it against the king in a very unequal fight. 

Nyneve, elsewhere known as Viviane, watched the fray and 

released a "geisreg" which caused the real sword to fall 

from the traitor's hand and rush to that of the true owner. 

Arthur now overcame Accolan and learned that his sister 

plotted against him. 

Addressing his downed adversary, Arthur said: "I grant

you mercy because I know you were under a spell. I have 

honoured Morgan le Fay, my sister, and loved her better than 

my other kin. I trusted her more than my wife, although I 

knew well her jealousy and lust for flesh and power. I knew 

she practised the black arts, and now I have no mercy for 

her." 

Unaware that her plot had failed Morgan called for her 

husband's sword intending to send him to earth along with 

her brother. A maid-servant warned her son, Sir Ewain, and 

he confronted his mother while the sword was still raised 

over her victim. Acutely embarrassed, Morgan seemed to 

have a change of heart and foreswore the dark arts. When 

the sidh warned her that her attempt on Arthur had failed, 

Morgan went herself to intercept Arthur as he travelled 

back toward Camelot. She was unable to harm him but stole 

Excalibur's sheath, which had protective properties for the 

wearer. Accompanied by her men she disposed of this magic 

amulet in a nearby lake and hid from her pursuers by giving 

her party the aspect of standing-stones. Morgan then 

retreated to her own land of Gore where she strengthened 

her castles and towns, and armed and supplied them out of 

fear of her brother. 

Some mythologists consider the Tuatha daoine to have 

sprung from the Nemedians after they abandoned Ireland for 

the Mediterranean. Fleeing from the Fomorian wars, which 

reduced their numbers to thirty descendants of the pirate 

named Nemed, they scattered to Britain, and to southern and 

northern Greece. The latter settlers under Beotac settled 

the four northern islands of Falias (Fal Island), Gorias (Gor 

or the Triangular Island), Murias (Mur or Sea Island) and 

Findias (Fin Island). It is recorded that "Out of Falias was 

brought the Stone of Fal, which was in Tara. It used to roar 

under every king that would take legal possession of 

Ireland. Out of Gorias was brought the spear that Lugh had. 

From Findias came the spear of Nuada, another irresistible 

weapon. Out of Murias was brought Dagda's Cauldron from 

which no company departed unthankful." Morgan's land of 

Gore mauy have been the current Scottish shire of Moray,

for that was aciently the place of "the seed of Morgan". 

While Arthur returned to Camelot nursing his rage, 

Morgan took up needlework, fashioning a cloak decorated 

with "flowers and curling leaves patterned in jewels, 

covered with preciousness and flashing colour. This she 

sent to Arthur by way of one of her ladies-in-waiting. In 

the presentation of this gift Morgan explained her evil 

actions as behaviour brought on after the invasion of her 

body by an evil spirit. Being honest and innocent, Arthur 

was ready to accept this lame excuse but Nyneve seized the 

cloak and flung it about the shoulders of the deliverywoman. 

Immediately the cloak contracted about her, her 

skin reddened and then blackened, and she fell to the floor 

as corrosive acids reduced her to ash. 

After that Arthur and Morgan became implacable foes, 

but in spite of her magic, the realm was finally forced 

through battle to a state of peace. In that tranquillity, 

Arthur sought use for his unoccupied knights and sent 

Lancelot and Sir Lyonel on a quest for adventure which 

brought further contact with Morgan. 

On the road, Lancelot was subjected to a great 

weariness and fell into an deep sleep. In this state he was 

discovered by Morgan's befind, "a huge and ancient raven" 

and then by a cavalcade that included The Queen of the Outer 

Isles (of Scotland), the Queen of North Galys (highland 

Scotland), The Queen of Eastland (eastern Scotland) and 

finally Morgan le Fay, Queen of Gore (presumably the north 

east). "Black of hair, of eye, of robe, and horse. Her cheeks 

the white of white rose, and her midnight cloak blacker for 

its points of ermine." 

The great raven, which had taken to the air, now 

dropped on the trappings of Morgan's horse and croaked 

"Dog!-Pig!-Death!-Pretty-Pretty-Lady!" 

Laughing at her familiar, Morgan threw the bird into 

the air and turn to her three sisters saying, "We have

eceived a titbit 

sisters, a honeyed plum for the eating!" 

Morgan guessed at first that Lancelot was spellbound 

but her magic told her otherwise. To make certain that her 

foe would remain calm, Morgan took a vial of "lactucarium, 

iridescent with age" from her kit bag and forced the 

sleeping knight to drink some. The three queens carried the 

recumbent ally of King Arthur to Maiden's Castle. 

Within its walls, each of the four woman vied for 

Lancelot as a sex-object. There red-haired queen of the 

Gaels promised him "the crucifixion of love". The goldenhaired 

queen of the sea isles dismissed this attraction 

suggesting the night would soon tire of "versatility in a 

rather simple activity." She promised him change and 

variety in the sex act; "I offer you everything in layers of 

contrast." The queen of the eastern moors promised Galahad 

a motherly love; "safety and warmth, praise for virtue and a 

gentle compassion for fault." 

Finally Morgan spoke: "My coven sisters offer you 

brightly coloured shreds of a whole garment; but I will give 

you power. If you want harlotry, it can be purchased. 

Admiration? - the world aches to kiss the backside of that 

vice. A crown? Power and a sharp knife will put that in 

your hands. Change? With power you can try on cities like 

hats and smash them when they tire you. After all what 

crime is there that does not seem a virtue in the hands of 

power. And is not virtue a variety of power? Philanthropy, 

good deeds, charity, these are mortgages on the currency of 

promised power. It is the one possession that does not flag 

or become tedious, there is never enough of it. My sisters 

offer cheese for mice with small needs. I offer a ladder to 

your brothers, the stars, from which you can view the 

anthill of men with contempt and amusement." 

In this speech Morgan le Fay was not playing the part 

of a politician, but spoke from sincere conviction. Sir 

Lancelot is said to have responded first by tracing the

image of a circle which he then crossed. an instinctive 

action against witchcraft. He then turned on the queens and 

noted that their bodies were artificial constructs created 

by the arts. Of Morgan he noted: 

"Once on a night I stood in an open window looking out. 

I saw red eyes, and into the torchlight came a great shewolf, 

who raised her head and looked into my eyes; her 

mouth and tongue were gouted with new blood. Hand me a 

spear I cried, but the man beside me warned, "It will do no 

good. That is Morgan le Fay giving service to the moon." 

At this Morgan threatened to turn her prisoner's legs 

to snakes but listened instead as he continued: "Children 

have no power to oppose their oppressors so they rant at 

their nurse, kick a dog instead of a big brother or pull wings 

from a fly naming it father. And then he creates his own 

world where he is king, an invisible being who flies and has 

all power. Most children make some peace with their 

imperfect world and work out compromises so they can live 

with out injury to themselves or other. The few who do not 

make peace become prisoners to their fantasy, some locked 

away as hopelessly insane. Those who are clever 

sometimes flesh out the dream with magic. Not being 

innately wise or kind a world of enchantment injures 

through poor design. When things work poorly in the 

elemental world the grown child flies into a familiar rage 

and destructive hate. There lies the fear, for bhoabhs and 

bhodachs are children, living in a world they have made, one 

governed by chaos rather than order. What is more 

frightening than a child with great power? A spear and a 

sword are full of menace, that is why knights who carry 

them are first taught pity, justice, mercy, and to withhold 

force till the last. You my ladies are unreal, crippled, 

vengeful children, and I your prisoner." 

At this, Lancelot was returned to prison but finally 

made his escape with the help of a serving girl. 

MOTHAN, (pronounced mo-an), the bog-violet or trailing

pearlwort (sagina procumbens). “It is used in promoting and 

conserving the happiness of the people, in securing love and 

in ensuring life, in bringing good and in warding away evil.” 

Gathered with the words: “I will pull the pearlwort, the 

plant that Christ ordained; no fear has it of fire-burning, or 

wars of fairy women.” 

More distantly the following incantation was 

preferred: “I pluck the gracious mothan as plucked the 

victorious king of the universe in his time. In the name of 

Bridd and the holy three, I in the field of red blood, in which 

all wrath and fury are quelled. This then the cause of all joy 

and gladness, the shield of the mighty one above me.” The 

plant was to be carried by the picker or placed on the lintel 

of the door to keep the slaugh, or “aerial host,” from 

entering and beguiling a member of the household. Placed on 

the right knee of a woman in labour it provided relief and 

defeated any attempts at changeling substitution by the 

sigh. It was placed on the bull’s hoof to promote fertility 

when he was “with” a cow. Milk was sained with it so that 

its toradh or inner spirit would not be taken away by magic. 

A cow with calf was similarly protected, and sometimes in 

the “silvering” of magic water the juice of the plant took 

the place of silver. 

This plant was also a love charm. The woman who 

provided it had to collect nine roots of the tiny plant while 

kneeling on her left knee. She fashioned a ring of it and 

placed it in the mouth of her supplicant with appropriate 

Gaelic incantations. If the girl could induce her loved one to 

kiss her with the charm in place, he became her bondsman. 

Love bent maidens sometimes rubbed it on their lips as an 

aphrodisiac. When used as a love-token nine roots of the 

mothan had to be woven together into a cuach or ring, and 

this was placed by design, or otherwise, in the mouth of the 

person who sought affection. Here it was made active by 

consecrating it, “in the name of the king of the sun, and the 

deity of the moon and stars, and in the name of the holy 

three (not necessarily the Trinity).” The charm was thus 

carried to the next meeting with the intended, and a kiss

sealed his or her fate “making him hencefast bondsman in 

everlasting cord.” The bog-violet was also carried by 

travellers as insurance against danger on the road. Red 

Roderick Carmichael of Lewis received one from a boabh as 

he was going to trial “and he got off although he was as 

guilty as the son of a sinner.” Consuming this plant was 

said to bring dreams about the location of folk taken into 

the side-hills by the sigh. 

MUC, OIr. mucc, a pig, sow, Cy. moch, pigs, Br. moc’h, pigs, 

any animal with a snout, French moucher, to blow the nose, 

Skr. muncati, to let loose with phlegm, wild things. The pig 

was the symbol and mythological ancestor of the Firbolge. 

Notice that when the Milesians invaded Ireland they said 

that all the hills had the look of “sow’s backs,” a reference 

to the continued existence and power of this race. The 

Tuatha daoine had never been able to thoroughly subjugate 

this earlier people and Queen Mebd’s encounter with pigs 

which jumped clear over both her and her stallion may be a 

reference to some unfortunate encounter with these 

guerillas. Even Manann suffered losses at the hands of 

swine: His hounds sought “a pig that was destroying the 

whole country, and making a desert of it.” The animals 

tracked it at last to a lake, but it turned on them and 

maimed or killed its tormentors. Afterwards the pig swam 

to the island in the lake which was afterwards called Mucinis, 

the lake being termed Loch Conn, the “Lake of the 

Hounds.” The vitality of these folk perhaps led to tales of 

Manann’s swine, which could be eaten on one day but 

invariably were seen completely reincarnate on the 

following morning. These creatures remind one of the 

Odin’s pet Sæhrimnir “the boar that always came to life in 

time for the next meal.” In the latter days The Firbolgs and 

Tuathans took liege to Manann and thus it was thought 

unwise to draw their attention by mentioning them by name. 

This was considered especially true of men travelling at 

sea. Men descended from the sea-giants often travelled with 

a pig tattooed on the left knee, believing that, “A pig on the 

knee brings good luck at sea.”

MUC DUBH, AN, the black pig, OIr. mucc, confers with the 

English mucous. A forerunner of death. A banshee. It was 

said that a sow approached men, and a male animal came 

before women who were doomed to death. Note entries 

immediately below. Those pursued by this death-ward were 

either adherents or descendants of the Firbolge. 

MUC BIORACH, a porpoise. Cow/calf with a snout. 

MUC DUIS, the eternal pig sought by the sons of Tuirill 

Biccreo: “Everyone whose side it should come upon was 

healed.” As their second task on behalf of Lugh the Sons of 

“Turenn” turned to the problem of gaining a magic pigskin. 

Here again, the muc, or wild boar which was sought, was a 

sun-symbol. Frey, the son of Niord was the Norse 

equivalent of Lugh, and his birth-gift from the dark elfs 

was Gullin-bristi, the “Golden-Bristled One,” another 

personification of the sun. Lugh himself was sometimes 

said to travel as a wild boar, and it was sometimes 

rumoured that the sun-chariot was hitched to a boar. The 

radiant bristles of the animal may have been considered 

symbolic of rays of sunlight, or of spikes of golden grain 

which were raised by the force of sunlight. Whatever the 

case, the boar represented Lugh’s agricultural interests, 

and his tearing up of the ground using his sharp tusk is 

considered to have suggested the plough to the first 

farmers. 

In historic times, the pig was so important to the 

first settlers of Bermuda, they featured it on their coinage. 

Settlers in eastern North America found it equally useful; 

they simply turned the animals loose to fend for themselves 

through the summer and shot them for food when they had 

become fat and uncontrollable. In some of the stories the 

pigskin sought by the Tureens is identified as the “Skin of 

Duis” or “Tuis,” who is the Germanic god more commonly 

identified as Tyr. As we have noted this skin had the 

property of healing injuries when placed upon them. If 

dipped in ordinary water from a stream it was seen to 

become wine. Tyr was said to be the son of Odin by a sea-

goddess. He appears to have no specific dwelling place but 

ranked next to Odin and Thor , a fact remembered in the 

name Tues-day. He was the principal, divinity of Ziusburg 

now called “Augsburg,” so perhaps the Tureens visited the 

Germanic tribes as the second of their labours. King Tuis 

greatly respected the art of the balladeer, and was pleased 

when the visitors offered him a praise-poem. Unfortunately 

the king did not feel this was sufficient justification for 

giving up the pig-skin, although he did agree to give the 

entertainers all the gold coinage which this skin could 

contain. With the skin filled to the brim, the Sons of Tureen 

turned on their host and fought their way out of his court. 

The battle ended when Brian seriously injured the king and 

escaped in the confusion that followed. In a forest-retreat 

the brothers made good use of the skin by laying it upon 

their various wounds. 

MUC MAHARA, great “phlegm blower,” a whale. 

MUC SHLANGHA, an animal described as having nine tusks in 

each jaw. The Fenian warrior Caoilte killed it and the men 

of the band feasted from it over a period of several hours. It 

had the reputation of preserving the health of those who ate 

its flesh, and it was observed to have a mildly intoxicating 

effect. By dawn the animal had completely reincarnated 

itself from the bones left over from the feast. 

MUCAG, “dog”-rose hip, from muc, above. A plant having 

medicinal virtues. 

MUICE MUCCA BALOR, “a boar of ghastly shape, of power, 

wherein the gorge is named. Of the breed of the swift agile 

swine that Balor the stout smiter kept.” They were killed by 

Fenian warriors. 

MUICE ESSACH, six pigs: “they were slaughtered every night 

and if their bones were kept without breaking or gnawing, 

they would survive alive every day.” The pigs of Manann mac 

Ler. See following entries for parallels.

MUICE GENTILUCHTA, “Lugh’s Pigs,” supernatural animals 

which came out of the cave of Cruachan, the Irish-Christian 

“Gates of Hell.” “Around whatever land they passed, there 

the ground was barren for seven years. When men tried to 

count them they would not stay, but would pass on into 

another territory. Therefore they were never numbered and 

they could not be killed. If they were shot at they 

disappeared from view, Once Mebd and Aillil determined to 

count them while they were in Magh Mucrime. While Mebd 

tried to assess them from her chariot, one of the pigs 

jumped over her head. Quickly she seized the animal but its 

leg came off in her hand and was seen attached to an empty 

skin. Then they all disappeared from sight and nobody knows 

where they travelled from there.” It has been guessed that 

these animals are metaphors for the Firbolge who were a 

severe trial to the Tuatha daoine. 

MUICE LUBADAN, the pigs possessed by Lubadan, a lord of 

the Otherworld. “They will last you till their dying day, 

every night they may be killed but within the watch will 

live again.” 

MUICE NA' MANANN MAC LER, pig, OIr. mucc, cf. the English 

muck and mucus, the "pigs of Manan mac Ler." At the 

investiture of the Tuatha daoine as adherents of the seagods 

Manan mac Ler gave them his "pigs", reincarnate 

animals who offered their flesh as food in the daylight 

hours and refleshed their stripped bones at night. Thus the 

Daoine sidh were guaranteed an unending source of food. We 

are reminded here of Odin's boar Saehrimnir, "a marvellous 

beast slain daily by the cook... although Odin's guests gorged 

themselves to the full, there was always meat for all. 

Moreover the supply was inexhaustible, for the boar always 

came to life again before the time of the next meal." Among 

the Anglo-Saxons, the pig was thought to contain some of 

the god-spirit of Woden, in fact the name "pig" is thought to 

be a dialectic form of bog or "god". Under this 

circumstance, most residents of Britain thought it unwise 

to mention the name pig, especially upon the open ocean.

MUILIDHEARTACH, a cailleach who travelled from Scotland 

to Ireland to participate in the final destruction of the 

Fenian warriors. Her appearance is like that of Macha: There 

were two great spears of battle at her sides, her face was 

blue-black, the sheen of coal and her tufted tooth was like 

rusted bone. In her head was a single pool-set eye, glinting 

swifter than a star in the winter sky. Upon her head she 

wore gnarled brushwood, clawed old aspen roots. 

MUIME, MUMU, MUMA, step-mother, nurse, EIr. mumme, the 

English mommie. From mud-s-mjâ, the “suckler.” Mud, to 

suck. Parallels the Latin mamma, and the German muhme, a 

mother’s sister. One of the four provinces of ancient 

Ireland, the modern designation being Mun-ster. The current 

ending is Norse relating to the goddess Ostara also known 

as Easter. Note that Munster only grudgingly recognized the 

authority of the High King at Tara. While the rest of the 

country claimed Milesian roots, this province claimed 

descent from Lugaid, the son of Ith, who had come to Ireland 

from Bregon, an island in the western Atlantic. They 

proudly claimed relationship with the Fomors of the House 

of Donn and noted that Tech Duin, the staging place of the 

dead, was located off their shores. The kings of this 

southern land even entitled themselves the “King of the 

World,” after the fashion of the rulers of An Domhain, the 

seat of the creator-god Don. 

MUIME CHROISD, the nurse-maid or foster mother to Christ. 

The root mord is mud, to suckle. The lady known in the 

English tongue as “St. Bride of the Isles (the western isles 

of Scotland).” The legend says that Bride, an island cowherder 

of noble birth was transported by angels from Iona to 

Bethlehem to become the nurse and foster-mother to Mary’s 

Christ-child. Thus in the islands, the pagan Bridd has 

devolved into Ban-chuideachaidh, the aid-woman of Mary. In 

childbirth island women used to call upon the Bride: “When 

all things go well, it indicates that Bride is friendly to the 

family; and when they go ill it is seen that she is offended.” 

Following the supposed action of Bride at the birth of 

Christ, the “aid-woman, ” present at a birth of other

children, dedicated the new-born to the Christian faith by 

letting three cold drops of sea-water fall upon its forehead. 

It has been noted that the province of Muime, or Munster, is 

frequently mentioned in the old tales as a primeval world, 

or beginning place. As a result, some part of each invading 

force entered Ireland through Munster, and the Christians 

were no exception. 

MUIR, the sea, especially the open or ocean-sea; the 

Atlantic. Br. mor, Gaul, mori, Latin mari, English mere, 

German meer. The Gaels who lived at the sea-side often 

admitted descent from the Fomorian sea-giants, thus the 

opinion that: "The sea is much more blessed than the land. 

A man will not be afraid to stay all night in a boat a few 

yards from the shore, when he would not stay for an hour 

alone in the dark on land. A priest told me that one day he 

was crossing the dangerous Minch (Strait) between Uist and 

Eriskay, on a dark night to visit some sick person. He asked 

the man who had fetched him where his companion, who was 

awaiting them, would be sheltering on the shore. Och, He 

won't be on the shore at all, by the Book! It is on the boat he 

will be, for it is well understood that the sea is holier than 

the land." 

MUIRCHOL, muir, ocean, open-sea; coll, destruction, skaith; 

collachail, boorish, from Ir. collach, or cullach, a boar; col, 

sin, wickedness, wrecking havoc. Many promontories on the 

sea have this name. The act of muirchol is considered to be 

piracy or wrecking. Thus Arida Muirchol, the “Capes of Seasins.” 

Once a Pictish name. Modern Gaelic murchan. 

MUIRDRIS, "sea-bramble." The kelpy of tangy of lowland 

Scotland. A shape-changer sometimes seen at sea as a 

horse, but capable of coming ashore in that form or as a 

human. Similar to the French lutin and the Manx shoopiltee. 

Those who attempted to ride this creature were at best 

dumped into a latrine or a muddy ditch. In sight of the 

ocean, this spirit was much more dangerous, often riding 

men into deep water and doom. It is claimed that the 

muirdris served as a weregild to some families trying to

dissuade them from entering the water where there was 

danger they might drown. They attempted to accomplish 

this by producing supernatural sounds or by creating 

"fetches" or balls of light that hovered over the water. If 

the individual in question was too simple-minded to take 

these clues, the sea-horse was likely to conclude that his 

"friend" was suicidally inclined. At this, he would attempt 

to make death as quick and clean as possible, and after the 

fact would consume all the body excepting the liver. 

MUIR UAINE, the “Green Sea,” the southern Atlantic, 

pointing to the productivity of these Gulf Stream waters. 

MUISEAN, the traditional enemy of Mankind, a mean sordid 

individual, from musach, nasty, Ir. Mosach, Cy. mws, 

stinking, Bry. mous, muck, dirty sea-grass, the Eng. mud. In 

the Gaelic situation it is undestood that physical power is a 

poor asset as it invariably fails. The Devil of this folklore 

is a gentlemanly scamp, always in mischief always 

attempting to gain an advantage over mortals, but often 

failing as he is a knave of poor intellect, often brought 

down by wise men and even by clerics. In this mythology it 

is contended that even the muisean “still ha’es a stake (in 

salvation).” 

MULART, dwarf, elder, a conical heap or mound. A “high 

mound.” Confers with ON. muli, a jutting crag, the Fr. mulon, 

a clump of dried grass. The Ir. form is mulabhurd or 

malabhur. Preferred sites for ritual magic. 

MUNGAN, the nearly mythical Saint Mungo, from munganachd, 

bullying; thus the Gaelic proverb "Like Mungo's work, it is 

never done." Kentigern was his actual name. Born in 573 

A.D. he was an illegitimate child, his mother the Christian 

daughter of a pagan king, who discovering the religion of her 

lover ordered her put to death. She escaped and her child 

was adopted by a monk named Servus, who kept a school at 

Dumbarton. Here Kentigern endeared himself to the monks 

by raising their cook from the dead. But the scholastics 

were jealous of him and tried to bring him into disrepute

with his master. Once when a pet robin belonging to 

Severus was so roughly handled its head became detached, 

these others blamed the "accident" on Mungo, but he 

restored it to life. As a grown man he established his own 

monastery at Glasgow and travelled among the southern 

Picts preaching the Faith. He was banished from Scotland 

by a hostile king but returned in the reign of Rederech, who 

elected him bishop. Once when his monastery was without 

seeds at planting time, he sowed a bag of sand and wheat 

sprung up from it. On another occasion, when his workplace 

lacked a second hind to pull the plough, he captured a 

wolf and tamed it so that it did duty for him. His life story 

is little known but he is though to have been contemporary 

with St. Columba. 

MURIAS, muir + asg, sea + fish, murlach, the dogfish. One of 

the original northern islands where the Tuatha daoine 

tarried to learn the arts of magic. Corresponds with An 

Domhain since "Out of this place was brought the Dagda's 

cauldron.” No company ever went away from it unthankful." 

This was the “Cauldron of Regeneration,” purloined by the 

Dagda and his two sons. 

MUTH, MUTHADH, a change, an alteration, a difference from 

Latin muto. The Gaels have another word for death, this one 

implies an alteration in form, size or kind; shape-change, 

the high art of the Fomors. 

MURDDIN (mer-thin), muir + dinn, sea + press down upon. 

Merlin, the god of the upper air (see Meirneal). In the 

medieval romances, Merlin, the “hawk” or magician to King 

Arthur. 

MURNA, MORNA, Abundant. A descendant of Nuada and 

Ethlinn, the latter the daughter of Balor of the Evil Eye. 

Cumhail, the leader of the Fionn loved her, but her father 

Tadhg, the druid, refused permission for them to marry. 

They eloped, but the father persuaded Goll man Morna to 

kill Cumhail and assume leadership of the Fionn. He did as 

directed, but Morna fled into the wilderness where she bore

Cumhail’s son who was called Demna. The boy was fair in 

complexion and thus nicknamed Fionn (Fair) mac Cumhail. 

He revenged his father and took leadership of the Finna 

when they were at their most powerful. His mother 

eventually remarried a chieftain from Kerry. 

MURTAGH MAC ERC, “Murderous,” noted as the High King 

who sent the Lia Fail, or stone of Destiny to Dal Riada for 

the coronation of his brother Ferghas. When all was said 

and done, Ferghas refused to return this valuable relic, 

which was lost to Ireland.

M, muin, vine in the ogham. Totems are mintan ... - Rodney Mackay

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