I got this from Wikipedia.
Bé Chuille, also known as Becuille and Bé Chuma, is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish mythology. In a tale from the Metrical Dindshenchas, she is a good sorceress who joins three other of the Tuatha Dé to defeat the evil Greek witch Carman. According to the Book of Leinster (1150) Bé Chuille was killed, along with Dianann, by "gray demons of air."
Becuille is often confused with Bechuma of the Fair Skin. In Echtrae Airt meic Cuinn (The Echtra, or Adventure, of Art mac Cuinn), Bechuma is the wife of Eogan Inbir, but commits adultery with Gaidiar, son of Manannán mac Lir, and is banished to the human world. Conn of the Hundred Battles marries her, but she becomes infatuated with his son Art. The druids inform Conn that Bechuma's wickedness has turned his realm into a Wasteland, and she is eventually exiled.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Getting Ready for Beltane
Next week it will be Beltane, the second Sabbath that Celtic Recons celebrate. Here's my altar for this time of year. Have a good Beltane.
Monday, April 23, 2018
Irish Gods: Bebinn
I got this from Wikipedia.
Bébinn /bɛˈviːn/ AKA Bé Binn, is an early Irish name applied to a number of related and unrelated figures in Irish mythology. In some sources Bébhinn (old orthography: Béḃinn) is a goddess associated with birth and the sister of the river-goddess, Boann. Bébinn is also described as being an underworld goddess in both Irish and Welsh mythology, inhabiting either the Irish underworld Mag Mell or the Welsh Annwn, although it is unknown which is the original source.
The name Bébinn seems to be a combination between medieval forms of the Irish Gaelic word for "woman", "bean" (pronounced "bahn"), and the adjective "melodious", "binn", literally translating to "melodious woman". Other versions of the name, such as Béfionn, instead pair "woman" with "fair". Variant forms include Bé Bind, Bé Find, Bé Binn, Bebhinn, Bébhinn, Bébhínn, Bébhionn, Bébind, Béfind and Béfionn. While it has also been Anglicized as Vivionn and Vivian, it is unrelated to the French or English names.[1] In eighteenth-century Scottish writer James Macpherson's epic Ossian poems, the name appears as Vevina.
Bébinn is alternately described as either the wife of Áed Alainn, a god, or Idath, a mortal man. She is mentioned in multiple sources as the mother of Connacht hero Fráech, the main character in the Táin Bó Fraích.[1] In the Fenian Cycle of Irish tales, Bébinn is "a beautiful giantess of aristocratic bearing" who seeks protection from the Fianna when an ugly giant pursues her. In other sources a Bébinn is mentioned as a daughter of Elcmar.[1]
The epithet Bé Find ("Fair Woman") is applied to the heroine Étaín by Midir in Tochmarc Étaíne (English: The Wooing of Étaín). The text includes a poem attributed to Midir, known as "A Bé Find in ragha lium". However, this poem may be an older composition unrelated to the Étaín story that was appended at a later time.
Bébinn /bɛˈviːn/ AKA Bé Binn, is an early Irish name applied to a number of related and unrelated figures in Irish mythology. In some sources Bébhinn (old orthography: Béḃinn) is a goddess associated with birth and the sister of the river-goddess, Boann. Bébinn is also described as being an underworld goddess in both Irish and Welsh mythology, inhabiting either the Irish underworld Mag Mell or the Welsh Annwn, although it is unknown which is the original source.
The name Bébinn seems to be a combination between medieval forms of the Irish Gaelic word for "woman", "bean" (pronounced "bahn"), and the adjective "melodious", "binn", literally translating to "melodious woman". Other versions of the name, such as Béfionn, instead pair "woman" with "fair". Variant forms include Bé Bind, Bé Find, Bé Binn, Bebhinn, Bébhinn, Bébhínn, Bébhionn, Bébind, Béfind and Béfionn. While it has also been Anglicized as Vivionn and Vivian, it is unrelated to the French or English names.[1] In eighteenth-century Scottish writer James Macpherson's epic Ossian poems, the name appears as Vevina.
Bébinn is alternately described as either the wife of Áed Alainn, a god, or Idath, a mortal man. She is mentioned in multiple sources as the mother of Connacht hero Fráech, the main character in the Táin Bó Fraích.[1] In the Fenian Cycle of Irish tales, Bébinn is "a beautiful giantess of aristocratic bearing" who seeks protection from the Fianna when an ugly giant pursues her. In other sources a Bébinn is mentioned as a daughter of Elcmar.[1]
The epithet Bé Find ("Fair Woman") is applied to the heroine Étaín by Midir in Tochmarc Étaíne (English: The Wooing of Étaín). The text includes a poem attributed to Midir, known as "A Bé Find in ragha lium". However, this poem may be an older composition unrelated to the Étaín story that was appended at a later time.
Monday, April 16, 2018
Irish Gods: Banba
I got this from Wikipedia.
In Irish mythology, Banba (modern spelling: Banbha, pronounced [ˈbˠanˠəvˠə]), daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, is a patron goddess of Ireland.
She was part of an important triumvirate of patron goddesses, with her sisters, Ériu and Fódla. According to Seathrún Céitinn she worshipped Macha, who is also sometimes named as a daughter of Ernmas. The two goddesses may therefore be seen as equivalent. Céitinn also refers to a tradition that Banbha was the first person to set foot in Ireland before the flood, in a variation of the legend of Cessair.
In the ‘Tochomlad mac Miledh a hEspain i nErind: no Cath Tailten’,[1] it is related that as the Milesians were journeying through Ireland, ‘they met victorious Banba among her troop of faery magic hosts’ on Senna Mountain, the stony mountain of Mes. A footnote identifies this site as Slieve Mish in Chorca Dhuibne, County Kerry. The soil of this region is a non-leptic podzol [1]. If the character of Banbha originated in an earth-goddess, non-leptic podzol may have been the particular earth-type of which she was the deification.
The LÉ Banba (CM11), a ship in the Irish Naval Service (now decommissioned), was named after her.
Initially, she could have been a goddess of war as well as a fertility goddess.
In Irish mythology, Banba (modern spelling: Banbha, pronounced [ˈbˠanˠəvˠə]), daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, is a patron goddess of Ireland.
She was part of an important triumvirate of patron goddesses, with her sisters, Ériu and Fódla. According to Seathrún Céitinn she worshipped Macha, who is also sometimes named as a daughter of Ernmas. The two goddesses may therefore be seen as equivalent. Céitinn also refers to a tradition that Banbha was the first person to set foot in Ireland before the flood, in a variation of the legend of Cessair.
In the ‘Tochomlad mac Miledh a hEspain i nErind: no Cath Tailten’,[1] it is related that as the Milesians were journeying through Ireland, ‘they met victorious Banba among her troop of faery magic hosts’ on Senna Mountain, the stony mountain of Mes. A footnote identifies this site as Slieve Mish in Chorca Dhuibne, County Kerry. The soil of this region is a non-leptic podzol [1]. If the character of Banbha originated in an earth-goddess, non-leptic podzol may have been the particular earth-type of which she was the deification.
![[1]](http://www.ucd.ie/sssi/Soils%20of%20Ireland_files/Soils_colour.png){kind=link}
The LÉ Banba (CM11), a ship in the Irish Naval Service (now decommissioned), was named after her.
Initially, she could have been a goddess of war as well as a fertility goddess.
Monday, April 9, 2018
Irish Gods: Badb
I got this from Wikipedia.
In Irish mythology, the Badb (Old Irish, pronounced [ˈbaðβ]) or Badhbh (Modern Irish, pronounced [ˈbəiv])—meaning "crow"—is a war goddess who takes the form of a crow, and is thus sometimes known as Badb Catha ("battle crow"). She is known to cause fear and confusion among soldiers to move the tide of battle to her favoured side. Badb may also appear prior to a battle to foreshadow the extent of the carnage to come, or to predict the death of a notable person. She would sometimes do this through wailing cries, leading to comparisons with the bean-sídhe (banshee).
With her sisters, Macha and the Morrígan, Badb is part of a trio of war goddesses known as the Morrígna.
In Irish legends, Badb is associated with war and death, appearing either to foreshadow imminent bloodshed or to participate in battles, where she creates confusion among the soldiers. As a harbinger of doom, she appears in a number of different guises. In Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, she takes the form of an ugly hag who prophesies Conaire Mór's downfall.[4] She appears in a similar guise in Togail Bruidne Dá Choca to foretell the slaying of Cormac Condloinges, as well as taking the form of a "washer at the ford"—a woman washing Cormac's chariot and harness in a ford in what was considered an omen of death.[4][5] The cries of Badb may also be an ill omen: Cormac's impending death is foreshadowed with the words "The red-mouthed badbs will cry around the house, / For bodies they will be solicitous" and "Pale badbs shall shriek".[6] In this role she has much in common with the bean-sídhe.[7]
She was also regularly depicted as an active participant in warfare; indeed, the battlefield was sometimes referred to as "the garden of the Badb".[8] During the First Battle of Mag Tuired, Badb—along with her sisters, Macha and Morrígan—fights on the side of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Using their magic, the three sisters incite fear and confusion among the Fir Bolg army, conjuring "compact clouds of mist and a furious rain of fire" and allowing their enemies "neither rest nor stay for three days and nights".[9] Badb plays a similar role in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, terrorising and disorienting the forces of Queen Medb and causing many to fall on their own weapons.[6] She would often take the form of a screaming raven or crow, striking fear into those who heard her,[10] and could also be heard as a voice among the corpses on a battlefield.[4]
Following the defeat of the Formorians by the Tuatha Dé Danann in the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, Badb (or the Morrígan daughter of Ernmas)[3] instead of predicting doom, now sings a prophecy celebrating the victory and a time of peace,
I shall not see a world that will be dear to me.
Summer without flowers,
Kine will be without milk,
Women without modesty,
Men without valour,
Captures without a king.
... ... ...
Woods without mast,
Sea without produce,
... ... ...
Wrong judgments of old men,
False precedents of brehons,
Every man a betrayer,
Every boy a reaver.
Son will enter his father's bed,
Father will enter his son's bed,
Everyone will be his brother's brother-in-law.
... ... ...
An evil time!
Son will deceive his father,
Daughter will deceive her mother.
In Irish mythology, the Badb (Old Irish, pronounced [ˈbaðβ]) or Badhbh (Modern Irish, pronounced [ˈbəiv])—meaning "crow"—is a war goddess who takes the form of a crow, and is thus sometimes known as Badb Catha ("battle crow"). She is known to cause fear and confusion among soldiers to move the tide of battle to her favoured side. Badb may also appear prior to a battle to foreshadow the extent of the carnage to come, or to predict the death of a notable person. She would sometimes do this through wailing cries, leading to comparisons with the bean-sídhe (banshee).
With her sisters, Macha and the Morrígan, Badb is part of a trio of war goddesses known as the Morrígna.
In Irish legends, Badb is associated with war and death, appearing either to foreshadow imminent bloodshed or to participate in battles, where she creates confusion among the soldiers. As a harbinger of doom, she appears in a number of different guises. In Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, she takes the form of an ugly hag who prophesies Conaire Mór's downfall.[4] She appears in a similar guise in Togail Bruidne Dá Choca to foretell the slaying of Cormac Condloinges, as well as taking the form of a "washer at the ford"—a woman washing Cormac's chariot and harness in a ford in what was considered an omen of death.[4][5] The cries of Badb may also be an ill omen: Cormac's impending death is foreshadowed with the words "The red-mouthed badbs will cry around the house, / For bodies they will be solicitous" and "Pale badbs shall shriek".[6] In this role she has much in common with the bean-sídhe.[7]
She was also regularly depicted as an active participant in warfare; indeed, the battlefield was sometimes referred to as "the garden of the Badb".[8] During the First Battle of Mag Tuired, Badb—along with her sisters, Macha and Morrígan—fights on the side of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Using their magic, the three sisters incite fear and confusion among the Fir Bolg army, conjuring "compact clouds of mist and a furious rain of fire" and allowing their enemies "neither rest nor stay for three days and nights".[9] Badb plays a similar role in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, terrorising and disorienting the forces of Queen Medb and causing many to fall on their own weapons.[6] She would often take the form of a screaming raven or crow, striking fear into those who heard her,[10] and could also be heard as a voice among the corpses on a battlefield.[4]
Following the defeat of the Formorians by the Tuatha Dé Danann in the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, Badb (or the Morrígan daughter of Ernmas)[3] instead of predicting doom, now sings a prophecy celebrating the victory and a time of peace,
Sith co nem. Nem co doman. Doman fo ním, nert hi cach, ánThen she delivers a prophecy of the eventual end of the world, "foretelling every evil that would be therein, and every disease and every vengeance. Wherefore then she sang this lay below.":[3]
forlann, lan do mil, mid co saith. Sam hi ngam, gai for sciath, sciath for durnd. Dunad lonngarg; longait-tromfoíd fod di uí ross forbiur benna abu airbe imetha. Mess for crannaib, craob do scis scis do áss saith do mac mac for muin, muinel tairb tarb di arccoin odhb do crann, crann do ten. Tene a nn-ail. Ail a n-uír uích a mbuaib boinn a mbru. Brú lafefaid ossglas iaer errach, foghamar forasit etha. Iall do tir, tir co trachd lafeabrae. Bidruad rossaib síraib rithmár, 'Nach scel laut?' Sith co nemh, bidsirnae .s.[2]
Peace to sky. Sky to earth. Earth under sky, strength in each, a
cup full, full of honey, mead in plenty. Summer in winter, spear over shield, shield
over fist. Fort of spears; a battle-cry, land for sheep, bountiful forests
mountains forever, magic enclosure. Mast on branches, branches heavy, heavy with fruit,
wealth for a son, a gifted son, strong neck of bull, a bull for a poem, a knot on
a tree, wood for fire. Fire from stone. Stone from earth, wealth from cows, belly of
the Brú. Doe cries from mist, stream of deer after spring, corn in autumn, upheld by peace. Warrior band
for the land, prosperous land to the shore. From wooded headlands, waters rushing, “What news
have you?” Peace to the sky, life and land everlasting. Peace.
I shall not see a world that will be dear to me.
Summer without flowers,
Kine will be without milk,
Women without modesty,
Men without valour,
Captures without a king.
... ... ...
Woods without mast,
Sea without produce,
... ... ...
Wrong judgments of old men,
False precedents of brehons,
Every man a betrayer,
Every boy a reaver.
Son will enter his father's bed,
Father will enter his son's bed,
Everyone will be his brother's brother-in-law.
... ... ...
An evil time!
Son will deceive his father,
Daughter will deceive her mother.
Monday, April 2, 2018
Irish Gods: Anu
I got this from Wikipedia.
In Irish mythology, Anu (or Ana, sometimes given as Anann or Anand) is a goddess. She may be a goddess in her own right,[1] or an alternate name for Danu. In the Lebor Gabála Érenn, "Anand" is given as an alternate name for Morrígu.[2] While an Irish goddess, in parts of Britain a similar figure is referred to as "Gentle Annie," in an effort to avoid offense, a tactic which is similar to referring to the fairies as "The Good People".[3] As her name is often conflated with a number of other goddesses, it is not always clear which figure is being referred to if the name is taken out of context
In Irish mythology, Anu (or Ana, sometimes given as Anann or Anand) is a goddess. She may be a goddess in her own right,[1] or an alternate name for Danu. In the Lebor Gabála Érenn, "Anand" is given as an alternate name for Morrígu.[2] While an Irish goddess, in parts of Britain a similar figure is referred to as "Gentle Annie," in an effort to avoid offense, a tactic which is similar to referring to the fairies as "The Good People".[3] As her name is often conflated with a number of other goddesses, it is not always clear which figure is being referred to if the name is taken out of context
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