Eochaid mac Eirc

Eochaid mac Eirc [ 'eoxiðʼ mak erʼkʼ ] ("Eochaid [= horse], son of heaven", modern Irish : Eochaidh ) is the name of a legendary figure from Irish mythology .

In the Lebor Gabála Érenn ("Book of Landing of Ireland") Eochaid mac Eirc is mentioned as the last king of the Firbolg . As the first ruler, he established a system of law and became famous for his just judgments. Although there was no heavy rain during his reign, just gentle dew, an abundant harvest can be brought in every year. His father Rinnal , king before him, is said to have invented the spear points and introduced them to Ireland (Old Irish: rind , rinn , "[spear] point"), but their use is forgotten again under Eochaid due to the lasting peace.

After his wife Tailtiu he names his ruler's seat Tailtinn (now Teltown , County Meath ), where he holds a big festival every August. After Tailtu's death, this resulted in the festival of Lammas ( Lughnasadh ). After a ten-year rule of Eochaid, the Túatha Dé Danann conquered the island of Ireland ( First Battle of Mag Tuired ). Exhausted and thirsty, he is surprised and slain by the Morrígan while looking for water .

See also

• List of Celtic gods and legendary figures
• Myths and legends from Ireland
• Celtic mythology

literature

• Helmut Birkhan : Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3 , pp. 534 f, 541 f.
• Bernhard Maier : The religion of the Celts. Gods, myths, worldview . Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-48234-1 , p. 114.

Web links

• Patricia Monaghan: The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Infobase Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1-4381-1037-5 , p. 156. (accessed April 18, 2012)
• Gienna Matson, Jeremy Roberts: Celtic Mythology A to Z. Infobase Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-1-60413-413-1 , p. 50. (accessed April 18, 2012)