Flidais

Flidais , also Flidhais , is a female deity of nature and the forest and also a legendary figure from the Lebor Gabála Érenn ("The Book of the Lands of Ireland") and the Ulster cycle of the Celtic mythology of Ireland . She is a goddess of abundance and fertility.

Flidais drives along on a wagon pulled by wild deer ( Bua Flidais - " Flidais cattle"), but is also the patron saint of domestic animals. In the tale Táin Bó Flidhais ("The Driving Away of Flidais' Cattle") she is the wife of King Oilill Fionn of Mayo and owns a magical cow that gives milk to 30 men every night. It is also told here that Fergus mac Róich , who kills Oilill and kidnaps her, is such an insatiable lover that he would be forced to sleep seven women if she refuses to accept him. Flidais is also mentioned as the wife of an otherwise unknown elf named Ádammair, with whom she is said to live in an elf hill ( Síd ).

Her daughters with another husband, namely Tuirenn , Fand , Bé Chuma and Be Theite , inherited their passion, the fourth daughter Danann is a witch who was on the side of Túatha Dé Danann in the battle of Cath Maige Tuired (“The battle by Mag Tuired “) fights. Flidais is also counted among this people.

In southern Irish legends of the Éoghanachta of Caisil , Flidais is nicknamed Foltchain (" fair hair ") and is considered the mother of King Nia Segamain.

See also

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

literature

• Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 .

Web links

• Patricia Monaghan: The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore (=  Facts on File Library of Religion and Mythology ). Infobase Publishing, New York 2014, ISBN 978-1-4381-1037-0 , pp. 197 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).