Medb
Medb ([ mɛðv ], Old Irish spelling; Middle Irish : Meḋḃ, Meaḋḃ = Medhbh, Meadhbh ; New Irish : Méabh [ meːvˠ ], i.e. intoxicating; Anglicised : Maeve [ meɪv ]) is a central figure in the Celtic mythology of Ireland . Medb, the daughter of Eochaid Fedlech and sister of Mugain , was the beautiful and warlike queen of Connacht and lived in the royal seat of Cruachain (see also Echtrae Nerai ). Her character is described as strong and relentless.
Medb was originally promised to Conchobar , but left for Ailill mac Máta . She is also said to have been married to Tiride mac Connra Cas and Eochaid Dála, both kings of Connacht. She was known for her manly madness, so she seduced Fergus mac Róich with the favor of her thighs in order to win him over as a comrade. Through her messenger Mac Roth , she lets Dáire mac Fiachna also offer her favor. Her fight against a rival is told in Táin Bó Flidhais ("Driving Flidais' Cattle"). She even offers her daughter Findabair as a prize for her support in the fight (see Táin Bó Froích , “Driving away the Cattle of Froech”). But she also made this offer to the warrior Fer Diad .
Along with Cú Chulainn, Medb is one of the key figures in the Ulster cycle . The probably best-known Irish epic Táin Bó Cuailnge ("The Robbery of Cooley") is about her , in which Medb tries to get the great bull Donn Cuailnge in a war against Ulster , in order to join her husband, who owns a bull of equal strength, to draw level. The epic ends, however, with the death of both animals (see also De chophur in da muccida - "On the metamorphosis [?] Of the two swineherd").
In Aided Chon Culainn ("The Death of Cú Chulainn") it is reported how Medb brings about the death of Cú Chulainn through Glám dícenn through revenge with the help of the children of Calatin .
The saga Aided Medba / Meidbe ("The Death of Medb") reports that Furbaide Ferbend's mother Clothru is murdered by her sister Medb, so he decides to avenge her death. He learns that Medb always bathes in Loch Rí (now Lough Ree ) and goes there to measure the distance from the bathing place to the shore with a rope. Then he secretly practices hitting an apple on a pole with his slingshot at this distance. When Medb takes another bath, he wants to kill her, but in the rush he cannot find a suitable stone for the sling. So he takes a piece of cheese and throws it so hard that it kills her.
Queen Medb is said to be buried in a cairn 55 m in diameter and 10 m in height on the summit of Knocknarea . However, this is not the only burial site where she is believed to be buried.
According to Nora Chadwick , Medb is said to have been a historical queen of Tuath Cruacháin , the royal seat of Connacht ( County Roscommon ); Myles Dillon, however, doubts this.
See also
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 , p. 530 f.
- Myles Dillon, Nora Kershaw Chadwick : The Celts. From the prehistory to the Norman invasion . Kindler's cultural history, ISBN 3-89340-058-3 .
- Matthias Egeler: Some Thoughts on 'Goddess Medb' and her Typological Context. In: Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie Volume 59 (2012), pp. 67–96.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Violent Death of Medb ( Memento of the original from November 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Myles Dillon, Nora Kershaw Chadwick: The Celts. From the prehistory to the Norman invasion . Kindler's cultural history, ISBN 3-89340-058-3 , pp. 6, 47 and 275.
