Tailtiu

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Tailtiu [ 'talʴtʴu ], also Taltiu or Telta ( Old Irish talam , "earth") is a legendary figure of the Irish early Middle Ages , which can probably be traced back to a Celtic earth mother .

mythology

Tailtiu was considered the daughter of the great plain Mag Mor and wife of the Firbolg king Eochaid mac Eirc ("Eochaid, son of heaven"). In Ireland at that time there was only a gentle drizzle, no wars, the use of the lance was forgotten and there was general justice. Her position as mother and country goddess was also evident in the fact that she cleared the Breg forest and planted fertile land. Only the invasion of the Túatha Dé Danann ended this state and Eochaid lost his life. Tailtiu became Lugh's foster mother , who after her death established the annual Lughnasadh festival as a tragedy for her , which is why it was nicknamed oenach Tailten . Her place of death is said to be the place named after her Teltown ( County Meath ), the day of her death August 1st, the reason for her death overexertion in field work. According to Lebor Gabála Érenn ("The Book of the Lands of Ireland"), the country goddess Fohla was killed against the Milesians in the Battle of Tailtu .

In Scotland, the Tailtiu may be replaced by the Cailleach na Deannac, which in early modern times was represented by a white-clad dancer at the annual St. Michael's Games around the period of Lughnasadh. The Cailleach na Deannac died while dancing and was brought back to life by a male dancer with a "druid staff", after which the dance could happily continue. The custom is also interpreted as the symbolism of rebirth from mother earth.

See also

literature

  • Helmut Birkhan : Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. 2nd, corrected and enlarged edition. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Teltown, Old Irish Tailtinn , genitive of Tailtiu , also bears the nickname glún gnáthach na hindsi-sea , translated by Birkhan as “well-known breadwinner of the island”, actually an addition to the name for Tailtiu herself.
  2. ↑ 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. 535.