Myths and Legends of the Celts (Penguin Reference) (54 page)

Nechta Scéne
(
nekh
-tă,
nahkh
-tă
shkayn
-ě)
Mother of three supernatural sons who fight for Connacht and are killed by Cúchulainn the day he takes up arms.

Nechtan
(I) (
nahkht
-ăn,
nekh
-tawn)
Usual husband of Boand
.

Nechtan
(2) (
nahkht
-ăn,
nekh
-tawn)
Sailor on Máel Dúin’s otherwordly voyage who longs to return to the land of mortals.

Néit
(nayd)
Irish war god; cult partner of Nemain.

Nemain
(
nev
-in)
Irish war goddess; cult partner of Néit. May share identity with Badb.

Nemedians
(ně-
meed
-ee-ans; cf.
Ir. Nemed
:
nev
-ě
th
)
Third invaders of Ireland in
Lebor Gabála Érenn
.

Nemetona
(ne-me-
tohn
-ă)
Shadowy Gaulish and British war goddess, a cult partner of Gaulish Mars.

Ness
(nes)
Manipulative mother of Conchobar mac Nessa.

Newgrange
Passage-grave dating from
c
.3200
BC
in the Boyne valley, five miles east of Slane, Co. Meath.

Niall Noígiallach
(
nee
-al noi-γ
eeal
-ăkh, noi-γ
ahl
-ăkh)
Niall of the Nine Hostages, probably historical fifth-century Irish king, eponym of the Uí Néill dynasty that dominated early Ireland.

Niam
(
I
) (
nee
ăv, neev, cf.
ang
.
nee
ăm)
Beautiful maiden who lures Oisín to Tír na nÓg.

Niam
(2) (
nee
ăv, neev, cf.
ang
.
nee
ăm)
Wife of Conall Cernach, mistress of Cúchulainn.

Nisien
[peaceful] (
nis
-eean, nisyen)
Gentle, generous half-brother of Branwen.

Nodons
(
noh
-dons)
Early British god worshipped at the healing sanctuary of Lydney Park, Gloucestershire.

Noise
(
nee
-shě)
Lover of Deirdre
.

Nuadu Airgetlám
[of the Silver Hand/Arm] (
nooă
,
noo
-ă-hă,
noo
-ah
th
-ŭ
ar
-gad-lahv)
Wounded king of the Tuatha Dé Danann
.

Nuadu Necht
(
noo
ă,
noo
-ă-hă,
noo
-ah
th
-ŭ nekht)
Leinster double of Nuadu Airgetlám
.

Nudd
(ni
th
)
Legendary Welsh hero, one of the most generous men of Wales
.

Ó Duibhgeannáin, Dáibhi
(
Modlr
. oh
dayg
-nawn, oh
div
-ghan-awn,
dawv
-ee)
Scholar (d. 1696) who composed the manuscript version of the Diarmait and Gráinne story in 1651
.

ogham, ogam
(
oh
-ăm,
oh
m, ohγ-ăm)
An alphabet of incised parallel lines used to write early Irish; each figure is the equivalent of a Latin alphabet letter.

Ogma
(
o
γ-mă,
ohm
-ă, ohm)
An orator and warrior, one of the three principal champions of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with the Dagda and Lug Lámfhota.

Ogmios
(
ohg
-mee-ŏs)
Gaulish god of eloquence.

Oisín
(ush-
een
)
Son of Fionn mac Cumhaill of the Fenian Cycle; adapted by James Macpherson as Ossian (1760–4); father of Oscar; Hiberno-English: Usheen.

ollam
(
ol
-av)
Poet of highest rank in early Ireland.

Olwen
(
ohl
-wen)
Beautiful lover of Culhwch.

Oonagh
(
oon
-ă)
‘Wife’ of Fin M’Coul in William Carleton’s ‘Legend of Knockmany’ (
c
.1845).

Orlám
(
or
-lawv)
Son of Medb and Ailill killed early in the action of the
Táin Βó Cuailnge
.

Oscar
(
usk
-ăr; cf.
ang
.
osk
-ăr)
Hero of the Fenian Cycle, son of Oisín, grandson of Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Ossian
(
os
-ee-ăn,
osh
-ăn)
Adapted from Oisín by James Macpherson and made narrator of
The Poems of Ossian
(1760–4), bogusly claimed to be based on ancient texts.

Owain ap Urien
(
oh
-win ap
eer
-eean)
Sixth-century Welsh king eulogized by Taliesin.

P-Celts
Division of Celtic family of languages, including Gaulish, ancient British, Welsh, Cornish and Breton.

Partholonians
(par-thoh-
lohn
-eeănz; cf.
Ir
. Parthalán =
por
-hu-lawn)
The second invaders of early Ireland in
Lebor Gabála Érenn
; an industrious and beneficent people.

Patrick, St
The fifth-century evangelist of Ireland is depicted in the Fenian Cycle as holding dialogues with pre-Christian survivors, Caílte and Oisín.

Pisear
(
pish
-ăr)
A ‘king of Persia’, original owner of Gáe Assail, retrieved by the sons of Tuireann.

pixie
Mischievous folk creature, derived from the Cornish piskie.

Polybius
(po-
lib
-ee-ŭs)
Second-century BC Greek historian, commentator on the Celts.

Pryderi
(prŭ-
der
-ee)
Son of Rhiannon and Pwyll who appears in all four branches of the
Mabinogi
.

Ptolemy, Claudius Ptolemeus
(
tol
-em-ee,
klawd
-eeus
tol
-em-ay-us)
Important geographer of the ancient world, second century
AD
.

Puck
Playful figure in English folklore, also in Shakespeare’s
Midsummer Night’s Dream
.

púca, pooka
(
pook
-ă)
One of many Irish fairies.

Pwyll
(pooi
ll
)
Prince of Dyfed, south Wales, who falls in love with Rhiannon.

Q-Celts
Division of Celtic family of languages, including Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx.

Redg
(
re
th
-ěgh)
Satirist of Medb and Ailill, killed by Cúchulainn, who jokes in death throes.

Reinheim
(r
I
n-h
I
m)
Burial site on the French–German border of a well-born fifth-century
BC
woman.

remscéla
(rev-
shkayl
-ă)
Foretales, e.g. the tales found at the beginning of the
Táin Bó Cuailnge
, that anticipate, if not introduce, the beginning of the action in the epic.

Rhiannon
(rhee-
ahn
-όn)
A female protagonist of the
Mabinogi
; portrayed as a mortal with suggestions of immortal antecedents.

Rhun
(rhin)
Casanovian Welsh prince.

ríastrad
(
reeăs
-tra
th
)
Name for Cúchulainn’s empowering battle frenzy or fury, sometimes called warp spasm.

Richis
(
rikh
-ish)
Female satirist of Munster who strips naked before Cúchulainn in a failed attempt to have him killed.

rigfhéinnid
(rig-
hayn
-i
th
)
Captain or chief of a fianna.

Rígru Rosclethan
(
righ
-rŭ ros-
kleth
-ăn)
Wife of Dáire and queen of the otherworldly realm of Tír Tairngire.

Robin Goodfellow
Playful spirit in English folklore; also known as Puck.

Roca Barraidh
(
rohk
-ră
bar
-ră)
Scottish Gaelic name for an otherworldly realm lying near the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides.

Rónán
(
rohn
-ahn)
Fictional Leinster king who kills his son Máel Fhothartaig, probably based on the historical Rónán mac Áeda.

Rónán
, St (
rohn
-ahn)
Evangelizing clergyman who curses Suibne.