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Tochmarc Étaíne
''Tochmarc Étaíne'', meaning "The Wooing of Étaín/Éadaoin", is an early text of the Irish mythology, Irish Mythological Cycle, and also features characters from the Ulster Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. It is partially preserved in the manuscript known as the ''Lebor na hUidre'' (c. 1106), and completely preserved in the ''Yellow Book of Lecan'' (c. 1401), written in language believed to date to the 8th or 9th century. It tells of the lives and loves of Étaín, a beautiful mortal woman of the Ulaid, and her involvement with Aengus and Midir of the Tuatha Dé Danann. It is frequently cited as a possible source text for the Middle English Sir Orfeo. Harvard University, Harvard professor Jeffrey Gantz describes the text as displaying the "poetic sense of law" in Irish legal society. The story Although the manuscript evidence is not entirely clear on this, the editors Best and Bergin have divided ''Tochmarc Étaíne'' (''TE'') into three subtales, ''TE I'' (§§ 10), ''TE II ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
9 They Rose Up In The Air
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and Gupta started curving the bottom vertical line coming up with a -look-alike. The Nagari continued the bottom stroke to make a circle and enclose the 3-look-alike, in much the same way that the sign @ encircles a lowercase ''a''. As time went on, the enclosing circle became bigger and its line continued beyond the circle downwards, as the 3-look-alike became smaller. Soon, all that was left of the 3-look-alike was a squiggle. The Arabs simply connected that squiggle to the downward stroke at the middle and subsequent European change was purely cosmetic. While the shape of the glyph for the digit 9 has an ascender in most modern typefaces, in typefaces with text figures the character usually has a descender, as, for example, in . The mod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elcmar
In Irish mythology, Elcmar or Ecmar (modern spelling: Ealcmhar) is the husband of Boann and belongs to the divine Tuatha Dé Danann. It has been suggested that he is Nuada under another name, and he is sometimes confused with Nechtan, Boann's usual husband. At first glance he appears to be associated with horses but there is also a school of thought that says his name means The Evil One. In the Dindsenchas, he is called "lord of horses" and is described as a judge. Elcmar is described as having a fork of white hazel, a gold brooch, and a cloak. Chief steward According to the Yellow Book of Lecan, Elcmar served as chief steward for Dagda, one of the most important and powerful of the Danann. His wife was Boann, goddess of the River Boyne, who developed a great passion for the Dagda. To consummate this union, Dagda sent Elcmar to High King Bres on an errand around the time of Imbolc. Boann, like her Greek counterpart Alcmene, got pregnant. To protect the sensibilities of his ste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infant Exposure
In ancient times, a method of infanticide or at least child abandonment was to leave infants in a wild place, either to die due to hypothermia, hunger, thirst, or animal attack,Justin Martyr, ''First Apology.'' or perhaps to be collected and brought up by those unable to produce their own children. Mythological This form of child abandonment is a recurring theme in mythology, especially among hero births. Some examples include: * Sargon, King of Akkad – exposed to the river. * Karna – exposed to the river. * Tang Sanzang – exposed to the river on a wooden plank. The historical person he is based on never suffered such a fate. * Moses – exposed to the river Nile on a basket. * Oedipus – exposed in the mountains. * Paris – exposed at the top of Mount Ida. * Zāl – exposed in the Alborz mountains. * Telephus – exposed on Mount Parthenion. * Atalanta – exposed on Mount Parthenion. * Perseus – boxed and cast into the sea with his mother, Danaë. * Gilgamesh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmospheric conditions during different periods in history from wood. Dendrochronology derives from Ancient Greek (), meaning "tree", (), meaning "time", and (), "the study of". Dendrochronology is useful for determining the precise age of samples, especially those that are too recent for radiocarbon dating, which always produces a range rather than an exact date. However, for a precise date of the death of the tree a full sample to the edge is needed, which most trimmed timber will not provide. It also gives data on the timing of events and rates of change in the environment (most prominently climate) and also in wood found in archaeology or works of art and architecture, such as old panel paintings. It is also used as a check in radiocar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
County Longford
County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,634 at the 2022 census. The county is based on the historic Gaelic territory of Annaly (''Anghaile''), formerly known as Teffia (''Teathbha''). Geography Most of Longford lies in the basin of the River Shannon with Lough Ree forming much of the county's western boundary. The north-eastern part of the county, however, drains towards the River Erne and Lough Gowna. Lakeland, bogland, pastureland, and wetland typify Longford's generally low-lying landscapes: the highest point of the county is in the north-west - Carn Clonhugh (also known as Cairn Hill or Corn Hill) between Drumlish and Ballinalee in the parish of Killoe, at . Cairn Hill is the site of a television transmitter broadcasting to much of the Irish midlands. In the list o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corlea Trackway
__NOTOC__ The Corlea Trackway () is an Iron Age trackway, or ''togher'', near the village of Keenagh, south of Longford, County Longford, in Ireland. It was known locally as the ''Danes' Road''. It was constructed from oak planks in 148–147 BC, making it contemporary with the Siege of Carthage. The trackway is situated in an area which is the site of industrial-scale mechanised peat harvesting by the Bord na Móna, principally to supply the peat-fired power stations of the Electricity Supply Board. While today a generally flat and open landscape, in the Iron Age it was covered by bog, quicksand, and ponds, surround by dense woodlands of birch, willow, hazel and alder while higher ground was covered by oak and ash. The terrain was dangerous and impassible for much of the year.Raftery, ''Pagan Celtic Ireland'', chapter 5. In 1984, timbers recovered from Corlea were radiocarbon dated to the Iron Age, rather than the Bronze Age as had been expected, and an archaeological pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fidchell
(in Irish; also spelled , , or , and pronounced in Old Irish) or (in Welsh, pronounced ) was a board game popular among the ancient Celts. The name in both Irish and Welsh is a compound translating to "wood sense"; the fact that the compound is identical in both languages suggests that the name is of extreme antiquity. The game is often compared to or identified with chess, though this is evidently erroneous, as chess was unknown in Europe until the 12th century. The game was played between two people who moved pieces across a board; the board shared its name with the game played upon it. The name has evolved into , the word used in Irish for modern chess; the similar is the name in Welsh for modern chess. History or is mentioned often in ancient Celtic legends and lore, but the exact form of the game is open to speculation due to lack of detail on the rules, playing pieces, and the board. What is clear is that it was played on a board, with opposing sets of pieces in eq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eochu Airem
Eochu Airem ("the ploughman"), son of Finn, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He succeeded to the throne after the death of his brother, Eochu Feidlech, and ruled for twelve or fifteen years, until he was burned to death in Fremain by Sigmall Sithienta. He was succeeded by Eterscél. The ''Lebor Gabála'' synchronises his reign with the dictatorship of Julius Caesar (48–44 BC). The chronology of Geoffrey Keating's '' Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' dates his reign to 82–70 BC, that of the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' to 131–116 BC. He plays an important role in the Old Irish saga ''Tochmarc Étaíne'' ("The Wooing of Étaín"), which tells of the lives of the beautiful Étaín, the lover of Midir of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who was turned into a fly by Midir's jealous wife, which had been swallowed by the wife of Étar, an Ulster warrior. Étar's wife becomes pregnant, and Étaín is reborn. When Eochu invites the men of Irelan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High King Of Ireland
High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned anachronously or to legendary figures. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken line of High Kings, ruling from the Hill of Tara over a hierarchy of lesser kings, stretching back thousands of years. Modern historians believe this scheme was crafted in the 8th century from the various genealogical traditions of powerful dynasties, and intended to justify their status by projecting it far into the past.Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, "Ireland, 400–800", in Dáibhí Ó Cróinín (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland'', Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 182–234. John T. Koch explains: "Although the kingship of Tara was a special kingship whose occupants had aspirations towards supremacy amon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conchobar Mac Nessa
Conchobar mac Nessa (son of Ness) is the king of Ulaid, Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Emain Macha (Navan Fort, near Armagh). He is usually said to be the son of the High King of Ireland, High King Fachtna Fáthach, although in some stories his father is the druid Cathbad, and he is usually known by his matronymic, ''mac Nessa'': his mother is Ness, daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide, King of Ulster. Legendary biography Birth There are several versions of how Conchobar was conceived. In the earliest, Ness, daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide, the then king of Ulster, asks the druid Cathbad what it is an auspicious time for. Cathbad replies, "for begetting a king on a queen". There are no other men around, so Ness takes Cathbad to bed and she conceives a son. In a later version, Ness is brought up by twelve foster-fathers, and while all twelve are at a feast, Cathbad, leading a ''fianna, fian'' or landless war-band, attacks the house and kills them all. Eochaid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
