Emain Ablach (also Emne;

Middle Irish Middle Irish, sometimes called Middle Gaelic ( ga, An Mheán-Ghaeilge, gd, Meadhan-Ghàidhlig), is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from AD; it is therefore a contemporary of late Old Engl ...

Emhain Abhlach or Eamhna; meaning "Emhain of the Apples") is a mythical island paradise in

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later Early Irish ...

. It is often regarded as the realm of the sea god Manannán Mac Lir and identified with either the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

or the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; sco, Isle o Arran; gd, Eilean Arainn) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Historically part of Buteshi ...

. According to the medieval Irish poem ''Baile Suthain Sith Eamhna'', the god Lug Lamfada was reared in Emain Ablach. In another poem from the 14th century, Emain Ablach is described as being filled with swans and yews.

Etymology

"Emain/Emne" is of uncertain etymology, though it may be compared with the place name Emain Macha in Ireland, recorded as "Isamnion" in Ptolemy's 2nd-century AD

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

, which Celticist Heinrich Wagner would translate as "what is moving by itself rapidly, the stream", derived from the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo ...

root ''*eis-'' "to move rapidly".Wagner, p. 13. "Ablach" means "of the apples/fruits" in

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writte ...

Influence

In medieval

Arthurian literature The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wes ...

, Geoffrey of Monmouth's island paradise Insula Avallonis (Avalon), where the sword Caliburnus (Excalibur) was forged, and where

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...

was taken to be healed by the sorceress

Morgen A morgen was a unit of measurement of land area in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania and the Dutch colonies, including South Africa and Taiwan. The size of a morgen varies from . It was also used in Old Prussia, in the Balkans, ...

and her eight sisters after the

Battle of Camlann The Battle of Camlann ( cy, Gwaith Camlan or ''Brwydr Camlan'') is the legendary final battle of King Arthur, in which Arthur either died or was fatally wounded while fighting either with or against Mordred, who also perished. The original le ...

, could have been influenced by Irish legends of Emain Ablach. The medieval Welsh equivalent of Avalon, Ynys Afallach ("Isle of Afallach"), may also be related to – if not derived from – Emain Ablach.

References

Bibliography

*Bullock-Davies, Constance, "Lanval and Avalon," Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 23, 1969, p. 128-42. *Koch, John (ed.), Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 146-147; p. 677; p. 691; p. 959; p. 1244; p. 1471; p. 1671. * MacNeill, Máire, The festival of Lughnasa Comhair de Bhéaloideas Éireann, University College, 1982, p. 6. *Maier, Bernhard (ed.), Dictionary of Celtic religion and culture, Boydell & Brewer, 1997, p. 3; p. 156;, p. 186. *Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí, Myth, legend & romance: an encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition, Prentice Hall Press, 1991, p. 247. *Skene, William Forbes, Celtic Scotland: a history of ancient Alban, Volume 3, Edmonston & Douglas, 1880, p. 410ff. *Wagner, Heinrich, "The archaic Dind Ríg poem and related problems", Ériu, Vol. 28, 1977, p. 1-16. {{Irish mythology (mythological) Celtic mythology Irish mythology Irish literature Mythological islands