Flidas or Flidais (modern spelling: Fliodhas, Fliodhais) is a female figure in

Irish Mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

, known by the epithet ''Foltchaín'' ("beautiful hair"). She is believed to have been a goddess of cattle and fertility.

Mythology

Flidas is mentioned in the Metrical Dindshenchas as mother of Fand, and in the ''

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of Ireland's Taking"; Modern Irish spelling: ''Leabhar Gabhála Éireann'', known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'') is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language inten ...

'' as the mother of Argoen, Bé Téite, Dinand and Bé Chuille. Dinand and Bé Chuille are mentioned as "she-farmers" in a passage about Dian Cecht in Lebor Gabála Érenn and as witches in the Second Battle of Moytura, where they agree to enchant the trees, stones, and sods of the earth to become a host under arms. In the

Middle Irish Middle Irish, also called Middle Gaelic (, , ), 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 English and Early Middle English. The modern Goideli ...

glossary ''Cóir Anmann'' ("Fitness of Names") Flidas is said to be the wife of the legendary High King Adamair and the mother of Nia Segamain. The

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle (), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Do ...

tale "The Tidings of Conchobar" says that it took seven women to satisfy Fergus, unless he could have Flidais. Her affair with Fergus is the subject of oral tradition in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

Cattle raid epics

The myths relating to Fliodhais overwhelmingly focus on cattle. Flidais is a central figure in '' Táin Bó Flidhais'' ("The Driving-off of Flidais's Cattle"), an

work, where she is the lover of Fergus mac Róich and the owner of a magical herd of cattle. The story, set in Erris,

tells how Fergus carried her and her cattle away from her husband, Ailill Finn. During the ''

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "the Irish ''Iliad''", although like most other earl ...

'' (Cattle Raid of Cooley) she slept in the tent of Ailill mac Máta, king of Connacht, and every seven days her herd supplied milk for the entire army. In '' Táin Bó Flidhais'' she has a favoured white cow known as "The Maol" which can feed 300 men from one night's milking.

Outdated interpretations

In the recent past Flidais was popularly rendered as a woodland goddess similar to the Greek

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

and Roman Diana. Scholars now believe this to be incorrect. Her son, Nia Segamain, was able to milk wild deer as if they were cows by power received from his mother. This indirect association with deer, and her consequent attribution as a woodland goddess is based on an unlikely medieval folk etymology of her name as ''flid ois'' or "wetness of a faun". This etymology may have been an effort to conflate Flidais with the deer maiden, Sadhbh from the

Fenian Cycle The Fenian Cycle (), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle () is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill and his Kóryos, warrior band the Fianna. Sometimes called the ...

; however, Fliodhais' mythology overwhelmingly focuses only on domestic cattle and milking.

References

{{given name, Flidais, nocat Tuatha Dé Danann Irish goddesses Hunting goddesses Nature goddesses Animal goddesses Fertility goddesses Ulster Cycle Characters in Táin Bó Cúailnge Cattle deities