In
Irish mythology
Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by C ...
, Miach () was a son of
Dian Cecht
In Irish mythology, Dian Cécht (Old Irish pronunciation ; also known as ''Cainte'' or ''Canta'') was the god of healing, the healer for the Tuatha Dé Danann, and son of the Dagda according to the ''Dindsenchas''.
He was the father of Cu, Ceth ...
of the
Tuatha Dé Danann
The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu (Irish goddess), Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deity, ...
. He replaced the silver arm his father made for
Nuada with an arm of flesh and blood; Dian Cecht killed him out of jealousy for being able to do so when he himself could not. Dian Cecht killed him by chopping Miach's head four times with his sword. The first strike only cut Miach's skin and Miach healed it. The second blow broke Miach's skull but Miach also healed that. The third cut grazed Miach's brain yet Miach could even heal this. Dian Cecht's fourth attack cut his son's brain in half and finally killed Miach. This resulted in 365 herbs growing from his grave, which his sister
Airmid
In Irish mythology, the goddess Airmed (also given as Airmid) was one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. With her father Dian Cecht and brother Miach, she healed those injured in the Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh. arranged, but which their father scattered. In any case, however, Miach is later seen in the story continuing to heal the Tuatha Dé by his father's and sister's side, so apparently there were no hard feelings.
In ''The Fate of the Children of Tuireann'' Miach makes an appearance with his brother Oirmiach at the beginning of the story. In the story, they replace the missing eye of Nuada's doorkeeper with the eye of a cat. Then they draw a devil out of Nuada's blackened arm and kill it. Finally, they find a replacement arm for Nuada, and Oirmiach sets the arm while Miach retrieves herbs to complete the healing.
Etymology
Miach is often translated as 'bushel', but has a meaning of an agreed upon amount of grain; Irish law texts also use miach in reference to an amount of malted grain, and in Munster there is reference to a ''fleith in méich'' or 'Feast of Miach'.
Significance
Grandsons of the
Dagda
The Dagda (Old Irish: ''In Dagda,'' ga, An Daghdha, ) is an important god in Irish mythology. One of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Dagda is portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia' ...
, Miach and his brother Oirmiach are hypothesized to be the vestiges of the Celtic
Divine Twins
The Divine Twins are youthful horsemen, either gods or demigods, who serve as rescuers and healers in Proto-Indo-European mythology.
Like other Proto-Indo-European divinities, the Divine Twins are not directly attested by archaeological or writte ...
.
The alliterative names are a hallmark of twinning, indicating that the two brothers were in origin twins. They are the physicians of the Tuatha De Danann and upon arriving at Nuadu's court are described as "handsome, young, and of good stature;" beauty is one of the signatures of twin gods of the third function.
When Miach (or in alternative accounts both Miach and Oirmiach) is killed by his father Dian Cecht, 365 herbs grow from his grave - the same number of days in a solar year, which may signify totality. Finally, Miach's healing of Nuadu's arm takes thrice nine days or 27 days total - the same as a lunar month.
References
External links
The Story of Miach and His Sister(The tale of Miach, Airmed & Dian Cecht)
Tuatha Dé Danann
Health gods
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