Tailtiu or Tailltiu (; modern spelling: Tailte) (also known as Talti) is the name of a presumed goddess from

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 Ch ...

. The goddess's name is linked to

Teltown Teltown ( ga, Tailtin) is a townland in County Meath, Ireland, for the area between Oristown and Donaghpatrick Kells. It was named for the Irish mythological figure or goddess, Tailtiu. The Tailtin Fair was held there in medieval times as a r ...

(< OI ''Óenach Tailten'') in Co. Meath, site of the

Óenach An aonach or óenach was an ancient Irish public national assembly called upon the death of a king, queen, or notable sage or warrior as part of ancestor worship practices. As well as the entertainment, the óenach was an occasion on which kings a ...

Tailten. A legendary

dindsenchas ''Dindsenchas'' or ''Dindshenchas'' (modern spellings: ''Dinnseanchas'' or ''Dinnsheanchas'' or ''Dınnṡeanċas''), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word ''dinnseanchas'' means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Ir ...

"lore of places" poem relates a myth connecting the presumed goddess Tailtiu with the site. However, linguistic analysis of the name reveals that Tailtiu as a place-name derives from a loan word of Brythonic origin represented by the Welsh ''telediw'' "well formed, beautiful."Binchy, D.A., ‘The Fair of Tailtiu and the Feast of Tara,’ Ériu 18 (1958) 113-138. The mythological character of Tailtiu likely derives her name from the place-name.

In Irish mythology

According to the Book of Invasions, Tailtiu was the wife of

Eochaid mac Eirc In Irish mythology Eochaid (modern spelling: Eochaidh), son of Erc, son of Rinnal, of the Fir Bolg became High King of Ireland when he overthrew Fodbgen. He was the first king to establish a system of justice in Ireland. No rain fell during his r ...

, last

Fir Bolg In medieval Irish myth, the Fir Bolg (also spelt Firbolg and Fir Bholg) are the fourth group of people to settle in Ireland. They are descended from the Muintir Nemid, an earlier group who abandoned Ireland and went to different parts of Europe. ...

High King of Ireland, who named his capital after her (

, between

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the tenth largest settlement in Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Blackwater, around 50&nb ...

and Kells). She survived the invasion of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the 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 deities of pre-Christian Gae ...

and became the foster mother of

Lugh Lugh or Lug (; ga, label= Modern Irish, Lú ) is a figure in Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of supernatural beings, Lugh is portrayed as a warrior, a king, a master craftsman and a savior.Olmsted, Garrett. ''The Go ...

.MacKillop, James (1998) ''A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology''. Oxford, Oxford University Press. pp.309-10, 395-6, 76, 20 Tailtiu is said to have died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for agriculture. Lugh established a harvest festival and funeral games, ''Áenach Tailteann'', in her honour, which continued to be celebrated as late as the 18th century.

In Irish history

The first ''Áenach Tailteann'', later the

Tailtin Fair The Tailteann Games, Tailtin Fair, Áenach Tailteann, Aonach Tailteann, Assembly of Talti, Fair of Taltiu or Festival of Taltii were funeral games associated with the semi-legendary history of Pre-Christian Ireland. There is a complex of ancient ...

, was held at

. Historically, the Áenach Tailteann was a time for contests of strength and skill, and a favoured time for contracting marriages and winter lodgings. A peace was declared at the festival, and religious celebrations were also held. Aspects of the festival survive in the celebrations of

Lughnasadh Lughnasadh or Lughnasa ( , ) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Modern Irish it is called , in gd, Lùnastal, and in gv, ...

, and were revived as the Teltown Games for a period in the twentieth century. A similar Lughnasadh festival was held at Carmun (whose exact location is under dispute). Similar to Tailtiu, the festival at Carmun is celebrated by a

poem that provides a psedo-etymology for the site. The poem claims that the festival is named after the mythological Carmun, in a tale similar to that of Tailtiu. But as with Tailtiu, this mythological figure likely derives its name from the place-name. In historical times the town of Tailtiu was where the principal assembly of the early

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into t ...

dynasties was held. From the Locus Project at CELT, Tailte had one or two raths esidence(s)in Munster: * ráith canann: a ráith of queen Tailte, LL 201; cf. Rathcannon tl., Co. Limerick * ráith con: rath of queen Tailte, LL 201; in Tuath Tailten, UM 165b, Lec. 514, Stowe D ii 2, 656; cf. Rathcon, in dry. and d. Cashel, Tax Rathcanann and Rath Con may or may not be identical.

Annalistic references

See

Annals of Inisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

(AI) * ''M1095. Taillti, inghen Domhnaill Guitt'' * ''U1127. Tailltiu ingen Murchadha H. Mael Sechlainn ben Tairrdhelbaigh H. Concobuir'' * ''M1170. Taillte, inghen Muirchertaigh Uí Mhaoil Sechlainn, ben Domhnaill mic Murchadha Uí Fherghail, taoisech Muintire Anghaile, d'écc isin cethrachtmhadh bliadhain a h-aoisi./Taillte, daughter of Muircheartach Ua Maeleachlainn, and wife of Domhnall, son of Murchadh Ua Fearghail, chief of Muintir-Anghaile, died in the fortieth year of her age.'' * ''M1171. Tailltin, inghen Conchobhair Uí Maoil Sechlaind, ben Iomhair Uí Chathasaigh, tigherna Saithne.''

References

{{Celtic mythology (Mythological) Mythological cycle Fir Bolg Irish goddesses Fertility goddesses Nature goddesses Irish royal consorts