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 ...

, Banba (modern spelling: Banbha ), daughter of

Delbáeth Delbáeth or Delbáed ( or ) was one of several figures from Irish mythology who are often confused due to the repetition of the name in the mythological genealogies. Name According to the Dindsenchas, the name Delbaeth is derived from Dolb-Aed, ...

and

Ernmas Ernmas is an Irish mother goddess, mentioned in '' Lebor Gabála Érenn'' and "Cath Maige Tuired" as one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Her daughters include the trinity of eponymous Irish goddesses Ériu In Irish mythology, Ériu (; ), daughte ...

of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuatha 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 Gaelic ...

, is a matron

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. She was married to

Mac Cuill In Irish mythology, Mac Cuill of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was a son of Cermait, son of the Dagda. Mac Cuill's given name was Éthur and he was named Mac Cuill after his god, Coll, the hazel. His wife was Banba. Description He and his brothers Mac ...

, a grandson of the

Dagda The Dagda ( , ) is considered the great god of Irish mythology. He is the chief god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, with the Dagda portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia''. ABC-CLIO ...

. She was part of an important triumvirate of matron goddesses, with her sisters,

Ériu In Irish mythology, Ériu (; ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic languages, Germanic (Old Norse or ...

and

Fódla In Irish mythology, Fódla or Fótla (modern spelling: Fódhla, Fodhla or Fóla), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was one of the tutelary goddesses of Ireland. Her husband was Mac Cecht. With her sisters, Banba a ...

. According to

Seathrún Céitinn Geoffrey Keating (; – ) was an Irish historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became a Catholic priest and a poet. Biography It was generally believed unt ...

she worshipped

Macha Macha () was a sovereignty goddess of ancient Ireland associated with the province of Ulster, particularly the sites of Navan Fort (''Eamhain Mhacha'') and Armagh (''Ard Mhacha''), which are named after her.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Hi ...

, who is also sometimes named as a daughter of Ernmas. The two goddesses may therefore be seen as equivalent. Céitinn also refers to a tradition that Banbha was the first person to set foot in Ireland before the

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

, in a variation of the legend of

Cessair Cessair or Cesair (, meaning 'sorrow, affliction') is a character from a medieval Irish origin myth, best known from the 11th-century chronicle text ''Lebor Gabála Érenn''. According to the ''Lebor Gabála'', she was the leader of the first inh ...

. In the ''Tochomlad mac Miledh a hEspain i nErind: no Cath Tailten'',The Progress of the Sons of Mil from Spain to Ireland TCD H.4.22
, Celtic Literature Collective it is related that as the Milesians were journeying through Ireland, "they met victorious Banba among her troop of

faery A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Ger ...

magic hosts" on Senna Mountain, the stony mountain of Mes. A footnote identifies this site as

Slieve Mish Slieve Mish Mountains (), is a predominantly sandstone mountain range at the eastern end of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. Stretching , from the first major peak of Barnanageehy outside of Tralee in the east, to Cnoc na Stuaice ...

in Chorca Dhuibne,

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

. The soil of this region is a non- leptic

podzol Podzols, also known as podosols, spodosols, or espodossolos, are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathlan ...

br>
If the character of Banba originated in an earth-goddess, non-leptic podzol may have been the particular earth-type of which she was the deification. The

LÉ Banba (CM11) LÉ ''Banba'' (CM11) was a in the Irish Naval Service (INS) and was one of three purchased by the Irish government to replace the three Flower Class Corvettes purchased in 1946. The other two were and . LÉ ''Banba'' was named after Banba, a l ...

, a ship in the

Irish Naval Service The Naval Service () is the maritime component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork. Though prece ...

, was named after her. Initially, she could have been a goddess of war as well as a fertility goddess.

References

Irish goddesses Tuatha Dé Danann War goddesses Fertility goddesses Tutelary deities Irish royal consorts Personifications of Ireland National personifications Names for Ireland {{celt-myth-stub