Emain Ablach (also Emne;

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 ...

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

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

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

or, less plausibly, the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; ) 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 . Counties of Scotland, Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the ...

. 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 Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

, 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. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...

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

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...

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. The 12th-century writer Geoffr ...

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

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

was taken to be healed by the sorceress Morgen and her eight sisters after the

Battle of Camlann The Battle of Camlann ( or ''Brwydr Camlan'') is the legendary final battle of King Arthur, in which Arthur either died or was mortally wounded while fighting either alongside or against Mordred, who also perished. The original legend of Caml ...

, 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