Eochu Airem ("the ploughman"),[1] son of Finn, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. A High King of Ireland ( Ard Rí na hÉireann) is a historical or legendary figure who claimed lordship over the whole of Ireland. He succeeded to the throne after the death of his brother, Eochu Feidlech, and ruled for twelve or fifteen years, until he was burned to death in Fremain by Sigmall Sithienta. Eochu or Eochaid Feidlech ("the enduring" son of Finn, was according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions a High King of Ireland He was succeeded by Eterscél. Eterscél Mór ("the great" son of Íar a descendant of Óengus Tuirmech Temrach, of the Érainn of Munster was according to medieval Irish The Lebor Gabála synchronises his reign with the dictatorship of Julius Caesar (48-44 BC). [2] The chronology of Geoffrey Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éireann dates his reign to 82-70 BC,[3] that of the Annals of the Four Masters to 131-116 BC. Seathrún Céitinn, known in English as Geoffrey Keating, was a 17th century Irish Roman Catholic priest Poet and Historian Annals of the Four Masters AD432 entryjpg|thumb|right|Entry for A [4]
He plays an important role in the Old Irish saga Tochmarc Étaíne ("The Wooing of Étaín"),[5] which tells of the lives of the beautiful Étaín, the lover of Midir of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who was turned into a butterfly by Midir's jealous wife, which had been swallowed by the wife of Étar, an Ulster warrior. Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language, or rather the Goidelic languages, for which extensive written texts are possessed Tochmarc Étaíne ( Old Irish: "The Wooing of Étaín " is an early text of the Irish Mythological Cycle, and also features For the French town see Etain In Irish mythology Étaín (sometimes spelt Edain, Aideen, Etaoin In Irish mythology Midir (or Midhir or Mider) was a son of The Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Tuatha Dé Danann ("peoples of the Goddess Danu " Modern Irish pronunciation /t̪ˠuːəhə dʲeː d̪ˠan̪ˠən̪ˠ/ Old Irish /tuːaθa ðʲeː Étar's wife becomes pregnant, and Étaín is reborn. When Eochu invites the men of Ireland to the festival of Tara, they refuse to attend for a king who has no queen. The Hill of Tara ( Irish Teamhair na Rí, "Hill of the Kings" located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs He sends messengers to look for the most beautiful woman in Ireland, and they find Étaín. Eochu falls in love with her at first sight, and marries her.
However, Eochu's brother, Ailill Angubae, also falls in love with her, and wastes away with unrequited desire. Eochu leaves Tara on a tour of Ireland, leaving Étaín with the dying Ailill, who tells her the cause of his sickness, which he says would be cured if she gave the word. She tells him she wants him to be well, and he begins to get better, but says the cure will only be complete if she agrees to meet him on the hill above the house, so as not to shame the king in his own house. She agrees to do so three times, but each time she goes to meet him, she in fact meets Midir, who has put Ailill to sleep and taken his appearance. On the third occasion Midir reveals his identity and tells Étaín who she really is, but she does not know him. She finally agrees to go with him, but only if Eochu agrees to let her go.
Later, after Ailill has fully recovered and Eochu has returned home, Midir comes to Tara and challenges Eochu to play fidchell, an ancient Irish board game, with him. Fidchell (in Irish; also called fidhcheall fidceall or fithchill; pronounced /ˈfɪðʲˌçɛll/ in Old Irish) or They play for ever increasing stakes. Eochu keeps winning, and Midir has to pay up. One such game compels Midir to build a causeway a causeway across the bog of Móin Lámrige: the Corlea Trackway, a wooden causeway built across a bog in County Longford, dated by dendrochronology to 148 BC, is a real-life counterpart to this legendary road. The Corlea Trackway is an Iron Age trackway or togher, near the village of Kenagh, south of Longford town County Longford, in the County Longford (Contae an Longfoirt is a county situated in the Irish Midlands, in northwest Leinster. Dendrochronology (from Greek grc δένδρον dendron, "tree" grc χρόνος khronos, "time" and grc -λογία [6] Finally, Midir suggests they play for a kiss and an embrace from Étaín, and this time he wins. Eochu tells Midir to come back in a month for his winnings, and gathers his best warriors at Tara to prepare for his return. Despite the heavy guard, Midir appears inside the house. Eochu agrees that Midir may embrace Étaín, but when he does, the pair fly away through the skylight, turning into swans as they do so.
Eochu instructs his men to dig up every síd (fairy-mound) in Ireland until his wife is returned to him. Finally, when they set to digging at Midir's síd at Brí Léith, Midir appears and promises to give Étaín back. But at the appointed time, Midir brings fifty women, who all look alike, and tells Eochu to pick which one is Étaín. He chooses the woman he thinks is is his wife, takes her home and sleeps with her. She becomes pregnant and bears him a daughter. Later, Midir appears and tells him that Étaín had been pregnant when he took her, and the woman Eochu had chosen was his own daughter, who had been born in Midir's síd. Out of shame, Eochu, orders the daughter of their incestuous union to be exposed, but she is found and brought up by a herdsman and his wife, and later marries Eochu's successor Eterscél and becomes the mother of the High King Conaire Mór (in Togail Bruidne Dá Derga she is named as Mess Búachalla and is the daughter of Étaín and Eochu Feidlech). Eterscél Mór ("the great" son of Íar a descendant of Óengus Tuirmech Temrach, of the Érainn of Munster was according to medieval Irish Conaire Mór (the great son of Eterscél, was according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition a High King of Ireland. The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel or Togail Bruidne Dá Derga is an Old Irish language epic. Mess Búachalla, in Irish mythology, is the mother of the High King Conaire Mór. Eochu or Eochaid Feidlech ("the enduring" son of Finn, was according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions a High King of Ireland [7]
References
- ^ Dictionary of the Irish Language, Compact Edition, Royal Irish Academy, 1990, p. Dictionary of the Irish Language Based Mainly on Old and Middle Irish Materials (also called "the DIL " published by the Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy ( RIA) (Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann is an all-Ireland, independent academic body that promotes study and excellence in the Sciences 25
- ^ R. A. Stewart Macalister (ed. & trans. ), Lebor Gabála Érenn: The Book of the Taking of Ireland Part V, Irish Texts Society, 1956, p. 299
- ^ Geoffrey Keating, Foras Feasa ar Éireann 1.37
- ^ Annals of the Four Masters M5069-5084
- ^ Jeffrey Gantz (trans. Seathrún Céitinn, known in English as Geoffrey Keating, was a 17th century Irish Roman Catholic priest Poet and Historian Annals of the Four Masters AD432 entryjpg|thumb|right|Entry for A ), Early Irish Myths and Sagas, Penguin Classics, 1981, pp. Design Penguin Books have paid particular attention to the design of its books since recruiting German typographer Jan Tschichold 37-59
- ^ Heritage Ireland: Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre
- ^ Gantz, 1981, pp. 60-106
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Eochaid Feidlech |
High King of Ireland LGE 1st century BC FFE 82-70 BC AFM 131-116 BC |
Succeeded by Eterscél |
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