Flidais
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In Irish mythology Flidais is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She is known by the epithet Foltchaín ("beautiful hair").
In the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions) she is said to have been the mother of the cultivators Arden, Bé Chuille, Dinand, and Bé Téite.[1] In the Middle Irish glossary Cóir Anmann ("Fitness of Names") she is said to be the wife of the legendary High King Adamair and the mother of Nia Segamain, who by his mother's power was able to milk deer as if they were cows.[2] According to the Metrical Dindshenchas, she was the mother of Fand.[3]
She appears in the Ulster Cycle, where she is the lover of Fergus mac Róich and the owner of a magical herd of cattle. The Táin Bó Flidais (Driving of Flidais's Cattle) tells how Fergus carried her and her cattle away from her husband, Ailill Finn.[4] During the Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley) she slept in the tent of Ailill mac Máta, king of Connacht, and every seven days her herd supplied milk for the entire army. [5] In a later version of Táin Bó Flidais she has one cow which can feed 300 men from one night's milking. [6] Another Ulster Cycle tale says that it took seven women to satisfy Fergus, unless he could have Flidais.[7] Her affair with Fergus is the subject of oral tradition in County Mayo.[8]
She is often considered a woodland goddess, and her chariot is reputed to be drawn by deer.[citation needed] She is considered to be the protector of the trees in the forest, the protector of the creatures of the forest, and (in some accounts) the protector of the miscreants of society. Bastard children, slaves, prisoners, and other traditional outcasts of Celtic society have classically fled beneathe her mythological skirts in search of refuge and safety.[citation needed] Other accounts claim Flidais to be the Celtic "Goddess of the Hunt" and she is often toted as the Celtic Artemis. While her temperament could be prone to ferocity, her classic image is one of a benevolent, poised woman, often accompanied by woodland creatures and her bow, as she herself is considered to be a huntress and an accomplished archer.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Lebor Gabála Érenn, Redaction 1
- ^ A. H. Leahy (ed & trans, 1906), Heroic Romances of Ireland Vol II p. 107
- ^ Edward Gwynne (ed & trans, 1906), The Metrical Dindshenchas Vol 3 poem 49
- ^ "The Driving of the Cattle of Flidais" From Leahy, Heroic Romances Volume II pp. 108-128
- ^ Cecile O'Rahilly (ed & trans, 1967), Táin Bó Cúailnge from the Book of Leinster, p. 146
- ^ Leahy, Heroic Romances of Ireland Vol II pp. 104-105
- ^ "The Tidings of Conchobar son of Ness" ed. and trans. by Whitley Stokes. Ériu. vol. II. London: David Nutt, 1908
- ^ James MacKillop (1998), Dictionary of Celtic Mythology
