Amergin

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Amergin (Amairgin, Amairgen, Amorgen) is the name of two poets from Irish mythology.

[edit] Amergin mac Míled

Amergin mac Míled (or Aimhirghin), known by the epithet glúngel ("white knee"), was a son of Míl Espáine and served as a druid, bard and judge for the Milesians, who are usually identified as representing the first Gaelic settlers in Ireland. A number of poems attributed to Amergin are part of the Milesian mythology.

These Milesian colonists, led by the eight sons of Míl (Míl himself had died in Iberia, modern Spain and Portugal), came to Ireland seeking revenge for the death of Ith, an explorer who had been treacherously slain by the three kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine. The three queens of the Tuatha Dé, (Banba, Ériu and Fódla), gave, in turn, permission for Amergin and his people to settle in Ireland. Each of the sisters required Amergin to name the island after each of them, which he did: Ériu is the origin of the modern name Éire, and Banba and Fódla are used as poetic names for Ireland, much as Albion is for Great Britain.

However the Milesians had to win the island by engaging in battle with the three kings, their druids and warriors. Amergin acted as an impartial judge for the parties, setting the rules of engagement. The Milesians agreed to leave the island and retreat a short distance back into the ocean beyond the ninth wave, a magical boundary. Upon a signal, they moved toward the beach, but the druids of the Dé Danann raised a magical storm to keep them from reaching land. However, Amergin sang an invocation calling upon the spirit of Ireland that has come to be known as The Song of Amergin, and he was able to part the storm and bring the ship safely to land. There were heavy losses on all sides, with more than one major battle, but the Milesians carried the day. The three kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann were each killed in single combat by three of the surviving sons of Míl, Eber Finn, Eremon and Amergin the druid. Amergin then divided the land between his two brothers, Eber taking the southern half or Ireland, Eremon the north.

The poems of the semi-legendary Welsh poet Taliesin have similarities to those attributed to Amergin.

[edit] Amergin mac Eccit

Amergin mac Eccit was a poet and warrior in the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle. He was the son of Eccet Salach, a smith, and grew to the age of fourteen without speaking or washing himself. One day Athirne, Ulster's chief poet, sent his servant to Eccet to order an axe. The servant was shocked when Amergin uttered a precocious, cryptic poem, and ran home to tell his master what he had heard.

Athirne resolved to kill the boy, for fear that he might take his job, but Eccet had replaced him with a lifelike clay replica. Athirne showed up to take delivery of his new axe, brought it down on the replica's head, and fled, thinking he had killed Amergin. The Ulaid besieged Athirne in his house and forced him to pay compensation to Eccet. He took Amergin as his foster-son and taught him his poetic skills, and in time Amergin did indeed take over from Athirne as chief poet of Ulster. Amergen married Findchoem, sister of Conchobar mac Nessa, the king of Ulster. Their son was the hero Conall Cernach.

[edit] References

• Lebor Gabála Érenn - the Book of Invasions [1]
• John O'Donovan (ed) (1848-1851), Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters Vol 1 [2]
• D. Comyn & P. S. Dineen (eds) (1902-1914), The History of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating [3]
• Squire, Charles. "Celtic Myth and Legend." Newcastle Publishing Co., USA, 1975. Reprinted from the first edition in 1905, United Kingdom. ISBN 0-87877-029-1.

[edit] External links

• Our Druid Cousins (includes the song of Amergin)