Tuesday, September 20, 2005
UI's Celtic Mythology - Nemain
Nemain (whose name means "dreadful" or "venomous") , in Irish mythology, was a goddess of war. Along with Badb, Morrigan and Macha, she formed one of a group of war deities who sometimes appeared as beautiful young women and sometimes as crows, screeching over the battlefield. Nemain also appeared sometimes as a washer at the ford, presaging doom. Before his last combat, Cuchulainn saw a washer woman weeping and wailing as she rinsed a heap of bloody raiment belonging to the great hero.
I think Nemain and the other war deities are fascinating figures in Celtic mythology. They offer a spooky dimension to the Celtic tales which I think makes them all the more interesting.
I think Nemain and the other war deities are fascinating figures in Celtic mythology. They offer a spooky dimension to the Celtic tales which I think makes them all the more interesting.
# posted by United Irelander @ 12:00 AM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
