She was once considered a historical queen but now is considered mythological.
She lived in CO. Sligo in Connaught and she was named after the Celtic Goddess of intoxication.
In many accounts the attributes of Medb are very similar to the attributes of the Goddess.
She was wealthy, powerful, desirable and a formidable opponent in battle.
She was said to have run faster than horses, worn live animals and birds on her shoulders and slept with numerous Irish kings, discarding them as they failed to satisfy her.
Firstly she married Conchbar Mac Nessa of Ulster but they did not get on well. She then married a Connaught chieftain called Ailill but that did not work out either, so finally she was married to Ailill a son of the King of Leinster.
One morning Medb was lying in bed with her current husband, Ailill. By Celtic tradition, whichever of the couple brought greater wealth to a union became the ruler of the household. So Ailill and Medb began comparing possessions.
They matched each other in everything until finally Ailill mentioned his magical great white bull.
Medb insisted that she be equal in wealth with her husband.
She discovered that the only rival to Ailill's bull was owned by Daire Mac Fiachna.
She sent messengers to Daire, offering wealth, land and sexual favours in return for the loan of the bull, and Daire initially agreed. But when a drunken messenger declared that, if he had not agreed, the bull would have been taken by force, Dire withdrew his consent.
When her offer was turned down, Medb gathered her armies and set out to invade Ulster and steal the bull.
The result was the Tain Bo Cuailnge, the Cattle Raid of Cooley,
a lengthy battle in which many legendary heroes were slain.
In the end Medb did indeed win her bull, but it and Ailill's bull flung themselves upon each other, tore each other to bits and died, leaving Medb and Ailill's wealth equal after all.
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Queen Medb had an insatiable sexual appetite and boasted openly of sleeping with thirty men in one day.
ReplyDeleteShe mated with hero Fergus Mac Roich, who himself had a large sexual appetite so that he satisfied her.
She used to know thirty men every day or go with Fergus once.
Whao! I knew the character from references but not in such detail.
ReplyDeleteI didn't knew this tradition of comparing wealth.
It is striking how modern they were in regard to sexuality and gender equality, so strikingly different from the Roman "macho" culture and the Germanic one. I am very familiar with the Germanic culture but the Celtic is rather new to me despite the fact that as Spaniard I have both in my direct heritage: Goths and Vandals on one side and the fact that Spain was a Celtic stronghold even until recent times (there are still inhabited roundhouses in the north!).
I think I will get myself a copy of the Tain.
Kudos for your blog !