I am doing some research for a story I am working on and I wanted to be certain that a family connection I am making is correct MacGrene is the son of Ogham, who was married to Etan. Is Etan, MacGrene's mother? Shae, Acc help!!! I can not find any text that makes the correlation nor any that refutes it. Also, could you cite the text (if you know it off hand) that says. The Southern United States is not exactly known as a grand repository of Irish Folklore and Legends. If I cannot find it on the web, it usually takes weeks to get information through the public library and then only if I know the name of the book, and possibly who published it.

These particular waters seem to be very muddied, Daryl. What follows is based mainly on R.A.S. Macalister’s translation of Lebor Gabala Erenn (The Book of the Takings of Ireland) published by the Irish Texts Society, London, 1941. (We Irish didn’t have WWII at the time. We had The Emergency instead!)

Ogham was one of the Tuatha De Danann and is called Ogma or Oghma in the old texts. He is usually regarded as the ‘inventor’ of the Ogam script but that appears only in later texts. He was killed in the second Battle of Moytura before he could become king of anywhere and so doesn’t feature much in the early texts. He had two sons, Delbaeth and Ollom. His wife was Etan, daughter of Dian Cecht, the leech who made the silver arm for Nuadu. I can’t find anything to say whether she was or was not the mother of Delbaeth and/or Ollam but, in my opinion, there’s no reason to assume she wasn’t. We do know that Ogma later had a third son, Tuirenn, and that Etan was his mother.

Ogma was given the title ‘Grianainech’ because of his sunny countenance, so it seems likely that Delbaeth and MacGreine are the same person (MacGreine = son of the sun). Delbaeth is most famous for being the father of the three war furies, Badb, Macha and Morrigu. Macalister says that ‘Morrigu’ is an epithet and that her real name was Anand or Danand. Their mother was Ernmas, a daughter of Nuadu’s grandfather, and it gets really complicated after that. Some people reappear as their own great-great-great-great grandaughters! This is often used as evidence for a Celtic belief in reincarnation.

Who was the mother of the Furies?

See above. Ernmas.

Can't remember if I already gave this link to the story of the Second Battle of Moytura. There's a bit more about Ogma in the story.

http://gofree.indigo.ie/~ogma/moytura2.html

Great Site. I have texts (mostly fairly modern ones) that say Oghma had three sons who were all Kings of Ireland, and that they were married to the Triple Goddess Eriu and her sisters. I am certain of the Marriage of MacGreine and Eriu, but the others I have not found any older texts to support except that usually Triple Goddesses married Triple Gods. MacGreine was a warrior god, so it makes sense that he would be the father of the Furies also known as the Triple Goddess of Destruction, and collectively as the Morrigan.

Nemain is one of the main characters in the story I am writing, who is tied strongly to Badb (some have even suggested that they were the same Goddess) and was the only one of the Goddesses associated with the Morrigan that I have found numerous references to as being exceedingly beautiful. I have not found alot of writings about her except that she was supposed to have married Neit sp? Niet. Of him I can find nothing. Can you drum up info on Nemain? I may have it already, but I am hoping that you can obtain info that I do not have.

The Morrigan, Badb and Macha are often refered to collectively as the Morrigan. Macha is also known as Nemain or Nemhain. She features in the story about the founding of Emain Macha (the twins of Macha) and is associated with horses. She may equate with Epona who was the Gallic horse goddess. In Irish mythology, there is a suggestion that severed human heads were sacrificially offered in her honour.

I do have conflicting accounts on who Nemain was associated with, Michael Thames in his book Mythical Ireland (c1992 Thames and Hudson Ltd, London) draws a clear connection between Macha and Nemain by refering to both of them seperately as the other sister of Badb and Morrigu. He does not actually state a connection between the two names as belonging to the same Goddess.

Angelique Gulermovich Epstein in her/his? discertation War Goddess: The Morr’gan and her
Germano-Celtic Counterparts (circa 1998 for the University of California, Los Angeles), draws the connection between Badb and Nemain showing that Nemain was often referred to as Nemain the Badb and both were supposed to have been married to Neit.

Which is correct/wrong??? I do not think that can be answered clearly. While this tale is fiction, I am attempting to keep the details of the deities involved as true to common Mythology and Folklore as I can. When I am done with it, would you mind proofreading it for accuracy? I make various jumps in logic to tie the main character deities to some legends that do not state a specific deity's name. (That I am aware of, anyway.) I estimate that I will be done with the first write by the end of summer. If so, send me an e-mail for I don't think Acc would be happy with me posting a story that is in excess of 100 pages, on the Tir. I know this is alot to ask, so if you decline, I will understand. If you accept, I will make certain to credit you as the Mythological Editor.

Ms. Epstein's thesis on the Morrigan is the best I've found on the web. I hope her example will encourage others to do the same. It highlights some of the problems faced by students of Irish mythology. In some versions, Nemain is Badb. In others she is Macha. All three can be included under the umbrella title of Morrigan. Morrigan isn't the name of a particular personnage. The name means either "Great Queen" or "Phantom Queen." Whatever it means, Badb, Macha and the Morrigan are all the same person. They are different aspects of the same deity. It's a bit like the concept of the Trinity in the Christian tradition.

I'd be delighted to proof-read your tale. Dunno if I want to be called the Mythological Editor, though. Mythical Editor might be better. Then I can claim I don't exist when you become famous. I'm kinda humble, y'know. Can't handle adulation!

I know of no better source of information than you, Shae. I thank you for all of your support.