The Celtic Pantheon Of Gods Explained

Publish date: 2024-05-07

If the hero of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology is Cu Chulainn, the villain was Medb, the warrior queen goddess of Connacht. As Mythopedia explains, Medb was the daughter of Eochu Feidlech, the High King of Ireland, and she was beautiful, demanding, and fantastically strong. She had numerous suitors, lovers, and husbands, from whom she demanded that they never act afraid, mean, or jealous toward her, which might be a natural response from them as she was stronger, both mentally and physically, than any man who approached her. When she heard a prophecy that her hated first husband would be killed by someone named Maine, she changed the names of all of her sons to Maine, just to increase her chances of revenge.

The most famous story about Medb is likely the Cattle Raid of Cooley, wherein Medb invaded Ulster in order to steal the Donn CĂșailnge, the sacred bull of Ulster. She crippled the armies of Ulster by cursing them with menstrual cramps, with only Cu Chulainn unaffected. When the curse ended, Medb was hit with a wave of cramps herself, but Cu Chulainn honorably spared her life and allowed her to retreat. Medb was killed years later while bathing in a pool when her nephew hit her with a piece of cheese in revenge for Medb's having killed her sister, his mother.

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