Mairwen
May 25th, 2001, 07:00 AM
Tailltiu
Tailltiu (pronounced "tawl-tyeh", or "tell-shuh").: Irish. Tutulary Goddess of the Telltown region of Ulster. It is also suggested that she may have been worshipped as the Earth Mother as well as Danu and Matrona. "Tailtiu was the royal Lady of the Fir Bolg. After the defeat of her people by the Tuatha De Dannan, she was obliged by them to clear a vast forest for the purpose of planting grain. She died of exhaustion in the attempt. The legend states that she was buried beneath a great mound named for her, at the spot where the first feast of Lughnasadh was held in Ireland, the hill of Tailte"
"Two events occur rapidly with Lugh's defeat. Tanist (Lugh's dark half), having beaten Lugh, now takes over Lugh's place both as King of our world and lover to the Goddess Tailltiu. Although Tanist now sits on Lugh's throne, his official induction does not take place for another six weeks at Samhain, the beginning of Winter, when he becomes the Dark King, the Winter Lord, the Lord of Misrule. He mates with Tailltiu, who conceives, and will give birth nine months later (at the Summer Solstice) to her son, another incarnation of Tanist himself, the Dark Child."
One of the common elements of the triple God is he is the Son lover and husband to the triple goddess...
"Another common interpretation of "Lughnasadh", perpetuated by Christian historians, is "Lugh's Games" and some say it is a festival created by Lugh, in honor of the memory of Tailltiu.
"the God of Light Lugh Himself, instituted the great fair of Tailltenn (now called Teltown) in honour of his foster mother Tailltiu (pronounced Telsha). The lore relates how Tailltiu's heart broke under the strain of clearing the plain that carries her name. Lugh then ordained that the fair, with feasting and games should be held there annually for all time as a memorial to Her. Tailltiu was in fact a Goddess of the Land who founded the kingship of Ireland under the Fir Bolgs, in the time before the coming of either the Tuatha de Danaan or the Gael. It is said that the Fir Bolgs landed in Ireland at Lughnasadh, hence this festival seems to have a great deal of association with the older races of that land. The site of Tailltenn was also an ancient sacred burial place for the men of Ulster, which is traditionally the stronghold of the Fir Bolg warriors. The Fir Bolg peoples were closely associated with agriculture. Lughnasadh was an important land festival within the communities of the 'common folk'. Throughout Gaelic lands Lughnasadh is to this day known as "the festival of first fruits". It does in a very real way honor Thallium, who as a Goddess of the Land (and sovereignty), is the Earth Mother"<--believe Tailltiu may be a watered downversion of Thallium as society became more patriarchal...
"We can see many similarities between Mary as mother of Christ (the Sun King) and our ancestral Goddess of the Earth, Tailltiu, foster mother of the Sun King Lugh. La Feill Moire has retained much of its pagan roots. It is not very difficult to back-engineer this verse to regain a wholly pre-Christian expression. I shall however, leave that for the reader. In this rite the father of the household breaks the bannock, giving a piece to his wife and his children in order of age, then the whole family walk sunwise round the fire singing the rune of Mother Mary 'Iolach Mhoire Mhathair':
On the feast day of Mary the fragrant,
Mother of the Shepherd of the flocks,
I cut me a handful of the new corn,
I dried it gently in the sun,
I rubbed it sharply from the husk
With mine own palms.
I ground it in a quern of Friday
I baked it on a fan of sheep-skin
I toasted it to a fire of rowan
And I shared it round my people.
I went sunways round my dwelling
In the name of Mary Mother
Who promised to preserve me
Who did preserve
And who will preserve me..."
"It seems that a common element was the prevalence of horses at the fairs associated with Lughnasadh. Of course the White Stead is a common companion of Lugh in the lore. Even in the Ulster Cycle, the foot race between Macha and the chariots of MacNesa speak of this. The emphasis on horse races and horsemanship seem to drive home the point. This is very significant, for the horse is the embodiment of the Goddess of Sovereignty. In this her task seems to be to deliver spirits to Otherworld. A telling custom related to this belief which was once widely practised in the coastal lands of the Gaidhealtachd was for people to drive their horses down to the beach and into the sea on Lughnasadh. The Fair of Tailltenn, became a major annual event held on the 1st of August, which was attended by people of all classes in Gaelic Celtic" <---companion of Lugh being white horse(mare?)/ representation of Tailltiu/Thallium
"In Celtic mythology she sustains the God by never allowing him to achieve old age. In the ancient cycle she is the Mother who gives him Birth, the crone who gives him Tutelage, and then she transforms into the Maiden who becomes his lover. From this union he sires his Tanist or other self. She then betrays him at Lughnassadh by giving herself to his son, the god of the dark half of the year, who under her influence will not only bring him to his eventual death but will also sow the seed of his rebirth.
It is perhaps at this point in the cycle that confusion sets in. At Lunasdal, the God of the Light half of the year is not killed. In referring to the legends we discover that it is the force of growth that is taken from the God of the Light half of the year. One way this maiming took place was for the king to be tied by his hair to an oak tree with one foot on the cauldron (representing the west) and his other on the back of a horse or in some cases a sow (both these animals are representative of the southern quarter and totem animals of the Goddess). The horse or the sow was then sent from under him causing him to be maimed in such a way to destroy his fertility but not his life. His life was not taken until the period before Samhain when his Tanist, the Lord of Misrule, began his reign.
This seeming betrayal by the Goddess is in itself an act of love. Through the seeds of his Tanist, whom he himself sired, he is reborn and grows to become in turn the slayer of his rival at the time of Bealltainn, so the wheel turns. Through this eternal cosmic battle between the forces of light and dark the seasons are kept in harmony, for all life dances in rhythmic concord to this oldest tune of all."
"Tailltiu daughter of Mag Mor king of Spain, queen of the Fir Bolg, came
after the slaughter was inflicted upon the Fir Bolg in that first battle
of Mag Tuired to Coill Cuan: and the wood was cut down by her, so it
was a plain under clover-flower before the end of a year. This is that
Tailtiu who was wife of Eochu son of Erc king of Ireland till the
Tuatha De Danann slew him, ut praediximus: it is he who took her
from her father, from Spain; and it is she who slept with Eochu Garb
son of Dui Dall of the Tuatha De Danann; and Cian son of Dian Cecht,
whose other name was Scal Balb, gave her his son in fosterage, namely
Lug, whose mother was Eithne daughter of Balar. So Tailltiu died in
Tailltiu, and her name clave thereto and her grave is from the Seat of
Tailltiu north-eastward. Her games were performed every year and her
song of lamentation, by Lug. With gessa and feats of arms were they
performed, a fortnight before Lugnasad and a fortnight after: under
dicitur Lugnasad, that is, the celebration (?) or the festival of Lug.
Unde Oengus post multum tempus dicebat, "the nasad of Lug, or the nasad of Beoan [son] of Mellan."
"Tailltiu came after the fighting of the battle of Mag Tured to Coill Chuan {cuan's Wood}; and the wood was cleared at her command, so that it was a clovery plain at the end of a year, and she inhabited it afterwards. And Cian son of Diancecht {Scal the Dumb is another name of that Cian} gave his son, named Lug son of Ethne daughter of Balor, to Tailltiu for fosterage. And she desired of her foster-mother and of her friends that from her should be named that place that was cleared by her, and that she should be buried there after death."
Tailltiu (pronounced "tawl-tyeh", or "tell-shuh").: Irish. Tutulary Goddess of the Telltown region of Ulster. It is also suggested that she may have been worshipped as the Earth Mother as well as Danu and Matrona. "Tailtiu was the royal Lady of the Fir Bolg. After the defeat of her people by the Tuatha De Dannan, she was obliged by them to clear a vast forest for the purpose of planting grain. She died of exhaustion in the attempt. The legend states that she was buried beneath a great mound named for her, at the spot where the first feast of Lughnasadh was held in Ireland, the hill of Tailte"
"Two events occur rapidly with Lugh's defeat. Tanist (Lugh's dark half), having beaten Lugh, now takes over Lugh's place both as King of our world and lover to the Goddess Tailltiu. Although Tanist now sits on Lugh's throne, his official induction does not take place for another six weeks at Samhain, the beginning of Winter, when he becomes the Dark King, the Winter Lord, the Lord of Misrule. He mates with Tailltiu, who conceives, and will give birth nine months later (at the Summer Solstice) to her son, another incarnation of Tanist himself, the Dark Child."
One of the common elements of the triple God is he is the Son lover and husband to the triple goddess...
"Another common interpretation of "Lughnasadh", perpetuated by Christian historians, is "Lugh's Games" and some say it is a festival created by Lugh, in honor of the memory of Tailltiu.
"the God of Light Lugh Himself, instituted the great fair of Tailltenn (now called Teltown) in honour of his foster mother Tailltiu (pronounced Telsha). The lore relates how Tailltiu's heart broke under the strain of clearing the plain that carries her name. Lugh then ordained that the fair, with feasting and games should be held there annually for all time as a memorial to Her. Tailltiu was in fact a Goddess of the Land who founded the kingship of Ireland under the Fir Bolgs, in the time before the coming of either the Tuatha de Danaan or the Gael. It is said that the Fir Bolgs landed in Ireland at Lughnasadh, hence this festival seems to have a great deal of association with the older races of that land. The site of Tailltenn was also an ancient sacred burial place for the men of Ulster, which is traditionally the stronghold of the Fir Bolg warriors. The Fir Bolg peoples were closely associated with agriculture. Lughnasadh was an important land festival within the communities of the 'common folk'. Throughout Gaelic lands Lughnasadh is to this day known as "the festival of first fruits". It does in a very real way honor Thallium, who as a Goddess of the Land (and sovereignty), is the Earth Mother"<--believe Tailltiu may be a watered downversion of Thallium as society became more patriarchal...
"We can see many similarities between Mary as mother of Christ (the Sun King) and our ancestral Goddess of the Earth, Tailltiu, foster mother of the Sun King Lugh. La Feill Moire has retained much of its pagan roots. It is not very difficult to back-engineer this verse to regain a wholly pre-Christian expression. I shall however, leave that for the reader. In this rite the father of the household breaks the bannock, giving a piece to his wife and his children in order of age, then the whole family walk sunwise round the fire singing the rune of Mother Mary 'Iolach Mhoire Mhathair':
On the feast day of Mary the fragrant,
Mother of the Shepherd of the flocks,
I cut me a handful of the new corn,
I dried it gently in the sun,
I rubbed it sharply from the husk
With mine own palms.
I ground it in a quern of Friday
I baked it on a fan of sheep-skin
I toasted it to a fire of rowan
And I shared it round my people.
I went sunways round my dwelling
In the name of Mary Mother
Who promised to preserve me
Who did preserve
And who will preserve me..."
"It seems that a common element was the prevalence of horses at the fairs associated with Lughnasadh. Of course the White Stead is a common companion of Lugh in the lore. Even in the Ulster Cycle, the foot race between Macha and the chariots of MacNesa speak of this. The emphasis on horse races and horsemanship seem to drive home the point. This is very significant, for the horse is the embodiment of the Goddess of Sovereignty. In this her task seems to be to deliver spirits to Otherworld. A telling custom related to this belief which was once widely practised in the coastal lands of the Gaidhealtachd was for people to drive their horses down to the beach and into the sea on Lughnasadh. The Fair of Tailltenn, became a major annual event held on the 1st of August, which was attended by people of all classes in Gaelic Celtic" <---companion of Lugh being white horse(mare?)/ representation of Tailltiu/Thallium
"In Celtic mythology she sustains the God by never allowing him to achieve old age. In the ancient cycle she is the Mother who gives him Birth, the crone who gives him Tutelage, and then she transforms into the Maiden who becomes his lover. From this union he sires his Tanist or other self. She then betrays him at Lughnassadh by giving herself to his son, the god of the dark half of the year, who under her influence will not only bring him to his eventual death but will also sow the seed of his rebirth.
It is perhaps at this point in the cycle that confusion sets in. At Lunasdal, the God of the Light half of the year is not killed. In referring to the legends we discover that it is the force of growth that is taken from the God of the Light half of the year. One way this maiming took place was for the king to be tied by his hair to an oak tree with one foot on the cauldron (representing the west) and his other on the back of a horse or in some cases a sow (both these animals are representative of the southern quarter and totem animals of the Goddess). The horse or the sow was then sent from under him causing him to be maimed in such a way to destroy his fertility but not his life. His life was not taken until the period before Samhain when his Tanist, the Lord of Misrule, began his reign.
This seeming betrayal by the Goddess is in itself an act of love. Through the seeds of his Tanist, whom he himself sired, he is reborn and grows to become in turn the slayer of his rival at the time of Bealltainn, so the wheel turns. Through this eternal cosmic battle between the forces of light and dark the seasons are kept in harmony, for all life dances in rhythmic concord to this oldest tune of all."
"Tailltiu daughter of Mag Mor king of Spain, queen of the Fir Bolg, came
after the slaughter was inflicted upon the Fir Bolg in that first battle
of Mag Tuired to Coill Cuan: and the wood was cut down by her, so it
was a plain under clover-flower before the end of a year. This is that
Tailtiu who was wife of Eochu son of Erc king of Ireland till the
Tuatha De Danann slew him, ut praediximus: it is he who took her
from her father, from Spain; and it is she who slept with Eochu Garb
son of Dui Dall of the Tuatha De Danann; and Cian son of Dian Cecht,
whose other name was Scal Balb, gave her his son in fosterage, namely
Lug, whose mother was Eithne daughter of Balar. So Tailltiu died in
Tailltiu, and her name clave thereto and her grave is from the Seat of
Tailltiu north-eastward. Her games were performed every year and her
song of lamentation, by Lug. With gessa and feats of arms were they
performed, a fortnight before Lugnasad and a fortnight after: under
dicitur Lugnasad, that is, the celebration (?) or the festival of Lug.
Unde Oengus post multum tempus dicebat, "the nasad of Lug, or the nasad of Beoan [son] of Mellan."
"Tailltiu came after the fighting of the battle of Mag Tured to Coill Chuan {cuan's Wood}; and the wood was cleared at her command, so that it was a clovery plain at the end of a year, and she inhabited it afterwards. And Cian son of Diancecht {Scal the Dumb is another name of that Cian} gave his son, named Lug son of Ethne daughter of Balor, to Tailltiu for fosterage. And she desired of her foster-mother and of her friends that from her should be named that place that was cleared by her, and that she should be buried there after death."
