In Irish mythology, Boann or Boand ("white cow") was the goddess of the River Boyne. She was the wife of Nechtan or Elcmar. In the story "Tochmarc Étaíne", her lover was the Dagda, by whom she was the mother of Aengus. In order to hide their affair, the Dagda made the sun stand still for nine months; therefore, Aengus was conceived, gestated and born in one day.^[1] The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... The River Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about 112 kilometres (70 miles) long. ... In Irish mythology, Nechtan was the father and/or husband of Boann. ... In Irish mythology, Elcmar (also Ecmar, Elcmhaire) was the husband of Boann. ... Tochmarc Étaíne (Irish for The Wooing of Étaín) is an Early Irish story in the Mythological Cycle of Early Irish literature, preserved in the Yellow Book of Lecan, Lebor na hUidre, and other manuscripts. ... The Dagda is an important god of Irish mythology. ... In Irish mythology, Aengus (Áengus, Óengus, Angus, Aonghus, Anghus) aka Aengus Óg (Aengus the Young), Mac ind Óg (son of the young), Maccan or Mac Óg (young son) was a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration. ... The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. ...

As told in the metrical Dindshenchas,^[2] Boann created the River Boyne. Though forbidden to by her husband, Nechtan, Boann approached the magical well of Segais (also known as the Well of Wisdom), which was surrounded by hazel trees. Nuts from the hazels were known to fall into the well, where they were eaten by the speckled salmon (who, along with hazel nuts, also embody and represent wisdom in Irish myth). Boann challenged the power of the well by walking around it counter-clockwise; this caused the waters to surge up violently and rush down to the sea, creating the River Boyne. In this catastrophe, she was swept along in the rushing waters, and lost an arm, leg and eye in the flood. The Metrical Dindshenchas, or Lore of Places, is probably the major surviving monument of Irish bardic verse. ... In Irish mythology, Nechtan was the father and/or husband of Boann. ... This article is about the tree; for other meanings of hazel, see Hazel (disambiguation). ... Illustration of a male Coho Salmon The Chinook or King Salmon is the largest salmon in North America and can grow to 1. ... Personification of wisdom (Greek Σοφια) in Celsus Library in Ephesos, Turkey Detail from the Allegory of Wisdom and Strength by Paulo Veronese (c. ...

She also appears in Táin Bó Fraích as the maternal aunt and protector of the mortal Fróech.^[3] Fráech (Fróech, Fraích, Fraoch) is a Connacht hero in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. ...

Modern-day commentators and Neopagans sometimes identify Boann with the goddess Brigid[1] [2], or believe Boann to be Brighid's mother; however there are no Celtic sources that describe her as such. It is also speculated by some modern writers that, as the more well-known goddess, and later saint, the legends of numerous "minor" goddesses with similar associations may have over time been incorporated into the symbology, worship and tales of Brighid. In Irish mythology as it is presently constituted, Brigit or Brighit (exalted one) was the daughter of Dagda (and therefore one of the Tuatha Dé Danann) and wife of Bres of the Fomorians. ...

References

1. ^ Tochmarc Étaíne at CELT (Corpus of Electronic Texts) (ed. and trans. Osborn Bergin and R. I. Best).
2. ^ Metrical Dindshenchas, "Boand I" at CELT (Corpus of Electronic Texts) (ed. Edward Gwynn).
3. ^ “The Cattle-Raid of Fróech”. Trans. Jeffrey Gantz, Early Irish Myths and Sagas. Penguin 1982.

Tochmarc Étaíne (Irish for The Wooing of Étaín) is an Early Irish story in the Mythological Cycle of Early Irish literature, preserved in the Yellow Book of Lecan, Lebor na hUidre, and other manuscripts. ... The Metrical Dindshenchas, or Lore of Places, is probably the major surviving monument of Irish bardic verse. ...

Further reading

• Yann Brekilien, La Mythologie celtique, Éditions du Rocher, Monaco, 1993. ISBN 2-268-01631-5
• Albert Grenier, Les Gaulois, Petite bibliothèque Payot, Paris, 1970. ISBN 2-228-88838-9
• Christian-J. Guyonvarc'h, Magie, médecine et divination chez les Celtes, Bibliothèque scientifique Payot, Paris, 1997. ISBN 2-228-89112-6
• Christian-J. Guyonvarc'h and Françoise Le Roux, Les Druides, Ouest-France University Collection De mémoire d’homme : l’histoire, Rennes, 1986. ISBN 2-85882-920-9
• Christian-J. Guyonvarc'h and Françoise Le Roux, La Civilisation celtique, Ouest-France University Collection De mémoire d’homme : l’histoire, Rennes, 1990. ISBN 2-85882-920-9
• Christian-J. Guyonvarc'h and Françoise Le Roux, Les Fêtes celtiques, Ouest-France University Collection De mémoire d’homme : l’histoire, Rennes, 1995. ISBN 2-7373-1198-7
• Venceslas Kruta, Les Celtes, Histoire et Dictionnaire, Gallimard collection Bouquins, Paris, 2000. ISBN 2-7373-0297-8
• Jean-Paul Persigout, Dictionnaire de mythologie celte, Éditions du Rocher, Monaco, 1985. ISBN 2-268-00968-8