DeitiesEnd

Nemain--(nev-in): A battle goddess whio may be one of the three aspects of The Morrigan. Her name means 'venomous', and she is described as running and shrieking from spear tip to spear tip in battle.

Nemeton: (Nemed in Irish) A sacred place. From the Indo-European root word, 'nem', 'to lay out'. Most continental 'nemetons' were square or rectangular, while the insular 'nemetons' were circular. A sacred spring or grove.

Nera: One of the few humans to travel safely between this world and the Fairy Realm. He has a son with a woman in the World of the Sidhe.

Niamh--(n'iav): 'radiance'. One Niamh is a daughter of Manannan who dwells with Oisin in the Land of Promise. Another Niamh is the wife of the Ulster champion Conell Cernach who becomes the lover of Cuchulainn just before he dies.

Noisiu--(noy-shu): A Red Branch warrior famous for his singing voice. Deidre loved him.

Nuada--(nu-ah) or Nuada Argetlamh, (ar-ged-lor): Nuada of the Silver Hand, is king of the Tuatha De Danann when they arrive in Ireland. When he lost his hand at the first battle of Moy Tura, the great healer Diancecht made him a silver hand. Still he lost the throne, for no man could rule who had a blemish. He eventually was completely healed and regained the throne. The Sword of Truth is in Nuada's possession.

Ogham--(ow-am): Ogham is said to be the earliest form of writing in Ireland, and was the gift of Ogma Grian-aineach, 'Sunny Face'. Ogham is a method of writing letters on wood or stone that originated in a signaling or mnemonic system using the hands or fingers. The inscriptions that survive today from the Celtic era are all on stone. They are read from the ground up and use the edge of the stone as their dividing line. The surviving Ogham stones contain simple statements: a name, the name of the person who caused the stone to be put up, or the name of the person commemorated by the stone, but some could be read as markers that define territory, access, and warnings.

Oisin--(oshen): 'little fawn'. Son of Fionn Mac Cumhail and Sadb. A great warrior of the Fianna whose adventures included dwelling with Niamh in the Fairy Realm for three weeks. When he returned to this world, 300 years had gone by.

Sadb--(sive): 'sweet'. A daughter of the Tuatha De Danann king Bodb Dearg. She is changed into a fawn by a 'Dark Druid', and is found by Fionn Mac Cumhail. She resumes her human form and becomes Fionn's first and perhaps only true love. Taken by the Dark Druid, Sadb again becomes a fawn and gives birth to Oisin.

Samhain--(saw-in): The cross-quarter festival between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, celebrated by the Celts for a week or more, but now held on October 31. The time when the doorways to the Otherworlds stand open and the powers of the Fairy Realm run riot through this world.

Scathach--(skaw-ha): 'shadow'. The greatest woman warrior in the Celtic tradition, who trained the heroes of Ireland in the martial arts on the Isle of Skye. Scathach was also a poet and a seer.

Sidhe--(shee): The people of the Sidhe were the Tuatha De Danann who took the earth, the hills, and ancient mounds to dwell in after their defeat by the invading Gaels. Thus the Sidhe means both the people, the fairies, and their dwelling places, the hills (known as 'sidhes' or 'sidhe' hills). Sometimes legendary figures are described as denizens of such a place: so Midhir, for example, is of the sidhe of Bri Leith; Aonghus Og of the sidhe of Bru na Boinne. Interestingly, sidhe means "peace" in Old Irish, so the Tuatha De Danann were also known as 'Aes Sidhe', the "people of peace".

Suibhne--(siv-ney): A late Celtic king cursed by St. Ronan. He becomes mad, but many of his actions, such as flight, are characteristic of shamans.

Tailtiu--(tal-t'e): Daughter of the king of the Fir Bolg, Tailtiu is the foster mother of Lugh. Lugh made Lughnasadh a feast in her honor and this was celebrated at what is now Telltown.

Tain--(toyn): A cattle raid, such as the one described in the 'Tain Bo Cuailnge' (toyn bo cooli).

Tara: The seat of the High Kings of Ireland. 'Temair' or 'Teamhair' in Old Irish, the wall of Tea. Located in County Meath, 'middle', it lies at the center of the four ancient provinces of Ireland: Munster, Leinster, Connacht, and Ulster. Said to be named after Tea, wife of the first King of the Gaels, Eremon. The hill top shows use as a ceremonial site from before 3000 B.C.E. Rath na Rig, the 'Royal Rath', belongs to the Iron Age, and although construction of further raths eased off after the coming of Christianity, Tara was still thriving up until the Viking invasions of the late eighth century C.E. (See Cruachan and Emain Macha).

Tir na mBan--(tir-nah-mahn): "The Land of Women", one of many names for the Land of the Living.

Tir na n'Og--(tir nah-nogh): "The Land of Youth", another name for the place souls go after death. Like Tir na mBeo, the Land of the Living, the inhabitants always remain young and partake in the "Feast of Age". They drink and eat of the food of immortality, described as boar, mead, and apples.

Tuatha De Danann--(too-ha-day-dah-nan): The tribe of teh goddess Dana. One of several early groups to inhabit Ireland, they were famous for their magical powers. The Celts from Spain--the Gaels or Milesians--defeated them, and they went to live in the ground below the hills.

Uisneach--(oos-n'ech): The hill near the centre of Ireland where the precursors to the Gaels, the Nemedians, lit a fire to announce their arrival in the land. The cross-quarter festival of Beltane was celebrated there. Also spelled "Usnech" or "Usnach".

Uisliu--(oos-leh): He had three sons who went into exile for the sake of Deirdre.