| Medb | |
|---|---|
| Ulster Cycle character | |
 Queen Maev by J. C. Leyendecker | |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Queen |
| Spouse | Ailill mac Máta |
| Nationality | Irish |
Medb (Old Irish: [mʲeðv]), later spelled Meadhbh (Middle Irish: [mʲɛɣv]), Méabh(a) (Irish: [ˈmʲeːw(ə)]) and Méibh (Irish: [mʲeːvʲ]),[1] and often anglicised as Maeve (/meɪv/ MAYV), is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Her husband in the core stories of the cycle is Ailill mac Máta, although she had several husbands before him who were also kings of Connacht. She rules from Cruachan (now Rathcroghan, County Roscommon). She is the enemy (and former wife) of Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster, and is best known for starting the Táin Bó Cúailnge ("The Cattle Raid of Cooley") to steal Ulster's prize stud bull Donn Cúailnge.
Medb is strong-willed, ambitious, cunning and promiscuous, and is an archetypal warrior queen.[2] She is believed by some to be a manifestation of the sovereignty goddess.[3][4][5] Medb of Connacht is probably identical with Medb Lethderg, the sovereignty goddess of Tara.[4]
- ^ Ua Laoghaire, Peadar (1915). Táin Bó Cuailnge. p. 2.
- ^ Fraser, Antonia (1990). The Warrior Queens. Canada Ltd, 20801 John Street, Markham, Ontario L3R 1B4: Penguin Books: Penguin books. pp. 15, 16, 17. ISBN 0-1400-8517-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. pp. 294–295
- ^ a b Monaghan, Patricia. The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Infobase Publishing, 2004. p.319
- ^ Koch, John T. Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, 2006. p.1282