Colptha (kolp-thă) Second Milesian to go ashore at the invasion, leaving his name in Inber Colptha at the mouth of the Boyne.
Colum Cille, Columba (kul-am, kol-ŭm kil-ye; ko-lum-bă) Irish-born saint (d. 597) who founded Christianity in Scotland with his monastery at Iona.
Conaire Mór (kun-ir-ě, koh-nahr-ě mohr) Legendary early Irish king, leading figure of Togail Bruidne Da Derga [The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel].
Conall Anglonnach (kun-al, kon-al ahng-lohn-ăkh) Ulsterman held as a guarantee by Cúchulainn.
Conall Cernach (kun-al, kon-al; kern-akh, kahrn-akh) Ulster hero, frequent companion of Cúchulainn and next to him in prestige.
Conarán (kohn-ahr-awn) A chief of the Tuatha Dé Danann whose three ugly daughters try to punish Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Conchobar mac Nessa (kun-nă-khoor, kun-ko-var, kon-khor, kru-hoor, kru-hoor; mahk nes-ă) King of Ulster in much of the Ulster Cycle.
Condere (kohn-ther-ě) Lesser Ulster champion sent to meet Connla.
Congal (kun-eeal) Foster-brother and compatriot of Máel Fhothartaig.
Conn (kun, kown) One of the four swan children of Lir.
Conn Cétchathach (kon kayd-khah-thahkh) Conn of the Hundred Battles, possibly second-century Irish king, cited in early chronicles and genealogies.
Connacht (kon-aht, kon-ăkht) Western province of Ireland, ruled by Ailill and Medb.
Connla (kon-lă) Son of Aífe (2) and Cúchulainn who meets his father in combat.
Corentin (kor-en-tin) Pious hermit who converts Gradlon to Christianity, made bishop of Quimper.
Cormac Connloinges (kur-mak, kor-mak kon-long-ăs) Turncoat son of Conchobar mac Nessa who joins Medb against Ulster.
Cormac mac Airt (kur-mak, kor-mak mahk ahrt) Possibly historical third-century Irish king, subject of Echtrae Cormaic [Adventures of Cormac]. Ruler during maturity of Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Cormac mac Cuileannáin (kur-mak, kor-mak mahk kul-ěn-awn) Ninth-century bishop and scholar who compiled Cormac’s Glossary or Sanas Cormaic, which credulously treats mythical and legendary figures as historical.
Coventina (kov-en-teen-ă) Ancient British healing goddess.
Cráebruad (krIV-roo-ă) A prime residence, with a distinctive red roof beam, at Emain Macha.
Credne (kred-ĭn-ě, kreth-ně) Bronze-working god of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Creirwy (krIr-ooee) Beautiful daughter of Ceridwen.
Crimthann Nia Náir (kree-făn, krif- hahn neeă nahr) Munster warrior who tries to kill Cúchulainn using the wiles of the female satirist Richis.
Crom Crúaich (krom krookh) ‘Chief idol’ of pagan Ireland, according to Christian scribes; evidence for its existence, e.g. the Killycluggin Stone, is disputed.
Crom Dubh (krom duv) Legendary pre-Christian Irish chieftain overcome by St Patrick.
Cruachain (kroo-akh-awn, kroo-ahk-ĭn) Fortress of Ailill and Medb in what is now Co. Roscommon.
Cruaidin Catutchenn See Claidheamh Soluis.
Crunniuc mac Agnomain (krun-yuk mahk ag-no-vahn) Rich landlord who forces his pregnant wife Macha into a footrace.
Cú Roí (koo-ree) Munster wizard and warrior whose castle may have been at Cahirconree, Co. Kerry; real identity of the giant in the beheading challenge.
Cualu (kul-ŭ) Area south of the River Liffey, coextensive with northern Co. Wicklow.
Cúchulainn (koo-khul-in) Leading hero of the Ulster Cycle and the epic Táin Bó Cuailnge. Hiberno-English: Cucullin.
Culann (kul-ĭn, kul-ahn) Smith whose watchdog is killed by Sétanta (later Cúchulainn).
Culhwch (kil-hookh) Welsh Arthurian hero, lover of Olwen.
Cumhall (kool, koo-ĭl, koo-val) Father of Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Cunebelinus (koon-ay-bel-in-ŭs) Historical leader in pre-Claudian Britain, first century BC.
curadmír (kur-ath-meer) Irish term for the champion’s portion, i.e. favoured cut of pork.
Custennin (kus-ten-ĭn) Herdsman who warns Culhwch.
cwn annwfn (koon ahn-oon) Spectral Welsh dogs whose barks foretell death.
Cymidei Cymeinfoll (kum-id-I ku-mIn-vol) Ugly giantess who personifies the cauldron of regeneration; married to Llassar Llaes Gyfnewid.
Cymru (kum-ree) Welsh name for Wales.
Cynan Meiriadog (or Meriodoc), St (kun-ahn mIr-yoh-dohk) Welsh saint who led the British to Brittany, according to legend.
Cynddylig Cyfarwydd (kun-thil-ig ku-vahr-eeth) Welsh member of King Arthur’s court.
Da Derga (dah jer-ě-gě, dah der-gă) Owner of the hostel on the Dodder River where Conaire Mór is killed.
dá shealladh (dah hahl-ŭ) Scottish Gaelic phrase for second sight or clairvoyance.
Dabilla (dahv-il-ă) Lapdog of Boand.
Dagda (dahγ-thă, dag-dă) The ‘good god’, divine leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann; often named with the definite article, ‘the Dagda’.
Dahut (dah-ut) Corrupt, pleasure-loving daughter of King Gradlon.
Dáire (daw-rě) One of the many figures bearing this name is the king of Tír Tairngire; his queen is Rígru Rosclethan.
Dáire mac Fiachna (daw-rě mahk fee-ăkh-nă) Owner of Donn Cuailnge, the Brown Bull of Ulster, at the beginning of the Táin Bó Cuailnge.
Daithlenn (dath-len) One of Máel Fhothartaig’s two prize hounds.
Dál gCais (dawl gash) Petty kingdom, home of Brian Bórama; anglicized Dalcass.
Dál nAraide (dawl nar-ath-ě) Historical early kingdom on the borders of Antrim and Down, ruled by Suibne before onset of his madness.
Dál Riada (dawl ree-ă-dă, ree-ă-thă) Historical kingdom of early Scotland, the extension of a kingdom that originated in Ireland.
Damona (da-mohn-ă) Gaulish healing goddess, often worshipped with Borvo.
Danu (dahn-ŭ) Enigmatic mother goddess whose name may be preserved in genitive form in Tuatha Dé Danann. Suggested identification with Ana/Anu is not proven.
Dealgnaid (dyalγ-nă) Partholonian queen, the first adulteress in Ireland.
Dealra Dubh [dark sheen] (dyal-ě-ră duv) Representative adversary of Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Deichtine (dekh-tin-ě) Mother of Cúchulainn, daughter of the druid Cathbad.
Deirdre (der-drě; Ir. Deirdriu = dayr-drŭ; cf. ang. deer-drě) Tragic princess in one of the best-known stories of the Ulster Cycle; lover of Noíse.
Deirgderc (dyer-ě-g-derk) Another name for the Dagda.
Demne Máel (dem-nă, dev-nă mayl) Childhood name of Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Deoch (dyokh) ‘Princess of the South’, i.e. Munster, who, it is prophesied, will marry a ‘prince of the North’, Lairgnéan, in the story of the children of Lir.
derbfhine (der-veen-ě) The descendants of a common great-grandfather.
Derbforgaill (derv-or-γal) Swan maiden tragically in love with Cúchulainn.
Dian Cécht (dee-ăn kaykh, dee-ěn kekht, dee-ěn haht) The Irish god of healing; his children include Cian, Miach, Airmid and possibly Tuireann.
Diarmait mac Cerbaill (deer-mid, dee-ăr-mid mahk ker-vil) Last pagan ard-rí of Ireland.
Diarmait Ua Duibne (deer-mid, dee-ăr-mid; ooă duv-ně, ooă dI-ně) Member of the Fianna, lover of Gráinne.
díchetal do chennaib [extempore incantation (?)] (dikh-ěd-ăl do khen-ăv) Power of divination possessed by Fionn mac Cumhaill and others.
díguin (dyeeγ-ĭn) Irish legal concept that demands compensation to a king or high nobleman for someone killed while under his protection.
Dindshenchas (din-hen-é-kas, din-hγen-kas) Twelfth-century Irish document giving heroic and poetic associations of rivers, fords, lakes, hills all over Ireland. The title means ‘lore of prominent places’.
Diorruing (dir-ing) Fenian hero gifted with second sight or clairvoyance.
Dis Pater (dis pat-er) Aspect of the Roman god Pluto, ruler of the dead and the underworld; Julius Caesar (first century BC) found Gaulish counterparts for him.
Dobar (dov-ăr) ‘King of Sicily’; Tuireann’s sons must retrieve his steeds.
Doilin (dil-een
) One of Máel Fhothartaig’s two prize hounds.
Domnall Mildemail [the warlike] (dov-nal, doh-nal; mil-thěv-Il) Teacher of the martial arts whom Cúchulainn meets on the way to join Scáthach.
Domnu (dov-nŭ) Fomorian goddess, perhaps mother of all the Fomorians, and certainly the mother of the warrior Indech.
Dôn (dohn) Welsh mother goddess, mate of Beli Mawr. Among her children are Gwydion, Gofannon, Arianrhod and Gilfaethwy in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi.
Donn (don) Brother of Congal who avenges his murder in the Máel Fhothartaig story.
Donn Cuailnge (don kool-en-ě) Irish name for the Brown Bull of Ulster in the Táin Bó Cuailnge. Also known as Dub [dark].
Donn mac Míled (don mahk meel-eth) Malevolent son of Mil among the Milesians.
Donn Tétscorach [abounding in furious horses (?)] (don tayd-skor-ăkh) God of the dead and ruler of the otherworld among the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Dord Fían (dorth feeăn) War cry of Fionn and the Fianna Éireann.
Dorn (dorn) Princess and mother of an assassin, later made a slave by Fergus mac Léti.
Dornoll (dorn-ol) Scottish druidess, martial arts instructor, smitten with her student Cúchulainn.
Druim Derg (drum dyer-ěg) Burial mound in Co. Meath of Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Druim Ligen (drum ligh-ěn) Site of a battle between the Milesians and Tuatha Dé Danann in Co. Donegal.
Dub [dark] (duv) Another Irish name for Donn Cuailnge.
Dubh Sainglenn, also Saingliu (duv sahnγ-len) Less favoured of Cúchu-lainn’s two horses.
Dubros (duv-ros) Forest in Co. Sligo, containing rowan trees whose berries Gráinne craves.
Dubthach Dóeltenga [chafer-tongued] (duv-thakh, duff-akh doil-děng-ă) Fractious member of the Ulster court.
Dún Aonghusa (doon eenγ-ŭs-ă; ang. dun ang-ŭs) Imposing archaeological site on Inishmore in the Aran Islands, fancifully named for a Fir Bolg leader.
Dún Dá Benn (doon daw ben) Fintan’s fortress in what is now Co. Derry.
Dún Delgan (doon dyel-ghěn) Fort of Delga, a Fir Bolg or Fomorian king; a fortified hill two miles west of modern Dundalk, where Cúchulainn made his home.
Dún Rudraige (doon rohr-ee) Sumptuous residence of Briccriu at what is now Dundrum, Co. Down.
Dún Scáith [fort of shadow/fear] (doon skawth) Hades-like realm thought to be on the Isle of Man, visited by Irish heroes; also identified with Scottish Hebrides.
Dún Sobairche (doon sov-ir-khě) Northernmost extent of Medb and Ailill’s campaign to the east, probably coextensive with the ruined castle of Dunseverick, west of Ballycastle, Co. Antrim.
Dúnlang (doon-lang) Father-in-law of Cormac mac Airt.
Dyfed (du-vid) Medieval kingdom occupying much of southern Wales. The United Kingdom resurrected the name for a newly constituted county in 1974.
Dylan [ocean, wave] (du-lahn) Welsh sea deity, brother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes.
Éber (ay-văr) Son of Mil Espáine who divides Ireland with his brother Éremón.
Echtra… (ekh-trě) Old Irish for ‘adventure’, conventional first word in titles of travel narratives of voyages to shadowy lands.
Efnisien [unpeaceful] (ev-nis-eeěn) Malevolent, jealous half-brother of Branwen.
éiric (er-ĭg) ‘Honour price’ or fine paid for killing a noble person.
Éis Énchenn (aysh aynkh-ěn) Grotesque hag who confronts Cúchulainn.
Eisirt (esh-ĭrt) Court poet of the fairies in the thirteenth-century Echtra Fergusa maci Léite.
Eithne (ayn-yě, eth-nŭ) Of the many women bearing this name, one is the mother of Lug Lámfhota; another is an alternative name for Boand; a third, of Munster, is the mother of Máel Fhothartaig.
Eithne Ingubai (ayn-yě iny-uv-I) Sometime wife of Cúchulainn, perhaps identical with Emer.
Eithne Tháebfhota (ayn-yě thIV-ŏd-ă) Wife of Cormac mac Airt.
Elatha mac Delbaith (al-ă-ha, el-ath-ă mahk dyel-vath) Fomorian king, father of Bres.
Elcmar (elk-var) Foster-father of Angus Óg.
Elphin, Elffin (elf-ĭn) Maladroit Welsh prince who finds the baby Taliesin.
Emain Ablach [Ir. fortress of apples] (ev-in ahv-lahkh) A pleasant otherworldly realm in Irish tradition, residence of Manannán mac Lir, possible refuge of the Tuatha Dé Danann; linguistic cognate of Arthurian Avalon.
Emain Macha (ev-in ma-khă, va-khă; Modlr. eyaw-in, aw-in ma-khă) Royal seat or capital of Ulster in the stories of the Ulster Cycle. Identified with the 18-acre hill fort in Co. Armagh known as Navan Fort.
Emer (ay-ver, ee-měr) Usual wife of Cúchulainn.
Eochaid Airem (yohkh-ee, oh-khee, ekh-ith; ar-rev, ah-rem) Mortal ard rí of Ireland, paired for a while with Étaín.
Eochaid Bélbuide [yellow mouth] (yohkh-ee, oh-khee, ekh-ith byayl-vuid-ě) Nobleman murdered while under the protection of Fergus mac Léti.
Eochaid Feidlech (yohkh-ee, oh-khee, ekh-ith; fayl-ekh, feth-lekh) Yet another husband ascribed to Étaín.
Eochaid, Echaid Iarlaithe (yohkh-ee, oh-khee, ekh-ith, ekh-ath yar-lath-ě) King Rónán’s father-in-law.
Eochaid Inber (yohkh-ee, oh-khee, ekh-ith in-věr) Fearsome enemy of Labraid Luathlám.
Eochaid Iúil (yohkh-ee, oh-khee, ekh-ith yoo-ĭl) Otherworldly adversary of Labraid Luathlám.
Eochaid mac Eirc (yohkh-ee, oh-khee, ekh-ith mahk ayrk) Generous king of the Fir Bolg; husband of Tailtiu.
Eochaid Ollathair (yohkh-ee, oh-khee, ekh-ith ohl-ă-thir) Another name for the Dagda.
Eógan Inbir (ohn, oh-ěn, eohγ-ăn in-vĭr) Husband of Bé Chuma, cockolded by Gaidiar.
Eógan mac Durthacht (ohn, oh-ěn, eohγ-ăn mahk durth-akht) Retainer of Conchobar who kills Noise.
Eórann (oh-rahn) Wife of Suibne.
Epona (ay-pohn-ă) Horse goddess of early Britain and Gaul.
Erannán (er-ahn-awn, er-ahn-awn) Milesian sailor killed in the invasion of Ireland.
Erc (ayrk) Son of Cairbre Nia Fer who wreaks vengeance upon Cúchulainn.
Éremón (ayr-ă-vohn) Son of Mil Espáine who divides Ireland with his brother Éber.
Ériu (ayr-ě, ay-roo) Eponymous goddess of Ireland (Éire), selected from a trio of eponyms, including Banba and Fódla; also the mother of the hateful Bres.
Ernmass (ern-vas) Attributed mother of the trio of war goddesses, Badb, Macha and Mórrígan; also the mother of the divine eponyms of Ireland, Ériu, Banba, Fódla.
Esus (es-ŭs) A leading god of the ancient Gauls. His cult may have required human sacrifice.
Étaín (ay-deen, ay-deen, ay-thoyn) Paragon of Irish beauty; the love object in Tochmarc Étaíne [The Wooing of Étaín].
Étar (ay-tar, ay-dar) A king of Ulster; his wife swallows Étaín in insect form.
Etarcomol (ed-ar kov-ol) Headstrong fosterson of Medb and Ailill, killed by Cúchulainn.
Eterscél (ed-ir-skayl) A king of Tara who marries the daughter resulting from Étaín’s daughter’s incest with her father, Eochaid Airem.
Ethal Anbúail (eth-al ahn-vooĭl) Connacht prince, father of Cáer.
Fachan (fahkh-an) Grotesque supernatural character in Scottish Gaelic folklore.
Failinis (fahl-ĭn-ĭsh) Puppy of King Iruad, sought by the sons of Tuireann.
Fálias (fah-lee-ăs) One of the four magical cities of the Tuatha Dé Danann, source of the Lia Fáil, the Stone of Destiny.
Fand (fon, fown, fan) Beautiful wife of Manannán mac Lir; has an extended affair with Cúchulainn.
Fedelm (feth-elm fed-elm) Mysterious prophetess who foresees ‘Crimson’ at the beginning of Medb’s campaign against Ulster.
Fedelm Noíchrothach (feth-elm, fed-elm noi-khrith-ăkh) Sometimes cited as the wife of Lóegaire. She is the wife of Cairbre Nia Fer when Cúchulainn has an affair with her in the Táin Bó Cuailnge.
Fedlimid (feth-lee-meeth, fel-ĭ-mee, fel-lee-meed) Chief poet of Ulster; father of Deirdre.
Femen (fev-in) Sídh of Co. Tipperary, residence of Bodb Derg.
Féni (fayn-ee) The earliest free inhabitants of
Ireland, thought to be the purest strain, ‘pure Gaels’.
Fenian Cycle (feen-ee-ăn) Third cycle of early Irish heroic literature, centring on Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Fenians (feen-ee-ănz) Alternative name for nineteenth-century Irish Republican Brotherhood, a revolutionary body.
Myths and Legends of the Celts (Penguin Reference) Page 42
