Nemglan is a supernatural figure who appears as a minor character in the Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, or "The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel", a tale from Irish mythology. Little is known about him, being mentioned only in this tale, which survives in versions from the 12th century onward. He is called a birdman or king of the birds. His name appears to be Old Irish for 'heavenly clean' or 'unclean'.[1][2][3][4] Nemglan "appeared to the heroine Mess Búachalla in the form of a bird and seduced her", fathering Conaire Mór, the high king of Ireland.[2][5]

References edit

  1. ^ Monaghan, Patricia (14 May 2014). The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4381-1037-0.
  2. ^ a b Bane, Theresa (28 August 2013). Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-1242-3.
  3. ^ Keane, Barry (2014). "Shades of Arthur: The Irish Legend of Conaire" (PDF). Acta Philologica. 45: 7–14. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  4. ^ "About our Patron – Nemglan Press". Archived from the original on 25 March 2023.
  5. ^ Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies. James Hall (Publishing). 2000.