Nechtan- Celtic GodDeity"Guardian of the Well of Segais"

Guardian of the Well of Segais

Nechtan was the guardian of the Well of Segais, the sacred source of all wisdom and the origin of the River Boyne. The well was surrounded by nine hazel trees whose nuts contained the totality of knowledge. When the nuts fell into the water, they were consumed by the salmon that swam there, and the fish absorbed the wisdom. Only Nechtan and his three cupbearers had permission to approach the well. All others were forbidden.

The Dagda and Boann

Nechtan was the husband of Boann and the lord of Brú na Bóinne, the great síd mound on the Boyne. The Dagda desired Boann and devised a stratagem to be alone with her. He sent Nechtan on an errand and, through his power, caused a single day and night to pass as though nine months had elapsed, so that Boann conceived and bore a son, Aengus Óg, all within what seemed to Nechtan a single day's absence. The child was fostered in secret by Midir, and Nechtan remained unaware. Aengus later used a similar trick of time against Nechtan himself, requesting the Brú for a day and a night and then claiming it in perpetuity, displacing Nechtan from his own dwelling.

The Breaking of the Well

Boann defied the prohibition on approaching Nechtan's well. She walked around it counter-sunwise, the direction of unmaking, and the waters rose up in fury. Three waves surged forth and maimed her, taking her thigh, her eye, and her arm. Boann fled toward the sea with the waters pursuing her, and together they carved the course of the River Boyne.