Boann was the wife of Nechtan, keeper of the forbidden Well of Segais, whose waters none but he and his cup-bearers might approach. She defied the prohibition and the unleashed waters became the River Boyne.
⚠ Nechtan and Elcmar are sometimes identified as the same figure. The Tochmarc Étaíne names Elcmar as Boann's husband, while the Dindsenchas names Nechtan.
Aengus Óg confronted Nechtan at Brú na Bóinne, threatening him with weapons and driving him from the síd mound to claim it as his own, with the Dagda's arbitration confirming his right.
The Dagda sent Nechtan on errands so he could lie with Boann, then held the sun still to conceal the pregnancy. Later, the Dagda arbitrated when Aengus Óg — the son born of that union — dispossessed Nechtan of Brú na Bóinne.
⚠ Elcmar and Nechtan are sometimes treated as the same figure (husband of Boann), sometimes as distinct; the Tochmarc Étaíne uses Elcmar while other traditions name Nechtan.
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