Nemain- Celtic GodDeity
Also known as: Nemon and Neamhain
Description
When Nemain shrieked over a battlefield, warriors went mad, turning their weapons on their own comrades in blind frenzy. A hundred men dead before an enemy blade ever touched them. Her voice was the weapon no armor could deflect.
Mythology & Lore
War Goddess of Frenzy
Nemain was an Irish war goddess who belonged to the company of Badb, Macha, and the Morrígán. Some texts name her as the wife of Nét, a war god. Her power was panic itself: the terror that causes warriors to lose their reason and turn their weapons on their own comrades.
The Battle Cry
Nemain's chief weapon was her voice. When she shrieked over a battlefield, warriors went mad with panic, mistaking friends for enemies in the chaos and slaughtering one another in blind frenzy. The texts describe her cry causing a hundred men to die of fright or to slay each other before an enemy blade ever touched them. In the Táin Bó Cúailnge, her scream adds to the terror of the night when the armies of Connacht and Ulster are encamped in close proximity, and warriors on both sides perish from the panic her voice induces.
The Second Battle of Mag Tuired
In the Cath Maige Tuired, Nemain joined Badb and the Morrígán in the great battle between the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians. Her cries sowed confusion and death among the Fomorian ranks while Lugh, Ogma, and the Dagda fought with spear and club and sling.
Relationships
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