Lí Ban
Encyclopedia
Lí Ban is an "Otherworldly
woman" from Irish Mythology
, best known as the sister of the sea goddess Fand
, and perhaps an early sea deity herself.
She appears in the Irish tale Serglige Con Culainn
(The Wasting Sickness of Cú Chulainn), first as a sea bird, and then as an avenging goddess.
In Serglige Con Culainn she acts as a messenger and mediator. She and Láeg
, the charioteer and companion of Cú Chulainn, work together to see that Cú Chulainn is healed in exchange for his aid in Fand's battle in the Otherworld.
In Irish Christian tradition, another Liban was a woman who was transformed into a mermaid when her country was flooded (today the Lough Neagh
lake in Northern Ireland
). She lived under the sea with her dog (who in the flood became an otter) for 300 years. She later emerged as a saint in the time of Saint Comgall
.
Other World
The Otherworld is a concept in Celtic mythology, referring to a realm of the dead, the home of the deities or spirits....
woman" from Irish Mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
, best known as the sister of the sea goddess Fand
Fand
Fand is an early Irish sea goddess, later described as a "Queen of the Fairies". Her name is variously translated as "Pearl of Beauty" or "A Tear"...
, and perhaps an early sea deity herself.
She appears in the Irish tale Serglige Con Culainn
Serglige Con Culainn
Serglige Con Culainn , also known as Oenét Emire is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It originated in the 10th and 11th centuries, and survives in the Book of the Dun Cow, which combines two earlier versions. It tells of a curse of illness inflicted upon the hero Cú Chulainn...
(The Wasting Sickness of Cú Chulainn), first as a sea bird, and then as an avenging goddess.
In Serglige Con Culainn she acts as a messenger and mediator. She and Láeg
Láeg
Láeg, or Lóeg, son of Riangabar, is the charioteer and constant companion of the hero Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His horses are Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend....
, the charioteer and companion of Cú Chulainn, work together to see that Cú Chulainn is healed in exchange for his aid in Fand's battle in the Otherworld.
In Irish Christian tradition, another Liban was a woman who was transformed into a mermaid when her country was flooded (today the Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh, sometimes Loch Neagh, is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Its name comes .-Geography:With an area of , it is the largest lake in the British Isles and ranks among the forty largest lakes of Europe. Located twenty miles to the west of Belfast, it is approximately twenty...
lake in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
). She lived under the sea with her dog (who in the flood became an otter) for 300 years. She later emerged as a saint in the time of Saint Comgall
Saint Comgall
Saint Comgall, an early Irish saint, was the founder and abbot of the great Irish monastery at Bangor , who flourished in the sixth century.-Life:...
.