Sencha mac Ailella
Encyclopedia
Sencha mac Ailella is a character from the Ulster Cycle
of Irish mythology
. He acts as an important judge and notable poet during the reign of Conchobar mac Nessa
. He volunteered to foster Cúchulainn
, but was only an educator. Sencha helped establish peace between the Ulstermen.
Sencha's face broke out in "blotches" when giving a misogynistic judgment. They were a consequence of a spiritual or magical ban that compelled him to behave fairly. His face was later healed when Brigit convinced Sencha to reconsider his judgment.
He has been compared to Nestor
of Homer's Iliad and Merlin
of the Arthurian Legends.
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and...
of 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...
. He acts as an important judge and notable poet during the reign of Conchobar mac Nessa
Conchobar mac Nessa
Conchobar mac Nessa was the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He ruled from Emain Macha .-Birth:...
. He volunteered to foster Cúchulainn
Cúchulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
, but was only an educator. Sencha helped establish peace between the Ulstermen.
Sencha's face broke out in "blotches" when giving a misogynistic judgment. They were a consequence of a spiritual or magical ban that compelled him to behave fairly. His face was later healed when Brigit convinced Sencha to reconsider his judgment.
He has been compared to Nestor
Nestor (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Nestor of Gerenia was the son of Neleus and Chloris and the King of Pylos. He became king after Heracles killed Neleus and all of Nestor's siblings...
of Homer's Iliad and Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
of the Arthurian Legends.