Queen Medb (also spelled Maeve, Maev, Meadhbh and pronounced "May-v" or sometimes "Mehv") is an Irish name of Gaelic origin. Medb is one of the most famous figures in Irish mythology, especially known from the Ulster Cycle of legends. She is portrayed as a powerful, ambitious, and complex queen who ruled over the western province of Connacht. The stories of Medb embody strength, independence, and mystique.
One night, while in bed at their stronghold of Cruachan, Queen Medb of Connacht and her husband, Ailill mac Máta, began to boast about their respective wealth. Ailill started the conversation by remarking how fortunate Medb was to be married to a man of his wealth.
Medb, however, was quick to assert her own independence and status. She countered that she was perfectly wealthy and powerful before she ever met him, pointing out that she was the daughter of the High King of Ireland, and as such, had royalty in her own right. According to Medb, Connacht had traditionally been ruled by a Queen, and her status in the province was superior to that of her consort.
This sparked a rivalry, prompting them to compare their possessions in detail. They called for their servants to bring forth all their valuables: gold, silver, bronze, jewels, fine clothes, and even their livestock. They counted everything, finding that they were almost perfectly matched in wealth and possessions.
However, there was one crucial difference: Ailill possessed a magnificent white-horned bull named Finnbennach, renowned for its fertility, and Medb had no equivalent. The story adds a twist: Finnbennach was born into Medb's herd, but out of disdain for being owned by a woman, it had defected to Ailill's herd.
Medb, unable to tolerate being outdone, was infuriated by this discovery. Driven by a fierce determination to match or even surpass her husband, she learned about the equally impressive Brown Bull of Cooley (Donn Cúailnge), owned by Dáire mac Fiachna in Ulster.
This conversation, born out of pride and rivalry, is what ultimately incited Medb to gather her armies and launch the Táin Bó Cúailnge, the great cattle raid to seize the Brown Bull and prove herself superior, setting the stage for the entire epic conflict.
Having determined in the "Pillow Talk" scene that her husband, Ailill, was wealthier due to his ownership of the magnificent Finnbennach, Queen Medb of Connacht was determined to find a bull that would ensure she was his equal or superior. She heard of the legendary Brown Bull of Cooley, known as Donn Cúailnge, owned by Dáire mac Fiachna in Ulster.
Medb, recognizing Dáire mac Fiachna's power, decided to first try diplomacy. She sent messengers with a generous offer: a loan of the bull for a year in exchange for land and other treasures.
Dáire, initially flattered by Medb's offer, agreed to lend her the bull. Unfortunately for Medb, her messengers, emboldened by drink at a feast, started boasting that if Dáire hadn't agreed to the loan, Medb would have taken the bull by force anyway. Word of this arrogance quickly reached Dáire, who was outraged by the messengers' behavior and Medb's implied threat. Feeling betrayed and insulted, Dáire withdrew his offer and refused to lend the bull.
Medb took Dáire's refusal as a serious insult and a challenge to her authority and resolved to take the bull by force. Despite receiving warnings of impending doom from a prophetess, she was confident of success, especially because the warriors of Ulster were afflicted by a curse. This curse, known as the "Pangs of Ulster," caused them to suffer periods of incapacitation, making them unable to defend their territory effectively.
Medb then assembled a vast army from across Ireland, including exiles from Ulster led by Fergus mac Róich, and prepared to march into Ulster to seize the Brown Bull of Cooley, thereby initiating the epic conflict of the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
As Queen Medb marched her vast army into Ulster, the province's warriors, the Knights of the Red Branch, were struck down by a debilitating curse, the ces noínden or "Debility of Nine (Days)". This curse, inflicted by the goddess Macha, caused them to suffer the pains of childbirth and left them incapable of fighting.
Only Cú Chulainn, then a young man of seventeen and unaffected by the curse due to his youth and divine heritage (son of the god Lugh), was left to defend Ulster against the invading hordes. This is his moment to shine and secure his legendary status, much like Achilles in Greek mythology.
Cú Chulainn didn't engage the entire army directly. Instead, he employed guerrilla tactics, harassing the Connacht army and picking off stragglers. He also invoked the ancient tradition of single combat, challenging Medb's champions one by one at the fords of the rivers. Medb, desperate to avoid further losses, agreed to this arrangement, believing she could surely find a warrior to defeat the young Cú Chulainn.
During these battles, Cú Chulainn would often enter a terrifying state of battle fury, known as the "warp spasm." His body would contort and twist into impossible shapes, becoming a monstrous and fearsome sight, striking terror into the hearts of his enemies.
Day after day, Medb sent her finest warriors to face Cú Chulainn, but each one fell before his might. The rivers ran red with the blood of the fallen, yet Cú Chulainn held his ground, his determination unwavering.
One of the most heartbreaking episodes of Cú Chulainn's Stand is his duel with his foster-brother and closest friend, Ferdia. Medb used trickery and manipulation to force Ferdia into fighting Cú Chulainn. Their battle lasted for days, a brutal and emotionally charged contest between brothers-in-arms. In the end, Cú Chulainn was forced to use his deadliest weapon, the Gáe Bolga, to defeat Ferdia, filling him with profound sorrow.
Just as Cú Chulainn seemed on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion and wounds, and having faced his own foster-brother, the men of Ulster began to recover from their curse. They rose up and joined the fight, finally driving Medb's army back. Medb, realizing her attempts to overcome Cú Chulainn were futile, grudgingly ordered a retreat.
While Medb did manage to get the Brown Bull, her victory was short-lived. The bull eventually fought with Finnbennach, Ailill's bull, and both were killed. The Táin Bó Cúailnge ends with a truce between Connacht and Ulster, but Cú Chulainn's legend as Ulster's steadfast defender was cemented forever.
Medb was initially married to Conchobar mac Nessa, the King of Ulster. However, this was not a happy or stable union, and Medb eventually left him and returned to her family in Connacht.
After Medb's departure, her sister, Eithne (sometimes called Clothru in other accounts), married Conchobar and became pregnant with his child.
At some point during Eithne's pregnancy, Medb visited her. Driven by a mix of anger, jealousy, and a desire to harm Conchobar by eliminating his heir, Medb killed Eithne while she was in her ninth month of pregnancy. In one version, the story suggests Medb drowned her sister in a river.
The unborn child was saved through a posthumous Caesarean section performed by the doctors. This child, a son, was named Furbaide, a name that fittingly means "cut out," referring to the method of his birth. Furbaide was then taken to Ulster to be raised.
The murder of Eithne would later have a profound impact on Medb's own fate. Furbaide grew up harboring a deep hatred for his aunt for killing his mother.
In a prior episode in Medb's life, she had murdered her own sister, Eithne (or Clothru, in some versions), who was pregnant with Conchobar's son. Furbaide, the son delivered by posthumous Caesarean section, grew up with a deep desire for revenge against Medb for the killing of his mother.
As Medb grew older, she had developed a habit of bathing in a pool on Inchcleraun (Inis Cloithreann), an island on Lough Ree, near Knockcroghery. Furbaide carefully plotted his revenge. He took a rope to the island, measured the distance between the shore and the pool, and practiced with his sling until he could accurately hit a target at Medb's height from that distance.
One day, while Medb was bathing in the pool, Furbaide was present at the nearby shore. According to one account, he was eating a piece of cheese when he saw his opportunity. Without waiting to find a stone, he put the piece of hard cheese into his sling and cast it at Medb. The projectile struck her on the crown of her head, killing her instantly.
After her death, Medb's son Maine Athramail succeeded her on the throne of Connacht. According to legend, Queen Medb was buried in a large stone cairn atop Knocknarea (Cnoc na Ré) in County Sligo. Tradition states that she was buried upright, facing her enemies in Ulster, even in death. This iconic burial site on Knocknarea Hill remains a prominent landmark today.