Macalistkk — Temair ftrcg : Remains and Traditions of Tara. 323 



It was suggested on a previous page that the name Scota had possibly 

 been modified artificially in the interests of the etymology of the ethnic name 

 Scuit. We may for a moment return to this subject. With all reserve 1 

 suggest that the name of the ancestress was originally Scathach, and that she 

 is none other than the amazon instructress of (Ju-Chulaind. The following 

 analogies seem to be worth pointing out: — 



Scathach is called ,: Scathach Buanann daughter of Ardgeimm king of 

 Scythia " in a passage which will be found printed in Erin iv SO.' Now 

 Buanann, according to an entry in Cormac's Glossary, was an important 

 mother-goddess; Ana, he says, was mother of the gods, and Buanann of the 

 heroes. This just fits in with what Scota is said to have been — the eponyni 

 of the Scotic tribes. Again, daughter of Ard-giimm, and vrife of Oll-gothach 

 are closely analogous expressions. (It will be remembered that we have 

 indicated some reason for thinking that Tea and Tephi have been confused 

 and interchanged in the corrupt version of their story, which is all that we 

 have of it.) And finally king of Scytlna and Pharaoh king of Iiggpt are not 

 far removed from one another in Irish tradition. In another passage we have 

 a different version of Scathach's parentage. 2 She is there called ingen 

 Biianuinne, rig na Scithia, "daughter of Buanainn king of Scythia." 

 Now we remember that Scota was daughter of Forann ; that Forann seems 

 to be an adaptation of Feronn; and that in another list Ainnind occupies the 

 place of Feronn. Ainnind looks like a corruption of [Bujanainn. 



The syncretistic affiliation of the incoming mother-goddess to an aboriginal 

 Pictish deity would almost inevitably result in the home of the goddess 

 becoming localized in Pictland. This is what we liml in the case of Scathach ; 

 she is always conceived of as living in the North. There seems to be a 

 reminiscence of the same order of ideas, and also of the " epic " dynasty, in the 

 personage called Scnoll maeOngai, to whom Brian, the brother of Niall of the 

 Nine Hostages, was sent in the north of Alba, to learn the art of war. 



4. — The Kingship of Tkmaik. 



We have already seen that, previously to the conquests of Cormac mac Airt, 

 Temair was of much greater importance as a. religious sanctuary than as a 

 political centre ; and we must now consider the religious rites of which the 

 liidge was the scene. The first question which meets us will be the nature of 

 the kingship of Temair. 



1 1 inn indebted to Dr. Bergiu for directing my attention to this passage, bin lie lias im 

 responsibility for the use that I am making of it. 

 - Revue celtique, xxi\, i 14. 

 3 Heme celtique, xxiv. 177. 



