Medb
Medb
Anthony Marriott Website
"(And she)...had a subdued lustre,
like that of armour burnished and used,
like that of the undersides of high clouds
hiding the true light that suffuses
their steely grey with a borrowed brilliance.
Her dress was alive with slow lights
like still water under the stars
but in the shadow of great trees,
and her slippered feet were softly velvet."
Possession, A.S. Byatt
Alanna
loved hearing Sequanna's story. She had one more figurine and
simply
could not wait to hear her story. Her name was Medb. Alanna
pronounced her name, "Maev." Alanna was looking forward to
learning the wonderful story of Medb's life. She just knew it
would be something really interesting. The figurine was so
intriguing. Alanna quickly turned the key as she had so many
times before and waited until she heard the rustling within the
cupboard. When she finally heard it she slowly opened the box.
My name is
Medb. I am
a sovereignty goddess that loves squirrels and ravens. They are
wonderful creatures that do not receive enough attention. I was
named after the Celtic Goddess of Intoxication. I think I was
named after her because of my beauty. When people gaze upon my
beauty they become intoxicated with happiness and have the most unusual
longing to be near me always.
Kings marry me as a part of their inauguration. I used to insist that I had to have the same amount of wealth that my husband had. In addition to this small detail I have three specific criteria that my husbands must follow. One is that they must be without fear. I cannot tolerate those that are scared of everything. Another criteria is that my husband must not be mean. He must treat me in the nicest and most respectful manner. My final criteria is that he must be without jealousy. I guess this is so important to me because of the tragic event that occurred in the marriage to my first husband.
My first husband was named Conchobar mac Nessa. Sadly, my marriage to him did not last for very long. I did not do anything wrong. Conchobar simply desired the love of another. When I found out who the woman was I became extremely jealous. I simply could not believe it. I immediately wanted to cause harm to him and all of his friends and family. To make matters worse, Conchobar married this woman so quickly. I couldn't believe the woman he married...She was my sister. My own sister. My own flesh and blood.
The jealousy began to take over my life. It consumed my every waking thought. Jealousy even consumed my dreams. As soon as my sister, Eithne, became pregnant, I killed her in a jealous rage. Her son, Furbaide, survived.
While this story might sound scary, and even though I have had problems with men in the past, I am still desirable. It has even been said that I "never was without one man in the shadow of another."
However, one man got the best of me. When Furbaide grew up he became very wise and discovered that it was I that killed his father. He got his revenge shortly thereafter. He followed me and killed me while I was bathing in my favorite lake. He did it by using a slingshot with a lump of hard cheese.
Alanna could not believe the story that Medb told. It was always amazing to be able to hear the amazing stories, but this one definitely got her attention! She could not believe it was almost morning. The story made her lose track of time. Sadly, Alanna realized that Medb was the last figurine that she could put into her magical jewelry box. She could not wait to ask her mother for more figurines for her birthday! But, her birthday wasn't for another two weeks...! After giving it careful consideration, Alanna crept into her brother's room to look for his GI Joe's...
Kings marry me as a part of their inauguration. I used to insist that I had to have the same amount of wealth that my husband had. In addition to this small detail I have three specific criteria that my husbands must follow. One is that they must be without fear. I cannot tolerate those that are scared of everything. Another criteria is that my husband must not be mean. He must treat me in the nicest and most respectful manner. My final criteria is that he must be without jealousy. I guess this is so important to me because of the tragic event that occurred in the marriage to my first husband.
My first husband was named Conchobar mac Nessa. Sadly, my marriage to him did not last for very long. I did not do anything wrong. Conchobar simply desired the love of another. When I found out who the woman was I became extremely jealous. I simply could not believe it. I immediately wanted to cause harm to him and all of his friends and family. To make matters worse, Conchobar married this woman so quickly. I couldn't believe the woman he married...She was my sister. My own sister. My own flesh and blood.
The jealousy began to take over my life. It consumed my every waking thought. Jealousy even consumed my dreams. As soon as my sister, Eithne, became pregnant, I killed her in a jealous rage. Her son, Furbaide, survived.
While this story might sound scary, and even though I have had problems with men in the past, I am still desirable. It has even been said that I "never was without one man in the shadow of another."
However, one man got the best of me. When Furbaide grew up he became very wise and discovered that it was I that killed his father. He got his revenge shortly thereafter. He followed me and killed me while I was bathing in my favorite lake. He did it by using a slingshot with a lump of hard cheese.
Alanna could not believe the story that Medb told. It was always amazing to be able to hear the amazing stories, but this one definitely got her attention! She could not believe it was almost morning. The story made her lose track of time. Sadly, Alanna realized that Medb was the last figurine that she could put into her magical jewelry box. She could not wait to ask her mother for more figurines for her birthday! But, her birthday wasn't for another two weeks...! After giving it careful consideration, Alanna crept into her brother's room to look for his GI Joe's...
 Queen Mab
Poster Service Website |
Side Note: People sometimes
hear of Medb because she is in a
Shakespeare story! She has a slightly different name
though. She is known as Queen Mab in Romeo and Juliet.
There is a famous speech about her made by Mercutio: O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes In shape no bigger than an agate-stone On the fore-finger of an alderman, Drawn with a team of little atomies Athwart men’s noses as they lie asleep... Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub, Time out o’ mind the fairies’ coachmakers. And in this state she gallops night by night Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love... You can find the scene here. |
The way Alanna pronounces Medb's name is the way it is really pronounced!
I followed this story very accurately. However, I did make a couple of creative changes.
I do not know if Medb really loved squirrels and ravens. I just read that she was sometimes pictured with one on each shoulder.
Medb was named after the Goddess of Intoxication. It wasn't really because of her beauty. I just said that because it seems like it would be true since she was able to attract so many men! Her name is actually similiar to Mead, which is an alcoholic beverage. It is made of honey, water, and yeast.
I do not know why Medb's first marriage was a failure, but I think the affair with her sister seemed like a pretty brutal idea. Her husband really did marry her sister, though. So, why not a crazy affair? It fits with the story.
There was more research to use for this story! I learned a lot about Medb. It was really cool to be able to hear such a complete story.
I included this story in my Storybook because Medb is an important Celtic figure. She is one of the more well-known goddesses/queens. Because of this, she was a definite necessity for my Storybook. Like the other goddesses, I did not know anything about Medb before I wrote this story.
This story contributes to my overall topic because it is very similar to my other stories. All of my stories were about Celtic Women or Goddesses and were written in first person.
This was my final story on Celtic goddesses. I hope readers enjoyed this story. It was told in the same style that the other stories in my Storybook were told.
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