Tailtiu

Tailtiu or Tailltiu (Old Irish pronunciation: [ˈtalʲtʲu]; modern spelling: Tailte^[1]) is the name of a presumed goddess from Irish mythology. The goddess's name is linked to Teltown (< OI Óenach Tailten) in Co. Meath, site of the Óenach Tailten. A legendary dindsenchas "lore of places" poem relates a myth connecting the presumed goddess Tailtiu with the site.^[2] However, linguistic analysis of the name reveals that Tailtiu as a place-name derives from a loan word of Brythonic origin represented by the Welsh telediw "well formed, beautiful."^[3] The mythological character of Tailtiu likely derives her name from the place-name.

^ Dinneen, Patrick S., ed. (1927). "Luġ". Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla: an Irish–English dictionary, being a thesaurus of the words, phrases and idioms of the modern Irish language (New edition, revised and greatly enlarged ed.). Dublin: Irish Texts Society. p. 684.
^ Gwynn, E., trans., "Poem 33: Tailtiu," The Metrical Dindshenchas, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T106500D/index.html
^ Binchy, D.A., ‘The Fair of Tailtiu and the Feast of Tara,’ Ériu 18 (1958) 113-138.

[1] Dinneen, Patrick S., ed. (1927). "Luġ". Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla: an Irish–English dictionary, being a thesaurus of the words, phrases and idioms of the modern Irish language (New edition, revised and greatly enlarged ed.). Dublin: Irish Texts Society. p. 684.

[2] Gwynn, E., trans., "Poem 33: Tailtiu," The Metrical Dindshenchas, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T106500D/index.html

[3] Binchy, D.A., ‘The Fair of Tailtiu and the Feast of Tara,’ Ériu 18 (1958) 113-138.

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