Nair. [I] "Modesty." A goddess who took the High King Crebhin to the Otherworld and gave him fabulous treasures.

Naisii. [I] See Naoise.

Naked Warriors. There are many references to the Celtic custom of stripping naked to do battle or to engage in single combat. They did so from their religious concepts. Naked and at one with the world around them, the "aura" and life force of the warriors was increased. Polybius recorded, in his account of the Battle of Telamon in 225 B.C., that a Celtic tribe he designates as the Gaesatae hurled themselves naked into battle against the Romans. He did not realise that the word meant "spearmen" (Irish gae, Welsh gwayw = spear) and that they were probably a group of elite warriors like the Fianna, the Red Branch warriors, or Gamhanrhide. See Knights.

Nantsovelta. Gaulish goddess probably connected with water (Welsh nant = a brook).

Naoise. [I] Also given as Noisiu, Noise, and Naisii. The eldest son of Usna and his wife, Elbha, daughter of Cathbad the druid. With his brothers Ainle and Ardan, he was a champion of the Red Branch. When Deirdre came to wed the king, Conchobhar Mac Nessa, Naoise fell in love with her and she with him. They eloped and fled to Alba accompanied by Naoise's brothers. After some years, Fergus Mac Roth arrived in Alba to say that Conchobhar had forgiven them and invited them to return to Ulster. In spite of Deirdre's forebodings, they did so. Fergus, in fact, he'd been tricked by Conchobhar. They journeyed to Emain Macha under the protection of Fergus' sons, Buinne and Iollan, and spent the night in the Red Branch Hostel. Conchobhar then ordered the hostel to be attacked. While Buinne was bribed to stop fighting to protect his charges, his brother Iollan was killed, as were Ainle and Ardan. Naoise was killed by Eoghan Mac Durthacht, who slew him by seizing the magic sword Manannin Mac Lir had once given Naoise. Another .version says a Norse prince named Maine killed him. See Deirdre.

Narberth. [W] More popularly given as Arberth, court of the lords of Dyfed.

Nar Thuathcaech. [I] The name means "shame." He was a swineherd of the Bodb Dearg and rival of the swineherd of Ochall Ochne of Connacht. The two swineherds fought through many reincarna- tions until Nar was born as Donn, the Brown Bull of Cuailgne.

Natchrantal. [I] A Connacht champion in Medb's army who found the Brown Bull ofCuailgne and drove it to the Connacht army. In another version, this adventure falls to Buic.

Navan. [I] See Emain Macha.

Nechtan. [I] A water god and husband of Boann.

Nechtan Scene. [I] Mother of three supernatural sons, Foill, Fannell, and Tuachell, who were slain by Cuchulainn.

Nectanebus. [I] Pharaoh of Egypt, who emerges in Irish myth because his daughter Scota married Milesius. She is not to be confused with Scota the daughter of the pharaoh Cingris and mother of Goidel, the progenitor of the Gaels. There were, in fact, two pharaohs named Nectanebus in the Thirtieth Dynasty; the first ruled from 380-363 B.C. and the second from 360-343 B.C. The name Nechtan, derived from-Nectanebus, was apparently popular in Ireland, and several historical personages, as well as mythical characters, bore it.

Neide. [I] A Red Branch poet who fought a contest with Fer Cherdne for the honour of being chief poet of Ireland.

Neimed. [I] See Nemeton.

Neit. [I] Sometimes Net. A god of war. His wife appears as Nemain, part of the triune goddess Morrigan. It may well be that the name is merely a synonym for Nuada, for Nemain is often confused with Nuada's wife, Macha.

Nemain. [I] A war goddess and wife of Neit. She is listed as one of the five goddesses who hover over battlefields, inspiring battle madness Dea (Hateful), Badb (Fury), Nemain (Venomous), Macha (Personification of Battle), and the Morrigan (Great Queen or supreme war goddess).

Nemed. [I] Leader of an invasion of Ireland. A descendent of Magog and Japhet whose people spent half a year on the sea in their travels. Only Nemed and four women survive to land on Ireland. Their numbers increased from this, and Nemed was able to defeat the Fomorii three times in battle.

Nemedians. [I] The followers of Nemed. After his death they were subjugated by the Fomorii, but under their king, Fergus, they rose up. Fergus killed the Fomorii king Conann during an attack on his stronghold on Tory Island. However, only thirty Nemedians were left alive and these left Ireland in despair, searching for anew homeland.

Nemeton. A sanctuary or sacred grove. The name is found in Celtic place-names as far afield as Turkey, where the Celtic state of Galatia existed. Drunemeton, the sacred oak grove near Ankara, was recorded as the capital of Galatia. Nementacum(northeast Gaul), Nemetobrigia (Galicia, Spain), Nemetodurum (Nanterre), Nemeton (Vaucluse), Vernemeton (Nottingham, England), and Medionemeton (Scotland) are just some of the many places using this name. Neimed was the Old Irish for "sanctuary," and the word is probably cognate with Nerned, the leader of the Nemedians.

Nemetona. Regarded as a Gaulish war god, the name contains the word "nemeton" (sanctuary). There could be a connection to the Irish Nemhain (frenzy), goddess of war, or Nemed, who led the third invasion of Ireland and fought the Fomorii. Nementona was worshipped as the goddess of the sacred grove at Aquae Sulis (Bath, England).

Nemglan. [I] A bird god who appeared to Mess Buachalla and made love to her. Their son was Conaire Mor. He placed a geis on Conaire, telling him that he must walk naked along the road to Tara, armed only with a sling and one stone. If he did so, he would become High King. Conaire Mor obeyed and the prophecy was fulfilled.

Nennius. (ca. A.D. 800) An early Welsh historian who is important in connection with the origins of Arthurian literature and specifically mentions Arthur, crediting him with twelve victories over the Anglo-Saxons. In a manuscript dated A.D. 817, now in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, it is written that Nennius was once attacked by an Englishman who sneered that the Welsh had no native alphabet and had to use the Latin characters. This was a rather cutious attack as not. only did English use the Latin alphabet for writing, but it was the Celts, predominantly the Irish, who taught literacy to the English. However, the manusctipt records that, as a response, Nennius invented an alphabet to confound his critic.

Nera. [I] A servant of Ailill of Connacht who went on an adven ture to the Otherworld, where he lived, became a lover of a woman of the sidhe, and had a son. Nera escaped from the sidhewith his wife and child and warned Ailill and Medb that people of the sidhe were planning to destroy their city. Ailill sent Fergus Mac Roth to destroy the sidhe, but not before a great deal of plunder was taken.

Nessa. [I] Daughter of Eochaidh Salbuidhe of Ulster. She married Fachtna, king of Ulster. In one version of the tale she slept with Cathbad the druid and bore him a son who became Conchobhar Mac Nessa. Her husband Fachtna died and his half-brother, Fergus Mac Roth, fell In love with her. She agreed to become his wife if he let her son Conchobhar rule as king for one year. She was an ambitious and powerful woman and, after the year was up, Conchobhar refused to give up the throne and Fergus was chased into exile.

Niall Noighiallach. [I] Niall of the Nine Hostages, youngest son of Eochaidh Muigl Mheadoin, High King of Ireland, A.D. 358-366. Niall was High King from A.D. 379-405 and was the progenitor of the Ui Neill dynasty. He is recorded as raiding Britain and Gaul duting the time of Theodosius the Great. But myth and history are fused in the story of his rise to kingship whereby he has to overcome his wicked stepmother, Mongfuinn, who abandons him as a baby naked on a hill. He is raised by a wandeting bard, Torna Eices. Sithchenn the smith foretells he will be High King. Then he comes across an old hag who demands that he and his companions give her a kiss. Only Niall has courage to do so, and she turns into a beautiful woman named Flaithius (Royalty), the personification of sovranty .She foretells he will be the greatest of Ireland's High Kings.

Niamh. [I] There are three characters called Niamh in the sagas. One, the daughter of Manannan Mac Lir, becomes the lover of Oisin, dwells with him in Tir Tairnigiri (Land of Promise), and bears him a daughter named Plur na mBan (Flower of Women). Another Niamh, the wife of Conall Cearnach, becomes the mistress of Cuchulainn during the last period of his life. The third Niamh, the daughter of Celtchair, married Conganchas Mac Daire, a warrior whom no one could slay. She learns the secret of his invulnerability, and tells her father, who slays Conganchas. Niamh then marries the son of Conchobhar Mac Nessa, Cormac Cond Longes.