Ragallach. [I] A king of Connacht whose death at the hands of his own child is foretold. Ragallach attempts to avoid his fate by destroying his only child, a daughter. The child is saved and raised by a swineherd. She grows into a beautiful maiden and Ragallach makes her his concubine. She fulfils the prophecy.

Raighne. [I] A son of Fionn Mac Cumhail. Rann. [I] Also rannaigecht. A stanza of four heptasyllabic lines often appearing in Old Irish texts.

Rath. [I] He was lulled to sleep by a mermaid and then torn to pieces by her and her companions, a fate that occurs to many unwary mariners in the Irish tales.

Rath. [I] A fortress or earthwork, generally circular.

Red Branch.(I)The body of warriors who were guardians of Ulster during the days of Conchobhar Mac Nessa. Cuchulainn was their greatest champion. As far back as Irish tradition goes there is an institute of "knighthood." The Red Branch were the Ulster equivalent of the Fianna, the bodyguard of the High King. Out of this concept came the later medieval Christian idea of Arthur's "Knights of the Round Table." The Red Branch were founded by Ross the Red of Ulster, who wed Maga, daughter of the love god Aonghus og. Their banner was a yellow lion on a green field of silk.

Red Branch Cycle. [I] Also known as the Ulster Cycle, this is the great heroic cycle of Irish mythology. The main stories comprise thefamous epic of the Tain bo Cuailgne. Scholars accept that the cycle must have been transmitted orally for nearly a thousand years before it was transcribed. The basic text of the epic survives in theLeabhar na hUidre (twelfth century Book of the Dun Cow) and in theLeabhar Laigneach (twelfth century Book of Leinster).

Redynvre, Red Stag of. [W] One of the oldest creatures in the world in the story of Culhwch and Olwen.

Reincarnation. The reincarnation, or transmigration, of souls theme frequently occurs in Celtic mythology. Not only the gods could be born again (sometimes entering the womb of a woman as a fly or ear of corn) or pass through different stages of existence, but mortals could also participate in this complex process. In Irish mythology one of the most interesting reincarnation cycles is that of the swineherds Friuch and Nar, who go through various changes to emerge, in their final forms, as Finnbhenach and Donn, the two massive bulls who have their final clash in the closing stages of the Tain bo Cuailgne. In Welsh myth, perhaps the most fascinating transmigration tale is that of Gwion Bach, who changes from youth into hare, fish, bird, and grain of wheat and, finally, is reborn from the womb of his enemy as the great poet Taliesin.

Retaliator. [I] Dioltach. One of the three swords of Manannan Mac Lir, it never failed to slay.

Rheged. [W] The ancient British Celtic kingdom before it split into Strath-Cl6ta and Cumbria.

Rhiannon. [W] "Great Queen." Pwyll, lord of Dyfed, is seated at Arberth when he sees a beautiful maiden riding by on a majestic white horse. It is Rhiannon. Rhiannon and Pwyll arrange their marriage, but at the wedding feast Pwyll, by thoughtlessly granting a boon to a suppliant, has to give Rhiannon to Gwawl (Light), son of the goddess Clud, who is his rival for the hand of the girl. However, at Gwawl's wedding feast, by means of a ruse, Gwawl has to give her back to Pwyll. Pwyll, having entered the feast in disguise, tricks Gwawl into entering a magic bag provided by Rhiannon. Then Pwyll's men gather around to kick and beat the unfortunate man. There is a similarity here to the Irish tale of Brandubh, king of Leinster, who wins Mongan's wife from him by a similar trick and in which Mongan then recovers her in like fashion.
In the fourth year of marriage Rhiannon bears Pwyll a son, but on the night he is born the women in attendance fall asleep. The child is carried off in mysterious circumstances. Finding the child gone, the women, to save themselves, kill some dog pups and smear the blood on Rhiannon and accuse her of killing her own child. Years later, having suffered an unjust punishment, Rhiannon hears that her child is safe and has been raised by Teyrnon, lord of Gwent Is-Coed, and his wife. "I should be delivered of my care if that were true," says Rhiannon. The boy takes the name Pryderi (Care).
In the story of Culhwch and Olwen, Culhwch has to obtain Rhiannon's birds to give entertainment to the giant Yspaddaden in order to obtain Olwen's hand.
Manawydan, son of Llyr, becomes Rhiannon's second husband after the death of Pwyll. A curse falls on Dyfed and she is abducted by Llwyd, the friend of her former suitor Gwawl. Pryderi is also captured, but they are rescued by Manawydan.

Rhinnon Rhin Branawd. [W] The possessor of a magic bottle needed in the story of Culhwch and Olwen.

Rhitta. [W] A giant who is king of Gwynedd and who takes a hand in the argument between Nynniaw and Peibaw.

Rhonabwy. [W] A warrior under Madawc, son of Maredudd.Madawc's brother, Iorwerth, rose against him. Rhonabwy takes Madawc's troops to quell the rebellion. He goes to rest one night in a hut and lies on a yellow calfskin by the fire. Here he sleeps for three nights and has a wonderful dream in which he sees Arthur and his warriors as they prepare for the battle at Mount Badon.The chief incident narrated is that of the game of chess between Arthur and Owain.

Rhun. [W] He was sent by Arthur to seduce Elphin's wife.

Riada. [I] The ancestor of the Dal Riada (of both Ulster and Alba) .In the fourth century A.D. there was a famine in Munster and its ruler, Conaire, allowed his son, Riada, to go north with some of the people. He settled first in Co. Antrim and then crossed the sea into Alba (Scotland), where he formed a second kingdom of Dal Riada on Airer Ghaidheal (Argyll), the seaboard of the Gael.

Riangabur. [I] Father of the two most famous charioteers of Ulster: Laeg, charioteer to Cuchulainn, and Id, charioteer to Conall Cearnach.

Riastarthae. [I] The name given to Cuchulainn's battle fury.

Roc. [I] The steward of the love god Aonghus Og. Roc had a son by the wife of Donn, father of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Donn killedRoc's child by crushing it. Roc smote his child with a magic wand and revived it as a huge boar without ears or tail. Roc charged this boar to encompass the death of Donn's own son, Diarmuid. It went off to Ben Bulben to await its destiny. See Diarmuid and Grainne.

Romit Rigoinmit.[I] The jester of Conchobhar Mac Nessa.

Ronan. [I] King of Leinster and father of Mael Fhothartaig. After his wife Ethne died, Ronin married the daughter of Eochaidh of Dunsverick. She was young and lusted after Ronan's son. Mael Fhothartaig rejected her advances, and in a jealous rage she persuaded Ronan that he had attempted to rape her. Ronan ordered his son killed, but when he later learned the truth, he died of griefand his wife took poison.

Ron Cerr. [I] A young champion of Brandubh of Leinster. He managed to enter the camp of the High King Aedh, with whom Brandubh was at war, and slew him.

Rosualt. [I] A mighty and fabulous sea monster that was cast ashore on the plain of Murrish under Croagh Phadraig (Co. Mayo). Rosualt is said to have vomited three times in three successive years before its death. By its vomiting it destroyed all the fish and sea creatures, all the birds of the air, and all the men and fourfooted creatures on the land.

Round Table, The. According to Malory, there were 150 knights who sat at Arthur's round table, which had been made by Merlin at Carduel for Arthur's father, Uthr Bendragon. The first reference does not occur until Wace's Roman de Brut, but the most complete details of this later addition to the Arthurian saga occur in Malory's Morte d'arthur.

Ruadan.[I] A son of Bres, the half-Fomorii ruler of the De Danaan,and the goddess Brigid. Ruadan wounded the smith god Goibhniu at the second battle of Magh Tuireadh. He was slain in the combat and his mother, the goddess Brigid, came to the battlefield to bewail her son; this is recorded as the first keening (caoine, "lament") to be heard in Ireland. There is also a Ruadan of Lorrhaa, also known as Ronan, Rodan, and Ruadhan, one of the "Twelve Apostles of Ireland." He occurs in the myths for-having sheltered a kinsman accused of murder and being arrested by the High King's men- cursing the High King (Diarmuid) and Tara, the seat of the High Kings. According to the myths, Tara became desolate from that time onwards.

Ruadh. [I] A son of Rigdonn who voyaged with three ships off the north of Ireland. He was becalmed and so, with his crew weak for want of food and water, he set off to swim in search of assistance. He came on a mysterious island under the sea on which dwelt nine beautiful women. He spent nine nights with them and one of them bore him a son. A second Ruadh may well be the same character as the first. He too was on a voyage when his ship was stopped by three goddesses who took him to the seabed, where he slept with them. They told him that they would collectively bear him a son and entreated him to return to them when his voyage was done. When he did not return, they pursued him and cut off his son's head, throwing it after him.

Rudraidhe. [I] One of the sons of Parthol6n who is acclaimed as founder of the royal house of Ulster. The men of Ulster became known as the Clan Rudraidhe or, sometimes, Rudricans.