Banba: The Spirit of Ireland
By: Luna Esque
Greetings, Sisters who reside within the sacred Goddess Tree.
Banba (pronounced BAHN-va) stands as the Celtic Goddess representing the essence of Ireland. Her name translates to “unplowed land” and is also referenced as Banbha, Bandha, Bánbhé, or Bánubh. She is one of the revered Tuatha de Danaan, the people of the Goddess Danu. Upon the arrival of the Milesians to Ireland and their conquest, Banba along with her sisters, Ériu and Fodla, petitioned to have the land named after them. While Ériu’s plea was granted, the name Banba still appears in various contexts. Ériu triumphed due to her generous offering to the Milesians, and subsequently, the island became known as Eire, a name universally recognized as Ireland. These three sisters embody the spirit of the nation.
In the lore of Ireland, Ériu (modern Irish Éire), also acknowledged as Eri, is the celebrated matron goddess of the island, a daughter of Ernmas from the Tuatha Dé Danann. The green isle, situated at the western fringe of Europe, carries the name of its goddess, Ériu. The absence of the names Fódla or Banba for the island is attributed to the myth surrounding the Milesians. They encountered the three land goddesses who sought to have the island named in their honor. Banba, known for her magic, made her demand from her favored mountain, as did Fódla, who made her appeal at her own peak as the invaders continued their journey. Each goddess delayed the Milesians, and to each, promises were made. Yet, it was Ériu, encountered at the heart of the land, who proposed a more prosperous future. Thus, the chief Bard of the Milesians, Amairgin, chose to name the island after Ériu, leading to Erinn (meaning “of Ériu”). Fódla and Banba’s names live on as poetic alternatives for expressing Ireland.
The trio of sisters—Banba, Ériu, and Fodla—may also symbolize a variation of the Goddess trinity. While there is limited documentation about these figures, in “365 Goddess” by Patricia Telesco, Banba finds celebration among the Scots. They ignite a tar-filled barrel (the Clavie) and carry it around their towns as a ritual to disperse negative energies, particularly those of a magical nature. The ashes remaining from the Clavie are collected by the people as protective amulets. On January 11, Telesco suggests performing a small ritual by burning a piece of wood while reciting: “Banba, burn away negativity, burn away malintent. Let the energy return from where it was sent.” The ashes are then preserved as a safeguard against all forms of malevolent magic.
Banba and her sisters are the offspring of Ernmas, a divine maternal figure, who also mothers another triad of deities—Badb, Macha, and Anu, collectively known as the Morrigan. While Banba and her sisters embody Ireland’s sovereignty, the latter trio represents warfare and the nation’s defense. Banba’s spouse, MacCuill, was among the last kings of the Tuatha de Danaan, accompanied by his brothers MacCecht and MacGreine.
According to Telesco, Banba is not only a Goddess of the land but also a warrior goddess who grants refuge to her followers, wielding potent magic on their behalf. In Irish culture, she safeguards the territory from potential threats. As acknowledgment of her magical powers, Banba’s name has been linked with ancient poetic titles for various regions throughout Ireland, leading to venues such as cafés and pubs adopting her name. Notable is the poem dedicated to Banba by James Clarence Mangan titled “Lament for Banba.”
Lament for Banba
by James Clarence Mangan
O My land! O my love!
What a woe, and how deep,
Is thy death to my long mourning soul!
God alone, God above,
Can awake thee from sleep,
Can release thee from bondage and dole!
Alas, alas, and alas!
For the once proud people of Banba!
As a tree in its prime,
Which the axe layeth low,
Didst thou fall, O unfortunate land!
Not by time, nor thy crime,
Came the shock and the blow.
They were given by a false felon hand!
Alas, alas, and alas!
For the once proud people of Banba!
O, my grief of all griefs
Is to see how thy throne
Is usurped, whilst thyself art in thrall!
Other lands have their chiefs,
Have their kings, thou alone
Art a wife, yet a widow withal!
Alas, alas, and alas!
For the once proud people of Banba!
The high house of O’Neill
Is gone down to the dust,
The O’Brien is clanless and banned;
And the steel, the red steel
May no more be the trust
Of the Faithful and Brave in the land!
Alas, alas, and alas!
For the once proud people of Banba!
True, alas! Wrong and Wrath
Were of old all too rife.
Deeds were done which no good man admires
And perchance Heaven hath
Chastened us for the strife
And the blood-shedding ways of our sires!
Alas, alas, and alas!
For the once proud people of Banba!
But, no more! This our doom,
While our hearts yet are warm,
Let us not over weakly deplore!
For the hour soon may loom
When the Lord’s mighty hand
Shall be raised for our rescue once more!
And all our grief shall be turned into joy
For the still proud people of Banba!
Thomas Boyd also composed a poem in memory of Banba, the first piece featured in his book “Inis Fail,” which contains numerous other poetic works.
Banba
by Thomas Boyd
I have seen thee, O Banba!
There was a storm upon Breathy height,
The scream of the storm in the night,
And a hallowed silence fell
On the winds and the foaming hell
Of the seas when I saw thee arise
With the lure of God in thine eyes:
Not dark, as the hearts we bear,
But ensnared everlastingly fair,
On the darkness, O Banba!
Thou are lovely, O Banba!
Alone by the Western rocks!
And the burning gold of thy locks,
Down-streaming, a magical tide,
Over shoulder and radiant side,
In waves in whose shadows were lost
The lives of thy sacrificed host,
And in gleaming of curling crests,
Still lift, as of old, our breasts
With thy rapture, O Banba!
And we love thee, O Banba!
Though the spoiler by in thy hall,
And thou art bereft of all,
Save only that Spirit for friend
Who shapes all things in the end:
Through thine eyes are a sword that has slain
Thy lovers on many a plain,
When glad to the conflict they pressed
Drunk with the light of thy breast
to die for thee, Banba!
Thou art might, O Banba!
More rich in thyself alone
Than that harlot upon a throne,
Whose lure is on every flood
And whose robes are the price of blood.
She will pass with the shades that have passed:
Thou wilt last with the Powers that last:
Thou has eaten of Bread Divine,
Thou has drunken Eternal Wine;
Thou art mighty, O Banba!
