Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #iron-age, aggregated by home.social.
More than 30 Iron Age houses found at 2,800-year-old settlement in the Alps
Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of more than 30 houses at Galgenbichl in Niederrasen, South Tyrol, Italy. The settlement dates from 800 to 500 BCE. The finds come from excavations linked to construction work for a new road entrance to Antholz and Olang...
More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/09/iron-age-houses-found-at-settlement-in-the-alps/
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https://www.europesays.com/3290349/ Iron Age household in Spain ate old cattle and deer, while horse and turtle meat featured in special feasts #ArchaeologyOfFood #ArchaeologyOfIberia #IronAge #spain #Zooarchaeology
Iron Age household in Spain ate old cattle and deer, while horse and turtle meat featured in special feasts
An Iron Age household in central Spain relied on old livestock, hunted deer, and special animal meals, according…
#Spain #ES #Europe #Europa #EU #ArchaeologyofFood #ArchaeologyofIberia #IronAge #Zooarchaeology
https://www.europesays.com/spain/95586/
Iron Age skulls from Matelica, Italy show flat head syndrome in 42% of adults tested, centuries before “Back to Sleep.” What did ancient parents do that flattened their babies’ heads? #Paleopathology #IronAge #Bioarchaeology https://www.anthropology.net/p/flat-head-syndrome-in-42-of-iron
Rivers of Awen blends archaeology, craft, and ancient myth into a tabletop experience you can play solo, in spoken bardic circles, or with a group. #ironage https://www.geeknative.com/242667/kin-craft-and-ancestors-rivers-of-awen-review/
More than 1 tonne of Iron Age iron bars found in Austria is Europe’s largest assemblage
A huge pile of rusted iron bars found beside the Danube in Austria is the largest such find in Europe. Workers uncovered the mass of iron in 2019 during gravel extraction at Deinham in Upper Austria. The find lay in a silted-up branch of the Danube River. Researchers have now dated the bars to the Late Iron Age...
More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/09/1-tonne-of-iron-age-iron-bars-found-in-austria/
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https://www.europesays.com/ch/137405/ More than 30 Iron Age houses found at 2,800-year-old settlement in the Alps #Alps #IronAge #Zooarchaeology
Nearly 2,000 years after his death, the Osterby Man still preserves an extraordinary hairstyle. Only his head was found in a German bog—but how he died, and why his head ended up there, remains a mystery.
#OsterbyMan #BogBody #IronAge #Archaeology #AncientHistory #HistoricalMysteries
Read More: https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/osterby-man-still-has-great-hairdo-nearly-2000-years-007683
Phoenicians, not Romans, brought wine to Spain, ancient grape DNA shows
Wine growing in the Iberian Peninsula began about 3,000 years ago with grapevines from the eastern Mediterranean, according to new research. Ancient DNA links the first cultivated vines in southern Iberia to domesticated grapes from regions around the eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans...
More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/09/phoenicians-brought-wine-to-spain/
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#archaeology #ironage #medieval #wine #romanempire #phoenicians
☕ #News 🇪🇺 #Europe 🇪🇺 #IronAge #Danube 🇦🇹 #Austria 🇦🇹 – Late Iron Age, 4th to 1st century B.C. 🙂
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
A sunken ship cargo of 500 bip...
https://www.europesays.com/3264964/ Laser scans reveal 23 previously unknown ship carvings at Bronze Age temple in Cyprus #BronzeAge #cyprus #GraffitiAndRockArtResearch #IronAge #MaritimeArchaeology #MediterraneanArchaeology
Laser scans reveal 23 previously unknown ship carvings at Bronze Age temple in Cyprus https://www.byteseu.com/2386539/ #BronzeAge #Cyprus #GraffitiAndRockArtResearch #IronAge #MaritimeArchaeology #MediterraneanArchaeology
More than 1 tonne of Iron Age iron bars found in Austria is Europe’s largest assemblage
A huge pile of rusted iron bars found beside the Danube in Austria is the largest such find…
#Europe #EU #AncientMetallurgy #IronAge
https://www.europesays.com/europe/143005/
More than 1 tonne of Iron Age iron bars found in Austria is Europe’s largest assemblage https://www.byteseu.com/2385225/ #AncientMetallurgy #Austria #IronAge
https://www.europesays.com/3263977/ More than 1 tonne of Iron Age iron bars found in Austria is Europe’s largest assemblage #AncientMetallurgy #austria #IronAge #Nachrichten #Österreich
More than 1 tonne of Iron Age iron bars found in Austria is Europe’s largest assemblage
A huge pile of rusted iron bars found beside the Danube in Austria is the largest such find…
#Austria #AT #Europe #Europa #EU #AncientMetallurgy #austria #IronAge #Nachrichten #Österreich
https://www.europesays.com/3263977/
Huge Iron Age salt-mining complex found beneath Hallstatt in Austria
Archaeologists have found a huge network of Iron Age salt-mining chambers beneath Hallstatt, Austria. The chambers extend for at least 300 meters and offer new evidence about how prehistoric miners worked deep inside the mountain...
More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/09/iron-age-salt-mining-complex-beneath-hallstatt/
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#archaeology #archeology #archaeologynews #anthropology #saltmine #ironage
Phoenicians, not Romans, brought wine to Spain, ancient grape DNA shows
Wine growing in the Iberian Peninsula began about 3,000 years ago with grapevines from the eastern Mediterranean, a…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #MediterraneanWine #SpanishWine #Archaeobotany #Archaeogenetics #ArchaeologyofIberia #HistoryofDrinking #IronAge #medieval #phoenicia #RomanArchaeology #spanishwine #Wine
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2819649/phoenicians-not-romans-brought-wine-to-spain-ancient-grape-dna-shows/
Phoenicians, not Romans, brought wine to Spain, ancient grape DNA shows
Wine growing in the Iberian Peninsula began about 3,000 years …
#dining #cooking #diet #food #mediterranean #MediterraneanDiet #MediterraneanFood #MediterraneanWine #SpanishWine #Archaeobotany #Archaeogenetics #ArchaeologyofIberia #HistoryofDrinking #IronAge #medieval #phoenicia #RomanArchaeology #spanishwine #Wine
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2819649/phoenicians-not-romans-brought-wine-to-spain-ancient-grape-dna-shows/
Phoenicians, not Romans, brought wine to Spain, ancient grape DNA shows https://www.diningandcooking.com/2819649/phoenicians-not-romans-brought-wine-to-spain-ancient-grape-dna-shows/ #Archaeobotany #Archaeogenetics #ArchaeologyOfIberia #HistoryOfDrinking #IronAge #medieval #phoenicia #RomanArchaeology #SpanishWine #Wine
Phoenicians, not Romans, brought wine to Spain, ancient grape DNA shows https://www.byteseu.com/2376668/ #Archaeobotany #Archaeogenetics #ArchaeologyOfIberia #HistoryOfDrinking #IronAge #medieval #phoenicia #RomanArchaeology #Spain
Huge Iron Age salt-mining complex found beneath Hallstatt in Austria https://www.byteseu.com/2360319/ #Austria #IronAge
Huge Iron Age salt-mining complex found beneath Hallstatt in Austria
Archaeologists have found a huge network of Iron Age salt-mining chambers beneath Hallstatt, Austria. The chambers extend for…
#Austria #AT #Europe #Europa #EU #austria #IronAge #Nachrichten #Österreich
https://www.europesays.com/3247449/
https://www.europesays.com/3247449/ Huge Iron Age salt-mining complex found beneath Hallstatt in Austria #austria #IronAge #Nachrichten #Österreich
https://www.europesays.com/3247449/ Huge Iron Age salt-mining complex found beneath Hallstatt in Austria #austria #IronAge #Nachrichten #Österreich
Roots Burrow Deep; Shoots Grow: A Newsletter
:
I’m in the thick of writing. A couple chapters away from finishing section one (ten chapters). Each month, I produce a newsletter. It helps me get all the crazy and sometimes perfectly fantastical connections, research, symbols (really, all the things writers geek out about) down. It also allows Storytimers to see a bit of the “behind the scenes” as I’m writing.
What I’ve really worked hard at during this entire book is I want a conversation beneath the conversation. To do that, I’ve gone way out of my way and spent way too many hours doing way too intense deep dives into etymology. It’s like mining for gold, really. Many times, I start researching the context and linguistic changes of a word and don’t get very far because it means, boringly, very much like its modern meaning. In those cases, I’ve literally stopped writing for a few days to decide: does this word hold enough weight in the story for me to keep digging for a gold-lined synonym or should I just use it and move on?
Clan was a word that stopped me. I knew I needed a word that was true to very old Irish that meant family or unit or something similar; clan was the first that popped into my head. But I also had “kin” on the list and “tribe.” This newsletter is really about why I settled on “clan.” Its history touches on broad themes that Móin & Marrow share.
You can view the newsletter below or, if you’d like to see it in large print, you can download it.
The page, Móin & Marrow , will give you lots more information on what this book is about, more samples, a video…
_Móin & Marrow Newsletter 09.10.2026DownloadIf you’d like to be a part of Chapter Chats – it’s a Friday email that delves into backstories, histories, characters, themes and a lot more. To be a part of that, simply fill out the below!
Submit a form. #abuse #blogging #books #clans #domesticAbuse #fiction #history #inspiration #ireland #ironAge #newsletter #women
2,400-year-old Iron Age timber structure found beside Germany’s Main River
A 2,400-year-old timber structure found beside the Main River in Aschaffenburg, Germany, is giving archaeologists new evidence about Iron Age building skills and the importance of the nearby settlement...
More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/09/iron-age-timber-structure-beside-germanys-river/
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Iron Age bronze needs copper and tin. Copper sources across ancient Africa were varied — traded, mixed, regional. The tin is different. A new study fingerprinted the metal in Iron Age artifacts across the continent. Almost all of it traces to one mountain valley. Smiths across centuries and thousands of miles, drawing from the same place. #archaeology #history #ironage
2,400-year-old Iron Age timber structure found beside Germany’s Main River
A 2,400-year-old timber structure found beside the Main River in Aschaffenburg, Germany, is giving archaeologists new evidence about…
#Germany #DE #Europe #EU #Europa #Archaeobotany #IronAge
https://www.europesays.com/germany/83618/
A Raspberry Pi and 16 LED wavelengths pulled invisible layers out of a meter of black Iron Age soil at Sorte Muld, Bornholm, and made bone fluoresce without filters. Roughly 20x cheaper than hyperspectral. #Archaeology #Geoarchaeology #IronAge https://www.anthropology.net/p/sixteen-wavelengths-on-an-iron-age
Someone placed a woman inside a mysterious ancient chamber never designed as a grave. Two thousand years later, the reason she was there remains unknown.
#AncientMystery #IronAge #Unsolved #Scotland
Read more:https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/iron-age-burial-scotland-00103097
2,500-year-old Iron Age settlement with mysterious ditch found in Bochum
Archaeologists have found the first known prehistoric settlement remains in the southwestern part of Bochum, Germany. The finds include a 2,500-year-old ceramic bowl, a decorated spindle whorl, and traces of an ancient farmstead. The remains came to light before construction began on a new housing project in the Linden district...
More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/08/iron-age-settlement-mysterious-ditch-bochum/
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La cultura tashtyk (s. I-VII d.C.) aplicaba yeso sobre la cara de los difuntos para crear una máscara funeraria. Esta cubría el cráneo de un hombre de los siglos III-IV d.C. que probablemente murió por un corte desde el ojo hacia la mandíbula izquierda. Como otros hombres, su máscara es roja con líneas negras. Las mujeres solían tener máscaras blancas con espirales rojas. 🏛️Hermitage #edaddelhierro #ironage
The Breaking of Rules
I’ve been writing books a very long time. At least 38 of my 45 years. I’ve got oodles and oodles of stories. And hundreds of hundreds of characters. With a handful of exceptions — Taya, maybe, Ainela, Aria and, arguably, Alina — my female characters are pretty consistent. Wary, wounded, artistic and resourceful. I won’t say they need rescue, per se, but they do need someone to at least point out that a different way exists. Again with the exceptions notated, most of the time they are highly unlikely to “rock the boat” or break rules because they have been taught that obedience is the only avenue to safety. Lying to a parent would never cross their minds. They might sneak out of the house — Daphne and Abrielle both guilty of this — but only out of necessity (hunger drove Daphne out; protecting her sister drove Abrielle). I’m almost halfway through section one of The Way of Water and Bréaca has lied to her father, snuck out of the house at night, exaggerates stories and, generally, pushes the boundaries of what others expect her to do.
She’s different than even my exceptions.
Ainela was openly defiant, and proud of it. She wanted to rock the boat. It was the one time she didn’t that was the most heartbreaking in the book. Bréaca doesn’t intentionally want to disobey; she just can’t help herself. She isn’t trying to change a system or even operate outside of it, necessarily. She just wants to be… Bréaca.
Aria and Taya wore defiance as a mask. “At least they’ll have something to talk about.” They broke rules because they were already being bullied and / or abused. If Taya couldn’t make them her friends, then she wouldn’t sit idly by: she would at least give them something truthful to say about her. Taya’s natural defense mechanism was anger and that came across as rebellious. Bréaca isn’t angry. No one is abusing her in any way (yet). No one is bullying her (yet). Defiance is not her defense mechanism; it is just who she is.
Alina was blind and, because of this, she valued independence above all else–even friendship. Even, when push came to shove, her brother. She wasn’t defiant, but she was just this shy of disloyal… because she was trying to prove that she herself was worth something. Bréaca isn’t trying to prove anything, not even that girls deserve the same privileges as boys. She’s willing to live inside a male-dominated society… as long as she can also be safe.
An analysis of my female characters’ evolution fascinates me because of what it might say about how far I’ve come — or not. Because, interestingly, I struggle with independent-minded female characters. One of the things I’m grappling hard with is that nearly every one of my characters – I can’t think of a single exception – had something or someone to help her find a path out. Sometimes it was the arts in some way (drawing, music, writing, dancing). Sometimes it was nature. Most of the time it’s been another person. By the time the story finishes, Bréaca doesn’t have anyone or anything to help her. There’s only about 2.3 million rabbit holes I could dive into about that but, suffice to say, it’s playing hard with me. Also, a small confession: most of the time, I don’t like my independent-minded heroines, like Ainela or Alina, as much as I do characters like Daphne or Soryelle and I think that’s because they have to fight harder and the fighting changes them (cue another million rabbit holes).
I know I’m still very early into the writing of this book but, so far, I’m finding I’m quite loving Bréaca and her spirited self. Below is a random excerpt.
For context:
In this sample, Bréaca is ten and Lugaid is fourteen. They are not, and will not ever, be romantically linked: they are, however, friends. Lugaid becomes important because he is the only one who truly sees Bréaca for who she is–and accepts her as such.
Tentatively, this should be published in early 2027. You can read a lot more on the pages for The Way of Water . Also, if reading about the story, which, at its heart, includes themes of domestic and sexual violence, stirs some tender or vulnerable things, The Holding Room has a ton of things that might help.
This is copyrighted material and every word I write carries hidden memories of my own life; link to your heart’s content, but please do not try and steal my work.
In 2023, human remains were uncovered during peat harvesting near Bellaghy, Northern Ireland. She had lived more than two thousand years ago. Her head was missing. Plant material remained gathered beneath her knees. Archaeology can tell us something about how she died, but almost nothing about who she was.
The Way of Water begins in that silence.
Rules to follow if I am to escape a never-ending parade of tasks: as soon as I consume breakfast and complete morning chores, leave. The earlier I disappear, the easier it is. There are always things to be done and Máthair always summons me to help if she sees me. You will need to know how to do these things on your own soon enough.
But soon enough is not today.
The morning wakes slowly. Purple and pink streak across the pale blue sky before the sun washes the colors away. A robin flies past; I run after it, spreading my arms as if they were wings. If I run fast enough, maybe the wind will pick me up and I can fly too. I won’t have long at the river; there are chores still. Athair says I will have to learn work before play but I say play helps me work.
I hear it before I see it; the sound of water babbling over stones and rushing toward the sea. The ground shifts as I walk down the hill toward the river. Near the wetlands, it’s bouncy; here, it’s soft and cool. A long keening cry comes from somewhere ahead of me; I stop to listen again. Sometimes the wind hides the sounds but I know them; I recognize Crook. He’s different than the other curlews; noisier, as if just by being loud, someone will listen to his whining.
I walk faster when I see the alders and their curling roots; the river is just around the waterhole. The mud slides between my toes and tickles, reminding me I can’t run fast here; if I do, I might slide down the last hill into the river. Sometimes I do that on purpose: once, after a heavy storm, I ran so fast down the hill that I fell on my bottom and the mud carried me so quick Ailill couldn’t catch me. The splash my body made as it threw me into the river made me and Lugaid laugh. Ailill and Máthair were not as happy; Ailill slid too, but not on purpose like me, into the water. He said it was the last time he would save me. Máthair wasn’t happy because she said she had two wet chickens for children and no time to dry and dress them.
The riverbed is more crowded than the village; the alders don’t lean like the hazels and blackthorns do, but the sallies do. I love watching their skinny arms draw pictures in the water beneath their reflections. Instead of the wind, the river fills my ears. A dragonfly flies by my ear but my eyes light up when I see Stitch. The blue and black bodied swallow darts back and forth, poking holes in the morning sky before dropping so close to the water her belly nearly touches it.
Crook cries again from somewhere behind me now. “I know,” I tell him, twisting to look behind me.
“What do you know?”
I gasp, turning forward again.
Lugaid stands on the other side of the sally, arms outstretched, a pole in his hand. “I didn’t see you,” I say. My splashing makes Stitch soar up, up until she drops farther past Lugaid to the river again.
“It’s going to rain. Stitch and Crook say so.”
Lugaid shakes his head, shrugging a curly lock of hair the color of bark out of his face. A small fragment of a boar’s tusk hangs from his right ear. It never comes out; he’s worn it since his first kill, three summers ago. “The water seems higher,” he agrees.
“I want to do it.”
He cocks his head back toward the shore. “Find a pole and a worm for bait.”
“Athair catches with his hands.”
“Athair is not most men.”
Lugaid stands still, the water flowing past his ankles. Finding a stick isn’t easy; they are either too short or too long. When I am tired of looking, I take a longer one, bend my knee and snap it over my leg. The branch cracks in just the right spot.
“You need a worm for bait,” Lugaid offers. Something in his voice makes me look up but, when I do, he’s turned away from me, staring back at the river.
Worms are easy to find; they live under the wet ground. The sight of mud slipping beneath my nails as I dig makes me think of Máthair: I’ll have to wash my hands before going home. Ériu shares a plump one; a dark brown, ribbed body pulses as it inches along. My fingers snag it; my eyes furrow.
“How—” I look at the stick, then back at the worm.
Lugaid glances over his shoulder just as I take the sharpest edge of my pole and thread it through the worm’s body.
“Use willow—”
“I baited it!” I hold the pole up proudly and Lugaid closes his mouth. Thick, dark brows touch his hairline as he nods. “I see. Hold the end of it and cast it—throw it in. Get it into the deeper water.”
When I walk through the water, Lugaid says patiently, “Any louder and you’ll scare the whole school. You have to be still and quiet if you want fish.”
I slow as a beam of sunlight breaks through the trees to dapple across the water. “I see one!” I say but I make sure to say it quietly. Beneath the water, a single trout swims nearby.
“Catch him and you’ll have breakfast.”
“How long does this take?”
Lugaid grins sideways, lifts a shoulder. “As long as it takes.”
Insects hum around us, the sallies lap the water with their branches, the birds chatter. It’s not quiet, but it feels quieter than the village. Just as I start to ask Lugaid if he thinks so, too, he sighs heavily and rubs the back of his neck with one hand.
Your arms look like twigs, I tell him this sometimes but it’s not as true now as it used to be. Lugaid is like me: it’s hard for him to be still and it’s harder for him to be quiet. His eyebrows still look like Stitch knitted them together; he doesn’t usually walk around with them like that.
“Why are your eyebrows like that?”
He slants narrow eyes toward me. “What? Like what?”
I make a face, working hard to draw my eyebrows as close together as I can. He scowls back at me, shakes his head and mumbles, “Nothing.” Then, “I shouldn’t’ve done it.”
“Shouldn’t’ve done what?”
“He promised me he had it,” he murmurs, looking away from me. He sighs again. He shifts his weight from one foot to the next and I want to tell him that he said we have to be still and quiet or we’ll scare the fish.
Before I can, something tugs at my stick.
I gasp. “Lugaid.”
“Ha! Look at that, you got something. Don’t let him go now. Hold it, move with him, like this—” he gets behind me, holds my arms and helps me hold the pole while also moving further onto land.
“Over your head, now!”
We pull the stick up, hard, up and behind me. Then we rush to the fish who flaps his tail every which way. “Hold him still,” Lugaid says. He finds a large stone and raises it above his head.
“Don’t you dare!”
He pauses, looks at me. “What?”
“He’s my fish; I’ll do it.”
Lugaid laughs. “Right. Should have known. Here.” He hands me the stone and uses one strong hand to hold the fish on the ground. My eyes are huge when I bring the stone down twice, then pause to look at Lugaid, “That good?”
He nods, so I throw the stone away and immediately forget the fish. Instead, I jump and spin, throwing an arm in the air. “I caught a fish!” Lugaid laughs at me and says, “Well, what about gutting him?”
I still, my eyes finding the fish.
“What?”
“I can do it for you.” His tone says he knows he will not.
Máthair cleans fish; I’ve seen her. The men bring it back; she cleans and cooks them. I push my shoulders back. “You’ll show me how.”
Lugaid moves to sit beneath an alder, motioning for me. “Come on, then.”
Sun rises higher in the sky as he tells me where to cut the fish. I gag and nearly let him take over twice, but he just grins at me and says, “What a girl you are” and that makes me mad enough to keep going. By the time the fish is gutted and cleaned, we hear the distant sound of thunder.
Stitch and Crook were right.
Lugaid and I race back to the village and I am holding breakfast up high, calling, “Máthair! Athair!” the whole way. See, Athair, I’ll say, Play is work!
#ballymacombMoreWoman #books #family #fiction #ireland #ironAge #life #shortStory #shortStory #women #Writing
Cliodhna
Also known as Clidna, Clionadh, Cliona, & transliterated to English as Cleena.
In Irish mythology, she’s a queen of the Banshees of the Tuatha De Danann. Cliodhna of Carrigcleena is the potent banshee that rules as queen over the sioga (fairies) of South Munster, or Desmond.
In some Irish myths, Cliodhna is a goddess of love & beauty, & the patron of County Cork. She’s said to have 3 brightly colored birds who eat apples from an otherworldly tree & whose sweet song heals sickness. She had her palace in the heart of a pile of rocks, 5 miles (8 km) from Mallow, which is still commonly known by the name of Carrig-Cleena. Numerous legends about her are told among the Munster peasantry, who considered her their benefactor.
In general, it’s been observed that Cliodhna is especially associated with old Irish families of Munster. Cliodhna has long been associated with the lands that had been the territory of the Ui-FIdgheinte (O’Donovans & O’Collins) during their period of influence (circa 373-977). Or were later associated with what had been the Ui-FIdgheinte territory (MacCarthy’s & FitzGeralds).
Cliodhna is also associated with the MacCarthy dynasty of Desmond, who adopted her as their fairy woman, & the O’Keeffes & FitzGerald dynasty, with whom she had amorous affairs.
Surviving traditions of Cliodhna in narrative & poetry associate her with the O’Keeffes & O’Donovans. The latter, originally from Ui Fidgenti in North Munster with its own traditions, where their original goddess was Mongfind, later moved south to Carbery on Cuan Dor Harbor. Cliodhna’s traditional abode was on the South Munster coast, & she then features in poetry associated with them. The O’Keeffe narrative tradition is more extensive & Cliodhna has other Desmond associations too.
This legend is recorded in Acallam no Senorach (“Colloquy of the Ancients”), the longest-surviving work of medieval Irish literature. During the time of the Fianna, Ciabham of the Curling Hair, son of the King of Ulster. Fianna were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age & early Middle Ages.
Ciabham decided to leave Ireland by currach (boat). But encounter great white waves as big as mountains. He was saved from the sea by a rider on a dark grey horse with a golden bridle. They then reached Tir Tairgire (“the land of promise”), an otherworldly land ruled by Manannan, their king.
Ciabham is entertained at a feast within Manannan’s city. The chief druid, Gebann, had a daughter named Cleena of the Fair Hair. When she fell in love with him & agreed to leave with him the next day. Together they sailed to Teite’s Strand in Ireland. Ciabhan went on shore to hunt & left Cleena in the boat. The people of Manannan pursued them in ships.
1 of them treacherously played music, which caused Cleena to fall asleep. Then a great wave came & swept her away. The place was then Tonn Chliodha (“Cliodna’s Wave”), which is near Glandore Harbor. Whether or not she drowned depends on the version being told.
The Book of Lismore tells that Tiegue was the son & heir of Cain, the king of West Munster. During a raid by an enemy from a faraway land, many people were abducted & enslaved. Tiegue & his warriors set out to rescue them. After rowing for 9 weeks (that’s 2 months & 1 week), they arrived in a strange land called Inis Derglocha (Red Ioch Island).
There, Tiegue meets several luminaries from Ireland’s mythical past. The final person they encounter introduces herself as “Cleena Fairhead, daughter of Genann Mac Treon of the Tuatha de Denann, sweetheart of Eochaid Redweapon’s son Ciabhan the curling locks; for now some time I am in this island, & from me ‘Cleena’s Wave’ in the borders of Munster is denominated.”
She gives them 3 birds to guide them & provide music, as well as an emerald cup that transforms water into wine. She warns that if Tiegue is parted from the cup, he’ll die soon after. Tiegue & his warriors depart the island,& after rescuing their kinsmen, they return home victorious.
In the early 8th century, in Feur-magh-Feine (now Fermoy), there lived Draoi Fuadh, the last of the Druids. He assisted the King of Munster by summoning a great storm to drive back their enemies. As a reward for his service, the king granted the Druid the title of Prince of Fermoy.
The Druid had 2 accomplished & beautiful daughters: Cleena (the oldest), who could transform creatures into any form she pleased & was titled “the queen of the fairies.” The younger daughter was called Aoivil (Aibel) & was her inseparable companion.
Caiov (O’Keefe) was a prince accomplished in mind & body, who inherited a neighboring territory. He was in the Druid’s palace & liked to join in, in which he was often victorious. This attracted the admiration of the Druid & his daughters.
Both sisters fell in love with O’Keeffe. Cleena expressed her love openly & discussions began with her dad about their marriage. Aoivil secretly fell in love & worked to gain his affection with her innocent arts. Caiov fell deeply in love with Aoivil. But Cleena quickly discovered this.
Because of her jealousy, Cleena called on the oldest of her nurses to curse her innocent sister. Aoivil was stricken with sickness & loss of her beauty. Cleena pretended to help her with a powerful sleep mixture, which caused Aoivil’s apparent death. Aoivil was laid in a coffin & displayed before the Druid & his wife, who were filled with profound sorrow.
She was then laid to rest in a tomb under the palace. Cleena & the nurse entered the tomb by a secret entrance & moved the still unconscious Aoivil to the cave at Castlecor (5 miles/8 km northeast of Kanturk). When revived, Aoivil was told she would be imprisoned there until she forgot about Caiov. Cleena, seeing it may be impossible to make Aoivil forget, & in a fit of jealousy, she transformed Aoivil into a beautiful white cat.
Cleena magically changed the cave into a palace. So her sister may bear her suffering more easily. The cave at Castlecor was said to be filled with treasures of gold & silver, watched over by a white cat that sat on a throne. Cleena told Aoivi that fallen in battle with the Danes. But Aoivil remained in love with him. For the space of 1 week a year at midsummer, Aoivil transformed back to her true form.
Visitors to the cave sometimes saw the cast residing in the Palace surrounded by treasure. But were forced out by a mighty wind or invisible force. When Caiov heard of her supposed death, he was filled with sorrow. The Druid & his wife were overcome with grief & brought to an untimely grave.
After due time, Caiov & Cleena were married with much rejoicing. Together, they had 3 kids & lived in happiness. However, the old nurse fell dangerously ill & her conscience forced her to confess everything to Caiov. The prince went to Cleena, but she refused to release her sister.
Cleena admitted she was unable to return her sister to her true form as she had lost her precious wand. (Total Harry Potter vibes!) This caused an irreconcilable division between Caiov & Cleena & after some time she retired to her fairy palace at Carrigcleena.
Caiov would often come to ask forgiveness & for the release of Aoivil. Cleena remained unable to lift the enchantment. But it’s said that if 1 were to come who truly loved Aoivil more than her treasures, the enchantment would be lifted. Cleena still visits Aoivil & while Aoivil briefly resumes her human form, the sisters are happy together.
In the legend of Ellen O’Brien & Fitz-Gerald, Fitz-Gerald was a youthful chieftain who lived by the banks of the Shannon, County Limerick. He was widely known to be brave, hospitable, & generous. As well as an accomplished harp player.
Ellen O’Brien was the only daughter of a chief whose power had crumbled under the Saxon invasion. Fitz-Gerald loved her & stole her heart with his harp playing. Cleena also desired Fitz-Gerald & resolved to bring him to her unseen hall. On a festival day, a dark cloud came down, enveloped Fitz-Gerald & carried him away.
For months, no trace of him could be found & it was generally believed he was taken by enchantment. None felt greater sorrow than Ellen O’Brien, who sought the help of a wizard who lived in Kerry, who communed with beings from the other world.
The wizard told her that Fitz-Gerald had been taken to Cleena’s favorite residence at Carrigcleena. Ellen travelled to that place & pleaded to die at the foot of the rock if she was denied. Cleena was moved & afterward had many happy kids.
In 1736, the wedding of John Fitzjames (Fitzgerald) & Isabel Butler was held. As the wedding was nearing the end, John dropped dead at Isabel’s feet. All in attendance were shocked. It was believed he’d been transported in spirit to Fairyland.
Friends & associates of the couple attempted to make contact with fairies to try to bring him back. Caitileen Dubh Keating & her daughter Caitileen Oge went to Carrigcleena to contact Cleena. They covered their clothes in tar & rolled themselves in feathers of different colors.
They saw Cleena face-to-face & they demanded the return of John. But Cleena firmly refused, saying she would keep him for herself. While there are several versions of the story, Robert D. Joyce’s poem has a happy ending with Cleena releasing the groom named Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Desmond. In 1 version, Caitileen Oge was the bride.
The most traditional story of the Blarney Stone involves Cliodhna. Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, the builder of Blarney Castle, being involved in a lawsuit, appealed to Cliodhna for her assistance. She told him to kiss the 1st stone he found in the morning on his way to court, & he did so, with the result that he pleaded his case with great eloquence & won.
Thus the Blarney Stone is said to impart “the ability to deceive without offending.” He then incorporated it into the parapet of the castle. To be fair, Cliodhna doesn’t get credit for all the blarney of the MacCarthys. Queen Elizabeth I noted in frustration that she couldn’t effect a negotiation with Cormac MacCarthy, whose seat was Blarney Castle, as everything he said was ‘Blarney, as he says he doesn’t mean.”
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#1736 #373 #977 #AcallamNaSenorach #Aibel #Banshees #BlarneyCastle #BlarneyStone #BookOfLismore #Caiov #CaitileenDubhKeating #Carbery #CarrigCleena #Carrigcleena #Castlecor #CIabham #CiabhamOfTheCurlingHair #Cleena #CleenaOfTheFairHair #Cliodhna #ColloquyOfTheAncients #CormacLaidirMacCarthy #CormacMacCarthy #CountyLimerick #CuanDorHarbor #Danes #Desmond #DraoiRuadh #Druid #Druids #EarlOfDesmond #Early8thCentury #EarlyMiddleAges #EllenOBrien #EochaidRedweapon #Fairies #Fairyland #Fermoy #Fianna #FitzGerald #Fitzgerald #FitzGeralds #GarlicIreland #Gebann #GeraldFitzgerald #GlandoreHarbor #HarryPotter #InisDerglocha #Ireland #IrishMythology #IronAge #IsabelButler #JohnFitzjames #Kanturk #MacCarthys #Manannan #Mongfind #NorthMunster #OCollins #ODonovans #OKeefe #OKeeffes #QueenElizabethI #RedIochIsland #RobertDJoyce #Saxon #Shannon #Sioga #TeiteSStrand #TirTairngire #TonnChliodha #TuathaDéDanann #UiFidgheinte #Ulster #WestMunster
Heatwave Reveals Lost Archaeological Sites Across Wales [UK]
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8n99241y3o <-- shared technical media article
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https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/lost-historical-places-found-north-34364058 <-- shared media article
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https://archaeology.org/issues/november-december-2015/letters-from/letter-from-wales-iron-age-hillforts/ <-- shared technical article
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[the 95% reduction in rain is ugly of course, but glad they are surveying as it were]
“Lost [sic] archaeological sites have emerged in grasslands across Wales after a prolonged spell of hot and dry weather.
Wales has seen about 5% of the average rainfall for July, after a series of back-to-back heatwaves and a drier than usual April to June. A drought has also been triggered in parts of Wales.
Experts said these dry conditions have brought to light a range of hidden archaeological remains, including Roman buildings and practice trenches from World War One.
Many are only visible from the air as distinctive marks in crops and grass, with some not being seen for "two or three decades", according to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW).
The crop marks are made by vegetation drawing on better nutrients and water supplies trapped in long-gone fortification ditches - leading to green growth that stands out…”
#Wales #UK #drought #heatwave #RCAHMW #ArchaeologicalSites #archaeology #grasslands #ancientsites #Roman #WW1 #fortification #remotesensing #aerialimagery #IronAge #history #monuments
@Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
Archaeoethnologica: Complutum Nº 37/1 - 2026
+INFO in: https://archaeoethnologica.blogspot.com/2026/07/complutum-n-371-2026.html
#Archaeology #Protohistory #BronzeAge #IronAge #ClassicalArchaeology #iberians #materialculture #historyofreligions #skull #agriculture #war #combat #iconography #funerary #Iberia #materialculture #journals
Archaeoethnologica: Complutum Nº 37/1 - 2026
+INFO in: https://archaeoethnologica.blogspot.com/2026/07/complutum-n-371-2026.html
#Archaeology #Protohistory #BronzeAge #IronAge #ClassicalArchaeology #iberians #materialculture #historyofreligions #skull #agriculture #war #combat #iconography #funerary #Iberia #materialculture #journals
Archaeoethnologica: Complutum Nº 37/1 - 2026
+INFO in: https://archaeoethnologica.blogspot.com/2026/07/complutum-n-371-2026.html
#Archaeology #Protohistory #BronzeAge #IronAge #ClassicalArchaeology #iberians #materialculture #historyofreligions #skull #agriculture #war #combat #iconography #funerary #Iberia #materialculture #journals
