Maeve

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

The legend of the Iron Age Queen Maeve of Connacht (also spelled Connaught), Ireland, is told in the story of "The Cattle Raid of Cooley" or "The Tain Bo Cuillaigne." Thought to be one of the oldest epics in Western European literature written using colloquial language, it tells the story of how Queen Maeve of Connacht, who was given Connacht by her father the high King of Ireland, waged war against the men of Ulster while they are suffering from a curse by the goddess Macha that makes them feel the pain a woman does during childbirth. Queen Maeve's attack is waged an attempt to obtain Ulster's famed magical Brown Bull after an argument with her husband, Ailill, over who is the richer. She chides her husband for being a kept man saying she is richer. But when they tally up their wealth, his famed magical White Bull puts his amount higher than hers. Queen Maeve of Connacht does not like to lose an argument and so, taking advantage of the men of Ulster's weakness, initiated the raid. For some reason, King Ailill supported her in this quest even though their argument is what sparked the war. During the long battle, warrior hero Cuchulainn, born half-mortal, half-immortal and somehow able to escape the curse of goddess Macha inflicting the other men of Ulster, fought valiantly while taking on thousands of Queen Maeve's men. The Ulstermen ultimately drove the Connacht army out of their lands, but not before Queen Maeve captured the great Brown Bull she sought. Some say the Ulster bull was taken to Connacht where it fought Ailill's bull, killed it, then wandered back home to Ulster. ^[1]

POPULARITY

While long a top 100 name in Ireland where it is often spelled using the Gaelic Meadbh, Maeve did not break into the list of top 1000 names in the United States, according to United States Census 1990 database. It has gained somewhat in popularity since the mid-1990s as unusual Irish baby names in general became more popular in the U.S.

NAMESAKES

• Irish Queen Maeve of Connacht or Connaught

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Irish author Maeve Binchy who penned the book "Circle of Friends" later turned into a movie starring Minnie Driver and Chris O'Donnell,
• American actress Maeve Quinlan who has guest starred on the TV series "Dirt" and is a regular on TV series "South of Nowhere." She is perhaps best known for playing ‘Megan Conley’ on soap opera, “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

NOTES

OTHER MAEVE'S

Maeve Bace, Maeve Anderson-scott, Maeve Avalon, Maeve Bard, Maeve Adams, Maeve Banak, Maeve Ahern, Maeve Andalis, Maeve Barickman, Maeve Barnwell, Maeve Bacon, Maeve Baker, Maeve Sheil, Maeve Binchy, Maeve Quinlan, Maeve Coleman, Maeve Jahoda, Maeve Gormly, Maeve Nahser, Maeve Smith, Maeve Norton, Maeve Doran, Maeve Brubeck, Maeve Bushman, Maeve Blinkhorn, Maeve Power, Maeve Caraher, More results

Author: Kelly Campbell