woensdag 21 maart 2012

Queen Mab



Although she is presented as "the Goddess of Magic and Poets, one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries," I found that Queen Mab is in fact a historical person:
Another prince, Eochaidh Feidhlech, was famous for sighing. He rescinded the division of Ireland into twenty-five parts, which had been made by Ugainé Môr, and divided the island into five provinces, over each of which he appointed a provincial king, under his obedience.
The famous Meadhbh, or Mab, was his daughter; and though unquestionably a lady of rather strong physical and mental capabilities, the lapse of ages has thrown an obscuring halo of romance round her belligerent qualifications, and metamorphosed her into the gentle "Faery Queen" of the poet Spenser. One of Méav 's exploits is recorded in the famous Táin bó Chuailgné, which is to Celtic history what the Argonautic Expedition, or the Seven against Thebes, is to Grecian. Méav was married first to Conor, the celebrated provincial king of Ulster; but the marriage was not a happy one, and was dissolved, in modern parlance, on the ground of incompatibility. In the meanwhile, Méav 's three brothers had rebelled against their father; and though his arms were victorious, the victory did not secure peace.
The men of Connacht revolted against him, and to retain their allegiance he made his daughter Queen of Connacht, and gave her in marriage to Ailill, a powerful chief of that province. This prince, however, died soon after; and Méav , determined for once, at least, to choose a husband for herself, made a royal progress to Leinster, where Ross Ruadh held his court at Naas, She selected the younger son of this monarch, who bore the same name as her former husband, and they lived together happily as queen and king consort for many years. source
The Faerie Queen as pictured by Brian Froud


In spite if these historical facts, Queen Mab has somehow changed into a Fairy Queen, starting with Shakespeare (in Romeo and Juliet) and with Spenser (in The Faerie Queene). As the Fairy Queen she is also associated with the Morrigan (the Irish threefold Goddess of War) or Morgan Le Fey (Morgan of the Faeries). And because in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream the Fairy Queen's name is Titania, Queen Mab and Titania have also been thought to be the same person. 


The lab describes their (in 2010 discontinued) scent of Queen Mab as:
Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk.
Her complexity is mirrored in the scent, but her strength as well. This scent has staying power. Although it is not mentioned in the description I think I smell orris root in the later stages. And although there are no 'green' notes mentioned,  the scent smells green to me. Which seems to be a good thing for the Queen of Faeries. 


The Threefold Morrigan

2 opmerkingen:

  1. Very intriguing. Though I wonder how a prince might become famous for sighing. I see there are many interesting things at your source point. When I have time perhaps I will wander there.

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  2. I wondered about that prince too. I even searched if there was a meaning of the word sighing that I didn't know about.

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