BOVINDA

Bóann was the Goddess of Brú na Bóinne, known now as Newgrange. ‘Brú’ means a sacred dwelling place and ‘na Bóinne’ refers to the Boyne river nearby.

The name is thought to mean ‘cow white goddess’ -from the Indo-European ‘Bo-Vinda’. She also gave her name to the river Bóinn, or Boyne, in Co. Meath, which runs beside the Brú at Newgrange.  

Bóann, according to legend was the lover of the Great God, the Gaelic All-Father, known as the Dagda, the dweller of the Brú. He was the father and Bóann was the mother of Aengus Óg. In the tale of Aengus's birth, the Dagda casts a spell on Boann's husband Elcmar, making "the sun stand still" so he wouldn't notice the passing of time. Meanwhile, nine months pass and Boann gives birth to Aengus.  It has been suggested that this tale represents the winter solstice illumination of Newgrange at Brú na Bóinne, during which the sunbeam (the Dagda) enters the inner chamber (the womb of Boann) when the sun's path stands still. The word solstice (Irish grianstad) means sun-standstill. The conception of Aengus may represent the 'rebirth' of the sun at the winter solstice.

Legend tells that Bóann created the Boyne. Though forbidden to by her husband, Bóann approached the magical Well of Segais (also known as the Connla's Well), which was surrounded, according to the legend, by nine magic hazel-trees. Hazelnuts were known to fall into the Well, where they were eaten by the speckled salmon (who, along with hazelnuts, also embody and represent wisdom in Irish mythology). Bóann challenged the power of the well by walking around it tuathal; this caused the waters to surge up violently and rush down to the sea, creating the Boyne. In this catastrophe, she was swept along in the rushing waters, and lost an arm, leg and eye, and ultimately her life, in the flood. 

In a variant of the same story it is said that Bóann tried to hide her infidelity with the Dagda by washing herself in her husbands well, but when she approached it, it overcame her, washing her out to the sea.