The Husband Who Was Sent Away
Elcmar was the lord of Brú na Bóinne — the great Neolithic passage tomb at Newgrange — and the husband of Boann, goddess of the River Boyne. He appears in Irish mythology primarily as the man who was deceived. The Dagda wanted Boann, so he sent Elcmar away on a journey and then manipulated time itself — compressing nine months into a single day — so that Boann could conceive and give birth to Aengus Mac Óg before Elcmar returned. Elcmar came back not knowing anything had happened.
He later lost Brú na Bóinne to Aengus Mac Óg — the son conceived during his absence — through a legal argument about what “a day and a night” means in Irish. He ended up with neither his wife’s fidelity nor his home.
Key facts about Elcmar
- His name may mean “great horseman” — the etymology is uncertain.
- In some traditions he is identified with Nechtan, the guardian of the Well of Segais from which the River Boyne flows.
- He is one of the few figures in Irish mythology who is wronged twice by the same family — first by the Dagda, then by his son Aengus — and appears to have little recourse either time.
- Name(s): Elcmar; possibly identical with Nechtan
- Rules over: Brú na Bóinne (before Aengus took it)
- Gender: Male
- Consort: Boann
- Lost to: Aengus Mac Óg (Brú na Bóinne)
Link/cite this page
If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content.
Link will appear as Elcmar: https://irishgodsandgoddesses.net - Irish Gods & Goddesses, March 22, 2026