Son of the Plough, Husband of Fódla
Mac Cécht — “son of the plough” — was one of the three divine kings who ruled the Tuatha Dé Danann in the final period before Ireland passed to the Milesians. He was the husband of Fódla, one of the three sovereignty goddesses whose names are ancient names for Ireland.
He shared the kingship equally with Mac Cuill and Mac Gréine. Each of the three kings was paired with one of the three goddesses, and together the six of them governed Ireland as a single divine unit. Mac Cécht and Fódla were the pair whose names most directly stated what sacred kingship meant: the plough-king married to the land-goddess. The plough is what makes the land productive. Fódla is the land in its most fertile form. Their union is the plainest possible statement about what a king was for.
Mac Cécht was killed at the Battle of Tailtiu when the Milesians defeated the Tuatha Dé. His death, alongside Mac Cuill’s and Mac Gréine’s, ended the age of divine kingship.
Key facts about Mac Cécht
- Names: Mac Cécht (“Son of the Plough”)
- Rules over: Joint king of the Tuatha Dé Danann; agricultural prosperity
- Weapons: Not recorded
- Animals: Not recorded
- Other Symbols: The plough
- Parents: Not recorded
- Siblings: Mac Cuill, Mac Gréine (co-kings)
- Spouse: Fódla (sovereignty goddess)
- Children: Not recorded
- Greek equivalent: Triptolemus (divine figure of agricultural prosperity)
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