The Demons and Battle-Spectres
The bocánaigh and bánánaigh are the supernatural demons and battle-spectres of the Irish world. The bocánach is male, the bánánach female. They fill the air above battlefields, screaming and driving warriors to greater fear and greater violence. They appear in the Táin Bó Cúailnge — the great cattle-raid of Ulster — screaming in the sky above the armies as they clash.
Key facts about Bocánach
- Name: Bocánach (male demon, pl. bocánaigh); Bánánach (female spectre, pl. bánánaigh)
- Type: Supernatural battle-demons and spectres
- Function: Screaming above battles; inhabiting wild dangerous places
- Related to: Morrígan, Badb, Nemain — all part of the same tradition of supernatural war-beings
- Division: Ancient — appear in the oldest Irish battle-literature including the Táin
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