Sabbats and Sabbaths

Over the past two weeks, I’ve done a deep dive into Airmed, the Irish Goddess of Healing Herbs. I turned to academic sources, which definitely offered more information and analysis than I found online. Here’s a summary of what I discovered.

Story Source—The only source in Irish mythology where Airmed is mentioned is in two stories from Cath Maige Tuired (i.e. The Second Battle of Moytura). There are three English translations readily available:

• Whitley Stokes (1891)
• Elizabeth A. Gray (1982)
• Morgan Daimler (2020) — available on Amazon at a very reasonable price. Daimler’s version is, in my opinion, the best. She includes some of the original poetry omitted by the other translators and provides helpful footnotes.

If you place all three translations side by side, the basic elements of the first story are as follows:

• King Nuada loses his arm in battle.
• Dían Cécht, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and a master physician, treats Nuada by crafting a silver mechanical arm for him. (Other sources for this part of the story say he was assisted by the metalworker Credne.)
• Dían’s son Míach, also a healer, thought this treatment is “not good.” He healed it in “three sets of three days” for a total of nine days.
• When Dían sees what Míach has done, he calls it a “bad healing,” though no reason is given for his reaction.
• Dían then kills Míach by striking him four times in the head with a sword. Míach is able to heal the first three blows but the fourth is fatal. No motive for the murder is offered. (Some versions of this part of the story omit the murder entirely.)
• Dían buries Míach, and 365 healing herbs grow from his grave which correspond to the number of joints and sinews in his body.
• Finally, Airmed enters the story. She “separates” or “uproots” the herbs and arranges them on her cloak according to their properties.
• Dían, discovering her work, “scatters” or “mixes” the herbs so that no one will possess complete knowledge of their healing properties—except Airmed. (The story mentions the Holy Spirit as the one who imparts this knowledge, but I think this is likely a later Christian addition and not a part of the original myth.)

The second story is as follows:

• Dían, Míach (who is inexplicably alive again), Airmed, and another sibling, Ochtriuil, compose incantations over a healing well named Sláine into which Dían has placed all the healing herbs in Ireland.
• Every solider who enters the well is healed from his wounds.

Scholarly Critique—Mark Williams in his book Ireland’s Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth, offers some insightful commentary regarding the authenticity of this story. You can read his full critique in the book, but here are some highlights from it:

He notes that this episode in the Cath Maige Tuired is “difficult to interpret” and “there is strong evidence that it is a late creation.”
He suggests saga-authors “could make bold artistic choices and shifts of emphasis when handling the native gods.” This makes perfect sense to me because everyone would have their own spin on the same story, especially as it was passed on orally.

He also points out that “there are a number of other medieval accounts of the healing of Nuadu, but not one of them mentions the killing of Míach.”

He argues that the murder does not make sense since outside sources also testify to Dían’s role as “the exemplar of the profession of medicine.”

There is also the unexplained resurrection of Míach in the story.

Finally, he observes that the names Míach (bushel) and Airmed (dry measure) are both terms used by apothecaries, suggesting the story may be best interpreted symbolically or metaphorically.

Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, in his book The Lore of Ireland, includes an interesting observation that helps us to better understand the story: “This is based in an ancient idea that the spirit of a person resides in a tree or plant that grows from his grave, and also on the common folk belief that there is a herb appropriate for each and every illness.”

Also in the blog The Ever-Living Ones (https://theeverlivingones.blogspot.com), it says that the well mentioned in the second story is “now Christianized and known Lady’s Well, which can be found in the grounds of Slane Castle Co. Meath. The waters from the well flow into the nearby River Boyne.”

My Conclusions—Williams makes some compelling points that really resonate with me. Ultimately, I view Airmed as an inspiring figure—her story speaks to our ability to rise above grief and tragedy and become sources of healing, both for ourselves and for others.

Since I understand all Divine energy as the same essence, revealed to us in different names and forms, I believe we can invoke Airmed in our healing practices and magical work. She is an Irish goddess through whom we can access Divine power. We can also continue to tell her story in our own way—as long as we acknowledge the original sources. (Many modern tellings include the beautiful detail of Airmed weeping over Míach’s grave, which I personally love.)

I’m 100% certain I’m not finished with Airmed. She is a Goddess whose name I’ll be invoking often as I work with herbs on my spiritual path. I will likely develop prayers and rituals for others to use when working with her. When I do, I will share them here.

Copyright ©2025 by David Taliesin, http://www.sabbatsandsabbaths.com