Bec mac Dé
Encyclopedia
Bec mac Dé Irish
druid
, died 557
.
Bec mac Dé was known as the greatest seer
of all time. He could speak with nine men at once and answer all their questions with a single reply.
Bec lived in the time of the High King
Diarmait mac Cerbaill
(the mid to late 6th century). Diarmait had killed his wife's lover Flann mac Díma by burning down his fortress. For this deed, according to the legend, St. Ronan prophesied that Diarmait would die when a roofbeam fell on his head; Saint Ciaran
prophesied that he would die in the same manner as Flann; but Bec mac Dé, Diarmait's druid, gave a much more elaborate prophesy, foretelling a threefold death
. He would be drowned, burned, and have his head crushed by a roofbeam, by Flann's kinsman Áed Dub mac Suibni
, in the house of Banbán the hospitaller, on a night that he wore a shirt grown from a single flax
seed, drank ale
brewed from a single grain of corn
, and ate pork
from a sow
that had never farrowed.
Diarmait dismissed these prophecies
, even when invited to a feast by Banbán. His wife, who had been listening, refused to go, so Banbán offered the king his own daughter for that night, and gave him a nightshirt, pork and ale. When the girl told him the nightshirt had been woven from flax grown from a single seed, the ale had been brewed from a single grain of corn, and the pork had come from a sow that had never farrowed, Diarmait realised the prophecy had been fulfilled, but too late. He tried to escape, but Áed Dubh was standing at the door with his spear. As Diarmait fled back into the house, Áed's men set it on fire. Diarmait tried to escape the conflagration by leaping into a vat of ale, but a flaming roofbeam fell on his head, and the prophecy was fulfilled.
The Annals of the Four Masters
record his death sub anno 557
- 557. St. Bec, son of De, a celebrated prophet, died. The earlier Annals of Ulster
record, sub anno 553
Death of Eochu son of Conlaed i.e. king of Ulaid, in whom the Uí Echach Ulad originate; and death of Béc son of Deiche, but under 558
Death of the prophet Béc son of Dé.
Despite the prefix of St., it is not at all certain he was Christian
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
, died 557
557
Year 557 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 557 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* The Northern Zhou Dynasty begins in northern...
.
Bec mac Dé was known as the greatest seer
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
of all time. He could speak with nine men at once and answer all their questions with a single reply.
Bec lived in the time of the High King
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
Diarmait mac Cerbaill
Diarmait mac Cerbaill
Diarmait mac Cerbaill was King of Tara or High King of Ireland. According to traditions, he was the last High King to follow the pagan rituals of inauguration, the ban-feis or marriage to goddess of the land....
(the mid to late 6th century). Diarmait had killed his wife's lover Flann mac Díma by burning down his fortress. For this deed, according to the legend, St. Ronan prophesied that Diarmait would die when a roofbeam fell on his head; Saint Ciaran
Ciarán of Clonmacnoise
Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise was one of the early Irish monastic saints and Irish bishop. He is sometimes called Ciarán the Younger to distinguish him from Saint Ciarán of Saighir. He was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland....
prophesied that he would die in the same manner as Flann; but Bec mac Dé, Diarmait's druid, gave a much more elaborate prophesy, foretelling a threefold death
Threefold death
The threefold death, which is suffered by kings, heroes, and gods, is a putatively Proto-Indo-European theme – although it is attested in medieval accounts of Celtic and Germanic mythology....
. He would be drowned, burned, and have his head crushed by a roofbeam, by Flann's kinsman Áed Dub mac Suibni
Áed Dub mac Suibni
Áed Dub mac Suibni was an Irish king of the Cruthin of Dál nAraidi . He may have been king of the Ulaid.Áed Dub — Black Áed — killed the last pagan High King of Ireland, Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Tradition has Diarmaid die a mythic threefold death, and some version make Áed Diarmaid's...
, in the house of Banbán the hospitaller, on a night that he wore a shirt grown from a single flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
seed, drank ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
brewed from a single grain of corn
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, and ate pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
from a sow
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
that had never farrowed.
Diarmait dismissed these prophecies
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
, even when invited to a feast by Banbán. His wife, who had been listening, refused to go, so Banbán offered the king his own daughter for that night, and gave him a nightshirt, pork and ale. When the girl told him the nightshirt had been woven from flax grown from a single seed, the ale had been brewed from a single grain of corn, and the pork had come from a sow that had never farrowed, Diarmait realised the prophecy had been fulfilled, but too late. He tried to escape, but Áed Dubh was standing at the door with his spear. As Diarmait fled back into the house, Áed's men set it on fire. Diarmait tried to escape the conflagration by leaping into a vat of ale, but a flaming roofbeam fell on his head, and the prophecy was fulfilled.
The Annals of the Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
record his death sub anno 557
557
Year 557 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 557 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* The Northern Zhou Dynasty begins in northern...
- 557. St. Bec, son of De, a celebrated prophet, died. The earlier Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
record, sub anno 553
553
Year 553 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 553 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The Ostrogoth Kingdom is conquered by the...
Death of Eochu son of Conlaed i.e. king of Ulaid, in whom the Uí Echach Ulad originate; and death of Béc son of Deiche, but under 558
558
Year 558 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 558 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* May 7 – In Constantinople,...
Death of the prophet Béc son of Dé.
Despite the prefix of St., it is not at all certain he was Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
.