Connla's Well
Encyclopedia
In Irish mythology
, Connla's Well (also called the Well of Coelrind, Well of Nechtan, and Well of Segais) is one of a number of Otherworldly
wells that are variously depicted as "The Well of Wisdom", "The Well of Knowledge" and the source of some of the rivers of Ireland
.
Much like the Well of Nechtan (and some sources conflate the two), the well is the home to the salmon of wisdom, and surrounded with hazel
trees, which also signify knowledge and wisdom.
According to the legend of Cormac mac Art, the well stands in the hall of the fairy king Manannán mac Lir
. In one legend, the well was home to the one Salmon of Wisdom
until it was caught by the poet Finn Eces
. Nine sacred hazels of wisdom surround the well, blooming and fruiting in the same hour. Eating the hazelnuts that fell into the well, drinking the well water when the hazelnuts fell in, or eating the salmon that ate the hazelnuts granted knowledge and poetic inspiration. The well was accordingly sought out by many poets and philosophers.
Only the god Nechtan
and his cupbearers were meant to approach the well. The goddess Boann
approached the well of Nechtan and circled it three times anti-clockwise, causing the waters to rise up and rush to the sea, becoming the River Boyne
.Seven rivers of knowledge are said to flow from Connla's Well, including the Boyne, the Shannon, the Nore
, the Barrow
, and the Slaney
(O'Curry 144).
Connla's Well is a common motif in Irish poetry
, appearing, for example, in George William Russell
's poem "The Nuts of Knowledge" or "Connla's Well":
Yeats
described the well, which he encountered in a trance, as being full of the "waters of emotion and passion, in which all purified souls are entangled" (Greer 197).
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
, Connla's Well (also called the Well of Coelrind, Well of Nechtan, and Well of Segais) is one of a number of Otherworldly
Other World
The Otherworld is a concept in Celtic mythology, referring to a realm of the dead, the home of the deities or spirits....
wells that are variously depicted as "The Well of Wisdom", "The Well of Knowledge" and the source of some of the rivers of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Much like the Well of Nechtan (and some sources conflate the two), the well is the home to the salmon of wisdom, and surrounded with hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
trees, which also signify knowledge and wisdom.
According to the legend of Cormac mac Art, the well stands in the hall of the fairy king Manannán mac Lir
Manannán mac Lir
Manannán mac Lir is a sea deity in Irish mythology. He is the son of the obscure Lir . He is often seen as a psychopomp, and has strong affiliations with the Otherworld, the weather and the mists between the worlds...
. In one legend, the well was home to the one Salmon of Wisdom
Salmon of Wisdom
The Salmon of Knowledge is a creature figuring in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. This salmon was sometimes called Fintan, or Finntan, in ancient times and is sometimes confused with Fintan mac Bóchra who was also known as, "The Wise" and once transformed into a salmon...
until it was caught by the poet Finn Eces
Finn Eces
Finn Eces is a legendary Irish poet and sage, according to the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He is the teacher of Fionn mac Cumhaill, according to the tale The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn. For years he tries to catch the Salmon of Wisdom, a fish that will grant all the world's knowledge to whoever...
. Nine sacred hazels of wisdom surround the well, blooming and fruiting in the same hour. Eating the hazelnuts that fell into the well, drinking the well water when the hazelnuts fell in, or eating the salmon that ate the hazelnuts granted knowledge and poetic inspiration. The well was accordingly sought out by many poets and philosophers.
Only the god Nechtan
Nechtan
Nechtan, Nectan or Neithon may refer to:Kings:* Nechtan Morbet , king of the Picts* Nechtan nepos Uerb , king of the Picts* Nechtan mac Der-Ilei , king of the Picts...
and his cupbearers were meant to approach the well. The goddess Boann
Boann
Boann or Boand is the Irish mythology goddess of the River Boyne, a river in Leinster, Ireland. According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn she was the daughter of Delbáeth, son of Elada, of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Her husband is variously Nechtan, Elcmar or Nuada. Her lover is the Dagda, by whom she had...
approached the well of Nechtan and circled it three times anti-clockwise, causing the waters to rise up and rush to the sea, becoming the River Boyne
River Boyne
The River Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newbury Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through County Meath to reach the Irish Sea between Mornington, County Meath and Baltray, County Louth. Salmon...
.Seven rivers of knowledge are said to flow from Connla's Well, including the Boyne, the Shannon, the Nore
River Nore
The River Nore is a long river located in south-east of Ireland. Along with the River Suir and River Barrow, it is one of the constituent rivers of the group known as the Three Sisters. The river drains approximately of Leinster. The river rises in the Devil's Bit Mountain, North Tipperary...
, the Barrow
River Barrow
The Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...
, and the Slaney
River Slaney
The Slaney is a river in the southeast of Ireland. It rises on Lugnaquilla Mountain in the western Wicklow Mountains and flows west and then south through counties Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford, before entering St George's Channel in the Irish Sea at Wexford town...
(O'Curry 144).
Connla's Well is a common motif in Irish poetry
Irish poetry
The history of Irish poetry includes the poetries of two languages, one in Irish and the other in English. The complex interplay between these two traditions, and between both of them and other poetries in English, has produced a body of work that is both rich in variety and difficult to...
, appearing, for example, in George William Russell
George William Russell
George William Russell who wrote under the pseudonym Æ , was an Irish nationalist, writer, editor, critic, poet, and painter. He was also a mystical writer, and centre of a group of followers of theosophy in Dublin, for many years.-Organisor:Russell was born in Lurgan, County Armagh...
's poem "The Nuts of Knowledge" or "Connla's Well":
And when the sun sets dimmed in eve, and purple fills the air,
I think the sacred hazel-tree is dropping berries there,
From starry fruitage, waved aloft where Connla's Well o'erflows;
For sure, the immortal waters run through every wind that blows.
Yeats
Yeats
W. B. Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright.Yeats may also refer to:* Yeats ,* Yeats , an impact crater on Mercury* Yeats , an Irish thoroughbred racehorse-See also:...
described the well, which he encountered in a trance, as being full of the "waters of emotion and passion, in which all purified souls are entangled" (Greer 197).