The goddess of August in ancient Ireland was said to be the foster mother of the light, embodied in the god Lugh. One of the great Irish earth goddesses, Taillte lived on the magical Hill of Tara, from which she directed the clearing of an immense forest, the wood of Cuan. It took a month to creat the Plain of Oenach Taillten, where Taillte then built her palace; it remains on Irish maps today as Telltown, near Kells.
A Festival was celebrated annually in her honor, lasting the whole of August. For generations it was celebrated, complete with mercantile fairs and sporting events; even into the medieval times Taillte's festivities were held. Eventually, they died out, but in the earlt part of this century the Tailltean Games - the Irish Olympics - were revived in an attempt to restore Irish culture.
Copyright © 1998-2002 Cammie and John Kramer
