Tradition / Region: Irish mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Cow
The Myth
In the earliest age of Ireland, before grass grew or herds roamed, the island lay empty and barren. From the western sea came three cows, rising from the waves as if born from the ocean itself. They were sisters: Bó Find, white as light; Bó Ruadh, red as flame; and Bó Dhu, black as night.
When they reached the shore, the sisters parted ways. Bó Ruadh turned north, and Bó Dhu went south. Bó Find alone walked inland, toward the heart of the island. Wherever the three cows traveled, the land behind them changed. The empty ground became fertile, cattle appeared where none had existed, and life followed in their wake. By their passage, Ireland was transformed from a lifeless place into one that could sustain its people.
Bó Find journeyed on until she reached the center of the island. There she gave birth to two calves, one male and one female. From these twins descended all the cattle of Ireland, and through them the island gained abundance and nourishment.
The memory of Bó Find did not fade. Her path was said to remain marked upon the land itself, preserved in place-names that carried the word bó. In this way, the people remembered that the life of Ireland flowed from a white cow who walked ashore from the western sea and filled the empty land with living herds.
Gallery
Sources
Monaghan, P. (2004). The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Facts on File, p. 52.
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Bó Find