Irish Baby Name · Girl

Becfola

Pronounced: BEK-fol-a

Meaning: Of small dowry

About the name

Origin
Irish
Stronghold region
All-Ireland

Overview

Heroine of the medieval tale 'Tochmarc Becfhola' (The Wooing of Becfhola), in which she is wooed by Diarmait mac Áeda Sláine and fled with a fairy lover.

The story behind Becfola

In the Tochmarc Becfola, the queen leaves her sleeping husband on a Sunday to visit a handsome stranger in the otherworld; she returns that same morning and her absence is unnoticed, but the tale plays on Sabbath-breaking and otherworld time.

Mythology & legend

Otherworldly woman who became wife of Diarmait, son of Áed Sláine.

Did you know?

The Tochmarc Becfola is a comic-supernatural tale about a queen who slips away to a fairy lover.

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