Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 25, 2026

Beag

In Irish mythology, Bec was one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She was known for having a magic well, that would grant wisdom with one drink and foretelling for a second. The well was guarded by her three daughters. When Fionn mac Cumhaill approached the well to ask for a drink, her daughters tried to prevent him from getting the water; "one of them threw water over him to scare him away and some of it went into his mouth. From the water he gained wisdom."

Last revised
Jul 25, 2026
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In Irish mythology, Bec (modern Irish Beag, meaning "small") was one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She was known for having a magic well, that would grant wisdom with one drink and foretelling for a second.1 The well was guarded by her three daughters. When Fionn mac Cumhaill approached the well to ask for a drink, her daughters tried to prevent him from getting the water; "one of them threw water over him to scare him away and some of it went into his mouth. From the water he gained wisdom."2

References

References

  1. Augusta Gregory (June 2012). Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha de Danann and of the Fianna. ISBN 9781775458432. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. Ellis, Peter Berresford (1987), A Dictionary of Irish Mythology, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 40, ISBN 0-19-282871-1