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The History of Princess Scota (ESI 1999)

Irish history records the story about Scota, the daughter of Pharaoh of Egypt who arrived in the southern part of Ireland between 4,000 and 3,500 years ago. She took on the trade route, sailing in search of the new world. She travelled to Spain from the Delta, by means of an Egyptian ship. She settled in the country of Kerry (south-western part of Ireland) and married Milesius and gave him eight sons.

Milesius, an invader from Spain, came to Ireland to conquest the ancient tribes and to take the kingdoms from Tuatha-De-Danaans. MacCuill, Mac Ceacht and Mac Greine fought in a long bloody battle about three miles from Tralee. Not only did the Danaan princes die in the battle of Tralee but also Scota the warrior Queen of the invaders was also killed. It seems that her sons Heremon and Heber were the only surviors of Milesius ruling family and that they divided the country between them. One took the north and the other the south. Then they inevitably quarrelled and Heber was slain.


Scota is buried on the sloped mountains in view of Tralee Bay at a place called Glenscoheen (Scota's Glenn). Irish archaeologists have not yet carried out any investigation on the site, which consists of woodland and natural rocks. The Ordnance Survey of Ireland has shown the actual location of the burial of Scota.


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Other references records;


The Shell Guide to Ireland, J. Mitchell (1989)
.

.......Alias Scota's Glen; a bogus ogham inscription and a flagstone marks Scota's grave. Scota according to a pedantic fiction was the widow of Milesius whose people - the prehistoric Gaelic invaders of Ireland, waged a great battle with the mythological Tuatha De Danaan at the foot of Slieve Mish. Scota and another Milesian princess Fais were among the slain.

 

On Ireland The Land and the People - Tour One, Donald Cowie (1994)

........ The road continued to Tralee, and on the way a visit can be made to Scots's Glen. Thousands of years ago according to tradition but nothing else, the Milesius came from Spain headed by their fierce Queen Scota maybe daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Her name eventually christened Scotland, some of whose inhabitants may similarly have descended from those early invaders. The nature and magical Danaans of Ireland were utterly defeated by the Milesius in a battle at the foot of these Slieve Mish mountains but Scota herself lost her life and was buried here, presumably under a flagstone that is still shown.

 

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Please see - The History of the Kingdom of Kerry published in 1890, which refers to this story.

It is stated here that there is a great tradition in Kerry of both written and oral accounts and the earliest mention of this story appears the "Annals of the Four Masters" (compiled at a Franciscan monastery in Donegal by Franciscan friars).

"The age of the world 3500. The fleet of the sons of Milidh came to Ireland at the end of this year, to take it from the Tuatha-De-Dannans, and they fought the battle of Sliabh Mis with them on the third year after landing. In this battle fell Scota, the daughter of Pharaoh, wife of Milidh; and the grave of Scota is (to be seen) between Sliabh Mis and the sea. Therein also fell Fas, the wife of Un, son of Uige, from whom is (named) Glenn-Faisi. After that the sons of Milidh fought a battle at Tailtenn, against the three kings of the Tuatha-De-Dannans, Mac Cuill, Mac Ceacht, and Mac Greine. The battle lasted a long time, until Mac Ceacht fell by Eiremhon, Mac Cuill by Eimhear, and Mac Greine by Amhergin".

In the "Chronicum Scotorum" the same account is given but in greater detail.

"Milidh, son of Bile, proceeded then from Spain to Scythia to Egypt, after the slaying of Reflor, son of Neman (as it is found in the Invasions of Erinn); and understand not that it was soon after the death of Nel in Egypt, but many years, indeed, after, after it, that Milidh departed from Scythia, after the slaying of Reflor, contending for the sovereignty of Scythia. His great fleet consisted of one hundred ships, as the vellum relates from which this copy has been drawn; fifteen families in each ship, and soldiers without wives in it besides. They remained three months in the island of Taprobane (now Sri Lanka). Three months more, also, they were on the Red Sea, until they came to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. They remained eight years with Pharaoh in Egypt, where they propaged their various arts and various actions. Scota's Pharaoh's daughter, married Milidh, son of Bile. After that Milidh went with his host on the great sea (and Scota, Pharaoh's daughter, along with him), past the island of Taprobane, in which they stayed a month. They rowed afterwards round Scythia to the "Inbher" of the Caspian Sea. The remained three nomada motionless on the Caspian Sea, through the chanting of mermaids, until Caicher, the druid, rescued them. They voyaged afterwards past the point of Sliabh Rife, from the north, until they landed in Dacia. They stayed a month there. Caicher, the druid, said to them, "we shall not stay until we reach Erinn".

They subsequently passed by Gothia, by Germany, to Bregaun, until they occupied Spain. It was uninhabited on their arrival. They remained there thirty years, and fought fifty-four battles against Frisians, and Longobards, and Backru; and they were all gained by Milidh, son of Bile. For the right of Spain these battles were fought, and hence he was called "Milidh of Spain". And it was in it Milidh's two sons, Eremon and h-Erennan, were born. These were the two youngest. The two eldest were Donn and Ebhir; for in the east, in Scythia, Donn was born, and Ebhir in Egypt.

Twelve families died of the plague in one day in Spain, together with their three kings, viz, Milidh, son of Bile, Uige, and Oige. Forty-seven families and four soldiers went with the sons of Milidh, and with Scota, Pharaoh's daughter, on the sea to Erinn. They subsequently proceeded to land in Erinn at Inbher Slaini. They sailed round Erinn thrice, until they finally came to Inbher Sgene. Erenan, the youngest of Milidh's sons, went up into the mast to see how far they were from land. He was drowned there, so that his limbs were severed on the rocks, and, in dying, his head was placed on his mother's breast and gave forth a sigh. "No wonder" said his mother "Erenan's going between two Inbhers; but he reached not the Inbher to which he came; he separated from the Inbher from which he came". In that day there was a terrible storm, and the ship which was Donn, son of Milidh, with fifty men, twelve women, and four soldiers, was cast away, so that they were drowned at the Dumacha in the western sea called Tech n-Duinn, on Thursday, the kalends of May, on the 17th of the moon. The fleet of the sons of Milidh occupied Erinn at Inbher Sgene, and the wife of Aimergin Gluingel, i.e. Sgene Davilsir, died there, and her grave was made there; hence it was called Inbher Sgene. Erannan's grave was placed on the other side. The third day after the occupation of Erinn by the sons of Milidh, they fought the battle of Sliabh Mis against demons and Fomerians, and the sons of Milidh gained it, and they assumed the sovereignty of Erinn very soon afterwards.

The above relates to the written tradition but what of oral tradition?

The grave of Scota still remains, and has been pointed out from age to age by unlettered country folk, who knew nothing about written records and whose orally transmitted knowledge is their tithe of evidence to the great events of long past ages. The grave lies between Slieve Mis and the sea at Glenscoheen, in the townland of Clahane, in the parish of Annagh and the borony of Troughanacmy.

Fas the wife of Un also died in Kerry in the valley of Gleann Faisi, now called Glenafaish. Donn and his companions were shipwrecked in Kenmare Bay (Inver Sceine); and still Irish speaking people will show you a range of rocks which they call Teach-Dhoinn or Donn's house.

D. Breslin.

 

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