Medb (Old Irish spelling) – Middle Irish: Meḋḃ, Meaḋḃ; early modern Irish: Meadhbh; reformed modern Irish Méabh, Medbh; sometimes Anglicised Maeve, Maev or Maive (pronounced May-v).

Most notably, the warrior queen of Connacht, the western province of Ireland.  It is said that her father gifted her with Connacht, or Connaught, and no king could rule here unless they were marries to Queen Medb.  She had many husbands, and ruled for many years.  Medb appears in much of the literature of the Ulster saga tales, and our most famous epic literary tale, the Táin Bó Cuilnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley) features her strongly as the protagonist.  Or is that the antagonist...?

Historically, she would have lived sometime around the years 0 - 100AD, if she existed as a real flesh and blood queen.  And that is the question - was she real?  

A queen, or a Goddess of the land?  A priestess of a sovereignty Goddess, who rose to power?  An archetypal figure, representing... what?  These are some of the riddles of Queen Maeve.