Banbha

Banbha, sometimes spelled Banba, is a figure in Irish mythology who personifies the island of Ireland. She is one of the three sister goddesses who appear in medieval Irish literature alongside Ériu (Éire) and Fódla. Together, the three are used as symbolic representations of Ireland in poetry and myth, with Banbha commonly understood as one of the island’s feminine personifications.

The exact origins and meaning of Banbha are not uniform across sources. In different manuscripts, her identity and attributes are described with varying emphasis, and some scholars connect the name with concepts such as beauty or whiteness of the land. Like Ériu and Fódla, Banbha is generally treated as a symbolic figure rather than as a widely worshipped deity with a fixed cult.

In literary tradition, the three sisters are invoked to symbolize Ireland’s unity and sovereignty. They appear in poems and prose to represent the island in political and cultural contexts, sometimes illustrating alliances, sovereignty, or national identity. The triad of Banbha, Ériu, and Fódla serves as a poetic framework for discussing Ireland’s geography, people, and history.

In contemporary usage, Banbha remains primarily a literary and cultural personification. The name appears in scholarly works on Irish mythology and in poetry and art as a symbolic reference to Ireland. There is no distinct modern religious practice centered on Banbha; rather, she is treated as part of Ireland’s mythological and national symbolic heritage.