Deirdre

Deirdre (dâr`drə, dēr`–), beautiful heroine of Irish legend. A druid prophesied at her birth that she would bring great misfortunes. Deirdre, chosen to be the wife of Conchobar, king of Ulster, fell in love with Naoise, the son of Usnach, and fled with him and his two brothers to Scotland. After a long idyllic stay there, they were enticed into returning to Ireland by Conchobar, who then treacherously killed the sons of Usnach. Deirdre, her heart broken, died on her lover's grave. This legend was very popular with the writers of the Irish literary renaissance, notably Yeats, Synge, and James Stephens.

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Deirdre

In medieval Irish literature, the heroine of The Fate of the Sons of Usnech, the great love story (written in the 8th or 9th century) of the Ulster cycle. A Druid foretold at Deirdre's birth that many men would die on her account, and she was raised in seclusion. A woman of great beauty, she rejected the advances of King Conor (see Conchobar), married Noísi, one of the sons of Usnech, and fled with him to Scotland. Lured back to Ireland, Noísi and his brothers were murdered, and Deirdre killed herself to avoid marrying Conor. In the 20th century the story was dramatized by William Butler Yeats and John Millington Synge.

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Deirdre

prophesied to become the most beautiful woman in Ireland. [Irish Legend: Benét, 259]

See : Beauty, Feminine

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Deirdre

when Noisi is betrayed and slain, she kills herself. [Irish Legend: Benét, 259–260]

See : Love, Tragic