The king who shows what a king is for by failing at it
Warning
He takes hospitality seriously because he refused it
Resonance
Those in authority those who must hold a household
Symbols
Empty cupPloughSatireCrown
Mythology Summary
Eochu Bres is the beautiful son of Elatha of the Fomorians and Ériu of the Tuatha Dé, made king after Nuada loses his hand and married to Brigid. His reign is remembered for tribute and for the failure of hospitality - the knives at his table were never greased and no guest's breath smelled of ale - until Cairbre mac Étaine made the first satire in Ireland against him and the kingship fell away. Exiled, he led the Fomorians at the Second Battle and was spared by Lugh in exchange for teaching the Tuatha Dé to plough, sow and reap, and in the Dindshenchas Lugh kills him with poisoned milk drawn from wooden cows.
Modern Practice
Worked with as a mirror for leadership rather than a patron: the questions are what a household is owed, what a guest is owed, and what a ruler keeps back. The plough is the honest counterweight to the satire.