Heremon By M.O’Neill

In the Irish mythological legends Heremon was the son of Milesius that was born in Galicia, Spain who cut off his hand to win the kingship of Ulster, and there we get one of the myths of the Red Hand. Later in the legends Heremon slays his brother Heber and Amergin, and becomes the sole monarch of Ireland and divides it among his commanders and family.  According to the myths Heremon gave Munster to the sons of Heber: Er, Orba, Feron, and Ferga. Ulster to Ir, the Eastern part of Leinster he gave to his commander Criomtham-Sciath-Bheil, Connaught to one of his commanders named Un-Mac-Oigge, and a section of Munster to Lughaidh the son of Ithe.

O’Rahilly also points out that the figure of Ir was an invention by Irish genealogist.

A third son, Ir, was added early; the ‘HistoriaBrittonum’ speaks of the invasion of Ireland by tresfilliiMilitisHispaniae, who can only be Eber, Eremon, and Ir. The invention of Ir was probably due in the first instance to the genealogist, who were favorably disposed towards the Cruthin and determined to provide them with a highly respectable Goidelic pedigree. Before the end of the ninth century the number of Mil’s sons had been increased to six by the addition of Donn, Colptha, and Amairgein. Later we find two others added, viz. ErechFebria and Airennan, making a total of eight. In the course of time the genealogist ennobled the remnants of the Erainn by inventing Goidelic pedigrees for them. This was done in particular in two ways. Some branches of them, especially the CorcuLoigde, they made descend from Ith, who is usually represented as son of Bregon and uncle of Mil.  – T.F. O’Rahilly Early Irish History and Mythology.

The name Ir may represent the Irminones, also referred to as Herminones or Hermiones were a group of early Germanic tribes that circa the 1st century AD who expanded into Bavaria, Swabia and Bohemia. Also lead you to believe thatthe word Heremon may also be a corruption of the word Hermiones.According to T.F. O’Rahilly the name Heremon is based on Eriu, meaning “Ireland.” Yet Ireland was called by many names by the Romans and Greeks: Ierne, Ierna, Ierna, Iris, Irin, Insla Sacra, Ivernia, Ibernia, Hibernia, Juvernia, and Verna. One of the most ancient names was Ogy – Ogia meaning “The most ancient land.”

Irminonic or Elbe Germanic is the conventional term of grouping early West Germanic dialects of ancestral to High German. The name Irminones origins are from the work Germania in 98 A.D.by the Roman Tacitus who categorized them as one of the tribes of the mythical Mannus. Mannus is a Germanic mythological figure he is the son of Tuisto, the mythological founder of the Hermiones, Istvaeones, and Ingaevones.

The mythical founder of the Herminones was Irmin, in Old High German Ermen, and Old Norse Jermun, and Old English Eormen. The name Amergin looks like another corruption of the mythical Armenon or Armin from the name Irmin.

The name Heber is another name that looks to be another corruption of the Hebrew bible figure named Eber, an ancestor of the Israelites; he was the great grandson of Noah’s son Shem and the father of Peleg. This figure Eber refused to help with the building of the Tower of Babel, so his language was not confused with others and he and his family ended up retaining the original human language Hebrew a language named after Eber. But according to T.F. O’Rahilly the name Eber simply means ‘Irishman’ from the words Eberus, Ebernus, and Hibernus. In my opinion, this again proves how the creators of the Milesian genealogies used all types of information from various sources including the Bible to eliminate all types of pagan ancestry, and this would look respectable in the eyes of the church during those periods in Ireland.

The most interesting account is that of Heremon and his association with the origin of the “Red Hand of the O’Neill’s.” I have researched the origin of the Red Hand, and, in my opinion, its origins are of a Germanic one.  There are some tales of the two sons, of a Viking who fought, and one lost his hands in battle to gain kingship of Ulster. This practice is known has “The fountain of Tyr” associated with Viking berserkers, but there is no evidence of this practice was ever done in battle.

Another is an ancient worship of the God Tyr, who lost his right hand versus Fenrir, but the Left Red Hand was used by the O’Neill Kings and the myths say Heremon cut off his Left Hand.  Very likely we will never know the true origins of these mythological legends of the O’Neill’s, but from I have seen they are elaborates creations based on some truth, and after centuries of countless additions of legends taken from various sources very hard to find the truth.