Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Neil of the Nine Hostages

In previous installments, I have described the “main characters” in Banish the Snakes: the historic people that players represent in their attempts to convert Ireland. But now I’m moving on to the “supporting cast” of historic characters, people who were notable in the history of the time and show up in the game on Event cards. First up is the most famous High King of Ireland, Niall Noígíallach- translated into English as Neil of the Nine Hostages.

Neil of the Nine Hostages

Neil was born in the north-west of Ulster into an aristocratic family, the youngest of five sons of Eochaid Mugmedon, High King of Ireland. His mother was Eochaid’s second wife, Cairenn Chasdub. She was from Great Britain, and her name suggests that she was Romano-British. It’s impossible to pin down exactly when Neil was born and died, but one scholar dates his death at 452, twenty years after Patrick arrived for his mission. One legend even says that Neil was the raider who captured Patrick as a boy and sold him into slavery in Ireland. Despite all of the legends that have accrued to his name, most scholars believe that Neil was a real person.

Young Neil was popular among the nobles of his clan, and rose in prominence among his brothers. Legend says that his father arranged a series of contests to see which brother would inherit the leadership of his family- Neil won. As king, he fought a series wars against his neighbors throughout Ireland, defeating each in turn, bringing them under his control. In order to ensure peace, Neil took hostages from each of the areas he conquered. It is not a coincidence that the map for Banish the Snakes has a total of nine areas! He was famous and feared throughout Ireland, and extended his fame with raids on Britain, along with his brothers and sons. Some traditions even say he campaigned on the continent. He control most of the Northern half of Ireland directly, and conquered the Uliad aristocracy, which ruled in Ulster. With his victories and subsequent consolidation of power, he was able to found a dynasty, the Uí Neill, which gave rise to the O’Neil clan. Of his eight sons, three founded kingdoms in Ulster- the Northern Uí Neill- while others founded a kingdom in the Irish midlands around Tara- the Southern Uí Neill.

In 2006, a genetic study suggested that Neil may have been the most fecund male in Irish history. The geneticists found that 21 percent of men from north-western Ireland, 8 percent from all of Ireland, a substantial percentage of men from western and central Scotland, and about 2 percent of men from New York bore the same Y-chromosome haplotype. The geneticists estimated that about 2–3 million men bear this haplotype. At the time, it was suggested that Neil was the founder of this line of male chromosomes. Subsequent studies imply that the chromosome marker dates from before Neil’s time, but they don’t doubt that Neil was likely among its bearers. By any measure, Neil of the Nine Hostages was a very successful man.

In game terms, the Neil of the Nine Hostages card mixes up the political hierarchy in Ireland. The leadership in Ulster rises up and becomes the High King. In the more drastic version of the card (red, orange and yellow), people are displaced and killed in the turmoil. The change in leadership is usually bad for the players- bringing in a new High King who might be Pagan, often taking the place of a Christian High King. But it is possible for the opposite to happen, or perhaps a powerful Pagan High King is replaced by one who is more open to the new religion. You never know until you play the game!

Previous Articles:

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Palladius

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Patrick

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Auxilius

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Ciarán

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Iserninus

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Secundinus

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Brigid

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Finnian

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Ibar

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Brendan

Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Moninne