Crimthann Nia Náir

In medieval Irish regnal cycles Crimthann Nia Náir is presented as the son of Lugaid Riab nDerg, born of Clothru (who is thus both his mother and grandmother). He appears in the sequence of High Kings and is implicated in narratives that interweave royal lineage with encounters with the otherworld, notably a voyage with his aunt Nár, described as a fairy woman, from which he returns bearing otherworldly treasures.

The surviving excerpts supply no physical description beyond his identity as a High King and his genealogical relations. Narrative focus is placed on the otherworldly treasures he brings back rather than on his personal appearance.

Crimthann is not depicted as a supernatural being himself but as a legendary ruler who acquires extraordinary items through an otherworld voyage: a gilded chariot, a gold fidchell board, a gold-embroidered cloak, a sword inlaid with gold serpents, a silver-embossed shield, a spear and a sling that never miss, and two greyhounds linked by a silver chain. These items imply martial and regal advantages conferred by contact with the fairy realm. Despite these gains his life ends abruptly in an accidental fall from his horse at Howth.