Macha transformed Mac Lir into stone out of an overwhelming desire to shield him from the intense pain of grief, believing that he would be better off feeling nothing at all.
Macha's Motivation: Eradicating Suffering
Macha's actions were driven by a profound reaction to her son's immense sorrow. After Mac Lir lost a loved one, his grief was so profound that he wept an ocean. Witnessing such devastating heartbreak led Macha to develop a singular obsession: to eliminate negative feelings and prevent anyone, especially her son, from experiencing such profound emotional pain again.
In her perspective, the ultimate solution to protect Mac Lir from future suffering was to strip him of all emotions entirely. This led her to take the drastic measure of removing his feelings and, consequently, turning him into a stone formation.
The Transformation and Its Consequence
- Intense Grief: Mac Lir's sorrow was depicted as consuming, capable of filling an entire ocean. This magnitude of suffering deeply disturbed Macha.
- Macha's Belief: She firmly believed that by taking away his feelings, Mac Lir would be "better off feeling nothing," thereby escaping the possibility of future emotional distress.
- Physical Manifestation: The act of taking away his feelings was intrinsically linked to his physical transformation into stone. This event led to the creation of an island located near Ben's home, serving as a permanent reminder of Macha's extreme measure to alleviate pain.
This transformation was Macha's desperate attempt to provide what she saw as ultimate peace for her son, albeit at the cost of his very being and emotional capacity.
