Cutting the nipples was more than simply a brutal act. It¡¯s purpose was to dethrone the king.
¡°Sucking a king¡¯s nipples was a gesture of submission in ancient Ireland,¡± says Kelly.
¡°Cutting them would have made him incapable of kingship in this world or the next.¡±
(Ned Kelly, keeper of antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland.)