Celtic Myth and Legend

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Celtic Myth and Legend

• The Celts are a linguistic group in the
  Indo-European language family.
  
• Today, only small populations in Scotland,
  Wales, Ireland, Isle of Man, and Brittany still
  speak Celtic languages (Gaelic et al.).
  
• Historically, Celtic tribes inhabited most of
  the European continent, and Celtic languages were
  spoken from Spain to Austria, from Belgium to
  Turkey. The biblical Galatians were Celtic.

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Celtic Myth and Legend
Celtic Territory 500 BC to 50 BC
Celtic Territory today
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Celtic Myth and Legend

• Celtic mythology is best recorded in Ireland,
  though there are earlier Roman accounts as well.
  
• Celtic religion (druidism) was animistic and
  polytheistic, with many local gods and goddesses.
  No standardization of the mythology in ancient
  times.
• Celtic tribes were largely illiterate before
  contact with Rome (ogham). Later conversion to
  Christianity.
  
• Druids were a priestly class who worshipped gods
  in natural areas (oak, hazel, mistletoe,
  thistle). Druids were apparently forbidden from
  writing down lore.

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Ogham
Celtic script mentioned by Caesar in Gaul, but
found mostly (about 300) in Irish stone
inscriptions.
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Celtic Myth and Legend

• Julius Caesar wrote that the Gauls (continental
  Celts) practiced ritual killing and human
  sacrifice (burning in wicker cages).
  
• Caesar also noted a strong belief in
  reincarnation among the druidic teachings of the
  Gauls.
  
• Headhunting seems to have been practiced as well
  stone heads a common marker of Celtic culture.
  Severed heads a source of spiritual power.
  
• Cúchulainn carried several severed heads on his
  chariot, for example.

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Celtic Myth and Legend

• Ireland was not affected by Roman conquests or
  by the Germanic Völkerwanderung.
  
• St. Patrick (a Romanized Briton) was taken as a
  slave to Ireland around 405 AD.
  
• After his escape (and conversion to
  Christianity), he returned to Ireland as a
  missionary in 432 AD.
  
• Patrick died in Ireland on 17 March 461 AD.
• From 450 until 750 Irish monasteries were the
  chief centers of learning in Europe.

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Celtic Myth and Legend

• The Book of Kells, dating from about 750-800 AD,
  is a product of the monastic culture in early
  Ireland.

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Celtic Myth and Legend

• Many aspects of Celtic culture and religion
  remained alive in the society, merging with the
  new religion of Christianity
  
• Samhain All Hallows EveGoddess Brigid St.
  Brigid (Feast of 1 February Imbolg)
  
• Because of the very early Christianization of
  Ireland, monks preserved oral tales dating back
  to around the time of Christ.
  
• The pagan gods became associated with the burial
  mounds of earlier groups, the Sidhe, people of
  the mounds, or fairy folk.

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Tuatha de Danann(a greatly oversimplified
overview)
The Tuatha De Danann (people of goddess Danu,
a.k.a. Brigid) were the chief deities of Irish
mythology. The Fomorians (evil giants) were their
enemies.--The Dagda Mor (the good), father and
supreme god.--Aengus Og (the young), god of
love,--Lugh Lamfada, (long arms Lugus) solar,
warrior deity.--Nuada of the Silver Hand, leader
of the group.--Mananan, popular sea god (Isle of
Man).--The Morrigan, perverse goddess of strife
and war.--The Badb, sister goddess of war, in
raven form.--Macha, third sister goddess of war,
also horses and kingship.--Ainé, goddess of love
and passion.--Ogma, god of eloquence (inventor
of ogham).
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Celtic Myth and Legend

• According to legend, the Milesians (Irish Celts)
  invaded Ireland after the Tuatha de Danann, and
  conquered the land from them.
  
• The Tuatha de Danann withdrew to their Other
  World realm, whose entrances are visible in the
  great mounds of the country (People of the
  Sidhe).
• The Other World, or Fairyland, is a place of
  beauty, magic, eternal youth, and land of the
  dead. Sometimes located underground, underwater,
  far to the West, or parallel to our existence but
  invisible to us.

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Celtic Myth and Legend

• Medieval Irish monks recorded the exploits of
  (often euhemerized) gods and heroes of the
  ancient times.
  
• The Ulster Cycle of Irish legends recounts the
  adventures of Irelands pre-Christian golden
  age.
  
• The Táin Bó Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley),
  the longest and most famous of the Irish legends,
  recounts the defense of Ulster by the teenage
  hero Cúchulainn. Combination of poetry and
  prose.
• Cúchulainns birth and death are dealt with in
  other tales related to the Táin.

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Táin Bó Cuailnge

• The Táin begins with a debate between Queen Medb
  and King Ailill of Connacht over which of them
  owns the most possessions.
  
• A subsequent accounting shows equal property,
  except that Ailill owns a white-horned bull
  superior to any owned by Medb. She is jealous.
  
• She hears of the great Brown Bull of Cuailnge
  and determines to have it on loan (cite 55).
  
• Messengers get drunk, boast they would have
  taken it if not offered freely. Insults undermine
  the deal.

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Táin Bó Cuailnge

• The men of Ulster cannot guard their lands and
  cattle because they are suffering their pangs.
  
• Tale of Macha and her curse.
• Only Cúchulainn does not suffer from the pangs,
  and he is left alone to defend the province of
  Ulster from the invading army.
  
• He harasses Medbs army, kills and decapitates
  many soldiers. To stop the depredations, they
  agree to single combat at river fords (sacred
  boundaries) each day (117).

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Táin Bó Cuailnge

• Medbs champions are loathe to fight a beardless
  boy, because it will bring them no honor, but are
  all defeated by Cúchulainn.
  
• Cúchulainns warp spasm or battle fury
  (150ff.).
  
• The Morrígan visits Cúchulainn and offers him
  love, but he rejects her advances (132f. and
  135ff.).
  
• Cúchulainn uses the gae bolga on Loch. He
  usually fights with sword, javelins and spears,
  sling and darts, on a chariot drawn by Laeg, his
  charioteer.

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Táin Bó Cuailnge

• The injured Cúchulainn is visited by Lug mac
  Ethnenn, from the Síde, who cures him (142f.).
  
• The duels reach a climax with Cúchulainns
  combat with his foster-brother Ferdia. Medb
  offers him quite a lot to defeat the Little Hound
  (169).
• Their epic encounter lasts four days, fighting
  with all their available weapons. Finally, they
  agreed to fight in the water of the ford
  (194ff.)
• Cúchulainn laments Ferdias death. Then he says,
  Now, friend Laeg, cut Ferdia open and take the
  gae bolga out of him. I need my weapon (201).

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Táin Bó Cuailnge

• The men of Ulster finally rise from their pangs
  and take the field to defend their territory.
  King Conchobor of Ulster brings out his army for
  a Final Battle (238).
• Wounded Cúchulainn joins the battle in progress
  and Ulster wins the day. Cúchulainn spares Medbs
  life.
  
• The Brown Bull is taken to Connacht with the
  retreat he sees the White-horned, they fight for
  two days the Brown kills the White-Horned, but
  wanders off to die.
• In a later legend, Medb gets witches to confound
  Cúchulainn, and he is slain with his charioteer
  and horse.