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Heroes in Irish mythology can be found in two distinct groups.There is the hero in the tribe and the hero outside of the tribe. The first group encompasses all that is subject to man and his works must belong to the tribe and live under its laws. Within the tribe, heroes are of the race of humans and gods are not. Heroes are known for their fury, ardor, tumescence, and speed. One example of the hero in the tribe is Sentanta-Cu Chulainn around whom it is argues the Irish heroic mythology has formed. He is characterized as his tribe's defender and champion. The Celts regard the defiance of fate to be a great virtue of a hero.

The second part surmises that the wild nature belongs to the feinid (those of Fiana). This emphasizes the hero outside of the tribe. Most notably, are the legends of Fiana. They are outside of the tribal institutions and are hunting warriors who are semi-nomadic. They live under the authority of their own leader and often the heroes show a semi-animal nature. This attribute makes the heroes part of the mythical world and connected to various divinities.


 * Badb Catha, the Raven of Battle, introduces zoomorphism to celtic deities of both sexes
 * Male less zoomorphic than females
 * Triads
 * It is an expression of the extreme potency of any one diety
 * More pronounced attribute among goddesses
 * Likened to the "power of three"
 * Triad amongst male dieties in Ireland takes several forms
 * Dagda had ascribed to him two other names
 * Lug had two brothers
 * The Three Gods of Skill
 * Gobniu,Credne, and Luchta

'''Sjoestedt, Marie-Louise. Gods and Heroes of the Celts. Turtle Island Foundation, 1982.'''


 * The hero of the Tribe (73-98)
 * Heroes are of our race and gods are not
 * heroes express notions of fury, ardor, tumescence, and speed
 * Sentanta-Cu Chulainn: around whom Irish herioic mythology has crystallized
 * his tribe's defender and champion
 * ideal type of youth, fighter
 * Celts seem to regard the defiance of fate a great virtue of a hero
 * The Heroes outside the Tribe (99-110)
 * Outside of tribal institutions
 * hunting warrior semi-nomads living under the authority of their own leader
 * heros show traces of semi-animal nature
 * Two parts: all that is subject to man and fruit of his work belongs to the tribe and to those who live under its laws; wild nature belongs to the feinid and is the land of the landless

'''Dillon, Myles, and Nora K. Chadwick. The Celtic Realms. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1972'''


 * Celtic Religion and Mythology (128-150)
 * "Mythology is, in fact, an attempt to define the infinite and indefinable, and what it offers is not a definition but a symbol.
 * Gods
 * Otherworld god is the Traveller of the Heavens, god of the sky
 * Live individually either underground or on distant islands across the sea
 * Group 1: older gods from Gaul and Britain
 * Group 2: native Irish gods homes in the mound (great barrows of the dead); gods whom the majority of stories are made
 * Group 3: gods who dwell in the sea
 * Group 4: Stories of the Otherworld (mortals who visit referred to as echtrai "adventures" and baili "visions, ecstasies")
 * Goddesses of war: Morrigan, Macha, and Bodb

Tír na nÓg

 * Tir na n-Og is "the land of the young" and in this tale it is "paradoxically beset by anxieties about succession." (pg 170)

Plot

There is a king of Tir na nog who held the crown for many years. The tradition of the land is that every seven years champions come to run against the king in order to rule. They run up a hill to a throne and the first person to sit on the throne becomes king until a champion replaces him. The king begins to fear that someone else will replace him as king. He visits a Druid and asks about his fate as a monarch. The Druid tells him that he will always be king unless his son-in law runs against him. Since the king's daughter is not yet married he decides to use the Druid's magic to turn his daughter's head into the head of a pig. The Druid then tells the king's daughter that she get her own head back if she marries a son of Fin MacCumhail. The king's daughter finds one of the sons, Oisin, and tells him what the Druid told her. They marry and she transforms back into herself. They then go back to Tir na nog and Oisin enters the challenge for the throne. He wins the throne and no one ever runs against him again.

Education and Celtic Myth by Padraic Frehan:

The Myths in the textbooks (198-214)


 * Where a person can stay forever young

Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore


 * Otherworld
 * Charmed life of eating, dancing, loving
 * never have to face death

Symbols Irish Mythology

Pigs

The princess is given a pig's head and pigs are a common symbol in Irish mythology. For the culture they were a vital meat source and they were smaller and fiercer than the modern domesticated pig. Early in Celtic culture, the pig was used as a funeral animal and they also represent a connection to the warrior class and are said to be good luck to the person who catches them.

Irish mythology
Education and Celtic Myth by Padraic Frehan:


 * Chapter 1: Education in Independent Ireland: Myths, Schools,Books (pgs 27-38)
 * "The implementation of a concept of Irishness and a uniqueness associated with an Irish self-image was delivered through the vehicle of the mythological tales used in the National school classrooms" (29)
 * Re-read findings (34-37)
 * Chapter 6-- Celtic Mythology:
 * Sources and Cycles (193-198)
 * Leabhar na hUidre is the oldest surviving manuscript written entirely in Irish (194)
 * selection of the Ulster sagas
 * Tain Bo Cuailgne (the Cattle Raid of Cooley): "oldest vernacular epic in Europe"
 * Leabhaar Laignech (Leabhar na Nuachingbala)
 * Compiled between 1152 and 1161 by at least four main scribes
 * The Yellow Book of Lecan [Leabhar Buidhe Lecain] (pg95)
 * sixteen parts arranged in the seventeenth century
 * Tain Bo Cuailgne and legends of Fionn Mac Cumhail
 * selections of legends of Irish Saints
 * The Book of Ui Mhaine (Leabhaar Ui Mhaine)
 * compiled at the same time as the Yellow Book
 * written entirely in Irish
 * stories on early Irish history and pseudo-history, religious and secular poetry
 * Mythological Cycles (pgs 196-198)
 * The Mythological Cycle-
 * principle people who invaded and inhabited the island (Cessair and her followers, The Formorians, The Partholinians, The Nemedians, The Firbolgs, the Tuatha De Danann, and the Milesians
 * historical mythological cycle
 * The Ultonian Cycle
 * Great heroic cycle of Irish Mythology
 * relates to deeds of the Ulster king Conchobhar Mac Nesa, Red Branch Knights, and Cu Chulainn
 * Tain Bo Cuailgne
 * The Ossianic Cycle (197-198)
 * Fianna cycle-- Fionn Mac Cumhail and the Fianna
 * Fianna warriors and their heroic deeds
 * Provinces of Leinster and Munster
 * Connects elements of the mythological Cycle by incorporating stories associated with Tir na nOg as well as early Christian period in Ireland
 * bridges Christian and Pre-Christian
 * most of the poems are attributed to being composed by Oisin = Ossianic
 * The Cycle of Kings
 * describes genealogies and adventures of the kings of Ireland


 * Chapter 9-- Myths : small number, large impact (286-288)
 * amounts to a small percentage of content in textbooks

Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore


 * Pig: vital meat source in the culture
 * smaller and fiercer
 * early in Celtic culture the pig was a funeral animal
 * connection to the warrior class
 * brings good luck if you can catch it
 * Druid (137-138)

Depending on the sources, the importance of gods and goddesses in Irish mythology varies. The geographical tales, Dindshenchas, emphasize the importance of female divinities while the historical tradition focuses on the colonizers, inventors, or male warriors with the female characters only intervening in episodes.

Goddesses are linked to a place and they seem to draw their power from that place. They are maternal dieties caring for the earth itself as well as children. They are often connected to poetry, smith craft, and healing. Many appear to be prophetic especially when foretelling death as well as transformational. Zoomorphism is an important feature for many Irish goddesses. There is a lack of a goddess of love equivalent to Aphrodite of Venus due to the predominance of the maternal element in the culture of the Celt. There are multiple categories of goddesses in Irish Mythology: The Mother Goddess, Seasonal Goddess, and Warrior Goddess are a few.

Mother Goddesses

Some of these goddesses are considered to be all one goddess while other stories treat them as separate. Among the mother goddesses is Anu ( Ana) the goddess of prosperity and Danu (Dana). Additionally, Brigit is a mother goddess that is sometimes considered one goddess and sometimes considered the three sisters Brigit (The Triple). This goddess is adored by poets and smiths and is the mother goddess that watches over childbirth. She is a goddess of prosperity and brings abundance. Brigit can also be categorized as a seasonal goddess and one can win her favor by burying a fowl alive at the meeting of three waters as a form of sacrifice. She survives as Saint Brigit in the Christian faith and some modern folklore makes her midwife to the Blessed Virgin.

The function of these goddesses involves the entire cycle of life from birth through adolescence and the fertility. They are protecting forces that provide the necessities of life within thee home. Often they are envisioned as being the earth itself. Their importance have led some scholars to propose a matrilineal social organization and others highlight this argument as being feminist propaganda and deny all indications of importance.

Seasonal Goddesses

These goddesses are the patronesses of feasts. They appear during great feasts of Ireland and they bring abundance. The main goddesses are the Machas: Carman, Tailtiu, Tea, but there are other seasonal goddesses.

Warrior Goddess

Warrior Goddesses are often linked with warrior women because there is historical evidence of women leading their tribes into battle. Often times, warrior goddesses are depicted in a trio. This trio can change to include different goddesses. They reign over the battlefield without having to physically be involved. They do not need to strike a blow because they control the events while the male deities are often depicted as being in the battles. This aspect leads to the discussion of women as the gods of slaughter. Scholars note that the female deities govern the natural event while the male deities govern the social event.

'''Sjoestedt, Marie-Louise. Gods and Heroes of the Celts. Turtle Island Foundation, 1982'''


 * Mythological period (11-25)
 * "The Irish think of their history mythologically" (11)
 * Mother goddesses of Ireland (37-51)
 * Importance of gods and goddesses varies depending on the text (37
 * Historical tradition focuses on the colonizers, inventors or male warriors with female persons intervening only in episodes
 * national or tribal character of gods and local character of goddesses
 * Geographical tales of Dindshenchas = female divinities are important
 * Mothers of the gods- separate goddesses and possibly different names for the same
 * Anu (Ana): goddess of prosperity
 * Danu (Dana)
 * Brigit: the triple or the three sisters Brigit
 * adored by poets, smiths, and leeches
 * survives as Saint Brigid in the Christian faith
 * mother goddess that watches over childbirth
 * modern folklore makes her the midwife of the Blessed Virgin
 * goddess of prosperity, brings abundance
 * seasonal goddess
 * propitiated by the sacrifice of fowl buried alive at the meeting of three waters
 * Seasonal goddesses- patronesses of the great feasts of Ireland (39-44)
 * The Machas: Carman, Tailtiu, Tea, and others
 * Mother goddesses as warriors
 * form in a trio
 * not alway the same three
 * gods of slaughter as women
 * they reign over the battlefield without having to be involved and if they do then they do not need to strike a blow
 * "Female governing the natural event, the male governing the social event" (47)
 * Zoomorphism is an important feature of many Irish goddesses
 * Lack of a goddess of love equvalent to Aphrodite or Venus due to the predominance of the maternal element over the amorous and chastity in the Celt (51)
 * Encyclopedia:
 * Goddesses
 * link to place: most found only in one place and seem to have been seen as intertwines with its powers
 * Functions
 * Maternal, caring for the earth itself as well as for individual children
 * prophetic (especially in foretelling death)
 * transformational
 * connected to poetry, smith craft, and healing
 * Mother Goddesses
 * entire life cycle from birth through adolescence and the fertility of maturity
 * protective forces providing the necessities of life
 * envisioned as being the earth itself
 * importance has lead scholars to propose the celt had a matrilineal social organization
 * some deny all indications of importance as feminist propaganda
 * Warrior Women
 * historical evidence of women leading their tribes into battle
 * Chieftain Gods of Ireland (52-61)
 * gods creating groups similar to the family groups, tuatha (tribes)

'''Smyth, Daragh. A Guide to Irish Mythology. Irish Academic Press, 1996.'''


 * Druids (52-56)
 * No written tradition because it becomes common property and makes the student relax their diligence
 * involved astronomy
 * Carved wands of yew
 * Finn mac Cumaill (64-72)
 * lebor na hUidre (94-95)
 * Book of the dun cow
 * Royal Irish Academy in Dublin
 * Oisin (138-142)
 * Oisin and St. Patrick
 * It is said that they were both angered by their differences. St. Patrick attempted to convert Oisin while Oisin stated that he abhorred St. Patrick and his God. One of the stories involving the two involves Oisin fighting a black bull for St. Patrick. Oisin kills the bull and when St. Patrick comes to see how the fight went, Oisin is asleep in the bull's hide. In return for killing the bull, Oisin asks to be buried facing the east on Slieve Gullion, Co. Armagh.It is said that he was buried in the bull's hide on Curran Mountain near Manorhamiltion.
 * Otherworld (144-148)
 * Mag Mell is the way to the Otherworld
 * Plain of honey
 * golden path the sun makes over the ocean between the horizon and the observer
 * The first ancestor of the human race is the fod of the dead and this god inhabits a distant region beyond the ocean

Oisín
Education and Celtic Myth by Padraic Frehan:

The Myths in the textbooks (198-214)


 * Oisin is the son of Fionn Mac Cumhail and the goddess Sadbh (daughter of Bodh Dearg king of the Tuatha De Danann)
 * Malicious wizard turns her into a deer and she runs off into the forest; she gave birth to a human boy found by Fionn on day years later when he is hunting
 * Most noted for falling in love with Niamh and going away with her to Tir na nOg (ends up being 300 years)
 * Not supposed to set foot on the land-- he falls off his horse and immediately becomes an old man
 * all of his family is dead and the land is on the verge of becoming Christian
 * He meets St. Patrick: P cares for O until his death and O tells him the stories of the Fianna

Bibliography

Frehan Pádraic. Education and Celtic Myth: National Self-Image and Schoolbooks in 20th Century Ireland. Rodopi, 2012.

MacKillop, James. Fionn Mac Cumhaill: Celtic Myth in English Literature. Syracuse University Press, 1986.

Sjoestedt, Marie-Louise. Gods and Heroes of the Celts. Turtle Island Foundation, 1982.

Yeats and the Conflicted Appeal of Irish Mythology Daniel Gomes