in8snotes

The Dagda in Stories

[from Squire, 'Celtic Myths and Legends' 1994]

DeJubanville (Le Cycle Mythologique) translates the name as the "good" god. Meaning that he was "good at" stuff. However, an alternate interpretation comes from Rhys (Hibbert Lectures: The Coir Anmann) for the "Fire of God"

The Irish tract called the Choice of Names says he was the god of the earth; he had a cauldron called "Undry", in which everyone found food in proportion to his merits and from which none went away unsatisfied.. He also had a living harp, as he played upon it, the seasons came in their order: Winter to Spring to Summer to Autumn. He is represented as a venerable aspect and of simple mind and tastes. Very fond of porridge, and a valiant consumer of it.

In an ancient tale we have a description of his dress: He wore a brown, low-necked tunic which only reached down to his hips, and over this, a hooded cape which barely covered his shoulders. On his feet and legs were horse-hide boots, the hairy side outwards. He carried, or rather drew after him on a wheel, an eight pronged war-club, so huge that eight men would have been needed to carry it; and the wheel, as he towed the whole weapon along, made a track like a territorial boundary.

Ancient and greyheaded as he was and sturdy porridge-eater, it will be seen from this that he was a formidable fighter. He did great deeds in the battle between the Gods and the Fomors (the giants of the sea), and, on occassion, is even said to have captured single handed a hundred-legged and four headed monster called Mata, dragged him to the Stone of Benn near the Boyne and killed him there.

The Dagda's wife was called Boann. She was connected in legend with the river Boyne wo which she gave its name and indeed its very existence.

The Dagda had several children, the most important of whom are Brigid, Angus, Mider, Ogma and Bodb the Red.

The Black-maned Heifer (page 78)

It came time to pick a new king, and the Tuatha de Danann went into council. They agreed it would be a politic thing for them to conciliate the Fomors, and make an alliance with them. So they sent a message to Bress, the son of the Fomorian Kind Elethan, asking him to come and rule over them. Bress accepted this offer; and they made a marriage between him and Brigid, the daughter of the Dagda. Bress gave some hostages that he would abdicate if his rule ever became unpleasing to those who had elected him. Inspite of all his fair promises, Bress, who belonged in heart to his own fierce people, began to oppress his subjects with excessive taxes. He put a tax on every hearth, and upon every kneading hearth, and upon every quern, as well as a poll tax of an ounce of gold upon every member of the Tuatha de Danann. By a crafty trick, too he obtained the milk of all of their cattle. He asked at first only for the produce of any cows which happened to be brown and hairless, and the people of the goddess Danu granted him this cheerfully. But Bress passed all the cattle in Ireland between two fires, so that their hair was singed off, and thus obtained the monopoly of the main food source. To earn a livelihood, all the gods, even the greatest were now forced to labour for him. Ogma, their champion, was sent out to collect firewood, while the Dagda was put to work building forts and castles.
One day, when the Dagda was at his task,, his son Angus came to him. "You have nearly finished that castle" he said. "What reward do you intend to ask from Bress when it is done?" The Dagda replied that he had not yet thought of it. "Let me give you some advice", said Angus. "Ask Bress to have all the cattle in Ireland gathered together upon a plain, so that you can pick out one for yourself. He will consent to that. Then choose the black-maned heifer called "Ocean".
The Dagda finished building the fort, and then went to Bress for his reward. "What will you have?" asked Bress. "I want the all the cattle in Ireland gathered together upon a plain, so that I may choose one for myself." Bress did this; and the Dagda took the black-maned heifer Angus had told him of. The king, who had expected to be asked much more, laughed at the what he thought was the Dagda's simplicity. But Angus had been wise as we shall see.

Last saved: 03/01/2005
Links: /history/celtic / Dagda.txt

Druidism

I'll put it in more words, though more is not always better:
Since we don't know that much about those old religions, all we can do is analyze and synthesize the practices of different 'primitive' religions that still exist and assume that the reasons that people of that time did what they did was for a similar reason. I'd be interested in knowing the title and author/ress of the book you read. I'm sorry if you already told me, I seem to have lost my notes!

You have to realize that Christianity has had a firm hold on Ireland since the 500's AD. (St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to Ireland died around 460), and those early Catholics absorbed most (if not all) of the traditions of the celtic tribes of that time into their own services. They adapted the dates of the pagan festivals because the people could not easily be made to stop observing this or that day (after all, it was their tradition!)

One thing to be careful of when reading about 'Druids', etc. Be aware that although there definitely were druids in ancient Ireland and Britain, the megalithic stone works that are always associated with them were constructed thousands of years before. Whether or not they used the areas as places of worship is debateable, but I can tell you if I lived back then and could walk up and touch them anytime I liked, I sure would.

Last saved: 03/01/2005
Links: /history/celtic / Druid-XTian.txt

Newsgroups: rec.food.historic
Subject: Re: Help Plan A Feast with Edward the Confessor
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 1995 20:03:29 -0400

To the best of my knowledge there are no extent cookbooks from that time
period. There are two books on Anglo-Saxon food/foodways around that
might be useful. They are:

Hagen, Ann. A SECOND HANDBOOK OF ANGLO-SAXON FOOD
& DRINK: PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION. Anglo-Saxon Books.
1995. An excellent book about the foods available in that time period,
and information on how they were eaten. Not a cookbook, but good
information about the food and foodways. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Hagen, Ann. A HANDBOOK OF ANGLO-SAXON FOOD. Processing
and Consumption. Anglo-Saxon Books, Nisslwawx, England. 1992.
This is not a cookbook per say, but a book about Anglo-Saxon food and
foodways. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

These should give you some ideas on what would be eaten then.

Note: these were taken from my annotated bibliography of books on
food/foodaways from about 1000 to 1700. If anyone is interested in the
complete bibliography e-mail me.

Jaelle
jaelle@access.digex.net

Last saved: 03/01/2005
Links: /history/celtic / saxnfood.txt

100000 welcomes

ce'ad mi'le fa'ilte
kayd meela faultcha

Last saved: 06/30/2003
Links: /history/celtic / 1000welcomes.txt

In your last letter you wrote:

"Also a friend of mine asked me the other day what the blue paint celts wear during battle mean....I really didn't know...Do you?"

The blue paint in question was made from the leaves of a plant, 'woad', a European herb of the mustard family which had blueish leaves. Julius Caesar noted during his expeditions that "all the Britons dye their bodies with woad, which produces a blue color and gives them a wild appearance in battle" (Remember that Rome invaded Britain in 44 AD).

An interesting side note here is that the Romans brought order and luxury to city dwellers of lowland Britain {London} as the Celts were really just a lot of little tribes that were always feuding. When they (the Romans) eventually had to leave to protect the city of Rome against the invasions of the Germans and the European Celts, they left these now 'civilized' celts in England surrounded by 'barbarian' Celts. The legend of King Arthur begins to arise about 100 years after this time and quite possibly the time and place now known as 'Camelot' refers in a vague way to that early golden age of Roman Britain...

Anyway, the plant, Isatis tinctoria, may have halucinogenic properties. I cannot confirm this at this time, but I have heard this. Whether the early Celts knew this or if it was just a tradition to wear this into battle I don't know, but their most fierce warriors would strip naked and paint their bodies with it. (The greatest Celtic warriors sometimes fought naked to show they had no fear of the enemy - also as an insult to their enemies, but it is unclear if this practice arose after they met the Romans in battle, who always wore very stout armor, or if it was a tradition from their earlier tribal warfare) The Romans were very unnerved by seeing totally naked warriors, screaming and yelling for blood, some with erections (these warriors obviously really liked battle) covered in woad in spiral patterns and animal shapes. In fact there are cases where the great, disciplined Roman army broke and ran in the face of these nutty Celts.

Comyn721

Last saved: 10/11/2002
Links: /history/celtic / WOAD.txt

Stories about Limerick

(for possible use in a story about Comyn)

It is at Cnoc Aine in Co. Limerick where Aine is most well remembered as
a great queen. Every year on St. John's Eve (24 June) local people would
form a procession around the hill, then carry flaming torches through
the fields of ripening crops. Aine herself was seen on many occasions
leading the procession.

Lough Gur in County Limerick is a very magical place where we meet many
of the sidhe kings and queens of Ireland. The lake lies within a circle
of low lying hills, but once every seven years it appears as dry land,
where an entrance to the Land of Youth may be found. The lake's guardian
is known as Toice Bhrean (the lazy one) because she neglected to watch
over the well, from which the lake sprang forth. It is believed that
once every seven years a mortal meets their death by drowning in the
lake, 'taken' by the Beann Fhionn, the White Lady.

In Co. Limerick the fairy king Donn of Knockfierna is well remembered.
There is a large earthern fort on his hill and a number of dolmens known
as the 'Giants Graves'. You can see the entrance to his fairy palace.
Donn is the ancient Celtic god of the Dead who rules the rocky islands
to the south west on the Atlantic coast. Donn is also known in Co.
Fermanagh as the ancestor of the Maguires, whom he helped in their
battles. Sometimes he is seen riding on a white horse on stormy nights,
when people would exclaim: "Donn is galloping in the clouds tonight".
Donn now more closely resembles a medieval Irish landlord than a god. He
rules quite strictly but will aid his people when needed. He is also
believed to fight against rival hosts in other counties, the winner
carrying off the best potato crop for that year.

Last saved: 10/11/2002
Links: /history/celtic / limerick.txt

Meaghan the Clurichaun

I'm glad that you are reading, no matter what it is, and your mother should be too. I'd be more scared if you spend all summer in front of the TV.

To answer your question, I am 30 and studying (on and off) to be a teacher (probably Biology or History) but no grey hair yet...

The first thing you should realize about the "Old Religion" is that its not really all that old. Many people who call themselves "pagans" are really 'neo-pagans'. In other words, they would like to think that they are practicing an ancient religion, but it is more likely a 'revival' than a 'survival'. More on that if you're interested...

As far as the faery folk go, it is mixed so deeply into the popular culture, its like asking if there is a Santa Claus or if theres a God. You're afraid to question it, because what if its true? All the popular touristy sites in Ireland have the si (pronounced "shee", another word for the little people) associated with them somehow.

Remember, this is a legend, and there may be a kernel of truth in it somewhere, but popular thinking has the Tuatha de Dana (People of Dana), often seen as the embodiment of Good, arriving in Ireland and defeating the Firbolgs (small, cunning folk) who were already there. The Danaans are thought of as 'magical' to some extent and when the next wave of people came, they kind of melded into the scenery, haunting stone works and tombs. The great people that legends like this talk about become super-human over time (like King Arthur and maybe George Washinton, someday) until perhaps, they can be called 'God-like' but who knows what the early Celts (say 'Kelt!' for Christ's sake!) thought. Just like the stories in the bible, perhaps stories were told to children of the Gods and men (usually the tellers ancestor!) doing great deeds in order to teach moral lessons, but we're only guessing here...

As far as stories about specific Gods and Goddesses, a good book is 'Celtic Myths and Legends' by T.W. Rolleston and its got some nice drawings in there too. There are too many in the Celtic Pantheon to list tonight!

Comyn

Last saved: 10/11/2002
Links: /history/celtic / IrishMyth.txt

We often hear the harpers sing

of glorious deeds and tales of old
of others lives and fathers kin
but I refuse to be so bold

My household was a humble lot
Our home was tiny, clean but bare
My father slept on a makeshift cot
and ate at the hearth his simple fare

The family farm in Luimneach was
the oats were sown and milked, the cows
and as it grew as a good farm does
more hands were needed to guide the ploughs

My father to his great surprise
found no sons amoung his brood
until young Coman did arise
but in him song and music grew

Of course, this did not bode at all well
for Coman, I, or Fearghus, my father
and when I amoung many more sisters fell
the more I saw cows and the less I saw mother

As I worked I took to song
to forget the labor and speed the hours
but Fearghus was fearful I'd dawdle too long
to order me silent was within his power

So in time I left and vowed to return
with gold in plenty and hands for the farm
and across this fair country I pedled my songs
singing for supper and keeping from harm

Long was I wand'ring the land far and wide
through valleys and forests far from my home
with my harp for companion and the stars for my guide
till near to the people of Bhriain I roamed
??

Last saved: 10/11/2002
Links: /history/celtic / Comyn-persona-ver0396.txt