Irish Mythological Culture
Introduction
Acallam na Senórach, ‘Tales of the Elders of Ireland, ‘ is a narrative literature about Irish mythologies in the early Irish literature that highlights the theme of culture. The author provides an extensive overview of the Finn Cycle, building upon the use of narration to identify and inform on a people and their structure in ancient times. The text holds the longest of the original medieval narratives providing a range of legends and myths associated with the Irish culture. It recounts the tale of Saint Patrick and a famous warrior who survived mysteriously from ancient times Caílte son of Rónán and Finn ’s son Osin (Oisín) traveling around Ireland, approximately in the fifth century AD. During their journey, Calite narrates to Patrick several incidences that took place in the ancient times, as well as, the geography (Dooley & Roe, 1996). While he explained to Patrick the names of the places they passed, the narratives in those passages cited a very prominent literary form in ancient Irish literature, Dindshenchas (lit. Place-lores) (Dooley & Roe, 2008). That is, about the origin of place names and records about legends. The mythology cycle and heroic cycle categories (Mythology Cycle and Heroic Cycle) found in archaic and medieval Irish texts have become largely recovered. Dialects of gods and legends have been associated with occurrences in particular areas and mythologies (Foster, 2002). Detailed intellectual development of the ancestral Irish social system and legalized monarchy, have been evaluated with regards to the Irish mythological existence. However, the Finn Cycle identifies as somehow varying from the other forms of mythological cycles on tales and legends of the culture. This form of cultural preservation through narrative not only provides a link to various sites and past incidents but also includes a wide range of storytelling approaches (Foster, 2002). It also constructs an archaic Irish social system from one side to the other in an alternate story.
Through storytelling, the history and culture of the Irish people are preserved. Calite says, “I shall tell you this story.” (Dooley & Roe,2008: 41). In addition to his close ties to Dindshenchas, the dialogue between Patrick and Calite involves other stylistic forms. First of all, this is a pseudo-history written by church members, reconstructed from a Christian point of view of Ireland’s prehistoric history. The legends of these wild men, represented by Finn’s heroes, already cover many ancient myths and literary images that have been inexplicable (Dooley & Roe, 2008). Patrick is told by the angel, “Dear holy cleric, these old warriors tell you no more than a third of their stories because their memories are faulty. Have these stories written down on poets’ tablets in refined language …” (Dooley & Roe, 2008: vii). Storytelling has been part of the Irish culture for a long time in the society’s history. This art represents the passing of knowledge and information from one generation to the next, through narratives. As such, the myths and legends included narrated by Calite to Saint Patrick are a presentation of this cultural history. This society is also widely considered to be on the verge of royalty, law, and stable social structure. The encounter between the surviving members of the ancient Irish myths and Saint Patrick, and a re-examination of the historical and social environment in which these ancient heroes once lived from Patrick’s perspective, are a clever demonstration of the collision, confrontation, and communion of two different civilizations. In addition, Patrick listens to and evaluates the family/social/kingdom property distribution that members of the ancient Finn hero group experience. It also somewhat insinuates the problem of property distribution that accompanied the changes in Ireland’s social structure in the twelfth century (Dooley & Roe, 2008). By the twelfth century, Ireland’s “kings” had more standing armies and expanded their territories, and many tales of place-name stories and Patrick’s listening and understanding of Irish geography reflected more or less the many needs and demands of the aristocracy during the expansion of the territory. Patrick’s hearing about the violence and comments of the Fian hero community, Patrick’s verdict on the relationship between the king and his other lover, and Patrick’s miracle to save heroes who have died as a result of violence in front of their parents reflect the church’s examination and judgment of social values and codes of conduct (Dooley & Roe, 2008).
Finn Cycle is a series of tales of ancient Irish heroes and legends. Celtic scholars have spent a lot of effort into defining these types of warriors. In order to better understand just what kind of individuals they were, it is important to provide a detailed understanding of the archaic social system of Ireland. In ancient Irish society, the King was the center and emblem of a standard social structure. If the King becomes the lord of law, the land will prosper, and the law and justice will be assured. But the king’s rule varies based on the warriors under his leadership. Such king’s warriors are called Fian, and their leaders are called Fennid. The central ideology is that Calite narrates the outstanding deeds of many Finn heroes, including Calite’s uncle/Finn, the most important protagonist of the Finn Cycle, and the great and brave mammoths of his time, including the Fian’s hero and his opponent’s group, led by Goll mac Morna,’ the son of Morna (Dooley & Roe, 2008:9). Calite also spoke a lot about the prehistoric Tuatha De Danann and otherworld and told Patrick about the importance of integrating pagan Irish and Christian values (Dooley, & Roe, 2008). Many individual stories may have occurred before Patrick’s time, but the author changed the original narrative of many stories in order to integrate the full text. At the same time, the king, who was more important during the period of Christian thought and the fusion of indigenous Irish culture, was the Diarmait mac Cerbaill and his court, which Patrick personally encountered, and the king’s court, which also appeared as a backdrop. Looking at the cultural system of the people and their warriors in mythological history, the bravery and glory of the warriors are embodied in battle, loot, and fighting. Therefore, their alliance with the king is often oxymoronic, that is, when royal influence is most beautifully represented, and civilization is in good health, they have no position to use and no chance to seek dignity.
Calite introduced Patrick to Cas Corach, a well-known musician in a group of pagan gods. Called a student of the ancient wise man/poet (ollamh), Cas Corach showed Patrick his ancient skills with beautiful singing, and Patrick, as a representative of Rome, Europe, and Christianity, blessed the art of ancient Irish paganism and paid tribute to his beauty (Dooley & Roe, 2008: 105-106). This is an interesting plot, because, in many early Irish stories, music is described as having a mysterious power of the world, thought to be from the ancient gods of the world, and has some seductive qualities. In another important 12th-century text, “The Colloquy of the two sages,” “listening to the waves” is considered an important skill of the wise (Stoke, 1905). Music is part of the cultural background and is viewed as a form of entertainment as well as a means of soothing. “If there is music in heaven …why should there not also be music on earth?” (Dooley & Roe, 199:105). This statement illuminates the concept of music as it relates to the Irish culture and is played by society’s mythical ancestry. “No day without music, no night without ale.” (Dooley, & Roe, 2008:16). Thus, regardless of Saint Patrick’s thoughts on the music, he found it part of the culture and blessed it, through Cas Corach.
In “The Deirdre Story,” the heroine, Deirdre, mentions that it was her lover who made up her mind to break the taboo sin and escape from the king’s engagement. Taken together, it can be said that the medieval Irish scholar made great efforts to integrate ancient wisdom, the widespread interest in music and performance, the influence of romantic knighthoods from continental Europe, and the ideology of serving the Church. In addition to covering a large number of ancient and then-literary themes and stylistic forms, The Tales of the Elders can also be independently regarded as a unique literary text. Many prominent Celtic scholars have discussed the time view embodied in this text. Professor John Carey discusses in more depth the antagonisms and connections of three different forms of civilization, namely the pagan civilization represented by the prehistoric Tuatha de Danaan and the Danu-gods; the culture of the late mythological era represented by the Finn hero community; and the Christian civilization represented by Patrick (Carey, 2002). The characters and events mentioned in The Conversation can be traced back to the glory days of The Finn’s Heroes (which are linked to the branches of the heritage wisdom in the older story of the mythological story group) and extend to the text of the “prophecies”: Patrick’s mission, which was in the heist of Mellifont in what is now Northern Ireland in 1142 (Mikhail, 1981). The establishment of the Retreat (Cistercian monastery of Mellifont) and John de Courcy, an avid British Benedictine in 1177, unearthed the remains of Patrick, Brigitte, and Cronkir after they occupied the Armagh area. “The Dialogue” written in the late twelfth century, corresponding to the historical and cultural situation of the time, its author changed and restated many past events, the changing of time is very unusual. In the history of the first, Patrick arrived in Ireland in 432, when the king of Ireland Lóegaire mac Néill Noigiallaig.
However, The Conversation directly ignores this historical context, most of the names of the kings mentioned in it have not appeared in the history of the mythologies and various wild histories, and the Irish supreme king that Patrick meets in the story is Diarmaid mac Cerbaill (Dooley & Roe, 2008:106). The supreme king of about a century after Patrick in the history; when Calite evaluates Patrick’s record. When he refers to the moon as “a month with three moons,” a tribal lord, Eogan Flaithbrugaid, greets Calite and Patrick, saying that he and his wife are two hundred years old, and the author describes them as “a splendid couple of fine appearance …” (Dooley & Roe, 2008:58) The three sons of King Ulster, who are said to have waged various predatory wars on the basis of the other gods for a hundred years, have not been old either (Dooley & Roe, 2008:108). One of the translators of the latest edition of “The Dialogue “Ann Dooley believes that the writing of this text took into account the interests and tendencies of the readers at that time, for example, the Supreme King as the background of the story was changed to support Christian spread (Dooley & Roe, 2008). However, John Carey was more interested in other examples of time changes, noting that the author did not give any explanation to these young individuals, and from beginning to end did not explain why Calite and Auschwitz lived a lot more years during their century of existence. The Finn cycle the Finn story group mentions that Oisin came to visit his mother and his clan, who returned in a different era because of the various ways in which time passed during the century. However, he still has shown great strength in the belief and aspirations of their culture (Carey, 2002).
According to Professor Carey, through a proposal in his study of the text of “the Dialogue,” he argues that the conversion of the hetifa-Finn Hero group-Christian groups on the timeline of the book shows that the author has a definite tendency on the events. When it comes to Finn’s heroes, the author refers to a group that has passed away, Patrick baptizing two survivors, saving their loved ones and friends from hell, and so on. Most importantly, according to the angels’ instructions, Patrick recorded their great legends and recorded their precious geography as he followed them through Ireland (Carey, 2002). However, when referring to the Fenian and The Tuatha’s that appear in the text, the author clearly writes them into groups that are still alive today and have eternal life qualities. Yet the author deftly describes Patrick’s attitude towards the prehistoric gods as a politician: ostensibly respectful of respect, and successfully pushed them underground. Not only did St. Patrick claim to erase the “practice of witchcraft” from the Irish land, but the group itself in The Dialogues was its self-pity (Dooley & Roe, 2008:190). Oisin’s grandfather, Assaroe, as a member of the gods, offered Calite to live a life of death like the Finn Cycle’s heroes, rather than to continue living in the misery of his life. After Assaroe and his companions healed the wounds caused by years of war endured by Calite, the text reads, “… We will give you a different form so that you can always be brave and energetic, and you will also get eternal youth like the Danan gods.” “But it’s very bleak, ” said Calite, “I don’t want to be given form by witchcraft, but I would like to accept another form of eternal life that my creator, creator, and most precious god has given me… “The members of the Danan gods said, “This is the voice of a true warrior and hero!” (Dooley & Roe, 2008: 203). Through Calite’s narratives, the cultural practices of the people are presented and idealized in the text. They believed in the use of magic and the gods, and through these concepts, they belonged as a society. Great people such as Saint Patrick and Calite could bless the people, and through their words, the people find comfort and belief. By having belief in a religion and supreme beings, the Irish people from the legends and myths, identify the cultural aspects of the community from their historical backgrounds.
The beauty of her world, Aillenn, longed for the love of King Aed of Conutte but was stopped by St. Patrick and banned from causing the Queen’s unnatural death. Finally, after the Queen’s natural death, Aillenand and Aed married with St. Patrick’s blessing. Musician Cas Corach’s beautiful music received high praise from St. Patrick. However, in his praise, St. Patrick still rejected its seductive nature and praised its similarities to God’s music (Dooley & Roe, 2008). Finally, as a musician of the Danan gods, he married the sister of King Aed. In the era of “Dialogue” became, the social relationship swayed by a stable marriage was highly valued at that time, and this episode not only reflected this but also reflected the author’s attempt to subtly incorporate mythological civilization into the discourse system of Christian civilization. However, Cas Corach was identified as the wise man in the country by the Supreme King and Patrick, which was still a very subversive plot at the time (Heaney, 2007). In the twelfth century, the increasingly professional legal practitioners, scholars, and politicians, as well as Christian clerics, were placed under a musician from the ancient gods, which amounted almost to the subversion of the cultural hierarchy of the time.
The process by which ancient Irish poets established their reputation in oral performances is often the process of fixing and spreading ancient knowledge and traditions, so their memory and performance of history (especially the origin of things) and geographical knowledge are the most important. The legend of place names is the essence of the knowledge that high poets must master. These place-name legends are systematically collected in the “Book of Leinster,” and the recorded text is presumed to be earlier than the eleventh century by scholars. The place-name legends after the “Book of Leinster” are hidden in long manuscripts, “The Tale of the Elders of Ireland,” and also play a role in inheriting ancient knowledge (Dooley & Roe, 2008: xvi). Carey believes that “The Tale of the Elders of Ireland” is well received in the Irish culture, with regards to the Dindshenchas traditional influence (Carey, 2002). The imagery covered the context points to a lot of historical and geographical knowledge. If you want to ask the truth about the author ‘s heart, perhaps you can get a glimpse into the question and answer of Calite and Patrick: Patrick asked, “What has kept you, warriors, alive for all these years?” Calite replied, “The truth of our hearts, the strength of our arms, and the consistency of our tongues” (Dooley & Roe, 2008:6). Across the Irish mythologies, the legends provide a description of the people’s cultural background and beliefs. Therefore, the representation of magic and underworld and the relationship that it shares with the moralistic values, identify the illumination of Christianity across the culture.
Conclusion
All of the above make “The Dialogue” very attractive based on culture across the Irish mythologies. On the bright side, this text records more than ten centuries of literary themes and relevant literary images and stylistic forms. On the other hand, the author explored the relationship between several civilizations in a very creative story, dialogue tension, and challenging the cultural level of the time. Celestial beings and magic through terrestrial objects identify the aspects of the Irish mythology; however, while the Finn cycle involves the use of poetic language, the poets are not identified as having obtained their abilities through mystical means. As such, music and poetry have been the core of the culture and its practices. Through music, people were inspired and motivated and also soothed into sleeping or healing. For instance, when Calite was healing from his wounds, soothing music was played to enable a quick recovery. Hence, when Saint Patrick identifies music as a powerful element and blesses its origin in the culture, he notes its abilities in bringing the people together.
References
Carey, J. (2002). The Lough Foyle Colloquy Texts: Immacaldam Choluim Chille 7 ind Óclaig oc Carraic Eolairg and Immacaldam in Druad Brain 7 Inna Banḟátho Febuil Ós Loch Ḟebuil. Ériu, 52, 53-87. Retrieved May 17, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/30008178
Dooley, A., & Roe, H. (2008). Tales of the elders of Ireland. Oxford University Press.
Foster, R.F (2002). The Irish Story: Telling Tales and Making It Up in Ireland. Oxford University Press.
Heaney, M. (1995). Over nine waves. Faber and Faber.
Stokes,W. (1905). Imcallam in da Thurad The Colloquy of the Two Sages. Paris: Librairie Emile Bouillon.