Gods, Spirits, and Legends: I
Introduction to Irish Mythology
Growing up, I was very aware of my lineage on my father’s side of the family. It probably comes as no surprise that Scots pride has always been very present in my family, but we have also been incredibly proud of our Irish heritage. This manifested in various ways - our genealogy extends back to medieval Scotland, prior to when my Irish ancestors married into the family, and we still carry the coat of arms and motto from that bygone age. But for the Irish side of things, we still have our love for music, storytelling, and history (and, yes, for good food, drink, and parties… but let’s face it, that can be applied to most countries). As a kid, I was deeply fascinated by the Celtic-style music that Ireland has come to be known for (thanks, Riverdance) and fell in love with the sound of songs sung in Irish Gaelic. An avid lover of fantasy and myth, I was a bit unsatisfied with how school really only focused on Greek mythology. Occasionally the curriculum touched on Norse mythology and Egyptian mythology, but I had a feeling that there was a much deeper world. And I was not wrong. My mother guided me to look at the stories of King Arthur and his court. Not the stuff you typically find in movies or classrooms. She really, really had me look deeper at the earliest stirrings of the legends.
And thus the door was opened. The Arthurian legends unlocked a treasure trove of Celtic legends from Wales and Britain, and it was only a matter of time before I found myself digging into tales from Ireland - heroes and villains, gods and monsters. I was hooked. Over time, when I was getting a bit further along on my spiritual path and found that Wicca itself was not something that quite resonated with me, I began learning about modern pagan practices that held two Irish gods in particular to high regard: Lugh, and the triple-goddess referred to as the Morrigan. This was spectacular! I learned of both, and of some of their tales - especially those of the Morrigan. And I learned of other members of their kind - Lugh, the Dagda, Manannan, and more.
Then… It got confusing. See, Irish mythology for all of its beauty and fantastic stories is very intertwined with itself. At one point you’ll find one story as it is told in one cycle, then it is retold in a much different way in another cycle. And those stories will both be correct, but not be the SAME story. In addition, pieces may be missing or based on pure conjecture, characters are named one way in some stories but named differently in another, and figures that seem too fantastical to be historical turn out to be historical while less fantastical characters turn out to be more fantastical. The reasons for this are varied, but in short it has a lot to do with the fact that many of the stories were passed along the generations by word of mouth as opposed to being written down. Following the arrival of Catholicism in Ireland, much of the mythology was, frankly, destroyed. However, some legends remained so strongly that they became incorporated, and others simply kept getting passed along until they were recorded. That said, some of the legends had ended up being Christianized, which adds yet another layer of complexity to the myths.
So… how does a witch sift through this? That’s what I’m setting out to do, because I know there are plenty of other witches out there who are interested in Irish pre-Christian mythology!
The Cycles of Irish Mythology
In an effort to categorize all of the stories, academics broke down Irish mythology into a series of cycles, grouping stories together based on their context and sometimes by their primary characters. While helpful in providing a general breakdown, this method is still with its faults, as the lines between each cycle are rather blurred. As we briefly look at each one, you’ll see one running theme through nearly all of them: the presence of the most significant family of gods in Ireland: The Tuatha de Danann.
The Mythological Cycle: In a way, this cycle is the easiest to place into a timeline, as its name is self-explanatory. The Mythological Cycle tells the story of Ireland before and during the arrival of the Tuatha de Danann. In this cycle, we see the presence of other mythical races such as the Fomorians, the Gaels, and the Milesians as they tried to claim control of Ireland. Indeed, even this cycle addresses Ireland being ever-present and undergoing repeated waves of conquest. This cycle in particular looks at the creatures and gods of the land that the people of Ireland believed in while they were still unaware of the presence of Christianity.
The King’s Cycle: This cycle is one that is slightly more historical in nature, as it was carried on through bardic practice - bards being poets that served royal courts both as historians and storytellers during the medieval period, which may be a carry-over from druidic practice. In fact, were it not for the tradition of keeping bards in these courts, it is likely that these tales would not have survived. This cycle is characterized by its focus on tales about kings such as Labraid Loingsech and Brian Boru, and popular tales at the time such as the Frenzy of Sweeny. Battles, kings, lineage, and politics characterize this cycle, blending the mythological and historical depending upon the story.
The Ulster Cycle: The Ulster Cycle refers to the two major cities in Ireland at the time: Ulster and Leinster - both referred to collectively as Ulaid. This cycle focuses on tales of the heroes of Ulaid. Many of the legends can be linked to both or either of the medieval period and to early Christianity in Ireland. Of these, one of the most significant stories is the Cattle Raid of Cooley. Once again, the Tuath make appearances - sometimes linked to characters such as Cu Chulainn (who was frequented by the Morrigan and was revealed to be the son of Lugh) - which lends this cycle plenty of magic and myth shared with the Mythological Cycle.
The Fenian Cycle: This cycle is yet another that intertwines with the others. In part, this is because it is heavily linked to the Ulster Cycle in its storytelling, but also provides more emphasis on romances and affairs. The other significant difference between the Fenian Cycle and the others is that the Tuath took more of a back seat to the action of the Fianna - small bands of semi-independent warriors that likely were young aristocrats who had not yet inherited their lands.
The Folk of Goddess Danu
Throughout all four groupings of stories, the presence of the Tuatha de Danann remains a fixture. This mythological race is believed to constitute the primary deities of Gaelic Ireland whose primary rivals were the Fomorians. Where the Fomorians could be compared to the titans of Greek mythology in that they represented destructive and chaotic aspects of nature, the Tuath De is their counterpart, still reflecting aspects of nature, but more controlled and civilized. An additional and relatively unique aspect about these gods is that they fall into a cycle of conquests of Ireland. The Fomorians conquered Ireland, then the Tuatha De conquered, then the Milesians - ancient humans - subsequently conquered and drove them underground.
Following the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, many of these gods were modified to be kings, queens, and heroes with supernatural powers in the ancient past or as angels. However, both in the original pagan tellings and in the Christian tellings, their immortality is acknowledged. It is deserving of note that many scholars believe that the Milesian portion of the tale was invented by medieval Christian writers as a way of connecting the Irish people to the peoples of mainland Europe and to the peoples of the Old Testament.
According to the Mythical Cycle, the Tuath De came from four cities to the north of Ireland, landing on the coast and burning their own ships so they would not retreat. They fought first against the Fir Bolg - another mythical race native to Ireland - in the west, and were victorious at a cost. Following that, they fought against the Fomorians. They were victorious again, but once again this came at great cost. King Nuada of the Tuath fell to the Fomorian king Balor, who in turn was killed by Lugh, who took over as king. A third battle was fought later on against the Milesian invaders, in which the Tuatha De were defeated. When the Milesian poet Amergin was called upon to divide the land of Ireland between the people of the Tuatha De and his own, he chose to grant the land above to the Milesians, and the land below to the Tuatha De.
Keep in mind, the “land above” and “land below” are meant literally. Tuatha De were believed to live below ground, having been led to portals to the Otherworld in Sidhe mounds (burial mounds associated with the supernatural Sidhe - gods and fairy folk). When the gods appeared in subsequent stories, they did so by coming into the human world from their invisible world, which coexists with our world.
This is just the beginning. In future articles, I will focus a bit more on some of the prominent members of the Tuatha De Danann as well as some of the heroes and creatures of Irish myth. And when the series is complete, I will make a master post to link them all together. Keep in mind that this series is not going to be the end-all be-all. There is a lot to learn about Irish mythology, and this series is only going to barely scratch the surface due to is complexity. However, I do have to admit that it is this complexity that continues to fuel my love for my Irish heritage.
And as always,
Blessings and Hugs to All! )O(
