Hello! I was hoping you could help me find some information about Ogma. The myths mostly seem to portray him as a strongman/warrior type figure, but I've run into several mentions of him being associated with poetry or eloquence, much like Cermait or Ogmios. Can you tell me where that association comes from in Irish mythology? I know he's credited with the invention of ogham, but aside from that, I can't find anything.
this has been in my inbox for even longer than the previous question and i am truly sorry about that. i wanted to do a bit more research before answering this, which is part of why it took me so long to get to.
so, what i discovered: ogma is credited with the invention of ogham, as you said, which is implicitly connected with poetry and eloquence in that ogham and its myriad sets of kennings and associations are a learned and scholarly pursuit. the ogham letters are also associated with divination, which links them with the filí, a class of poets whose name is derived from a proto-celtic word meaning “seer.” for this reason ogma is often considered to be a patron of poets.
however, where things get sticky (an unintentional pun but i stand by it) is in ogma’s commonly ascribed epithet of “honey-tongued.” as far as i can tell, that epithet may not actually be derived from lore after all–or rather, it may be the result of later texts confusing ogma with cermait. many ogma devotees and scholars do consider it an apt appellation for him, though, modern invention though it may be, so i’m certainly not the only one who experiences him as eloquent, inspiring, or compelling in that manner.
the honest fact of the matter is, there isn’t really a lot written about ogma. his lore is sparse, and his appearances (few that there are) all feature him as a secondary character in stories focused on other figures. one of the only ways we have to learn about him is through cross-cultural comparison, which is where his similarities to ogmios come in (i do not believe they are the same figure, but they do certainly seem to be related, perhaps having influenced each other or grown out of a long-ago “common ancestor” myth that is now lost to us). one such similarity is ogma’s epithet of “sun-faced,” which is thought to refer not to the literal sun but to his smiling, “sunny” countenance; this mirrors the depictions of ogmios, who is charismatic and smiling, and uses his eloquence to enthral the men around him.
unfortunately, i can’t really give you much more than that. for you it may be too thin a thin basis to ascribe him an association with poetry. for me personally, it’s enough–the study of ancient mythology is often an exercise in cross-comparing scraps and making your best guess. i’ve found my own religious experiences with ogma have encouraged the association as well. i would love to someday hear about a newly discovered manuscript full of detail about him, but that’s sadly unlikely.
hope that helps, sorry for the long wait, and if you discover anything interesting in your research please do come back and share!
