The Sacred Flame
By: Aisling Bronach of House Shadow Drake
The religion of Ireland is greatly steeped in magic and superstitious.
Past deeds were recorded in an oral tradition by a sub-class of the Druids
are commonly referred to as the Druids. It is said that even the Druids
had to know some 360 different stories by heart.
Two different groups of Celts entered into the British Isles: the lowland Celts
who came from around the Danube River and later merged with the Galatae, a second
group encompassed an entire culture known as the Megalithic peoples of Europe, and
a third were the Celts who came from around the Rhine River near the Balkans and
Carpathian Mountain ranges. These cultures are referred to as the Belgae, Aquitani,
and Celtae, respectively.
The Celtae were very aggressive. These are the traditional group of Celts who
sacked Rome and Delphi. They were fierce warriors and enjoyed the lives of being a
mercenary. The women were the ones who maintained the land for producing food. The
men, however, looked down upon all forms of agriculture. They held to a military
bureaucracy, and it was only through the coming of Druidism that this warlike nature
diminished. This tribe was descended from Aryan of the Aryans, and thus the art of
war came naturally to them. They were capable of working iron, and buried their
dead instead of cremating them. The Celtae had one overwhelming distinguishing
quality, though. They were fine musicians who greatly prized their bardic
traditions. In servitude to Lugh Lamfada, they held great musical ceremonies across
all of Europe.
The Belgae were a peaceful people who lived by agriculture. They came from
around the area of the Danube and slowly made their way to Gaul. They do not appear
to have forced their way there, but rather to slowly merge with the cultures that
were already evident. The Belgae lived in the valleys and the plains. They
possessed the knowledge of metallurgy and were very adept at working with gold,
tin, and bronze. Another interesting note on this group is that they always burned
there dead instead of burying them. There is not even a single example of a body
being buried. Dr. Bernard, the Bishop of Killaloe, believed in the possibility that
the Belgae and the Danmonii later developed into what was known in the Celtic
legends as the Firbolg and the Tuatha de Danann.
The Aquitani are the original Megalithic people of Europe. Strabo remarked that
they resembled the Iberian and were vastly different from the other two groups in
both their language and culture. They are thought to have come originally from
Northern Africa and across the Strait of Gibraltar to Europe proper. They had
knowledge of agriculture and the ability to transverse the waters. This culture was
responsible for the building of the dolmens and other great stone monuments. They
also had a priesthood which presided over the burial of the dead and as a form of
leadership for the community. It is theorized that the Aquitani brought with them
the religious ideologies of the Egyptians which would later be integrated with the
Celtic beliefs. There is an interesting occurrence that the Druids existed only
where there were both dolmen-builders and a population of Celts.
From this conglomeration of cultures are born the mythologies of the Celts. The
ones that we will be focusing on, however, deal mostly with the Irish. But, we must
remember where these people came form and what the living conditions were like that
inspired them to follow these beliefs. From the Celtae we find a love fore music
and poetry, but an aggression for war. From the Aquitana, we are presented with a
belief in a life after death, a remembrance of the dead, and an organized
priesthood who presided over religious rituals and kept their beliefs alive. And
lastly, from the Belgae, we come to understand the older beliefs in such things as
cosmological forces and elemental deities.
In Celtic mythology, there were five races that initially invaded Ireland: the
Partholonians, the Nemedians, the Firbolg, the Tuatha de Danann, and finally the
Milesians. Not to mention, there was a race of giants that lived in the ocean named
the Fomorian. They were the adversaries of the five races and can be related to
the Greek titans.
Now, it is of course queried as to who recorded the coming of these different
races and related their stories to the later Christians who recorded these legends.
We then must look to the "Book of the Dun Cow," which was written in 1100 AD
There is a manuscript contained therein entitled, "The Legend of Tuan mac Carell"
which tells the story of a Irish abbot of the sixth century by the name of St.
Finnen from Moville, Co. Donegal As is custom in Ireland, he was seeking the
hospitality of a local chieftain named Tuan mac Carell. Unfortunately, the king
refused him hospitality. St. Finnen then proceeded to remain at the entrance of his
fortress through an entire Sunday, after which Tuan admitted to him and they began
to speak to one another. He told of the old legends concerning legends. By the time
Finnen left the fortress he relayed the details of his adventure to the monastery
where he lived. Later, Tuan and his warriors came to visit the monastery and began
to relate the history of Ireland to the group that was gathered before him and his
men.
Tuan mac Carell told the assembly that he was actually Tuan son of Starn, whose
brother was Partholonian the first man who came to the shores of Ireland. He
himself was an Ulster man who had lived in various shapes through the ages and thus
was able to stand as a witness to the history of the people of Ireland.
Some legends say that the Nemedians eventually disappeared
altogether for no
apparent reason. Another possibility could be attributed to their
worship of the
Fomorii as gods. They would sacrifice their children and even
themselves
according to legend. It is suggested that this god may have actually
been
Tigernmas, a Fomorian king who later becomes the king of the Milesians.
He is also identified with Balor of the Eye, whose terrible eye upon
opening would kill all within the range of its sight. It is said that
he himself worshipped the bloody god Cromm Cruaich, and that it was he
who began this horrible religion in Ireland. Tigernmas, a chieftain of
the Fomorian, was said to have made all of Ireland pay a tribute of
two-thirds of their children, corn, and milk. Even in his great
cruelty, he is attributed with bringing the art of smelting gold to
Ireland. In later times, Tigernmas becomes the grandfather of Lugh by
Ethniu.
There are more stories concerning the battle which helped them the Nemedians to
overcome the Fomorian chieftain Conann. The combined effects of the war, the heavy
tribute, and the plague which followed would easily have destroyed a culture whose
people were constantly in threat of dying out. Even in battle, there was said to be
only 36 warriors who fought.
The first two races both came in small numbers and died of the plague. The first
evidence that we see a real appearance of an influence in the mythology of Ireland
begins with the Firbolg. There were three groups of Firbolg: the Fir-Bolg, the
Fir-Domnan, and the Galioin. But, these are somewhat meshed together in the legends
and little can be deciphered between them. The first mythological character to
appear is that of Taltiu, who is the daughter of the king of the Great Plain. Now,
we can only see the remains of what might have possibly been her palace, Telltown.
Even until later times, she became identified with the festival Lughnasdah. It is
that Lugh dedicated a festival for her to honor his foster mother. This has long
since been an important site in archaeology, as it is one of the royal coronation
sites throughout Ireland.
Another important figure that came from this race was Eochaid Mac Eirc, or
Eochaid the Proud. His reign marked the last Firbolg to rule as High king in
Ireland. It lasted for ten years, during which no rain ever fell. Through him, law
was introduced into Ireland. This great changed had vast significance in that there
was no war. Even the spear which was so important at that time eventually
disappeared altogether as they no longer served a purpose.
The race that makes the most important impact on Irish legend is probably the
Tuatha de Danann. The name itself means "Folk of the God Whose Mother is Dana."
Elsewhere, she is also called Brigit. Her father was the Dagda, the ruling
chieftain of the Tuatha de Danann. She herself was the mother of the three great
gods of Ireland: Brian, Iucharba, and Iuchair. They were the Dei Dana, the sons of
the goddess Dana. Together that were in themselves a single god who had a son
called Ecne which means "knowledge" or "poetry."
Brigit was not unknown by the Celtae who sacked Rome and Delphi during the
fourth century. Now, in 390 BC, when it was questioned concerning the identity of
their king, they replied with the name of their god, Brennos. This name was the
earlier form of the name of the Dei Dana, Brian. But, in the Roman language, this
would translate as Bregentinos. This stands as further evidence that the worship of
Brigit was a familiar one to the Romans. It is speculated that the origin of this
particular deity came from Gaul by a group called the Phrygians. Later, they
changed their name and became the Brigantes who lived in England and southern
Scotland.
The goddess Brigit became synonymous with the goddess Danu. Both were river
goddesses. Danu, otherwise known as Dana, stood as the personification of the
Danube River. Brigit was a toutal goddess of the Brigantes, and was identified with
the Brent River. Together, they merged with other goddesses such as Domnu in Wales,
and Anu. She was the triple mother goddess of the Celts. Brigit had three distinct
functions: agriculture, knowledge, and metallurgy. These related to the three
functions which are defined throughout all of the culture.
These three functions correspond to the three classes of the society. The first
was that of the commoner who worked the land and produced specialty items for the
community. The second included the warriors and hunters. They were the ones who
served to protect the community. The last was the class of the kings and the
clergy. This is where the Druids and the chieftains were included.
Within the Druidic orders were three different orders. The first was an elite
group that included the Druis and was comprised entirely of males. Not even the
chieftain could speak unless his Druis spoke first. It was he who led the people
into war and advised the king in all matters. The Druis was also in charge of all
the major rituals and sacrifices, not to mention any major judgements that were
made concerning the law. Another role maintained by the Druis was that of a
scientist. They also helped to instruct the colleges that were set up as places of
learning.
The second group was the File. This order contained both men and women, but the
sexes were separated by sex and their position in the orders. They were also
divided by the number of stories they could relate. In the Irish societies, women
and men were more or less equal, but they fulfilled different roles that were
divided by the sexes. Thus the males and females carried out their roles
independently of one another. The females often helped to judge the more domestic
matters concerning law. They also acted in the way of a soothsayer and a healer.
The males kept an oral tradition of history and also used some forms of divination
for the purpose of consultation. But whereas the females gave advise and helped in
much the same way as a psychologist would, the males read omens and interpreted the
cosmos. However, for the majority of the File were women.
The last order was that of the bards. It was the bards who inspire us with their
music and remind us of the past. They recorded an oral history of the land itself
and the deeds of the heroes who walked the land. Within their words, kings were
immortalized. They were the communicators and transmitters of information, carrying
news of battle and conquests. Most carried with them a special harp called a cruith
by the Irish. In later times, the Bards merged with the File and became one order.
Anyone was capable of becoming a Druid. It was not a class that one was
necessarily born into, instead it was a life's calling. Colleges were maintained
were students could come to learn and study. Although none of them have actually
been found, they are well documented throughout history. As Christianity made its
way into the land of Ireland, monasteries arose where the colleges once stood. They
remained as places of learning still, but under a new religion.
The fall of Druidism started with the Roman reign of Tiberius. Under the
reign of Augustus, only Roman citizens were allowed to take part. He also
permitted them to teach at colleges under Pomponius Mela, however, most of the
locations of these learning centers were hidden deep within the forests. By the
time of Claudius, in 54 A.D, the Druids were completely driven out of the Roman
empire. In fact, any one who dealt in any way with the Druids was put to death. An
example of such a case can be seen with a nobleman from Voconces who was found to
be carrying a serpents egg, which was associated with the magic performed by the
Druids. Upon seizing the man, they discovered the egg and immediately sentenced
him to death.
It is questioned as to whether or not the Lindow Man was actually a Druid, but
we are able to find out some interesting things about the practices of the Druids.
The one problem we are confronted with when we study the Druids is the overwhelming
lack of evidence. Most of what is cited as fact is for the most part speculation,
or literary references which were tainted by foreign influences. Even when we look
at such observers as Pliny, we see a drastic contradiction to anything that could
possibly be true. One such incident occurs with the gathering of mistletoe off of
oak trees with a golden sickle. This is both unlikely and unpractical. Not only is
mistletoe difficult to find on growing on oak trees, who were themselves uncommon
at the time, we are faced with the nature of a gold sickle in its ability to carry
out the deed. "Even if the sickle was made of bronze, it still wouldn't work." says
according to a weaponsmith familiar with the technology of the Celts, as well as
with the properties of metals.
On August 1, 1984 the body of a man was found in the peat while it was being
commercially dug up in a bog at Lindow in Cheshire, near Manchester, England. The
body was of a male in perfect condition, so well preserved that it was at first
questioned whether or not the body might have been that of a murder victim. Upon
study, it was confirmed to belong to a man around the age of 25. He was in top
physical condition, and possessed the unblemished skin that was so highly prized
among the Celts. He was dressed richly and even his nailed had been manicured. The
sword he carried was not used heavily by him in battle, as his muscles remained
evenly developed and did not carry the distinctive characteristics of a Celtic
warrior. For over 2,200 years he had lain within the bog, untouched since the day
that he was sacrificed during a Beltaine ritual. As was tradition, a lottery was
held to determine who would become the sacrificial victim. A flat griddle cake made
of barley, called a bannock, was prepared and flavored with mistletoe pollen and
burnt heather. A small area was then singed, and the bannock was torn into several
pieces. These were placed within a leather bag. This was then passed among all the
players of the lotto, and the one who drew out the burnt piece became a martyr of
the gods From what they have been able to find out, the ritual of his death
occurred approximately five minutes after the man had ingested the bannock cake. He
was first garroted by a piece of sinew that had been knotted three times, then he
was hit twice on the rear of the head using a bludgeoning technique with an axe
which fractured the skull, then his carotid artery was cut to drain off his blood,
and finally he was drowned in a shallow pool of water. This whole procedure had a
special purpose. Since this particular ritual was held on Beltaine, the Druids were
attempting to appease three different gods: Taranis, Esus, and Teuttates. Each god
had a specific method that was used for their sacrificial victims, and thus to make
the sacrifice worthy to all of them the victim had to be executed thusly.
Christianity merged with the native religion. The legends still remained in
tack, but instead mention gave praise to God and the Holy Trinity instead of the
pagan deities. Those that did not follow in this path were said to follow the
Devil. Unfortunately, what record we do have of the Irish themselves are either
myths that have been re-written by the Christian monks, or recorded by the
Romans.
It is from these re-written versions of the Celtic legends that we turn to for
insight into the Celtic culture. Again, it must be emphasized that these were
changed by the Christian monks to reflect a more Christian view of the pagan
world.
The Tuatha de Danann arrived in Ireland on Beltaine on a Monday. They are said
to have come from the heavens and to have wafted onto the shores in a magical cloud
somewhere on the Northeastern coast under the cover of invisibility. From there
they traveled westward toward the land of Connaught. It was when they reached the
northwestern corner of that land that they were discovered by the Firbolg who had
been living there. At this time, the Tuatha de Danann were able to set up a
fortress at their encampment which they named Mag-Rein.
The Firbolg sent a representative by the name of Sreng to meet with a member of
the Tuatha de Danann by the name of Bress. Upon meeting each other, they related
their genealogies and then immediately struck up a conversation about the variances
between their spears. Now this was possible because al of the Irish invaders were
said to be descended from Gomer of Magog, who were the sons of Japhet. The
spears of the Firbolg were heavy and blunt, where as the spears of the Tuatha were light
and sharp. This is often times considered to be a comparison between the powers of
science verses that of raw brute force.
Bress suggested that they split the entire land of Ireland in half so that the
two peoples could live peacefully together. When they had concluded, both warriors
returned to their respected abodes; Bress to Mag-Rein, and Sreng to the Firbolg
capitol at Tara. When news was returned of this offer, the Firbolg refused and set
out to do battle with the Tuatha de Danann.
On fifth day of June the two sides met in the First Battle of Mag-Tured on the
Plain of the Towers. This referred to the many sepulchral monuments which laid
scattered across the area. It should also be mentioned that the Plain was
considered to encompass the entire land of Ireland, and that the distinction
between the first and second battles is made only when the Christian monk Flann
Manistrech rewrites the legends according to what would then be the modern ideas of
the time during the eleventh century.
The site of the First Battle of Mag-Tured is located in what
represents
present-day Co. Mayo near Cong. The Firbolg were led by Mac Erc, while
the army of the Tuatha de Danann was placed in charge of their
chieftain, Nuada Argatlam. The king of the Firbolg was slain. In the
end, it was the Tuatha who held the final victory
by making the Firbolg agreeing to live in Connaught while the rest of
Ireland
would remain with them. But, the Tuatha was not without their own loss
for the arm
of Nuada had been cut off and thus he could no longer reign as their
king. A silver
arm was fashioned for the Nuada, but he was not perfect in every way
and thus was
unacceptable and had to step down. They were forced to choose among all
of their
number a man of perfect complexion who would become their new High
King. This man
was Bress, the son of a Danann woman named Eri.
Bress married the daughter of the Nuada, or Dagda as he is otherwise known. This
woman is the same goddess Brigit that we mentioned earlier. By him she had four
sons; three comprised the Dei Dana, and the forth was a man by the name of Ruadan.
During the Second Battle of Mag-Tured, Ruadan sides with the Fomorii and acts as
their spy. He is openly received by the Tuatha de Danann, and thus is able to
obtain information. At one point, he tries to sabotage the Tuatha by killing their
smith, Goibnui. As he strikes the smith down with his spear, the smith removes the
spear from his body and returns the blow killing Ruadan. The question therein lies
as to why Ruadan chose to side with the Fomorii instead of with the Tuatha de
Danann.
Bress ruled over the Tuatha for seven years during which he heavily taxed his
people and allowed the Fomorii to also tax them as well. Those who came to eat at
his table were hardly able to fill their stomach, and they never were offered ale
as was custom at the time. Bress was a shrewd king. Legends are told about the
great charity of his wife compared to the overwhelming lack of hospitality and
generosity that characterized his rule. It was at this time that Corpry, a bard,
came seeking his hospitality and was given a cold dank room with three stale cakes
to eat. Corpry was so dismayed over what had transpired that he wrote the first
satire that had ever been composed in Ireland. The power of it sang through the
hearts of the people and they were displeased with King Bress. Diancecht, the god
of medicine and healing, had been working on trying to grow the Nuada a new arm. He
was successful, and so the former king was able to reclaim his position. Bress is
displaced and so flees to the house of his mother.
When Bress arrived at the house of his mother, he begged her to tell him who his
father was. She relayed to him the story of how she had met his father, a Fomorian.
He had given her a ring which would fit only one man's hands. Slipping it onto his
finger, they decide to set sail for the Fomorian kingdom of the sea. When they
arrive at the court of his father, Elatha, Bress is granted an army and two
generals to help him exact his revenge on the Tuatha de Danann. One, Balor of the
Mighty Blows possessed a terrible eye, which when opened, would kill all who were
within its sight. The second was Indech Mac de Domnann who was the grandson of the
god of the Fomorii, Domna. Indech was a Fomorian Druid, and the grandfather of
Balor. As a Druid he commanded great powers of darkness which were fearsome to
behold. The Fomorii were considered to be in themselves gods of evil, darkness,
and death. Whereas the Tuatha de Danann are the gods of light, knowledge, and
inspiration.
At the Second Battle of Mag-Tured Nuada Argatlam is struck down by Balor's evil
eye. Lugh of the Long Arm fights at the side of his father, the Dagda, and takes
his revenge by using a slingshot to push Balor's eye back into his skull so that he
dies. Oghma, the champion of the Tuatha de Danann, steals the Sword of Tethra. In
return, the Fomorii take the harp of the Dagda. Now, it must be remarked that the
ability of the Dagda to perform these deeds after his death is attributed to the
immortal qualities possessed by the gods. Thus, the Dagda travels together with
Lugh and Oghma to retrieve his harp from the hands of the Fomorii. He calls his
harp back to him, and in the process the harp slays nine of the Fomorii in its
flight back to its rightful owner. The Dagda then proceeds to play each of the
three strings on the harp. The first causes the women of the Fomorii to cry and
lament, the second to laugh hilariously without thought of word or deed, and the
last to put the entire encampment asleep. Once everyone was deeply asleep, the
three warriors escaped from the Fomorii and returned home with the harp.
But the harp is not the only magical item possessed by the Tuatha de Danann. It
is said that they came from four different cities which each carried a special
treasure to the new land of Ireland. The first one came from Falias and was a stone
that no one could stand upon and tell a lie. It was called the Lia Fial, or the
Stone of Destiny. During the sixth century, Fergus the Great of Scotland asked the
High King of Ireland, Murtagh mac Erc for the loan of the stone for his coronation.
The stone was later returned. Each High King of Ireland was crowned upon the Lia
Fial which was kept at Tara. It was only until the reign of Edward I in 1297 that
the stone was taken for use at Westminster Abbey. Now, according to legend only
the descendants of the Milesians could make use of the stone. Even today this hold
true as the ruling royalty is still said to possess this lineage.
The other three treasures included the Sword of Lugh from Gorius. The cult of
the sword was very important in that time. It was believed that a sword could hold
the power of a people and thus it was of great importance. Another was the Cauldron
of the Dagda was Murias. It was said that the cauldron was able to feed large
gathering of men and never go empty. Truly, this would be a wonderful strategy to
make use of during times of war. The last was the Spear of Lugh which was guarded
the Tuatha de Danann. To fight with the Spear was to be victorious in battle. By
its light their enemies would go blind.
Eventually, the Tuatha de Danann had to fall as all great peoples must do. When
the Milesians came, their representative Ith was asked to settle an argument
between two feuding chieftains. He spoke of the greatness and richness of Ireland
and told them that they should equally divide up the land and share this wealth.
This comment was taken to be an aggressive action and it was believed that Ith
wanted part of Ireland for himself. To prevent this, they killed him. When word
reached his homeland, an army was sent to avenge him. The Tuatha de Danann were
driven under the hills where they became the Sidhe, or faerie folk.
Nuada Argatlam had a cult following in Gloucester during the time of the Romans.
It is believed that a group of Irishmen colonized this area near the mouth of the
Severn River near Lidney around the time of the fifth century.
This is a good example of how a member of the Tuatha de Danann, transformed into
a member of the Sidhe, is later worshipped as a god.
Later, as Christianity repressed the native beliefs of the Irish, the Sidhe
would become deminatured as the silly creatures that they represent today. Great
heroes and kings have become small hominid forms with wings who go around casting
spells and playing tricks on people.
Continue to Part Four: The Goddess Brigit
