Morgan Daimler's Blog, page 40
June 15, 2015
Morrigan's Call Retreat 2015
A ritual honoring Badb at the RetreatI have just returned from the second annual Morrigan's Call Retreat and once again find myself sitting here trying to put into words an experience that is really impossible to describe. Last year the Retreat was new and smaller, fewer people, a wild and otherworldly location, and the energy of the entire weekend was a challenge to step up and answer Her call. This year was very different: more people, a new location that had more of civilization to it, and an energy that was not about hearing Her call as much as about reclaiming ourselves and our own power in this world.
Some things did remain the same throughout. We saw an amazing mix of people from every possible background, witch and Wiccan, Druid and CR, Avalonion and eclectic, coming together to honor Her with one voice. We saw the same sense of kinship across lines that normally sharply divide, created by the common ground of a shared respect for the Great Queens. And we saw the same spirit of community ensuring that people were taken care of, that jobs were done, that when the unexpected happened there was always someone there to step up and make sure it was covered. Oh, it was far from perfect, and there was frustration and displeasure and things that went entirely off the plan but somehow the diverse strands were woven together anyway.
The first day, as always, was the most chaotic, with people arriving and settling in, the Temple being set up through community effort and donations of material and sacred items (for the duration of the event). There were several great classes the first afternoon that I would have loved to attend, but I was teaching a workshop myself and then participating in the ritual. All of the ritual's at the Retreat are part of a larger arc, first cleansing, then challenging, then blessing; participants face the three Morrigna one at a time and, if circumstances are right and the priestess is able, may face Her in truth as She is channeled, aspected, or otherwise chooses to appear during ritual. The first night's ritual was dedicated to Badb and was very much about releasing and washing away what need to be let go of. The ritual itself was done next to a river and due to unanticipated circumstances started after dark with only a single fire at the center of the ritual space to illuminate the area. I cannot speak for the people who attended but I found it both a test of our commitment to Her and a very sacred experience.
the main altar in the templeThe second day began on very little sleep and with a packed schedule ahead. I had two workshops during the day to teach and a second ritual to help with. My first workshop was directly after breakfast and was on the topic of Macha in mythology, always a fun subject. I was able to attend only one workshop all weekend and that was Jhenah Telyndru's class on Morgan and Avalon, but I enjoyed it and learned a new method of meditation called embodiment that I look forward to doing more with. I co-taught a workshop on grounding, centering, and shielding with Mayra Rickey and Melody Legaspi-Seils which I think went very well. Throughout the day I had many great random discussions with people and I both reconnected with old friends and made new ones. The second ritual was for Macha, and was - not surprisingly - the one I anticipated the most since she is the Goddess I am dedicated to. It focused on the theme of facing Her blade and declaring what you would fight for in life. One of my tasks as Her priestess is to carry Her sword in this ritual, and I am always honored to do it.
After ritual there was a community feast and concert by Mama Gina, who is an amazing storyteller and singer that truly, I think, deserves the title of bard. Hearing her perform her song "Ruby" live raised the hair on my arms; its so much more evocative live than recorded (although that is still worth hearing too). There seemed to be a nice feeling of conviviality among everyone as we shared food and great music together. The cake that the caterer, Dawn DeMeo, had prepared for the feast was beyond amazing, and I must add that she made a second smaller cake for those of us who couldn't have the gluten/regular flour version which was equally amazing. (And yes, for anyone wondering, the first pieces went as offerings, to be sure that the Gods and spirits shared the feast too).
The epic cake from the feast The third day began with breakfast and a panel discussion on honoring the Morrigan, during which I hope I didn't talk too much. It's a subject I have so much passion about that I'm afraid I can't help but want to talk about it a lot. I know my fellow panelists are amazing people, and I loved the diversity of experience and opinion that we brought to it. There was a charity raffle for the Wounded Warrior Project. The raffle draw was great fun and people really seemed to enjoy it. I had donated a book or two and Wouldn't you know the one time my ticket was called it was for my own book? (They let me substitute a different item, but it was quite funny).Afterwards I had to prep for the final ritual, dedicated to Morrigan as Anu and to people reclaiming their sovereignty. In the ritual people were asked to come forward and place their hands on a stone, representing the stone of sovereignty, and to say out loud if they were ready to reclaim their power. This was meant to be a simple act but as sometimes happens it became a bit more complex. Everyone also received a small rough ruby as a symbol of having gone through the three rituals and claimed a place - symbolic, literal, or however each person chooses to incorporate it - as one of Her ravens. For that, truly is not for us to decide but for the individual to find meaning in, based in how the rituals effected them personally.
In each ritual I did my best to serve Her, and Them, and my community. I wore a small silver pendant, of the type that people keep ashes in to commemorate loved ones; this pendant carries clay from Uaimh na gCat, the Cave of Cats, from Cruachan. The earth was a gift from a friend who visited there long ago, and carefully kept the wet clay that coated her clothing when she came out, saving it as it dried. I felt that having soil from her sacred place present at the rituals was significant for helping to have Her present as we called Her in to a new place. One of Her other priestesses, dedicated to Badb, bled into the river as the river took its due before the first ritual, and in the first Her people called her with chants and shouts and screams. And I truly believe she answered with Her presence.
I received some personal messages through various means throughout the weekend, through an amazing Avalonian priestess and through omens and portents, messages of empowerment and of affirmation. It will not be easy to move forward in the strength other people are telling me I have, or that I know she wants for me but I will try. I will try.
The Morrigan's Call Retreat was once again an amazing experience. I will never cease to be amazed at seeing so many people from so many backgrounds and who follow such different paths coming together in fellowship. Knowing that we can overcome these differences to come together and honor the same Goddesses without argument or judgment gives me such hope. And the irony that a Goddess of War can inspire such unity and fellowship among Her followers is beautiful and joyous and somehow entirely appropriate.
The river
June 10, 2015
Preconceived Notions and Being a Goth Pagan
I've been thinking lately about stereotypes and the way that preconceived notions and expectations shape our larger pagan community. Pervasive buggers, you know, stereotypes creep in where we least expect them. Just when we think we're in a safe place, a place free of preconceived judgments, bam! we run headfirst into one. We all experience this, I think, some of us to greater degrees than others, depending on who we are and what we identify as.
There is a certain anonymity on the internet. To many people I'm just a name, a collection of words, without features or description. In some cases without even gender*. People who don't know me in person or who don't know me well may, and sometimes do, have very specific notions of who I am or what they envision me as. This preconceived image is sometimes very far from reality. How would you picture me, if you don't know me? You might be quite surprised by the reality. I rather imagine the same is true for most of us.
This can become a shield, a place to hide where our true identity is not shown especially when we know that Self will draw criticism or ridicule. People can create entirely new identities, make themselves into what they wish they were rather than what they are. It can allow us to interact with people who might otherwise never speak to us based on real life qualities, such as dress or appearance. The anonymity of the internet not only allows us to create our persona for others, if we choose to, but it also can make us a blank slate to others which they then imagine as they see fit.
It can also, conversely, encourage people to express their prejudices without realizing they are speaking directly to someone in the group they are mocking. As part of several subcultures and marginalized groups I've gotten used to it, although it does still occasionally bother me. I've lost track of how often I've seen people within the wider pagan community making off-hand comments that belittle or make fun of groups I belong to. Words are weapons, and casual words can be far more painful than intended.
I am Goth and I am pagan. I have been pagan for a few years longer than I've been Goth, and one has nothing directly to do with the other, but both are important aspects of my life. Both are part of who I am.
I have been told, years ago, by someone I respected very much at the time that I need to stop dressing like a stereotypical witch because it made all witches look less respectable.
I have been told that people like me are why others don't want to call themselves pagan.
I have been told that when I get a bit more experience or have been pagan for longer** I'll outgrow wanting to wear black
I have been told that it's sad that I want attention so bad I'm willing to play into the stereotype.
I have been told that no one will take me seriously as long I keep dressing Goth.
I have been told that I must be a Satanist, not a pagan, or I wouldn't dress that way.
And on and on and on.
There seems to be an assumption that if you are Goth and pagan you must be a newbie, and seeking attention, and not very serious, and confused, and melodramatic. Goth pagans are rarely taken seriously in my experience and are very often criticized, even publicly shamed, for their perceived insincerity, youth, inexperience, and negative reflection on the rest of pagandom.
Let's be clear here. Goth is a subculture based in a variety of things including fashion, music and a certain macabre aesthetic. It reflects what I like and what I am comfortable with. Paganism (Irish Reconstructionism and witchcraft) is my religion. It reflects a certain worldview, cosmology and core set of beliefs. The two, subculture and religion, are not at odds and I have found they go well enough together in my life. Why my fashion choices and taste in music bother some of my coreligionists so much kind of baffles me, but I think its only fair if I can accept pagans who like Country music and denim, or Pop music and tube tops, then my personal tastes can be accepted or at least ignored.
I'm proud of who I am, and I think I shouldn't be judged on my appearance, anymore than anyone else should be. I also think that the idea of paganism being accepted by the mainstream if we all just dress and act like the mainstream is a dangerous myth. Not only does it encourage us to try to enforce homogeneity within paganism which destroys our beautiful diversity, but it sells us a false hope that if only we act normal enough we can be treated just like the religious majority. Not because we have equal rights, not because we deserve equal treatment, but because we fit in so well that they like us enough to give us what we deserve. Think about that for a minute. Really think about it - do you want equal treatment because its owed to you, or because the powerful people decide they feel like doling it out like a table scrap?
Sometimes generalizing is necessary, but its worth considering that if you don't personally belong to a subculture it may be unwise to think you can pass judgment on that subculture. So many of the hurtful things that I see being said are rooted in ignorance and misunderstandings that could be avoided with a bit of open-mindedness and a willingness to listen. It is also worth keeping in mind that sometimes the person who most looks like you expect a certain "type" of person to look may in fact be the least like your expectation.
It is worth remembering when we find another person's ways confusing, as Neitzsche said "You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
* I have been mistaken for male on multiple occasions in discussion groups and on email lists, because of my name.
** I've been pagan since 1991 and Goth since around '94-ish. At this point I think its safe to say I'm not going to outgrow either.
There is a certain anonymity on the internet. To many people I'm just a name, a collection of words, without features or description. In some cases without even gender*. People who don't know me in person or who don't know me well may, and sometimes do, have very specific notions of who I am or what they envision me as. This preconceived image is sometimes very far from reality. How would you picture me, if you don't know me? You might be quite surprised by the reality. I rather imagine the same is true for most of us.
This can become a shield, a place to hide where our true identity is not shown especially when we know that Self will draw criticism or ridicule. People can create entirely new identities, make themselves into what they wish they were rather than what they are. It can allow us to interact with people who might otherwise never speak to us based on real life qualities, such as dress or appearance. The anonymity of the internet not only allows us to create our persona for others, if we choose to, but it also can make us a blank slate to others which they then imagine as they see fit.
It can also, conversely, encourage people to express their prejudices without realizing they are speaking directly to someone in the group they are mocking. As part of several subcultures and marginalized groups I've gotten used to it, although it does still occasionally bother me. I've lost track of how often I've seen people within the wider pagan community making off-hand comments that belittle or make fun of groups I belong to. Words are weapons, and casual words can be far more painful than intended.
I am Goth and I am pagan. I have been pagan for a few years longer than I've been Goth, and one has nothing directly to do with the other, but both are important aspects of my life. Both are part of who I am.
I have been told, years ago, by someone I respected very much at the time that I need to stop dressing like a stereotypical witch because it made all witches look less respectable.
I have been told that people like me are why others don't want to call themselves pagan.
I have been told that when I get a bit more experience or have been pagan for longer** I'll outgrow wanting to wear black
I have been told that it's sad that I want attention so bad I'm willing to play into the stereotype.
I have been told that no one will take me seriously as long I keep dressing Goth.
I have been told that I must be a Satanist, not a pagan, or I wouldn't dress that way.
And on and on and on.
There seems to be an assumption that if you are Goth and pagan you must be a newbie, and seeking attention, and not very serious, and confused, and melodramatic. Goth pagans are rarely taken seriously in my experience and are very often criticized, even publicly shamed, for their perceived insincerity, youth, inexperience, and negative reflection on the rest of pagandom.
Let's be clear here. Goth is a subculture based in a variety of things including fashion, music and a certain macabre aesthetic. It reflects what I like and what I am comfortable with. Paganism (Irish Reconstructionism and witchcraft) is my religion. It reflects a certain worldview, cosmology and core set of beliefs. The two, subculture and religion, are not at odds and I have found they go well enough together in my life. Why my fashion choices and taste in music bother some of my coreligionists so much kind of baffles me, but I think its only fair if I can accept pagans who like Country music and denim, or Pop music and tube tops, then my personal tastes can be accepted or at least ignored.
I'm proud of who I am, and I think I shouldn't be judged on my appearance, anymore than anyone else should be. I also think that the idea of paganism being accepted by the mainstream if we all just dress and act like the mainstream is a dangerous myth. Not only does it encourage us to try to enforce homogeneity within paganism which destroys our beautiful diversity, but it sells us a false hope that if only we act normal enough we can be treated just like the religious majority. Not because we have equal rights, not because we deserve equal treatment, but because we fit in so well that they like us enough to give us what we deserve. Think about that for a minute. Really think about it - do you want equal treatment because its owed to you, or because the powerful people decide they feel like doling it out like a table scrap?
Sometimes generalizing is necessary, but its worth considering that if you don't personally belong to a subculture it may be unwise to think you can pass judgment on that subculture. So many of the hurtful things that I see being said are rooted in ignorance and misunderstandings that could be avoided with a bit of open-mindedness and a willingness to listen. It is also worth keeping in mind that sometimes the person who most looks like you expect a certain "type" of person to look may in fact be the least like your expectation.
It is worth remembering when we find another person's ways confusing, as Neitzsche said "You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
* I have been mistaken for male on multiple occasions in discussion groups and on email lists, because of my name.
** I've been pagan since 1991 and Goth since around '94-ish. At this point I think its safe to say I'm not going to outgrow either.
June 7, 2015
Another look at Fedelm in Different Recensions
For fun and to show the difference that can occur between translations I wanted to expand on yesterday's blog and offer the description of Fedelm from two recensions of the the Táin Bó Cúailnge, the first from the Book of the Dun Cow and the second from the Book of Leinster. You'll see some similarities and also some significant differences between the two:
‘In tan didiu dosoí an t-ara forsin carpat ocus lotair do thecht ass co n-accatár in n-ingin macdacht remib. Folt buidi furri. Bratt brecc impe, delg n-óir and. Léine chulpatach co n-derggintslaid impe. Dá assa co foraib óir impu. Agad fochóel forlethan. Dí broí duba dorchaidi. Abrait duib dáin co m-bentaís foscod i m-medón a dá grúaide. Indar latt ropo di partaing imdéntai a beóil. Indar lat ba fross do némannaib boí inna bélaib .i. a fíaclai. Teóra trillsi fuirri .i. dí thriliss immo cend súas, trilis tara h-aiss síar co m-benad a dá colptha inna díaid. Claideb corthaire do findruine inna láim, esnaid óir and. Trí meic imlisse cechtar a dá súla. Gaisced lasin n-ingin & dá ech duba foa carput.’
- Táin Bó Cúailnge, Recension 1, Lebor na hUidre, 11th/12th century O'Rahilly (1976)
Then when the charioteer turns the chariot back and had gone they saw the girl of marriageable age before them. Yellow hair on her. A speckled cloak on her, red-gold there. A hooded tunic [léine*] with red-embroidery about her. Two shoes with gold on them. Her face slender below, broad above. Two heavy dark black eyelashes, delicate they look, which cast a shadow in the middle of her two cheeks. You would think fresh crimson adorns her mouth. You would think there were pearls there behind her lips, that is her teeth. Three plaits of hair with her that is two plaits about her head upwards, a plait covering her back down shadowing her calves to the end. A weaving beam of fine-brass in her right hand, inset with gold. Three pupils in each of her two eyes. Weapons with the girl and two black horses under her chariot.
Impáis in t-ara in carpat ocus dothaét Medb for cúlu, co n-accai ní rap ingnad lé, .i. in n-aenmnái for fertais in charpait na farrad ina dochum. Is amlaid bói ind ingen: ic figi corrthairi ocus claideb findruini ina láim deiss cona secht n-aslib do dergór ina dessaib; bratt ballabrecc uani impi; bretnas torrach trencend sin brutt osa brunni; gnúis chorcra chrumainech lé; rosc glass gairectach le; beóil derga thanaide; dét niamda nemanda, andar let batar frossa findnémand erctais ina cend; cosmail do nuapartaing a beóil; binnidir téta mendchrot aca seinm allámaib sirshúad bindfogur a gotha ocus a cáinurlabra; gilidir snechta sniged fri oenaidchi taidlech a cniss ocus a colla sech a timthach sechtair; traigthi seta sithgela, ingni corcra córi cruindgéra lé; folt findbudi fata forórda furri; teora trillsi da fult imma cend, trilis aile co m-benad foscad fri colptha.
Táin Bó Cúailnge, Recension 2, Book of Leinster version, 12th century, Windisch (1905.)
The charioteer turned the chariot and suddenly at Medb's back, she saw something, a person unusual to her, that is the single girl at a shaft of the chariot beside the company. And thus is the girl: besides weaving fringe and a sword of fine brass in her right hand, seven sword-ornaments of red-gold well arranged on it; a speckled-spotted green cloak on her; a brooch rounded, strong-covered there on her cloak and chest; a face red, rich-blooded with her; eyes green and laughing with her; a subtle red mouth; brilliant pearl-like teeth, you would think they were white-pearls showering abundantly from her head; similar to fresh scarlet were her lips; melodious strings of a lyre being played by a master, long lasting, sweet-sounding her voice and her enchanting speech; bright as falling snow from a single night was her shining skin and her body that was beyond her garment; feet slender long and fair, nails dark red, well-proportioned, round and neat with her; hair light-yellow, long, and golden on her; three plaits of hair on her head, another plait with a shadow reaching to her calf.
*a léine (pronounced lay-nuh) is a specific garment: loose, hanging to the knee, with long full sleeves. Although it is glossed here as tunic it is not overly similar to the general tunic most people are familiar with. See here for more detail http://www.albanach.org/articles.html...
‘In tan didiu dosoí an t-ara forsin carpat ocus lotair do thecht ass co n-accatár in n-ingin macdacht remib. Folt buidi furri. Bratt brecc impe, delg n-óir and. Léine chulpatach co n-derggintslaid impe. Dá assa co foraib óir impu. Agad fochóel forlethan. Dí broí duba dorchaidi. Abrait duib dáin co m-bentaís foscod i m-medón a dá grúaide. Indar latt ropo di partaing imdéntai a beóil. Indar lat ba fross do némannaib boí inna bélaib .i. a fíaclai. Teóra trillsi fuirri .i. dí thriliss immo cend súas, trilis tara h-aiss síar co m-benad a dá colptha inna díaid. Claideb corthaire do findruine inna láim, esnaid óir and. Trí meic imlisse cechtar a dá súla. Gaisced lasin n-ingin & dá ech duba foa carput.’
- Táin Bó Cúailnge, Recension 1, Lebor na hUidre, 11th/12th century O'Rahilly (1976)
Then when the charioteer turns the chariot back and had gone they saw the girl of marriageable age before them. Yellow hair on her. A speckled cloak on her, red-gold there. A hooded tunic [léine*] with red-embroidery about her. Two shoes with gold on them. Her face slender below, broad above. Two heavy dark black eyelashes, delicate they look, which cast a shadow in the middle of her two cheeks. You would think fresh crimson adorns her mouth. You would think there were pearls there behind her lips, that is her teeth. Three plaits of hair with her that is two plaits about her head upwards, a plait covering her back down shadowing her calves to the end. A weaving beam of fine-brass in her right hand, inset with gold. Three pupils in each of her two eyes. Weapons with the girl and two black horses under her chariot.
Impáis in t-ara in carpat ocus dothaét Medb for cúlu, co n-accai ní rap ingnad lé, .i. in n-aenmnái for fertais in charpait na farrad ina dochum. Is amlaid bói ind ingen: ic figi corrthairi ocus claideb findruini ina láim deiss cona secht n-aslib do dergór ina dessaib; bratt ballabrecc uani impi; bretnas torrach trencend sin brutt osa brunni; gnúis chorcra chrumainech lé; rosc glass gairectach le; beóil derga thanaide; dét niamda nemanda, andar let batar frossa findnémand erctais ina cend; cosmail do nuapartaing a beóil; binnidir téta mendchrot aca seinm allámaib sirshúad bindfogur a gotha ocus a cáinurlabra; gilidir snechta sniged fri oenaidchi taidlech a cniss ocus a colla sech a timthach sechtair; traigthi seta sithgela, ingni corcra córi cruindgéra lé; folt findbudi fata forórda furri; teora trillsi da fult imma cend, trilis aile co m-benad foscad fri colptha.
Táin Bó Cúailnge, Recension 2, Book of Leinster version, 12th century, Windisch (1905.)
The charioteer turned the chariot and suddenly at Medb's back, she saw something, a person unusual to her, that is the single girl at a shaft of the chariot beside the company. And thus is the girl: besides weaving fringe and a sword of fine brass in her right hand, seven sword-ornaments of red-gold well arranged on it; a speckled-spotted green cloak on her; a brooch rounded, strong-covered there on her cloak and chest; a face red, rich-blooded with her; eyes green and laughing with her; a subtle red mouth; brilliant pearl-like teeth, you would think they were white-pearls showering abundantly from her head; similar to fresh scarlet were her lips; melodious strings of a lyre being played by a master, long lasting, sweet-sounding her voice and her enchanting speech; bright as falling snow from a single night was her shining skin and her body that was beyond her garment; feet slender long and fair, nails dark red, well-proportioned, round and neat with her; hair light-yellow, long, and golden on her; three plaits of hair on her head, another plait with a shadow reaching to her calf.
*a léine (pronounced lay-nuh) is a specific garment: loose, hanging to the knee, with long full sleeves. Although it is glossed here as tunic it is not overly similar to the general tunic most people are familiar with. See here for more detail http://www.albanach.org/articles.html...
June 6, 2015
Describing Fedelm in the Tain Bo Cuiligne
A bit of descriptive translation for today from the Táin Bó Cuiligne of Medb's first view of the seeress Fedelm:
Impáis in t-ara in carpat ocus dothaét Medb for cúlu, co n-accai ní rap ingnad lé, .i. in n-aenmnái for fertais in charpait na farrad ina dochum. Is amlaid bói ind ingen: ic figi corrthairi ocus claideb findruini ina láim deiss cona secht n-aslib do dergór ina dessaib; bratt ballabrecc uani impi; bretnas torrach trencend sin brutt osa brunni; gnúis chorcra chrumainech lé; rosc glass gairectach le; beóil derga thanaide; dét niamda nemanda, andar let batar frossa findnémand erctais ina cend; cosmail do nuapartaing a beóil; binnidir téta mendchrot aca seinm allámaib sirshúad bindfogur a gotha ocus a cáinurlabra; gilidir snechta sniged fri oenaidchi taidlech a cniss ocus a colla sech a timthach sechtair; traigthi seta sithgela, ingni corcra córi cruindgéra lé; folt findbudi fata forórda furri; teora trillsi da fult imma cend, trilis aile co m-benad foscad fri colptha.
Irische Texte Mit Ubersetzungen, Windisch (1905.)
"The charioteer turned the chariot and suddenly at Medb's back, she saw something, a person unusual to her, that is the single girl at a shaft of the chariot beside the company. And thus is the girl: besides weaving fringe and a sword of fine brass in her right hand, seven sword-ornaments of red-gold well arranged on it; a speckled-spotted green cloak on her; a brooch rounded, strong-covered there on her cloak and chest; a face red, rich-blooded with her; eyes green and laughing with her; a subtle red mouth; brilliant pearl-like teeth, you would think they were white-pearls showering abundantly from her head; similar to fresh scarlet were her lips; melodious strings of a lyre being played by a master, long lasting, sweet-sounding her voice and her enchanting speech; bright as falling snow from a single night was her shining skin and her body that was beyond her garment; feet slender long and fair, nails dark red, well-proportioned, round and neat with her; hair light-yellow, long, and golden on her; three plaits of hair on her head, other plaits with a shadow reaching to her calf."
The word used to describe the red of her face and nails is actually corcra which is a dark-purple red; in modern Irish this word means purple, but in older Irish it was considered a both purple and a shade of red sometimes translated as crimson. In contrast her mouth is "derga" a bright, intense red, while her lips are "nuapartaing" nua meaning new and partaing being a bright scarlet red associated dyeing cloth.
It's also interesting to note that her hair is described simultaneously as "light-yellow" and "golden"; finduidi is a magnifying term which implies intensity of color or quality and, with aelt, is associated with bleaching hair with lime, while forórda means gilt, gold colored, and in expressions glorious. Altogether we can take this as a description of her hair as long and shining blonde.
June 4, 2015
What Makes A God?
I'm going to start out by saying clearly, I don't have any answers to this question and I don't think there is an answer. It's a question that inevitably leads to more questions. And I think that's a good thing - we should question this, we should ask ourselves the hard things like this. Without the hard questions there will never be any real growth or deep theology.
This may - or may not - surprise people but this particular question is one I contemplate regularly. My spiritual practice includes not only beings from acknowledged pantheons who are, generally, agreed to be Gods by most people's definitions but also beings who I term the liminal Gods who may or may not fit that definition and a wide array of spirits that I consider powerful and influential but not divine. And here is where we hit the crux of this question - how do we define a God?
According to the dictionary* a god is a being with supernatural powers that controls an aspect of reality and can be worshiped. This presents a problem, however, for animists and those of us who work with diverse spirits because that definition could apply to many spirits who I would not necessarily call Gods. My house spirit is essential to many things and influential over my home, but I wouldn't call him a God. In the same way the Fair Folk can be very powerful and able to influence our world, but I wouldn't call them Gods, even though I offer to them and petition them for luck and blessings.
Does worship alone make something a God? Certainly Gods are offered to, prayed to, and given acknowledgement for their worth**. Human ancestors and the Other Crowd are also offered to and given respect, and prayed to yet they aren't usually seen as Gods. This also invites the line of thought that it is humans who create and maintain Gods, putting humans, ultimately, at the top of the cosmic food chain. It also opens the questions of what happens to Gods without worshipers, and whether the God with the most followers would be the most powerful.
Does historic precedent make something a God? That of course immediately leads to the chicken-egg dilemma as we must establish how long something has to exist or be worshiped to be a God, however it can also be helpful to look at whether something was previously considered a divinity. Also this creates a catch-22 with deified humans like Imhotep who clearly weren't Gods originally but clearly were later. And this line of thought would entirely eliminate the possibility of new Gods in our time by arguing that only pre-existing acknowledged Gods were actually divine.
Does power make something a God? This tends to be my own measuring stick, but even this has its flaws as there are far more blurred lines than clear cut ones. What can something influence and to what degree? What are the beings limits? Of course even Gods have limits, but the power of a God should be greater than that of a ghost or a house spirit, in my opinion.
Does area of influence make something a God? Or in other words does it have geographic limitations? Is it stationary? Some people will argue this one, because some people do see Gods as tied to locations. Even in my own belief there's a grey area here as the liminal Gods can vary by location, but they are not bound by their environment or preferred area. One measure of a God may be how far its influence extends and how much the being themselves can go. Is it a local spirit or does its influence extend or shift? Can it only manifest or effect things in one place? Or does its influence extend anywhere it chooses to go?
These are only a few questions that come to my mind when we ask what makes something a God. There are many more that we could ask as well, and its up to each of us to decide how we feel about each question. Because in the end there is no simple answer for the question of what makes something a God.
Ask yourself these questions, and find your own answers. I know what I think, but you don't need me to tell you how I define a God. You need to find the Truth that speaks to you, find your own understanding of this. Because my God may be your Good Neighbor, and your God may be my fictional character, and that other God over there may be someone else's archetype. Ultimately no one can tell any of us what to believe about this. We must find our own answers.
* Merriam Webster
** worship: Middle English worshipe worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being, from Old English weorthscipe worthiness, respect, from weorthworthy, worth + -scipe -ship http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio...
This may - or may not - surprise people but this particular question is one I contemplate regularly. My spiritual practice includes not only beings from acknowledged pantheons who are, generally, agreed to be Gods by most people's definitions but also beings who I term the liminal Gods who may or may not fit that definition and a wide array of spirits that I consider powerful and influential but not divine. And here is where we hit the crux of this question - how do we define a God?According to the dictionary* a god is a being with supernatural powers that controls an aspect of reality and can be worshiped. This presents a problem, however, for animists and those of us who work with diverse spirits because that definition could apply to many spirits who I would not necessarily call Gods. My house spirit is essential to many things and influential over my home, but I wouldn't call him a God. In the same way the Fair Folk can be very powerful and able to influence our world, but I wouldn't call them Gods, even though I offer to them and petition them for luck and blessings.
Does worship alone make something a God? Certainly Gods are offered to, prayed to, and given acknowledgement for their worth**. Human ancestors and the Other Crowd are also offered to and given respect, and prayed to yet they aren't usually seen as Gods. This also invites the line of thought that it is humans who create and maintain Gods, putting humans, ultimately, at the top of the cosmic food chain. It also opens the questions of what happens to Gods without worshipers, and whether the God with the most followers would be the most powerful.
Does historic precedent make something a God? That of course immediately leads to the chicken-egg dilemma as we must establish how long something has to exist or be worshiped to be a God, however it can also be helpful to look at whether something was previously considered a divinity. Also this creates a catch-22 with deified humans like Imhotep who clearly weren't Gods originally but clearly were later. And this line of thought would entirely eliminate the possibility of new Gods in our time by arguing that only pre-existing acknowledged Gods were actually divine.
Does power make something a God? This tends to be my own measuring stick, but even this has its flaws as there are far more blurred lines than clear cut ones. What can something influence and to what degree? What are the beings limits? Of course even Gods have limits, but the power of a God should be greater than that of a ghost or a house spirit, in my opinion.
Does area of influence make something a God? Or in other words does it have geographic limitations? Is it stationary? Some people will argue this one, because some people do see Gods as tied to locations. Even in my own belief there's a grey area here as the liminal Gods can vary by location, but they are not bound by their environment or preferred area. One measure of a God may be how far its influence extends and how much the being themselves can go. Is it a local spirit or does its influence extend or shift? Can it only manifest or effect things in one place? Or does its influence extend anywhere it chooses to go?
These are only a few questions that come to my mind when we ask what makes something a God. There are many more that we could ask as well, and its up to each of us to decide how we feel about each question. Because in the end there is no simple answer for the question of what makes something a God.
Ask yourself these questions, and find your own answers. I know what I think, but you don't need me to tell you how I define a God. You need to find the Truth that speaks to you, find your own understanding of this. Because my God may be your Good Neighbor, and your God may be my fictional character, and that other God over there may be someone else's archetype. Ultimately no one can tell any of us what to believe about this. We must find our own answers.
* Merriam Webster
** worship: Middle English worshipe worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being, from Old English weorthscipe worthiness, respect, from weorthworthy, worth + -scipe -ship http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio...
June 1, 2015
On Being *That* Guy
Everyone knows that guy*, the person who is always one of the first ones to speak up about paganism or polytheism, even though they don't really know that much about it. The one who puts down other religions while simultaneously complaining bitterly about religious persecution. The one who is certain that all the debunked bad history is actually true, from the Burning Times (tm) to all-male Druids, from the Golden Age of Matriarchy to the ancient neolithic Wiccans. And no amount of discussion, logic, or evidence can dissuade that guy from their very loud opinions. That guy is the one who makes more experienced people wince or roll their eyes, or in some cases lose their tempers.
We're all quick to complain about that guy, to criticize and, if we're honest, to go after that guy one way or another: to try to prove them wrong, or teach them, to show them up, or maybe just shut them up. When that guy appears in a discussion, with their loud declarations and boundless belief, you can watch the newer people's eyes widening in confusion and uncertainty and the more expereinced people bristling and girding for battle. We commiserate with each other, present a united front, and advise everyone else not to be that guy. No one gets less sympathy than that guy.
The thing is - we were all that guy, once upon a time. Maybe not as loudly, or as spectacularly. Maybe not at a time when social media made being that guy a ringside event that people need popcorn for. But we, at least most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, went through that phase in our spirituality where we bordered on zealot and our beliefs were like boulders, even when those beliefs were spun of wishful thinking and fantasy. Most of us have had that time when defending the faith was a badge of honor, even if we were defending it against dragons that looked a lot like windmills to everyone else. If you didn't, if you avoided ever, even once, being that guy, then good on you but I think its something most of us go through. I certainly look back now at a certain, shall we say, enthusiastic period of my spiritual life with a blush and a shrug.
I'm writing about this today because, as strange as this might sound, I think we need to give that guy a break. When they are foaming at the mouth over things that seem like shadows to us, when they are exuberantly insisting that fantasy is history, when they are loudly declaring their personal spirituality to be the entirety of paganism for everyone, everywhere, I think we need to remember what it felt like to be in that place in our own journey. When that outer passion was maybe covering an absolute terror of being wrong, when that exuberance was disguising a desperate desire to fit in and belong somewhere. Think back to what made you that guy, once upon a time, and try to have a bit of empathy for someone else who is perhaps in that same place. And maybe ask yourself why that guy bothers you so much to begin with.
Don't stop not being that guy of course, and don't stop living and speaking your own truth. And by all means let that guy know there are other options, other ways, and for the love of the Gods better history. But instead of doing it with words aimed like a sword point or arguments that land like fists, maybe try to listen to what's really being said, and the message behind what's being said, and answer with kindness and an open dialogue.
It's an idea anyway.
*guy used here in a gender neutral sense, applicable equally to males or females. And yes I really do talk that way in real life.
We're all quick to complain about that guy, to criticize and, if we're honest, to go after that guy one way or another: to try to prove them wrong, or teach them, to show them up, or maybe just shut them up. When that guy appears in a discussion, with their loud declarations and boundless belief, you can watch the newer people's eyes widening in confusion and uncertainty and the more expereinced people bristling and girding for battle. We commiserate with each other, present a united front, and advise everyone else not to be that guy. No one gets less sympathy than that guy.
The thing is - we were all that guy, once upon a time. Maybe not as loudly, or as spectacularly. Maybe not at a time when social media made being that guy a ringside event that people need popcorn for. But we, at least most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, went through that phase in our spirituality where we bordered on zealot and our beliefs were like boulders, even when those beliefs were spun of wishful thinking and fantasy. Most of us have had that time when defending the faith was a badge of honor, even if we were defending it against dragons that looked a lot like windmills to everyone else. If you didn't, if you avoided ever, even once, being that guy, then good on you but I think its something most of us go through. I certainly look back now at a certain, shall we say, enthusiastic period of my spiritual life with a blush and a shrug.
I'm writing about this today because, as strange as this might sound, I think we need to give that guy a break. When they are foaming at the mouth over things that seem like shadows to us, when they are exuberantly insisting that fantasy is history, when they are loudly declaring their personal spirituality to be the entirety of paganism for everyone, everywhere, I think we need to remember what it felt like to be in that place in our own journey. When that outer passion was maybe covering an absolute terror of being wrong, when that exuberance was disguising a desperate desire to fit in and belong somewhere. Think back to what made you that guy, once upon a time, and try to have a bit of empathy for someone else who is perhaps in that same place. And maybe ask yourself why that guy bothers you so much to begin with.
Don't stop not being that guy of course, and don't stop living and speaking your own truth. And by all means let that guy know there are other options, other ways, and for the love of the Gods better history. But instead of doing it with words aimed like a sword point or arguments that land like fists, maybe try to listen to what's really being said, and the message behind what's being said, and answer with kindness and an open dialogue.
It's an idea anyway.
*guy used here in a gender neutral sense, applicable equally to males or females. And yes I really do talk that way in real life.
May 26, 2015
Macha, Mesrad, and Heads
It's become an increasingly common thing for me to see people confidently stating that severed heads are the Morrigan's acorns or her acorn crop. Sometimes people do correctly identify the "crop" in question as belonging to Macha, but nonetheless keep on with the acorn part of it. In some cases, including some popular books, people get quite elaborate with this, adding in some poetic details or layering on deep spiritual significance.
Alright, well, let's take a look at the actual material from the mythology, or to be precise the glossaries, because there is no mythic story of head taking or reference to such. So what do we actually have?
Machæ .i. badb. nó así an tres morrígan, unde mesrad Machæ .i. cendæ doine iarna n-airlech- O'Mulconry's GlossaryMacha, that is Badb or one of the three Morrigans, whence Macha’s crop that is people’s heads after the slaughter.
Maiche .i. bodb; ł isi in tres morrigan .i. maiche 7 bodb 7 morrigan, unde mesrad maiche .i. cenna daoine iarna nairlech, ut dixit dub ruis. Garbæ adbae innon fil. i lomrad fir maiche mes, i n-agat laich liu i lles, i lluaiget mna trogain tres.- Irsan, Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1337 (H.3.18), pp. 79c–83bMacha, that is Badb, one of the three Morrigans, that is Macha and Badb and Morrigan. Whence the crop of Macha, that is people's heads after the slaughter, having said that, dark red. Rough dwellings are over there. Where men sheer off Macha’s crop, where warriors drive a multitude into pens, where the raven women cause battles.
Macha .i. badhb, no feannóg . mol macha .i. cruinniughadh badhb, no feannóg- O’Clery’s GlossaryMacha, that is a crow or hooded crow, the heap of Macha that is collecting of a crow or a hooded crow.
The entry from O'Mulconry's is fairly straightforward and we see it repeated in the Irsan manuscript entry. Both use the word "mesrad" to describe the severed heads gathered as war trophies; mesrad is a general term for nuts often translated into English as masts. Mast is itself an archaic word for fallen nuts of any variety which were used to feed animals. This should create a pretty evocative image, of the severed heads of warriors being like the fallen nuts that cover the ground beneath trees, left to feed animals. Where the problem comes in, I think, is that mesrad and mast both are taken by some people to mean acorns in particular - acorns obviously being one type of common mast - even though the word used doesn't actually specify which kind of nut. In fact there are several words in older forms of Irish for acorns - daurgne and dercu for two examples - and there is a specific word for an acorn crop, corthmes. Had this term been intended to mean an acorn crop specifically it would have said so, but the fact that a general term is used instead is quite significant. It was never intended to mean acorns and to translate it as such now is a mistake; to expound on any great spiritual or cosmological connection between acorns and heads or acorns and Macha (or the Morrigan more generally) based on these references would be a serious error. When we look at the, admittedly much later, entry in O'Clery's glossary the nut reference has been lost entirely and instead Macha is compared to "a crow or hooded crow*" and we are told that a "mol Macha", or heap, lump, or a rounded mass of Macha, is what is gathered or collected by crows, ie probably carrion. It is worth noting however that the word mol used here is a form of mul and is used in compounds like mulcend which means round-headed and is closely related to mullach which is a term for the head, indicating at least a tenuous connection between this entry and the earlier ones. If we were to assume that O'Clery's is in fact a confusion of the earlier expressions we might see it more properly as "the heads of Macha, that is what crows gather" which is entirely logical and in line with the idiom. However I can only speculate and as it stands the term used does literally mean heap or lump. We should also note that cruinnuighadh is a verb meaning to collect, gather, or assemble; it is not a noun for a collection or group. All three entries are clearly discussing Macha, although the first two give her the title of Badb and describe her as one of the three Morrigans. The second entry makes it clear that calling her Badb is meant as a title as it is followed by listing her with Badb (as a separate being) as the three named Morrigans. The final entry does not mention the Morrigan or three Morrigans at all. The first two entryie also clearly use what seemed to have been a well known phrase "mesrad Mache" literally "masts of Macha" or "nut crop of Macha" and then explain that it is this which the severed head's of warriors are called. Based on this I think it is, at best, inaccurate to attribute the severed heads to the Morrigan either generally or specifically. They were clearly something associated with Macha in particular. In the end what we have is three references to Macha and terms related to death. The first two refer to severed heads as her nut-crop; the second to what a crow gathers as her "heap" although I believe its possible this is a later confusion of the earlier saying, given the similarity of the word used for heap with a related word for head. We know that severed heads were highly symbolic and meaningful in Irish culture and can safely assume that the connection between Macha and these heads is layered and significant. In all three cases we are given some beautiful, evocative imagery relating Macha to the trophies of war and to carrion.
* it is possibly that this entry should be read as "Macha, that is Badb, or a hooded crow. However since the second line would then have to be read very awkwardly as "a collection of Badb's or a hooded crow" it seems more likely to me that O'Clery intended badb in the sense of a crow. The reader may conclude otherwise.
Also there's a fun play on words here, as mol and cruinn (the root of cruinnuighadh) both mean rounded lump
Alright, well, let's take a look at the actual material from the mythology, or to be precise the glossaries, because there is no mythic story of head taking or reference to such. So what do we actually have?
Machæ .i. badb. nó así an tres morrígan, unde mesrad Machæ .i. cendæ doine iarna n-airlech- O'Mulconry's GlossaryMacha, that is Badb or one of the three Morrigans, whence Macha’s crop that is people’s heads after the slaughter.
Maiche .i. bodb; ł isi in tres morrigan .i. maiche 7 bodb 7 morrigan, unde mesrad maiche .i. cenna daoine iarna nairlech, ut dixit dub ruis. Garbæ adbae innon fil. i lomrad fir maiche mes, i n-agat laich liu i lles, i lluaiget mna trogain tres.- Irsan, Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1337 (H.3.18), pp. 79c–83bMacha, that is Badb, one of the three Morrigans, that is Macha and Badb and Morrigan. Whence the crop of Macha, that is people's heads after the slaughter, having said that, dark red. Rough dwellings are over there. Where men sheer off Macha’s crop, where warriors drive a multitude into pens, where the raven women cause battles.
Macha .i. badhb, no feannóg . mol macha .i. cruinniughadh badhb, no feannóg- O’Clery’s GlossaryMacha, that is a crow or hooded crow, the heap of Macha that is collecting of a crow or a hooded crow.
The entry from O'Mulconry's is fairly straightforward and we see it repeated in the Irsan manuscript entry. Both use the word "mesrad" to describe the severed heads gathered as war trophies; mesrad is a general term for nuts often translated into English as masts. Mast is itself an archaic word for fallen nuts of any variety which were used to feed animals. This should create a pretty evocative image, of the severed heads of warriors being like the fallen nuts that cover the ground beneath trees, left to feed animals. Where the problem comes in, I think, is that mesrad and mast both are taken by some people to mean acorns in particular - acorns obviously being one type of common mast - even though the word used doesn't actually specify which kind of nut. In fact there are several words in older forms of Irish for acorns - daurgne and dercu for two examples - and there is a specific word for an acorn crop, corthmes. Had this term been intended to mean an acorn crop specifically it would have said so, but the fact that a general term is used instead is quite significant. It was never intended to mean acorns and to translate it as such now is a mistake; to expound on any great spiritual or cosmological connection between acorns and heads or acorns and Macha (or the Morrigan more generally) based on these references would be a serious error. When we look at the, admittedly much later, entry in O'Clery's glossary the nut reference has been lost entirely and instead Macha is compared to "a crow or hooded crow*" and we are told that a "mol Macha", or heap, lump, or a rounded mass of Macha, is what is gathered or collected by crows, ie probably carrion. It is worth noting however that the word mol used here is a form of mul and is used in compounds like mulcend which means round-headed and is closely related to mullach which is a term for the head, indicating at least a tenuous connection between this entry and the earlier ones. If we were to assume that O'Clery's is in fact a confusion of the earlier expressions we might see it more properly as "the heads of Macha, that is what crows gather" which is entirely logical and in line with the idiom. However I can only speculate and as it stands the term used does literally mean heap or lump. We should also note that cruinnuighadh is a verb meaning to collect, gather, or assemble; it is not a noun for a collection or group. All three entries are clearly discussing Macha, although the first two give her the title of Badb and describe her as one of the three Morrigans. The second entry makes it clear that calling her Badb is meant as a title as it is followed by listing her with Badb (as a separate being) as the three named Morrigans. The final entry does not mention the Morrigan or three Morrigans at all. The first two entryie also clearly use what seemed to have been a well known phrase "mesrad Mache" literally "masts of Macha" or "nut crop of Macha" and then explain that it is this which the severed head's of warriors are called. Based on this I think it is, at best, inaccurate to attribute the severed heads to the Morrigan either generally or specifically. They were clearly something associated with Macha in particular. In the end what we have is three references to Macha and terms related to death. The first two refer to severed heads as her nut-crop; the second to what a crow gathers as her "heap" although I believe its possible this is a later confusion of the earlier saying, given the similarity of the word used for heap with a related word for head. We know that severed heads were highly symbolic and meaningful in Irish culture and can safely assume that the connection between Macha and these heads is layered and significant. In all three cases we are given some beautiful, evocative imagery relating Macha to the trophies of war and to carrion.
* it is possibly that this entry should be read as "Macha, that is Badb, or a hooded crow. However since the second line would then have to be read very awkwardly as "a collection of Badb's or a hooded crow" it seems more likely to me that O'Clery intended badb in the sense of a crow. The reader may conclude otherwise.
Also there's a fun play on words here, as mol and cruinn (the root of cruinnuighadh) both mean rounded lump
May 20, 2015
Nemain, Goddess of War
If you ask most Celtic pagans to name the three Morrigans a good number of them, in my experience, will say Badb, Macha, and Nemain despite the fact that Nemain is never explicitly called the Morrigan or included with the other two anywhere in Irish mythology. I personally blame this one on the multitude of modern pagan books which blithely say that the above named trio are the three Morrigan, however it can likely be traced back to Hennessey's 1870 book "The Ancient Irish Goddess of War". Hennessey put a lot of emphasis on Nemain and included her with Badb and Macha in his discussion of the Morrigan in a way that I feel led to the later conflation of Nemain with the three daughters of Ernmas elsewhere called the three Morrigans.
The primary source we have for Nemain in mythology is the Tain Bo Cuiligne (TBC) and this is often the main evidence peolpe point to to support Nemain as one of the Morrigan. The TBC material is pretty thin though and just shows her acting as a war Goddess, alone or with Badb. At one point in the story Cu Chulainn shouts and arouses the supernatural forces, after which Nemain appears: "Co ro mesc ind Neamain (.i. in Badb) forsin t-slóg." (Windisch, 1905). [So that Nemain, that is the Badb, intoxicated the army there]. The equating of Nemain and Badb is common and can be found in multiple sources where the two names are treated as interchangeable, athough as we shall see the two also appear together fairly often. In another recension of the TBC we see Nemain appearing with Badb and Be Neit, shrieking and terrifying the gathered army. Heijda suggests - and I agree - that is quite likely that instead of "Badb 7 Be Neit 7 Nemain" [Badb and Be Neit and Nemain] this passage should read "Badb .i. Be Neit 7 Nemain" [Badb that is Be Neit and Nemain] (Heijda, 2007). This is entirely logical as Be Neit rarely appears anywhere as an individual being and in the glossaries is usually equated with either Badb or the Morrigan, and sometimes Nemain. In point of fact the name Be Neit simply means woman or wife of battle and may be a general term used to describe war Goddesses rather than a proper name, which would also explain why in glossary entries she is so often immediately equated to another named deity. Towards the end of the TBC we see Nemain appearing alone in a similar occurance: "co ro mesc ind Neamain bar sin slóg, collotar i n-armgrith bha rennaib a sleg & a faebor, co n-ébailt cét láech díb ar lar a n-dúnaid & allongphuirt re úathgráin na gáre ra bertatar ar aird." (Windisch, 1905). [so that Nemain brought intoxication upon the army there, falling in their armor and on the points of their spears and sword-edges, so a hundred warriors of them die in the midst of the encampment and at the side of that place a time of terror the cry carried from on high]. This may be a repeat of the same behavior by Nemain, which would support her role as a war Goddess who brings terror and madness, but in fairness it could also be a scribal error where the same incident was doubled. In any event it is safe to say that in the TBC Nemain is associated with a cry which causes terror in those who hear it, and brings such panic that people fall on their own weapons or kill their comrades.
Heijda favors the idea of Nemain as an alternate name for Badb or as a goddess paired with Badb separate from the Morrigan. In the Lebor Gabala Erenn we are told that Badb and Nemain are two wives of Net: "Neit mac Indui sa di mnai, Badb ocus Nemaind cen goi" [Net son of Indui, his two wives, Badb and Nemain without falsehood]. In another version we are told that it is Fea and Nemain who are his wives and that they are sisters, daughters of Elcmar: "Fea ocus Nemaind: da mnai Neid meic Indai .i. da ingin Elcmar in Broga" [Fea and Nemain: two wives of Net son of Indui, that is two daughters of Elcmar of the Brugh]. Due to this Heijda suggests that Fea may be the name of Badb in the same way that Anand is for Morrigu (Heijda, 2007). Macalister agrees, suggesting that Fea and Nemain represent an earlier twin-pairing which evolved into the grouping of Badb and Nemain; he also suggests that Badb became a dyad with the Morrigu before becoming a triplicity with Morrigu and Macha (Macalister, 1940). This would suggest an interesting evolution for Badb as a primary war Goddess who formed a pairing with her sister Nemain, who she shares a father with, in some areas and with her two sisters, Morrigu and Macha, who she shares a mother with, elsewhere. In contrast Gulermovich-Epstien prefers to see Nemain as one of the Morrigan although indirectly connected. This argument uses several degrees of separation in different glossaries to connect the Morrigan to Nemain. An entry in Cormac's Glossary says Nemain is Net's wife and also called Be Neit - Neid .i. dia catha. Nemon a ben sin. Ut es Be Neit (Net that is a God of battle. Nemain his wife. She is Be Neit). There are several versions of this, but all are fairly homogenous. Since Badb and the Morrigan are also called Be Neit elsewhere Gulermovich-Epstien argues that Nemain may be one of the Morrigan (Gulermovich-Epstien, 1998). Of course this is highly problematic in that "Be Neit" may not be a name at all and could just mean "woman of battle" and as such could be applied to any war Goddess. There is an entry in O'Clery's Glossary "Nemhan .i. badbh catha, no feanog" (Nemhain that is crow of battle [literally badb catha] or a hooded crow) (Gulermovich-Epstien, 1998). But O'Clery is extremely late - 17th century - and its hard to say at that point if his statement that Nemain was Badb is a corruption of earlier beliefs or legitimate, and also since "badbh catha" isn't capitalized at all it is possible he didn't mean it as a name at all but was simply calling her "a crow of battle" as he follows it with "or a hooded crow".
O'Clery's Glossary also gives us "Nemain .i. dasacht, no míre" [Nemain, that is madness or insanity*] Gulermovich-Epstien, 1998). Another entry in Cormac's Glossary gives us: "Be neid .i. Neid nomen uiri. Be eius Nemon ben. Ba neimnech tra in lanamain sin" [Be Neit, that is Neit the name of the man. The woman Nemain his wife. They are a poisonous couple indeed.] In O'Mulconry's Glossary we are told: "Nemain dega .i. aibli tened, ut dicitur: nemain derga derci et reliqua" [Red Nemain, that is heat of a fire, that is: red Nemain passion and the rest]. It is interesting that O'Mulconry associates Nemain with both fire and passion, adding a layer of depth to her usual associations. It is also quite interesting that he calls her "Nemain derga" - red Nemain - as this is a common name given to Badb who is called the red Badb and the red-mouthed Badb. Additionally we know that Nemain was a magic worker for the Tuatha De Danann, listed with the other war goddesses: "Nemain, Danand, Badb and Macha, Morrigu who brings victory, impetuous and swift Etain, Be Chuilli of the north country, were the sorceresses of the Tuatha De." (Banshenchus, n.d.) Another fascinating tidbit about Nemain's character can be gleaned from a passage of the Lebor Gabala Erenn which is discussing several women of the Tuatha De Danann, including the two sovereignty goddesses Banba and Fotla, Danann, the three Morrigans - Macha, Badb, and Morrigu - and Fea and Nemain: "Banba Fotla & Fea
Nemaind nar fodaind fathaig.
Donand mathair na ndea.
Badb is Macha mét indbais
Morrígan fotla felbais.
indlema ind ága ernmais.
ingena ána Ernmais."
(Macalister, 1940)
[Banba, Fotla and Fea,
Nemain wise in poetry,
Danand mother of the Gods.
Badb and Macha rich in wealth
Morrigan powerful in sorcery
They encompass iron-death battles
the daughters of Ernmas.]
Overall it seems clear she was associated Badb and Fea, and was called both Badb and Be Neit herself. She does often appear acting with Badb though, suggesting that when she is called Badb it is being used as a title, rather than that she herself is Badb. We know she was one of the "sorceresses" of the Tuatha De Danann and also that she was said to be wise in poetry and "without falsehood", and Cormac's Glossary calls her poisonous. When we see her appearing in stories in an active role she is a bringer of "mesc", that is drunkenness, intoxication, and confusion which is directly associated with her terrifying cry. She is madness, insanity, frenzy, and perhaps the passion of battle. Whether or not she was one of the Morrigan, per se, she was without doubt a Goddess of war and battle, and strongly associated with Badb. It does seem likely when looking at the total of the gathered material that Nemain originally formed a war Goddess pair with Badb, as the two are often associated with each other and act together, and Nemain is given the title of Badb. Certainly she has been considered one of the Morrigan grouping for centuries now and deserves a portion of the title in a modern sense, if only as one of the great Irish war Goddesses.
References:Heidja, K, (2007). War-Goddesses, Furies, and Scald Crows:the use of the word badb in early Irish literatureGulermovich-Epstien, A., (1998) War Goddess: the Morrigan and her Germano-Celtic counterpartsWindisch, E., (1905). Tain Bo Cuiligne Macalister, R., (1940). Lebor Gabala ErennBannshenchus, (n.d.)Entries from Cormac's Glossary and O'Mulconry's Glossary courtesy of http://www.asnc.cam.ac.uk/irishglossa...
All translations from the Irish presented here are done by myself.
*dásach is a term which can mean fury, frenzy, violence; the related word dásacht is applied to rabid animals, but it can also mean ecstasy or war-like rage. It carries implications of a sudden uncontrolled fit of emotion.
míre is a form of mer and means demented, crazy, rash, but can also be used in a positive sense to mean spirited or livelyIt would be equally accurate to translate this passage as "Nemain, that is fury or terror" however I feel my translation uses the two words in a synonymous sense which seems to have been the intent of the original.
The primary source we have for Nemain in mythology is the Tain Bo Cuiligne (TBC) and this is often the main evidence peolpe point to to support Nemain as one of the Morrigan. The TBC material is pretty thin though and just shows her acting as a war Goddess, alone or with Badb. At one point in the story Cu Chulainn shouts and arouses the supernatural forces, after which Nemain appears: "Co ro mesc ind Neamain (.i. in Badb) forsin t-slóg." (Windisch, 1905). [So that Nemain, that is the Badb, intoxicated the army there]. The equating of Nemain and Badb is common and can be found in multiple sources where the two names are treated as interchangeable, athough as we shall see the two also appear together fairly often. In another recension of the TBC we see Nemain appearing with Badb and Be Neit, shrieking and terrifying the gathered army. Heijda suggests - and I agree - that is quite likely that instead of "Badb 7 Be Neit 7 Nemain" [Badb and Be Neit and Nemain] this passage should read "Badb .i. Be Neit 7 Nemain" [Badb that is Be Neit and Nemain] (Heijda, 2007). This is entirely logical as Be Neit rarely appears anywhere as an individual being and in the glossaries is usually equated with either Badb or the Morrigan, and sometimes Nemain. In point of fact the name Be Neit simply means woman or wife of battle and may be a general term used to describe war Goddesses rather than a proper name, which would also explain why in glossary entries she is so often immediately equated to another named deity. Towards the end of the TBC we see Nemain appearing alone in a similar occurance: "co ro mesc ind Neamain bar sin slóg, collotar i n-armgrith bha rennaib a sleg & a faebor, co n-ébailt cét láech díb ar lar a n-dúnaid & allongphuirt re úathgráin na gáre ra bertatar ar aird." (Windisch, 1905). [so that Nemain brought intoxication upon the army there, falling in their armor and on the points of their spears and sword-edges, so a hundred warriors of them die in the midst of the encampment and at the side of that place a time of terror the cry carried from on high]. This may be a repeat of the same behavior by Nemain, which would support her role as a war Goddess who brings terror and madness, but in fairness it could also be a scribal error where the same incident was doubled. In any event it is safe to say that in the TBC Nemain is associated with a cry which causes terror in those who hear it, and brings such panic that people fall on their own weapons or kill their comrades.
Heijda favors the idea of Nemain as an alternate name for Badb or as a goddess paired with Badb separate from the Morrigan. In the Lebor Gabala Erenn we are told that Badb and Nemain are two wives of Net: "Neit mac Indui sa di mnai, Badb ocus Nemaind cen goi" [Net son of Indui, his two wives, Badb and Nemain without falsehood]. In another version we are told that it is Fea and Nemain who are his wives and that they are sisters, daughters of Elcmar: "Fea ocus Nemaind: da mnai Neid meic Indai .i. da ingin Elcmar in Broga" [Fea and Nemain: two wives of Net son of Indui, that is two daughters of Elcmar of the Brugh]. Due to this Heijda suggests that Fea may be the name of Badb in the same way that Anand is for Morrigu (Heijda, 2007). Macalister agrees, suggesting that Fea and Nemain represent an earlier twin-pairing which evolved into the grouping of Badb and Nemain; he also suggests that Badb became a dyad with the Morrigu before becoming a triplicity with Morrigu and Macha (Macalister, 1940). This would suggest an interesting evolution for Badb as a primary war Goddess who formed a pairing with her sister Nemain, who she shares a father with, in some areas and with her two sisters, Morrigu and Macha, who she shares a mother with, elsewhere. In contrast Gulermovich-Epstien prefers to see Nemain as one of the Morrigan although indirectly connected. This argument uses several degrees of separation in different glossaries to connect the Morrigan to Nemain. An entry in Cormac's Glossary says Nemain is Net's wife and also called Be Neit - Neid .i. dia catha. Nemon a ben sin. Ut es Be Neit (Net that is a God of battle. Nemain his wife. She is Be Neit). There are several versions of this, but all are fairly homogenous. Since Badb and the Morrigan are also called Be Neit elsewhere Gulermovich-Epstien argues that Nemain may be one of the Morrigan (Gulermovich-Epstien, 1998). Of course this is highly problematic in that "Be Neit" may not be a name at all and could just mean "woman of battle" and as such could be applied to any war Goddess. There is an entry in O'Clery's Glossary "Nemhan .i. badbh catha, no feanog" (Nemhain that is crow of battle [literally badb catha] or a hooded crow) (Gulermovich-Epstien, 1998). But O'Clery is extremely late - 17th century - and its hard to say at that point if his statement that Nemain was Badb is a corruption of earlier beliefs or legitimate, and also since "badbh catha" isn't capitalized at all it is possible he didn't mean it as a name at all but was simply calling her "a crow of battle" as he follows it with "or a hooded crow".
O'Clery's Glossary also gives us "Nemain .i. dasacht, no míre" [Nemain, that is madness or insanity*] Gulermovich-Epstien, 1998). Another entry in Cormac's Glossary gives us: "Be neid .i. Neid nomen uiri. Be eius Nemon ben. Ba neimnech tra in lanamain sin" [Be Neit, that is Neit the name of the man. The woman Nemain his wife. They are a poisonous couple indeed.] In O'Mulconry's Glossary we are told: "Nemain dega .i. aibli tened, ut dicitur: nemain derga derci et reliqua" [Red Nemain, that is heat of a fire, that is: red Nemain passion and the rest]. It is interesting that O'Mulconry associates Nemain with both fire and passion, adding a layer of depth to her usual associations. It is also quite interesting that he calls her "Nemain derga" - red Nemain - as this is a common name given to Badb who is called the red Badb and the red-mouthed Badb. Additionally we know that Nemain was a magic worker for the Tuatha De Danann, listed with the other war goddesses: "Nemain, Danand, Badb and Macha, Morrigu who brings victory, impetuous and swift Etain, Be Chuilli of the north country, were the sorceresses of the Tuatha De." (Banshenchus, n.d.) Another fascinating tidbit about Nemain's character can be gleaned from a passage of the Lebor Gabala Erenn which is discussing several women of the Tuatha De Danann, including the two sovereignty goddesses Banba and Fotla, Danann, the three Morrigans - Macha, Badb, and Morrigu - and Fea and Nemain: "Banba Fotla & Fea
Nemaind nar fodaind fathaig.
Donand mathair na ndea.
Badb is Macha mét indbais
Morrígan fotla felbais.
indlema ind ága ernmais.
ingena ána Ernmais."
(Macalister, 1940)
[Banba, Fotla and Fea,
Nemain wise in poetry,
Danand mother of the Gods.
Badb and Macha rich in wealth
Morrigan powerful in sorcery
They encompass iron-death battles
the daughters of Ernmas.]
Overall it seems clear she was associated Badb and Fea, and was called both Badb and Be Neit herself. She does often appear acting with Badb though, suggesting that when she is called Badb it is being used as a title, rather than that she herself is Badb. We know she was one of the "sorceresses" of the Tuatha De Danann and also that she was said to be wise in poetry and "without falsehood", and Cormac's Glossary calls her poisonous. When we see her appearing in stories in an active role she is a bringer of "mesc", that is drunkenness, intoxication, and confusion which is directly associated with her terrifying cry. She is madness, insanity, frenzy, and perhaps the passion of battle. Whether or not she was one of the Morrigan, per se, she was without doubt a Goddess of war and battle, and strongly associated with Badb. It does seem likely when looking at the total of the gathered material that Nemain originally formed a war Goddess pair with Badb, as the two are often associated with each other and act together, and Nemain is given the title of Badb. Certainly she has been considered one of the Morrigan grouping for centuries now and deserves a portion of the title in a modern sense, if only as one of the great Irish war Goddesses.
References:Heidja, K, (2007). War-Goddesses, Furies, and Scald Crows:the use of the word badb in early Irish literatureGulermovich-Epstien, A., (1998) War Goddess: the Morrigan and her Germano-Celtic counterpartsWindisch, E., (1905). Tain Bo Cuiligne Macalister, R., (1940). Lebor Gabala ErennBannshenchus, (n.d.)Entries from Cormac's Glossary and O'Mulconry's Glossary courtesy of http://www.asnc.cam.ac.uk/irishglossa...
All translations from the Irish presented here are done by myself.
*dásach is a term which can mean fury, frenzy, violence; the related word dásacht is applied to rabid animals, but it can also mean ecstasy or war-like rage. It carries implications of a sudden uncontrolled fit of emotion.
míre is a form of mer and means demented, crazy, rash, but can also be used in a positive sense to mean spirited or livelyIt would be equally accurate to translate this passage as "Nemain, that is fury or terror" however I feel my translation uses the two words in a synonymous sense which seems to have been the intent of the original.
May 19, 2015
Articles, Manuscripts, and Essays, oh my!
I have really not done well keeping up with the blog this month and I apologize. I'm gearing up for the second annual Morrigan's Call retreat next month and have also been in the middle of several larger writing projects. I recently finished up my 13th manuscript, a book for the Pagan Portals series. This one, like my Fairy Witchcraft and Morrigan books, is meant to be a basic introduction to a topic in this case the topic is Irish Reconstructionist Polytheism. the final draft is with my publisher and I'm hoping the book will be released in October, although I haven't gotten a date yet. Meanwhile I'm still plugging away at book #14, a full length book on Fairy Witchcraft to expand on the Pagan Portals introduction. I am also working on my own full translation of the Cath Maige Tuired and as part of that have translated all of the appearances of the Morrigan within that story; from that I wrote a 5,000 word article which I've submitted to the CR journal Air n-Aithesc for their fall issue. I'm pretty excited about that article actually, as I think its one of my best to date. I'm also working on a second piece on ritual sacrifice and feasting in Iron age Ireland for the same journal as well as an essay on Macha as a goddess of sovereignty for an anthology due out the end of this year. So I've been rather busy and as tends to happen the blog is showing signs of neglect. Hopefully I'll have a smidge more time soon to get more written over here.
May 12, 2015
Describing the Morrigan
A common question that I hear people asking is what does the Morrigan look like. There really isn't a simple answer. Generally when she appears in mythology she is not described in much detail. Instead we get passages like this one from the Cath Maig Tuired:"Gongair an Unius la Connachta frioa andes. Conaca an mnai a n-Unnes a Corand, og nige, indarna cos di fri Allod Echae .i. Echumech, fri husci andes, alole fri Loscondoib, fri husce antuaith. Noi trillsi taitbechtai fora ciond. "(The Unish of Connacht calls by the south. The woman was at the Unish of Corand washing her genitals, one of her two feet by Allod Echae, that is Echumech, by water at the south, her other by Loscondoib, by water at the north. Nine plaits of hair undone upon her head.) Similarly when she appears in most versions of the Tain Bo Cuiligne* (TBC) it simply says "Is ann sin tainic in Morrigan ingen Ernmuis a Siodaibh" (Then came the Morrigan daughter of Ernmas from out of the Sí) without adding any physical details. There are a few appearances which are described however. In the Táin Bó Regamna (TBR) we are given this: "Bean derg hissin charpat ocus bratt derg impi ocus di braí dergai lé ocus a brat eter di feirt in charpuit síar co sliged lár ina diaig..." (A red-haired woman with red eyebrows was in the chariot with a red cloak around her shoulders; the cloak hung down at the back of the chariot and dragged on the ground behind her.) This description of a red-haired woman** may be the most detailed description we ever get of the Morrigan's physical appearance and it is the only one where we are never told that she is in disguise or in an assumed form. In my own opinion this is most likely to be her true appearance, but other people may have different conclusions. In the Cath Magh Rath she is described as:Fuil os chind ag eigmigh
Caillech lom, luath ag leimnig
Os eannaib a narm sa sciath
Is i in Morrigu mongliath
(Bloody over his head, fighting, crying out
A naked hag, swiftly leaping
Over the edges of their armor and shields
She is the grey-haired Morrigu)This description is somewhat similar to another of the Morrigan's appearances in the TBC: "And-sin tánic in Mórrígu ingen Ernmais a Sídib irricht sentainne" (then came the Morrigan daughter of Ernmas from out of the Sí shaped as an old woman). However this passage makes it clear this is not her natural appearance but a "richt", a guise, form, or assumed shape. The idea of the Morrigan taking on other shapes or disguises is a common one, and in fact in the Metrical Dindshenchas she is called "samla día sóach" (a phantom, the shape-shifting Goddess) making it clear that her form is fluid and changeable. It is debatable whether or not the brief description of the Morrigan in disguise as "Buan's daughter" in the TBC reflects her true appearance or is, as with her form as an old woman, merely a disguise. In this passage, which does not occur in all versions of the TBC she is described as "in n-ócben chuci co n-étuch cach datha impe ocus delb roderscaigthe furri" (the young woman with a garment of every coloring around her and a form fiercely beautiful on her). Personally I'm a bit suspicious because of the phrase "delb...furri" that is "a shape...on her". It is possible that it's just an expression, or perhaps it could be an allusion to the fact that the Morrigan has assumed this alluring disguise as part of her attempt to trick Cu, who has of course seen her red-haired form in the TBR previously. She also has several animal forms which are described in the TBC as "escuinge slemne duibi" (a smooth, black eel), "saidhi gairbi glasruaidhi" (a rough, grey-red bitch), "samhaisci finne óderge" (a white, red-eared heifer) and in the TBR we see these forms echoed in her threats to Cu Chuluinn: "esccung" (an eel), "sod-sa dono glass" (a blue-grey*** wolf-bitch), and "samuiscc-siu finn áuoderg" (a white, red-eared heifer) as well as "hén-si dub" (she, a black bird). In the Lebor na Huidre she is also described as taking the form of a bird "in Mórrigan són i ndeilb eúin" (the Morrigan, she in the likeness of a bird). It is interesting to note that most of these animal depictions come with a specific color. The Morrigan is clearly capable of assuming many forms to serve her purposes, and we have descriptions of many of them. I have only touched on some here to illustrate what we generally know about her appearance. It may be that her true form is of a a red-haired woman dressed in red, as we see in the TBR, but certainly she is not limited to that. She comes to us in many shapes and forms, through many guises and many means. Ultimately she is what she chooses to seem to be to each viewer, whether that is black bird or white cow, naked hag or fiercely beautiful young woman. She is Herself.
* Book of Leinster version** literally the text says "bean derg" a red woman, however in Irish this is how hair color is usual given. See Audrey Nickel's "Color Me Irish" blog post for more on this*** for those who are interested in the use of color in Irish material its given here as glas, or literally green, but green which can be anything from a light green or blue to a blue grey.
Caillech lom, luath ag leimnig
Os eannaib a narm sa sciath
Is i in Morrigu mongliath
(Bloody over his head, fighting, crying out
A naked hag, swiftly leaping
Over the edges of their armor and shields
She is the grey-haired Morrigu)This description is somewhat similar to another of the Morrigan's appearances in the TBC: "And-sin tánic in Mórrígu ingen Ernmais a Sídib irricht sentainne" (then came the Morrigan daughter of Ernmas from out of the Sí shaped as an old woman). However this passage makes it clear this is not her natural appearance but a "richt", a guise, form, or assumed shape. The idea of the Morrigan taking on other shapes or disguises is a common one, and in fact in the Metrical Dindshenchas she is called "samla día sóach" (a phantom, the shape-shifting Goddess) making it clear that her form is fluid and changeable. It is debatable whether or not the brief description of the Morrigan in disguise as "Buan's daughter" in the TBC reflects her true appearance or is, as with her form as an old woman, merely a disguise. In this passage, which does not occur in all versions of the TBC she is described as "in n-ócben chuci co n-étuch cach datha impe ocus delb roderscaigthe furri" (the young woman with a garment of every coloring around her and a form fiercely beautiful on her). Personally I'm a bit suspicious because of the phrase "delb...furri" that is "a shape...on her". It is possible that it's just an expression, or perhaps it could be an allusion to the fact that the Morrigan has assumed this alluring disguise as part of her attempt to trick Cu, who has of course seen her red-haired form in the TBR previously. She also has several animal forms which are described in the TBC as "escuinge slemne duibi" (a smooth, black eel), "saidhi gairbi glasruaidhi" (a rough, grey-red bitch), "samhaisci finne óderge" (a white, red-eared heifer) and in the TBR we see these forms echoed in her threats to Cu Chuluinn: "esccung" (an eel), "sod-sa dono glass" (a blue-grey*** wolf-bitch), and "samuiscc-siu finn áuoderg" (a white, red-eared heifer) as well as "hén-si dub" (she, a black bird). In the Lebor na Huidre she is also described as taking the form of a bird "in Mórrigan són i ndeilb eúin" (the Morrigan, she in the likeness of a bird). It is interesting to note that most of these animal depictions come with a specific color. The Morrigan is clearly capable of assuming many forms to serve her purposes, and we have descriptions of many of them. I have only touched on some here to illustrate what we generally know about her appearance. It may be that her true form is of a a red-haired woman dressed in red, as we see in the TBR, but certainly she is not limited to that. She comes to us in many shapes and forms, through many guises and many means. Ultimately she is what she chooses to seem to be to each viewer, whether that is black bird or white cow, naked hag or fiercely beautiful young woman. She is Herself.
* Book of Leinster version** literally the text says "bean derg" a red woman, however in Irish this is how hair color is usual given. See Audrey Nickel's "Color Me Irish" blog post for more on this*** for those who are interested in the use of color in Irish material its given here as glas, or literally green, but green which can be anything from a light green or blue to a blue grey.
