This is wonderful, Ali. I love reading all these myths and stories, especially when I have visited so many of the places you mention. It helps me feel like I belong to this land the more I learn of these stories. In my own book I talk about my quest to locate the source of the River Bann and also the legend of Loughshannagh in the Mourne Mountains.
Oh, what a journey! I'm always a sucker for mythological meanders that weave in the geology of it all.
And I love your meditation on water. Just this week on KnotWork, Amanda Verdery brought the story of Etain and we had a wonderful discussion of what we might discover when consider the way she was transformed into a puddle of water.
Hi Whitney! You are right, there are many similarities with Scottish lore, and also with Welsh. The surprising thing is that there is also a crossover between Celtic myth and ancient Vedic Sanskrit sacred texts, which may go back to our prehistoric shared proto indo European origins. Manchán Magan has written a book exploring this phenomenon called Brehons and Brahmins, which is due out in June, and promises to be a very interesting read! Thanks for reading! 💕
Oooh. That sounds exciting. Thanks for the heads up! I learned that about those connections when I studied with Celtic Source. It’s an online study/lecture program giving by a Welsh trad musician and former professor of Welsh myth. Welsh and Breton as languages are so different than the Irish and Scottish tongues, which are similar. I’ve never heard Manx, to my knowledge anyway. But their stories are all so similar. So much so that it’s like an Ur-story.
Haha... I had to look up what an Ur- story is! You mean like an archetype, or origin story? Well, I don't know if you've heard about intertextuality, it was a theory put forward by Julia Kristeva in the 60s that no text or narrative exists in isolation, they are all borrowed in some way, none is unique. They all inform each other and build upon each other, are in communication with each other and couldn't exist without each other. So which came first? And does it even matter? I think it's all fascinating stuff, and very relevant in terms of mythology.
This is wonderful, Ali. I love reading all these myths and stories, especially when I have visited so many of the places you mention. It helps me feel like I belong to this land the more I learn of these stories. In my own book I talk about my quest to locate the source of the River Bann and also the legend of Loughshannagh in the Mourne Mountains.
Oh, what a journey! I'm always a sucker for mythological meanders that weave in the geology of it all.
And I love your meditation on water. Just this week on KnotWork, Amanda Verdery brought the story of Etain and we had a wonderful discussion of what we might discover when consider the way she was transformed into a puddle of water.
Happy Easter and thanks for the lovely photographs and informative post!
You're very welcome, Noelle, thanks for reading! 💕
It’s all so different from the Scottish Lochs, which flow to the sea. Although, there are similar legends.
Hi Whitney! You are right, there are many similarities with Scottish lore, and also with Welsh. The surprising thing is that there is also a crossover between Celtic myth and ancient Vedic Sanskrit sacred texts, which may go back to our prehistoric shared proto indo European origins. Manchán Magan has written a book exploring this phenomenon called Brehons and Brahmins, which is due out in June, and promises to be a very interesting read! Thanks for reading! 💕
Oooh. That sounds exciting. Thanks for the heads up! I learned that about those connections when I studied with Celtic Source. It’s an online study/lecture program giving by a Welsh trad musician and former professor of Welsh myth. Welsh and Breton as languages are so different than the Irish and Scottish tongues, which are similar. I’ve never heard Manx, to my knowledge anyway. But their stories are all so similar. So much so that it’s like an Ur-story.
Haha... I had to look up what an Ur- story is! You mean like an archetype, or origin story? Well, I don't know if you've heard about intertextuality, it was a theory put forward by Julia Kristeva in the 60s that no text or narrative exists in isolation, they are all borrowed in some way, none is unique. They all inform each other and build upon each other, are in communication with each other and couldn't exist without each other. So which came first? And does it even matter? I think it's all fascinating stuff, and very relevant in terms of mythology.