Cu Chulainn: The Naming of the Hound

Hey guys!  How was your week?  I got to kick back and watch some movies/play some games over the weekend; I hope you got to do something fun too!

I wanted to let you know that I'm slowly going through my old posts and adding pictures to them.  On Friday I updated my post about The Snow Queen.  If I've got some spare time this week I'll try to do another!

Now, on to the post:

Our story today centers on a young boy known as Setanta.  Looking at the name of this post, you might be wondering why we aren't discussing Cu Chulainn - but we are.  The naming process of the ancient Celts is fascinating.  You see, a boy was given a name at his birth.  He was called by this name throughout his childhood, up until the point where he did something to distinguish himself.  When that happened, the boy was given a new name, one that signified his deeds.

So, although this story is about the boy called Setanta, it is also about Cu Chulainn - for they are one and the same person.

Setanta was conceived and born amidst odd circumstances.  His mother was a woman named Dechtire, who was the sister of a great king named Conchobar.  (Spell check reeeeally hates all of these names!)  During a time of prosperity in the Conchobar's lands, Dechtire vanished.  She returned three years later with a son named Setanta.  Dechtire had spent those three years in the land of the Tuatha De Danann, where she was wooed and impregnated by none other than Lugh Long-Arm.

It quickly became obvious that Setanta was not a normal boy.  His strength and agility were well beyond that of any other child his age, as was his intellect.  Despite this, he was only a boy.  Setanta wanted to be around other youngsters and play games with them.

When he was six years old, Setanta heard of a game played near the king's keep.  The books I've read call this game either shinty or hurling.  Both games involve teams, a ball, and goals - they also utilize a stick.  These games were designed to prepare youngsters for their training as warriors, and were quite violent.  The boys who played it were all significantly older than Setanta.

None of these facts deterred Setanta.  His heart was set on playing shinty/hurling, so one day he set off for the castle.  When he arrived on the playing field Setanta was mocked for his youth.  King Conchobar happened to be watching from his window, and sent for the young stranger to find out who he was.

Imagine the king's surprise when Setanta introduced himself as Conchobar's nephew!  He asked permission to be allowed to play with the other boys.  Initially reluctant because of Setanta's youth, Conchobar eventually gave in to his pleading and granted him leave to play.

On the field, Setanta was pitted against twelve boys.  They sneered at him and mocked his size, but Setanta soon made them eat their words.  The blood of his father ran strong in his veins, for Setanta handily bested the other boys!  He scored goal after goal, and nothing they did could stop him.

(Other versions of this story have Setanta single-handedly besting 150 boys at a time.  One wonders why anyone agreed to play with him...)

King Conchobar was quite pleased by his nephew's prowess and wanted to reward him.  It so happened that Conchobar had been invited to a great feast at the home of Culann, a successful smith.  He invited Setanta to accompany him to this feast.

The boy was thrilled, but reluctantly told Conchobar that he couldn't go with him.  He had been interrupted mid-game, and didn't want to leave without finishing.  (In video game terms: "Just one more level!  Please!")  Conchobar was amused by Setanta's competitiveness and told him not to worry; he could follow whenever he finished his game.

Shortly after, Conchobar set out with his men and arrived at the house of Culann.  Tired from the trip and quite ravenous, the king completely forgot that his nephew would be coming later.  This was unfortunate, because Culann chose that moment to ask the king if all of his men were present.

I mentioned that Culann was a very successful smith?  Well, with great success comes great wealth.  Culann needed his wealth and lands to be guarded, and he had a fearsome hound for that job.  He carefully explained to Conchobar just how terrifying it was: how it took multiple men to restrain the hound even when it was kept chained; how the beast would attack anyone it found on Culann's lands; and how even one hundred men could not hope to best it.

Conchobar, of course, still didn't remember that Setanta was coming.  The hound was set loose to guard Culann's lands.  Inside his home, the feast began.

Setanta knew nothing of any of this.  He had finished his game (which he won, of course) and was on his way back to Culann's house, still carrying his stick and ball.  He was within sight of Culann's home when the hound came for him, snarling and howling.

At the sound of the vicious hound's snarls, king Conchobar abruptly remembered that his nephew was supposed to be joining him.  Horrified, he and the other guests ran to the windows.  What they saw made their blood run cold, for the enormous hound was about to attack a six year old boy.

(One wonders what Conchobar would have told Setanta's mother if the hound killed the boy.  "Oh, hey sis...I kind of invited Setanta to a party and then forgot, so he got eaten by a hound.  My bad!"
Worst uncle EVER.  And he runs a kingdom with that memory!)

Setanta was unphased by the approach of the hound.  When it attacked, he calmly rammed his shinty/hurling ball down its throat, picked the dog up while it choked, and beat it to death against a rock.

(Sorry, animal lovers.)

Within Culann's house, everyone was speechless.  When it became obvious that the hound was dead, the guests raced out of the house, cheering for Setanta.  Conchobar, relieved that his nephew was safe and immensely proud of the boy, turned to Culann - but his words died in his throat at the look of sorrow on the smith's face.

The cheering died down as Culann slowly, sadly walked to his hound.  His eyes filled with tears as he knelt beside the dog, stroking its fur as he remembered how loyal the hound was, how faithfully it had protected him.

(I always tear up here.  There's a quote from Culann in one of the books I have, where he says, "My best friend has been destroyed."  That's when the waterworks begin.  I kind of hate Setanta for killing the dog.)

Upon seeing this, Setanta was kind instead of cruel.  He approached Culann and swore to find a hound to equal the one he had slain.  In some versions of the story, the hound itself had a pup, which Setanta promises to raise and train until it can take it's father's place.

(This is why a lot of pictures of Cu Chulainn show him with a wolf or dog beside him.)

Until the hound can be replaced, Setanta promises to guard Culann's lands himself, and to be just as loyal as the hound.

Culann agrees to this arrangement, but the story does not end there.  A druid who had been at the party steps forward, looks at Setanta, and gives him his new name: Cu Chulainn, "The Hound of Culann".

Cu Chulainn went on to have many more adventures.  The epic that tells his story is actually comparable in length to Greek works like The Iliad or The Odyssey.  Other tales of Cu Chulainn include the wooing of his wife, Emer; the battle between Cu Chulainn and his best friend, Ferdiad; the death of Connla, son of Cu Chulainn, at the hands of his own father; and, eventually, the death of Cu Chulainn himself.

(I just loved this artwork!  It looks like it belongs in Brave!)

 

The story of Cu Chulainn is a tragedy that bears great resemblance to the Greek story of Achilles.  Both are part mortal, part god.  More importantly, both are given a choice - and both choose a short life, but a famous one.

I could do a whole series of posts on Cu Chulainn - and I do plan to return to him in the future.  However, for now I'd like to step away from him and let my next post focus on one of the stranger stories in Celtic mythology.  Tune in next Monday and I'll tell you about Manawydan, and the curious things that happen to him.

Questions?  Comments?  Want to rant about Setanta killing the poor loyal hound?  I'd love to hear from you!  Please post below or shoot me an email.

I'll see you guys next week!

Lugh Long-Arm

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a lovely week. The site had views from its 35th country yesterday - many thanks to whoever is reading this in Argentina!

Today we’re going to be talking about one of the primary gods in the Celtic pantheon: Lugh Long-Arm.

Lugh Long-Arm (called such because of his skill with a spear) appears early in the Celtic myths, during a time of war. A little bit of backstory is needed to set the stage for his coming.

I mentioned in my Intro that the Celtic gods (the Tuatha De Danann) were often opposed by a race of warriors called the Fomorians. After a long period of fighting the two races struck an uneasy truce with one another. Ostensibly at peace, marriages took place between the two peoples. Two notable births resulted from these unions - Bres, who was eventually named King of both peoples, and Lugh. The father of Lugh’s father was Diancecht, Celtic god of medicine. Despite being part Fomorian, Lugh would soon come to be worshipped as one of the Tuatha De Danann.

(Something interesting that I hadn’t considered - Lugh was only Fomorian on his mother’s side. I wonder if it was only the race of the father that counted for the child?)

When our story begins, the Tuatha De did not know of Lugh’s existence. They were distracted, perhaps, by the actions of King Bres. When he was made king Bres was an honest, fair man. He promised to give up his crown if the people he ruled ever asked him to. Soon, however, Bres began to favor the Fomorians. He treated the Tuatha De quite unfairly, essentially making them into his servants; it was not long before they demanded that he give up his crown.

Haven given his word, Bres was forced to agree to abdicate - but he struck a deal with the Tuatha De Danann to allow him to rule for another seven years before stepping down. Bres wanted this extension of his reign so that he would have time to raise an army to crush the Tuatha De - after all, if no one was left to demand that he step down, he could remain king forever...

(Insert maniacal laughter here.)

Ahem. Sorry. Bres found a willing army in the Fomorians, who hated the Tuatha De passionately despite their peace treaty. Bres’ father, a Fomorian, finally met and claimed his son before sending him to gain the support of various Fomorian kings - because, while Bres was the high king, various tribes and factions had kings of their own who ruled over them but answered to the high king.

(An interesting part of Celtic mythology - and an interesting look into the culture of the time - are the references to adults finally being “claimed” by their real parents. Fostering was a common practice at the time; children, even infants, would be sent away to be raised by a family not their own. When they became adults, they returned home to their birth families.

Sometimes children were raised by an enemy of their family in an attempt to force peace - think Theon and the Starks in Game of Thrones. At other times, fostering was a way for the child to learn things their parents couldn’t teach them and to see more of the world - sort of like studying abroad while staying in a foster home. I’d imagine this was especially useful for the working-class families who practiced fostering; a boy could learn shepherding from his birth-father and blacksmithing from his foster-father, giving him knowledge of two trade professions instead of just one. Pretty nifty, right?)

While Bres was raising an army, the Tuatha De Danann were having a party. (Seems like the thing to do when someone’s trying to kill you, right?) This party was actually unrelated to Bres’ actions. Nuada, king of the Tuatha De, was celebrating because an old injury of his had been healed. He threw a feast in his home, Tara, and invited all of the Tuatha De Danann for a roaring good time.

(Wondering where you've heard Nuada's name before?  He was the main villain in

Hellboy II: The Golden Army)

Someone had to guard the party, of course - and so it was that Nuada’s doorkeeper remained outside and saw Lugh approaching. Lugh introduced himself as the grandson of Diancecht, member of the Tuatha De Danann, and requested entrance to the party.

The doorkeeper held him back, insisting that no one was allowed to enter Tara unless they had a skill that would benefit the Tuatha De Danann. When asked what he could do to aid his people, Lugh replied that he was a carpenter. The doorman refused him entrance, since there was already a carpenter inside. Lugh then claimed to be a blacksmith, a warrior, a sorcerer, and a strategist, amongst many, many other things. Each time the doorkeeper shot him down, saying that someone with such skills could already be found within Tara.

At last Lugh stopped listing his merits. He told the doorkeeper to go to King Nuada and tell him of Lugh’s presence. It was true that the king had blacksmiths and fighters, medicine makers and historians - but did Nuada have one man who was all of those things?

Nuada was thrilled when he heard of all that Lugh claimed he could do. He sent out his best player of chess to test Lugh, who bested him handily. King Nuada then welcomed Lugh to Tara and gave him a seat of honor.

When the evil plans of Bres and the Fomorians became known to Nuada, he appointed Lugh as head strategist for the Tuatha De Danann. This was a very wise choice. Lugh assessed each of the Tuatha De and came up with a plan that played to their strengths. They spent the rest of Bres’ seven year extension finalizing strategies, making weapons, and learning about the tactics of the Fomorians.

When the seven years were up, the armies of the Fomorians and the Tuatha De assembled - but
the Tuatha De Danann were missing one of their members. It had been decided that Lugh was too valuable to risk losing on the battlefield. Against his will, Lugh found himself under armed guard, forced to stay away from the battle.

This speaks to how highly the Tuatha De valued Lugh. Their own king, Nuada, was allowed to fight on the front lines - but the newcomer to their ranks was forced to stay behind for his safety.

The battle was finally joined during the evening of Samhain (an old Celtic celebration that was converted to Halloween in more recent years). The fighting waged fiercely for several days, at which point the Fomorians began to notice something strange. Casualties had been almost equal on both sides...and yet, each morning the same number of Tuatha De Danann rose to fight against the Fomorians. There was never any sign of injured or dead in the morning, despite there being plenty of both in the evenings. Confused, and beginning to be outnumbered, the Fomorians sent a spy into the camp of the Tuatha De Danann in an attempt to figure out what was happening.

The spy was horrified by what he saw. Lugh had come up with a brilliant strategy. His grandfather Diancecht worked with other Tuatha De who had healing powers; they had enchanted a well so that any who were dropped into it were healed...even the dead. Each night the dead and wounded members of the Tuatha De Danann were taken to the well, and they emerged from it as good as new - rather like a video game respawn point! Their gear was repaired overnight by Tuatha De who specialized in blacksmithing and carpentry, so that there was never a shortage of weapons or armor.

Desperate to put a stop to this, the Fomorian spy chucked his spear at Goibniu, the god who was manning the forge. Only wounded, Goibniu pulled the spear out of his side and cast it at the Fomorian. Though mortally injured, the spy still managed to make it back to the Fomorian camp and tell them about the healing well of the Tuatha De Danann. During the night the Fomorian army came and filled the well with stones, depriving the Tuatha De of their source of healing.

After that the battle was more equal - save for one thing. Lugh Long-Arm had managed to escape his guards and now fought on the front lines, shouting encouragement to the Tuatha De Danann.

The battle was furious, and many died. Then one of the Fomorians kings Bres had recruited stepped forward: Balor, the grandfather of Lugh. He attacked King Nuada and managed to slay the ruler of the Tuatha De. Enraged, Lugh fought his way to Balor and killed him in revenge. Spurred on by this victory, the Tuatha De Danann doubled their efforts. Bit by bit they pushed back the Fomorians, eventually driving them into the sea. Bres was among the retreating army, which fled from the wrath of the Tuatha De Danann.

At last, Ireland was free from the Fomorians.

I’ll end my story there. I find it interesting that Lugh went from being completely unknown to being the most important of the Tuatha De Danann (he gets named King and succeeds Nuada) - rather like Marduk from Mesopotamian mythology. What did you guys think of his strategy? Pretty clever, right?

This introduction to Lugh was important, because next week we’re going to be talking about his son: Cu Chulainn, often called the boy hero of Ireland. I’m excited! I’ll see you guys in a week!

Intro to Celtic Mythology

Hello readers!

As you can probably guess from this post’s title, this week I’m finally going to start talking about Celtic mythology! I’d like to voice a disclaimer before I begin: I am far less well-versed in the Celtic myths than I am in any of the other mythologies we’ve discussed. I’ve been researching them a lot, and I’ll do my best to be as accurate as possible - but, if you spot an error in any of my posts, please let me know (either through email or in the comments.).

The influence of Celtic mythology upon American culture is rather more subtle than that of Greek or Norse mythology. Movies these days often feature stories from those cultures, but seldom show the gods of the Celts. Those deities can be found more often - though still infrequently - in books. Since book four The Dresden Files has featured characters from the Celtic myths; a more recent series, The Iron Druid Chronicles, features a main character who hails from ancient Britain and regularly interacts with the Celtic deities he worships. (I’m only on book 4, so please - no spoilers!) Speaking of druids - they have their origin in the Celtic myths, and can now be found in many role-playing games, stories, and even video games. (*cough*World of Warcraft*cough*)

Apart from those, I don’t know of many modern representations of Celtic mythology. An argument can be made that Arthurian legend is of Celtic origin, but the stories of King Arthur bear far more references to the Christian God than to any Celtic deities, despite stemming from the same part of the world as the Celtic myths. No, the Celtic stories are really a force unto themselves...a force which American pop culture seems uninterested in.

Perhaps part of the reason for this disinterest lies in the names of the Celtic gods and heroes. Their names, and their spelling, are completely unfamiliar to most modern audiences. Other mythologies have it far easer - it’s relatively simple to pronounce Zeus or Thor (though his hammer Mjolnir is a little trickier, as evidenced by the number of people calling it “Mewmew”.). But how in the world does one say Matholwch, or Dindshenchas, or even Medb? (Jim Butcher, author of The Dresden Files, solves this problem by spelling Medb’s name as Maeve, which is roughly how it would be pronounced. Kevin Hearne, author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, gives you a pronunciation guide at the start of his book but tells you to say the names however you please.)

I won’t try to tell you how to say the names of the characters we’ll discuss, since I’m pretty sure I’d bungle the job. If you’re interested, here are a few guides - good luck!  I will end this discussion of names by telling you that when my brother David was born, my dad (a fan of Celtic mythology) wanted to spell his name Daffyd - it’s pronounced the same way.

My mom (not a fan of Daffy Duck) wouldn’t let him, haha!

But I digress - on to the myths.

Celtic mythology is somewhat unique amongst the various mythologies I’ve studied. A lot of things within the myths look like they could be a counterpart to, say, Greek mythology - but the way they are referenced is quite different. Take its deities, for example. They are rarely referred to as gods within the myths; instead, they go by the name “the Tuatha De Danann”, meaning “the Children of Danu”. Danu, according to the myths, is a mother goddess from whom everyone is born.

Often, the Celtic gods are simply referred to as “the Tuatha De”, or “the Children”. You’ll get to hear more about their members in the coming weeks.

There is a force in the myths set to oppose to Tuatha De - the Fomorians. The Fomorians were a fierce ancient tribe who fought against the Tuatha De Danann for possession of Ireland. There were several occasions where one of the two factions ruled over the other, but it was always during an uneasy peace truce that inevitably ended up broken. We’ll talk more about one such time in my next post.

Like many other mythologies, the Celtic myths feature demigods - but they are never referred to as such in the books I’ve read. Instead, they are the children, or the grandchildren, or even further descendants of one of the Tuatha De Danann. They possess powers greater than those of ordinary mortals, but they are not immortal.

 

Cu Chulainn, perhaps the best known child of the Tuatha De Danann.

Also unique in Celtic mythology is the role of the druid. Druids are sort of like priests, ones who worship the Tuatha De. However, druids appear in the Celtic myths before the Tuatha De Danann show up to settle Ireland. How can you have priests before you have gods? The answer likely lies with Danu, mother of the Tuatha De. The druids probably worshipped Danu and other earlier gods before the birth of the Tuatha De Danann.

Druids are not your typical priests. Their ranks are comprised of both male and female members (called druidesses), and they possess magic. They can use their powers to shapeshift themselves or others, bring life to inanimate objects (one story tells of a druid creating a bride out of flower petals), and move between their realm and the land of the gods - amongst other things. Pretty cool, right?

Perhaps my favorite part of Celtic mythology is the relationship between it and Christianity. The dichotomy between the two is pretty stark - and yet, the two mingle amongst the Celtic myths after the rise of Christianity. Priests find themselves under attack by magical creatures, or providing a home for beings cursed by druids. They even talk around a campfire with those who fought alongside descendants of the Tuatha De Danann. I find the coexistence of the two religions fascinating!

With that, I’ll wrap up this brief introduction. In the coming weeks we’ll be talking about several characters from Celtic mythology: some of the Tuatha De Danann, their descendants, and druids. I’ll also talk about some magical creatures found within the Celtic myths. I hope you guys stick around - I’m excited for this!

You know the drill - if you have questions or comments, please post below or email me. I’d love to hear from you! Are you familiar with Celtic mythology?

Hestia: Hearth and Home

Hey guys! I hope you’re all doing well. I’ve got a short post today, ’cause it’s my dad’s birthday and I want to spend time with him.

This post is about a Greek goddess: Hestia. Hestia is a very interesting character in Greek mythology. She rules over the hearth, the home, and is a goddess of family and architecture.

 

(Hestia is often associated with fire.  This is because she rules over the hearth.  Do you guys have a fireplace, or know someone who does?  Those stones in front of it are called hearthstones - the fireplace itself is known as the hearth.)

Comparing her to some of the other Greek gods, you might think she isn’t too special - after all, what good is the home when Apollo commands something as powerful as the sun, or Poseidon the sea?

The answer: very.

Hestia was one of the first gods to be born. Her siblings include Zeus (ruler of the sky), Poseidon, Hades (god of the dead), Hera (queen of the gods), and Demeter (commands plants). All of these are pretty powerful gods. Hestia? She was the firstborn of them.

I always loved that the Greeks thought of Hestia as being more important than the later gods. She came before war, before love, before the sun...that tells you that the Greeks thought very highly of home.

You don’t see very much of Hestia in Greek mythology. She was tied to her hearthstone - Mount Olympus - and so rarely featured in the myths. What little we do see of her shows a goddess who wasn’t afraid of any of the gods. Poseidon and later Apollo both try to marry her; Hestia turns them down. Any human who rejected the suit of a god generally got raped or turned into something horrible - but Hestia gets away with it. She is known as one of the virgin goddesses because she, like Athena and Artemis, took an oath of virginity - thus declaring herself no servant of Aphrodite, goddess of love.

That’s about the extent you see of Hestia in the myths, save for a few references to her. Records of ancient Greek life tell more of her story. Sacrifices were routinely offered to the gods by the Greeks, often accompanied by prayers for that god’s favors. When in a house, the first sacrifice always went to Hestia - she came before more powerful gods such as Zeus!

My favorite part about the Percy Jackson book series was always Hestia’s role in events. I love that she was overlooked, almost forgotten - but, in the end, she was the most powerful of all of the gods.

There’s a line from World of Warcraft that I’d like to end today’s post with; it seemed appropriate. The game features a race called Pandaren who are very mellow and easy-going. They have a line that seems to describe Hestia’s role in the pantheon pretty well:

“Friends. Family. These are what matter most.”

I’ll see you guys next week.