Uther Pendragon

Hey there!  This post is going up a little early, since I'm going to be super busy tomorrow.  I figured early was better than late, right?
Did any of you see the eclipse?  I was quite lucky to have borrowed some binoculars from my grandfather for a different astronomy project.  My brother called to let me know about the eclipse, and I was able to use the binoculars to get a closer look.  It was quite lovely - I hope you got a chance to see it!

This week's post is about a character named Uther.  It's kind of sad that I'm more familiar with the Uther of World of Warcraft than I am with the Arthurian one.  While writing this post I kept referring to him as "Uther the Lightbringer" in my head.

Anyway!  On to the post!

Before I talk about Arthur it is important to discuss the circumstances behind his birth.  The story of Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon, showcases just how important Arthur was.  Uther's story shows that the great wizard Merlin had an interest in Arthur before he was even conceived.  The story also sets the stage for many events to follow, including the birth of Gawain, one of Arthur's knights, and Mordred...who would one day kill Arthur.

But I've jumped ahead in the story.  Let me start at the beginning.

Uther was not originally a king.  He was the youngest son in his family, and so it was his elder brother who inherited the throne when Uther's father died. Uther was a loyal brother and did not seek power for himself.  Instead, he fought his brother's battles for him.

During a campaign against a nearby kingdom Uther met the wizard Merlin, who aided him in his endeavors.

It was Merlin who bestowed the epithet of "Pendragon" upon Uther.  While out riding one day Uther spotted a comet shaped like a dragon shooting across the sky.

(One wonders if this was the inspiration for the comet in A Song of Ice and Fire...)

Uther pointed the comet out to Merlin, who took it as a portent of things to come.  The wizard claimed that the comet showed the coming death of Uther's brother, and Uther's subsequent rise to power.  Based on the shape of the comet he named him Uther Pendragon.  Basically, the title translates to "leader of warriors".

Shortly after this, Uther returned to his lands and found that his brother the king had been murdered.  Uther became king in his stead, and he adopted the dragon as his symbol because of the comet.

King Uther ruled well for a time.  Eventually his army won a great battle and Uther threw a celebration for his victory.  Many of Uther's allies attended the party - one was a man named Gorlois, who brought his beautiful wife Igraine with him.  As soon as he saw her Uther fell in love with Igraine - which was somewhat awkward, since she was married and all.

When he made his feelings known to Igraine, she and her husband fled from the king.  Gorlois hid his wife in a well-defended castle.  Thinking her safe from Uther, Gorlois walled himself away in another castle and prepared to fight all the king's horses and all the king's men.

Completely smitten with Igraine, Uther started a war to win her.  Gorlois' and Uther's men clashed on the fields, and there were many casualties on both sides.

Unfortunately for Gorlois, Uther had a wizard as an ally.

Uther called upon Merlin, who went to the king's aid.  In exchange for his help, Merlin extracted from Uther a promise that anything which resulted from his night with Igraine would belong to Merlin.  Uther readily agreed.

The wizard fashioned a spell which would disguise Uther, temporarily making him look like Gorlois.  Merlin instructed the king to go and spend the night with Igraine before returning to his forces.  He cautioned Uther to not say too much during the night; the more he spoke, the more likely Igraine was to realize that Uther wasn't her husband.

I'm torn about how to feel about this.  On the one hand, Merlin is pretty much the ultimate wingman here.  On the other hand, Uther is plotting to sleep with a woman who wants nothing to do with him, while trying to kill her husband.  There's some seriously disturbing undertones of rape and adultery here, for all that the story is told from a romantic point of view.

What interests me most about this part of the story are the parallels it has to a couple of other famous stories.  First off: the tale of King David from the book of 2 Samuel.  David falls in love with the wife of one of his soldiers.  He plots to kill her husband, and sleeps with her while the man is out in the field.  Eventually David manages to get the soldier killed and takes the woman as his own wife.  However, he never adopts the form of her husband.  No, that tactic is more along the lines of Greek mythology.  It was one of Zeus' favorite techniques to sleep with a married woman.

I found it quite interesting that the story of Uther and Igraine blended elements from Greek and Jewish stories.

Anyways, Uther successfully spends the night with Igraine.  In the morning he leaves to return to his war camp.  Upon arriving, King Uther is greeted with joyous news: Gorlois was slain in battle during the night.

Of course, Igraine isn't particularly joyful when she hears the same news.  It isn't just that she's mourning her husband's death; Igraine is a smart woman, and she realizes that the man who left her that morning could not possibly have been Gorlois.  Afraid, Igraine keeps silent on the matter.  To admit to sleeping with a man she wasn't married to would have been a great crime - she could have been tried and punished for adultery.

Uther still wants Igraine, so during the truce that follows Gorlois' death he asks for her hand in marriage.  Igraine has been left in charge of her husband's forces, but her advisors tell her that they cannot hope to beat Uther's armies.  Left with no choice, Igraine reluctantly agrees to wed King Uther and become his queen.

It takes a month or two for the wedding to be finalized and the vows exchanged.  Shortly after the wedding, it becomes obvious that Igraine is pregnant.  The poor woman is terrified when Uther asks her who the father is.  She confesses everything that happened the night of Gorlois' death.  Igraine swears that she doesn't know who impregnated her, since he looked like Gorlois.

At this point Uther finally spills the beans.  He admits that he disguised himself with magic to have sex with her.  Since they're now married, Igraine has nothing to fear - the child will be legitimate.  (Bastards were very looked down upon in those times - as was the mother who birthed one, particularly if she was noble.  Igraine had very good reason to be terrified.)

I really do feel bad for Igraine.  Uther not telling her the truth as soon as they were married - and particularly his confronting her about being pregnant with another man's child - is just cruel.  The books I've read try to romanticize his actions, but it's kind of hard to make such things sound pretty.

Still, something good came of the act.  Several months later the child of Igraine and Uther was born.  He's kind of famous - maybe you've heard of him: Arthur.  As soon as the child was born Merlin whisked him away, sending him to be the foster son of a knight named Sir Ector.

As far as the king is concerned - unfortunately, Uther's choice in women would eventually catch up to Arthur, and one day lead to his death.  Igraine had a few kids from her previous marriage, you see.  One was a daughter named Morgan le Fey.  The other, also a girl, was called Morgause.  In a very Luke/Leia plot twist, Arthur would grow up to sleep with Morgause (without knowing she was his half sister).  The child of this union, Mordred, would grow up to kill his father...but that's a story for another time!

What did you guys think?  Is Uther a colossal jerk or what?

If you're familiar with the TV show Merlin, the story is quite a bit different from the legends.  However, King Uther is portrayed brilliantly by Sir Anthony Stewart Head.

I confess to only having seen the first season of Merlin, quite a while ago - before I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and realized how much I adore its character of Giles, also played by Head.  Have you guys seen Merlin?  Should I revisit the show?

Have a great week!

Intro to Arthurian Legend

Hey guys!  Once again, I apologize for the lateness of this post.  I came down with an ear infection on top of recovering from having my appendix removed, and looking at the computer screen made my head spin like crazy for several days.  I'm slowly getting better, but this post is likely to be a bit shorter and more brusque than usual due to my medical stuff.  Hope you all are doing well!

Arthurian legends are the stories about King Arthur and his knights.  While some of the stories take place before his birth, and some after his death, they all revolve around Arthur - hence the title of Arthurian.

But who is King Arthur?  It has been debated as to whether he actually existed in history, or whether he is entirely made up.  If Arthur did exist, his exploits have been drastically exaggerated in the tales told of him.  Arthurian legend is called such because legends may or may not have had some historical basis.

The stories of King Arthur originated as early as the 6th century.  The tales modern audiences are most familiar with come from a book from the late 15th century.  In the hundreds of years between them huge changes were made to the original stories.  Additional characters were added; those that already existed were hugely embellished.  More drama became present, as did large quantities of romance and unrequited love.  Magic grew in importance, and family trees became complicated as unbeknown incestuous relationships were formed (think Luke and Leia from the first Star Wars).

For a long time most of the stories of Arthurian legend were told in the form of poems.  Perhaps the best known of these poems was the French Vulgate cycle  (When I say poems, I mean as in epics like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.  These things were long.)  That changed when a knight named Thomas Mallory was imprisoned.  Mallory spent his confinement adapting the Vulgate cycle into a prose form for English audiences.  Several French concepts, such as that of courtly love (a complicated concept that I'll explain more in a later post), were discarded or modified into something that Mallory thought made more sense.  He called his book Le Morte d'Arthur - The Death of Arthur.  (Spoilers!  In the very title!)Le Morte d'Arthur was published in 1485.  Most later adaptations of Arthurian legend stem from this book.

 

As I mentioned, Arthurian legend is full of drama and heartbreak.  You start off knowing that the main character is going to die - of course there's drama!  It focuses on Arthur and his various family and friends.  Main characters include Lancelot, Merlin, Guinevere, Uther, Galahad, Morgan le Fay....the list goes on and on.  We'll focus more on specific characters in later posts.  Many of the cast of Arthurian legend show up in popular culture, ranging from the BBC TV show Merlin to Disney's Sword in the Stone to the many books by T. A. Barron.

Of course, if I'm going to talk about popular culture references to Arthurian legend, there are two things I must mention.  Firstly, the TV show The Librarians.  The Librarians is a spin-off of a movie series that I've watched and enjoyed for years - very cheesy, but very fun.  The TV show has a great cast (Christian Kane, anyone?) and some rather lovely nods to Arthurian legend.  Morgan le Fay shows up, and several characters have their own mysterious ties to Arthurian legend.  I definitely recommend the show!

The other thing I want to mention is a movie called Quest for Camelot.  Until recently, Quest for Camelot was about all I knew of Arthurian legend.  I grew up watching the movie, and I absolutely adore it.  It's one of those animated movies that I always think must be a Disney movie because it is so good, but isn't - like Anastasia!  If you love knights, strong characters, musicals, dragons, and touching stories, I highly recommend you watch Quest for Camelot.

I'll be back next week to tell you about Uther, the father of King Arthur.  See you guys then!

Delayed

My Intro to Arthurian Legend will have to go up later in the week.  I apologize.  I went into the ER last week and wound up getting my appendix removed, and I'm still pretty out of it as I recover from the surgery.  I'll make sure and let you know on Facebook and Twitter as soon as I get the post out.

UPDATE: Came down with an ear infection on top of my recovery.  Head spins like crazy when I look at the computer.  Intro to Arthurian Legend will go up on Monday the 21st.  Sorry for the delay.

Lovesick Sneak Peek

Hey guys!  I believe I promised you something exciting this week!

I announced several months ago that my second book, Lovesick, would be coming out later this year.  I am pleased to report that it will be coming out a month sooner than I had anticipated, so look for it on Amazon in mid October!  (Don't worry, I'll do a post as soon as it comes out.)

For today, I'd like to give you an exclusive sneak peek at Lovesick.  Without further ado, here is the first chapter!

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Flynn Carter sat in front of his computer, his office darkened around him.  The screen glared brightly at him as the black cursor blinked in white emptiness, taunting him with his failure.

It should have been so easy; the first novel was the one that ought to have caused him problems.  He had started off with some cheesy supernatural romance novel, knowing that there was a market for it.  The publishers had leapt on the story and the populace had loved it.  Flynn was given his big break, and knew that he could now write anything he wanted - it would be so much easier to get it published as an already successful author.

That had been over a year ago.  He had enjoyed a few months off and then sworn to the reporters that something new and even better was coming.  A deadline had been set, and he had sat down and prepared to write.

And then - it struck.  The dreaded writer's block.

Now Flynn sat before his computer, with only two weeks left before he was supposed to hand something over to his agent.  He had tried everything, from historical action to sci-fi mystery, and even another paranormal romance like his first.  Nothing clicked; no story seemed as good as his first book, and that had been terrible.  He was stuck, and swiftly running out of time.

His watch chirped three and Flynn cursed softly, running a hand through his slick black hair.  His page stared blankly at him, the cursor still silently mocking him from its emptiness.  Flynn groaned as he leaned back, wishing that the inspiration he had once felt would return to him.

There was a soft knock on the front door, and Flynn blinked.  He looked again at his watch, verifying the time, and then glanced incredulously down the hall towards the door.  Perhaps he was imagining things.

Flynn heaved a sigh and turned back to his monitor, refusing to call it a night until he had written something, however bad.  He reached for the keyboard -

Again there came a knock on the door, this time more insistent.  Flynn turned to look at it, grumbling to himself.  He obviously was not imagining things, which made this an all-time low for the reporters.  Sure, they had ambushed him before, but never this late - or rather, this early, he corrected himself.  Maybe if he ignored them they would go away, buying him a little more time before he had to admit his failure.  Logically speaking he should be asleep at three in the morning, right?  Hopefully they would take his silence as a sign of his slumber.

Flynn turned to his computer once more, determined.  Perhaps he would write a story about a nosy reporter who got caught up in nasty business and received their comeuppance...it was a better idea than some he'd had, and the thought of it filled him with a certain vindictive pleasure.  He reached for the keyboard again -

A fist pounded hard on his door several times, and Flynn let out a loud curse.  He shoved back his rolling chair so hard that it hit the bookshelf on the opposite wall and stood, seething as he walked towards the door.  This reporter was going to get what was coming to him, that was for sure.  Flynn was not amused at being bothered this late, and he would make sure that he made that clear.  Flynn flung open his door with murderous intent...and found his tirade brought up short.

Before him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  Her auburn hair fell in gentle waves to her slender waist, and her long white dress showed off her tanned skin.  A simple golden band wrapped its way up her forearm, perfectly matching the metal of her intricately woven belt.  Her bodice was low cut but tasteful, a thin chain necklace dangling just low enough to make Flynn wonder.  Her lips were full, her cheekbones stunning.  Wide olive eyes gazed at him without any hint of self-consciousness.  If the woman wore any makeup, it was subtle enough to not be noticeable - but Flynn doubted she wore any.  She simply didn't need it; she was honestly perfect.  Had she been a character in his book, Flynn could not have described her in any way to make her seem more beautiful.  Even her bare feet added to her elegance and mystery.

Flynn finally realized that he was staring and blinked.  "You're not a reporter," he guessed.

She threw back her head and laughed, which did interesting things to her neckline.  Flynn fought to keep his focus on her face.  "Indeed not, Flynn Carter.  But I do very much wish to interview you."

He frowned, disappointed.  "I'm sorry, lady, but maybe another time.  It's pretty late."

She pouted, just a little, and Flynn's heart skipped a beat.  "I understand, but I really do need to talk to you.  You see, I'm in terrible trouble."

Flynn raised an eyebrow.  "I don't know how I can help you, then.  I'm just a writer."

The woman breathed a sigh.  "Oh, you're much more than that, Flynn.  Please, can we not sit down?"  She breezed past him and glided into his apartment as though she owned it, and Flynn didn't even try to stop her.  He was obviously hallucinating - why not just let it play out?  He nudged the door shut behind him as he followed her into the living room.

The woman was already stretched out and lounging on the couch when he entered, and Flynn gingerly sat across from her, afraid that any sudden moves would make her disappear.  She smiled languidly at him as he settled down, and once again he had to blink and force himself to stay focused.

"What kind of trouble are you in, my lady?" he asked.

She beamed at him.  "Ooh, such a gentleman!  Well, it is a matter of some delicacy.  You see, my son has been stolen, and I fear that you are the only one who will believe me."

Flynn's eyes widened, his disappointment at her motherhood - and possible husband - outweighed by his concern.  "If your son has been kidnapped, then you should be talking to the police!  I'd be happy to take you down to the station -"

She shook her head, her hair flowing behind her as she did so.  "No, you still don't see.  Perhaps it would be simpler if you knew who my son is.  His name is Eros."

The writer frowned as his mind turned.  The name was familiar, but he couldn't think where he knew it from.  The woman leaned forward as if she sensed his confusion.  "Yes, Eros - but you might know him better by his Roman form, Cupid.  And I, noble sir, and Aphrodite."

Flynn felt his eyebrows climb as she settled back onto the couch.  For some reason his subconscious had decided to introduce him to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.  Well, fine - this was a story just begging to be told, and he wanted to see where his hallucination led him.  "Alright, sure.  Who took your son?"

She beamed and clapped her hands.  "Oh, I just knew you would believe me!  But you see, that's the thing.  I don't know who took him.  All I know is that he disappeared a week ago, and I'm terribly worried.  None of the other gods know anything - or if they do they're keeping quiet."

Flynn frowned and leaned forward in his chair, struggling to channel some mystery novel hero.  What would they do in this situation?  What would Nathan Fillion do?  "Well, it's true that I believe you, but how do you think I could possibly help?" he hedged.

Her smile grew.  "Ah, but that is the easy part!  You will be my champion.  I'm going to send you on a quest.  We gods have been doing that for quite some time now, you know."

"Hold on - I'd love to help you, but I don't think I'm qualified for a quest-"

She cut him off.  "Oh, nonsense!  Besides, I doubt you'll be alone.  Other heroes always seem to show up to help on quests like this.  I just need you to be the one to lead the quest; you see, you possess the mind of a writer, always dissecting and looking for plot and motivation.  You'll be able to get to the bottom of this, I just know it!"
Flynn stared at her incredulously.  "And just where would you suggest I start looking for a stolen god?"

Aphrodite frowned delicately, not seeming to catch his sarcasm.  "Well, that is the question!  I don't know who took my son, but it must have been someone of some power.  I would think another god the mostly likely suspect, maybe even one of the other pantheons.  I'm afraid I just can't think who would do this to me!  Unless..."

"Unless?" he prompted eagerly.

She bit her lip, a move that made her look incredibly vulnerable.  "Well, you see - you do know the myths, don't you?"

Flynn nodded.  "I'm a bit rusty on my Greek mythology, but I remember the basics."

She bestowed an angelic smile upon him.  "Oh, good!  That will help considerably.  Well, you see, I have a husband - Hephaestus.  I was forced into the marriage, and neither of us have made it too easy on the other.  I'm afraid that Eros isn't his son...and I wonder if Hephaestus might be behind all of this."

The writer frowned, his mind turning.  "Where would I find Hephaestus?  And why not confront him yourself?"

Aphrodite gave a shudder, her eyes widening with fear.  "Oh, but he is a brute!  I don't know what I could do if he was the one who took my baby...and I'm afraid I don't know where to look.  You would need to have some way of contacting him, I suppose.  Perhaps someone in the Order?"

"What Order?  And what am I supposed to do if it is him?  I can't exactly take on a god!"
The goddess covered her mouth.  "Oh, I'm so embarrassed!  I haven't mentioned the Order yet?  Well, no need to worry, I'm sure someone will be along soon to explain it to you.  You'll need this, by the way."  Daintily she slipped off her bracelet, handing it to Flynn.  He stared in surprise as it changed from a feminine gold band to a thick masculine watch, almost an exact match of the one he wore.  Aphrodite smiled at him as he gawked at her.  "Don't worry, dear, that should help you.  As to what you should do when you find the kidnapper, well - as I said, I doubt you'll be alone.  And now I really must be off!"

Flynn stood as she headed for the door, his mind full of questions.  "Wait, but - please, I don't understand!"
She turned to him and gave him a stunning smile - literally stunning, as it stopped him in his tracks.  "You will understand soon enough.  Be well, Flynn; and please, find my son.  You're my only hope."

Flynn stared helplessly as she closed the door, shutting herself out of his apartment.  The room seemed dark without her there, as though all of the beauty had left with her.  Flynn hesitated for a moment before he made up his mind and flung open the door, determined to get some answers - only to find the outside hallway empty.  All that was left was the subtle scent of her perfume.

The writer heaved a sigh and closed his door, leaning against it as he slowly sunk to the floor.  This was definitely the most interesting dream he'd had in quite some time, and he couldn't wait to write it all down when he woke up.  This would make a great story!  Still, Flynn wished it made a little more sense.  He had too many questions and not enough answers - and he had absolutely no idea where to start.

He frowned, his eyes closed as he tried to sort things out.  What was this Order she had mentioned?  Who was going to explain it to him, and what, exactly, where they going to explain?  How in the world were other people going to join his quest when he himself didn't fully understand what the quest was?

Flynn opened his eyes and fingered the watch she had given him, eventually slipping it on in place of his old one.  It seemed to glow with a rainbow light, and Flynn ran a finger across the watch's prismatic glass face before standing.

Flynn blinked as he looked around.  It wasn't just the watch that shone with all the colors of the rainbow - it was his entire apartment.  The author stared as the beams grew more solid, the colors more vibrant.  A sort of cheer seemed to fill the air, though not nearly so strong as the emotions the goddess had brought with her.

The writer frowned, struggling to remember the name of the goddess who ruled over the rainbow image he saw before him.  Isis? he thought.  No, no Isis - "Iris!  Is that you?"

The rainbow shimmered and a sound like a thousand soft windchimes filled the air.  Flynn gazed in wonder as the rainbow before him solidified into a gate, which swung open to reveal a glimmering opalescent bridge that arced into the ceiling.  A pair of shoes appeared at the top, walking down slowly to reveal black slacks, a casual shirt with a flannel jacket overtop, and a head of curly black hair.  The man smiled shyly at Flynn as he descended, a glass pan that smelled strongly of cinnamon held out in front of him.  Flynn backed up, more to give the stranger room to get off of the bridge than out of fear.  At this point, he was way too interested to be afraid.

"Hello," the man said as he stepped into the living room, the rainbow bridge slowly fading behind him.  He seemed completely calm, as if he found himself transported by a rainbow goddess to a stranger's living room all the time.  Maybe he did, mused Flynn, as the man held out his hand.  "My name is Tom."

I hope you guys enjoyed chapter one of Lovesick!  I'd love to hear what you thought of it - please comment below or email me!  Your input is always appreciated.  As I said before, Lovesick will be coming out October of this year.  If you guys haven't read the first Chosen of the Gods book, Hammerfall, you can find links to Amazon and Barnes & Noble on the right.  Thank you for your support!

I'll be back with an Intro to Arthurian Legend next week.  I hope you have a wonderful week, and I'll see you then!

The Morrigan: Goddess(es) of Death

Happy Monday, readers!  How was your week?  Classes have begun, so mine was pretty busy.  Four history classes = lots of reading homework.  Still, I'm having fun so far!

This week we're going to be talking about one of the best known characters in Celtic mythology.  She is a fearsome warrior with an affinity for birds, and she is feared and respected by both gods and men.  Her name is the Morrigan.

The Morrigan is a truly interesting character in Celtic mythology due to her...unique nature.  You could say she has a split personality.  You see, while the Morrigan is often referred to using singular pronouns - "she", "her" - she is, in fact, more than one person.  The Morrigan is made up of three distinct goddesses.

This isn't necessarily something new in mythology, particularly when one looks at what the Morrigan is goddess of.  She rules over death, and calls the battlefield her home.  Some of my previous posts have talked about triple goddesses who fulfilled a similar purpose in their own mythology.  The Greeks had the Moirai, the Fates; the Norse believed in the Norns.  Both the Moirai and the Norns were three women, sisters, who were each part of a greater purpose - Fate.  Each group had one sister who specifically represented death: the Greek Atropos and the Norse Skuld.

However, that's about where the similarities end.  While the Norns and the Moirai have some things in common with the Morrigan, they also have striking differences.  For one thing, the two non-Celtic trio goddesses were worshipped as separate beings; the Morrigan is worshipped as only one.

I'm sorry if this sounds confusing.  Describing the Morrigan in a way that makes sense is definitely complicated, haha!

Like I said, the Morrigan is referred to using singular pronouns.  Art of her usually shows only one woman.  I'm not entirely sure how that works, since she's made up of three women, but somehow it does.  In fact, this is one of the only pictures I was able to find that showed three goddesses instead of one.

As to who those women are - well, there's some debate on that subject.  They're generally agreed to be sisters, but can be related through blood, fostering, or marriage.  One of the possible candidates for the Morrigan, Anand, has her name used interchangeably with that of the Morrigan.  Other possible members of the goddess include the goddesses Badb, Macha, and Nemain.

I'll stop talking about the somewhat confusing split personality of the Morrigan now.  Instead, let us take a look at what the Morrigan can do.

The Morrigan is a goddess of war.  Much like the Norse Valkyries, the Morrigan's allegiance greatly effects the outcome of a battle.  Whichever group she sides with almost always wins.  Because of this, Lugh Long-Arm made sure to win the Morrigan's favor before attacking Bres.

(I love the Wonder Woman look of this picture.)

 

The various personas who make up the Morrigan are known for many things associated with death.  They can strike confusion into the hearts of warriors who do not have the Morrigan's favor - and confusion is never a good thing in the midst of a battle.  The goddesses who make up the Morrigan are also known for shapeshifting.  The Morrigan can take several forms, but she is most often seen as a crow.  Ancient cultures associated crows with death and war, since the birds circle above fields of carnage and are known for eating the dead.

(This one, on the other hand, looks more like Morticia Addams!)

All told, the Morrigan sounds like a fun and cheery person, right?  Just wait.  We haven't even gotten to my favorite part!

The Morrigan (or one of her members) frequently appears as a portent of doom.  Warriors who see her know that their death is approaching; she's a little like the Grim in Harry Potter.  Of course, the warriors don't just see a beautiful woman and know that their death is coming.  No, that wouldn't be creepy enough for the Morrigan!

Instead, the myths frequently show fighters walking past a lake or a stream.  They'll look over and see a lovely woman staring at them as she washes something.  In the more PG versions of the stories, the Morrigan is washing the warrior's blood-stained armor, signaling his death.

In the more NC-17 versions, the Morrigan is washing the warrior's entrails.

Lovely, right?

I'll end my post there.  I hope you guys enjoyed reading about the Celtic goddess of war!  She is definitely not someone you want to have on your bad side.

This will be my final post (for now) about Celtic mythology.  I'll have something special for you next week.  After that I'm going to be posting a series about...

(Dramatic pause!)

...Arthurian legend!

The stories of King Arthur and his knights are pretty numerous, so I've got a lot of material to draw on.  I'm planning on talking about several of the main characters and events from the legends.  I'm really excited for this, and I hope you guys are too!

I'll see you next week!

Cath Palug: The Kitten...of TERROR

I love cats.

I am, in fact, what you might call a cat person.  I've volunteered at a cat shelter for half of my life.  I cat-sit for friends.  I have the Crazy for Cats achievement in World of Warcraft (so yes, I am a Crazy Cat Lady!).  I even have two cats of my own: Elli, who is blind but somehow always knows where shadows are (the better to lurk in and pounce on my poor unsuspecting toes), and Tali, who loves to curl up and trap my hand rubbing her belly whenever I try to get any work done.

My friends all know that I love to talk about cats - even cats who aren't mine.  (I go for walks in my neighborhood to visit with various cats who live close to me.)  Because of this, I was thrilled when I remembered that Celtic mythology featured a famous cat, and I had to write a post about him.

(Yes, this entire post is an excuse for me to talk about cats.  Stick around, though!  Even if you're not a cat person, this particular feline is awesome!)

Meet Cath Palug.

Cath Palug is ridiculously huge - the size of a horse, if not bigger.  Cat claws hurt even when they're normal sized, so imagine the kind of damage a cat with claws the size of large daggers could do!  In fact, in the stories about him Cath Palug puts his claws to good use, killing quite a few knights.

There are actual several giant, vicious cats in Celtic mythology.  Another famous one is Cat Sith, a feline member of the sidhe who is quite vicious.

(Sadly, he doesn't have a red lightsaber - though that would be amazing!)

Cat Sith shows up in Cold Days by Jim Butcher, where he's pretty terrifying.  If I remember correctly, Butcher attributes most of the giant, scary cat stories in Celtic mythology to Cat Sith.  However, the most famous stories I know are all about Cath Palug.

What are those stories?  Let me tell you what I know.

The stories of Cath Palug's birth vary.  In some he is a mysterious kitten fished up from a river.  In others, Cath Palug is the spawn of a faerie who was raped by a goblin.  However, that version of the story is French and was written considerably later than the others.  Generally, Cath Palug is thought to be the child of a cow.  This particular cow gave birth to many strange litters - wheat, bees, and a wolf, amongst other things - but Cath Palug was the last to be born.

It was near the island of Anglesey that Cath Palug was birthed.  The shepherd who was guarding the cow was filled with horror when he saw the cat.  Though still only a kitten, Catch Palug was the size of a horse!  (The poor cow!  That must have been a very painful birth.)  Gazing into his menacing yellow eyes, the shepherd became convinced that nothing but evil could come from the cat.

(Humph!  He was obviously more of a dog person.)  The shepherd seized Cath Palug and flung him into the sea, determined to drown him.

Bad move, shepherd.

Now, I don't know about your cats, but mine don't like water.  Elli flat out hates it.  Tali will dip her paw into her waterbowl and lick it off of her paw whenever she's thirsty - so dainty! - but she is terrified whenever she sees water in the bathtub.  I've seen videos of cats who like to take baths, and I've heard of cats who enjoy swimming, but I haven't seen one in person.

Turns out, Cath Palug loves to swim.

Imagine the look on the shepherd's face when the kitten he tried to drown immediately began paddling in the water.  He swam away from the man (can you blame him?) and headed to the shore of Anglesey, where he was found by the sons of a man named Palug.  The boys took pity on the poor wet kitten and took him home, where he received the name of Cath Palug - "Palug's Cat".

Unfortunately, Cath Palug did turn out to be evil, just as the shepherd had feared.  He slaughtered cattle and other livestock; he terrorized the denizens of the island; eventually, he began to kill.  Cath Palug became known as one of the three plagues of Anglesey.

Tales of Cath Palug's exploits vary.  If you listen to the origin story in which he was fished out of a river, Cath Palug murders the fisherman and all of his family.  In some stories everyone on Anglesey are either dead or in hiding.  Monks attempt to visit but are warned away by the survivors - only to be pursued through the sea by Cath Palug, who appears to be able to control storms.

Most interestingly, Cath Palug also appears in Arthurian legend.  Here he is said to have fought and defeated quite a lot of knights.  When the number of the dead continues to rise, King Arthur himself travels in search of Cath Palug.  Eventually he finds the dreaded giant feline.  They fight, but it is Arthur who eventually emerges victorious, killing the fell beast and at last ending the great plague of Anglesey.

(I was quite amused to find out that there is a French poem written in the 12th century which pokes fun at this story.  I haven't been able to find a copy of it, so my knowledge is coming from Wikipedia; as such, this might be inaccurate.  However, according to Wikipedia the poem features King Arthur getting his butt kicked by Cath Palug, who slays the king, takes his crown, and goes back to Camelot to rule in his stead.  Quite funny!)

What did you guys think?  I'm quite partial to the story of Cath Palug, but that might just be because I'm a crazy cat lady.  Did you like it?  I especially love the pictures of him, because he always looks so adorably fierce and angry.

I'll be back next week with my last post (for now) about Celtic mythology.  I'll see you guys then!

The Children of Lir: Here Today, Swan Tomorrow

Hey guys, how are you all doing today?  I hope everyone is having a nice weekend!  We passed the 2000 pageview mark here, so I'm pretty happy.  Thank you, my readers!

Our story today is called The Children of Lir.  It's a little more well-known than some of the other stories I've been talking about in Celtic mythology, so you might have heard of it.  The Children of Lir is one of those interesting stories that somehow blends Celtic mythology and Christianity.  Its main characters are children of the Tuatha De Danann, the Celtic gods.  Despite this, they build a friendship with the Irish monk Mo Chaemoc, and ultimately convert to Christianity.

The children of gods become Christian.

This intrigues me to no end.

Anyway: the story.  It begins in ancient times, but ends after Saint Patrick brings Christianity to Ireland - sometime around the fifth or sixth century.  The spelling of its characters' names can vary drastically.  I'm sticking with what's in the books I have, but if you're interested you should look up the characters.  For example, even Lir, which is by far the shortest name in this story, is sometimes spelled Lear.  (You might be familiar with that version of spelling.  Yes, he's that Lear - or, at least, the inspiration for him.)

The story also has some truly fascinating parallels to certain fairy tales - both Cinderella and Snow White come to mind when I read it, as does the tale of Hase-Hime.  Of course, there's also some similarities to The Black Swan.  Keep an eye out for them!

The story begins when the Tuatha De Danann are electing a king.  Lir, a prominent member of the group, fully expects the crown to fall to him.  As such, he is quite furious when another member named Bobd is named king instead.  Lir storms out of the assembly in a huff, and keeps to himself for quite some time.

Well, not entirely to himself.  Lir has a wife whom he loves very much, and she keeps him company as he sulks.  Then, one day, she falls ill.  It is not long before she dies, leaving Lir heartbroken by his loss.

While Lir mourns his wife, Bobd begins to think.  Lir's long absence from the Tuatha De Danann has not gone unnoticed, and King Bobd wants to bring him back into the fold.  To this end, Bobd offers to let Lir marry his choice of one of Bobd's foster daughters.

The prospect of a new wife cheers Lir up considerably; he accepts Bobd's offer and takes his eldest foster daughter, Aeb, to be his wife.  A great wedding feast is held, and the couple are happy together...for a time.

Not long after the wedding, Aeb becomes pregnant.  Soon she gives birth to twins - a boy and a girl, named Luke and Leia.

(Kidding.  Their actual names are Aed and Fionnguala.)

Shortly thereafter, Aeb becomes pregnant again.  Once more she gives birth to twins.  This time they're both boys, who are named Fiachra and Conn.  Sadly, their birth is a difficult one.  Both boys survive, but Aeb does not.

The loss of a second wife pushes Lir into despair.  Only his children are capable of comforting the grief-stricken man, who clings to his remaining family.

(I love that he doesn't blame the children for their mother's death.  That's actually pretty common in stories, particularly in fairy tales - both Snow White and Donkeyskin/Tattercoats come to mind.)

Wanting to help, Bobd once again offers Lir his choice of wife from amongst Bobd's foster daughters.  (Pretty generous, right?  At this point, Lir has outlived two wives.  I'm not sure I'd be offering him any more with that kind of bad luck!  Then again, Bobd might not like his foster daughters too much...)

Lir takes Aoife to be his wife, and she returns with him to his home. Lir dotes on his children as they grow up, and often takes them to see their grandfather Bobd.  The youths are kind and intelligent, and everyone loves them...except for one person.

In the beginning Aoife tried to care for her step-children.  She wanted to please her husband and honor her sister, so she cared for the four young ones as if they were her own brood.  Over time, however, Aoife began to grow jealous.  Everyone was so enamored with the children that they failed to notice the step-mother - even her husband, Lir.

One day Aoife couldn't stand it anymore.  She faked an illness (which I'm sure made Lir pretty nervous, given what happened to his previous wives...) and took to her bed.  She spent a year there, "resting" - when in fact she was plotting the downfall of her step-children.

When the year was over Aoife was convinced she had a scheme that would work.  She sprang from her bed, cured - look!  It's a miracle! - and announced that she wanted to take the children to visit Bobd.

Lir was thrilled to see his wife recovered and agreed to the idea at once, despite the protestations of his daughter Fionnguala.  (Alright, I finally got curious and looked up the pronunciation of her name.  I might be messing this up, but I think it's "Fin-ooh-la".  Pretty, right?)  Fionnguala had a sense that her stepmother was planning something evil.  Unfortunately, her premonitions were dismissed.  She and her brothers were sent with Aoife and some servants for their journey to Bobd's castle.

When they were some distance away from the castle, Aoife called some servants to her.  She offered them whatever they wanted if they would kill Lir's children for her.

(It took her a year to think up that plan?!?)

The servants were horrified and refused, calling the mere idea evil.  Yet, for some reason, they didn't warn the kids, and they didn't turn around and head straight back to Lir.  Gee, nice going, servants...

Instead, the group marched on.  Aoife considered killing the children herself, but couldn't quite work up the nerve.  Then, as they neared a lake, an idea struck her.  Aoife stopped the group and told the children to take a bath in the nearby waters.  As soon as they were in the lake she used her druidic powers and turned them into swans!

Fionnguala was horrified when she realized what had happened.  Unable to reverse the curse herself, Lir's daughter turned to her step-mother.  She pleaded with Aoife, begging her to set a time limit on the transformation so that they would not remain cursed for all eternity.  I'm sure Fionnguala was hoping that Aoife would make the curse only last for a year or two.  Unfortunately, Aoife really hated her step-children.  She condemned them to spend 300 years trapped on that lake in swan form.  After that the four siblings would be forced to fly to another lake, where they would spend another 300 years.  When the time was up they would fly to one last lake and spend an additional 300 years there.  There would be no escaping the curse; because Fionnguala herself had requested a time limit, the spell could not possibly be lifted before the 900 years were up.

Evil Aoife left her distressed swan step-children (the victims of fowl play) and continued on to Bobd's palace.  Immediately the king wanted to know where his grandchildren were.  Aoife told him that Lir would not let her take the children, for he did not trust her.  Perhaps Aoife was hoping that her foster-father would attack Lir for this insult, and her misdeeds would be hidden in the chaos of war.  If so, she was out of luck.  Bobd, while furious, did not take up arms against Lir.

Instead the king sent Lir an angry message demanding an explanation.  A confused Lir responded that he had sent the children with Aoife.  Before too long, the woman's treachery was revealed.  Horrorstruck by what she had done to his grandchildren, Bobd used his own druidic powers to turn Aoife into a wind demon.  She was forever cursed to roam the skies as recompense for her actions.

Bobd and Lir then raced for the lake, where they found four beautiful swans.  The swan children sensed the distress of their relatives, so they swam to the edge of the lake and began to sing.  The music was unlike anything the listeners had ever heard before.  It was so sweet and pure that all negative emotions were driven away by its sound.

Word of the swan children of Lir - and their beautiful songs - soon spread.  For the next 300 years they were never alone.  People travelled from all over the country just to hear their song and be healed by it.  The lilting music made all of their cares melt away; it was well worth the trip.

Eventually the 300th year passed, and the swans were forced by their curse to move to a new lake far from home.  This one was a far less pleasant place, for its waters were often tossed by violent storms.  There were times when the siblings were separated by fierce winds and feared that the others had drowned, only to be reunited when the storm ended.

Their torment was eventually broken by visitors from the Tuatha De Danann.  They told Fionnguala and her brothers about their family, and that all was well with their people.  The news cheered the swans, but the messengers soon departed.  Fionnguala and her brothers were once again left to the mercy of the storms.

The swans were grateful when their 300 years were up.  They flew to their new home, which was a little more bearable than the last.  During their time there Christianity spread to Ireland, and a small oratory was built by the waters of the lake.  The monk that built it, Mo Chaemoc, had never heard the stories of the magical swans.  He was quite surprised to hear them begin singing one morning after the monks had finished their own songs.

Mo Chaemoc inquired after the swans, and soon he knew the story of the Children of Lir.  He called the swans to him and kept them as his companions.  In Mo Chaemoc's company Fionnguala and her brothers learned of Christ, and found themselves hopeful.

They passed the last of their cursed years as friends, until their curse at last was lifted.  Mo Chaemoc watched as his swan friends transformed back into humans - but humans who rapidly aged 900 years before his eyes.  Though old and wizened, the siblings held on to life long enough for Mo Chaemoc to baptize them.  Then they passed on and were buried - Fionnguala in the center, with her brothers surrounding her.

I think the story is beautiful (albeit somewhat depressing).  It's an immensely popular tale, too - there are still statues of the Children of Lir

 and the story continues to be told.  I hope you guys enjoyed it!

As a few sidenotes - spell check really hated me on this post.  Interestingly enough, the only name it didn't try to tell me was misspelled was Aoife.  I wonder why?

As far as the monks and their singing goes...have you guys ever heard the singing of monks?  It is astonishingly lovely.  I first heard it through the mystery TV show Cadfael.  Here's a link to a video of the opening theme; the episodes often feature the monks singing.

I'll be back next week with a post about Cath Palug, who is one of my favorite characters in Celtic mythology.  He's an evil kitty cat!  After that I've got one more Celtic post planned, and then we'll switch to a different set of legends.  I'll let you know next week what it'll be; see you then!