Questionnable mythology evolves as a result of the atmosphere which delivered it, so it’s possibly unsurprising that mythology along Europe’s Atlantic climes should share much of similarity. Within this publish, I aim to discuss a few of these
Odinn and Manannan:
Legends about Odinn and Manannan demonstrate numerous apparent correlations. Both are wise. They’re well-travelled. The take care of the souls of individuals who’ve handed down. They’re rulers from the Otherworld. They possess magical abilities and magical artifacts, that they donate to heroes in tales. They are able to change the look of them and therefore are shapeshifters. Both of them ride an enchanting horse.
Odinn (whose German name Woden means madman) seems to possess endured from episodic bouts of madness or wondering, and even though madness isn’t an explicit theme with Manannan, travel and wondering seems to become. The truth that Manannan seems to possess been somewhat conflated with Merlin (who Geoffrey of Monmouth made clearly unhinged) is of particular interest. He’s referred to as ‘Melinus’ by Geoffrey’s euhemerist friend-at-arms Jocelyn of Furness, and it is known as ‘Merlin’ by early 18thC author George Waldron. Other famously mad tree-dwellers from Irish myth include king ‘Suibne Geilt‘, and in the Fenian mythology the interestingly love-mad Diarmuid Ui Duibne (finally caught hiding inside a tree). Diarmuid is paralleled by another Fenian myth having a character who loves Fionn’s intended lady and ‘takes flight’, known as Derg Corra . He, like Diarmuid is hunted lower by Fionn using his (‘Odinnic’) divinatory power and finally discovered hiding inside a tree, apparently from his mind. The Eddas make reference to Odinn hanging themself in the world tree to get divine understanding, that is a theme linking Fionn to a different character from Germanic mythology:
Sigurd and Fionn:
The motif from the dwarf-mentor and also the killing and cooking of the otherworld creature is familiar to both Irish story referred to as ‘The Childhood Deeds of Fionn’ (Irish: Macgnímartha Finn) and the poetic Edda narrative referred to as Völsungasaga. Within the saga version, Sigurd kills the dragon Fafnir and gains knowledge of the word what of wild birds as he unintentionally licks his finger while roasting Fafnir’s heart for that dwarf Regin who would like this understanding. Within the Fenian version, obviously, Fionn is cooking the Salmon of Knowledge for that dwarf-druid Finnegas as he will the same. These two tales may represent a story theme popular when they were young as both written texts happen to be located towards the twelfth/13thC, but on the other hand – they might be from your older dental tradition!
Finn, Cuchullain and Thor:
Thor and the battles against giants and monsters are among the key hero-myths from the Icelandic Eddas. Such as the ancient greek language figure of Heracles, he transcends what’s normally acheivable in the combat the forces of chaos. Exactly the same role is symbolized in Irish mythology through the ‘larger than life’ heros Cuchullain and Fionn mac Cumhaill, although in comparison to the Eddas and Greek myths, the overt ‘sacred’ nature of the narrative importance continues to be obscured by christianisation of the tales.
Wayland, Chullain and also the Gobban Saor:
The ‘hero-smith’ narrative is prevalent throughout Irish mythology and placenames, the legends have endured (like individuals from the Cailleach) from significant demotion or erasure throughout the inscription from the traditional narrative tales from the questionnable world. This will make them even more intriguing! An identical problem appears to exist using the Wayland legends, actually.
Magical wells coming back water in the Otherworld:
The Icelandic Prose Edda and also the Irish Dindshenchas texts in the dark ages both contain explicit references towards the mysterious flow of rivers back and forth from the Otherworld. Within the Eddaic version (Snorra Edda), the ‘Otherworld’ supply of waters is in the antlers from the stag Eikthyrnir who stands over Valhalla, and whose streams flow lower to the foot of the tree in to the well Hvergelmir which may be the source of all of the world’s rivers and nourishes the roots from the tree. Within the Irish sources, the Otherworld streams regurgitate into secret wells in fairy mounds, proving itself to be the springs originating the Rivers Boyne and Shannon, which themselves flow in to the ‘world-river’ which laps around the shores from the Fortunate Isles. In addition to being an marine example, these seem to be describing the traditional belief within the transmigration of souls! It is really an important part of the ancient Atlantic religion.
Mystical Trees:
The Yggdrasil may be the great ‘world-tree’ of Icelandic Eddaic mythology, which took it’s origin from the ancestral beliefs from the Danes, Swedes, Norwegians etc who settled in Iceland prior to the creation of Christianity within the Scandinavian world. It represents an abstract effigy of the thought of human generations, and adding nourishment to rivers – roots, trunk, branches leaving. Additionally, it functions being an abode for that metaphorical creatures representing this sort of fertility, who’re strongly connected with regeneration and rivers by the look of them: stags (using their branching antlers) and serpents (whose physiques mimic the look of rivers and who shed their skins and therefore are ‘reborn’). Ireland, being ‘freed’ of serpents by St Patrick, naturally also offers numerous serpent legends that cope with the pre-Christian era and throughout Christianisation, however the imagery from the tree and also the river was and it is important. The inclination of trees to both illustrate the form of and attract lightning, without doubt explains their connect to ‘thunder gods’ for example Donar/Thunor/Thor and Roman deities for example Jupiter.
A significant number of ‘fairy hills’, stone circles and ‘holy wells’ in Ireland seems to be associated by having an ancient thorn tree. The Rowan also offers importance within the Gaelic world (particularly Scotland and also the Isle of individual) and one is featured within the Fenian myths like a sacred having a huge known as Searbhan within the Tóraigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne.
Ireland – such as the Germanic regions pillaged through the tree-felling St Boniface – comes with an good reputation for special trees, as well as their demise was detailed within the medieval texts. These could be figurative or actual – the simple truth is (just like the Boniface account) unclear. The truly amazing tree at Maigh Adhair was recorded within the Irish annals like a sacred tree connected using the inauguration of Munster clan leaders: John Bóruma and his relatives, particularly. There have been others besides, including Bile Tortan, Craeb Daithi and Bile Uisneg,a few of which were (like Yggdrasil) ashes…
