Celtic Cosmology and the Otherworld: Mythic Origins, Sovereignty and Liminality

294 Pages·2018·2.398 MB·English

by  Sharon Paice MacLeod

Celtic Cosmology
and the Otherworld
AlsObyshArOnPAiCeMACleOd
TheDivineFeminineinAncientEurope:
Goddesses,SacredWomenandtheOrigins
ofWesternCulture(McFarland,2014)
Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study
of Traditional Belief, with Newly Translated
Prayers, Poems and Songs(McFarland, 2012)
Celtic Cosmology
and the Otherworld
Mythic Origins, Sovereignty
and Liminality
s P M l
hArOn AiCe AC eOd
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina
librAryOFCOngressCAtAlOguing-in-PubliCAtiOndAtA
names: Macleod, sharon Paice, 1960– author.
title: Celtic cosmology and the otherworld : mythic origins, sovereignty
and liminality / sharon Paice Macleod.
description: Jefferson, north Carolina : McFarland & Company, inc.,
Publishers, 2018. | includes bibliographical references and index.
identifiers: lCCn 2018017779 | isbn 9781476669076 (softcover :
acid free paper)
♾
subjects: lCsh: ireland—religion. | great britain—religion. |
Celts—religion. | Mythology, Celtic.
Classification: lCC bl980.i7 M33 2018 | ddC 299/.162—dc23
lC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018017779
britishlibrAryCAtAlOguingdAtAAreAvAilAble
ISBN (print) 978-1-4766-6907-6
ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4766-3029-8
© 2018 sharon Paice Macleod. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Front cover: painting Standing Stones(sharon gadonniex)
the artist may be contacted at [email protected].
Printed in the united states of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
thisbookisdedicatedtothose
who have helped along the way:
family and friends, teachers and mentors,
professors and students,
storytellers and tradition bearers,
well-guardians and poets, scholars and seekers,
and, to quote the Dindshenchaspoem on Carn Máil,
all those who seek to “weave the web of knowledge.”
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table of Contents
Introduction 1
A Note About Indo- European Root Words 8
Part One: Mythic Origins
1. Cosmology and the Celtic dreamtime 9
2. Creation, Cosmogony and the Ancestry of the gods 56
3. sacred Cycles and the Mythic symbolism of time 76
Part Two: Sovereignty
4. divining the divinities: the Mórrígan, danu and Anu 93
5. restoring the rightful goddess: sovereignty in the tales
of Findabair and gwenhwyfar 117
6. Mistress of the Wild things: Abundance and Feminine
Power in early irish sources 130
Part Three: Liminality
7. the Circle of nine: Priestesses, islands and Magical rites 161
8. bird-Mask and rowing- Wheel: Mug roith, tlachtga
and traditions of druidic Power 180
9. Cauldron of Awen, stream of imbas: the symbolism
of Water and divine inspiration 216
Chapter Notes 233
Bibliography 267
Index 279
vii
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introduction
in order to see the shape of a myth, one has to shine light on it from
as many different sides as possible in order to illuminate its many var-
ious surfaces…
—WendydonigerO’Flaherty,Women,AndrogynesandOther
Mythical Beasts (university of Chicago Press, 1982, p. 5)
thisbookhasbeenmanyyearsinthemakingandreflectsawidevariety
of research projects i have undertaken over a period of almost twenty years.
it includes the first academic paper i ever wrote, prior to formal Celtic studies
training, which was based on ten years of independent academic reading.
Oddly enough, that paper has been the most cited of all my published works.
Other chapters have arisen from conference themes, questions that my stu-
dents have asked (for which there was insufficient data available), and areas
of inquiry in which i myself sought the answers. At conferences, while teach-
ing and during the publishing process, i have been the grateful recipient of
much encouragement and assistance from professors, librarians and graduate
students, many of whom find these topics as fascinating as i do.
i believe some of this interest is due to the types of questions i am asking
and the themes i am pursuing. some of these have fallen outside those areas
of inquiry that were, at the time, considered sufficiently mainstream (or advis-
able) for those pursuing a tenure track position. As a harvard- trained Celti-
cist and teacher, grant- funded researcher and author, and Celtic musician
and gaelic singer, i wear many hats, and the brass- ring of tenure has not
been my primary focus. As a result, i have been fortunate enough to work
within academia and make use of its remarkable resources, as well as the
deep learning and camaraderie that comes with it. in addition, i have had
the freedom to research and explore many unmarked trails. While i am some-
times led by the Muse, i am also hard- wired to seek truth. this has resulted
in many remarkable experiences and opportunities, and i am grateful for all
the incredible teachers, mentors and colleagues who have shared ideas over
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