Review of "Bona Na Croin" by Jeff Stewart

A review on the Celtic themes in a short story from the anthology "Neither Beg Nor Yield"

Credit: Rogue Blades Entertainment, 2024

Before the month of March ends, I thought it fitting to see off this period that celebrates Irishness (in mostly North America at least) by reviewing the second story in Neither Beg Nor Yield inspired by Irish myth and folklore. NBNY is an anthology of sword & sorcery fantasy that collects stories from recent and current authors in the genre, presenting yarns not only set in ancient, imagined worlds but also present-day Earth. Each story in the anthology remains true to the spirit of this action-oriented fantasy subgenre no matter what time or place they are set in.

This review will be somewhat scholarly, examining the Celtic elements used in it. It won’t be a beat-for-beat summary of the story, but there will be some spoilers to discuss particular plot points.

You can pick up a copy of Neither Beg Nor Yield off Amazon in hardcover, paperback, or eBook! Also be sure to check out NBNY’s editor

Jason M Waltz

here on Substack!

Also, check out my other review of another Irish-themed story from NBNY: “Reckoning” by Keith J. Taylor!

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“Bona Na Croin” takes place in what is likely pre-Christian, Iron Age Ireland based of several references to certain figures living at the same time as the main cast. The story is the introductory adventure of Fergus Mac Ronan,¹ a former fénid—a warrior of the Fianna, Ireland’s legendary hunter-warriors—seeking employment with his pony, Bran. This story blends somewhat historical and cultural elements of ancient Ireland with its Mythological Cycle of tales, a bit more heavily that the other story from NBNY I reviewed.

One of the first things that stood out to me was Fergus’ reference to a “blood price” after Bran is injured by an uncouth guard. While Fergus repays the ruffian by killing him, in reality, injury to another person’s animal in ancient Ireland likely would have involved an actual monetary exchange. For Fergus, it seems to be more of a matter of honor rather than any legality as he repeatedly states that he is “blood brothers” with Bran, which confuses most of the people he explains that fact to. While it is odd there seemed to be a disregard for Fergus’ property (despite him holding little to no social status) in the context of the story, it characterizes the type of person Fergus is—an unwavering warrior with some grasp on legal and honorable customs.

After the incident with the guard, Fergus finds himself serving King Morthesa of Lugaid for a year without pay. On the names here, Morthesa seems to be an alternate spelling of the name Morfessa, who is one of the poets of the Tuatha dé dannan. The name “Lugaid” in this instance is used for a place, which is King Morthesa’s estate or stronghold. I found it confusing as it was simply referred to as this rather than having it preceded by dun or rath to indicate it as a fortress. The name Lugaid is found on quite a few kings and most famously on the killer of Cú Chulainn, Lugaid mac Con Roí.²

We also get a little more information about Fergus and his past after he is inducted into Morthesa’s retinue. For one, he is also known by Fergus Dubh (lit. “Black Fergus”) for his expertise in “shadow work.” Another linguistic note I feel obligated to add is that the word for “black” or “dark” (at least in Old Irish) wouldn’t require the -h, so it would just be dub (pronounced as “doov”). This is mostly because the letter H isn’t originally part of the Gaelic alphabet, but eventually made its way in there sometime around the Old Irish period (7th to 12th century A.D.). Throughout the story, Fergus mentions that he is looking for “pay,” although he is not specific on what compensation that actually is. Our modern conception of wages for work, namely when imagining fantasy settings in antiquity, is in some monetary form (such as coins). In Ireland, however, wealth was primarily measured in livestock (mainly cattle). The story sort of leaves it open for the audience to imagine what this payment could be, and since I have some knowledge about the ancient Irish economy, I chose to imagine that Fergus was looking to increase his wealth in livestock.

Fergus also reunites with Nimweh, a druidess from his home village of Ninagh,³ who also happens to be a vegetarian. There likely was not any dietary restrictions druids would have had (little as we actually know about them), but there is an example of a ritual, called the Tarbfeis (“Bull Feast”), where a seer figure would consume bull meat and then have a dream about who would rule Ireland in the future. I wonder if this was just to play up the “one with nature” stereotypes we usually see with druidic figures in pop culture, however it’s made a bit more confusing when Nimweh later in the story seems to have no qualms with reading entrails. Nimweh’s name also does not seem to be an actual Irish name, but is closer to Nimue, the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legends. Nimweh, later in the story, also entertains Morthesa’s court with harp music and recounting legends. I couldn’t help but wonder if, with the harp music, Stewart was partially referencing how bards might have also had some cross-training with druids. There is also reference to three types of songs Nimweh plays, those being battle music, love songs, and songs that make the audience cry. She also tells stories concerning “Fae and demons,” references Enoch (likely from the Bible, although this is supposed to be pagan Ireland), relates a story about a battle the Milesians had against the Fir Bolg “for Erin,” and concludes with specific figures such as the “druid” Easras, the High King Cormac Mac Art, and Lugh “of the Silver Arm.” Addressing these mythological references one at a time, the idea of “Fae and demons” is not really something the ancient Irish likely would have at, or at least they wouldn’t have used those names since those aren’t native Irish words. The reference to Enoch talks about Antediluvian, ice age period that sort of plays into the “age undreamed” of tropes of Sword & Sorcery fantasy. The conflict with the Milesians and Fir Bolg obviously refers to figures from the Book of Invasions, although it wasn’t the Fir Bolg the Milesians were fighting for control of Ireland, it was the Tuatha dé dannan. Speaking of the Tuatha, the name “Easras” is another name of one of the four poets of the Tuatha mentioned alongside Morfessa. Cormac Mac Art (or mac Airt) is a legendary figure from Irish saga literature. Lugh, of course, is the many-skilled hero and eventual king of the Tuatha dé dannan in the Mythological Cycle, however the epitaph used for him in this story is incorrect as “Silver Arm (or Hand)” is normally assigned to Nuada, Lugh’s predecessor as king. Lugh is sometimes referred to as Lamfada (meaning “Long Arm”).

There is a thread of intrigue that runs through the whole story concerning Morthesa and his rivalry with another king named Conall. Although the two were once in-laws, Morthesa having married Conall’s sister, they are now at odds due to Morthesa’s wife dying after only leaving him with a daughter named Leannan.⁴ Conall married Gruach, daughter of King Malcolm of Scotland. Her name is likely inspired by the figure who would inspire Lady MacBeth from Shakespeare’s play. I’m also not entirely sure who King Malcolm is supposed to be as there isn’t really a notable King of Scotland with that name until the mid-10th century A.D. If this story is supposed to take place around the Iron Age, Scotland—which should really be called Alba at this time—would be primarily Pictish with some Gaelic footholds in the west coast. King Conall rules over a place called Lochlain, but it is not specified whether this is simply a fort or particularly territory. The closest it sounds like to me is the Gaelic word for Scandinavia, which is Lochlann, however based on the fact that Fergus later rides to Lochlain it is likely just meant to be a place in Ireland in this story.

Events come to a head after Morthesa hears news of Conall’s wife bearing him a son. Fearing his enemy’s approach and furious over having Leannan as his only heir, Morthesa throws his court into chaos after killing his own brother. Fergus whisks the princess away for her safety to a feared place known as Dun Senach. This place is described mostly as having standing stones and one monolithic black pillar marking a Fomorian’s grave. Nimweh declares Leannan would be safe there as Morthesa would be deterred from breaching the sanctity of the stones. She specifically mentions geasa, which is the term used for either taboos or restrictions on behavior kings and heroes in Irish mythology normally have. Nimweh, however, seems to use the term almost as if Morthesa would be cursed if he breaks the sanctity of the standing stones rather than it being a specific restriction he possesses.

Fergus eventually allies with King Conall, claiming that Morthesa’s act of kin-slaying renders his servitude under him moot. Fingal or kin-slaying is a serious crime in not only Irish society but other pre-modern cultures. One famous story, Fingal Ronain (“The Kin-Slaying of Ronan”), demonstrates the downfall one might experience if they were to kill their own family members. Given how the rest of “Bona Na Croin” plays out, it is an interesting device to use in order to signal Morthesa’s fall from grace in both a social and cosmic sort of way. Fergus also invokes a “saying from the Fianna” to Conall, that being “the enemy of my foe is my friend.” There isn’t actually anything that I know of in Fenian lore that uses that proverb specifically, more than likely it’s just the repurposed “enemy of my enemy” saying. Conall accepts Fergus into his fighting force to defend against an attack from Morthesa.

Fergus follows Morthesa and his retinue after they are driven from Lochlain to Dun Senach. There, Morthesa’s “black druid” Mogh conducts a ritual to resurrect the Fomorian that is buried there. The ritual seems to be a reference to a famous bog body the Lindow Man, which was discovered to bear wounds conducive with strangulation, the throat being slit, and the head being struck. It is still speculated whether the Lindow Man was a victim of human sacrifice or if he was simply murdered. In order to combat the Fomorian, Nimweh gives Fergus a “tathlum” inscribed with ogham. She describes it as a sling stone made from the brains of an ancient king and hardened with lime, and that Lugh used one like it to kill Balor. In Old Irish, the word tathlum simply means “slingstone made of cement.”⁵ There is probably a story from Irish sagas about a slingstone made from brains, but what first comes to mind is the end of the Corum stories written by Michael Moorcock where a similar item is used. Furthermore, Nimweh claims she got the tathlum from Scathach, the trainer of Cú Chulainn, which is the most compelling evidence to place this story around the Iron Age.

At the end of the story, we receive a bit of definition around the title “Bona Na Croin.” Fergus claims it is a saying amongst the Fianna that meaning “Neither Collar nor Crown.” This also isn’t something the mythological Fianna actually say. Where it likely comes from is a poem written by a supporter of the modern Fenians (i.e., Irish Republicans).⁶ Although the rebels of modern Ireland did take their name from the Fianna, the terms has quite a different context from the one in this story when considering Ireland’s tumultuous colonization under England. The spirit of the phrase does sort of coincide with the “'tude” NBNY is going for and the character of Fergus as he vows to return to the Fianna at the end of this story.

Although some of my notes in this review may have seemed critical, I did enjoy reading “Bona Na Croin” and am looking forward to hearing about any future Fergus Mac Ronan stories. Despite some anachronisms and mislabeling, it was nice to read a story that did make an attempt to show the ancient Irish as actual people with their own agendas and connections rather than blue-painted hippies muttering about “the old ways.” I can only anticipate that Stewart likely has more ideas in store for this character and setting. Stories centered around a group of Fianna are the perfect medium for Sword & Sorcery tales as traditional Fenian lore is quite episodic. I also can’t help but wonder if Fergus might run into characters from the Ulster Cycle since this story takes place around that time, or if he may encounter Cú Chulainn himself!

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1. A small aside I can’t help but make early on is that, going by traditional Gaelic grammar, Fergus’ patronym would actually be spelt as mac Ronain as “Ronan” would be in the genitive (i.e., the possessive).

Most of the Gaelic names found in this story are somewhat more recent than what would be found in the actual time period it takes place in, but in all fairness it is difficult to find and reproduce the Primitive Irish reconstructions of these names.

2. I talk about Cú Chulainn’s death at length in the last installment of my Hound review:

"Hound" - The Scholarly Review Part V - The Death of Cú Chulainn

3. There is a town called “Nenagh” in Co. Tipperary in the province Munster (the southwestern section). I’m not sure about the etymological history exactly, but if Stewart intends Fergus’ and Nimweh’s village to be the same as the real world Nenagh then it is somewhat fitting for Fergus’ character as many stories from the Fenian Cycle feature characters from Munster.

4. In Gaelic, this name means “lover” or “beloved.”

5. eDIL s.v., táthluib.

6. Most of my info on this phrase came from these two sites:
https://www.irishlanguageforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=4529
https://ansionnachfionn.com/2013/08/23/ni-bona-na-coroin/