It's interesting that other people besides the Irish had the problem that the only surviving written records of their early beliefs were made after they were Christianized. The same is true of the Welsh (with some of the old gods being reinvented as kings or knights in the Arthurian period, which was itself built on a Celtic pagan foundation). It's also true of the Norse, which may explain why Balder seems at times so much like a Christ figure and why Ragnarok at times reminds one of Revelation. In all these cases, it's impossible to do more than speculate about what the original stories may have been like.
It's also interesting how much attempts to reconcile the early traditions with Christianity differed from each other. The straight angels/demons dichotomy, with old Gods being represented as demons, was sometimes replaced by a tripartite system in which demons were the angels who sided with Lucifer, while faeries and their kin were the angels who remained neutral in the conflict between God and Lucifer. The former group fell to Hell, while the latter fell to Earth. Though lacking in biblical foundation, that theory more plausibly explains the differences between the way demons are described and the way faeries are described.
It is at least telling how important these figures were in their cultures that rather than renouncing them as a whole, they canonized them along with their Christian beliefs. Christ parallels also show up frequently in Cuchulainn stories, likely to emphasize his importance among the Ulster and Armagh literary traditions.
I always found the angel explanation for faeries interesting as they are capable of good and evil acts but never really align themselves any particular way (that is until you have Victorian revisionists inventing the idea of "Courts"). It's indicative of how when they were angels, they didn't chose a side but had the potential to go either way.
It's interesting seeing how many names and details I already know and how much feels like new information. I was so used to the spelling of Lugh I didn't draw the connection of him being the father of Cu Chulainn while reading this. The development of Bres and possible reason why makes me think of the Egyptian deity Set, who was also vilified due to anxieties around foreigners.
The -h at the end of the name "Lug" is more of a later development to indicate that the -g is softened, so it ends up sounding more like "looch."
A lot of people don't realize how political myths can be, especially when reading about them in a vacuum from standard collections. It's always fascinating to see how those fears and values appear in them. It also makes me wonder if at any point there were members of these audiences complaining about sociopolitical analogues in their stories about their favorite heroes and deities.
I remember hearing about an instance of that with the Japanese god Susano'o and someone writing a letter of complaint about a demonized portrayal. Unfortunately I heard of this through someone I am no longer on speaking terms with so I don't know the source.
There a some similarities that pre-Christian Ireland and Vedic traditions share. I personally have not looked that deep into it, but imagery and motifs like sacred cows are shared in both cultures.
It's interesting that other people besides the Irish had the problem that the only surviving written records of their early beliefs were made after they were Christianized. The same is true of the Welsh (with some of the old gods being reinvented as kings or knights in the Arthurian period, which was itself built on a Celtic pagan foundation). It's also true of the Norse, which may explain why Balder seems at times so much like a Christ figure and why Ragnarok at times reminds one of Revelation. In all these cases, it's impossible to do more than speculate about what the original stories may have been like.
It's also interesting how much attempts to reconcile the early traditions with Christianity differed from each other. The straight angels/demons dichotomy, with old Gods being represented as demons, was sometimes replaced by a tripartite system in which demons were the angels who sided with Lucifer, while faeries and their kin were the angels who remained neutral in the conflict between God and Lucifer. The former group fell to Hell, while the latter fell to Earth. Though lacking in biblical foundation, that theory more plausibly explains the differences between the way demons are described and the way faeries are described.
It is at least telling how important these figures were in their cultures that rather than renouncing them as a whole, they canonized them along with their Christian beliefs. Christ parallels also show up frequently in Cuchulainn stories, likely to emphasize his importance among the Ulster and Armagh literary traditions.
I always found the angel explanation for faeries interesting as they are capable of good and evil acts but never really align themselves any particular way (that is until you have Victorian revisionists inventing the idea of "Courts"). It's indicative of how when they were angels, they didn't chose a side but had the potential to go either way.
It's interesting seeing how many names and details I already know and how much feels like new information. I was so used to the spelling of Lugh I didn't draw the connection of him being the father of Cu Chulainn while reading this. The development of Bres and possible reason why makes me think of the Egyptian deity Set, who was also vilified due to anxieties around foreigners.
The -h at the end of the name "Lug" is more of a later development to indicate that the -g is softened, so it ends up sounding more like "looch."
A lot of people don't realize how political myths can be, especially when reading about them in a vacuum from standard collections. It's always fascinating to see how those fears and values appear in them. It also makes me wonder if at any point there were members of these audiences complaining about sociopolitical analogues in their stories about their favorite heroes and deities.
I remember hearing about an instance of that with the Japanese god Susano'o and someone writing a letter of complaint about a demonized portrayal. Unfortunately I heard of this through someone I am no longer on speaking terms with so I don't know the source.
Do you think there’s a connection between these people and the Asura of Vedic lore?
I only posit this because “The Mother” of the Asura is also a Goddess named Danu.
Lastly, I appreciate the work you’ve done. Thank you for being on the planet right now. Cheers
There a some similarities that pre-Christian Ireland and Vedic traditions share. I personally have not looked that deep into it, but imagery and motifs like sacred cows are shared in both cultures.