Some of the names and terms can appear daunting to those not used to Irish. And for those who like to know, I’ve put a few here in case it increases the enjoyment of the novel.
Bóthair – (road) bow (like arrow) har
Bríd – Breed
Aoife – EE fa
Anu – An New/An Na (ancient, so it varies)
Airmed – AIR med
Ban an tí –ban an tee
Bláthín – Blaw heen
Búachaill –bwuock ull
Cailín – call een
An Cailleach –an Kall ick
Céad míle fáilte (hundred thousand welcomes) Cade meela fall cha
Cían – KEE an
Cíara – Keer rah
Clíodhna – Clee nah
Daghda – DAHG duh
Daragh – Da ruh
Díarmuid – Deer mud
Diancecht –Dee an kekt
Eilís – Eye leesh
Fadó – fa dough
Gan ainim – gan eye nem
Gearóid – Geh ROAD
Goibhniu – Gub New (another ancient one)
Líam – LEE um
Lughnasagh – Loo nah sah
Mo croí – mo cree
Mo Ghile Mear (something like my shining knight) mo geela mar
Saoirse – SEER sha/ SEHR sha (kind of in between)
Seanchie — shan na kee
Siné – shin eh
Sinead – Shin aid
Sláinte –slawn tuh (Munster Irish)
Suantraí – swan tree
Tadhg –Tyg (like tie with a hard ‘g’ sound on end
The Myths
The myths that are explained and interwoven in this novel are from The Book of Invasions (Leabhar Gabhala) part of the collection of Irish myths. I have kept true to the myths, with the exception of a few interpretations and a little embellishment in the case of Bríd and Goibhniu, Clíodhna and Mon. There is nothing in the myths that say that Bríd and Goibhniu were together, but they are both smith gods, one female, one male, so it seemed natural to link them. Bríd’s fate after she married Bres is true, except for the embellishment of her rape. It isn’t clear but it seemed a possible interpretation. She did give birth to three sons from Tuirenn and died as a result of that birth.
Local myths are also interwoven. On the Kerry/Cork border you will find the Paps of Anu, breast shaped mountains that are always climbed on May 1. At their foot on the Kerry side, it is said by some that the Tuatha de Danann settled there. The site of St Gobnait’s burial and her well is also celebrated. St Gobnait was also known as a smith and there are remains of an ancient smithy there. It is my own view that it might have also been seen as a place where Goibhniu was either venerated or an ancient smith worked and invoked him there, and later became associated with the convent of religious women that was established later, led by a doubtlessly indomitable woman who came to be known as St Gobnait, a name very close to the god’s and one that has no English translation in truth. (You can see my idea of her in my novel, In Praise of the Bees.) Some see the translation as ‘Abby’ but that’s more than likely just an adaptation because of the ‘abbess’ aspect of St Gobnait’s role.
Lugh’s story, even his involvement with the Cailleach, is true to the original myth, except for the part including Clíodhna. He never had a relationship with her, that’s my invention. But the rest of her story is as the tales recount, though Mongan’s part in Manannán’s wave that washed her away when she fell asleep, isn’t true to the myth. There’s a site at Glandore called Clíodhna’s wave to this day.
Many tales of the Cailleach, or the Hag, are found around Ireland and Scotland and particularly on the Beara Peninsula where there is a large standing stone bearing her name. The largest source of information about the Cailleach of Beara (Cailleach Bhéarra) came from the book, The Book of Cailleach:Stories of the Wise-Woman Healer, by Gearóid Ó Crualaoich. She is a complex figure with mother goddess and a supernatural female wilderness figure associations that can be linked to Indo European and Norse traditions. A force to be reckoned with.
Morrigan is the Celtic Goddess of War who did side with the Tuatha de Danann in the battle of Magh Tuireadh after Daghda persuaded her by sleeping with her one night. My interpretation of Morrigan is my own, part feminist and entirely flawed, but likeable (at least I hope).
Native American Myths and Mythic Figures
I selected a few mythic figures to represent Native American myths who are deeply involved in the creation of earth and its peoples and also who would naturally highlight the concerns they would have over pollution and other climate change issues. Two Native American educators have gone through my depictions to ensure that I have portrayed them appropriately. They are mentioned in the acknowledgements.
Raven-- the trickster-creator and the most important figure in Northwest Coast mythology. Some stories do mention a remote Lord of the Sky who first made the world. But this first creator doesn’t feature strongly in myths and ceremonies of the NW. Raven always interests himself in human affairs—too much so for comfort sometimes. His name among the Haida means; the one who is going to order things: and putting the world in order was his first task. This involved transforming the things that first existed into their current forms and establishing the laws of nature. Some NW cultures have a separate figure who did that. A major myth tells how Raven obtained light for the world, but only through his attempt to destroy it. Native Americans, edited by Ian and Betty Balantine. And The Great Mystery, by Neil Philip
Skywoman- sometimes called ‘Old Woman’ is an important figure in Iroquois/Haudensaunee mythology. In the myths Ancient One took Old woman to be his wife, but he was still unhappy. He fell into a deep sleep and dreamed answer was to uproot a big tree. So he did and left a great hole in the floor of the sky world. He called Old Woman to look through the hole and he pushed her through it. As she fell she grabbed seed from the tree with one hand and tobacco scented root with the other. White water birds met Skywoman as she descended onto a water turtle. She scattered the seeds that grew when a muskrat brought mud from under the sea and placed it on the turtle’s shell. She released seeds and plants and they grew. Turtle and island grew to make a home for Skywoman who shortly gave birth to a daughter – the beginning of the world – Native Americans, edited by Ian and Betty Balantine, The Great Mystery, by Neil Philip and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Heyoka- Divine fool, a contrary who does everything backwards— a figure among the Sioux Peoples (Lakota, Dakota, Nakota) also seen in other Plains traditions although with other names. Traditionally not allowed to marry. They embody the ‘cosmic conflict in the human world: for the heyoka manifest directly into human society the perpetual conflict between the Thunderbird powers and the Great Horned Serpent below’. They have a sacred vision and share some of it with people but do it through comic actions. They are a bridge between the spiritual world and the material world and help restore equilibrium. Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America by Arthur Versluis.
Osage/Wahzhazhe
The situation with the Osage in Oklahoma is true, in part.
In the nineteenth century the US government forced the Wahzhazhe, or Osage, as they’re commonly known, to leave their original lands in Oklahoma to go to Kansas as a strategy to halt the Cherokee Osage hostilities. Later in the century they were told to move again, and with money they had acquired from leasing grasslands put in trust, they purchased the lands in Oklahoma. Then later, that land proved to be rich in oil, containing one of the largest deposits in the United States. And anyone who wanted to obtain the oil had to pay for leases and royalties to the Osage. Every registered member of the Osage tribe received quarterly checks. Eventually, the tribe collected millions of dollars and the Osage became very wealthy, the wealthiest per capita in the world in the early twentieth century. Such wealth laid them open to exploitation. Merchants charged a much higher rate for their goods, doctors supplied drugs to addicted tribe members and a guardianship the federal government set up was used as an opportunity by crooked lawyers and judges to extract wealth from the rights holders. In the 1910s and 1920s some people even resorted to murder. There were some convictions, but not all who were to blame were convicted.
I avoided using the mythic figures from the Osage culture primarily because the major figures associated with creation are called The Little Men in English. I felt that was too close to the Little People, the name given in some tales to the fairies, the sidhe, who are really the remnants of The Tuatha de Danann, the mythic figures central to the story. Since so much humour is often attached to The Little People I didn’t want any such flippancy or humour to arise or be perceived in this case, so decided not to use it. The Little Men are sacred to the Osage as I understand it and I would be horrified to have anything dismissive or offensive to be perceived in any way. The closest I came was to mention Iktomi, who is the equivalent of Raven in Osage culture, in other words a trickster.
Resources
I’ve collected many resources over the years and consulted them in my use of the mythic figures. For the Osage I also consulted their website. My resources included:
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Native Americans, edited by Ian and Betty Balantine
The Great Mystery, by Neil Philip.
Osage Indian: Customs and Myth by Louis F. Burns
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Plants of Power by Alfred Savinelli
The Raven and the Totem: Traditional Native Alaskan Myths and Tales collected and edited by John E. Smelcer
Various reports of the Smithsonian Institution, including 36th, 39th annual reports, 1921, 1925.