Myth or History? And does it matter?

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Early Celtic Literature (- threads, 97 posts)
Discussion of Celtic epics, the Irish Cycles, and more. ...

Myth or History? And does it matter?

Historical Thread ₀ Featured July 1 , 2003

Opening the discussion on Celtic literature.

To open our discussion, here are some of my own reflections on the earliest literature of the Celts, beginning from the viewpoint of literature, not necessarily history. However, so much of history and literature are tied up together, it is often hard to untangle the two.

Celtic literature itself is relatively new to the world. Only a few centuries ago, it was considered either non existant or irrelevant. The focus was strictly on the writings of the "classical" world - Rome (Latin) and Greece.

Then, suddenly, in 1760 a Scotsman claimed to discover and translate a set of amazing and ancient Gaelic epic poems. The world was instantly captivated by MacPherson's revelation of tales featuring the superhuman heroes of the old Fianna, along with Ossian the poet, and others. The so-called "civilized" world fell in love with these romantic adventures which characterized the uniquely Celtic mystique of mists, castles, and mythical men and women. They clamored for more, and obligingly MacPherson produced several more collections.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, these were fakes. MacPherson could not produce the originals from which his vivid, blood-stirring translations came. But no one really cared! His tales and poems, which were plainly a hoax and forgery, blew open the lid of a virtual treasure chest of TRUE Gaelic myths that were just waiting to be found. And the time was finally right.

Although MacPherson had not actually found any substantial and tangible manuscripts, his stories were based on age-old oral traditions that still survived in Ireland, the Hebrides and Scotland. He was so inspired by these tales that he thought he would put them into his own style of telling, adapting them to contemporary and popular tastes. This is probably what made them such a success.

True or fabricated, MacPherson's writings sparked a brand new interest in the world of the ancient Celts. Soon a search began for the REAL traditions that might have survived. This search was led by historians and literary scholars who often worked hand in hand with the newly budding science of Archaeology.

And so, bit by precious bit, the Irish epic tales were dredged from the dregs of monastery manuscripts - the very earliest texts of old Irish, and tentative oral traditions.

Still, their historical accuracy remains debatable for several reasons. The ancient Celts were forbidden to write anything down, trusting the druids as living records of their lives and times. The Fili were the poets and keepers of druidic traditions indeed - but we must consider the fact that each epic was filtered through the creative improvisation of each storyteller. This changed according to the audience, the mood, the season, and any other given situation.

It was only after the Christian period began (and this only in the British Isles) that oral traditions started being recorded with the pen and paper. And, like the Fili before them, the monks also changed things according to their own interpretations, tastes, and especially their morality.

What comes down to us from this? Basically we have four great epic "cycles" upon which we base our literary knowledge of the early Celts. The Mythological Cycle gives stories of the ancient Irish gods and heroes. These are not necessarily the oldest tales to be composed, chronologically, but they are set in the time of the first invasions and earliest kings. The Ulster Cycle is the largest and probably best known, played out mainly in the court of King Conchobar and the hero CuChulainn. The Ossianic or Finnian Cycle tells of Ulster's rival kingdom, Leinster. The last cycle is called the Cycle of Kings, or the Historical Cycle, based on actual real-life characters but weaving their stories with the most ancient remnants of druidry, magic and the Otherworld.

It is useless to try to compare these epics with those of classical Rome or Greece. They stand on their own value, totally unique. Ireland was never occupied by the Romans and remained free of "classical" influence up until around the ninth century. All the world's great epic works had been already written by then - including the Celtic ones.

In closing, let me suggest that we set aside the question of "History or Myth?" and approach the Celtic epics of kings and war with the simple faith with which people originally heard these tales, listening with wonder and awe at the knee of the storytellers who first presented them.