This is my fourth installment of translating often untranslated material from the Cath Maige Tuired and I’d like to start with a little more background on the CMT itself. I recently read the transcript of an utterly fascinating lecture by John Carey called “A London Library, An Irish Manuscript, A British Myth? The Wanderings of ‘The Battle of Moytirra'” in which Carey traces the history of the only extant manuscript containing this vital Irish myth. One of the most important points in Carey’s lecture for the purposes of my translation project is that the manuscript for the CMT is believed by scholars to have been written by a younger scribe and one who was fond of intentionally obscuring his writing with:
Archaeology and Celtic Myth: An Exploration
Author: John Waddell
Publisher: Four Courts Press
Published: 2014
ISBN: 978-1-84682-494-4
Pages: 203 including index and bibliography.
Synopsis: In this book, author John Waddell contends that elements of pre-Christian Celtic myth preserved in medieval Irish literature shed light on older traditions and beliefs not just in Ireland but elsewhere in Europe as well. Waddell mainly focuses on aspects of the mythology associated with four well-known Irish archaeological landscapes: Newgrange and the Boyne Valley, the royal sites of Rathcroghan in County Roscommon, Navan in County Armagh, and Tara in County Meath. Their mythological associations permit the pursuit of the archaeological implications of several mythic themes, namely sacral kingship, a sovereignty goddess, solar cosmology, and the perception of an Otherworld.
Review:
Lives Matter
There has been a trend in American society that is sending a message – a disturbing message – that some lives are more valuable than others. That some people matter more. I could point to specific cases but really there are so many examples its hard to choose which ones to include and which ones to ignore. And I don’t want this to become a debate about the details, the minutia, of one example. Because I’m not talking about just one thing here. I’m talking about all of it.
Offerings and "Elves"
Last month I taught several classes about the Daoine Maith (Good People) at the Changing Times, Changing Worlds conference and one of the most common questions I was asked was about offerings. I thought it might be helpful here to blog a bit about the most common traditional offerings and the way they have been historically understood. Probably the most common offering is …
Book Giveaway – Pagan Portals the Morrigan
Happy thanksgiving everyone. I’m doing a book giveaway for a signed copy of my new book Pagan Portals: the Morrigan when it’s released next month. If you are interested you can enter here:
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Pagan Portals the Morrigan
by Morgan Daimler
Giveaway ends December 10, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Confidence and Decisive Action
I hung out with Sapphire last night, and over Mexican take out, we talked about relationships. (It’s very reminiscent of where we were both at the same time last year, with her having just broken up with someone and me feeling lonely and being too concerned with a potential connection with someone that is not […]
more NaNo
I am once again doing National Novel Writing Month this year and attempting to write the third novel in my trilogy. I may have been a smidge ambitious this time since I only just finished the second one and am, in all honesty, a bit burned out. However I’m soldiering on to get the first draft done. In the 25 days of NaNo I’ve written a bit over 54,000 words towards what I expect to be between 100 – 120,000 when its done. So I’m about halfway there. It’s been taking a lot of my attention though and as with last November the blog is suffering a bit.
Tis The Season – 2
Blessings Darlings!
Hunger is every less visible than most issues. One in 6 Americans can’t afford basic healthy food, especially fruits and vegetables. (http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger/hunger-and-poverty/hunger-and-poverty-fact-sheet.html). Even when folks are on food stamps, virtually none get the ‘full amount’ (roughly $140 a month for an adult). Many who are in need have no access to stores that sell food at a discount, due to not having cars, due to living in food deserts, due to long expensive bus trips to get to such stores, due to living in rural areas, etc.
Would you know if your neighbors are hungry?
Tis the Season
Blessings Darlings!
Tis the Season … to discuss hunger, homelessness, and related issues.
more translation
I’m a bit busy but I don’t want to not blog at all, so here’s a tidbit of translation, Irish courtesy of Hennessey’s The Ancient Irish Goddess of War, translation my own.