Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Myths/folklore from oral pagan religions what can we learn from them?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Myths/folklore from oral pagan religions what can we learn from them?

    In western northern Europe the pre-Christian religions had an oral tradition without writing so we have was written initially in Latin my the monks and scholars who for whatever reasons preserved the knowledge we have in the written form. The obvious problem is they were not pagan themselves and appeared to blend the beliefs of many tribes together creating a family unit mimicking roman/greek mythology and tying the myths in with the bible including the flood and origins from the bible. This connection to the Greece, Troy and the middle east was a common pattern in the middle ages as the great families traced their lineage to one of these areas especially Troy and Greece. Yet beyond these adaptations I believe there was much of the pagan believes well preserved and would like to see if anyone would like to consider these aspects. The one I would like to see what others think is the Salmon of Knowledge.

    First before I start I would like to relay some thoughts from Marie-Louise Sjoestedt from the book "Celtic Gods and Heroes (2000)" In the introduction - ...one must free oneself from conceptions borrowed from outside, and particularly from those of Greek or Roman tradition... they describe the ancient gods as prehistoric tribes who once labored and fought upon the soil of Ireland, and still dwell there invisibly present, side by side, with the human inhabitants... At the start of the first chapter ... We are accustomed to distinguish the supernatural from the natural. The barriers between the two domains is not always impenetrable ... But the chasm is there nonetheless...The Celts know nothing of this(barrier)...Here there is a continuity, in space and time between what we call our world and the other world...Romans, think of their myths historically; the Irish think of their history methodologically;and so ,too oft their geography... Every strange feature of the soil of Ireland is the witness of a myth. The supernatural and the natural penetrate and continue each other, and constant communication between them ensures their organic unity.

    I presented the above segment because it reminds us to be careful in the interpretation of the Celtic gods an belief to avoid the overlap of the more familiar yet different Greek/Roman gods and their associated beliefs in discussing ideas presented in the myths as in the first I would like to present - the Salmon of Knowledge. In the boyhood deeds of Finn we find a delightful story of Finn who was one of the sons of the warrior class called the Fianna (who's original name was Demma later changed to Finn after others saw his abilities). Finn joins Finegas the the bard where he lived along the Boyne near Slanne and the learning of poetry is at the margin of the water and he land. There was a legion the the person who first eat of the Salmon of knowledge in a pool near the bank in the Boyne River would become the wisest man. Finegas could not catch the fish until the day Finn arrived and upon his arrival the salmon of knowledge was caught. Finegas told Finn to cook the fish but when the brought the cooked fish to Finegas the bard saw a sage in front of him and asked what had happened so Finn told him how his thumb was burned and placed it in his mouth thus tasting the fish. Finegas then told him to eat the fish for he was the one that should have the knowledge.

    The question I had was why would the salmon have the wisdom. The river is associated with a Goddess and the salmon in another story feed on the hazelnuts which are special in their mythology. But why would the salmon be chosen as having such great wisdom. There could be no special reason but salmon are known for their rhythm in life where they will return to spawn at the same time and place going to great lengths to reach a special area. To the Celts the cycles of nature would have been essential to know to prepare for the winter. Maybe they saw the salmon as keeper of the knowledge of the cycles of the seasons thus be connected with the mysteries of nature. This is just a thought but if anyone else knows more about the salmon of knowledge or why it was picked as the source of the knowledge I would be interested to learn.

    #2
    Re: Myths/folklore from oral pagan religions what can we learn from them?

    I think that you're on the right track. To see the salmon purposely forging their way upstream must be a very imposing sight.

    The story of Finn tasting the fish is a classic folklore motif of the force of destiny, like the "man born to be king" (Perseus, Moses).

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Myths/folklore from oral pagan religions what can we learn from them?

      I would like to correct an error in my first post should read that the Irish think of their history mythologically (not methodologically). If the Celts were not the people who built the hinges or the passage tombs, then those before them would have been seen as masters of the arts the Tuatha Danann. Certainly Tara was seen as an important location because of the structures on the Tara mound and surrounding area. The mound of the hostages allows light to fill the passage at two known important times of the year - around October 31- Nov 1 (Samhain) and again around Feb. 1 (Imbolc). Considering their survival depended on understanding the cycles of nature these structures would also explain the great regard for animals an birds that sensed the changes if the years cycle before it might be so clear to the people. The realm of the Gods and Goddesses was within the natural world which existed side by side to the human world carved out of land yet entirely dependent on it. The tremendous respect to the land is found and described so wonderfully writings called the Dindshenchas - the mythical geography of Ireland. What seems clear in Irish mythology is how close the human and the other world of the Gods, Goddesses and spirits of the land are connected.

      Comment

      Working...
      X