DeDanaan

Filed by Aine MacDermot

Serpents and dragons symbolize trouble. Whenever they appear, strife and infertility follow. King Arthur’s troubles with the future of his kingdom are presaged by dreams of dragons and serpents at the time of Sir Mordred’s conception. King Arthur drives them out, but is wounded (Baines, 36). King Arthur is finally devoured by them in his last dream, subsequently his next battle is when Sir Mordred kills him. It is interesting to note that it is the appearance of a snake that initiates the battle. The swine herders before the Tain, Friuch and Rucht, ruin each other’s land with snow during their magical fight, while in the forms of dragons (Ford, 48). Dragons should be particularly troubling to a king, because the king is the symbol of the fertility of the tribe and its land and the dragons are the counter symbol, laying waste to the land and preventing new growth.

Birds are usually used to represent prophetic knowledge, (Davidson, 91) bloodshed, and skill. In an omen, birds can be either the message or the messenger. For example, Morrí­gan came in the shape of a bird to warn the Brown Bull (Kinsella, 98). The interpretation of their calls and movements can lead to knowledge of future events. Birds, especially ravens and crows, usually presage bloodshed and battle, when they are associated with it, sticking with the theme of prophesy. Deirdre’s dream of three birds drawing blood foreshadowed death and Lleu Llaw Gyffes was shedding rotting flesh and maggots while in the form of an eagle. The Irish war goddesses were said to call the ravens down to battle fields to feast on the flesh of the slain (Davidson, 98). Even normal, modern crows and ravens descend to feed on corpses along the road.

Birds can also be used to demonstrate a warrior’s prowess by their method of capture. Lleu Llaw Gyffes was so skilled he could hit birds with a stone without killing them outright (Ford, 101). Cúchulainn demonstrated even more prowess capturing birds skillfully, but his son, Connla was still more skilled. He could not only stun them with a stone, but also with only his voice (Kinsella, 39, 91).

Horses, cattle, and pigs represent fertility. Horse, cattle, and pig bones are found in Welsh and Celtic graves, (Powell, 28) indicating that they were very important to those cultures. The prosperity of the clan is reflected in the prosperity of its herds. Cattle were a major Celtic food source (Davidson, 52)and as such, would be proportionally important to the success and survival of the tribe. Later, pigs became added to the diet of the Irish. Horses were also seen to symbolize fertility. Davidson (54) Davidsondescribed rituals where the leader of the tribe mated with a horse. The bull, which is the leader of the cattle, symbolized the herd and its fertility just as the king would symbolize the clan and its fertility, thus joining the fertility of the horse with the tribe’s.

The theme of the hunt uses animals to pass to and from the realm of magic and the gods in Celtic and Welsh mythology. For example, during the excitement of the hunt, the chosen party pursues an unusually fleet of foot, magical prey out of the world of the mortals and into a place of magic. Other ways to enter the other world are by charm, like the song from magical birds (Ford, 71), or by spell, like the mist descending over land (Ford, 77). Wells, springs, rivers, and earthen mounds are some of the magical places that border with or co-exist in the other world. In these places, magic is much more prevalent and sometimes even time passes differently there.

The magical animals are noteworthy in appearance and get the attention of the hunter by their supernatural shape, color, speed, and power. There are many other examples of the pursuit of supernatural beasts throughout Celtic and Welsh mythology with the common characteristic being their unnatural, white color. While pursuing a large, white deer, King Arthur arrives at Sir Pellinore’s well, a magical site, without his hunting party or his horse (Baines, 37). Pryderi and Manawydan pursue a “gleaming white boar” (Ford, 80) which leads them and their dogs to a magical trap. The bright white animals from the other world sometimes have bright, glowing, red ears, but they are not a natural type of white or red. Prince Pwyll encounters king Arawn’s dogs from the other world. The dogs appear with “glittering bright white” and red ears that glitter as brightly as their white bodies (Ford, 37). Rhiannon arrives from the other world on her white horse at an earthen mound (Ford, 42-45).

Fertility and continuation of the clan was a major concern of the Celtic and Welsh peoples. Here again, animals figured strongly with fertility in Celtic and Welsh mythology. A prosperous tribe was indicated by healthy, plentiful animals.

A few animals are associated with infertility because their success is incompatible with the survival of the tribe. For example, dragons indicate lack of fertility. Two dragons were heard screaming on the island of Britain every May 1st, and this caused sterility in all living creatures of the land and water (Ford, 113-116). A dragon briefly ravaged Ireland, ruining the land and preventing daily activities (Spector, 17-18). The dragons had to be destroyed in order to restore the fertility of the land. No specific causes were given for the arrival of the dragons. A vague, magical power, but no clear purpose was given to the nine scores of birds that consumed the fertility of the fields of Ulster (Kinsella, 21). They just happened. So, it is quite likely that they are merely symbols of hard times. However, more earthly explanations, like revenge or a curse, have been the cause for destruction or loss of fertility. Under a spell, hoards of warriors disguised as mice ravaged Manawydon’s wheat, destroying the fertility of his land as revenge for Gwawl (Ford, 82-87).

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