This is the first of two supplemental episodes supporting our recent podcast, Tales of Ethliu (revisited). “Elin Gow, the Swordsmith and the Cow, the Glas Gaianach” is a folktale collected in the southwest of Ireland by Jeremiah Curtin in the late 19th century. The tale first appeared in “Hero Tales of Ireland”. It is a great…
Category: Mythical Women 03: Tales of Eithliu
Relating to series 1, episode 3
Jeremiah Curtin and the Oral Tradition
In our update on Ethliu, Mythical Women revisited: Series 5.3, we discussed the story of the birth of Lugh. The only available version of this story, Balor on Tory Island is to be found in “Hero Tales of Ireland” a book of orally narrated stories collected by folklorist and ethnologist Jeremiah Curtin and published in 1894. Jeremiah…
The Birth of Lugh ~ a story
The air was rippled with watery sunshine.But through one small round window shone a bright brave sunbeam, clear and golden, cutting its way into the dim glow of the room.And in its cutting sat Ethlinn. She sat still, facing the window, facing the clear light, the fresh air; and a tear flowed down one cheek.For…
Revisiting Mythical Women 3 – Revisiting Eithliu
Eithliu is a figure who seems to pop in and out of stories, taking no notice of traditional story cycles, or even how her name is spelt. Yet she rarely takes a leading role. In this “revisit”, we return to this enigmatic and sometimes troubling character from Irish mythology and folklore. With the benefit of…
The Birth of Lugh ~ The oral tradition
The birth of Lugh, as recounted in the podcast, is found only in the oral tradition, most commonly in Donagal. It was collected and written down as “Balor on Tory Island” 1894). As the book is now out of copyright, you can read it online or download it for free from Archive.org: http://archive.org/details/herotalesofirela00curtuoft
Many Shades of Darkness
Irish colour words and concepts In primary school, I was very confused to learn two different Irish words for “green”: glas and uaithne. I knew there was a difference, but I wasn’t clear what that difference was. As my schooling continued, more confusion arose: black people were referred to as daoine gorma, “blue people”…
Cows as Currency
As with many ancient societies, the early Irish did not use coinage. They still had a complex system of value, which may welll have changed over time or from area to area. One unit of value was cattle,which were used as currency up to around 1400 CE, long after the introduction of coinage. This could…
Texts of Eithliu
From Tocmarc Étaine, “The Wooing of Étain” Edited O. Bergin & R. I. Best, Translated with endnotes by Isolde Carmody. Terms with related notes are in bold. View Bergin & Best’s edition on CELT While this text is included here in relation to “Tales of Eithliu”, we dealt with the whole of Tocmarc Étaíne in…
The Birth Of Lugh
The air was rippled with watery sunshine. But through one small round window shone a bright brave sunbeam, clear and golden, cutting its way into the dim glow of the room. And in its cutting sat Ethlinn. She sat still, facing the window, facing the clear light, the fresh air; and a tear flowed down…
Mythical Women 03: Tales of Eithliu
The oral tradition provides vital pieces missing from the Irish manuscripts. “The Birth of Lugh” is a prime example. Reconstruct the story-seed of Eithliu and her many brief appearances in conversation with the Story Archaeologists. Don’t forget to subscribe to get the latest podcasts! By The Story Archaeologists. Music: “Tam Lin” by Gian Castello.