Celtic Women: Myth and SymbolCeltic Women: Myth and Symbol  The Celtic people have long been an enigma to the world for theirhistorically independent- thinking minds and for their kind of naturalmysticism. The Celts have also been known for their tendency for boththeir progressivism as evidenced in their early law codes, and for theirconservatism as seen in their attachment to native pagan traditions in theface of pervasive Christianity. There is much scholarly debate as towhich historical observer has told the most reliable accounts of the Celtsor which literature retains the most accurate portrayal of Celtic life. This is especially true of ancient Celtic women. The body of literaturethat we have was "tainted" by Christian monks and subject to Christianmoralizing. Observers, who were usually members of the conquering people,were often woefully inaccurate in their interpretation, using theirexperience as a lens through which they viewed the Celtic people and as ameasure of what was "acceptable" and what was not.  It is important to briefly note that the term "Celtic" refers toa diverse body of languages and a varied group of people. The Celticlanguage includes Irish, Manx, Scots-Gaelic, Welsh, Breton and Cornish.Further, the term "Celtic" has only be en in use since the 18th centuryclassicists coined it. It was they who "lumped together" the Celts as"noble savages" and circulated the modern stereotypes persistent to thisday. No literature survives from ancient Gaul and records of the peopleare fragmentary. Carolyn Larrington in her book, The Feminist Companionto Mythology says, "We do not know the Celts but only the Gauls, Irish,Welsh, and Bretons…archeological evidence (of the Celts) is related to thecontinental Celts, vernacular literature to the insular Celts, thus thetwo cannot validate each other without the risk of circularity, but theycan tell us about their myth and beliefs" (121). It is my intention toexplore the myth of the ancient Celts especially as they focus on femaledeities. The myths of the ancient Celts suggest the dominant role of theCeltic female, or at least they point up a society that was at one timematrifocused—that is, focused on women. Further, the evolution of thesemyths suggests a distinct shift in consc iousness shaped by the warriorethos, Christianity and patriarchy. The female goddess, once held sacred,became violent. Her life-giving qualities brought instead only death anddestruction. Consequently, female members of this society who had enjoyedmuch freedom and equal status among men, were made to suffer at the handsof violence as well. It is my belief that the Celtic woman, whilecertainly not a direct reflection of the Celtic goddess, was at one timehonored for her life-giving ability, thou ght of as wise and treated as anindividual. Mythology of the Celtic people does seem to suggest this. Important in our study then is the role of the goddess inpre-Christian Celtic society. Larrington describes the goddess in thisway, she was a "dual-natured female figure, beautiful and hag-like byturns in whose gift was great power" (122). T he goddesses wereespecially depicted in three's, such as Eriu, Banba, and Fotla, allgoddesses of sovereignty. In the eleventh century, Ireland was oftencalled Eire ( a form of Eriu) and also called "the island of Banba of thewomen" (Mary Condren, Th e Serpent and the Goddess, Women, Religion, andPower in Celtic Ireland, 26). Goddesses, according to Larrington, wereoften hybridized by Roman and Greek influences, but this did not seem toobscure the native elements. For example, Julius Caesar liken ed oneCeltic goddess to Minerva, a classical deity. In fact, some Celticgoddesses seemed to share certain of their characteristics. However,there were no Celtic goddesses of love. There were goddesses more oftenassociated with fertility and the natural cycle of life, including death(23). Perhaps most importantly, the goddesses represented creativityespecially as it related to giving life, in all its aspects.  Condren describes the female warrior goddesses respect for death,as a natural part of life, which seemed in translate into "real" life aswell. This is best seen in the symbolic marriage between the king and thegoddess of sovereignty. This union was to "ensure fertility for the landand for his people in the year to come. "The king was not the one who puthis personal satisfaction or gratification first but the one who was wiseenough to embrace symbolically the ambiguity and tragic consequences ofthe human condition…the natural tragedy of cyclical life and deathsymbolized the goddess (and) was eventually rejected" (23-4). The king traditionally had to embrace the goddess in the guise of a hagwho would then turn beautiful after receiving his kiss. Condrenimpressively states here that the king of that time was a man whorespected both life and death and importantly, respe cted the giver oflife. The king then must marry such a notion, that embrace of thenatural. Condren describes not only the role of the goddess in CelticIreland, but also the important inter-relatedness of goddess and humanwoman: "Since the source of life was so integrally associated with women,it would seem to follow that the origin s of life were female. At timesof joy or moments of pain, humans would turn to the Goddess who washonored in her many guises" (26). It would not seem strange then toworship a female deity and consequently treat her female subjects withrespect and honor. Descent was also often traced through the mother anda strong emphasis was placed on the mother relationship. However,conservative scholars are quick to point out that the power did notentirely rest on women, rather the focus appears to be on women. Lifewas of tremendous value in what appears to be the most natural, physicalsense. Hence the importance of the woman, goddess or human. Condrenagain observes this early society: "Women were highly honored, femalesymbolism formed the most sacred images in the religious cosmos, and therelationship with motherhood was the central elements of the socialfabric …the society was held together by common allegiance to the customsof the tribe loosely organized around the traditions of the goddess" (28). What appears to have dismantled this society was the warriorculture and the spread of Christianity into Ireland. The story of Machais an instructive example of the "fall" of the Celtic goddess and in somesense the fall of the Celtic woman. Macha (Ulster Epona, the horsegoddess) marries Crunnchua mac Angnoman a rich widower. The two prospertogether until one day, Crunnchua wishes to go to the annual assembly ofthe Ulsterman. Macha pleads with him not to go, but Crunnchua insists. While at the assembly, Crunnchua witnesses a horse race. Those inattendance with him, including the king himself, declare that none can runfaster than these horses. Crunnchua knows that his wife can outrun thesehorses with no problem and decides to challenge the declaration. Theking, angered at Crunnchua's arrogance insists that Crunnchua bring Machato them for a match. Macha comes reluctantly, but before doing so,pleads, "Help me, for a mother bore each of you. Give me, oh, King, but ashort delay until I am delivered." Macha is pregnant. This request andthe king's subsequent refusal are striking reminders of the changes thattook place not only in the Irish sagas such as this one, but also thechanges in the societies that "authored" such work that became,significantly, myth. The king's ultimate responsibility was to allow the"creativity of women to prosper." King's were to promise that no onewould die in child birth, food should grow plentifully, and thetraditional dyeing (a woman's art) would not fail. These promises wererelated to the "needs and concerns of women, and unles s the king could beseen to take care of the cultural and fertility needs of the clan,symbolized by these women's activities, the king would be overthrown" (Condren, 33-4). The king as evidenced in this story, violated thepromises he made and instead of being overthrown, is permitted tocontinue his reign with no apparent resistance from his constituents. This portrayal of Macha is actually the last of three major cycles. Inthe first she is a brilliant, strong mother-goddess. In the second she isa helpless (but wise) wife, and the third she is relegated to an existenceof shame and forced to abandon her life-giving gifts, adapting to the newwarrior ethos. This is how she had traditionally become associated withthe three war-goddess spiral, join ing Badb and Morrigan. The appearanceof the war-goddess appears to develop as a result of the change in Celticsociety to one of violence and paradoxically, Christianity. Macha evolves into a warrior-goddess as the simultaneously thestatus of women decline in societies constantly under attack, whereemphasis is placed on death and bloodlust rather than on life and respectfor death. With this, men began, according to Condren, to feel threatenedby women as well, by any force seen as competition. Importantly anotheraspect of the decline of Macha (and other goddesses) was the Christianclerics who began to satirize the goddesses because their patriarchalsystem of beliefs stood in direct contrast especially to the worship of afemale deity. Goddesses were becoming as violent as the society that"created" them. They were raped, murdered and often died in child birth(35-7). Peter Berresford Ellis in his book, Celtic Women, Women in CelticSociety and Literature, concurs with Condren that goddesses in literaturewere often raped, died in childbirth and their status was destroyed by thesymbolism of the rape. The goddesses, however, gave birth to great menwho would in turn become great warriors. Indeed, "the famous warriorsociety triumphed over the culture of the wise women" (31). Severalsources consulted point to the war-goddess as a symbolic adaptation to theculture who called on her to wreak death and destruction. The war-goddessis often portrayed too with a voracious sexual appetite. Ellis quotesMoyra Caldecott: "Her twin appetites for sexual gratification and forbringing about violent death are a trave sty of the very necessary andnatural forces of creation and destruction that keep the universefunctioning and imbalance of which brings about disaster" (32). Scholarsagree that for a time women participated in battle. An important mythtells the stor y of the outlaw of females in combat. A mother observesthe carnage after a battle with her son at her side, after which sheinsists he swear to change the laws of combat for women. What disturbs thewoman so is a beheaded woman whose child is still clut ching her mother'sbreast, milk on one cheek, blood on the other. Evidence also points tothe cruel treatment of women during this particularly violent time. Theywere often raped by course warriors, starved, and basically used as bait.This is not to say that women were not capable warriors, there is somehistorical evidence to support their successful and consentual role inbattle. However, a society is a society in the grips of disaster whentheir women are treated in such a way. Where a child is orphaned andstarving. Where life begins with murder. In the myths that survive what appears to come through quite loudand clear is the diversity of the women in the stories. These women areintelligent, brave, beautiful, chaste, passive, romantic, aggressive,crafty, sexual, wise, sensible—they represent a whole range of personalitytypes, just as in real life. All of the women have characteristics whichgive them roundness, and make them believable female prototypes. It hasbeen suggested these depiction's of women at some level must not onlyshape later figures such as Arthurian heroines or Christian saints, butthey must suggest something of the ancient Celtic woman. Larringtondisagrees, "The evidence is too limited to say that Celtic goddesses andthe divine world is a direct reflection of Celtic mundane society…myth inliterature cannot be said to have survived to any coherent extent" (123). Indeed, the mythology that comes to us is so influenced by patriarchalconsciousness and Christian dogma, seemingly little of the original isleft but the bare bones. Indeed such heroines as Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere,King Arthur's queen) was a triune goddess like Eire, Fotla, and Banba. Thequestion of why Arthur is completely guilt-free in the face of hisinfidelities and Guinevere sentenced to burn at the stake for hers isnever resolved. Except that it shows the treatment of women in that time. How does this figure in with Christian morality? (Ellis, 63) Thediscussion, of course, is not whether Christianity is "wrong" or "right." Countless heroines are represented in a variety of ways. The disgracedand sentenced Guinevere though must somehow reflect attitudes about womenat the time, just as the goddess of soverignty, Gwenhwyfar, was somehow areflection of attitudes about women when she was honored. Myth is onlysignificant as long as it is relevant to the context it exists in. Thusmyth is dynamic but also enduring so long as it is important to aparticular society. However, it is difficult to dismiss the numerousexamples of Irish and Welsh mythological heroines such as Rhiannon,Brigid, Etain, Scathach, Iseult, Queen Branwen and others, and call themjust machinations of Christian monks. There are elements to be sure whichare undeniably Christian. Some heroines such as Dahud start outinteresting and intelligent and then later cycles depict her as anymphomaniac, destroying the original legend (Ellis, 67). Christianinterpreters used the myths to serve their own purposes in their owncontext, and shaped them as they pleased, but some myths do survive whichgive us a glimpse of the certainly rich literary pre-Christian past. Another interesting case for the elevated status of Celtic women,especially Irish, is found in their surprisingly progressive early codesof law. Ellis discusses the Celtic woman's freedoms in some detail. First, children had status and worth, they also had the opportunity foreducation, with no discrimination against gender. Children were to bebrought up by both parents. If the child was a product of rape, the childhad to be the responsibility of the man alone. Most importantly, however,was: the woman's eligibility to inherit property; retain the wealth shebrought into a marriage; take part in the military and politicalactivities of the clan; divorce (in eleven different cases); engage inpolygamy for almost any reason; seek recourse for rape or assault; andface the same punishment as a man for homicide. Interestingly, asChristianity began spreading into Ireland, laws for prostitution becamenecessary. Ellis posits that this is because of the change frompolygamous relationships which were restricted by the church to monogamousrelationships. There was also a new importance on a woman's state ofvirginity (113-141). This evidence is quite compelling and yet despitethis, Lyn Webster Wilde, author of the book, Celtic Women in Legend, Mythand History suggests: "…there may well have been goddess-worshippingcultures, probably hunter-gatherers, in which relations between men andwomen, in particular the power balance them may have been very differentfrom what it became in later patriarchal societies. But they (scholars)point out, the fact that a goddess does not necessarily mean thatindividual women had power or status, or were necessarily protected fromthe depredations of male-or female- violence. For instance, it could bethat the earth goddess would require the sacrifice of young virgins inorder to ensure fertility in the land" (page number unavailable). Wilde is not the only writer to submit the possibility of an earthgoddess (mother-goddess) as possibly violent. Larrington also poses thatsome all-female societies were extremely violent and cruel (119). Inmodern Irish literature, Joyce and Yeats also wrote about themother/warrior-goddess at her most terrifying. They fear this cycle oflife and at the same time fear unnatural death that the war-goddessbrings. Patrick Keane in Terrible Beauty, Yeats, Joyce, Ireland and theMyth of the Devouring Female explores this issue in some depth. Thegoddess is the "female necessity to Nature, Tempt ress to Nature,Destroyer and back again in an eternal recurrence" (18). It is not theviolence of the mother/warrior goddess that is so compelling, nor is itsurprising to hear again the cycle of life she is responsible for. Whatis compelling is Yeats' parallel to his "mother," Ireland. Ireland hadcome to the twentieth century, still fighting, too much shed blood. It isinteresting that Yeats should pose the question, "Is there anything inIreland worth saving?" (30). It would be a major over-simplification tosuggest that because Ireland turned it's back on the matricentered,goddess-worshipping society they must reap the consequences ofChristianity and patriarchy. But however symbolically, poets like Yeatsand Joyce place the blame of the blood shed on her, for the love of her. In her is the heart of their land, their spirituality. It is interestingthat her influence should be felt so long, endure so long. It is obviousthat the poets lament the slaughter, are disgusted by the "warrior ethos"and have only to blame the earth (not themselves) for their "fanatichearts" (96). They love her, fear her, blame her. In conclusion, I have examined the often problematic rolegoddesses have played in the myths of the Celtic peoples. The myths arefascinating and may suggest something about the ancient pre-Christianculture of the Celts, especially women. The literature is rich withpossibilities but also heavily influenced by Christian translators. It isdifficult to say with any real accuracy whether or not the extantliterature reflects much of anything of the ancient Celtic society, but itis my hope that it does. It is easy to point the finger at men and theirviolent ways as reasons for the disruption of peace in the world, but ofcourse matters are not so simple. We can see some evidence of theviolence of women as well. It is certainly not limited to men alone. Equal status for women is important and almost always elusive in anysociety. Perhaps some (myself included) wish to look to the past forevidence of a better time for women and the world. We look for reasons asto why the world has become so violent and blood thirsty. It is indeedgrasping at straws to lay the blame on one particular group for causingall of the world's problems. There is intriguing evidence found in myth, literature,historical accounts, archaeology and dairies. These are all admirablevehicles for studying this subject. This poem by Heaney describes thesymbolic struggle that endures, and the still tragic modern study of thegoddess that is endlessly fascinating: "Our mother ground is sour with blood of her faithful, who lie gargling in her sacred heart… Those who come to Ireland to 'report us fairly' must tell 'how we slaughter for the common good,… how the goddess swallows our love and terror" (Keane, 98). Return tothe Celts  Returnto The QuestWorks CitedCondren, Mary. The Serpent and the Goddess. San Francisco: Harperand Row, 1989.Ellis Berresford, Peter. Celtic Women. London: Constable, 1995.Keane, Patrick. Yeats, Joyce, Ireland, and the Myth of the DevouringFemale. Columbia: University of Missouri, 1988.Larrington, Carolyn. The Feminist Companion to Mythology. London:Pandora, 1992.Webster Wilde, Lyn. Celtic Women in Legend, Myth and History. Thisbook is currently at press, information can be obtained at this URL: http://www.wdi.co.uk/celtic/women/main. html |
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