Irish Mythology - Blog Posts

Celtober 2023 Days 7, 8 and 9: Dream, Birds and Divination

The druid, then in his sleep, at the end of the night beheld a man stark-naked, passing along the road of Tara, with a stone in his sling.

The destruction of Da Derga's Hostel

Celtober 2023 Days 4, 5 and 6: Murder, Judgement and Mound

Corrgend, the king of the Fir Bolg, caught Áed, son of Eochaid Dagda, in the act of sleeping with Corrgend’s wife, and so he killed Áed in a fit of rage and jealousy. The grieving father sentenced Corrgend to carry Áed’s decomposing body tied to his back until he finds a perfect place for the mound that he should build for his victim. After that, Corrgend was finally executed and buried elsewhere.

Celtober 2023 Day 3: Seduction

Morrígan seduces a hero with a bloody and terrible death (hence aided written on the ogham stone in the background), he's duly enthralled, and his fate is sealed.

Celtober 2023 Day 2: Feast

Aengus was with the attendants arranging and giving orders, and every kind of drink and delicacy was given out correctly so that the company were cheerful and gay.

Altram Tige Dá Medar

Celtober Day 1: Conquest

Each warrior of them burned his ship, When he reached noble Eire. Geoffrey Keating, The History of Ireland

I did not like the official Inktober 2023 prompt list much, so I made my own one based on Irish mythology, for fellow Celticists and otherwise enjoyers. Everyone is welcome to share and join!

The background is designed after a gold lunula found in Killarney (~2000 BC).

Can we talk for a minute about how badass Mess Búachalla really is?

I mean, having been of royal birth but disowned, dispossessed and fostered in a very poor family, having experienced hard toil to its fullest, then raped either by some shady Tuatha Dé Danann guy with a penchant for glamouring himself into a bird or by her own biological father even (depends on the text), with an unwanted pregnancy forced upon her, and still she takes back what's hers, becomes the Queen Mother of the whole island of Ireland, and yes, the shapeshifting prick gets what he deserves (hence the bloodied feathers I put under her foot in this one).