Celtic Otherworld
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In Celtic mythology, the Otherworld is the realm of the deities and possibly also the dead. In Gaelic and Brittonic myth it is usually a supernatural realm of everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy.[1] It is described either as a parallel world that exists alongside our own, or as a heavenly land beyond the sea or under the earth.[1] The Otherworld is usually elusive, but various mythical heroes visit it either through chance or after being invited by one of its residents. They often reach it by entering ancient burial mounds or caves, or by going under water or across the western sea.[1] Sometimes, they suddenly find themselves in the Otherworld with the appearance of a magic mist, supernatural beings or unusual animals.[2][3] An otherworldly woman may invite the hero into the Otherworld by offering an apple or a silver apple branch, or a ball of thread to follow as it unwinds.[3][4]
The Otherworld is usually called
Irish mythology
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In Irish mythology, the Otherworld has various names. Names of the Otherworld, or places within it, include Tír nAill ("the other land"),[5] Tír Tairngire ("land of promise/promised land"),[1] Tír na nÓg ("land of the young/land of youth"), Tír fo Thuinn ("land under the wave"),[1] Tír na mBeo ("land of the living"),[5] Mag Mell ("plain of delight"), Mag Findargat ("the white-silver plain"),[6] Mag Argatnél ("the silver-cloud plain"),[6] Mag Ildathach ("the multicoloured plain"),[6] Mag Cíuin ("the gentle plain"),[6] and Emain Ablach (possibly "isle of apples").
It is described as a supernatural realm where there is everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy, and where time moves differently.
In the tales, the Otherworld is often reached by entering ancient burial mounds, such as those at
Sometimes the hero returns after what he believes is a short time, only to find that all his companions are dead and he has actually been away for hundreds of years. Sometimes the hero sets out on a quest, and a magic mist descends upon him. He may find himself before an unusual palace and enter to find a warrior or a beautiful woman who makes him welcome. The woman may be the goddess Fand, the warrior may be Manannán mac Lir or Lugh, and after strange adventures the hero may return successfully. However, even when the mortal manages to return to his own time and place, he is forever changed by his contact with the Otherworld.[3]
The Otherworld was also seen as a source of authority. In the tale Baile in Scáil ("the phantom's ecstatic vision"), Conn of the Hundred Battles visits an Otherworld hall, where the god Lugh legitimizes his kingship and that of his successors.[1]
In Irish myth there is another otherworldly realm called
Welsh mythology
In Welsh mythology, the Otherworld is usually called
In the First Branch of the Welsh tales known as the Mabinogi, entitled Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, the eponymous prince offends Arawn, ruler of Annwn, by baiting his hunting hounds on a stag that Arawn's dogs had brought down. In recompense, Pwyll swaps places with Arawn for a year and defeats Arawn's enemy Hafgan. Meanwhile, Arawn rules Dyfed. During this year, Pwyll does not sleep with Arawn's wife, earning himself gratitude from Arawn. On his return, Pwyll becomes known by the title Pen Annwn, "Head (or Ruler) of Annwn".
Continental Celtic mythology
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The Gauls divided the universe into three parts: Albios ("heaven, white-world, upper-world"), Bitu ("world of the living beings"), and Dubnos ("hell, lower-world, black-world").[13];[14];[15] According to Lucan, the Gaulish druids believed that the soul went to an Otherworld, which he calls by the Latin name Orbis alius, before being reincarnated.[16]
Byzantine scholar Procopius of Caesarea described the Otherworld of the ancient Gauls. He said it was thought that the land of the dead lay west of Great Britain. The Continental Celtic myths told that once the souls of the dead had left their bodies, they traveled to the northwest coast of Gaul and took a boat toward Britain. When they crossed the Channel, the souls went to the homes of the fishermen, and knocked desperately at their doors. The fishermen then went out of their houses and led the souls to their destination in ghostly ships.
There are still remains of those beliefs in the folklore of Brittany, where the name Bag an Noz is used to denote those ships who carry the dead to their goal: Anatole Le Braz describes in his book La légende de la mort chez les Bretons armoricains the existence of souls' processions which make their way toward coastal places like Laoual, to start their last travel from there.
In Asturian mythology, there are many stories which describe human encounters with xanas, fairies which are dancing around a chief fairy, the Xana Mega, or the "Queen of Fairies", known as xacias in Galicia. The castro of Altamira is said to hide an enormous underground realm which is ruled by a royal couple, and whose entrance is found some place on the hill.
Adaptation in Fiction
Modern authors such as
See also
- Caer Sidi
- Celtic animism
- Celtic polytheism
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Koch, John T. Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, 2006. p.1671
- ^ "The Celts: The People 'At The End Of The World'". Columbia Theological Seminary. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-280120-1.
- ^ Cf. Eleanor Hull, The Silver Bough in Irish Legend, in Folk-Lore, xii.
- ^ a b MacCulloch, J. A. (1911). The Religion of the Ancient Celts. p.362.
- ^ a b c d Byrne, Aisling. Otherworlds: Fantasy and History in Medieval Literature. Oxford University Press, 2015. p.34
- ^ a b Freitag, Barbara. Hy Brasil: The Metamorphosis of an Island. Rodopi, 2013. pp.98-99, 101
- ^ MacKillop 1998, pp.147–9
- ^ Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. The Lore of Ireland. Boydell Press, 2006. p.179
- ^ Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. The Sacred Isle: Belief and Religion in Pre-Christian Ireland. Boydell & Brewer, 1999. pp.27, 58
- ISBN 0-520-03414-7
- ^ MacKillop 1998, pp.19–20
- OCLC 354152038.
- ISBN 9782501097178.
- ISBN 9781898410775.
- ^ Lucani, M. Annaei (1740). Pharsalia. p. 52.
- ^ Andoni Cossio (2021) Sir Orfeo as the Source for the Medieval Romance Topoi of Abduction and Otherworld Rampant within The Hobbit’s Mirkwood, ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, DOI: 10.1080/0895769X.2021.1967105
Further reading
- GEDŽIŪTĖ, AUDRONĖ. "Perceptions of Human Nature in Celtic Tradition: Significance of the Figure of the Bird". In: Folklore Studies / Tautosakos Darbai. 2019, Vol. 58. pp. 189-206. ISSN 1392-2831
- Simón Francisco, Marco (2018). "Los Caminos De La Muerte En La Hispania Romano-Céltica: Densidad Semántica Y Comunicación Religiosa". In: Palaeohispanica. Revista Sobre Lenguas Y Culturas De La Hispania Antigua, n.º 17 (junio). pp. 329-48. https://ifc.dpz.es/ojs/index.php/palaeohispanica/article/view/147.