Show Notes
Culture heroes, ancestor figures, genii loci, gods and godesses ... Can all, or indeed, any of these terms be useful in defining some favourite characters in Irish mythology, Join Chris as she takes a walk throuh a forest of stories on a light hearted search for hidden identities.
Links for this episode
I have referenced a wide variety of stories over the route of this ramble. I would recommend exploring the Story Archaeology archive where you will find links to all these stories. However, I did specifically reference the episodes below.
In Search of Manannan
In Search of Midir
The Writing of the Taking: A converstion with Jamie Madden (available very soon)
More from Story Archaeology
The story of Sinann, who gave her name to the river Shannon, was first recorded, in written form, in the Metrical Dindshenchas, 'the Lore of Prominent Places'. Such tales morph and shapeshift as they are retold through time yet still retain unexpected applicabilities. Join Chris as she traces her own meandering journey in Sinann's company.
William Robinson: Tallanbanna with cloud front. 1988
Animal companions have played a variety of important roles in human societies over the millenia. Join Chris as she explores how dogs, cats and even the occasional crane, have been regarded and regulated both in the comprehensive early Irish law texts and Irish stories, mythology and folklore.
Recent DNA testing on a long ignored jawbone fragment has opened a viewpoint on the distant past to when and how animal companions began to alter the everyday lives of human communities. Join Chris as she explores this new research and wonders, on the way, what 'pet' names might they have chosen!