{"id":303,"date":"2016-04-05T21:09:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T21:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/2016\/04\/05\/excerpt-from-the-war-goddesss-bitch\/"},"modified":"2020-08-30T02:07:42","modified_gmt":"2020-08-30T02:07:42","slug":"excerpt-from-the-war-goddesss-bitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/2016\/04\/05\/excerpt-from-the-war-goddesss-bitch\/","title":{"rendered":"Excerpt from “The War Goddess’s Bitch”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>This is from my article in Air n-Aithesc <\/i>Vol III, Issue 1 <\/a>currently available in hard-copy or e-copy from this link<\/a>.\u00a0 Unlike previous excerpts, this in not the beginning of it, as I began with a dream sequence that would be too long for a lead in and I don’t want to post only part of.\u00a0 The article is a continuation of my exploration of the f\u00e9nnidecht wolf-warrior path, specifically how I follow it as a devotion to the Morr\u00edgan and some material on female werewolves, weredogs and dog-heads.<\/p>\n

The War Goddess’s Bitch<\/h3>\n
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Wolf-warrior cults are usually attributed to male Gods. The Vedic Indra and Rudra, the Germanic Odin and the Greek Apollo Lykeios have all been associated with wolfish warrior bands.[i]<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>Kershaw states that there are no known Celtic Gods associated with warbands, other than seeing a similarity between Finn and the F\u00edanna and Rudhra and the Maruts.[ii]<\/span><\/span><\/a>Kershaw also mentions McCone\u2019s pairing of \u00d3dinn\/T\u00fdr and Lug\/N\u00faada as teuta<\/i>\/koryos<\/i>(civilization\/warband or wild) God pairings.[iii]<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0 <\/span>Lug is certainly a candidate for such a warrior cults: His relationship to both C\u00fa Chulainn and Finn, adds to this possibility.[iv]<\/span><\/span><\/a>While I would not argue against Lug, Finn (as a God, although I tend to focus on his nature as a semi-divine hero) or other Gods as having had such cults, I believe that it is as likely that the Goddesses who fall under the title the Morr\u00edgan were also likely to have been the Divine leaders of such cults.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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The Morr\u00edgan\u2019s interest in C\u00fa Chulainn, the Hound of the Smith, is evident throughout the TBC <\/i>and related Ulster tales. Some see their relationship as confrontational, often confusing. Epstein has speculated that She may indeed be his patron Deity.[v]<\/span><\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/span>Epstein noted that the seemingly adversarial nature of Her relationship with C\u00fa Chulainn can be seen as an effort to strengthen his glory, as I have also explored.[vi]<\/span><\/span><\/a> Epstein specifically brought up the similarities between his canine nature, which goes far deeper than just a name, and the Norse <\/span>ulfhe\u00f0nar<\/i> (\u201cwolf coats\u201d) and berserkr<\/i> (\u201cbear coats\u201d) who followed Odin. She speculated that this might hint at an ecstatic cult dedicated to an Morr\u00edgan<\/i>.<\/span>[vii]<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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This ecstatic, shape-shifting nature suggests such a cult as well as the obvious canine connection.\u00a0 <\/span>C\u00fa Chulainn\u2019s name connects him with canines: he is the Hound, actually acting as Culainn\u2019s guard dog as a boy, to replace the dog he killed.[viii]<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>Yet his form of shape-shifting, his r\u00edastrad<\/i> (warp spasm), is not decidedly canine. By killing the guard dog and then assuming the dog\u2019s role, C\u00fa <\/span>Chulainn was transformed completely into a hound not only for his time of service to the Smith but for the rest of his life.[ix]<\/span><\/span><\/a>He was always a hound. He was just wilder, more dangerous, rabid, when he transformed and he described himself as having canine fury in Tochmarc Emire<\/i>.[x]<\/span><\/span><\/a>His identity as the Hound was so significant that when St. Patrick conjured C\u00f9 Chulainn\u2019s specter in order to convert L\u00f3egaire, the king of Ireland, the specter\u2019s canine nature convinced the king that the specter was truly C\u00fa Chulainn.[xi]<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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C\u00fa Chulainn\u2019s story gives no indication of him as part of a warband. This lack is likely related to animosity between the church and such warriors they called d\u00edberga<\/i> (marauders, brigands).[xii]<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0 <\/span>It is notable that the ecstatic transformation and the connection to a Deity were revealed at all.\u00a0 <\/span>When the stories of warbands were finally set down, the F\u00edanna seem quite divorced from the earlier, negative, accounts of the d\u00edberga<\/i>, that displayed little association with either shape-shifting or Deity.[xiii]<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The association with hounds is strong in the stories around Finn Mac Cumhail. There are many members of the F\u00edanna with canine names. However, the f\u00e9nnidi\u2019s own canine nature is only hinted at vaguely. \u00a0<\/span><\/span>Finn did have the hood of Crothrainne, which allowed him to turn to hound or stag, yet there is little evidence of him using it.[xiv]<\/span><\/span><\/a>In one alternative tale of the birth of Bran, Finn was his father by a woman enchanted into the form of a bitch.\u00a0 <\/span>One might choose to speculate that he used the hood at that time.[xv]<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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[i]<\/span><\/span><\/a> Kris Kershaw, The One-eyed God: Odin and the (Indo-) Germanic M\u00e4nnerb\u00fcnde<\/i>, Journal of Indo-European Studies, Monograph No. 36<\/i>., Washington D.C.: Institute for the Study of Man Inc., 2000, such Gods and Their cults are the subject of the entire study, however particular interest might rest in ch. 9 \u201cOdin Analogues\u201d pg. 182-200; Dorcas Brown and David Anthony, \u201cMidwinter Dog Sacrifices at LBA Krasnosamarskoe, Russia And Traces of Initiations for M\u00e4nnerb\u00fcnde<\/i>\u201d Paper presented, Conference: Tracing the Indo-European: Origin and migrations. Roots of Europe Research Center, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Dec 11\u201313, 2012.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[ii]<\/span><\/span><\/a> Kershaw, The One-eyed God, <\/i>pg. 186.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[iii]<\/span><\/span><\/a> Kershaw, The One-eyed God, <\/i>pg. 195.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[iv]<\/span><\/span><\/a> C. Lee Vermeers discussed his relationship with L\u00fa Ard\u00e1inm\u00f3r as a lycanthropic God in a blog post http:\/\/faoladh.blogspot.com\/2013\/05\/what-i-domy-own-gods-part-one-my-upg-so.html and has also talked about Apollo as a Wind-Wolf God, http:\/\/faoladh.blogspot.com\/2011\/05\/gods-and-goddesses-of-werewolves-wind.html<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[v]<\/span><\/span><\/a>Epstein, \u201cWar Goddesses,\u201d Ch. 2.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[vi]<\/span><\/span><\/a>Epstein, \u201cWar Goddesses,\u201d Ch. 2; Lambert, \u201cMusings on the Irish War Goddesses;\u201d also further explored in my blog post \u201cThe Morr\u00edgan and C\u00fa Chulainn part 1: On Saying \u2018No.\u2019\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[vii]<\/span><\/span><\/a>Epstein, \u201cWar Goddesses\u2026,\u201d Ch. 3.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[viii]<\/span><\/span><\/a>TBC Rec 1 <\/i>pg.\u00a0 <\/span>17-19,140-142; TBC:BOL <\/i>pg. 23-25, 160-163.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[ix]<\/span><\/span><\/a> McCone, \u201cAided Cheltchair Maic Uthechair<\/i>: Hounds, Heroes and Hospitallers in Early Irish Myth and Story.\u201d \u00c9riu <\/i>35, 1984 pg. 8-11, I discuss this act as being linked to wolf-warrior initiations in \u201cGoing Into Wolf-shape.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[x]<\/span><\/span><\/a>Bernhardt-House, Werewolves, Magical Hounds, and Dog-headed Men, <\/i>pg. 174, 343.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[xi]<\/span><\/span><\/a>Joseph Falaky Nagy, Conversing with Angels and Ancient: Literary Myths of Medieval Ireland, <\/i>Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1997, pg. 274.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[xii]<\/span><\/span><\/a> Kim McCone, \u201cWerewolves, Cyclopes, D\u00edberga and F\u00edanna: Juvenile Delinquency in Early Ireland\u201d Cambridge Medieval Celtic Studies<\/i>, issue 12, 1986, pg. 3-4; Sharpe, \u201cHiberno-Latin Laicus<\/i>, Irish L\u00e1ech<\/i> and the Devil’s Men,\u201d <\/span>\u00c9riu <\/i>\u00a0<\/span>30, 1979, pg. 80-87.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[xiii]<\/span><\/span><\/a>Kim McCone, \u201cWerewolves, Cyclopes, \u2026\u201d, pg. 3-4; I discuss other links between the d\u00edberga<\/i> and the F\u00edanna and canine nature further in \u201cGoing Into Wolf-shape\u201d as well.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[xiv]<\/span><\/span><\/a>Kuno Meyer, ed. and trans., \u201cThe Finn episode from Gilla in Chomded h\u00faa Cormaic’s poem “A R\u00ed richid, r\u00e9idig dam<\/i>” <\/span>Fianaigecht<\/u><\/i>,<\/u> 1910, Hodges, Figgis & Co., Dublin, Ireland, pg. 51. http:\/\/archive.org\/details\/fianaigechtbeing00meye<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[xv]<\/span><\/span><\/a>As we\u2019ll discuss shortly, Bran and Sceolang are more commonly said to be the children of Finn\u2019s aunt, however, this tale is noted by Bernhardt-House, Werewolves, Magical Hounds, and Dog-headed Men, <\/i>pg. 196.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2016 Saigh Kym Lambert
\nWolf Copyright \u00a9 2002 Aaron Miller, based on Newbigging Leslie stone<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is from my article in Air n-Aithesc Vol III, Issue 1 currently available in hard-copy or e-copy from this link.\u00a0 Unlike previous excerpts, this in not the beginning of it, as I began with a dream sequence that would be too long for a lead in and I don’t want to post only part […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[19,31,7,13,30,12,20,14,4,32,29,33,15,27,16,9,10],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pad6Py-4T","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":488,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303\/revisions\/488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}