Final! :D Flashcards
1
Q
Irish battle furies (triple Celtic goddess of war and death)
A
- the Morrigan
- Badbh
- Macha
- pick over the bodies of the dead on the battlefield
- often appeared to mortals in a mutilated guise
2
Q
the 9 Witches of Gloucester
A
- Peredur
- Fedelm in The Tain… predicting Medh’s defeat “I see it crimson, I see it red.
3
Q
The Grail
A
- Chretien de Troyes’ Perceval, Peredur in the Mabinogion, Von Eschenbach Parzival
- Mysterious voyages to the other world
- Initiation into kingship and sovereignty
- Fertility ritual
- Land becomes a wasteland and infertile, if the king’s genitals have been wounded
- Typically the wound always in the thigh, a euphemism for the genitals
- Procession of the grail
- 3 Elements
- The grail or chalice is the feminine element the Platter held by a woman, made of silver
- The Bleeding spear the male element is the weapon that wounded the Fisher king and symbolizes the dying kingdom he embodies
- the two unite to restore the waste/infertile land
4
Q
Ireland
A
- perceived as a woman
- fertile, wasted by her masters, Staunch, fickle, lover, mother
- always mysterious
5
Q
Guinevere as Sovereignty Goddess
A
- her import lies in her repeated abductions which is directly related to sovereignty
- abducting Guinevere, or any queen, represents a threat to Arthur’s right to rule the kingdom
- whoever possessed Guinevere possessed the right to rule
- she is the sovereignty of the land
6
Q
Morgan
A
- Arthur’s half sister
- tied with the Irish war triplicity goddess Morrigan, especially Macha
- The Brythonic goddess Modron, Welsh deity connected to Morgan in Triadic and oral tradition
- good nature but difficult to appease
- considered a ‘virgin’ because she refuses to submit to masculine authority
- represents female rebellion against male authority
- was sometimes able to shape-shift into a bird
7
Q
Vivianne
A
- The lady of the lake
- bring excalibur
- Arthur’s friend, similar traits to Morgan
- Merlin falls in love with Vivianne
- would not return his love unless he revealed his magic to her
- a magnificent orchard called the ‘Haunt of the Merriment, a microcosm of the world
allows her to extend her influence over the whole world
8
Q
Keening
A
- a mournful-sounding wail usually performed by women
- originated with praise poetry
- began until keeners were sure the spirit had left the body
- origination of Keening is often associated with the Dagda’s daughter, Brigit, who’s son was killed
- fear (1) offending the spirit (2) trapping the spirit on earth
9
Q
Banshee
A
- fairy woman who forewarns/portends someone’s death
- a solitary creature
- seen only in the darkest part f the night
- if seen, will melt into the night air
- same category as a fairy or leprechauns
- Seen in one of the three main guises: as a lovely young maiden, a matronly mother figure, an old hag
- Wears a grey hooded cloak or winding sheet, the grave robe of dead, or all in translucent white, with long flowing white hair
- The death coach will leave the Otherworld on the command of the banshee
- a woman of the fairy mound
- a solitary creature who walk and laments alone
- never joins any other mortal or otherworldly social group
- she combs her long white tresses with a silver comb as she laments
- see a comb on the ground in Ireland it should never be picked up, it may be a banshee luring
10
Q
Sheelanagig
A
- grotesque naked females, spread their legs and expose their genitals usually with an exaggerated vulva
- in Ireland the grotesques became sexy sheelas
- reminders of womanly evil
- used at ecclesiasctical sites
- perhaps God’s use of evil to combat evil
11
Q
Death and the Underworld / Otherworldly
A
- evidence of the Otherworldly feast which is found in Heroic Tales
- a god presiding over the communal Otherworld banquet, acts as a host to the opposing companies of Ulster and Connaught
- large pig is provided there ensues the usual squabble over the Champion portion
- Pork figured largely in such feast, pork joints are often found in Iron Age Celtic sepulchral contexts
- Chthonic meals found in Iron Age graves gives evidence of Otherworldly feast
- wine and a hearth were provided for the dead cheif and a guest
- Urnfield Culture and inhumation burials
12
Q
Aitheda
A
- elopements
- female seduction of men
- generally ends tragically
13
Q
Tochmarca
A
- courtship
- willing abduction
- usually ends in marriage
14
Q
Tristan & Iseult
A
- Fisher King theme, Tristan wounded in the hip
- Philtre (love potion) makes the two fall in love
- Orchard theme of virgin as rebellious woman
- The lovers flee to the forest, theme of virgin as rebellious woman
- the lovers flee to the forest, theme of virgin as rebellious woman
- Tristan helps Dwarf and gets a wound in his kidneys (fisher king motif again)
15
Q
Diarmaid & Grainne
A
- Grainne puts a geis on Diarmaid of danger and destruction unless he takes her out of the castle
- Forbidden love means the couple are banished from civil society and forced to wander as punishment
- Double entendre here on wandering
- Grotto or cave provides sanctuary, considered the heart of the castle analogous
- the forest becomes impenetrable it is referred to as a ‘virgin’ forest and is a universal image of femininity.
16
Q
Fated women of destruction
A
- Iseult, Grainne, Blodeuwedd
- the medieval orchard or forest that the submerged Princes awaits her lover
17
Q
Blodeuwedd
A
- manufactured from flowers
- outside of the maternal womb, denied her sexuality and create
- the father had triumphed over the mother
- making a manufactured object of a woman which he can possess and use for his own ends
- she has no choice in her creation or life
- her refusal to accept her situation
- rebellion only completed if she kills her husband
18
Q
Dahud
A
- Breton legend of ker-ys is wild, wilful, participates in revelries, drinking, and entertaining men
- Condemned by st. Guenole abbott of Landevennec
- drowned by the waves she lets into ker-ys
- guenole feels compassion for her and turns her into a mermaid
19
Q
Ceridwen of the Cauldron
A
- lives at the bottom of Llyn Tegid
- Cauldron blesses her servant instead of her son
- She pursues the servant both of whom shape-shift until
- She gives to the glorious Taliesin
- is gifted with the magical power of poetry
20
Q
Peig Sayers
A
- late 19th to mid-20th century
- Spent most of her life on the great blasket island off the coast of CountyKerry
- wrote two books in Irish “Peig” and “An Old Woman’s Reflections
21
Q
Witchcraft
A
- the periphery of pagan Celtic religion
- allowed them magical control over people and events
- Decapitated with their heads places beside their legs, the removal of the lower jaw implies an attempt to prevent speech, ability to cast spells
- Cemetery at Lankhills, Winchester and Dorset
22
Q
The Irish Witch
A
- inherently evil
- the 6 Children of Cailitin, created by Queen Medb
- to bring the death of Cu Chulainn
23
Q
Larzac Inscription
A
- Curses condemning wrongdoers and invoking the punitive support of the gods
- frequently inscribed on sheets of lead or pewter
- deposited in temples or springs
- Lead symbolizing infernal and negative supernatural forces
- broken in 2 and covered he remains of a woman
- written in Gaulish
- 2 groups of women endowed with magic
- attempting to harm the other by magic
- the second group called upon wise women or seers to neutralize the evil charm
- part of their defense against the evil spell
24
Q
Tuatha de Danann
A
- sang spells over a well
- into which the dead were cast to that they might climb out alive again
25
Q
Brig
A
- mythological forerunner of st. brigit
- one of the 3 spell-casting daughters of the great god, the Dagda
- One was a seer, one a healer, and one a smith
26
Q
The Saints’ Vitae
A
- the mischief intended by women magic makers and called upon the help of god to defeat the magic of women.
- forbade belief in vampire or witches
- denouncing the magic of women
- murder, adultery, heresy, magic considered a serious sin
- the punishment of which was banishment from ordinary social relations
27
Q
The Cain Adomnain
A
- legal tract fulminated against anyone found practicing “bed magic”
28
Q
“Bed Magic”
A
- any love spell preventing proper sexual relations, love charms
- even experimenting with the effect of charmed morsels on a dog
29
Q
The story of Cainech
A
- used druidism, magic craft and diabolic science in an attempt to hex to death the son of the king of Leinster
30
Q
Malleus Maleficarum
A
- Jacob Sprenger and Heinrich Krammer
- The witch hunter’s Bible
31
Q
Wicca
A
- Modern religion with an initiatory period of study and reflection
- inform interested parties and help to dispel misconceptions
- over 18
- ask for initiation as Wicca does not seek out converts
- interval between seeking and receiving initiation is a year and a day
- emphasizes the divine element in the female principle
- study includes divination, incantation, dedication, and purification towards harmony with Nature, spiritual transformation and self-knowledge
- believe in the all-powerful Earth Goddess as well as in other Nature deities such as Cernunos, the Horned God
- Open to both women and men
- 8 seasonal festivals called Sabbats
32
Q
8 Seasonal Sabbats
A
- The Wheel of the Year
- endlessly rotating wheel
1. Samhain
2. Yule
3. Imbolc
4. Spring Equinox
5. Beltane
6. Midsummer
7. Lughnasadh
8. Autumn Equinox
33
Q
Modern Day Druidism
A
- belief in the links between the present and remote past
- all life is sacred and worthy of protection
- both religion and a philosophy
- Many Druids are Pagans
- Seeks a deeper understanding of Nature
- Celebrate 8 seasonal ceremonies situated at the 8 compass points
34
Q
Druid Organizations
A
- Gorsedd Bards of Caer Abiri
- The British Druid Order
- The Insular Order of Druids
- The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids
- The Ancient Druid Order
- A Druid Fellowship
35
Q
The Celtic Wolf
A
- complex and Otherworldly creature
- always had varied personalities
- shape-shifting wolf could be seen as evil
36
Q
Scots Witch
A
- Belief in the supernatural and spell casting was part of everyday life
- witches sold their soul their soul to the devil
- held witches’ sabbaths, a kind of anti- Christian service
- in Scotland between 1550-1700 was the witch hunt
- put on trial for witchcraft and various forms of diabolism
37
Q
Great Scot Witch Hunts
A
- 1590-1591
- 1597
- 1628-1633
- 1649
- 1661-1662
38
Q
Witch Pricker
A
- employed
- named after the way they pricked the body of someone accused of witchcraft
- if the person didn’t bleed, it was evidence to convict them
- compiled a case for the local courts
39
Q
Imbas Forosnai
A
- The gift of clairvoyance
- possessed by the poets and Druids, in Early Ireland
- Imbas - means inspiration or knowledge
- Forosnai - means that which illuminates
- the practitioner engages in sensory deprivation techniques to enter a trance and receive answers or prophecy
40
Q
The Evil Eye
A
- a form of charm or sorcery used for both good and bad
- Alan the Dogs - seen by children as having the Evil Eye
41
Q
Avalon
A
- Also called the Fortunate Isle
- Vegetation grows without cultivation
- Harvests are rich and the forest thick with apples
- Ruled by 9 sisters
- the most beautiful and powerful being Morgan
- no criminals, no snow, no rain, no extreme heat, no death, illness or old age
- a paradise like the Garden of Eden, Tir na Mban (Island of Women)
42
Q
The Film we saw
A
- the Comb of the Banshee in her first appearance
- Darby’s O’Gill’s use of the work Pooka with respect to the horse, Cleopatra
43
Q
Pooka
A
- a spirit that usually appears in animals form
- malevolent or benevolent
- malevolent form it often appears as a horse that endangers and threatens mortals
- benevolent form it is helpful and kind as with the Scottish brownies
- derives from the Welsh pwca
44
Q
Gaul Afterlife
A
- funerals are splendid and costly
- putting all the man was fond of put on the pyre, including even animals
- sometimes even slaves and dependants that were their masters favourites
- attention paid to a good send off
- human souls still controlled their bodies in another world after death
- special attention was paid to a ‘good send-off’
- believed souls were immortal and controlled their bodies in another world after death
- lived a second life when the soul passed to another body
45
Q
The Irish Otherworld
A
- happy free for care, disease, old age and ugliness
- dominated by abundance, magic, music and birdsong
- Unpleasant elements are introduced when mortals visit
- not always Elysian
- a somber place presided over by the god Donn
- reflecting a dark aspect to the afterlife
- the festival of Samhain
- it is the somber images that dominate
- the spirits of the dead move freely among the living and the barriers between the natural and supernatural world are removed
46
Q
Urnfield Burial
A
- The urnfield culture, was a burial rite of cremation in flat cemeteries or urnfields
47
Q
Hallstatt Culture Burial
A
- superseded by that of inhumation burial
- the period of Roman influence, the afterlife was amirroring earthly life
- evidence of elaborate, aristocratic graves
- earthly status was recognized and continued on into eternity
- Aristocratic Celtic graves were typically enclosed in a plank-lined chamber with various grave goods
48
Q
The Hohmichele Barrow
A
2 wooden chambers, one female burial with a wagon, the other a male burial with wagon and harness, laid on a bull-hide with a woman beside him
- buried with his quiver 2 bows and 50 iron tipped arrows
49
Q
Czech Republic Burial
A
- mostly female people were buried with heads, hands and feets missing the quartered carcasses of 2 horses
- inside a cauldron was a human skull
- another skull formed a drinking cup
- offering to infernal powers
50
Q
La Tene Burial
A
- characterized by two-wheeled vehicle burials
- this form of burial is found later in Britian with Arras Culture
51
Q
Arras Culture
A
- not largely military or warriors
- both women and men found
- Lady’s Barrow
- contained a skeleton with pig bones, dismantled chariot whip and mirror behind her head
- Wetwang Slack
- possessions of a man and woman respectively with two chariots
