Is it Friday already? What a busy week it’s been... that would be my lame explanation for the lack of posts ;-))).
Last weekend we took a drive along the scenic coast of California via Highway 1 (I vote it for the most beautiful highway in the country!)
I opened my favorite mythological encyclopedia right in the middle today and, ironically, it was the Manannán’s entry that first caught my eye.
Manannán mac Lir comes from the Celtic myths. Not only he is a sea/ocean deity, but also connected to the Underworld of the Dead and often portrayed as a psychopomp. He is described riding a horse, named Enbarr, among the waves or traveling through the ocean on his chariot. Manannan’s land ownership has been often connected to the Isle of Man in Great Britain, where he has been worshipped at least till the end on the 19th century. He is usually associated with the Goddess Tuatha Dé Danann or Dana, (who I’d love to research more!) but a lot of scholars consider Manannán even older than her.
After the battle by the tribes of Dana (aka fairies) versus the Mil’s sons or Fomorians, (close to the Greek Titans), the fairies retreated and hid in the magic hills or sidhens. It was Manannán who gave the lost tribes the three gifts: invisibility magic, eternal youth and his pigs, that would always be there, in spite of the fact how many of them had been eaten.
Here are a couple of fun resources to check out:
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manann%C3%A1n_mac_Lir">
"http://faoiltiarna-wolf.deviantart.com/art/Entreaty-to-Manannan-MacLir-145714092"> -- a beautiful poem by Faoiltiarna-Wolf
http://www.manannan.net/whois/index.html">
Enjoy!!!
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