How Druids Learned To Read The Moon Through Story

Welcome to the History of Ireland. In the last episode, we explored how the wooing of Éadín was found and then told the story of how the Dagda played it fairly fast and loose with property rights in and around the area of Newgrange. Before we get into the rest of the story, where we meet the eponymous Éadín, I wanted to speak to how these ancient stories are sometimes more than they first appear.

As someone who has lived in Australia for years, I have always been fascinated by the way in which First Nations people tell stories and how connected to the land those stories are. First Nations people in Australia will speak about songlines and obviously I am no expert on this and this will all be a gross simplification but these are stories and songs tied specifically to geographical elements. As writer Ron Glynn MacDonald puts it, First Nations people would sing their way across the country like some kind of GPS or map. The story would teach you where to go, teach you about the land but also teach you about the culture and how to live and things like that.

It’s kind of amazing and it was the first thing I thought of when I stumbled across a paper by the academic Ronald Hicks who writes about the wooing of Éadín and how it actually is a means of conveying information about the moon and how it travels across the sky. There are a range of different points in the story that Hicks calls out which I’ll go into detail on once we’re finished but the first one and one related to today’s excerpt is how the characters and specifically Éadín move between Newgrange and Maginnis.

Now we’ve discussed how Newgrange and the area around the Boyne had huge significance for the ancient Irish and a deep connection with astronomy but Hicks argues that located near Maginnis is the Ballineau stone circle and that this too was connected to astronomy. The stone circle aligns with the winter solstice sunset over Sleave Donnard but Hicks also argues that it marks the moon’s extreme northern rise as seen from Newgrange over a 19-year cycle known as the Metonic cycle.

His argument is that the characters’ movements from Newgrange to Maginnis represents the moon’s movement and the tale mentions 12 plains and 7 rivers to remind Filly of the 19-year Metonic cycle. If that all sounds a bit complicated well it’s because it is but just know that the theory is that the part of the story we’re looking at today was designed to act as a learning device to help Filly and druids remember the complicated 19-year path of the moon. How cool is that?

Like Australian First Nation songlines it’s an example of a storytelling culture that is deeply, deeply connected to the land and the skies. With all that in mind let’s actually get into the story itself. I should say I’ve technically split the first part of The Wooing of Aideen across this episode and the last one then I’m adding a little bit of the second section at the end just in case any purists complain. It’s all done for good reason. Here goes.

Remember last episode Angus had taken over Newgrange. The next year Midder came back to Newgrange to visit his foster son. He found Angus on the She Mound overlooking two companies of youth playing hurling before him. To the south Elkmere sat on his own land in Claytock watching as well.

As Midder and Angus watched from Newgrange and Elkmere watched from Claytock a fight broke out among the youths. Angus was about to go down and break up the quarrel but Midder put a hand across the young son’s chest. Do not stir said Midder. If you do Elkmere may come down to the plain and cause even more trouble. I’ll go down instead and make peace between them.

So Midder went down and tried to pull the youths off one another. It was not easy for him to part them. There was punching and kicking and fighting with old Midder in the middle trying to break it all up. And as he did a holly stick was thrown at Midder and it knocked out his eye.

Midder retreated as the brawl continued. He climbed back up to Angus and complained. Would that I had not come. I am put to shame. With this blemish I cannot hold the land I have come to nor can I return to the land that I left.

You are right Angus said. It would be in no way wise to leave. I’ll go to Danchapt and see if he can heal you. And until then my land will be your land. Soon your eyes will be whole again without shame or blemish because of it.

Angus headed straight for Danchapt and begged the doctor for help. Please come with me he said. I need you to save my foster father who has been hurt in Newgrange on the day of Samhain. And because he was a good sort Danchapt agreed and popped Midder’s eye back into its socket.

That’s better Midder said. Good will be my journey now since I am healed. Indeed said Angus. But you should stay here a year so you can see my host and my folk, my household and my land. No I will not stay said Midder unless I’m rewarded.

Oh Angus said. What would you like? That’s easy to say Midder replied. A chariot worth seven cummels or female slaves, a crown befitting me and the fairest maiden in Ireland. I have the chariot and the mantle Angus said. But what about the maiden who surpasses all maidens in Ireland Midder asked. Well I don’t know where she is.

She’s in Ulster Midder said. Clearly already having someone in mind. Eileal’s daughter Éadín Eaghach, daughter of the King of Ulster. She is the dearest and gentlest and loveliest in Ireland.

Angus headed off to Ulster to the home of Eileal in Maginnis. Eileal welcomed him with open arms and Angus stayed three nights. As he arrived he announced himself saying I am Angus Magach son of the Dagda of the Tuath Dé and I am here to ask for your daughter Éadín.

I will not give her to you Eileal said because sure I can’t profit from you because of the nobility of your family and the greatness of your power and your father’s power. If you insulted my daughter in any way I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. I would never insult her Angus said. But what if I bought her from you straight away? Apparently this wasn’t seen as insulting.

That could work Eileal replied. Well state your demand. It’s no hard matter. Simply clear for me twelve plains in my land that are under bog and wood so I can graze cattle and live there. The land will be used for games and assemblies, gatherings and strongholds. It shall be done Angus said. Though he wasn’t quite sure how he’d manage it.

He rushed off home and bewailed, that is to say complained, to his father the Dagda of the dire straits that he was in. But the Dagda did not bat an eyelid. Instead simply cleared the land. The Dagda calls twelve plains to be cleared in a single night in Eileal’s land. These are the names of the plains. Magmaca, Maglemna, Magnetha, Magchukar, Magdula, Magchakt, Magli, Maglin, Magmorten. Notice how we only name nine plains.

With his father having done the job for him the young princeling returned to Eileal. You will not have a din, Eileal said, until you draw out of this land to the sea twelve great rivers that are in wells and bogs and moors to bring produce from the sea to my friends and family.

Again Eileal rushed off and bewailed to the Dagda of the dire straits that he was in. But again the Dagda did not worry and in a single night he caused twelve great waters to course towards the sea. These are the names of the rivers. Find, Modorn, Slina, Nas, Amnas, Ogin, Orr, Banda, Saur, and Loch. Again notice here how it’s ten rivers named, adding nineteen all and up, the metionic moon cycle.

You will not have her, Eileal said, after Angus returned back to him, because if I give her to you I’ll have no way to profit from her from then on. What do you need of me now, Angus said, growing weary of all these requests, even though it was his father doing all the work. I require a din’s weight in gold and silver, Eileal said.

Now it would be easy to think that Eileal was being greedy, but he followed this demand up with a good point. Everything you have done so far will benefit her friends and family and the people of the area. This gold and silver, that will be my price. Finally this was something Angus could do on his own. Aedene was placed on the floor in Eileal’s house and her weight in gold and silver was placed beside her. That wealth was left with Eileal and Angus took Aedene away.

Angus and Aedene arrived back in Newgrange to a very warm welcome from Midr. That night Midr slept with Aedene and the next day Angus followed up on the rest of the deal, giving Midr a mantle and a chariot. Midr was much pleased with his foster son and with his rewards he stayed a year in Newgrange, helping Angus rule.

On the same day, the next year, Midr returned to his own land in Breeleith and took Aedene with him. As he left, Angus gave a warning to his old foster father. Take care of the woman you are taking with you, because of the dreadful cunning woman that awaits you at home.

You see, in his chasing of Aedene, it seems Midr forgot that he was married to a formidable woman named Fumnok. She was wise and prudent and skilled in the knowledge and power of the Tuidé, having trained under the druid Bressil before marrying Midr. Midr arrived home to Fumnok with Aedene by his side, but if Fumnok was fazed by this she did not show it. Instead, the powerful and cunning Fumnok made Midr and Aedene most welcome.

Having arrived home unannounced with a younger, more beautiful new lover, maybe Midr should have treated this warm welcome with suspicion. But alas, he did not. Fumnok took Midr and Aedene and gave them a tour of the land, showcasing the hard work she had done to keep Midr’s estate running while he had been away.

Then, once the tour was over, Fumnok took Aedene into her home and Aedene sat down in the chair at the middle of the house. You have taken the seat of a good woman, Fumnok declared, and then taking a rod of scarlet quicken-tree, Fumnok struck Aedene and the beautiful girl, turned into a pool of water in the middle of the house. Fumnok stormed off, returning to her druid foster father, and Midr fled the house that was now flooded with what had become of his new lover.

There Aedene sat, laying in the middle of the house, thinking whatever thoughts a young maiden turned into a puddle must think. But this was not the end of Aedene’s story. Soon, the heat of the fire and the air and the seething of the ground combined to turn the pool of water at the centre of the house into a worm, which soon became a purple fly.

And that’s where we’ll end it today, with the bonkers cliffhanger of Aedene turned into a fly. As Mark Williams puts it, this moment illustrates how early Irish saga is distinguished by moments of ferocious weirdness, and so contrasts sharply with the sober moralising characteristics of most genres of old English literature.

It’s in fact so odd that later translators changed fly to the much nicer butterfly or dragonfly. But it’s generally accepted that no, the Irish word used is very specifically a fly, a big old blue bottle style fly. Why a fly? Pretty hard to say, other than it being both a horrible fate and a fascinating visual. Talk about Kafkaesque. But it has been posited that her transformation from water to worm to fly represents the three domains of the Irish cosmos, water, earth and air. These were very important to the people of Ireland.

Next episode, we’ll see what happens to poor Aedene the fly. Thanks for listening. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and if you’re enjoying it, give us a review on Apple Podcasts or tell your friends. It really helps. If you want to go further, you can support the show, get ad-free listening and bonus content on our Patreon page. Simply follow the Patreon link in the show notes, or visit our website, thehistoryofireland.com.

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The History of Ireland was written and produced by me, Kevin Doyle, with music by Liam Doyle, and additional help from assistant producer Aoife Murphy. This podcast was recorded in the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. Sovereignty was never ceded.