The Mythology of Ancient Ireland — The Historical Cycle

Traditionally, there are four cycles that make up Irish historical mythology. These cycles are the very basis of the Irish Faery Faith, and are the origin of the Irish Pantheon of gods and goddesses. The four Irish mythological cycles are:

• The Mythological Cycle;
• The Ulster Cycle;
• The Fenian Cycle;
• The Historical Cycle.

The Timeline of the Historical Cycle

Tales from the Historical Cycle are ascribed dates ranging from the 3rd century all the way to the 8th century. Most of these dates revolve around various high-kings of Ireland, and occasionally on some provincial kings. Many of the dates regarding the Irish kings of this cycle can be measured against known historical events. This makes the Historical Cycle the easiest of the four cycles to accurately date.

What is the Historical Cycle of Ireland?

The Historical Cycle is one of kingship and kings. In fact, most of the surviving tales from the Historical Cycle feature the three most influential kings of the Historical Cycle. These three kings are:

• Conaire Mor to Conn of the Hundred Battles;
• Niall of the Nine Hostages;
• Domnall, son of Aed.

Niall of the Nine Hostages is particularly significant. He was the greatest king in Ireland between Cormac mac Airt and the arrival of St. Patrick. His reign was truly inspiring to all warriors of the time. He ruled Ireland with strength, and carried the name and fear of Ireland into all nearby nations. He founded the longest, most important, and most powerful of all Irish dynasties. His descendants ruled Ireland, almost without interruption, for almost six hundred years.

This cycle, sometimes known as the Cycle of Kings, is less than all other cycles. It is less magical than the Mythological Cycle. Less heroic than the Ulster Cycle. Less romantic than the Fenian Cycle. Instead, the tales of the Historical Cycle are about kings, kingship, dynasties, and succession. They also abound with stories of the royal houses and the many royals of all Ireland during this time.

The most distinctive features of this cycle and its legends are kingship and the nature of the bond between a king and his country. The characters of this cycle are loyal and committed, and would lay down their lives for their king or their country.

The Mythology of Ancient Ireland — The Fenian Cycle

There are four cycles that make up traditional Irish mythology. These cycles describe the development of the Celtic Pantheon of gods and goddesses. The four Irish mythological cycles are:

• The Mythological Cycle;
• The Ulster Cycle;
• The Fenian Cycle;
• The Historical Cycle.

The Timeline of the Fenian Cycle

The Fenian Cycle is full of legends based upon the fiana (war bands) and their leader, Finn mac Cumaill. Sometimes, this cycle is referred to as the Ossianic Cycle, because of the rather romantic poems attributed to Finn’s son, Ossian.

Finn and his fiana served Cormac mac Airt, who was one of the greatest poets of all the ancient kings of Ireland. Cormac died in 267 C.E. It can be safely said, then, that the Fenian Cycle began around 200 C.E., and continued towards the end of the century.

What is the Fenian Cycle of Ireland?

The Fenian Cycle is full of tales of heroism, romance, and kingship. The central king of this cycle, Cormac mac Airt was arguably the greatest king that Ireland ever knew. When he resigned his High-Kingship, he ended one of the most blessed times that Ireland had ever experienced. There are three literary works which are attributed to him by some sources. These are:

• Teagasc an Riogh (Instructions of a King);
• The Book of Acaill (Book of the Principles of Criminal Law);
• The Psaltair of Tara, which is no longer in existence, but is referenced in many other works.

These items, more than any other literary works of the time, show that Ireland did have a literary culture all its own, contrary to the beliefs of the early Roman Catholic Church, which stated that the Irish were uneducated. More than that, they give insight into the Fenian Cycle and its heroes.

The tales of the Fenian Cycle are similar to those in the Ulster Cycle. They both focus on the heroic characters of the times, but there are some vital differences. For one, the fiana were foot soldiers, where the Ulster heroes were almost always mounted or in their chariots.

The second difference is perhaps more subtle, but also more important. The heroes of the Ulster Cycle were almost infamous in their need to individuate themselves from the group. Their rivalries were the stuff of legend, and they rarely cooperated with each other. In contrast, the fiana, the primary heroes of the Fenian Cycle, shared their experiences. They lived for the camaraderie that comes from being a member of a unique group. They lived with an intense pleasure that the Ulster heroes had been lacking.

The Fenian tales were also heavy on romance and poetry, almost like the Arthurian legends of lower Britain. The cycle’s greatest tale of heroism, The Pursuit of Diarmaid And Grainne, is also its most romantic. The finest collection of Fenian tales, The Agallam na Seanorach (the Colloquy of the Ancients), is an account of the fiana’s greatest achievements. It is also among the most poetic of texts from that era.

The most distinctive features of this cycle and its legends are human warmth and feeling. The central group of characters of the Fenian Cycle are sometimes wizards, sometimes heroes, but they are always passionate about their cause.

The Mythology of Ancient Ireland — The Ulster Cycle

Traditional Irish historical mythology, with its culture and superstition, has four cycles. These cycles, documented in Irish texts, are vital to the development of the Celtic Pantheon of gods and goddesses. The four Irish mythological cycles are:

• The Mythological Cycle;
• The Ulster Cycle;
• The Fenian Cycle;
• The Historical Cycle.

The Timeline of the Ulster Cycle

The Ulster Cycle begins, in a historical sense, around the time of Christ, or in the Common Era (C.E.). For the most part, tales of this time surround the ancient and respect King Conchobar of Ulster, also known as Conor MacNessa. He was a powerful Irish ruler, noted in both ancient songs and stories, who became ruler of all of Ireland. He resided at Emain Macha, and founded the Rudrician line of the Ulster kings. His story is told in The Sons of Usnach, and in the much more popular tale of The Tain Bo Cualigne.

Most of the tales out of this cycle revolve around the rivalry between the two northern Irish provinces of Ulster and Connacht. This rivalry was at its height around the beginning of the Common Era, which is where this cycle is placed in history.

What is the Ulster Cycle of Ireland?

The Ulster Cycle is full of many different mythological figures. It is in this cycle that Queen Medb (also known as Maeve) makes her first appearance. She was the daughter of Eocaid, the High King (Ard-Righ) of Ireland. Medb is often credited as the original instigator of the great Connaught-Ulster war, and she eventually became a warrior-goddess.

Another popular legend from this cycle involves Deirdre and the Sons of Usnach. This tale reveals King Conchobar, despite his reputation for fairness and kingliness, was sometimes no more than a man. The sorrows of Deirdre is one of the Three Sorrows of Irish storytelling, and should not be ignored by the serious student of Irish mythology.

Despite all these regal and sometimes immortal characters, there is one figure who is more notable than all the rest. The foster-son of King Conchobar, Cu Chulainn, was the greatest and most dazzling of all the heroes of this cycle, and his life is the source of many Irish stories. There are many legends that he plays a great role in, including:

• The Amazonian war-goddesses who taught him battle skills;
• Emer, the most beautiful woman in Ireland who eventually becomes his wife;
• Morrigan, the great Irish war-goddess;
• Fand, the Faery Queen who was the wife of the Irish sea-god Manannan mac Lir.

The most distinctive features of this cycle and its legends are willpower and fearless action. The central group of characters of the Ulster Cycle are not wizards, as they were in the Mythological Cycle, but invincible warriors and immortal war-goddesses. The Ulster Cycle is the source of the warrior attitude that forms the basis of the Irish Faery-Faith.

The Mythology of Ancient Ireland — The Mythological Cycle

Irish mythology is rich in culture and superstition, and is the basis of Irish Faery-Faith. Traditionally, Irish historical mythology has four cycles. These cycles provide a mythological account of the five ‘waves of invasion’ which swept though Ireland, and are vital to the development of the Celtic Pantheon. The four Irish mythological cycles are:

• The Mythological Cycle;
• The Ulster Cycle;
• The Fenian Cycle;
• The Historical Cycle.

The Timeline of the Mythological Cycle

There is often some debate as to when, exactly, the Mythological Cycle is supposed to occur in regards to world history. This is not an easy thing to determine, as this cycle is filled with fantastical tales of myth and magick, and so has little in the way of fixed events.

However, there is one event within the Mythological Cycle that can be dated — the invasion of the Milesians. This can be placed at around 1000 BCE. Since this event occurs at the end of the Mythological Cycle, it can be assumed that the bulk of the Mythological Cycle takes place before this time.

What is the Mythological Cycle of Ireland?

The Mythological Cycle is a set of myths and legends which are based primarily on the Tuatha De Danann. From the Tuatha De Danann, the very beginnings of the Celtic Pantheon can be formed. This cycle is also the source of the entire Faery Lineage or Ireland, from which the modern idea of the fairy was born.

Many, if not most, of the legends of the Mythological Cycle abound with tales of enchantment and magick. This era of Irish mythology focuses very heavily on victories that are gained by superior knowledge and wizardry. These victories almost always involve the Tuatha De Danann. The Tuatha De Danann themselves are derived from the Ancient Ones of Ireland (otherwise known as gods, both male and female). It can be said that the Tuatha De Danann are the gods of ancient Ireland.

In addition to information regarding the Tuatha De Danna, the Mythological Cycle reveals the accounts of the five waves of invasion, including the three certain colonizations of Ireland. These colonizations were the result of battles, great and small, which give brief glimpses into the ancient Irish ethics of war. The five waves of invasion are:

• Partholan;
• Neimheadh;
• Fir Bolg;
• Tuatha De Danann;
• The Milesian.

The most distinctive features of this cycle and its legends are intelligence and magick. Where the Ulster Cycle stresses a warrior attitude, the Mythological Cycle teaches the lessons of intelligence, intuition, and the ability to reason.