tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348994293211359864.post7759541573988757334..comments2024-03-25T01:44:23.344-04:00Comments on Bemusing Jo Bingo: Female Person/Immortal Power PostJo Bingohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04986214689950586177noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348994293211359864.post-30195671815935282432010-02-08T00:33:03.278-05:002010-02-08T00:33:03.278-05:00Well...I hadn't read this paper in a long time...Well...I hadn't read this paper in a long time. Refreshing to read an old work and still be reasonably proud.<br /><br />I do want to point out a few things to the uninitiated:<br /><br />Firstly, readings of old Irish text are incredibly difficult in terms of establishing 'authenticity' as specifically ANCIENT texts because they are largely PREHISTORIC. This means they were passed down verbally over thousands of years and were only RECORDED as texts after the advent of Christianity. Many themes that would have been distinctly pagan were subverted to make way for certain Christian ideals while many were also combined with Christian philosophy. The resulting combination of traditions has always interested theologians because Irish Christianity developed along much more pagan lines (partially because it lay outside the circles of influence of central Europe) than did Christianity even in Britain. But I digress...point is, a lot of influences are very mixed up and through which it is nigh impossible to sift.<br /><br />Secondly, who is to say how much has filtered back and forth between land masses. I say the Morrigan has distinct Indo-European routes, and she does, but it's a two way street.<br /><br />Last but not least, it was early in my higher education that I wrote this paper. I had not, as of yet, read many of the mythological/ancient texts that I refer to in their entirety. I was only, in a sense, establishing a beginners grasp of the enigma that is the wondrous Morrigan. (Of course, I have a certain reverence for her...she is a red-head after all.) Most particularly, my secondary source material consists of WHATEVER I could gather from the library of the 5 colleges in that part of Massachusetts. It was not and is not a hub of ancient Irish lore, has very little secondary literature, very little information of the standing of some of those scholars in the field, and has next to no information on reading or understanding the relationship of Old Irish to Modern Irish to English...<br /><br />Yea. Muddy Waters.<br /><br />That's all really. Jo, if you want, I can supply you with the words from a modern (70's) rendition of the Scottish air "Twa Corbies" that I referenced in the paper. I'm such a dork that upon discovering the potential significance of the song in one of my research books for SCHOOL I realized on of my favourite bands (Steeleye Span) did a version of it. What beautiful dorkdom!!! Let me know if you'd like me to post it in a comment.<br /><br />Thanks for posting this! I enjoyed it at least. I'm still keeping the book though. >_<Aladinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12092027574031928179noreply@blogger.com