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38-403: The most important manuscript is Laud 610: folio 118Rb-121Va, which is missing the ending; Kuno Meyer and Gerard Murphy assigned the text to the 12th century. The Laud 610 manuscript text was edited and translated by John O'Donovan as " The Boyish Exploits of Finn mac Cumhaill " in 1859, but only partly with some deficiencies according to Kuno Meyer . Meyer published a 1881 edition followed by

76-637: A 1904 translation entitled " The Boyish Exploits of Finn ". A more recent translation appeared in Joseph Falaky Nagy, The Wisdom of the Outlaw: Boyhood Deeds of Finn in Gaelic Narrative Tradition (1985). The text breaks off while Fionn investigates a sídhe or fairy mound, before his trip to Tara. Scholars have pointed out similarities between earlier versions of The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn and tales of

114-458: A crooked back’, fitting the stereotype of a witch. Marged Haycock accepts ‘ ben ’ but questions the first syllable as ‘cyr’, suggesting other possible alternatives which could relate to ‘ crynu ’ (shake or shiver), or ‘ craid ’ (passionate, fierce, powerful), but also notes her daughter Creirwy, with the first syllable a form of ‘ credu ’ (belief) and so, by analogy, her mother’s name as Credidfen would mean ‘woman to be believed in’, making

152-459: A crucial role in fostering native Irish Celtists in the initial phases of Ériu and the School of Irish Learning, and when the editorship over Ériu later passed to the succeeding generation of Irish scholars, tantamount to the fulfilment of the "primary intention of Meyer and his associates". Ceridwen Ceridwen or Cerridwen ( pronounced [kɛrˈɪdwɛn] Ke-RID-wen )

190-425: A hare. She became a greyhound. He became a fish and jumped into a river. She transformed into an otter. He turned into a bird; she became a hawk. Finally, he turned into a single grain of corn. She then became a hen and, being a goddess (or enchantress, depending on the version of the tale), she found and ate him without trouble. But because of the potion he was not destroyed. When Ceridwen became pregnant, she knew it

228-443: A modern Welsh form of the name. Similarly, the difference between the ‘C’ and the ‘K’ initial consonant is clearly simply a matter of a different spelling convention to represent the hard ‘c’ sound. But the following vowel, ‘y’ or ‘e’ could well represent a shift in actual pronunciation of the vowel sound. Sir Ifor Williams asserted that ‘ Cyrridfen ’ is the most likely original form from ‘ cwrr ’ (bent, angled), so ‘woman with

266-585: A permanent lectureship in Celtic Studies at Glasgow. He continued to publish on Old Irish and more general topics on the Celtic languages , as well as producing textbooks for German . In 1896, he founded and edited jointly with Ludwig Christian Stern, the prestigious Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie . He also co-founded Archiv für celtische Lexicographie in 1898 with Whitley Stokes , producing 3 volumes from 1900 to 1907. In 1903, Meyer founded

304-500: A result, he was removed from the roll of freemen in Dublin and Cork and from his Honorary Professorship of Celtic at Liverpool. He also resigned as Director of the School of Irish Learning and editor of Ériu . Harvard University also had extended an invitation to Meyer to lecture on campus, but it subsequently "disinvited" him on in the fall of 1914 on account of Meyer's pro-German activity. Meyer nevertheless accepted candidacy for

342-463: Is Sigurd the dragon-slayer who burns his finger cooking the heart of the dragon Fáfnir, and subsequently gains the ability to understand the conversation of birds. Kuno Meyer Kuno Meyer (20 December 1858 – 11 October 1919) was a German scholar, distinguished in the field of Celtic philology and literature. His pro-German stance at the start of World War I in the United States

380-563: Is given in the narrative Cath Cnucha . A 17th century tale, "The Fight of Castle Knoc" discusses Cumhal's death and Liath Luachra 's taking of the Corrbolg (construed as armor here, though this is Crane-bag elsewhere). As for the acquisition of wisdom by tasting the salmon, this has been compared to the Welsh episode where Ceridwen 's condensed brew in the cauldron of wisdom was unintendedly tasted by her son Gwion . Another close parallel

418-697: Is not stated explicitly, it is inferred that this was a Salmon of Wisdom that probably ate the hazelnuts at the Well of Segais . Fionn travels to the capital of Tara , which is set aflame each Samhain by Aillén the Burner, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann . Goll and the Fianna are powerless to stop it, since Aillén puts everyone to sleep with a magical tune. Fionn inhales poison from his own spear to prevent sleep, and dispatches Aillén. He reveals his identity to

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456-445: Is the most common termination (a mutated form of archaic ‘ ben ’ : ‘woman’). The variant forms ‘fen’, ‘uen’ and ‘ven’ are all due to variant scribal practices in the spelling of the sound in the modern letter ‘v’, as is the letter ‘w’, which was also sometimes used for this sound, causing the final syllable to be confused with ‘ wen ’ as a mutated form of Gwen (fair, blessed) a common ending to Welsh names. So ‘ Ceridwen ’ as

494-707: The Gelehrtenschule of the Johanneum . He spent two years in Edinburgh , Scotland , as a teenager (1874–1876) learning English . From 1879, he attended the University of Leipzig , where he was taught Celtic scholarship by Ernst Windisch . He received his doctorate for his thesis Eine irische Version der Alexandersage , an Irish version of the Alexander Romance , in 1884. He then took up

532-698: The School of Irish Learning in Dublin, and the next year created its journal Ériu of which he was the editor. Also in 1904, he became Todd Professor in the Celtic Languages at the Royal Irish Academy . In October 1911, he followed Heinrich Zimmer as Professor of Celtic Philology at Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin; the following year, a volume of Miscellany was presented to him by pupils and friends in honour of his election, and he

570-555: The Princes (such as Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr ) he thus considers later, derivative works. In them, according to Hutton, Ceridwen is transformed from a sorceress into a goddess of poetry. Citing this and a couple of other examples, Hutton proposes that the Gogynfeirdd substantially created a new mythology not reflective of earlier paganism. Nonetheless, references to Ceridwen's cauldron ( pair Ceridwen ) are also to be found in some of

608-523: The ability to gain wisdom whenever he applied his thumb to his tooth. He developed this ability after inadvertently tasting the salmon which would grant universal knowledge to whoever consumed it. The salmon, which dwelled in the pool of Fés, was coveted seven years by Finn's mentor, the poet Finn Éces . Finn cooked the salmon, obeying his mentor's instruction not to partake any of the salmon before serving it to him, but burnt his thumb while cooking and sucked it, thereby receiving its gift of wisdom. Though it

646-420: The concoction. The first three drops of liquid from this potion gave wisdom; the rest was a fatal poison. Three hot drops spilled onto Gwion's thumb as he stirred, burning him. He instinctively put his thumb in his mouth, and gained the wisdom and knowledge Ceridwen had intended for her son. Realising that Ceridwen would be angry, Gwion fled. Ceridwen chased him. Using the powers of the potion he turned himself into

684-518: The court, and the king grants Fionn his rightful position as leader of the Fianna. Goll steps down, and engages in a truce with his enemy. Episodes about Finn and his family in the Macgnímartha Finn are also attested in other works in Irish literature. Some parallels with other Celtic or Norse culture has been discussed as well. The beginning episode telling of Cumhal mac Treanmhor's death

722-412: The death of Whitley Stokes " and that he has "done more for Irish scholarship and Irish national glory than any other living man". In 2004, on the centenary of the publication of Ériu , Proinsias Mac Cana described Kuno Meyer as a "great" scholar, in "brilliant" partnership with John Strachan as the first editors of Ériu , his predecessors in that position. Meyer is among those credited with playing

760-538: The death of Fionn's father Cumhal , leader of the Fianna , at the hands of Goll mac Morna . Cumhal's wife Muirne was pregnant at the time and eventually gave birth to their son, called Demne in his youth. Fearing for his safety, she sends the boy to be raised by Cumhal's sister, the druidess Bodhmall , and her companion Liath Luachra . The two warrior women raise him and accompany him on several adventures, including one in which he receives his nickname, Fionn (the fair;

798-667: The early mythological poems attributed to the legendary Taliesin in the Book of Taliesin . The Victorian poet Thomas Love Peacock also wrote a poem entitled the Cauldron of Ceridwen . Later writers identified her as having originally been a pagan goddess, speculating on her role in a supposed Celtic pantheon. John Rhys in 1878 referred to the Solar Myth theory of Max Müller according to which "Gwenhwyfar and Ceridwen are dawn goddesses." Charles Isaac Elton in 1882 referred to her as

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836-587: The exchange professorship in the letter. In a reply, President Abbott Lawrence Lowell said, in explaining Harvard's policy, that freedom of speech includes pro-German and pro-Allied voices alike. He was injured in a railway collision in 1915 and met 27-year-old Florence Lewis while he was recovering in a California hospital. They married shortly afterwards. Florence went to Germany in 1916, Meyer in 1917. In 1919 Florence and her daughter went to Switzerland. He died in Leipzig . Posthumously, in 1920, Meyer's name

874-632: The goals of the Gaelic League when the question arose whether to allow the teaching of the Irish language in the Intermediate Education of Ireland. W. T. Cosgrave , later president of the Irish Free State , as a Dublin councilman, had strenuously opposed the removal of Meyer's name from Dublin's Freemen roll in the first place. Cosgrave wrote in a letter that Meyer was recognized as "the greatest Celtic authority since

912-406: The mother’s and daughter’s name stems a pair. The earliest poems emphasise her keeping of the cauldron of awen and so a source of poetic inspiration. Cuhelyn Fardd (1100-1130) spoke of being inspired by her muse, while Cynddelw Prydydd Mawr (1155-1200) acknowledged her as the source of his art and Prydydd y Moch at the beginning of the 13th century specifically mentions the cauldron of Kyridfen as

950-451: The pale). As he grows, his exploits attract increasing attention, and finally his foster mothers send him away for fear that Goll's men will find him. Subsequent episodes depict his service to the king of Bantry , his recovery of Cumhal's treasures by slaying Liath Luachra (a different character than his caretaker), and his meeting with the aged and dispossessed Fianna who had fought with his father. Another episode recounts how Fionn gained

988-750: The poet Taliesin . Ceridwen is regarded by many modern pagans as the Celtic goddess of rebirth, transformation, and inspiration. Marged Haycock catalogues various forms of the name in the early texts, and in less detail in her edition of the Taliesin poems. These mainly occur in manuscripts which have been dated to the 13th century, though they may, of course, be using earlier forms or 13th century adaptations of earlier forms. The Black Book of Carmarthen gives ‘ Kyrridven ’. Peniarth 3 gives ‘ Kyrrytuen ’, The Book of Taliesin variously gives ‘ Cerituen ’, ‘ Kerrituen ’ and ‘ Kerritwen ’, while The Red Book of Hergest gives ‘ Kerituen ’. So ‘-fen’

1026-491: The post of exchange professor at Harvard, at the recommendation of German professors there. However, when the April 1915 issue of The Harvard Advocate awarded first prize to an anti-German satirical poem "Gott mit Uns" written by an undergraduate, Meyer sent the university (and the press) a letter of protest, rebuking the faculty members who served as judges for failure to exercise neutrality. Meyer also declined his candidacy for

1064-469: The post of lecturer in Teutonic languages at the new University College, Liverpool , the precursor of the University of Liverpool , which was established three years earlier. While at Liverpool, he was appointed to the post of MacCallum Lecturer at the University of Glasgow . He held this post for three years, delivering his first lectures in 1904. He was among those who called for the establishment of

1102-480: The reborn infant grew to become the legendary bard Taliesin . It has been suggested that Ceridwen first appeared as a simple sorceress character in the Tale of Taliesin . Its earliest surviving text dates from the mid-16th century, but it appears from its language to be a 9th-century composition, according to Hutton. References to Ceridwen and her cauldron found in the work of the 12th century Gogynfeirdd or Poets of

1140-544: The source of the gift of awen . These and other references by identified bards are in addition to the many references by unidentified bards in The Book of Taliesin . This story is first attested in a sixteenth-century manuscript written by Elis Gruffydd who claimed that it was widely known in Wales at that time in both written versions and in oral lore The story tells that Ceridwen's son, Morfran (also called Afagddu ),

1178-749: The youth of the Ulster Cycle hero Cúchulainn . For instance, The Boyhood Deeds of Cúchulainn and The Wooing of Emer , both found within the epic Táin Bó Cúailnge , recount Cúchulainn's earning of a nickname through his feats, his training by a warrior woman ( Scáthach ) and his earning of a deadly spear (the Gáe Bulg ). A modern retelling of the Boyhood Deeds occurs under the title "Birth of Fin Maccumhail". The story begins with

The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-411: Was Gwion and resolved to kill the child when he was born. However, when he was born, he was so beautiful that she could not do it. She threw him in the ocean instead, sewing him inside a leather-skin bag (or set him in a coracle , depending on the story). The child did not die, but was rescued on a Welsh shore – near Aberdyfi according to most versions of the tale – by a prince named Elffin ap Gwyddno ;

1254-692: Was a source of controversy. His brother was the distinguished classical scholar, Eduard Meyer . Meyer was considered first and foremost a lexicographer among Celtic scholars but is known by the general public in Ireland rather as the man who introduced them to Selections from Ancient Irish Poetry (1911). He founded and edited four journals devoted to Celtic Studies, published numerous texts and translations of Old and Middle Irish romances and sagas, and wrote prolifically, his topics ranging to name origins and ancient law. Born in Hamburg , he studied there at

1292-529: Was an enchantress in Welsh medieval legend . She was the mother of a hideous son, Mordfran, and a beautiful daughter, Creirwy . Her husband was Tegid Foel and they lived near Bala Lake ( Llyn Tegid ) in north Wales . Medieval Welsh poetry refers to her as possessing the cauldron of poetic inspiration ( Awen ) and the Tale of Taliesin recounts her swallowing her servant Gwion Bach who is then reborn through her as

1330-410: Was hideously ugly – particularly compared with his beautiful sister Creirwy – so Ceridwen sought to make him wise in compensation. She made a potion in her magical cauldron to grant the gift of wisdom and poetic inspiration, also called Awen . The mixture had to be boiled for a year and a day. She set Morda, a blind man, to tend the fire beneath the cauldron, while Gwion Bach , a young boy, stirred

1368-574: Was made a freeman of both Dublin and Cork . At the outbreak of the First World War , Meyer left Europe for the United States of America, where he lectured at Columbia University , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , and elsewhere. A pro-German speech he gave in December 1914 to Clan na Gael on Long Island caused outrage in Britain and some factions among the Irish, and as

1406-610: Was regranted the Freedom of the City of Cork, as follows: "Re-elected 14th May, 1920, and order of Council of the 8th January, 1915, expunging his name from the roll rescinded". Also in 1920, Meyer was described by his acquaintance Douglas Hyde , Celtic philologist and later president of the Republic of Ireland, as "one of the most lovable men who ever existed, and himself undoubtedly in love with Ireland". Hyde credited him with advancing

1444-676: Was restored, both by Dublin and Cork, in their Rolls of Honorary Freemen. The restoration happened on 19 April 1920 in Dublin, where Sinn Féin had won control of the City Council three months before, rescinding the decision taken in 1915 by the Irish Parliamentary Party . In 1965, the Gaelic League and the Irish Press petitioned the restoration as they were unaware that it had already occurred. Meyer

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