Celtic Myth & legend

Na h-Eileanan Flannach is the Scottish Gaelic name of the small group of islands known in English as the Flannan Isles, located in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides (Na h-Eileanan Siar). Also known as the Seven Hunters they stand just over 20 miles (32 kilometres) from the Isle of Lewis (Leòdhas ). They are a bird sanctuary and at times a place of beauty. At others these remote islands bear the brunt of severe Atlantic storms, which whip the seas into frenzy and force even the hardy gulls to stay sheltered in the cliff face crags. For many years they have remained uninhabited, the last residents of any length being the lighthouse keepers, who between 1899 and its automation in 1971, kept the light burning on the highest point of the island group, Eilean Mòr.

Until the lighthouse had been built between 1895 and 1899 it is probable that Na h-Eileanan Flannach had not been inhabited permanently since the days of the Celtic Church. The Celtic Church was predominant across the Celtic speaking world in the early middle ages (5th to the 10th century). On the island of Eilean Mòr is the ruin of an old chapel dedicated to St Flannan. However, over many centuries for many of the Gaelic Hebridean community the islands have been viewed as a place of superstition and bad luck. A view that was reinforced by the tragic and mysterious events that befell the lighthouse keepers on Eilean Mòr in mid-December 1900.

It is the fate of the lighthouse keepers in 1900; just over one year after the island’s lighthouse came into operation that is the cause of much mystery and speculation. For all three keepers, Thomas Marshall, James Ducat and Donald Macarthur disappeared without trace. It was on 15th December 1900 that the ship Archtor which was sailing for Scotland from Philadelphia had reported that as they passed the islands the lighthouse was not in operation. In those days there was no radio communication between the keepers on Eilean Mòr  and the shore station of Breasclete on Lewis. When the lighthouse tender Hesperus arrived on St Stephen’s Day (26th December) 1900 having been delayed due to adverse conditions, they found the lighthouse abandoned.

The Tuatha Dé Danann forms a significant feature in Irish, Scottish and Manx mythology. They are Celtic pre-Christian gods with supernatural ability and were of great importance to Gaelic people. They belong to the Otherworld (Aos Si) community whose world was reached through mists, hills, lakes, ponds, wetland areas, caves, ancient burial sites, cairns and mounds.  Their association with ancient Neolithic and Bronze Age burial mounds is probably linked to the importance these sites had for the people of pre-history. They were places of communal interment for what many believe to be the ancestors of the Celts of northwest Europe. Their story was passed on for many centuries in oral tradition. Many of these legends were recorded in a collection of poems and texts, some dating from the third century AD, and compiled in the eleventh century by Christian scholars in such works as the Leabhar Gabhála Éireann known in English as The Book of Invasions.

The name Tuatha Dé is thought to derive from old Irish Gaelic meaning ‘people of the gods’. The word ‘Danaan’ seems then to have been added later by Christian scribes. This was thought to be in order to differentiate the Tuatha Dé (people of the gods) known to the Gaels of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man as part of their own pantheon, from the Israelites (people of god) highlighted in Christian teaching. The word Danaan is believed to come from old Gaelic literature; Dana being a Celtic female figure and goddess. The idea of waves of ‘invasions’ into Ireland was also probably further developed in an attempt by monastic scholars to create a history of Ireland that would also suggest some kind of link to one of the lost tribes of Israel.

Bien qu’ hideux en apparence, Bugul Noz avait une nature bienveillante. Il parcourait les régions boisées de sa Bretagne natale. Parfois on l’avait appelé « Berger de la nuit » en raison des soins qu'il portait aux animaux de la forêt. En cette froide et frisquette nuit d’Halloween du 31 octobre, il se sentait étrangement en sécurité. Ce fut la nuit ; la seule nuit vraiment, qu'il pouvait se montrer en public. Il était facile pour lui de se faufiler parmi la foule de gens qui participaient aux fêtes déguisées en cette nuit d'Halloween ; l’ancien nouvel an celtique. Vetus de costumes grotesques, chacun se disputait le titre du plus effrayant par l’aide de faux sang, crocs, les cheveux teintés, maquillage, masques et linceuls.  L’apparat le plus bizarre, macabre et épouvantable provoquera l’admiration de chaque. Oui, ce fut la nuit qui Bugul Noz pouvait se sentir à l'aise avec sa propre apparence. Car les gens qu'il rencontrait ne savaient pas que la laideur de cette créature était tout à fait naturelle. Bugul Noz n'avait pas besoin d'un costume et maquillage afin d'effrayer les gens.

En arrivant au bord du village, Bugul Noz respira l'air froid et frisquet. La brume tourbillonnait juste au-dessus du sol, créant un velours gris comme tapis. Cette soirée parfaite de Bretagne d’ automne, pleine de magie et de mystère qui emplissaient l'air de son pays d'origine celtique. « la Bretagne » pensa t’il, et il soupira avec plaisir. Fière, distincte, unique et malgré les efforts de beaucoup a travers les années, elle demeura indépendante d’âme et d’esprit . Bugul Noz ne pourrait pas survivre en dehors de sa chère Bretagne car il était maudit d’errer cette terre sans montrer son visage. Bien que d’apparence répugnante envers ses compatriotes Bretons, il etait néanmoins l'un d'entre eux.

Bugul Noz se sentait aussi vieux que la terre sur laquelle il marchait. Certains arbres dans les anciennes forêts dans les quelles  il vivait lui rappelait les jeunes arbustes qui poussèrent depuis de nombreuses années. Y avait-il un moment où il ne sentait pas seul ? Si c’etais peut être le cas, il ne s’en souvient pas. Parfois, il rencontrerait « Ankou ». Grand et  vêtu d'un manteau long et sombre, portant un large chapeau et une faux sur son épaule, l’ Ankou squelettique était le collectionneur des âmes des morts en Bretagne.  Ils se saluairent mutuellement mais Ankou était toujours très occupé, même avec ses deux aides squelettes qui l’assistaient à charger les âmes des morts dans un chariot branlant tiré par des chevaux noirs.

In Kernow, the time of Halloween or Samhain, is known as Nos Calan Gwaf and is widely celebrated. Popularly linked to St Allen or Arlan a little known Cornish Saint, it is also known as Allan day.

A 19th century account informs that:

the shops in Penzance would display Allan apples, which were highly polished large apples. On the day itself, these apples were given as gifts to each member of the family as a token of good luck. Older girls would place these apples under their pillows and hope to dream of the person whom they would one day marry. A local game is also recorded where two pieces of wood were nailed together in the shape of a cross. It was then suspended with 4 candles on each outcrop of the cross shape. Allan apples would then be suspended under the cross. The goal of the game was to catch the apples in your mouth, with hot wax being the penalty for slowness or inaccuracy.

With a substantial Pagan community in Cornwall, the age old, pre-Christian rites are commonly observed. In a short story written by My Ha’m Ros, a Bard of Gorsedh Kernow, many of the traditions of the season are recorded.