In various mythologies, there is a recurring theme of the main hero being raised in the wild apart from civilization. Two particular heroes are Jason of the Greek Argonautica and Sigurd of the Norse Völsunga Saga, though others abound in Western myth and legend. Why would the creators of these ancient tales take such care … Continue reading Raised in the Wild
Category: Mythlore
Finn MacCumhal as the Best of Men
Although I have read but one translation of Irish mythology, it was lengthy and complete and gave me a decent picture of the scope of Irish myth. I am not an expert in this realm in the slightest, but I am a ponderer, which counts for something---especially when that pondering mind has been marinated in … Continue reading Finn MacCumhal as the Best of Men
The Wearing of Time on Mortal-Immortal Relationship
Sometimes, in reading a work of literature, I encounter a snippet of wording which illuminates a previously unnoticed pattern in another work. This was the case with a particular reference in W.B. Yeats’ preface to Lady Gregory’s translation of the Finn Cycle to the degradation of the mortal-immortal relationship over the course of Irish mythology. … Continue reading The Wearing of Time on Mortal-Immortal Relationship
Beowulf: Seamus Heaney vs. J.R.R. Tolkien
Beowulf was my first major introduction to original myth.1 The translation I read was a bilingual edition by Seamus Heaney which I had purchased at the gift shop in the British Library in London, England. Some years later I also read J.R.R. Tolkien’s translation. I now lay before you, briefly, my reflections on the two … Continue reading Beowulf: Seamus Heaney vs. J.R.R. Tolkien
