Thanks to everyone for their help with these myths. I just got the grade back from my teacher, and he gave me an A and said that he liked my report. Thank you all again, I am very grateful.
~Tweety~
Hello everyone! I was wondering if you could help me with an English project I am doing. For this project, I need 3 myths from the country where my ancestors are from. I, being very Irish, chose Celtic mythology for my topic. For our presentation, we have to have a love myth, a hero myth, and a myth describing a natural phenomenon. I have already found the first two, but I have been researching for days and haven’t been able to find anything suitable for a natural phenomenon legend. I was wondering if any of you knew of any or knew where I could find any. Any help at all would be appreciated, I’m really stuck.
Thank you all!
~Tweety~
November 9, 2008
Thanks to everyone for their help with these myths. I just got the grade back from my teacher, and he gave me an A and said that he liked my report. Thank you all again, I am very grateful.
What kind of natural phenomenon? Would something like a selkie tale be of use (selkies being creatures that feature heavily in Irish and Scottish lore…they are seals in the sea, but humans on land).
While it’s mainly a translation site, quite a few folks there are into Irish history and lore, and they could probably give you guidance. Tell 'em Redwolf sent you so they won’t say something like “uh…this is a translation site.”
For this project, “natural phenomenon” means something along the lines of “why does the sun shine?” or “why are there plants?” Also, does anyone know where I could find good gaelic pronunciations? I am having trouble pronouncing the names that I find in the stories.
Redwolf- I was considering doing something about the selkies somewhere else in the project. I loved “The Secret of Roan Inish” when I was younger. For that matter, I still do.
I was going to suggest the Lia Fail - the stone that shreiks when the true King of Ireland stands (or possibly sits) on it. Some maintain that this stone was brought to Scotland when the Scots invaded it (from Ireland) and is now known as the Stone of Scone. Its whereabouts are in dispute since the object in Westminster is suspected not to be the real Stone of Scone.
We’re pretty good at doing math and science homework too, so keep the homework assignments coming. I think we made an “A” on our homeschool science project this past year.
We’re even good at providing kids questions to stump the teacher.
I can help you with pronunciation if you like. I’ve been studying Irish for almost five years now (btw, it’s “Irish” if you’re speaking of the language spoken in Ireland. “Gaelic” is usually reserved for the related, but different language spoken in Scotland), agus tá mo chuid Gaeilge go maith. . The folks at IGTF would be happy to help as well…that’s a good place to ask if you have names that are in Old or Middle Irish (sometimes when you find these old tales, the names have been updated to modern Irish, but sometimes they haven’t).
Given your “natural phenomenon” criteria, I’d go for Finn McCool and the Giant’s Causeway…that’s the closest I know of to that kind of thing in Irish mythology.
And if you ever do do the selkie thing…I’ll be happy to sing “An Mhaighdean Mhara” for you (that’s the song upon which “The Secret of Roan Inish” was based, and happens to be my party piece)
The vast majority of Irish People know the legend through a song by the Wolfe Tones..an horrendous band if ever there was one.
They can be, I suppose, be called the “Musical wing of the I.R.A.”…indeed.
Once upon a time, and probably still is, there was this huge lump of rock out in the middle of the North Sea and none of the neighbouring countries, with territorial rights were bothered.
One day, some body figured out that there might , possibly, ye never know, be about a bazillion or two gallons of oil underneath the rock.
Thanks be to God that it is not anywhere near Iraq..or Iran.
