#the pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne

[sadbhkellett]

Last summer, I had the absolute privilege of discussing the elixir of feminism, Irish mythology, and Rossettian aesthetics that make up Katharine Tynan's poetic retelling of Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne at the Tate Britain. A highlight of 2023!

[aquitainequeen]

Me, so physically exhausted that I am basically the equivalent of sloshed, stabbing the table with my finger for emphasis:

The point is. The point is. The point is. Everyone's always adapting Greek and Classical mythology, and Norse mythology. Maybe Egyptian, if you're lucky. More Chinese mythology now, that's good. But. They never do Irish mythology. Where's my adaptation of The Táin/The Cattle Raid of Cooley????? I want to see Cú Chulainn use the belly spear!!!!

[dark-mnjiro]

Touch of Divine Rush

A Collab Masterlist

a collection of stories where one is touched by a divine being whatever chaos, blessing, or curses that may bring.

DEADLINE: MARCH 30th 2023

STATUS: CLOSED

PARTICIPANTS

@dark-mnjiro - orpheus!yuuta x eurydice!afabreader

@knchins - dionysus!bachira x reader

@izunias - fallen angel!reader x human!itoshi rin

@ryndicate - narcissus!michael kaiser x reader

@lou-struck - bakugou katsuki x reader - pygmalion and galatea retelling

@i-am-tiny-sun - chigiri x reader :: the pursuit of diarmuid and gráinne retelling

@meggsngrits - artist!yuuji x fairy!reader :: leanan sidhe retelling

@yakshasslut - eros!chifuyu x reader :: based on eros and psyche myth

@the-fishing-basket - nemisis!dabi x reader

@chiffiorra - perseus!isagi x andromeda!reader

@chiffiorra - hades!hanma x persephone!reader

@kaidabakugou / @dynamy-tears - forest god vidar!bakugou x elf freader

@noelledleapier orpheus!nikko x eurydice!reader

stories will be added/linked as they are completed - masterlist is subject to change depending on writers ability to complete work for collab. please remember if you are unable to complete - just contact me. i totally understand and will also try to work with you in regards to this!

[altblock-tm]

I think the thing that really intrigues me about Saber Lancelot is the fact that he so closely associates himself with the fall of Britain that he ignores whatever else he could be

(More ramblings/spoilers for Fate/Zero under the cut)

And I say that because Berserker Lancelot is the fallen knight of the Round Table. It’s clear that he’s associated with the fall of Britain, considering that he’s the shadow from King Arthur’s shining legend and all.

However, Saber Lancelot quite curiously associates himself with the fall too. Despite being a younger version of Lancelot, summoned in his prime as the strongest Round Table knight, he doesn’t feel he deserves the title or respect. Saber Lancelot himself says that it’s he who leads to the downfall of Britain, despite not being a Berserker.

But, as far as I know, no other Heroic Spirit does this.

The best example I can think of right now is Fionn mac Cumhaill. Fionn is summoned in his prime, a long time before the events of the Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne. Because of this, Fionn does not associate himself with the pursuit. (His Interlude admits that.)

(I’m sure there are other and better examples but I can’t think of them rn)

So why is Saber Lancelot different? If he’s supposed to be the peak of the Round Table, why is he so closely linked to its fall?

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

Failnaught / フェイルノート

Failnaught (JP: フェイルノート; rōmaji: feirunōto) is the Hero's Relic tied to the Crest of Riegan. The name is more modern than you might expect: it was a creation of Hilaire Belloc's 1913 translation of The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, as retold by Joseph Bédier in 1900. In this Arthurian legend, the young knight Tristan defeated Morholt, an Irish warrior sent to King Mark of Cornwall to collect tribute. However, the duel left a poisonous barb in Tristan that was slowly killing him, so he was set in a boat to die at sea. Coincidentally, his craft shored on the beaches of Ireland, and he was saved by the princess Iseult who did not know who he was. He would return to Ireland when his king sought a wife, and would slay a chimerical dragon for the hand of Iseult. Though the princess was able to quickly identify Tristan has the killer of her uncle Morholt, she swiftly forgave him. Before they disembarked to bring King Mark his bride, Iseult's mother gifted her daughter a love potion to be drank by the husband and wife; this would quickly be mistaken as wine by one of the princess's servants, and would be shared with Tristan. Soon, they would elope, and King Mark and the soldiers of Cornwall began their hunt. It is for this premise that Tristan and Iseult is considered the English version of The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne.

It would be in the wood of Morois that Tristan made his bow Failnaught (or Fail-Not in some translations). In the original French, this name was "l'arc qui ne faut"—the bow that does not fail. As the name suggests, arrows launched from Failnaught always hit their target. In older tales that focus on Tristans' time as a Knight of the Round Table, "l'arc qui ne faut" was not the name of a bow, but referred to a trap to capture man or beast and fill them with arrows. Rather befitting the Master Tactician and his ploys, yeah? And whether or not its intentional, the lord less involved in the primary drama of Three Houses' story uses a Hero's Relic not related to a deity, but to a knight that gets involved in foreign affairs.

Despite his actions, King Mark maintained his respect for his nephew and the woman who should be his queen like he would a father to his children. However, both he and the lovers suffered nightmares of a bleak future; eventually they would peacefully convene and agree to let Iseult marry Mark and Tristan would be exiled. He would take a Brittany princess named Iseult for a wife. Some time later, Tristan would once more be poisoned and needs Iseult of Ireland to heal him. In a blatant reference to the Greek story of Theseus, the Brittany-bound ship was to fly white sails if she was on the ship, and black sails if she did not. When Iseult of Brittany lied to her husband that she sees black sails, Tristan died on the spot. The Queen of Cornwall arrived to find her lover dead, and she herself dies.

Failnaught's combat art, Fallen Star, is hard to connect to the story of Tristan. The Japanese name 落星 (rōmaji: rakusei) isn't too much better but there are a few possible interpretations. Like the localized name, it can be interpreted as "Falling Star". This could refer to the downfall of this pair of star-crossed lovers; though the phrase was coined by Shakespeare for Romeo and Juliet, the relationship between Tristan and Iseult is often considered the progenitor of the trope. Their story predates even similar forbidden romances in the Matter of Britain, those likely being modeled after Tristan and Iseult.

However, the kanji 落 is very flexible in meaning. It is most commonly used in the word 落ちる (rōmaji: ochiru), which typically means "to fall; to come down", but also has around twenty other definitions. Most stand-out is "to fall into (a trap); to fall for (a trick)" relating to the original "l'arc qui ne faut". Other definitions relevant to the story of Tristan and Isolde include "to fall (in love, asleep, etc.)" "to leave (a city, castle, etc.) [some Japanese dictionaries specify as moving to rural areas]; to (be defeated and) flee", and "to decline (of morals, character, etc.)". Additionally, the kanji 星 (rōmaji: hoshi) can refer not only to stars, but the bullseye of a target, but considering the bow fires arrows of light, its likely meant to refer to the former.

This was a segment from a larger document reviewing the name of most every weapon and item in Three Houses and Three Hopes. Click Here to read it in full.

[venicepearl]

"Grania questions the druid", illustration by Henry Justice Ford in The Book of Romance (1903)

Gráinne (Irish pronunciation: [ˈɡɾˠaːn̠ʲə]), sometimes anglicised Grania, is the daughter of king Cormac mac Airt in the Fianna Cycle of Irish mythology. She is one of the central figures in the Middle Irish text Finn and Gráinne, as well as the 17th-century tale The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne, which tells of her betrothal to Fionn mac Cumhaill, leader of the Fianna, and her subsequent elopement with Fionn's warrior Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.

[artblock-tm]

So! Most of my followers would not have known this (since I didn’t talk about it on this account), but I’ve been reading the Irish poem The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne. I just finished it recently, and wanted to share some personal highlights:

-Fionn exhibits SERIOUS maidenless behavior

-I’m still floored that Gráinne put the taboo on Diarmuid right in front of the rest of the Fianna. And the Fianna had to go “sorry bro better do what she says….yeah we’ll miss you good luck bro.”

-It’s so funny that Oísin and Oscar are both seriously against Fionn’s bullshit but are dragged into it anyways

-Fionn somehow keeps finding the STUPIDEST MOTHERFUCKERS to go try and kill Diarmuid. Diarmuid killed 150 people in the span of 3 days by going, “Hey, wanna see a cool trick?” and doing some stunt and each day 50 men died trying to replicate that stunt.

-The. The berry plotline.

-The whole poem emphasized that Diarmuid would never so much as look at Gráinne the wrong way. And then at one point she just randomly drops the bombshell that she’s heavily pregnant. With Diarmuid’s kid. They fucked and there was no mention of it.

-The fact that a group of knights, in attempting to clear their beef with Fionn, gave Fionn some berries and be like “we picked these :) too bad we didn’t see that Diarmuid guy though” and Fionn’s response was “I call BULLSHIT. I can smell Diarmuid’s skin on those berries.” (It’s likely that they, too, have fucked in the past.)

-The fact that Diarmuid was fucking with the chess game between Fionn and Oísin??? Just so Fionn would lose??? And then kissing Gráinne after he was caught??? It’s so petty I love it.

-Skipping to the part where all is forgiven. Apparently the whole thing takes place over 16 years. Which makes a bit more sense with the pregnancy thing but I still feel like there was some character development we skipped over.

-It’s sooo much fun to read about your Irish mythology blorbo after being brutally gored and disemboweled by a boar suffering and about to die while Fionn insults him </3

-Thank goodness Oísin was there to talk shit at his dad for not giving Diarmuid the water! But Diarmuid still died :(

-Gráinne hoping she can mourn her lover but Angus goes “Nope. I’m taking his body off to fairyland so I can bring him back to life every day so we can chat.” And he did. And she had no say in it.

-The ending, unfortunately, was really anticlimactic. Gráinne hyped up all her children and sent them on quests so they could train to avenge their father, but Fionn manages to sweet talk Gráinne into living happily ever after with him. When her kids came to get revenge, Gráinne was like “nah we’re cool now” and the kids went, “oh okay” and it just ended there. The end.

[streetsofsligo]

the pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne, an ancient myth

[goblinbugthing]

the fate series have a gratuitous amount of interpretation with Celtic Servants (which is kinda understandable. Must be hard to get those poems translated into Japanese) but I’d definitely say that Fionn and Diarmuid being gay bitches together has some historical roots

for example. Here’s an excerpt from a translation of the poem The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne. I highlighted the part where Fionn says that he immediately recognizes the smell of Diarmuid’s skin

Which is 1) not a straight person thing to say and 2) Diarmuid picked those berries and held them for like 10 seconds. HOW can Fionn smell his skin on them UNLESS they shared a warrior’s bond. wink wink

also Fionn directly calls Diarmuid hot

yeah. that’s my propaganda

my god, these bitches gay! good for them!

[batman-mustache]

Diarmuid, son of Donn

Ever since I got into Fate, my favorite character has always been Diarmuid ua Duibhne from Fate/Zero (what can I say, I’m a sucker for tragic heroes). After finishing the series, I was curious about the actual mythology, and starting from his Wikipedia page, I moved on to reading as many variations of The Pursuit as I could. My interest only grew over time and I moved onto his other exploits, like “The Daughter of the King Under-Wave” and “The Hostel of the Quicken Trees.” While there’s contradictions between certain stories, which is to be expected with mythology, there are general core aspects consistent throughout. 

But one aspect of his legend I cannot verify anywhere.

I’ve seen many people assert, as well as Diarmuid’s Wikipedia page itself, that Diarmuid is actually a demigod. They claim that his father is Donn, the lord of the Dead, of the Tuatha de Danann. Which is a neat idea... if I could find a single source backing it up.

Now don’t get me wrong, in every source I’ve found, Diarmuid is always listed as the son of Donn. But, and here’s the important distinction--it never specifies which Donn. There’s loads of Donns all over the place: Donn, son of Midhir, Donn, son of Miled, Donn and Dubhan sons of the King of Ulster--you get the idea. Donn, or the Dark One, is listed as a son or foster-son of the Dagda (although he may have originally been an iteration of him). 

The Dagda is a pretty big deal in Irish mythology, and generally whenever any character is related to him, it’s specified, such as Diarmuid’s foster father, Aengus:

Yet, Donn in the “The Pursuit” is never listed as the Dagda’s son. In fact, Diarmuid is always referred as the grandson of Duibhne (hence ua Duibhne), and his mother, Crochnuit, is listed as the daughter of Currach (although it’s a moot point, as only the father’s father ever seems to matter when they list genealogy). But wait? What if the Dagda was just Donn’s foster father and Duibhne is the real father of Donn. Well, if you can find a source, sure, but I can’t find anything connecting Donn of the Tuatha de Danann to a person named Duibhne. As it is, besides a single website with no source, I cannot find anything corroborating Wikipedia’s claim. Going further, in one version I found, Donn is referred to as Donn O’Donnchudha (grandson of Donnchudha).

No mention of the Tuatha de Danann in that family tree.

One consistency about Donn, the father of Diarmuid, that I’ve found is that he was a member of the Fianna that was outlawed after a quarrel. 

(For some reason he’s called Bonn here)

This makes it even odder if he were the Donn of the Tuatha de Danann, since yes, the Fianna would interact with them sometimes, but they weren’t actually members of the Fianna. They both just kind of hated the Fomorians. 

In one of the most extensive collections of Fenian myths, “Gods and Fighting Men” by Lady Gregory, Donn the Dark One does appear. But he’s referred to in a different way than how Diarmuid’s father is presented.

Why wouldn’t Diarmuid’s father be referred to the same way? Why would no myth make any allusion that Diarmuid is the son of the Dark One? And since none do, how did this claim come to be? Could it really be that someone saw the name Donn and assumed it had to be the same Donn as the one from the Tuatha de Danann?

In a way, I actually like the idea that Diarmuid’s dad was just a regular dude, meaning Diarmuid had no divine ancestry. He certainly had enough supernatural influences in his life considering he was the foster son of Aengus Og and was trained by Manannan (and potentially the warrior woman, Mongfinn, but I’ve only ever seen two places that claim this, and I can’t find a source for either). I like that he’s just a dude who can slay entire armies. Mythology is full of guys who are just Like That.

Now, I’m not claiming I know everything. Maybe someone out there has the source that shows Diarmuid really is descended from the Lord of the Dead. But for me, I’ve yet to see it.

Sources: 1) “The Pursuit of Gilla Decair” http://www.yorku.ca/inpar/gilla_ogrady.pdf

2) The Project Gutenberg EBook of Gods and Fighting Men, by Lady I. A. Gregory https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14465/14465-h/14465-h.htm

3) Celtic Literature Collective “The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne” https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/diarmuid.html

4) LibraryIreland https://www.libraryireland.com/celtic-past/pursuit-diarmuid-grainne.php and https://www.libraryireland.com/celtic-past/death-diarmuid-oduibhne.php

5) O’Regan’s Athenry-Athenry History Archive http://homepage.eircom.net/~oreganathenry/oreganathenry/mythology/diarmuid-and-grainne.html

6) Toruigheacht Dhiarmuda Agus Ghrainne https://books.google.fr/books?hl=fr&lr=&id=OrUsAQAAMAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Diarmuid+Ua+Duibhne&ots=vJEDhxrrlM&sig=JcBO5BewOUxpvLCZ7J-fU6sqEBY#v=onepage&q=donn&f=false

7) “Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne” https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/lfic/lfic062.htm

8) https://archive.org/stream/truigheachtdhi01sociiala/truigheachtdhi01sociiala_djvu.txt

9) http://cbladey.com/irish/darmuid.html

10) https://bardmythologies.com/diarmuid-and-grainne/

11) http://emeraldisle.ie/diarmuid-and-grainne

12) https://www.uni-trier.de/fileadmin/forschung/projekte/ZAT/CEL/17icm.pdf

13) https://www.connollycove.com/tuatha-de-danann/

[maevefinnartist]

here's a list of cool PDFs I have saved on my drive that I thought other people might like too:

"Cleaning Bones" by Stephen P. Nawrocki, PhD, University of Indianapolis Archeology & Forensics Laboratory

"Cultural Appropriation in Contemporary Neopaganism and Witchcraft" by Kathryn Gottlieb, University of Maine

"The Voyage of Bran (Imram Brain)" translated by Kuno Meyer

"Duanaire Fionn (The Book of the Lays of Finn)" Cumann na Scríbheann nGaedhilge/Irish Texts Society

"Early Gaelic Dress" by Scott Barrett

"The Voyage of St. Brenden: Celtic Otherworld Tale, Christian Apologia, or Medieval Travelog?" by James E. Doan

"Is Deithbir Disi [it is appropriate (that she would behave in this way)]: Applying the Lens of Gender Parody to Medb in the Old Irish Ulster Cycle" by Diana Veronica Dominguez

"A Discussion of the Magical Attributes of the Hero in Fenian Literature, with specific reference to the tale 'The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne'" by Oliver Gerler, University of Limerick, IE

"The Plain of Blood; a Study of the Ritual Landscape of Magh Slecht, Co. Cavan" by Kevin White

"The Iona Chronicle, the Descendants of Áedan mac Gabráin, and the 'Principal Kindreds of Dál Riata'" by James E. Fraser

Issue of "An tÓglach" magazine, vol. IV no. 12, with a detailed article about Cumann na mBan's efforts during the week of the Easter Rising written by Nora O'Daly

"Gaeilge Gan Stró! Beginners Level" by Éamonn Ó Dónaill

[scotianostra]

October 27th 1736 saw the birth of James MacPherson in the parish of Kingussie, Badenoch, Inverness-shire.

Seumas MacMhuirich/ Seumas Mac a’ Phearsain, in Gaelic or James Macpherson is mostly well-known for his translation of the epic Ossian poems of his native land but was also an accomplished poet in his own right and a leading political figure of the time. Born into a reasonably wealthy family, Macpherson traveled to Aberdeen in his teens where he studied at King’s College with a short sabbatical in Edinburgh.

Whilst at university he began writing verses and published his first work The Highlander in 1758, though for some reason he tried to withdraw it afterwards. He was attracted back to his home town of Ruthven in Inverness-shire and returned there to become a teacher after finishing his studies.

With MacPherson though it was, and is all about  The Works of Ossian, Fingal and Temora.

When it was first published Macpherson said that it was a translation of an ancient manuscript in Scottish Gaelic which had come into his possession, and which was a copy of an original work written by Ossian. This was contested by various people, including notably Samuel Johnson, who said that it was entirely the work of Macpherson himself. The Irish scholar Charles O'Conor published an extensive refutation of the historical accuracy of the work as an Appendix to his History of Ireland. Both sides became passionate, but bitter and abusive in expressing their own view, and the controversy rumbled on over the next fifty years. I like to imagine it being like a twitter war nowadays. 

Anyway the alleged manuscript never appeared, but later researches have shown that the work is based partly on genuine Highland traditions.

Those familiar with the later, more authentic, versions in English of ancient Gaelic literature will recognise many of the names and stories - Fingal is Fionn Mac Cumhaill; Temora is Tara (Temro in Old Irish); Cuthulinn is Cú Chulainn (though a much feebler figure than the Irish hero), Dar-Thula is Deirdre of the Sorrows; Ros-cranna is Gráinne and Dermid is Diarmuid Ó Duibhne, though the Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne is not one of Macpherson's stories. And so on. However, much of the work is Macpherson's own invention -- the tragic love story of Fingal and Agandecca, for example; and though "Temora" has some similarity to the Battles of Ventry and of Gabhra, the details are different. The footnotes (by Macpherson) are said to be almost entirely misleading or downright wrong.

I won’t pretend to know the full Ossian story, it’s a wee bit to “highbrow” reading for my liking, I much prefer contemporary reading subjects- BUT,  you can find the works posted online for free here https://ossianonline.nuigalway.ie/

[dark-mnjiro]

Lee my beloved! Is it alright that I join your collab using Chigiri from Blue Lock based around The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne (Irish mythology)? It’ll be a character x reader fic if that helps!

of course you can Tiny! Added you to the list!!!

[altblock-tm]

The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne is one of the funniest pieces of literature I’ve read because it somehow managed to translate the phenomenon where anime protagonists are easy to spot in a crowd into writing

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

The Sword of Begalta / ベガルタの剣 and Sword of Moralta / モラルタの剣

The Sword of Begalta (JP: ベガルタの剣; rōmaji: begaruta no ken) and the Sword of Moralta (JP: モラルタの剣; rōmaji: moraruta no ken) are two sacred swords of similar appearance and name; the former is tied to the Crest of Reigan, while the latter is to the Crest of Fraldarius. As you likely expected, the names of these blades are intertwined: in the Irish folklore, Moralltach and Be[a]galltach, rendered with the same katakana as in Three Houses, are two swords originally belonging to the sea god Manannán mac Lir. Their names meaning "Great Fury" and "Little Fury", respectively, the blades were handed over to the god Aengus Óg, who then gave them to his foster son, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Diarmuid was a member of the fianna (a band of warriors) of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the star of the tale The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne. At the wedding of their leader and Gráinne—daughter of the High King Cormac mac Airt—the bride and Diarmuid grew attracted to each other (or in some versions, Diarmuid's loyalty succumbed to a geis placed on him by Gráinne). After the guests of the wedding fell asleep from the drinks Gráinne gave them, she eloped with Diarmuid.

Fionn, furious that one of his men had taken his wife, designated Diarmuid a rival he and his fianna must kill. However, his men still respected their former ally, and would often betray their leader to allow Diarmuid and Gráinne safe passage. When next Fionn and Diarmuid met, it was for a year-long feast Gráinne and her children held to repair bonds with Fionn and Cormac. When trouble sounded from the mountain Benbulbin, Diarmuid disregarded his wife's advice and took not his more powerful blade Moralltach, which he used in every previous instance in the tale, but the weaker Be[a]galltach. After learning of the wild boar that has claimed thirty warriors' lives, Diarmuid challenged it. He claimed victory, but not before getting gored himself and breaking his blade on it's hide. Though water consumed from Fionn's hands had healing properties, the bitter warrior twice let his fingers run dry, letting Diarmuid slowly die.

In Fire Emblem, the stats of the Sword of Moralta and Sword of Begalta resemble their inspirations: The Sword of Moralta has one more point of Might and a Critical stat equal to a Killing Edge. The Sword of Begalta makes up for the deficit with a Hit stat of 100, rather than 75, and 5 Weight points less. It's also possible the reason one of the blades is related to the leading house of the Leicester Alliance is due to the occasional conflation of Manannán mac Lir and King Leir, supposed founder of the city of Leicester and inspiration for Shakespeare's King Lear.

This was a segment from a larger document reviewing the name of most every weapon and item in Three Houses and Three Hopes. Click Here to read it in full.

[f1-disaster-bi]

Are you interested in mythology? What are your favourite myths?

I love mythology. I used to eb fascinated with it as a kid, and still am now!

I'm interested in Norse, Korean, Japanese and Greek mythology but my favourite has to be the rich and never ending Irish mythology. We've lost a lot of heritage and culture due to having been forced to Anglecise under English control but our myths and legends were passed down so we still have them today and my grandparents and mother would read them to me as a kid.

Things such as the tales of the fae, the Tuatha Dé Dannan, Tír na nÓg, the Pursuit of Gráinne and Diarmuid, The Morrigan, The Banshee, The Puca, and Changlings.

Out of all the myths I have to say the Banshee and the Morrigan are ones I've come back to again and again, as well as some of the tragic love story ones