The Magic of the Tales

The Celtic tradition of storytelling is as ancient as humanity itself, an oral tradition that began in the times when there was no possibility to record history in any other way.  Each generation had a specific storyteller who was responsible for the memorization and recital of the local mythology as well as the tribe's genealogy.  To retell a story was to bring about its particular power, for it brought visions and sounds into the minds of the listeners, allowing them to enter an imaginary world where fantastic things were possible: clearly the work of magic. The stories were broken down under headings: tales of battle, wooing, voyages, feasting, catastrophe, etc. and though many were told on long Winter evenings to while the hours away, most were meant to be told during different parts of the year, at feasts and celebrations and on occasions of reverent importance.  Each tale was said to manifest a charm upon those who listened intently, and often were begun with an introduction, stating its particular power. 

As the Celtic civilization began to grow and rearrange its order to accommodate a larger social network, the role of the storyteller was expanded to include poetry and song, as well as all secrets of the earth and its elements.  The learned person became part of a sacred order, once called Druid, (in Welsh: Derwydd) meaning Wisdom, or Seer, and he or she was all-important to the chieftain.  His words were magical, and he had the ability to cause harm with satire, or to bless with a proverb.  After conquerors drove the British Druids out in order to better control the Celts, the role fell to a less threatening class, the privileged but no longer sacred order of  the chief poet, or Bard, who literally carried the nation's history in his head as well as all the knowledge of the mysteries.  This is a terribly inefficient overview of a very complicated and intricate cultural system, which I will go into a bit later in this book; I hope it will give you cause for further exploration on your own. 

The tales of old seem only to be fit for children in this present day; their significance  is discarded by the main population.  Know that the first tales ever spoken were told to explain the early truths about Nature and its grand scheme, through the use of strong but forgotten symbolism and imagination.  All who listened to these tales would be beneficently rewarded because they underlined the sacred beginnings of mankind...

The Unkindest Worlds Can Collide:

Elders merely teach the hateful steps to a single dance they have never understood.
Tripping unwillingly along the ridiculous path.
Blind, yet ever mindful of the directions given.
Only to become the invidious step-sisters of Serenity. Shadow'd by Expectation.
The clouded mind has its own brilliant clarity spoken in a language known only to one face:
Disgraced.
Shame needs must hold its hand out for a partner.
Should I have become something so insignificant as to have followed in footsteps?
I simply wish to dance.

On the Presence of the Muse

"The function of poetry is the religious invocation of the Muse, its use is the experience of mixed exultation and horror that her presence excites." - Robert Graves

Mysteriously, the idea of the goddess has been evident throughout written history, in the guise of the unattainable woman so often obsessed over by poets and artists alike. Her presence is everywhere, and her attributes can be found in that strange truth beyond words, where images bring about the same feelings and thrills in people of all cultures. Such is the idea of the goddess in mythology and all subsequent literature for she is the most beautiful woman of all: her shape follows the curves of the landscape, her skin gleams in the moonlight, her ruby lips touch the skin of her helpless lover like a caress, her walk mirrors her feline perfection and her subtle perfume lingers after she leaves. She is the perfect image of woman (changing, of course, from the ideals of person to person) that brings about an inexplicable hunger... She enkindles the kind of passion only alive in feverish fantasy...

The original goddess archetype was omnipresent but always unattainable, for she was not for mortal man. She was characteristically connected to the moon, its glow as well as its coldness. And it is most certainly her coldness that made her so attractive, manifesting strongest towards suitors who believed they could master her.

The Romantic Poets, so in love with love, found their home in praising the goddess. They threw themselves at her feet and begged for her mercy. They thrilled at her ability to break their hearts, for they were smitten beyond their human control, and so her ever-elusiveness encouraged them to call upon her again and again, pleading for her attention and approval.

After all, the ultimate function of the Muse is to inspire...

The Riddle of the Dragon