The Traditional Cosmology Society presents a talk by Daniel Watson (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies) on Friday 28th February, 17:00 - 19:00, 50 George Square, Room G.01.
Daniel Watson
Re-Embodiment in Early Irish Literature: The Case of Mongán Mac Fiachnai
The prevalence of people that have the habit of passing from one form of embodiment to another could be said to be one of the more characteristic features of medieval Irish literature generally. This evidence has lead some scholars to conclude three things: 1) that medieval Irish literature bears witness to beliefs that are similar to the Pythagorean doctrine of metempsychosis, 2) that this shows continuity with the Pythagorean doctrines attributed to Gallic druids by Classical authors, and 3) that it demonstrates the accuracy of those authors in making such an attribution. However, this all hangs on the accuracy of the initial comparison between the examples of re-embodiment in medieval Irish literature and those in Pythagorean tradition. Thus it is surprising that a detailed comparison of the extant evidence has not yet been made. This is the gap in scholarship that this paper means to fill. Such a comparison promises to enlarge our understanding of both traditions, however similar or different they are found to be. In this endeavour, the portrayal on Mongán mac Fiachani in the texts associated with Cín Domma Snechtai will be the most promising point of departure. For it is based on this portrayal that the strongest argument could be made for equating Pythagorean metempsychosis, with Early Irish stories of rebirth.