Post by brimstonne on Feb 24, 2015 17:30:56 GMT -6
The Dagda is a God who appears in quite a few myths, but he is quite complicated in some ways. He is a king, meaning that he has all of the traits of a king of the Tuatha De Danann, but is also often portrayed as oafish, or crude. One such example is found in 'The Great Battle of Magh Tuireadh' when Lugh sent the Dagada to the camp of the Fomor to try to postpone them until the men of Ireland were ready for battle. And they granted him the delay, but in doing so made him eat a LOT of porridge/broth. To the point that 'his belly was the size of a great house cauldron.' and his attire was... a tad ridiculous. But its after doing so and after he has awaken that the Morrigan sleeps with him. As a goddess of sovereignty, she is known for sleeping with (or honestly just messing with to see how far she can go) the future kings of Ireland. With the Dagda, what may be viewed as that which makes him oafish, may be what makes him a great king. He puts what would be best for his tribe above his own pride. He is unafraid of what others may think, or how he may be viewed. When he is at his most foolish, that is when the Morrigan decides to offer her aid in battle. “These passages are full of crude humour, but in them the writer is burlesquing what were in reality ancient mythical ideas of copiousness and fertility in association with the deity.” (152, Dáithí Ó hÓgáin)
“The god who is ordinarily known as the Dagda is also called Eochaid Ollathair, Echoaid ‘Father of All’ or ‘Supreme Father’. This epithet does not mean that he is in fact the father of all the other gods; we know from the genealogies that he is not. It expresses merely the paternal character inherent to the notion of chieftain in a patriarchal society, where the chieftain’s power is felt to be of the same nature as that of a father, being, at least in theory, the extension and transposition on the political plane of a father’s power in the family.” (pg 38, Marie-Louise Sjoestedt) Again, this ties into him having the ability to put what is best for his tribe, before himself, which is something a father must have and may be why he is viewed as being the father figure of the group.
It is also noted that while he is often quick to temper, most myths show otherwise. He doesn't get angry when the Fomor mock him. Nor when Angus tricks him out of his home, nor when Corrgenn killed his son. That’s not to say he didn't inflict a horrifying punishment on Corrgenn, but he did not kill him in a rage either. In fact in his grief it is said that he cried tears of blood, which is the first I've heard of any of the Shining Ones doing so.
The Dagda is also known for both his cauldron and his club. This is how his club is often described: ““He carries a club of such power that he could kill with ease using one end of it, the rough end--and bring the dead back to life easily by switching to the other end, which is smooth. This twofold power of life and death is the mark of a great magician--again, a power that can walk between both worlds.” (pg 44, Lora O’Brien) Now its not often stated in myths his magical prowess, but from analyzing his sources and possessions we can conclude that he was in fact a powerful magician. “He is not only first among magicians; he is a formidable fighter. Under his club the bones of warriors are ‘like hailstones under the hooves of horses’. [...] The enormous club, mounted on wheels, which he drags along, is so heavy that eight men would be required to carry it, and its track in the ground is as deep as the [ditch] which marks the frontier of two provinces. With one end of the club he can kill nine men; with the other he restore them to life.” (pg 39, Sjoestedt) He literally has the power of death and life in his hands. Its something not often seen, most can certainly kill at will, but to bring those they have killed back to life? Is something that makes the Dagda unique.
The cauldron however to me is the most interesting of his possessions. “Lord of life and death by means of this magic club, he is also lord of abundance by means of his inexhaustible cauldron, from which ‘no one goes away without being satisfied’.” (pg 39-40, Sojestedt) No one ever leaves unsatisfied, or hungry, or thirsty. I mean that’s got to be an amazing feat, but it does make me wonder, if no one ever leaves unsatisfied could this be why in Manannans call to Bran Emahin is described as “ ...without grief, without sorrow, without death, without any sickness, without any weakness;” because in that time period people would die of starvation, children who were underfed were often sickly, warriors without the proper nutrition would have been weaker, and I wonder if the cauldron is the solution for the lack of all of those. Does the Cauldron, which allows him to care for his people as a chieftain should, help to make sure that there is no sickness? The quote from Manannan’s call to Bran is one of my favorites because it makes me think about why is there no sickness or death, what allows that to be? And to me one of the things that makes the most sense is that they are all provided for, they go without need, without worry, and with the Cauldron the Dagda is able to do just that.
“The god who is ordinarily known as the Dagda is also called Eochaid Ollathair, Echoaid ‘Father of All’ or ‘Supreme Father’. This epithet does not mean that he is in fact the father of all the other gods; we know from the genealogies that he is not. It expresses merely the paternal character inherent to the notion of chieftain in a patriarchal society, where the chieftain’s power is felt to be of the same nature as that of a father, being, at least in theory, the extension and transposition on the political plane of a father’s power in the family.” (pg 38, Marie-Louise Sjoestedt) Again, this ties into him having the ability to put what is best for his tribe, before himself, which is something a father must have and may be why he is viewed as being the father figure of the group.
It is also noted that while he is often quick to temper, most myths show otherwise. He doesn't get angry when the Fomor mock him. Nor when Angus tricks him out of his home, nor when Corrgenn killed his son. That’s not to say he didn't inflict a horrifying punishment on Corrgenn, but he did not kill him in a rage either. In fact in his grief it is said that he cried tears of blood, which is the first I've heard of any of the Shining Ones doing so.
The Dagda is also known for both his cauldron and his club. This is how his club is often described: ““He carries a club of such power that he could kill with ease using one end of it, the rough end--and bring the dead back to life easily by switching to the other end, which is smooth. This twofold power of life and death is the mark of a great magician--again, a power that can walk between both worlds.” (pg 44, Lora O’Brien) Now its not often stated in myths his magical prowess, but from analyzing his sources and possessions we can conclude that he was in fact a powerful magician. “He is not only first among magicians; he is a formidable fighter. Under his club the bones of warriors are ‘like hailstones under the hooves of horses’. [...] The enormous club, mounted on wheels, which he drags along, is so heavy that eight men would be required to carry it, and its track in the ground is as deep as the [ditch] which marks the frontier of two provinces. With one end of the club he can kill nine men; with the other he restore them to life.” (pg 39, Sjoestedt) He literally has the power of death and life in his hands. Its something not often seen, most can certainly kill at will, but to bring those they have killed back to life? Is something that makes the Dagda unique.
The cauldron however to me is the most interesting of his possessions. “Lord of life and death by means of this magic club, he is also lord of abundance by means of his inexhaustible cauldron, from which ‘no one goes away without being satisfied’.” (pg 39-40, Sojestedt) No one ever leaves unsatisfied, or hungry, or thirsty. I mean that’s got to be an amazing feat, but it does make me wonder, if no one ever leaves unsatisfied could this be why in Manannans call to Bran Emahin is described as “ ...without grief, without sorrow, without death, without any sickness, without any weakness;” because in that time period people would die of starvation, children who were underfed were often sickly, warriors without the proper nutrition would have been weaker, and I wonder if the cauldron is the solution for the lack of all of those. Does the Cauldron, which allows him to care for his people as a chieftain should, help to make sure that there is no sickness? The quote from Manannan’s call to Bran is one of my favorites because it makes me think about why is there no sickness or death, what allows that to be? And to me one of the things that makes the most sense is that they are all provided for, they go without need, without worry, and with the Cauldron the Dagda is able to do just that.