Hello! Thank you for this. I’m working on a telling of The Lad of the Skins. The Cauldron of Plenty shows up in that tales but it’s with the King of the Floods. I’m been looking for some context on him and how he ended up with the cauldron. I’m wondering if you have any insights? Thank you for being a voice of the Celts!
Hi Kate, so magic to hear of your telling of The Lad of the Skins, it is not a tale I am well familiar with so I look forward to learning from you! Is the story you're working with from Lady Gregory? If so sometimes in her translations and retellings she uses titles that would not be known in Old Irish. The King of the Floods is not a figure I'm personally familiar with in our mythology so I'm sorry I'm not much help here. If I were to relate him to a mythical figure I would hazard a guess that perhaps he's a variation of Mannanán mac Lir, the god of the sea. This would make sense with the cauldron of plenty as Mannanán possesses the corrbolg, the 'cranebag' that holds all of the treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Also, The Lad of the Skins is from the Fenian Cycle in Irish mythology, and Mannanán Mac Lir is one of the only gods to appear in all Irish mythological cycles including the Fenian Cycle. Another potential could be Fintan mac Bóchra who survives the deluge by transforming into a salmon and, or a hawk and lives for thousands of years...
Thank you Jennifer for taking the time to reply in detail. I very much appreciate your input. Yes, Lady Gregory's translation. The King of the Floods being a variation of Mannanán makes sense to me! The Lad's wife is the (unnamed) daughter of Mannanán mac Lir in the story.
Although I do love the idea of this being Fintan returned! I enjoy imagining where he might keep showing up across time.
What a great journal prompt! Thanks
Thanks a million Nelly, I'm delighted it helped x
Hello! Thank you for this. I’m working on a telling of The Lad of the Skins. The Cauldron of Plenty shows up in that tales but it’s with the King of the Floods. I’m been looking for some context on him and how he ended up with the cauldron. I’m wondering if you have any insights? Thank you for being a voice of the Celts!
Hi Kate, so magic to hear of your telling of The Lad of the Skins, it is not a tale I am well familiar with so I look forward to learning from you! Is the story you're working with from Lady Gregory? If so sometimes in her translations and retellings she uses titles that would not be known in Old Irish. The King of the Floods is not a figure I'm personally familiar with in our mythology so I'm sorry I'm not much help here. If I were to relate him to a mythical figure I would hazard a guess that perhaps he's a variation of Mannanán mac Lir, the god of the sea. This would make sense with the cauldron of plenty as Mannanán possesses the corrbolg, the 'cranebag' that holds all of the treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Also, The Lad of the Skins is from the Fenian Cycle in Irish mythology, and Mannanán Mac Lir is one of the only gods to appear in all Irish mythological cycles including the Fenian Cycle. Another potential could be Fintan mac Bóchra who survives the deluge by transforming into a salmon and, or a hawk and lives for thousands of years...
Thank you Jennifer for taking the time to reply in detail. I very much appreciate your input. Yes, Lady Gregory's translation. The King of the Floods being a variation of Mannanán makes sense to me! The Lad's wife is the (unnamed) daughter of Mannanán mac Lir in the story.
Although I do love the idea of this being Fintan returned! I enjoy imagining where he might keep showing up across time.