I chose to title this blog 'Inner Landscapes' because it is my belief that the way in which we notice and interact with the landscapes, sun/moon/stars, buildings and even the objects around us; shape each of us far more than we may think.
The well-known Slieve Gullion mythology tells how Fionn (a name synonymous with Kingship in Ireland), was out hunting with his troop of men (the Fianna) on Slieve Gullion when he came across a beautiful young woman weeping at the side of the summit lake.
The Cailleach Beara, the 'Divine Hag' who is the embodiment of the 'land goddess' often appears in mythology as either a beautiful young woman (the maiden), or an old hag (the crone), and sometimes she can be both! There is no doubt that the maiden Fionn encounters on Slieve Gullion is a representation of this goddess, and only a true King can win her affection... She tells Fionn she is crying because she has lost her golden ring in the lake. Fionn gallantly dives in to retrieve it for her. When he emerges his hair has gone white and he has become an old man. The Cailleach is later forced to restore his lost youth but his hair remains white forever...
The story is a myth in which Fionn represents the personification of the old & weak setting sun on the shortest day of the year, which appears to set 'into' this great mountain. The ancestors built a passage cairn on the summit of Slieve Gullion to honour this solar event. This is known as the 'Cailleach Beara's Cave' into which the sun sets before rising again renewed the next morning, as the days begin to lengthen. The inspiration for the Fionn story seems clear.
On a beautiful walk at Slieve Gullion yesterday I snapped this image of the Sun's 'golden ring' reflected in the lake.
Shortly after I took this picture, a super-fit handsome young man climbed to the top of the cairn before going for a swim in the lake.
I couldn't help thinking how the goddess in the land is still inviting, the young man is still keen to show off*, and the ring is still in the lake.
Timeless interactions. Living landscapes.
*Fortunately for the young man in question, he came out with his hair unchanged - but he did admit to some nervousness as he said the waters of the lake were so dark that he couldn't tell how deep it was. The goddess still commands respect!
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