Paulie Rainbow 

The Wisdom of Emer and the search for modern meaning in medieval Irish texts  

When I set out to create the Denver Celtic Women’s Circle I had some very specific ideas about what kinds of texts we should draw on to invoke the most affirming and strengthening magic in our shared rituals. 

One of the texts that I leaned on heavily was “The Wasting Sickness of Cú Chulainn or the Only Jealousy of Emer.” It contains a conversation between the Goddess Fand, who sought out Cú for a mate when She was abandoned by Her husband, Manannán mac Lir, the smitten hero Cú being confronted by his wife, and his highborn and highly regarded wife, Emer, who has arrived on the scene of his romantic board game playing interlude with the Goddess, while accompanied by fifty of her besties, fully armed, in fifty war chariots. Emer has come to threaten a Goddess, to plead her case to her wayward husband and, if necessary, die with honor defending her own against Ulster’s undefeated war champion. It remains one of my favorite Irish tales. 

The confrontation starts with the Goddess Fand noticing the army of women and describing them to Cú’s charioteer as:

“…a troop of clever, capable women, glittering sharp knives in their right hands and gold on their breasts.”

It contains in the ensuing confrontation a list of defining characteristics of a fully realized woman, within the context of the tale. Cú asks why he shouldn’t be with this Goddess Fand, describing Her qualifications as: 

“She is pure and modest, fair and clever, and worthy of a king. A handsome sight she is on the waves of the great-tided sea, with her shapeliness and beauty and noble family, her embroidery and handiwork, her good sense and prudence and steadfastness, her abundance of horses and herds of cattle.”

It’s quite a list, and while it includes purity and modesty as well as some seemingly sexist requirements of physical beauty, it is noteworthy for including Her skill with a boat and several comments on Her mental fitness, not to mention all of that livestock that She owns. 

Emer, who was noted for her wit in an earlier tale, points out that this is human short-sightedness: 

“Perhaps this woman you have chosen is no better than I…But what’s red is beautiful, what’s new is bright, what’s tall is fair, what’s familiar is stale. The unknown is honoured, the known is neglected - until all is known.”

There’s a lot of text that deals with love, and loss, and pain, but when Manannán mac Lir asks what His wife wants, She frankly tells Him that She prefers the Ulster hero, but chooses to return to the husband who has returned to Her for the most pragmatic of reasons: 

“…you have no other worthy queen, but Cú Chulaind does.”

The text itself has some lovely quotables, yet the strength of it is in the themes, these are strong female characters who describe themselves and each other in brusquely positive terms. They are complex and forthright and willing to take on risk and danger to defend what they believe in. They stand up for themselves. Instead of being petty and whining, they are generous and honest with each other and when they express their own grief and disappointments they do so candidly, vulnerably, and with dignity. 

It is an amazing description of women from the medieval period, more so given that it was recorded by men, by monks in fact, and we have no evidence that it was authored by or intended for women. 

Origins and intentions not withstanding, it is a story worth reading, mulling over, and discussing. It expresses a vision of strength, dignity, cleverness, and honor for women. 

As I work my way through the Irish texts, I am looking for the threads of the pre-Christian narrative, for the values of our ancient predecessors, but I am not interested in invoking or recreating oppressions, inequity, or outmoded philosophies. We are not medieval cattle herders bound to a caste system and ruled by a hereditary noble class. And, although my collection of hoop skirts and semi-historical costumes might imply otherwise, I don’t want to be. I do want to reach beyond the monotheism that has ruled us for centuries and I want to walk with the Gods of my predecessors. But my purpose in that is to find a way forward, not back. When I dig into these texts I’m not just looking for age, but for value. 

What we speak, we manifest. What we repeat, embeds itself on our consciousness. What we invoke, we must live with. I selected this tale to work with over 13 years ago and I am still engaging with it today. I want to be a woman who is generous and honest with other women, who feels the dignity in love and in grief. I want to be willing to fight for my own dignity and clever enough to win with my words. I want to stand with my chosen partner even when that is hard and our outcomes are uncertain. I want to be willing to concede to a woman who is better than I am at what I hope I would win for myself. 

And I want to be willing to jump in a chariot, ride-or-die for my sisters. Because we are worth it. 

The Denver Celtic Women’s Circle is a private circle with a commitment to sharing what we learn with our community. We cherish our Triad of Hospitality and all of our public events are Open and Inclusive for all genders. We are anti-racist. Check out our Facebook or Meetup pages to join us for Full Moon ritual, New Moon or Saturday meditation, Irish language practice, or future workshops. We remain committed to remote/online events for the present. 

Peace of the mountains to you, 

Paulie Rainbow