Oilliphéist

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The Oilliphéist (Irish: ollphéist, from Irish oll 'great' and péist 'worm, fabulous beast, monster, reptile')[1] is a sea serpent or dragon-like monster in Irish mythology and folklore.[2]

These monsters were believed to inhabit many lakes and rivers in Ireland and there are many legends of saints and heroes fighting them.[3] In one story, an Oilliphéist cuts the route of the River Shannon when it hears that Saint Patrick has come to drive out it and its kind.[4][5][6] In a comic addition to the story, the monster swallows a drunken piper named Ó Ruairc (O'Rourke). The piper is either unaware of his predicament or is completely unperturbed and continues to play inside the Oilliphéist's stomach. The monster becomes so annoyed with Ó Ruairc's music that it coughs him up and spits him out.[6][7][8] It is believed by Chris Cairney that this story and one involving Caoránach helped influence and inspire the legend of the Loch Ness Monster.[9]

Other stories of the Oilliphéist exist. One has a girl named Sionnan, grand daughter of Manannán mac Lir, angered the Salmon of Knowledge by throwing stones at it. In revenge the fish summons and asks an Oilliphéist to attack the girl which it does and ultimately ends up killing her.[10]

Caoránach

In Irish folklore, Caoránach (sometimes Caol) was an Oilliphéist and said to be the mother of demons who was banished by Saint Patrick to Lough Dearg in Donegal, Ulster.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

According to earlier legends, Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna are asked to slay a Hag in the Lough Dearg region. The Hag is shot and killed from far away, and her body is lost as a result. When the Fianna find her corpse, they are warned to not break its thigh bone lest a dangerous monster be released.[17]

A man named Conan breaks the bone nevertheless, and releases a small hairy worm. The worm, named Caoránach, quickly grows into a large monster which attempts to eat all the cattle in the land. The people of Ulster blame Conan for the deaths of their cattle. Enraged, Conan stabs the monster from within its mouth. Lough Dearg is named after its red rocks, which are said to have been dyed by Caoránach's blood.[18][17][16]

In a more Christianised version of the story, Saint Patrick slays the monster after being told about it. Its blood dyes the lake red[19] and in some tales Saint Patrick declares the lake should be called Lough Dearg as a result.[17] In some variants of the tale, Saint Patrick fails to kill the monster, and it lives on in Lough Dearg to this day as a result.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Mahon, Michael Patrick (1919). Ireland's Fairy Lore. Boston, Mass., T.J. Flynn & company. p. 187.
  2. ^ Eberhart, George M. (2002). Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. ISBN 1-57607-283-5.
  3. ^ Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí (1983). "'Moch Amach ar Maidin dé Luain!' Staidéar ar an seanchas faoi ollphiasta i lochanna na hÉireann". Béaloideas (in Irish). 51. An Cumann Le Béaloideas Éireann/Folklore of Ireland Society: 87–125. doi:10.2307/20522214. JSTOR 20522214.
  4. ^ "The Schools' Collection, Volume 0210, Page 152". Duchas.ie.
  5. ^ Ellis, Peter Berresford (1992). Dictionary Of Celtic Mythology. ABC-CLIO. p. 175. ISBN 9780874366099.
  6. ^ a b Minto, Susie (2013). Leitrim Folktales. History Press Ireland. ISBN 978-0-7524-9201-8.
  7. ^ Dunne, Angus. "The Great Ollphéist". Duchas.
  8. ^ Hyde, Douglas (1915). Legends of Saints and Sinners. pp. 258–263.
  9. ^ Cairney, Chris (2018). Monsters of Film, Myth and Fable: The cultural links between the human and inhuman. Cambridge Scholars publishing. pp. 386–387. ISBN 978-1-5275-1089-0.
  10. ^ Branigan, Gary (2016). Cavan Folktales. History Press Ireland. ISBN 978-0-7509-8153-8.
  11. ^ O'Connor, Daniel (1879). Lough Derg and Its Pilgrimages: With Map and Illustrations. J. Dollard. p. 131.
  12. ^ a b Monaghan, Patricia (2014). Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines. New World Library. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-60868-217-1.
  13. ^ Monsters of Film, Fiction, and Fable: The Cultural Links between the Human and Inhuman. Cambridge Scholars. 2018. p. 387. ISBN 978-1527514836.
  14. ^ Riegel, Ralph (18 March 2016). "Legends of saint provide vital clues about pagan Ireland". Irish Independent.
  15. ^ Faulkenbury, Thomas J (1992). Out of the Mist Celtic Christianity. p. 73.
  16. ^ a b Cassidy, Janet (2017). THE PILGRIMAGE OF DABHACH PHÁDRAIG: PLACE, MEMORY, AND SACRED LANDSCAPE AT THE HOLY WELL OF BELCOO. Empire State College State university of New York. p. 27.
  17. ^ a b c Seymour, John D (1918). Saint Patrick's purgatory : a mediaeval pilgrimage in Ireland. pp. 8–10.
  18. ^ Richardson, John (1727). The great folly, superstition, and idolatry, of pilgrimages in Ireland; especially of that to St. Patrick's purgatory. Together with an account of the loss that the publick sustaineth thereby; truly and impartially represented. pp. 2–3.
  19. ^ Lynn, Heather (2019). Evil Archaeology: Demons, Possessions, and Sinister Relics. p. 62.