Book of Kells Part Two

Continuing my look at the Book of Kells, an 8th century illuminated manscript.

This illustration is called the Temptation of Christ. There is a lot of subtle symbolism in this piece. The house is Christ church. He is the cornerstone that holds it up (the blond figure in the center.) It is built on the apostles (the heads underneath.) The devil (the black forked handed creature near the top at the right) is outside of the church building. He is capable of tempting, but has still been expelled. There is much more to be explored than this, though. What else do you see?

The Book of Kells explores the four Gospels (New Testament) and the writers are depicted as beasts. These creatures are mentioned in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. From Ezekiel 1:4-10

⁴ I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, ⁵ and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, ⁹ and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.

¹⁰ Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.

I love the fact that the Irish monks told stories in these illustrations. I'll look at more in my next post.

Penny Whistle

You just can't have Irish music without a whistle. The whistle is a very ancient instrument, first made of bone and wood. I found this instructional video of a circa 1900 whistle. I was interested in hearing it because the book I'm working on is set in 1900.




Where did penny whistle get its name? There are a couple of theories. In 1843 Robert Clarke of England made the first tin whistle and possibly sold them for a penny. Or the name may have come from the fact that people would through pennies to street performers.

One of the best flute players (and the penny whistle was once called a vertical flute) is Joanie Madden of Cherish the Ladies. She plays a variety of flutes and whistles during her performances.

I've been told the the penny whistle is easy to learn. Well, maybe someday....

The Book of Kells

Many of the Celtic designs you see on merchandise today were inspired by the artwork in the Book of Kells. Sometimes I forget that not everyone knows what the Book of Kells is. It's an 8th century illuminated manuscript (vivid illustrations that seem to glow) created by Irish monks. Its name in Irish is An Leabhar Cheanannais. It is written in Latin and contains the four Gospel books of the New Testament along with some indexes and other texts. As I said, it's lavishly illustrated, and it's those illustrations that have mesmerized people for hundreds of years.

The four apostles are illustrated along with symbolism. Below is John the Evangelist.

In the 12th century Gerald of Wales wrote about what many believe was the Book of Kells. He viewed the book at Kildare, so some wonder if he was talking about another book now lost. Maybe, but these books were passed around from monastery to monastery. Scholars believe it is the work of more than one monk--probably several. The scribes were probably not the illustrators. Gerald of Wales's description of the book he saw matches the Book of Kells. Part of what he wrote:

"You will make out intricacies, so delicate and so subtle, so full of knots and links, with colours so fresh and vivid, that you might say that all this were the work of an angel, and not of a man."

So delicate, so subtle.... These illustrations do merit careful observation and contemplation. Just what do those symbols mean? Why are certain animals depicted?

One of the best sources of information I've found on the Book of Kells is a video.

I saw a replica book at a library once. The photo of the open book above is from that exhibit.

It's amazing to think about the craftsmanship and dedication to perfection that the men who created this book put forth. They were monks who lived in service to God, so surely they could do nothing but their best. I hope I can put forth half the effort they did when I write.

I'm going to continue talking about Ireland's national treasure this week.

Imbolc

The Celtic year can be pictured as a wheel. Each season flows into the other and it's a cycle that continues on an on like a rolling wheel. In fact, some people think a Brigid's cross is the shape of a wheel and represents the four seasons. Imbolc (or Imbolg) is the day of the Feast of St. Brigid and originally belonged the Celtic goddess of the same name. Later the church used this festival and named it Candlemas, which is the blessing of the candles or more important to the church, the recognition of the purification of the Virgin Mary. From newadvent.org:

According to the Mosaic law a mother who had given birth to a man-child was considered unclean for seven days; moreover she was to remain three and thirty days "in the blood of her purification"; for a maid-child the time which excluded the mother from sanctuary was even doubled. When the time (forty or eighty days) was over the mother was to "bring to the temple a lamb for a holocaust and a young pigeon or turtle dove for sin"; if she was not able to offer a lamb, she was to take two turtle doves or two pigeons; the priest prayed for her and so she was cleansed. (Leviticus 12:2-8)

But getting back to Imbolc, which is the Celtic festival, it's the beginning of spring, the time when new life was just beginning to reveal itself, the first planting of crops and the beginning of fishing season. It was also the day for hanging a new Brigid cross over the front door of your house or your barn. You can read more about the crosses in my post here.

It may not feel like spring where you live. It likely didn't in the land of these ancient people either. But it was the beginning, the hope of new life, fertile crops, young lambs and calves.

Other Interpretations of Brigid

Brigid of Ireland is my interpretation of the saint's early life. Others have their own interpretations. Below is the book trailer for a children's book, The Life of Saint Brigid. It was written by Jane G Meyer, illustrated by Zachary Lynch. The author is sending me this book and I'll review it in a future post.

In addition, I'm posting, with the artist's permission, a drawing of Brigid by Ashmodai Bergisches from Germany (above.) It's interesting that the artist interpreted her as a blond, as I did in my novel. I had a reader ask me how I discovered what color her hair was. She had always believed it to be red. The truth is, no one knows! Remember we are talking about the late 5th-early 6th century here.

Here is another by an artist I met at the Milwaukee Irish Festival a few years ago, Andrea Bowes.

There are many interpretations, beliefs, and ways to celebrate Brigid's life. I find them all fascinating.

Groundhog Day Began in Ireland

Possibly...it's a good chance it did. Here's why:

In ancient times there were no weathermen. I know that might be hard to believe, but it's true. The ancient people had to predict the weather themselves so they turned to nature to help them, specifically the hedgehog. On St. Brigid's Day, or Candlemas, they would spot those little fellows and determine that if they saw their shadows, more bad weather was in store, but if not, then spring was surely on its way. I doubt that these predictions helped them anymore than they help us today. It doesn't seem to matter, here where I live, whether the groundhog (substituted for the European hedgehog) sees his shadow or not. March seems to be more wintery than January was. By the way, we have our own groundhog: Buckeye Chuck. We can't allow anything from Pennsylvania to be our mascot, don't you know?

(For a more thorough explanation of the history of Groundhog Day, see Cathi Hassan's blog today.)

Maybe the real sign that spring is on its way is the appearance of these animals in the first place. When hibernating animals start waking up, the days are longer and winter is wanning. Shadow, smadow! Doesn't matter.

But it's still fun, right? I mean, is there any better movie than Groundhog Day?

Happy St. Brigid's Day!

Ah, 'tis a day that is near and dear to my heart! 'Tis the feast of St. Brigid!

My dilemma is what to blog about. I've blogged about her here and here. But not to worry. There is still so much to tell!

As Joseph A. Knowles said (and is mentioned in my book, Celtic Wisdom):
In a life of the Saint...many legends and traditions must be introduced to stimulate the devotion of the reader, and to relieve the monotony which would inevitably ensue from a mere studied recital of historical detail.

So, Knowles gives us permission to let our imaginations run free!

St. Brigid is associated with fire. When she was a baby neighbors saw the house was in on fire. They ran to it, fearful that the babe had perished in the blaze. However, the house was just aglow and she was unharmed. This miracle was a sign that she was favored by God. She is also connected to an eternal flame. At her duel monastery (both men and women) she and nineteen virgins tended a flame. After her death the fire needed no tending on her assigned night. The fire continued perpetually until the 13th century when it was extinguished. It was soon relit and continued until the time of the Reformation when it was put out. In 1993 the tradition was renewed by the Brigidine Sisters and continues on today.

Brigid is associated with the hearth, which was the center of the Irish home. Surely the kitchen today is the heart of the home. I found this recipe on About.com and gave it a try. One of the traditions is to leave some of the bread on the windowsill for St. Brigid. I think I'll do that. The birds will enjoy it, I think. Below is a photo of my actual loaf.

St. Brigid's Oat Bread

Prep Time: 0 hours, 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 hours, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter (small flakes)
• 3/4 cup uncooked oatmeal flakes (I used steel-cut Irish oats)
  
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, 220 degrees Celsius.

Grease a baking sheet. (I used parchment paper.)

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Add butter flakes, cutting them in with a knife until the mixture becomes crumbly.
Add oats and mix well.

Beat the egg with the buttermilk in a separate bowl.

Make a "well" in the dry ingredients, then pour in the egg mixture and mix all with a fork until the crumbs hold together.
Form the dough into a ball and knead (on a floured surface). Add flour if the mass is still too sticky to work with. (Just count on adding more.)

Form the doughball into a round bread and place it on the baking sheet.
Score a cross into the bread (do not cut through).

Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes, the bread should be medium brown.

I've never been accused of paying attention to presentation when I cook, so although my loaf wasn't pretty, it tasted pretty good. If you make a loaf, let me know. If you email me a photo, I'll use it in my next newsletter. What? Don't get my newsletter? Sign up here: http://www.cindyswriting.com

I think I'll blog some more about St. Brigid this week. I hope you'll come back! :)

Under the Greenwood

While the snow flies, I can dream about spring. I'm inspired by this ancient Celtic writer:

A hedge of trees surrounds me,
A blackbird's lay sings to me;
Above my lined booklet
The trilling birds chant to me,
In a grey mantle from the top of bushes
The cuckoo sings;
Verily--may the Lord shield me!--
Well do I write under the greenwood.

This and more can be found in my book, Celtic Wisdom.

More About Bells

In a previous post I talked about the bell that residents heard at Rostrevor for centuries but couldn't see. You can read that post here. Here is a picture of that actual bell. The reason it can be dated is because of the type of bell it is. Note the little hammer. That's how the bell was rung. After it was discovered in 1888 it was used in the church.

A woman named Brigid, whom I "met" through her blog Under the Oak, is the owner of this picture. She says: "It is only in the last few years that the bell has been put into this display case, it used to sit on the altar and was used as the bell rung at Mass during the consecration. Indeed, the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese whose family used to live in Rostrevor, tells a story about her son almost deafening everyone with an over-enthusiastic striking of it when he was an altar-boy. It really does have a fantastic sound."

From PW Joyce's A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland: The most ancient Irish bells were quadrangular in shape, with rounded corners, and made of iron: facts which we know both from the ecclesiastical literature, and from the specimens that are still preserved.

We also know that these did not have clappers. They were bronze or iron and were struck with a hammer. How these bells were used is a matter of legend. St. Patrick is said to have had many bells, and even employed a few blacksmiths to travel with him. One story is about the saint's defeat of Caoranach, a pre-Christian monster. The battle took place on a mountain and when Patrick threw his bell at the beast it was knocked all the way to Lough Derg.

The bells could have been used during the ancient masses to fend off evil spirits. They might have been used to sound warnings when dangers approached.

Bells certainly have been used since ancient times.
St. Patrick's Bell at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. The bell is dated between the 5th and 8th century. Read about it here.