I have needed to establish a timeline of the events in the socio-political development of Tir Na Nua.  I continue to do research to aid me in creating a world that is both interesting and informative.  By interesting I probably mean entertaining and enjoyable.  By informative I mean that it should seem realistic, internally consistent, in the world of Tir Na Nua, and should echo names and themes from Earth’s Celtic History.

In order to accomplish that, I have been digging onto a little bit of History.  I’ve been searching for names and stories that I find interesting.  If the interest that brought you to my site is Celtic legends, lore, or history you might like this site: Ireland’s History in Maps.  I’ve taken note when something of interest comes up that seems to bear on this subject. 

An example of something I’d put into the “something of interest” category might be a book like Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.  It has been awhile since I read this book, but if I remember right, the main idea was basically that societies grow and advance based on the resources that they have available, initially the type of food plants and animals and later mineral and other advantages.  Anyway, part of the fascination I have with imagining a technology loss and imagining how a society might begin again with what they have at hand comes from thinking about this book.  At least it was informed by it.

Recently I heard about another concept that I’d like to incorporate.  The book is The Fourth Turning by Neil Howe and William Strauss.  Sadly, I had to return the copy I borrowed from the library, but my initial perusal built on an interview I heard on Coast to Coast AM.  

The subtitle of the book is “an American Prophecy”  because the authors lay out their belief that we are on the verge of potentially catastrophic events that will be dealt with by a heroic generation of people who will be forced to more or less recreate our society in response to the challenges of this catastrophe. 

They base this expectation on the fact that there have been seven such heroic remakings beginning in the late Middle Ages that shaped America.  This is an idea that Greeks and Etruscans and Romans all recognized, this rhythm in history.  The rhythm is close to a century, but is actually tied to the length of a long human life. 

In this approximately 100 years, there are 4 generations.  Each of these generations seem be typified or led by four archetypes that Howe and Strauss called Heroes, Artists, Prophets, and Nomads.

Paraphrasing and laying it out hot from my fevered memory, the hero generation comes of age at this fourth turning, when there is a sense of unease and then WHAM! the catastrophe hits.  These children of a Nomad generation tend to be pampered and valued maybe as a reaction to the abandonment the Nomads received at the hands of their Prophet parents. These Prophet generation people were too busy righting “wrongs” and rejecting the previous social order to take care of the next generation.

That leaves only the Artist generation to speak about.  The Artists are the refiners of what the hero generation hath wrot.  That is to say that after the crisis is averted (or perhaps not) this follow on generation, children of the Heroes refine and systematize things to an increasing degree that eventually seems to make people so crazy that when they are done polishing their father’s edifices there follows Prophets who will oppose and reject what has been made to the degree that the seeds will be laid for the next horrendous catastrophe, perhaps because the Prophets neglect their children.

I suspect that I’m getting some of this wrong so I really need to get that book reserved again, but you get the jest of it.  Four archetypes moving through the seasons of life that seem to cycle through a series of transitions that usually leads to a big war if there isn’t another disaster to occupy the heroes.  Neat!

So it is definitely a Big Picture sort of thing.  I found it intriguing.  I plan to find some way to weave it into Tir na Nua, probably in the Background.

LSO

I’m going to begin to talk about the Celtic legends and lore that I want to be part of my fantasy world. For those not familiar with Celtic legends let me tell you, I know pretty much everything there is to know about the topic (errr, but to those who do know, ummm, uhh, let’s just say I’m putting it out there from memory.)
Because this is such a horribly quick and ill thought out post I will be forced to follow up, refine, and probably retract much of it. Still… …here goes.
I am an Irishman, of that there is no doubt. In fact, my sister having done a little comparative genealogical work (thanks Debbie), I know that I am descended from kings. Notably I am descended from one king in particular who seems, mitochondrially anyhow, to have a lot of descendants. Common to both my father and my mother is one notable person from out of the Celtic past. The O’Neills and the McNeils both spring from the same ancestor, Niall Noigillach. Niall, I’ve been told, means champion, and Noigillach means “of the nine hostages”.
Perhaps the bye name harks back to a king who conquered the nine sub-kings, leaders of minor tuaths around him, but some say Niall, counted as a high king, Ard Rig of all Ireland, came by the name for taking hostages as assurance of support from the 5 parts of Ireland, and four others elsewhere, like France. Intriguing and I’ll have to look into that.
Another legend about this fellow, Niall, is that it was he who captured Patrick and brought him to Ireland the first time as a slave. Indeed, some legends have it that it was Niall’s son Loeigre (sp?) who met Patrick on his return and through a Samhain’s day miracle began the island nation’s conversion to Christianity. Again, this requires study, so I’m putting it out there and checking and confirming later.
Niall is also very notable for the impact he had on the leadership of Ireland. Legend has it that Niall was promised the kingship for generations and the Ui Niall dynasty, or perhaps dynasties is a better way to put it, dominated the high kingship ever after. Often it seems one son of Niall got it by wacking off the head of another, but it traded back and forth until Brian Boru broke the string.
Lest I perpetuate a misconception that I do not hold, let me just say that the true genesis of the Niall clans, the various Ui Niall dynasties, was a later descendant, Niall Glundubh (that is Niall Black Knee) . In fact, Niall Nine Hostages is supposed to be, or is claimed by other clans as a progenitor. I’ll look up some of that stuff too.
It is a rich topic, no doubt, these moldy legends of kings and kingdoms or rather Righs and Tuaths, I have not even mentioned Conn of the Hundred Battles, or Saint Columkill (I think I’m murdering the name) or Tigernmas, or even Niall’s father Eochaid Mugmedon, who seems a fine fellow until you learn that his bye name means something approaching “the enslaver” or something like that. (I like to call him grandpa.)
I think I’ve successfully created something NEW, not good, but perhaps further days will see more care and concentration of effort. For now I give you NEW.
LSO