by Glenn “Maghnus” Wright
“He was believed to control the weather and stories told of how he came periodically to intervene in the affairs of the men and women of this world.” (hÓgáin, 329) Manannán mac Lir held sway over more elements than just the weather though. He has strong affiliations with the Otherworld and the mists between the worlds. In Irish, Scots and Manx mythology, Manannán mac Lir is poetically the god of the sea.
He had many magical items ascribed to him. He gave Cormac mac Airt his magic goblet of truth; he had a ship that did not need sails named “Wave Sweeper”; he owned a cloak of mists that granted him invisibility, a flaming helmet, and a sword named Fragarach (“Answerer” or “Retaliator”) that could never miss its target. He also owned a horse called “Enbarr of the Flowing Mane” which could travel over water as easily as land.
Manannán features in many Irish tales and folklore renditions such as, Manannán at Play which features the god as a clown and beggar who turns out to be a harper, The Voyage of Bran, wherein Manannán prophesied to Bran that a great warrior would be descended from him, and in the tale His Three Calls to Cormac Manannán tempts the Irish King Cormac mac Airt with treasure in exchange for his family.
Although he is included in well over a dozen tales, including some where he is most prominent, Manannán is widely known for his role after the defeat of the Tuatha Dé by the Gaelic people. He is said to have come, “…from his overseas domain to the Tuatha Dé and advised them to take up residence in mounds, hillocks, and lonely places of Ireland.” (hÓgáin, 330) Manannán also appointed a special sidh (a cairn dwelling) to each of the Tuatha Dé nobles as well as presenting them with three great gifts.
Manannán can be a prominent force in our lives, or an occasional acquaintance. He can take on numerous guises, be it a father figure or a teacher, others know him a protector or a gatekeeper, and some even see him as a flirtatious lover. However, most of us that are familiar with Manannán know him first and foremost as a friend. Frankly, it’s almost impossible not to love this deity once you get acquainted with him.
Bibliography
Gregory, Lady Augusta. “Part I Book IV: His Three Calls to Cormac” in Gods and Fighting Men (Colyn Smyth, Buckinghamshire, 1903) Web. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/gafm/gafm21.htm 03/02/2012
hÓgáin, Dáithí Ó. The Lore of Ireland. Rochester, NY. 2006. Print
