IGWRT's Wednesday Challenge - Gods in Celtic Nature "Niamh"

An Irish Postal Stamp based on the artist P. J. Lynch HERE

Niamh

I gallop a beauty white
wing over a western sea,

remember strength
turned to dust, hear my name
exhaled upon Oisin's lips...

Beloved!

I gallop a beauty white
listen for faint druid verse
of ancient celtic tongue
praise fearsome warrior queens,
fertile, wise and learn-ed...

wing over a western sea,
search for feminine hand
upon the hearts of man,
seek just one
who whispers my name 

among yellow iris and swaying birch,
green clovers and summer moon -
find silence.  Fear my name
in the hearts of man is but a myth...

to Tir-na-nOg!

I wing over a western sea,
gallop a beauty white.

by Margaret Bednar, September 19, 2013


This is for Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Gods in (Celtic) Nature. Specifically to write in the first person of a god or goddess as if he/she were contemplating existence in the modern day.  (Niamh's beauty was often likened to yellow irises, birch trees, green clover and the moon.)

I was thrilled to find that the goddess (and mortal) I chose to write about, so did William Butler Yeats - but he wrote an epic poem, "The Wanderings of Oisin" a dialogue between the mortal, Oisin and St. Patrick, about his 300 years spent in the magical land of Tir-na-nOg.

HERE is a nice (short) retelling of the story.

Below is a rather silly puppet (marionette) video which my five year old son thought was funny ... but I recall no dragons and pink barbie-like princesses in any of the versions I read:)