366 Celt: A Year and A Day of Celtic Wisdom and Lore. Carl McColman
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Dewi worked hard to preserve the autonomy of the Celtic church in Wales from the encroaching power of the more Roman-style Christians of Saxon England; he is also credited with refuting the Pelagian heresy during his ministry (Pelagius was a Celtic theologian whose ideas were eventually denounced as heresy, particularly by Saint Augustine). It is said that he founded twelve monasteries, and that he traveled to Jerusalem where he was consecrated an archbishop. But these stories may well be little more than legend. Despite his reputation as a strict and austere monk, David’s dying words may be the best insight into his character, and clearly reveal how the saint embodied the delightful charm of the Celtic spirit: “Brothers and sisters, be joyful and keep the faith.”
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Cuthbert of Lindisfarne was a visionary from early in his life; according to the English historian Bede, Cuthbert’s gift began with a vision he received the night of Aidan of Lindisfarne’s death. At the request of a Northumbrian king, Aidan had left the monastery at Iona to found a Celtic community at Lindisfarne, the holy isle off the coast of northeast England. At the time of Aidan’s death in August of 651, Cuthbert was a shepherd; while watching over his flock, he saw the angels escorting Aidan to heaven. This inspired him to enter the monastic life as well. In due course, his journey took him to Lindisfarne, where he eventually served as prior before retreating to a nearby island to live a hermit’s life. But like Kevin of Glendalough, he would not be left alone, and so eventually he accepted the call to be consecrated bishop of the holy isle. Also like Kevin, he had a reputation as a friend of animals; his ministry was characterized by gentleness and care for the poor. He died only two years after his consecration as a bishop; today his remains are buried in Durham Cathedral, after having been relocated repeatedly to hide them from the Vikings.
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The patron saint of Scotland is Saint Andrew, who of course was one of Jesus’ disciples and never set foot in the British Isles. Andrew is associated with Scotland because, according to legend, a ninth-century Scottish king, preparing to go to war against his English rival, received a vision of Saint Andrew’s cross. The king promised to make Andrew the patron of Scotland if he emerged victorious that day, which he did. But if there were to be a Celtic contender for the position of Scoland’s patron, it would likely be Columcille (Columba), an Irish-born missionary who founded the legendary monastery of Iona, a small island in the Hebrides. Columcille came from a prominent Irish family, and had a distinguished career as an Irish monk; but when a conflict over a manuscript that Columcille secretly copied led to violence, the mortified priest chose exile and, following the dictates of his spiritual mentor, dedicated his life to evangelism. Iona became a leading spiritual center in Scotland, and a site where many Scottish kings were buried (including Shakespeare’s Macbeth). True to his Celtic blood, Columcille once said that he feared the sound of an axe in the woods of Derry more than he feared hell itself.
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So many saints populated the Celtic church in the centuries when it existed independent of Rome: Colman, of Iona and Lindisfarne, who retreated to a remote foundation in Ireland rather than submit to Roman authority; Enda of Inishmore, one of the earliest of Irish monks who mentored Ciaran of Clonmacnoise and advised Brendan the Navigator; Yves Hélory, a Breton lawyer who became canonized because of the kindness he showed to the poor; Maughold, a pirate converted to Christianity who established a great monastery on the Isle of Man; Adomnan, who became a soul friend to Irish kings and the best-known biographer of Columcille. And on the list could go. Every Celtic saint, famous or humble, stands for celebrating the rich tradition of spiritual devotion, and reminds every one of us, ordinary mortals though we might be, to live a life of sanctity and spiritual virtue—yes, even now. Celtic spirituality is the spirituality of intimacy and closeness between the mortal and heavenly worlds. If the spiritual realm is so available to us, then also holiness is within each person’s grasp. You don’t have to be as famous as Patrick or Columcille to manifest the life of devotion. Simply choosing to do it is all it takes to get started on the journey. It’s a long and arduous journey, mind you—but a path that has been trod by many worthy feet before us.
In 1911 a young American scholar named Walter Evans-Wentz published a book developed from his dissertation at Oxford University, called The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries. The book recounts the extensive collection of folklore that the young scholar made throughout the six regions in western Europe where Celtic languages survived until modern times: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Man. All the stories and legends and personal experiences that Evans-Wentz documents involve belief not only in the existence of fairies, but also in the many ways in which fairies can interact with the physical world. The author goes on to put forward several dated, but nonetheless fascinating, theories as to why it is scientifically plausible to believe in the fairies.
I don’t know if Evans-Wentz proved his case or not, but he certainly did anchor the link between the Celts and the fairies that seems to go back to the days of myth. Celtic wisdom takes many forms and speaks to us in many different ways. But the fairy faith knits the many strands of Celtic spirituality together. It is an integral part of the Celtic mystical world.
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In Welsh they are called Y Tylwyth Teg, which means “the fair folk.” In Irish they are the Daoine Sídhe, or “people of the fairy mounds,” referring to the cairns, raths, and other prehistoric monuments that have been traditionally seen as homes for the fair folk. Euphemisms for these mysterious otherworldly beings abound—they are called the other crowd, the good people, the gentry, and sometimes just “them.” Typical of Celtic wisdom, the fairies are seen as best spoken of in oblique and roundabout ways—so as not to upset them, you see.
But no matter how firmly the fairy-faith may seem to be part of Celtic consciousness, it is not in any way unique to the Celtic world. Many of the popularized notions of the fairies (such as can be found in Shakespeare or Walt Disney) come from English, rather than Celtic, sources. The word “fairy” itself is French in origin, etymologically linked with the concept of fate. So why are the Celts popularly seen as the believers in a much more universal spiritual phenomenon? Not hard to answer—given the Celtic love for spirituality and mysticism, it’s no wonder that the Celts would be among the last to maintain credence in the existence of such inexplicable and mysterious beings as the fairies.
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Mind you, the fairies as the Celts have traditionally understood them have hardly anything in common with the fairies as they are typically portrayed in popular culture (or in the modern media). Tinkerbell may be a cute little sprite with some connection to traditional beliefs, but it is a real mistake to see in her diminutive petulancy the sum total of the fairy world. Similarly, the Victorian-era notion of fairies as garden-resident Thumbelinas is charming in its own way (and has spawned a vigorous industry of gift items now available at your local new age shop), but it’s not a very good representation of the good people as the Celts knew them—and, often as not, feared them.
Yes, the fairies have always been known for how little they are. But such spiritual beings could also appear as big as, if not larger than, a typical man or woman. Since so many stories in the tradition talk of fairy lovers, or fairies exchanging their babies for human infants, it’s clear that the little people have not always been the tiny people. But that’s what they’ve become. And in the world of Victorianesque flower fairies and post-modern knickknacks, the fairies just keep getting smaller and smaller. Which is a metaphorical way of saying that our society has taken a belief that has long been trivialized