Here is a glossary of mythology Celtic : Henwen, Herne, Imbolc (party), Karedwen, Korrigan, Kulhwch, Kynon
Celtic Glossary
Henwen is the name of a fabulous sow, which King Arthur regularly chases. In the Welsh tradition of Celtic mythology, it is also named Twrch Trwyth.
The Herne is a kind of giant that belongs to English folklore, armed with a club and who lives by hunting. Etymologically, it is a "derivative" of Cernunnos, the deer-god.
The Imbas forosnai, in Irish Celtic mythology, is a magical incantation reserved for the filid (druids) highest in the druidic hierarchy, the Ollamh. This ritual is described in several mythical texts, including Cormac's Glossary and The Raid of the Cows of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge).
According to Christian-J. Guyonvarc'h, the expression means "great science that illuminates". The file chews a piece of red meat which he then places on a stone as an offering to the gods, then he makes an incantation. The next day, he must redo two incantations, he places the palms of his hands on his cheeks and remains so until he falls asleep.
In the case of The Raid of the Cows of Cooley, the operation is only described in the Lebor na hUidre version and takes the form of a prophecy. Medb, Queen of Connaught, is preparing to invade Ulster when she meets a woman who says her name is Fedelm and is fromScotland, where she learned the "science of the filid". The queen, having made sure that the woman knows the science of illuminations, questions her about the outcome of her military adventure. Three times, Fedelm predicted defeat for him, but Medb refused to believe the prophecy.
The practice of Imbas forosnai would have been prohibited by Saint Patrick himself.
The Irish feast of Imbolc (February 1 - the month of anagantios according to the Coligny calendar), in Celtic mythology, is the one on which medieval sources are weakest. The meaning of the name is "lustration", so it is a purification that takes place at the end of winter, at the equinox. It could be based on a cult linked to fertility.
In Ireland the celebration of Saint Bridget on this date leads one to believe that Imbolc took place under the patronage of the pre-Christian goddess Brigit.
An Immram (plural Immrama) is a genre of tales from Irish Celtic mythology which narrate the sojourn of a hero (or important personage) in the Underworld of Celts, sometimes called Tír na nÓg (the "Land of the Young") and Mag Mell (the "Plain of Pleasure"). Written in the context of monasticism Irish, they present a Christianized version of these myths, while retaining a Celtic substrate. The usual translation of this Gaelic word is "voyage" or "navigation".
The medieval annals mention seven of these immrama, three of which have come down to us: the Voyage of Mael Dúin, the Voyage of Uí Chorra and the Voyage of Snedgus and Mac Riagla. Bran's Journey (Immram Brain maic Febail) is considered to belong to the Echtra genre while containing specific Immrama elements. The plot is formed by the exploits of the heroes in their search for the Other World, generally located in the islands west of Ireland. The purpose of travel is the lure of adventure or the fulfillment of one's destiny. The return to Ireland is random.
This theme of the fantastic journey is found in another type of myth, that of the hero “called” by a bansidh to sojourn in the perfect world of the sidh. These deities, whose magic is more powerful than that of the druids in matters of love, attract brave men to this perfect and timeless world, they believe they are staying for a few hours but remain there for an eternity, making it impossible to return to the terrestrial world.
The word korrigan (from Breton korr, dwarf, followed by the diminutive ig and the suffix an, Breton plural: Korriganed ) means “little dwarf” with a very common hypocoristic suffix in personal names. In the feminine, we sometimes find a feminized form in the French way “korrigane”, which can designate an evil fairy. The prefixes corr (Welsh literature) and cor (old cornish) both denote a dwarf.
The korrigans, sometimes also called poulpiquets, are spirits taking on the appearance of dwarves in the Celtic tradition and in particular Breton. Benevolent or malicious depending on the case, their appearance is varied. For example, they are endowed with magnificent hair and luminous red eyes, with which they can bewitch mortals. They haunt springs and fountains. A legend Breton, reported by Yann Brekilien, describes them as being small, black and hairy and wearing flat hats with velvet ribbons, while the girls were wearing purple caps. In the Middle Ages, the witches' rings that were sometimes found on meadows or in the undergrowth were attributed to them with terror. It is said that they form a circle there to dance at dusk. To the mortal who disturbs them, they sometimes propose challenges which, if they are successful, give the right to a wish (which is generally the case for good men) but which can, in the event of failure, turn into death traps leading straight to hell or an underground prison with no hope of deliverance. On the night of October 31, they are said to be operating near the dolmens, ready to drag their victims into the underworld to avenge the dead for the misdeeds of the living. This tradition links them to the no less Celtic Halloween, originally the festival of Samhain; Celtic New Year, which over the centuries and religions has become the celebration we know today.
Sometimes they also symbolize the resistance of the Brittany to Christianization and they are then given nocturnal pranks in the vicinity of churches, taking priests especially as targets.
Kulhwch, in Welsh Celtic mythology is the son of Kilydd and Goleuddydd, he is also a cousin of King Arthur. He is the main character of the tale Kulhwch and Olwen.
Having refused to marry his own daughter, his father's second wife utters a curse that he can only marry Olwen, the daughter of the leader of the giants Yspaddaden. However, the latter is himself the victim of a spell that requires him to die, at the wedding of his daughter. Kulhwch goes to the giant to ask for his daughter's hand, but the reception is violent. He is received, with the people of his retinue, by throwing stones and poisoned spears. These three spears are sent back to him, the first wounds his knee, the second pierces his chest and the third penetrates his eye to come out through the back of his neck. Finally, he imposes on Kulhwch a series of extremely difficult tests to carry out, at the end of which he will be able to marry Olwen.
After promising the leader of the giants that he will not harm him, Kulhwch must:
* Clear, plow, fertilize, sow land so that the wheat can be harvested the next day.
* Convince Amaethon to come and plow the land, because only he can do it.
* Convince Gofannon to come and clean the iron.
* Get Gwlwlyd Wineu to lend him his two oxen to plow the ground.
* Grow flax in a sterile field to make the wedding veil.
* Find a rare honey to make the mead for the wedding meal.
* Bring back Llwyr's vat to make mead.
* Bring back Gwyddneu Garabhir's dish for the whole world to eat.
* Bring back the Gwlgawt Gododdin horn to serve the drink.
* Ask Teirtu for his magic harp, the one that makes music on its own.
* Catch Rhiannon's birds.
* Go get Diwrnach the Irishman's cauldron, to cook the food for the wedding meal.
* Tear the tusk off the living boar Yskithrwynn, so that Yspaddaden can shave his beard; the defense must be guarded by Caw of Prydein who, in principle, never leaves his kingdom.
* Bring back blood from the witch Gorwen to soften the hairs of the beard; the blood must imperatively be preserved in magic bowls, belonging to Gwiddolwyn Gorwen.
* Bring back the bowls of Rhinnon, which keep the milk fresh.
* Bring back the scissors and the comb which are between the ears of the boar Twrch Trwyth, to comb the hair of Yspaddaden. To hunt this fantastic boar, you need the dog Drudwyn, the leash of Cors, the collar of Canhastyr, the chain of Kilydd Canhastyr. The dog can only be led by Mabon, whose whereabouts you never know.
* Bring together eminent hunters including King Arthur.
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