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Diarmaid and the Cosmic Boar: Part One (The Cosmic Double-Death of Re-Creation: Part 3)

It’s been four months since my last post in this series, so I apologize for the delay. This installment (which is pretty long) has been broken down into two separate posts.

Posts in this series so far

1. The Genesis Protevangelium (The Cosmic Double-Death of Re-Creation: Part 1)
2. Thor and the Ouroboros (The Cosmic Double-Death of Re-Creation: Part 2)

Diarmaid and the Boar of Beann Gulbain

Diarmaid’s encounter with the Boar of Beann Gulbain is found in the tale known as The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Grainne, which is part of the Fenian Cycle, dating to around the 15th century A.D., also mentioned in the 10th century (or earlier) Book of Leinster. The tale has also survived until recent times in oral tradition ^1..

As a child Diarmaid was fostered by Aengus Og together with the son of a common steward. According to one version of the myth Diarmaid’s father Donn was offended that the steward’s son was loved more that his own and he crushed him to death between his knees. After the steward discovered that Donn was responsible for his son’s death, he struck his son’s body with a druidic staff and transformed him into a boar, lacking both ears and tail. The steward proclaimed that the boar will cause the death of Diarmaid, and both he and the boar would share the same lifespan ^2.. According to another variant of the myth it was Diarmaid himself who killed the son of Aengus Og, who then transforms his son into a boar and curses Diarmaid ^3..

Diarmaid finally meets his destiny on the heights of Beann Gulbain (Ben Bulben). There, he is forced to break the conditions of his various geasa, or taboos, which includes hunting boar, by Finn, who still harboured bitterness in his heart against Diarmaid, after he eloped with his bride Grainne. The myth differs as to how Diarmaid is killed. In one version Diarmaid receives a fatal wound from the boar’s tusks, but manages to crush the creature’s head with the hilt of his sword, while in another version of the myth Diarmaid slays the boar, but while measuring the boar’s skin (by walking lengthwise from the boar’s head to its tail and back again) he pierces a mole on the sole of his foot on the boar’s poisonous bristles, and so receives a fatal wound. Diarmaid asks Finn to fetch him some pure water with his healing hands from a well situated nine paces from where he lay dying. Finn fetches the water, twice letting it slip through his fingers, and on the third return, Diarmaid is already dead ^4..

There is also an interesting Saxon tale of the huntsman Hans von Hackelnberg worth quoting that parallels the double-death of Diarmaid and the Boar:

Hans von Hackelnberg, chief huntsman to the duke of Brunswick, lived only for the chase. To gratify his passion, he either bought or farmed several hunting districts, and traversed, with his followers and his large pack of dogs, fields and forests, and the mountains of the Harz, year after year, by day and by night. He once passed the night in Harzeburg, and there dreamed that he saw a formidable wild boar, which, after a long conflict, overpowered him. When he awoke, the frightful image was ever before his eyes, and no remonstrances could divert his thoughts from the monster, although he affected to laugh at his dream. Some days after, he actually met in the Harz with a powerful boar, exactly resembling the one he had seen in his dream, in colour, in the erecting of his bristles, in size, and in the great length of his tusks. With ferocity, courage, and strength, the strife began on both sides, and long continued doubtful. To his dexterity Hans von Hackelnberg was indebted for his victory, and he ultimately stretched his formidable enemy at his feet. When he saw him at length extended on the earth, he feasted his eyes for some time on the sight, and then struck with his foot against the animal’s tusks, exclaiming: ” Thou canst do nothing with them now!” But he struck with such force, that one of the sharp teeth penetrated his boot and wounded his foot. At first he thought but little of the wound, and continued the chase till night came on. On his return home, his foot was so swollen, that it was found necessary to cut off the boot. From want of proper bandages and care, the wound became so bad in a few days, that he was obliged to hasten to Wolfenbiittel to procure help. But every motion of the carriage was intolerable to him, and it was with great difficulty he could reach the hospital of Wulperode, in which he soon after expired.

Thorpe, Benjamin, 1853, ‘Yule-tide Stories‘, p.489-490 (Henry G. Bohn)

The Sacrificial God in Hinduism

According to the Rig-Veda (10.80), the entire universe, throughout time, is a single being known as Purusha, the Primal Man. He is ruler of immortality, and all beings, whether mortal or immortal, form his body of a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet. In the beginning, the gods (devas) sacrificed Purusha as a sacrifice to himself. The divine Vedic texts sprang into existence, along with earth and sky and space. Every living creature and the four orders of Hindu society were born from the divided parts of his body. The dismemberment of Purusha is the prototype for the Vedic ritual of sacrifice (yajna), that maintains the cosmic order (rta) ^5..

Through his association with the three strides (or steps), Vishnu, a relatively significant deity of the Vedic pantheon, is repeatedly identified in the Brahmanic period ^6. as the deity of the Vedic sacrifice ^7. (Satapatha Brahmana ^8.). In fact, he is yajna ^9., the sacrifice ^10.. Further, Vishnu is identified with the performer of the sacrifice ^11. (yajamana) ^12., who, through imitation of Vishnu’s three cosmic steps ^13. (marking out the sacrificial ground ^14.), becomes Vishnu ^15. and obtains the power to (re)generate the cosmos ^16. (vajasati ^17.) .

The myth of Vishnu’s three strides is associated with the 5th Dasavatara Vamana, the Dwarf ^18.. According to one Puranic version of the myth, Vishnu presented himself before Bali the demon king who ruled the universe of three worlds. In his dwarf form, Vishnu requested the Bali give him all the land he could cover in three strides. Bali agreed (against the advice of his guru) and the dwarf, revealing his true gigantic form, claimed the entire three worlds (earth, sky and the heavens) with each stride ^19.. Another version of the myth has Vishnu claim the worlds in just two strides, and having nowhere else to place the third stride, Bali bows before the god and Vishnu places his foot on the demon’s head, forcing him into the neatherworld (hell), where Bali now rules ^20.. Tracy Pinchman, in Guests at God’s Wedding, writes that every Diwali, Bali’s earthly rule is restored for three days, after which he is again cast down to the underworld ^21..

In a Hymn to Vishnu (Rig Veda: 1.154), the deity elevates heaven (Vishnu’s abode ‘v.5′), separating it from the earth, with his three strides (v.1). Vishnu alone supports the cosmos (earth and sky) and all living things (v.4), and all creatures are said to reside within his three strides (v.2). Each of his footsteps are filled with honey (v.4), while from his third and highest footstep, in the heavenly transcendent realms (where the faithful joined with their gods rejoice ‘v.5′), flows a fountain of honey (v.5), that is, the nectar of immortality (equal to soma) ^22.. In the following hymn, addressed to both Vishnu and Indra (1.155), while the first two steps may be perceived by mortals, the highest footstep, is “beyond the flight of birds ^23.” (v.5). The abode of Vishnu being visible only to the wise in the form of a heavenly eye (1.22.20) ^24.. The performer of the sacrifice (who, as mentioned, becomes Vishnu through imitation of the three strides), recites a text pertaining to Vishnu’s strides and reaches Vishnu’s abode, attaining a state of transcendence ^25.. According to the Katha Upanishad (3.8-9), only one who is ever mindful and pure reaches the final and highest step of Vishnu (paramam padam), and attains release (moksha) from the wheel of rebirth (samsara) ^26.. And interesting parallel can also be found in Zoroastrianism, where the soul at death walks three steps (corresponding with thoughts, words and deeds) over the Chinvat bridge. If the three steps are good, the soul may pass over to paradise, while those that are evil are cast down to hell ^27..

Cosmic Footsteps

Jan Gonda, in Rice and Barley Offerings in the Veda, observes that the offering of three cakes on three kapalas (pieces of pottery partly in the shape of crescents) to Vishnu the sacrifice, correspond with the three strides. Further, the cakes that total nine (3X3), also correspond with the threefold chant of three verses, numbering nine in total, as well as the three breaths, also said to be nine, all three being related elements in the sacrifical rite. Gonda also mentions that the god Mitra (also associated with the number three) received the offering of a cake on the ninth day, perhaps because the number nine symbolizes cosmic totality, mirroring the steps of Vishnu, whose three strides contain the universe ^28.. with this observation we can return to the symbolic nine steps of Thor, who (theorectically) circumambulates the ouroboros of cosmic time, like the hero Diarmaid, who strode across the skin of the boar (from its head to the rear), before both succumbed to a fatal injury. Before Diarmaid breathed his last, Finn attempted (three times) to fetch the water in his healing hands from a well, that was no more than nine paces from where Diarmaid lay.

References

1. 1: Maier, Bernhard, 1998, ‘Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture‘, p.269 (Boydell & Brewer); Green, Miranda Jane, 1993, ‘Celtic Myths‘, p.39 (British Museum Press); Bitel, Lisa M, 1998, ‘Land of Women: Tales of Sex and Gender from Early Ireland‘, p.248 (Cornell University Press), & Markale, Jean, 2000, ‘The Epics of Celtic Ireland: Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic‘, p.139 (Inner Traditions / Bear & Company)
2. 2: Joyce, P. W, 2001 (1879), ‘Old Celtic Romances: Tales from Irish Mythology‘, p.228-230 (Courier Dover Publications); Neeson, Eoin, 2000, ‘Celtic Myths & Legends‘, p.169-172 (Barnes & Noble Books); Markale, Jean, 2000, ‘The Epics of Celtic Ireland: Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic‘, p.140 (Inner Traditions / Bear & Company), & Segal, Robert Alan, 2000, ‘Hero Myths: A Reader‘, p.65-66 (Blackwell Publishing)
3. 3: Carol, Rose, 2001, ‘Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth‘, p.53 (W. W. Norton & Company)
4. 4: Markale, Jean, 2000, ‘The Epics of Celtic Ireland: Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic‘, p.146 (Inner Traditions / Bear & Company); Segal, Robert Alan, 2000, ‘Hero Myths: A Reader‘, p.66 (Blackwell Publishing); MacNeil, Joe Neil, 1987, ‘Tales Until Dawn: The World of a Cape Breton Gaelic Story-Teller‘, p.39 (McGill-Queen’s Press); Campbell, J. F, 1862, ‘Popular Tales of the West Highlands: Orally Collected‘, p.44; Green, Miranda J, 1992, ‘Animals in Celtic Life and Myth‘, p.171 (Routledge); Marsh, Richard, 2006, ‘The Legends & Lands of Ireland‘, p.43 (Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.); Neeson, Eoin, 2000, ‘Celtic Myths and Legends‘, p.216 (Barnes & Noble Books); Green, Miranda Jane, 1993, ‘Celtic Myths‘, p.39 (British Museum Press), & Rolleston, T. W, 1990, ‘Celtic Myths and Legends‘, p.302 (Courier Dover Publications)
5. 5: Lipner, Julius, 1994, ‘Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices‘, p.87-88 (Routledge); Chatterjee, Margaret, 1998 (1974), ‘Contemporary Indian Philosophy‘, p.54 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); deChant, Dell & Fasching, Darrell J, 2001, ‘Comparative Religious Ethics: A Narrative Approach‘, p.105 (Blackwell Publishing); Feuerstein, Georg, Frawley, David & Kak, Subhash, 1995, ‘In Search of the Cradle of Civilization‘, p.198 (Quest Books)
6. 6: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32-33 (SUNY Press); Panikkar, Raimundo, 1995, ‘Vedic Experience‘, p.150 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Singh, Nagendra Kumar, 1997, ‘Encyclopaedia of Hinduism‘, p.526 (Anmol Publications pvt. ltd.); Matchett, Freda, 2001, ‘Krsna: The Relationship Between Krishna and Vishnu‘, p.5 (Routledge); Olson, Carl, 2007, ‘The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-Historical Introduction‘, p.146 (Rutgers University Press); Bhandarkar, Ramkrishna G, 1995, ‘Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems‘, p.47 (Asian Educational Services)
7. 7: Olson, Carl, 2007, ‘The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-Historical Introduction‘, p.147 (Rutgers University Press); Feller, Danielle, 2004, ‘The Sanskrit Epics’ Representation of Vedic Myths‘, p.277 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ)
8. 8: Matchett, Freda, 2001, ‘Krsna: The Relationship Between Krishna and Vishnu‘, p.5 (Routledge); Panikkar, Raimundo, 1995, ‘Vedic Experience‘, p.150 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Dasgupta, Surendranath, 1991, ‘A History of Indian Philosophy‘, p.536 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
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10. 10: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32-33 (SUNY Press); Srinivasan, Doris, 1997, ‘Many Heads, Arms and Eyes: Origin, Meaning, and Form of Multiplicity in Indian Art‘, p.80 (BRILL); Gonda, Jan, 1987, ‘Rice and Barley Offerings in the Veda‘, p.45,54 (Brill Archive)
11. 11: Olson, Carl, 2007, ‘The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-Historical Introduction‘, p.147 (Rutgers University Press); Gonda, Jan, 1986, ‘Prajapati’s Rise to Higher Rank‘, p.70 (BRILL)
12. 12: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32-34 (SUNY Press); Alper, Harvey P, 1991, ‘Understanding Mantras‘, p.106 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
13. 13: Gonda, Jan, 1993, ‘Aspects of Early Visnuism‘, p.56-58 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Heesterman, J. C, 1993, ‘The Broken World of Sacrifice: An Essay in Ancient Indian Ritual‘, p.70 (University of Chicago Press)
14. 14: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32 (SUNY Press)
15. 15: Soifer, Deborah A, 1991, ‘The Myths of Narasimha and Vamana: Two Avatars in Cosmological Perspective‘, p.32-34 (SUNY Press)
16. 16: Srinivasan, Doris, 1997, ‘Many Heads, Arms and Eyes: Origin, Meaning, and Form of Multiplicity in Indian Art‘, p.80 (BRILL)
17. 17: Gonda, Jan, 1986, ‘Prajapati’s Rise to Higher Rank‘, p.70 (BRILL)
18. 18: Lipner, Julius, 1994, ‘Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices‘, p.313 (Routledge); Singh, Nagendra Kumar, 1997, ‘Encyclopaedia of Hinduism‘, p.785 (Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd.)
19. 19: Dimmitt, Cornelia & Van Buitenen, J.A.B, 1978, ‘Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas‘, p.80-82 (Temple University Press); Doniger, Wendy, 1975, ‘Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook‘, p.178-179 (Penguin Classics)
20. 20: Olson, Carl, 2007, ‘The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-Historical Introduction‘, p.149 (Rutgers University Press); Mitchell, John Murray, 2000, ‘Hinduism, Past and Present‘, p.112-113 (Asian Educational Services); Rajan, Chandra ‘trans’, 2003, ‘Complete Works of Kalidasa: vol.2‘, p.374 (Sahitya Akademi)
21. 21: Pintchman, Tracy, 2005, ‘Guests at God’s Wedding: Celebrating Kartik Among the Women of Benares‘, p.62 (SUNY Press)
22. 22: Doniger, Wendy, 1981, ‘The Rig Veda: an anthology: one hundred and eight hymns‘, p.225-227 (Penguin Classics); Panikkar, Raimundo, 1995, ‘Vedic Experience‘, p.150-153 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Gonda, Jan, 1993, ‘Aspects of Early Visnuism‘, p.56 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
23. 23: Bhandarkar, Ramkrishna G, 1995, ‘Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems‘, p.47 (Asian Educational Services); Danielou, Alain, 1991, ‘The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism‘, p.170 (Inner Traditions / Bear & Company)
24. 24: Bhandarkar, Ramkrishna G, 1995, ‘Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems‘, p.47 (Asian Educational Services); Aurobindo, Sri, 1988, ‘Vedic Symbolism‘, p.90 (Lotus Press)
25. 25: Gonda, Jan, 1993, ‘Aspects of Early Visnuism‘, p.57 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Alper, Harvey P, 1991, ‘Understanding Mantras‘, p.106 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.)
26. 26: Bhandarkar, Ramkrishna G, 1995, ‘Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems‘, p.48 (Asian Educational Services); Dalvi, Rohit & Deutsch, Eliot, 2004, ‘The Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta‘, p.32 (World Wisdom, Inc.); Sparreboom, M, 1985, ‘Chariots in the Veda‘, p.18 (BRILL)
27. 27: Bhattacharyya, Haridas, 1994, ‘The Foundations of Living Faiths: An Introduction to Comparative Religion‘, p.515 (Motilal Banarsidass Publ.); Christian, James L, 2005, ‘Philosophy: An Introduction To The Art Of Wondering‘, p.545 (Thomson Wadsworth); Ma’sumian, Farnaz, 2002, ‘Life After Death: A Study of the Afterlife in World Religions‘, p.22 (Kalimat Press)
28. 28: Gonda, Jan, 1987, ‘Rice and Barley Offerings in the Veda‘, p.15,45,53-55 (Brill Archive)

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