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Uaithne

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In Irish mythology, Uaithne (Old Irish: Úaithne, pronounced [ˈuənʲə]) is Dagda's harp, or rather the Dagda's harper, according to a number of modern translators (cf. § Attestations).[3]

Attestations[edit]

Úaithne figures as the name of Dagda's harper captured by the Fomorians according to the narrative Cath Maige Tuired ("Second Battle of Mag Tuired").[4][5][a] After this battle, Dagda discovered his harp hanging on a wall, in a feasting-house wherein Bres and his father Elathan were also. The harp had two names, Daur Dá Bláo[b] ("Oak of Two Meadows"[8][10][c]) and Cóir Cetharchair ("Four-Angled Music"[11] or perhaps rather "Four-sided Rectitude"[12][13]). On this harp, the Dagda bound the music so that it would not sound until he would call to it by its names. After he called to it, it sprang from the wall of its own accord, came to the Dagda, and killed nine men on its way.[5][9]

According to the Táin Bó Fraích [ga] ("The Cattle-Raid of Fraech"), Úaithne, the Dagda's harper, had three sons by the Bóand of the síthe, and the three sons became harpers themselves, each being named after Úaithne's musical strain, i.e., Goltraige ("weeping-strain"), Gentraige ("laughing-strain") and Súantraige ("sleeping-strain").[19][21]

The TBF narrative further explains: "The time the woman (Bóand) was at the bearing of children it had a cry of sorrow with the soreness of the pangs at first: it was smile and joy it played in the middle for the pleasure of bringing forth the two sons: it was a sleep of soothingness played the last son, on account of the heaviness of the birth, so that it is from him that the third of the music has been named".[24]

Etymology[edit]

Úaithne presumably means "Childbirth".[17]

Úaithne is glossed as "Orpheus" in the Irish Glossaries.[1] The word has multiple meanings beside Dagda's harp.[1]

Úaithne can also mean "concord in music"[25] and Philippe Jouët endorses the interpretation that Dagda's harp indeed means "concordance" or "harmoniousness", which would be consistent with interpreting the byname Cóir Cetharchair as "quadrangular harmony".[26] Jouët also notes that since Uaithne (Uaitniu) could mean "wood", "work", "pillar" or "harmony", those different meanings could be the consequence of successive metaphors.[27][page needed]

In popular culture[edit]

"An Uaithne" is also the original name of Irish choir Anúna.[28][unreliable source?]

Appears in the Symphogear anime series as a relic owned by Carol Malus Dienheim.[29]

Explanatory notes[edit]

  1. ^ Lady Gregory (1910) had "Uaitne" as Dagda's harp, which had two other names.[6] But O'Curry's lecture (1873) wrote Uaithne as "the Daghda's harper" in the main text, but "..is the cruit or harp, of the Dagdha" occurs in the margin.[7]
  2. ^ var. Daurdabla, Durdabla[4]
  3. ^ Lady Gregory gave "the Oak of Two Blossoms".[6]

References[edit]

Citations
  1. ^ a b c eDIL s.v. "7 úaithne"
  2. ^ eDIL s.v. "1 cruitt". "harper", example from Fraech: "Úaithne c.¤ in Dagdai"
  3. ^ The eDIL under Úaithne(7) gives "The name of the Dagda's harp" (based on TBFr.), [1] but this conflicts with its etnry under cruitt "harper" (citing Fraech).[2]
  4. ^ a b c d Stokes, Whitley ed. tr., ed. (1891), "The Second Battle of Moytura", Revue Celtique, 12, §§163/164, pp. 108, 109
  5. ^ a b Gray, Elizabeth A. ed. tr., ed. (2003) [1982], Cath Maige Tuired: The Second Battle of Mag Tuired, Proof corrections by Benjamin Hazard, CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts, §163–§164, p. 70; English translation: §163–§164, p. 71
  6. ^ a b Gregory, Lady (1910). Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha de Danaan and of the Fianna of Ireland. London: John Murray. p. 60.
  7. ^ a b O'Curry, Eugene (1873). Sullivan, William Kirby (ed.). On the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish. Vol. 3. London: Williams and Norgate. pp. 213–214.
  8. ^ a b Gray, Elizabeth A. ed. tr., ed. (1982). Cath Maige Tuired: The Second Battle of Mag Tuired. Irish Texts Society. notes to §163, p. 113.
  9. ^ a b c Brown, Arthur Charles Lewis (1966). Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha de Danaan and of the Fianna of Ireland. New York: Russell & Russell. pp. 233–234, 229, 368.
  10. ^ A.C.L. Brown: "oak of two fields";[9] Stokes: "Oak of two greens[?]".[4]
  11. ^ A.C.L. Brown and Stokes: "four-angled music";[9][4] Lady Gregory:"the Four Angled Music"
  12. ^ Gray analyzed into cóir adj. 'proper, fitting, just, true' used as noun + Cetharchair 'four-sided, square, rectangular';[8]
  13. ^ O'Curry's Lecture explained coir to mean "arrangement, adjustment", but when applied to the instrument, meant "proper tuning or harmonizing of harp".[7]
  14. ^ a b c Meid, Wolfgang [in German], ed. (2010) [1967], Táin Bó Fraích, Electronic edition compiled by Beatrix Färber, CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts, §10, p. 4
  15. ^ a b Crowe, J. O'Beirne (1870). "Táin Bó Fraich" [The Spoil of the Cows of Froech]. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Irish MSS. series. 1, pt. 1. Irish, pp. 140, 142; English tr. pp. 141, 143. JSTOR 20706388.
  16. ^ "Tain Bo Fraich". Heroic Romances of Ireland. Vol. 2. Translated by Leahy, Arthur Herbert. London: David Nutt. 1906. p. 22.
  17. ^ a b c Crowe (1870), n13, p. 162.
  18. ^ a b "Cattle Raid of Fróech". Early Irish Myths and Sagas. Translated by Gantz, Jeffrey. Penguin UK. 1981. ISBN 9780141934815.
  19. ^ Text: Meid ed.[14] or Crowe ed.[15]; Translations: Crowe (1870)[14] and Leahy (1906)[16] interpret Úaithne as "harp", but Crowe admits the possibility of "harper".[17] Gantz (1981) gives "Úaithne, the Dagdae's harper".[18]
  20. ^ Budgey, Andrea (2002). "8. Commeationis et affinitatis gratia: Medieval Musical Relations between Scotland and Ireland". In McDonald, Russell Andrew (ed.). History, Literature, and Music in Scotland, 700-1560. University of Toronto Press. p. 226. ISBN 9780802036018.
  21. ^ The "-s" are dropped from Meid ed. "Goltraiges & Gentraiges & Súantraiges".[14] as according to commentaries.[20] Gantz renders as "Goltrade, Gentrade and Súantrade".[18] Crowe's endnote gives "Sorrow-strain", "Joy-strain" and "Sleep-strain".[17]
  22. ^ "maryjones.us". www.maryjones.us. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  23. ^ eDIL s.v. "lámnad". With example from TBFr,: "in tan bóe in ben oc l.¤"
  24. ^ Mary Jone's version,[22] unchanged from Leahy's translation, in turn revised from Crowe's.[15] Using Gantz's translation is cumbersome as it skips the phrase concerning lámnad "act of giving birth, parturition" occurring here.[23]
  25. ^ eDIL s.v. "7 úaithne"
  26. ^ Jouët, Philippe (2007). L'aurore celtique dans la mythologie, l'épopée et les traditions (in French). Yoran Embanner. p. 394. ISBN 9782914855334.
  27. ^ Jouët, Philippe (2012). Dictionnaire de la mythologie et de la religion celtiques [Dictionary of Celtic mythology and religion] (in French). Yoran Embanner. ISBN 9782914855921.
  28. ^ http://www.anuna.ie/anuna-biography/ Archived 2015-11-20 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ "ダウルダブラ" [Daur da Bláo] (in Japanese).
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