EN 388 Modern Irish Literature Irish Mid term assignment Lecturers: Dr. Lonergan, Prof.

Dean The early work of Yeats often looks to the distant past and mythology for consolation. Discuss EITHER Yeats's treatment of mythological figures OR his treatment of the past, referring to any two early works. Student Name: St.No. Word Count: Mark Shanley 05782279 1256(out of 1200)

Yeats uses mythological figures not only for consolation but also as tragic representations of the consequences of idealism. In Yeats's 'The Hosting of the Sidhe' first collected in The Wind Among the Reeds we see an eternal cycle where the 'Host' ride majestically distracting all who see them. This account of a heroic band creating an irresistable image is not only a beautiful representation of ideal beauty but its repetition indicates an endlessness verging on madness. In 'The Song of Wandering Aengus' we see a wandering god/faerie king who catches a fish which becomes a mythical girl in it we see Yeats's story of someone seeking and encountering something mythical which turns into a search likely as endless as the cycle of the 'Host'. James Pethica writes in his introduction to Yeats's Poetry, Drama, and Prose that 'He [Yeats] hoped to find in folklore and heroic mythology a source of inspiration that could both animate a new sense of Irish identity and confirm the ancient supremacy of imagination'(Pethica xii). In these poems he is both inspirational and cautionary; he creates worlds of sublime beauty and warns us against their amorality. In 'The Hosting of the Sidhe' Yeats gives us an account of Niamh, Caoilte MacRonain and of the final burial site of Queen Maeve. These mythological figures are all eternal as they live on in folklore whether immortal or mortal or immortal and buried(respectively) but Yeats creates the idea of their immortality through the repetition of the line 'Caolte tossing his burning hair,| And Niamh calling Away, come away.'(Yeats p23 15-16) Here he creates not only the idea of an eternal cycle but of a fixed story that is repeated with those mythological figures repeating their iconic actions. Here we see these characters are being treated as solely mythological figures by Yeats's intertwining of the characters themselves and their actions which are how we know them as figures of mythology. Here we know that this is not any Niamh but that this is Niamh Cinn Or daughter of 'Aengus, god of love'(Pethica p23) she is not then treated as a person we have certain expectations which bind her freedom of action. In fact from her description we are able to completely disregard any thought for her actions as she is to be predicted solely by her actions in folklore which have not changed and which will never change. It is this unchanging face of mythology which is being used for consolation as the Host is eternal and to be counted on as always there for inspiration and escapism. This

unchanging face of mythology is also being used to ward us off spending our lives in yearning for something that isn't real through Niamh's siren call to 'come away'. Niamh is being used in her aspect as a siren, or a Bean Sidhe, as this is her archetypical modus operandi and the best way for us to instantly acknowledge her mythological status. When we see her acting as a siren we are warned from the consequences of following her 'And Niamh calling Away, come away| Empty your heart of its mortal dream'(Yeats p23 4-5) and we know the folly of following a siren's call through the fates of Oisin and others who have been tempted in mythology. The ideal of the faerie folk, in general, is being used in a similar beauty versus danger manner. Where we see something beautiful which we are drawn to but knowing its too good to be true is what keeps us grounded and safe. Although in the real world you can't find 'hope or deed as fair'(Yeats p23 14) were you to see them you would lose your hopes and deeds through their intervention 'We come between him and the deed of his hand| We come between him and the hope of his heart.'(Yeats p23 1112) The image of the 'Host' is quite brilliant with the movement given through the disturbance of the wind and the leaves in the wake of the 'Host' 'The winds awaken, the leaves whirl round,'(Yeats p23 6) and its idealised description of the heroes 'Our cheeks are pale, our hair is unbound,| Our breasts are heaving, our eyes are a-gleam,'(Yeats p23 7-8). This description is also full of stock images pale skin, heaving breasts and unbound hair showing their beauty and Dionysian energy. Pale cheeks which show their otherworldly nature even Caolte who was mortal in the stories but has been immortalised in folklore is treated just like Niamh he has become a member of the Host of the Sidhe and is treated in exactly the same way. Yeats treats mythic figures differently in 'The Song of Wandering Aengus'(Yeats p24) here he personifies the 'god of youth, beauty, and poetry'(ibid) from 'Tir-nan-Oge'(ibid), according to Yeats's note, as a man wandering the forest and encountering a fish who, once caught, becomes a girl and a new object for Aengus's attention. This Appolonian god desires a mythical world but must endeavour to create it himself because it does not exist without being created this is a 'Song' which 'Wandering Aengus' himself must create. Aengus is surrounded by metaphors of fire and finally sunlight which

reflect his creative nature and invoke his rule as king of 'Tir-nan-Oge' Helen Vendler describes even the poem here as magical with Yeats using words which suggest 'the reduplicative nature of spell casting'(Vendler 365) from her essay on 'Technique in the Early Poems of Yeats' she describes the character's creation of a wand which he 'cut and peeled'(Yeats p24 3) almost from his wandering itself as against cutting it from the Hazel wood. The repetition is constant with the author taking the words and using them within other words. This idea of the language being magical lends weight to Aengus's magical powers and his mythical nature. He is not only magical but as a god of poetry he uses his power over words to impress his will upon the world. Typically this mythical figure's wandering has led him to a wondrous event possibly created by his use of language. His creation of the wand and attaching of the thread becoming a ritual which summons not only a trout but a magical trout which turns into a woman for him to seek like a mythical hero should. She calls him by name 'called me by my name'(Yeats p24 12) 'called me by my name'(Yeats p24 15) repeating it possibly as a spell of her own as if like attracts like then this mythical god has found another mythical, magical being. This use of occult systems of sympathy and contagion alongside the use of language in a spell like manner create a magically suffused poem where a god finds consolation through his creation of magical events which make him feel at home because a mythical god could not live in a mundane world; he can only live in a place full of adventures and drama. I have discussed 'The Hosting of the Sidhe' and 'The Song of Wandering Aengus' and their treatment of mythical figures. The two poems differ in how good the mythical beings are with neither being made to seem benevolent and the 'Host' being amoral in their effect on those who 'gaze on our rushing band'(Yeats p23 10). The consolations gained from this treatment are bittersweet as any treatment of the Daoine Sidhe should be with their beauty and creative power being balanced against the disturbance of living in a mythical world which is filled with indiscriminate danger and cycles of frustration.

Works Cited Vendler, Helen. Yeats's Poetry, Drama, and Prose. 'Technique in the Earlier Poems of Yeats'. Yeats Annual 8 (1991): 3-20 Yeats, W. B. Yeats's Poetry, Drama, and Prose. Ed. James Pethica. (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York: 2000)