Tragic Heroines of Irish Myth: Deirdre and Grainne

The druid prophesied that Deirdre's exquisite beauty would lead to tragedy and the death of heroes and kings.

In my post, “Ancient Celtic Women: Fierce and Free? Fact or Fiction?” I argued that Celtic women had more rights than their counterparts in other ancient cultures, and that is true. They had legal rights. They could own property, run businesses (such as warrior schools), be judges and druids, and rule in their own right. Under Irish Brehon Law, Celtic women also could divorce their husbands.

That’s no small thing. In most Western cultures, up until the late 19^th and even into the

early 20^th century, it was almost impossible for a woman to divorce her husband. It was expensive to do so, and most women did not have money. Even if they brought money into the marriage, it legally became the husband’s property. This was true in the U.S. where, until The Married Women’s Property Acts of 1848, women had no legal right to own property or obtain finances. Also, the courts tended to award custody of the children to the husband.

So, if a woman could get a divorce, she would lose her children, her money, and her property. Ancient Irish women, on the other hand, upon divorce, received back all the money and property that they brought into the marriage. In addition, the woman was entitled to a portion of the assets the couple had acquired during their marriage.

But despite their rights under Brehon Law, life wasn’t all roses for ancient Irish women. Mythology shows that Irish women, like so many of their counterparts, often were used by their fathers as tools to create political alliances or to improve the family’s standing and/or wealth. Two celebrated heroines of Irish myth—Grainne and Deirdre of the Sorrows—are prime examples of this and of the tragic consequences of a woman choosing love over duty. Here are their stories.

Grainne’s Grandma’s Tale

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Grainne’s father, King Cormac mac Airt, was conceived due to one of those advantageous unions I mentioned above. His mother, Achtan, was the daughter of a smith named Olc Acta. On the eve of the Battle of Mag Mucrama, the High King of Ireland, Art Mac Cuinn, stayed at Olc’s house. As a matter of hospitality (and sensing a political or financial advantage), Olc offered to let the king sleep with his daughter for the night. (Thanks, Dad.) Afterwards, the king prophesied to Achtan that he would not survive the battle, but that she would have a son who would become the King of Ireland. He gave her instructions, should he die, to go to certain men of Connacht who would ensure her son’s future. And, sure enough, the king died in the battle and Cormac later became High King of Ireland.

Grainne and Fionn mac Cumhaill

It is perhaps not surprising, then, that Cormac felt he was the right person to determine what was best for his daughter, Grainne. And he did better than Olc at not considering his daughter a present to be given to an important guest. Instead, he arranged for his daughter to marry—and not just to anyone. Airt found a way to marry his daughter to one of Irish mythology’s greatest heroes: Fionn mac Cumhaill.

By this point, Fionn was renowned for his wisdom, his skills, and his brilliance as a warrior and leader. He was a giant of a man. No, seriously. I mean literally a giant.

Grainne should have been thrilled. But, when she arrived at the wedding reception, she immediately noticed one thing about Fionn. He was old. Okay. He wasn’t anciently old and decrepit, but he’d been living life for a while. He’d been married before and his wife had died. To top it off, he was older than Grainne’s father.  The idea of marrying him repulsed her. Nevertheless, she felt a duty to go through with the wedding to prevent embarrassing her father.

Then she saw Diarmuid, a young warrior who was a member of Fionn’s celebrated Fianna, the King’s Guards. Diarmuid is closer to her age, handsome, and charming. She engaged him in conversation and fell in love. At this, all thought of marrying mac Cumhaill went out the window.

Adept at herbs and spells, Grainne created a sleeping potion to put all the guests including Fionn and her father to sleep. Then, she either gave Diarmuid a love potion or put a spell on him (depending on which version of the story you read), and they ran off together.

Grainne, repulsed at the thought of marrying the ageing giant Fionn mac Cumhaill, gives a love potion to her wedding guests and runs off with the young, handsome Diarmuid.

When Fionn awoke, he pursued them—for years—through Ireland and Scotland. Diarmuid eventually genuinely fell in love with Grainne, but they are ever on the run, trying to evade Fionn. Finally, Diarmuid’s foster father, Aengus Og (the Irish god of love) intervened. He got Fionn to agree to leave them be. The lovers settled down in Ireland and had five or six children. If the story ended there, we’d have an adventure / love story that has a happily-ever-after ending.

But it’s Irish, so it doesn’t end there. Diarmuid joins a boar hunt and is mortally wounded by a boar. Fionn, who can heal the dying by letting them drink water from his hands, is a member of the hunting party. But he chooses to let Diarmuid die.

Grainne is heartbroken. There are several different endings to this story. The three most common are that a) Grainne dies of grief, b) she gets her sons to swear to avenge their father’s death, or c) she marries Fionn. I think the last one is unlikely, but you are free to choose your preferred ending.

Deidre of the Sorrows

Deirdre’s story is similar to Grainne’s in many ways. It is the story of a love triangle involving the heroine, an older man she’s supposed to marry, and the younger man she falls in love with. Again, the lovers flee and the betrayed older man pursues them. But, in Deirdre’s case, her marriage isn’t arranged by her father. Instead, the King of Ulster decides she will be his wife—whether she likes it or not.

The daughter of a royal bard, Deirdre is born in the court of Conchobar mac Nessa, the King of the province of Ulster. On or just before her birth, Cathbad, the chief druid, prophesies that she will become a great beauty. However, he adds, her beauty will be so great that kings and heroes alike will fight over her, and that many will die because of her.

On discovering their romantic relationship, King Conchobar flies into a possessive rage. The young lovers must flee for their lives.

      After listening to the description of how beautiful she will become, the king proclaims he will marry her when she’s old enough. The druid reminds him of the second part of the prophecy, but Conchobar takes no notice. He sends Deirdre to be brought up in a cottage in the woods, living in seclusion with a woman named Leabharcham. Despite her seclusion, when Deirdre is about old enough for the king to marry her, she meets Naoise, one of Conchobar’s warriors. He is handsome and young. He and Deirdre fall in love.

The king, on discovering their romantic relationship, flies into a possessive rage. The young lovers must flee for their lives. Accompanied by Naoise’s brothers, they embark on a peril-filled journey through Ireland. Eventually, they settle in Scotland, believing they will be safe there. But the Scottish kings and chieftains, on seeing Deirdre, want her for themselves. More conflict ensues and the young couple wonders if they will ever find peace.

It is at this point that an envoy from King Conchobar arrives, offering Deirdre and Naoise safe refuge if they return to Ireland. Whether out of relief or desperation, they believe the king’s promise and, along with Naoise’s brothers, return home. But it is a trap. The king’s warriors slaughter Naoise and his brothers. Deirdre is forced to marry Conchobar. Needless to say, she is not filled with wifely affection for him.

After about a year, tired of her seething wrath, the king asks if she hates anyone so much as she does him. She answers, “Only the archer who killed my beloved.”

“Ah, good,” Conchobar responds. “I shall give you to him then.” The king orders for her to be taken to his warrior. On the way to be given to this other man, Deirdre jumps out of the chariot and her head smashes into a rock, killing her.

Well, I did warn you that these stories were not going to end happily.

What These Stories Teach

I am not going to say, “Here’s the moral to the story.” I believe the stories of Grainne and Deirdre have a lot to offer in terms of cultural values and symbolism. Tales from a culture’s mythology always reveal a lot about that society. That said, the two stories both offer two insights about women in ancient Celtic culture.

First, it is apparent that the society understood that women were not just tools. They were thinking, feeling human beings. Both stories show clearly that the ancient Irish knew that a young woman would prefer to marry a young man she was in love with rather than be given away to a man who was old enough to be her father.

Despite this understanding, both stories also send young Irish women a clear warning: if you follow your heart rather than your duty, tragedy will follow. That’s a no-win message for the young women. It’s like saying, “We know you’re not going to enjoy this, but do it anyway.”

This is where the legal right to divorce in ancient Irish society comes back into play. Earlier in his life, Conchobar had another wife (two actually). Mabd (or Maeve), the daughter of the King of Connacht, was sent by her father to Ulster to marry him. She dutifully went. Conchobar was lousy to her. She hated him, divorced him, and returned to her father.

He took her back and sent her sister, Eithne, as a replacement. On his death, Madh’s father handed the succession over to her. She, thereafter, ruled the province of Connacht in her own right. Queen Maeve of Connacht became one of the most renowned figures of Irish mythology. So, perhaps a woman who was strong and clever enough could find a way to succeed within the system.

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All artwork for this post (except for the Ukranian flag and the GIF) by Christine Dorman via Bing Image Creator.

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