Mongán mac Fíachnai

Mongán mac Fíachnai(diedc.625) was an Irish prince of theCruthin,a son ofFíachnae mac Báetáin.Little is certainly known of Mongán's life as only his death is recorded in theIrish annals.He appears as a character in theCycles of the Kingswhere he is said to have been the son ofManannán mac Lirand perhaps a reincarnation of the legendary heroFinn mac Cumaillof theFenian Cycle.

His origin story is told in theCompert Mongáinfound in theYellow Book of Lecanand theLebor na hUidre.

Compert Mongáin

The taleCompert Mongáin(the Conception of Mongán), which survives in three variants, has Mongán fathered on Fiachnae's wife Cáintigern by the sea-godManannán mac Lirwhile Fíachnae campaigned alongsideÁedán mac GabráinofDál Riata.The versions have different accounts of how this came about, all of which agree that some form of bargain was struck whereby Fiachnae's life was saved by Manannán in return for a night with Cáintigern. An early version of this tale is found in theImmram Brainwhere Manannán prophecies Mongán's birth and near divine nature to Bran. Although the surviving versions of the tale are from the 10th or 11th century, earlier versions are believed to have been included in the lostCín Dromma Snechtaimanuscript. The verses in which the claims of Mongán's divine parentage and tutoring are made are described by Charles-Edwards are "literary conceit" and by Carney as "poetic hyperbole", the presumed original intent being to vaunt Mongán's seamanship.^[1]

Manannán takes Mongán away with him toTír Tairngire—the land of promise, an otherworld similar toTír na nÓg—where he learnedshapeshiftingand other esoteric knowledge. While Mongán is in the otherworld, his father is killed byFiachnae mac Demmáin,an event which theIrish annalsplace after Mongán's death.^[2]Mongán's ability to change his shape is alluded to in the 9th century taleDe Chophur in dá Muccado(The quarrel of the two swineherds), found in theBook of Leinster,which is one of the stories setting the scene for theTáin Bó Cuailnge.^[3]

TheUlstermenask Manannán to send Mongán to rule over them, but he remains in the otherworld for a further ten years, returning to Ulster when he is sixteen. An agreement is made that Ulster will be divided between Fiachnae mac Demmáin and Mongán, and that Mongán will marry Fiachnae's daughter Dub Lacha. Mongán later kills his father-in-law in revenge for his father's death, again chronologically at odds with the surviving record which has Fiachnae mac Demmáin killed several years after Mongán.^[4]

Finn reborn

One tale recounts a dispute between Mongán and the poet Forgoll, Forgoll being perhaps based on traditions about the historical poetDallan Forgaill.Forgoll claims to know howFothad Airgthech,a legendaryHigh King of Irelanddied, but Mongán says he is wrong. Forgoll threatens to curse and satirise Mongán for this insult to his knowledge and will settle for nothing less than Mongán's wife Breothigernd in reparation. A mysterious stranger appears who claims that Mongán was with him when he slew Fothad, and proves Forgall wrong. The story ends by revealing that the stranger was the legendaryfiannaheroCaílte mac Rónáinand that Mongán was the reincarnation ofFinn mac Cumaill.^[5]

Otherworld

Two short tales survive which associate Mongán with the otherworld, both dating from the late 10th or early 11th century.^[6]

One isScél Mongáin,a story concerning Mongán and the poet Forgoll. This has the two meet a poor student whom Mongán takes pity on and sends to the otherworld to bring back gold, silver and a precious stone, the silver which the student is to keep for himself. Little occurs in the tale which concentrates on the magnificence of the otherworld.^[7]

The second,Tucait Baili Mongáin( "What caused Mongán's Frenzy" ), is said to take place in the year in whichCiarán of Clonmacnoisedied andDiarmait mac CerbaillbecameKing of Tarafollowing the death ofTúathal Máelgarb,events dated to the year AD 549. Mongán's wife Findtigernd asks him to recount his journey to the otherworld. When they are at the hill ofUisnech,a supernatural hailstorm comes on. When it ends Mongán, his wife, his poet, and seven companions, find a hall ringed by trees. They enter, are greeted by the inhabitants, and Mongán is given to drink, after which he recounts his journey. Although it seems as though they are in the house for only a short time, when they leave a year has passed, and they are now at Rath Mor, Mongán's home near modernLarne,150 miles away.^[8]

Wives and children and poets

In the tale of Forgoll and Fothad, Mongán is said to be married Breothigernd.^[9]Tucait Baili Mongáinnames his wife Findtigernd.^[10]TheBanshenchasorLore of Womencontained in theBook of Leinster,attributed to aLeinsterpoet named Gilla Mo-Dutu (died 1147), also names Dub Lacha as Mongán's wife.^[11]

An alternative version of theCompert Mongáin,Compert Mongáin ocus Serc Duibe Lacha do Mongán(The conception of Mongán and Mongán's love for Dub Lacha), contains a lengthy romance concerning Mongán and another wife, Dub Lacha, daughter of Fiachnae mac Demmáin, in whichBrandub mac Echachis a major character. This story makes frequent use of Mongán's otherworldly shapeshifting and magical powers.^[12]Austin Clarke's playThe plot succeeds; a poetic pantomime(1950) is a comedy based on the tale of Mongán and Dub Lacha.

A third tale concerning Mongán and a poet, this time Eochaid Rígéiges, again perhaps based on the historical poet Dallan Forgaill, purports to explain why he had no children. The tale recounts a journey by Mongán and Eochaid where they are asked to explain the meaning of various place names—a branch of poetical learning calleddindshenchas—and on each occasion Eochaid is shown up by Mongán. As a result, Eochaid curses Mongán so that he will have no noble-born children and that his descendants will be peasants.^[13]

Yeatstook Mongán as a subject in his writings, including the poems "Mongan laments the Change that has come upon him and his Beloved" and "Mongan thinks of his past Greatness" (The Wind Among the Reeds,1899).

Death

Mionannála fromEgerton 1782:615–643 (Suibne Menn, Fíachna mac Báetáin, Mongán)http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100027/text002.html

The record of Mongán's death in theAnnals of Tigernachhas him killed by a stone thrown by one Artúr son of Bicior, described as aBritonor perhaps, followingKuno Meyer's reading, aPict.It is accompanied by a poem attributed toBécc Bairrche mac Blathmaic,king of Ulaid.Whitley Stokestranslated it as follows:

The wind blows cold overIslay;
there are youths approaching inKintyre:
they will do a cruel deed thereby,
they will slay Mongán, son of Fíachnae.^[14]

Notes

^Carney, pp. 504–504; Charles-Edwards, p. 202; MacKillop, pp. 218–219, "Fiachnae mac Báetáin" & pp. 333–334, "Mongán"; Wiley,Compert Mongáin.
^The internal chronology ofCompert Mongáin ocus Serc Duibe Lacha do Mongán,in Meyer, Appendix V, places Fiachnae's death when Mongán is around six years old.
^Carney, p. 470; Kinsella, pp. 46–50 & 260–261.
^MacKillop, pp. 333–334, "Mongán"; Meyer, Appendix V. The chronology of the annals is uncertain, but theAnnals of Ulsterand theAnnals of Tigernachare both in agreement as to the sequence of events, which is that Fíachnae mac Báetáin is killed in battle against Fiachnae mac Demmáin the year following Mongán's death, and that Fiachnae mac Demmáin was defeated and killed byConnad Cerrtwo years after Mongán's death.
^Byrne, p. 112; Meyer, Appendix II; Wiley,Scél asa mberar co mbad hé Find mac Cumaill Mongán ocus aní día fil aided Fothaid Airgdig;MacKillop, pp. 333–334, "Mongán".
^Wiley,Scél Mongáin;Wiley,Scél Mongáin.
^Meyer, Appendix III; Wiley,Scél Mongáin.
^Meyer, Appendix IV; Wiley,Tucait Baili Mongáin.
^Meyer, Appendix II; Wiley,Scél asa mberar co mbad hé Find mac Cumaill Mongán ocus aní día fil aided Fothaid Airgdig.
^MacKillop, pp. 333–334, "Mongán".
^Meyer, Appendix IX.
^MacKillop, p. 52, "Brandub", pp. 154–155, "Dub Lacha", & pp. 333–334, "Mongán"; Meyer, Appendix V.
^Wiley,Cid dia tall Eochaid Rígéiges degiartaige ó Mongán?;MacKillop, p. 185, "Eochaid Éigeas".
^Anderson, pp. 147–148;Annals of Tigernach,AT 626.6. Another different verse is included in the notice of Mongán's death in theAnnals of Ulster,AU 625.2.

References and further reading

Annals of Ulster AD 431–1201,CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts, 2003,retrieved23 March2008
Annals of Tigernach,CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts, 1996,retrieved23 March2008
Anderson, Alan Orr(1922),Early Sources of Scottish History A.D. 500 to 1286,vol. I (1990 revised & corrected ed.), Stamford: Paul Watkins,ISBN 1-871615-03-8
Byrne, Francis John(1973),Irish Kings and High-Kings,London: Batsford,ISBN 0-7134-5882-8
Carney, James (2005), "Language and literature to 1169", in Ó Cróinín, Daibhí (ed.),Prehistoric and early Ireland,A New History of Ireland, vol. I, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 451–510,ISBN 978-0-19-922665-8
Charles-Edwards, T. M.,Early Christian Ireland,Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,ISBN 0-521-36395-0
Kinsella, Thomas (1970),The Tain. Translated from the Irish epic Táin Bó Cuailnge,Oxford: Oxford University Press,ISBN 0-19-281090-1
Mac Cana, Proinsias (2007), "Ireland and Wales in the Middle Ages: an overview", in Jankulak, Karen; Wooding, Jonathan M. (eds.),Ireland and Wales in the Middle Ages,Dublin: Four Courts Press, pp. 17–45,ISBN 978-1-85182-748-0
MacKillop, James (1998),Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology,Oxford: Oxford University Press,ISBN 0-19-860967-1
Meyer, Kuno(1895),The Voyage of Bran son of Febal to the Land of the Living,London: D. Nutt
White, Nora (2006),Compert Mongáin and three other early Mongán tales,Maynooth Medieval Irish Texts, vol. 5, Maynooth: Department of Old and Middle Irish, National University of Ireland,ISSN 1393-970X
Wiley, Dan (2004),The Cycles of the Kings,archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008

[1] Carney, pp. 504–504; Charles-Edwards, p. 202; MacKillop, pp. 218–219, "Fiachnae mac Báetáin" & pp. 333–334, "Mongán"; Wiley,Compert Mongáin.

[2] The internal chronology ofCompert Mongáin ocus Serc Duibe Lacha do Mongán,in Meyer, Appendix V, places Fiachnae's death when Mongán is around six years old.

[3] Carney, p. 470; Kinsella, pp. 46–50 & 260–261.

[4] MacKillop, pp. 333–334, "Mongán"; Meyer, Appendix V. The chronology of the annals is uncertain, but theAnnals of Ulsterand theAnnals of Tigernachare both in agreement as to the sequence of events, which is that Fíachnae mac Báetáin is killed in battle against Fiachnae mac Demmáin the year following Mongán's death, and that Fiachnae mac Demmáin was defeated and killed byConnad Cerrtwo years after Mongán's death.

[5] Byrne, p. 112; Meyer, Appendix II; Wiley,Scél asa mberar co mbad hé Find mac Cumaill Mongán ocus aní día fil aided Fothaid Airgdig;MacKillop, pp. 333–334, "Mongán".

[6] Wiley,Scél Mongáin;Wiley,Scél Mongáin.

[7] Meyer, Appendix III; Wiley,Scél Mongáin.

[8] Meyer, Appendix IV; Wiley,Tucait Baili Mongáin.

[9] Meyer, Appendix II; Wiley,Scél asa mberar co mbad hé Find mac Cumaill Mongán ocus aní día fil aided Fothaid Airgdig.

[10] MacKillop, pp. 333–334, "Mongán".

[11] Meyer, Appendix IX.

[12] MacKillop, p. 52, "Brandub", pp. 154–155, "Dub Lacha", & pp. 333–334, "Mongán"; Meyer, Appendix V.

[13] Wiley,Cid dia tall Eochaid Rígéiges degiartaige ó Mongán?;MacKillop, p. 185, "Eochaid Éigeas".

[14] Anderson, pp. 147–148;Annals of Tigernach,AT 626.6. Another different verse is included in the notice of Mongán's death in theAnnals of Ulster,AU 625.2.

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