Coimgne, the Continuity of Tradition in Irish Filidecht
Searles

Wed Sep 13 16:08:56 2000
Coimgne, the Continuity of Tradition in Irish Filidecht*p*The pre-Christians Irish Filidh and the Brehons had a duty to preserve the coimgne and the truth, neither of which changed following the spread of Christianity. Obviously, there were gradual changes in some values over the years as Christianity re-invented itself in Ireland and the world and also redefined the common values. Any drastic and obvious changes in the ancient tales and traditions would have been noticed, opposed and rebuked by those who were tasked with preserving them. These people were the Filidh and the Brehons in Irish society. This is why such people were included when the law codes were first written during the Christian era (in the pseudo-historical introduction to the Senchas Mór). The Church had to allow their presence to maintain cultural continuity and to assume the mantle of authority within Irish society that had been held by the Druid class. They could not have been excluded from their functions within Irish society at that time. They would have served as watchdogs on the transcriptions of the scribes. That is why so much tradition is included in the ancient tales, regardless of the desires of the Church IMO. It should also be remembered that the tales that most of us are referencing for ideas about ancient customs were transcribed in the period from about 500 CE to 1400 CE (though copies of them may well be the only versions that survived). That is why Druids  study these tales, because they preserve the coimgne (obviously this is all tempered by the realities of social pressures, just as today's literature also is influenced by the same, though I would expect that the Brehons and Filidh were a few levels higher than today's morality in that regard). *p*Recent discussions that I've had relative to the above topic have addressed themselves to the validity of using the available Irish manuscripts in our attempts to recover the Pagan aspects of our traditions. I have been called an idealist by some and I have admitted to the same. I *am* an idealist. This doesn't mean that I think everything is perfect, however. It does mean that I value ideals highly. *p*The facts are that the ancient Filidh, either accommodated themselves to the growing Christian Church or they chose to live a life of obscurity (away from the notice and the reach of the Church). This choice had the direct effect of limiting what could be discussed by the Filidh in a general assembly. In fact, the assemblies of the Filidh declined as the influence of the Church (and writing) became more prevalent. It was because of this influence and effect IMO that the oral traditions suffered and degraded. It was left to the Sasanach interventions of the 17th century to finally inflict the death wound on that tradition. *p*The Filidh did not entirely give up their traditional practices. Much of what was forbidden by the Church still appeared in the curriculum for their schools, the imbas forosnai and the teinm laigda, in particular. Such practices had been forbidden by the early church to the Filidh *because they involved invocations and chants to the Pagan deities*. These practices were still taught in the Medieval schools of the Filidh. The ability of the Filidh to use satire as a weapon was completely unabated throughout Irish Celtic history. *p*What this means for Druids, in today's world and our investigations, is that we can still hope to find information on the traditions and the esoteric practices of the Filidh within their works, though we obviously need to consider the originators, the locations and the reasons for each work. This is true of modern works as well. At no time would I ever suggest that we should sacrifice reality for ideals. How could an ideal be itself without being real? That is the purpose of an ideal: to take reality to its ultimate perfection. *br*One of my quests in this lifetime is to pursue such ideals and to practically realize them within this world. In this search and  work, I expect to continue analyzing the older documents for new meanings and outlooks that may well have been missed by previous scholars and Pagans with other agendas. They have their missions and I have my own. *p*In Ireland it can be shown that an older tradition and mythos is overlaid with more modern names that were chosen by the Filidh and the scribes to make the story more acceptable to the new (church and Christianized ruling elite) power structure.  Any ideas what the names would have been for the older mythos?*p*My thinking is that there is an even older tradition of the Irish being overlaid by a newer Celtic tradition that is itself overlaid by the Christianized version.  In this it is much like the way a brugh was constructed (in many layers).*p*I have always been a person that admired ideals.  I am also a searcher for truth and a man of many experiences.  It is not idealistic to expect the Filidh and the Brehons to have maintained the coimgne in the face of the changes that were being brought to the traditions and the lore by the Church, the Vikings, the Normans, nor the English. *p*Many steps were taken to preserve the coimgne.  The Filidh worked closely with the scribes.  Many of them did indeed become churchmen, as did many a Draoí.  This is why we have "Crane Clerics," even today.  Much of the coimgne was written into books, some of which survived the burnings and the warfare.  Some of these books exist even today. Given the tendency of the Irish to resist being forced, I would think that the Filidh continued the practice of imbas forosnai and dichetal do chenaib, even into the modern era.  I am reminded of the "hedge schools" in the face of English death penalties.*p*Each of the existing  Old and Middle Irish works that are available to the general public today must be analyzed based upon the times and politics of its creation. This is true of any work and any history, not just the Irish histories.  That is why Druids read and discuss widely.  That is one reason why many of us are here in this cyberspace.*p*My points are:*p*1. The ideals of a Brehon or a Fili was to maintain truth and to achieve mastery in their art.*p*2. These people were tasked with maintaining the ancient lore and tradition.  This was their responsibility and duty.*p*3. The lore that was transcribed many times by many scribes at various times, is mainly based upon much earlier tales, *regardless of the style* and *regardless of the techniques* that were used to "improve" them.*p*4. Certainly there were pressures to "conform" to the new religious, as well as the ever-changing political norms.  I do agree that some Fili and some Brehons were expedient in serving masters other than the truth.  This was not the ideal for them.  In fact, their actions represent a perversion of their art and a clear surrender of their own integrity.*p*5. If the literature of the traditions of Ireland were what we term a "forcing function," when discussing electro-magnetic waveforms, then the role of the Filidh would have been to serve as *resonant circuits.  The role of the churchmen would have been that of an interfering waveform.  The "re-tuning" of the coimgne (the resonance point) would have been a long drawn out process, taking centuries (which it did take). The new resonating frequency (Christianity) would have been achieved only after the Fili and the Brehon lost their capacity (or were severely reduced in their power, which also happened). The periods for this conversion can be broken into three parts: from the 5th century until the 9th century (the Christian initiative), the 9th century until the 12th (the periods of the Viking and Norman infusion), the 12th century until the attempted destruction of Irish civilization (which we are even now escaping).  The Filidh and Brehons of each of these periods were more and more serving their masters and less and less their art.*p*6. The scribes and the Filidh co-existed without friction because the work of the scribes was basically the same as that of the Filidh.  This was to preserve the ancient tradition as much as possible.  I agree that sometimes things were changed to suit the power structure.  This was done depending upon which family was in power at the time and how history was to be re-interpreted.  *p*7. I still maintain that the presence of the Filidh and the Brehons within Irish society tended to maintain the coimgne (regardless of how it was re-defined).  This is not saying that the ways the tales were told remained unchanged.  Certainly they were changed to suit the concurrent social and political situations in Ireland, but the themes tended to hold true. Their efforts are the only reason that we have as much of the traditional knowledge as we do have today.*p*Searles*p*"Ní fili nad chomgne comathar nad scéla uile."*p*searles@summerlands.com http://www.summerlands.com*p*