The Great Lunar Cycle: The Horse Twins and the Grail: Part 6 of 12

The Great Lunar Cycle: The Horse Twins and the Grail: Part 6 of 12

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Myth Grouping 2: Freyr = Oengus

       Myth Grouping 2: Freyr = Oengus

Secondly in our groupings of parallel myths, we have two figures who we have proposed to be the Northwestern European manifestations of (and this is crucial) one of the Horse Twins. Each of these figures sees a maiden, wastes away with love for her, and this is followed by the maiden being wooed for the first figure by an intermediary. This parallel compares the Norse poem Skirnismal with the Irish prose tale “Dream of Oengus,” and equates Scandinavian Freyr with Irish Oengus.  

Freyr = Oengus

1.Sees Maiden From High Seat or Dream

- Freyr sees the beautiful Gerðr from the High Seat Hliðskjalf which he has sneaked onto. (Skirnismal)

- Oengus sees the beautiful Caer in a dream. (Dream of Oengus)

2.Wasting Away From Lovesickness

- Freyr wastes away from grief and claims he will soon die if he can't have Gerðr. (S)

- Oengus becomes ill after his dream and stops eating; a doctor is called. (DoO)

3.Father Intervenes to Send Assistance

- Freyr's father Njörðr tells Skirnir to go and speak to the ailing Freyr. (Intro to Skirnismal)

- Oengus' father the Dagda asks Bodb Derg to search for Caer for Aengus. (DoO)

4.Sends Intermediary Wooer

- Skirnir attempts to woo Gerðr for Freyr. (S)

- Bodb attempts to find Caer for Oengus. (DoO)

5.The Maiden is in Potentially Hostile Territory

- Gerðr is in Jotunn territory.

- Caer is in a sidhe mound which has to be attacked to bring her out.

6.Gift of Magic Sword 

- Freyr gives his servant Skirnir his famous sword. (S)

- Oengus in a subsequent story gives his protege Diarmuid his famous sword. (The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne)

It will be quickly noticed that for many of the cases we are analyzing, only one Horse Twin is identifiable. This holds true for the Irish (Aengus), Scandinavian (Freyr) and Welsh (Pryderi) cases. The Vedic Asvins themselves had become so unitary that they were referred to by only this single name, and they did most everything together, acting essentially as one. In the Iranic version, this god also appears in singular form rather than a set of twins. It also appears possible that this singular form is actually more archaic than the twin form, though the question remains open. As Hartmut Scharfe observes, 

only in India do we find two Nāsatyas, whereas the Avesta mentions just a single Nā̊ŋhaiθya. It seems, though, that in the latter case the Avesta is more archaic. ṚV IV 3,6 once has the name in the singular (nā́ satyāya) and once (ṚV VIII 26,8) in a dual form índra-nāsatyā “O Indra and Nāsatya,” implying a single Nāsatya.109 In the Bṛhaddevatā VII 6cd (similar Mahābhārata XII 201,17ab) we find a tradition that Nāsatya and Dasra110 are known as the two Aśvins.111 The dual nā́ satyā (ṚV I 173,4) refers to Nāsatya and his twin.

Scharfe concludes that originally the primary Horse God "Nasatya" may have been a chariot warrior, while his charioteer may have been seen as his twin, hence one of the two could have gained much more prominence than the other in certain branches. The charioteer could never have been recognized or could have been pushed aside. In the Greek case, only one of the two Dioskouri is fully divine, and thus one is again more important than the other. They too are called by a unifying moniker, the Dioskouri. In the Roman legend that Dumezil shows to be equivalent to the Aesir-Vanir War, that is the Rape of the Sabine women, a single figure, Titus Tatius, stands in for the Horse Twins. We can theorize that in the Celtic and Germanic cases, either the second Horse Twin never developed, became seen as unimportant and was pushed aside, or that he became absorbed into the dominant Horse Twin, or again that the second Twin simply hasn't been clearly identified as of yet, possibly even being demoted to a secondary character in the mythology. We can’t even rule out the possibility that the prominent single Horse God is the more archaic form, as the singular Avestan version appears more archaic than the twinned Vedic version, though this is likely impossible to know. It even seems possible that in the Welsh case the second twin may have become, or been seen as, the first twin’s horse: Pryderi is born the same night as a horse, is raised alongside this horse, and the horse becomes Pryderi’s when they are grown. In general we should remember, of course, that a twin is no less a twin when the other twin is not present, so we will continue to use this well-recognized name of “Horse Twin.” Ultimately, it seems that, whereas the Vedic twins were primarily known by the title “the Sons of God” (whether of Father Sky or of the Sun), and as ever youthful, the Western European cases were instead characterized by the the epithet "The Young Son" (Mabon, Mac Occ) -- the divine Sons simply became the divine Son, but their status as every youthful divine sons remained absolutely central to their nomenclature and identity.

Having increased our understanding of the web of Horse Twin tales we have examined thus far, we must further assess the parallels which bring Oengus and Freyr into this Soma cycle, as the Northwestern European representatives of the Horse Twins.

Horse Twins: Oengus and Freyr

Based on his study of the Horse Twins motif throughout Europe, the scholar Michael Shapiro (“Neglected Evidence of Dioscurism (Divine Twinning) in the Old Slavic Pantheon”) enumerates a series of characteristics common to the Horse Twins.

1. They are sons of the Sky god
2. They are brothers of the sun maiden and somehow related to the Sun god
3. Association with horses
4. Dual paternity
5. Saviors at sea
6. Astral nature
7. Magic healers
8. Warriors and providers of divine aid in battle
9. Divinities of fertility
10. Association with swans
11. Divinities of dance
12. Closeness to human beings
13. Protectors of the oath
14. Assisting at birth
15. Founders of cities

To which we add other important traits based on the Vedic Asvins: 

    16. Swordsmen

    17. Great intelligence
    18. Always portrayed as youthful 

    19.Vanity over their own beauty, which they may even “die” from 

1. May be denied the drink of immortality only to earn it later
2. Counselors

The Irish deity Oengus Og checks nearly every one of these boxes. His foster father Midir seems to fulfill a few himself; however, this is most likely only due to coincidence or overlap of motifs, as Midir’s true identity is much more clearly the Moon god.

1. Oengus is the son of the Dagda, who is either the primordial sky god or a god who has inherited that role. 
2. Brigid, the Dawn Goddess, is another one of Dagda's children, making Oengus not brother of a sun maiden, but brothers of the Dawn Goddess, who is frequently conflated with the sun maiden. However, Mircea Eliade points out that the Asvins are actually “always represented at the side of a feminine divinity, either Usa, goddess of Dawn, or Surya,” and thus the variability between sun maiden and Dawn Goddess is insignificany. Ceisiwr Serith has pointed out how Dawn Goddess and Daughter of the Sun were frequently conflated or confused as well.
3. Oengus is referred to as “horseman” in “The Fosterage of the House of the Two Pails” – “Aengus Og, son of the Dagda/is a horseman, is a sailor” (Fosterage). In addition, one of the best known myths in which he appears involves him helping in the wooing of the Horse Goddess Etain. Etain is known sometimes by the epithet “horse rider.” In the Dindshenchas, a poem called “Tuag Inber” is related in which Oengus provides Eochu and Ablend a swift horse while they are encamped with their cattle. He tells them to unbridle the horse in a meadow before it “sheds its water” and causes their deaths. Oengus' foster father is sometimes said to be Elcmar, who in the Dindshenchas is also called “lord of horses.” Horses connect with Oengus' genealogy at every turn. 
4. Dual or unclear paternity cannot be linked to Oengus on his own, but may have become attached to Oengus and Midir. In some versions both are made the sons of Dagda, thus closely linking them and making them brothers. Yet in other versions Midir is said to be the son of Indui, and Oengus to be his foster son. 
5. As the Horse Twins are known as saviors at sea, so Oengus may be interpreted as a protector at sea. As previously mentioned, he is called a “sailor,” and it is further stated that “if thou repeatest the 'Nourishing' [the poem about Oengus and Eithne] going on a ship or vessel thou shalt go safe and sound, wave or billows” (Fosterage). This is a tentative identification, as several other domains besides sea voyages are mentioned in succession, and the poem is referred also to Eithne. 
6. The astral nature of Oengus is less clear on a surface reading, but comes into view only after understanding his divine identity via parallels in other branches.
7. In some legends Oengus is depicted as a magic healer who can repair injured bodies and return life to dead ones. When his foster son Diarmuid died, he would breathe life into his body whenever he wanted to speak to him. (The Vedic Asvins raise up the dead man Rebha in RV 10.39.9, and do similarly for Bhujyu in 1.119.4)
8. Oengus was indeed known as a warrior, called by a name meaning “of the battle squadrons” (Dindshenchas), and another meaning “expert in arms” – “the host of Aengus were distressed. I and Aengus, expert in arms, a pair whose hidden mystery had not its like” (Fosterage). Oengus is also called by names meaning “mighty and stern” and “red armed” (Dindshenchas), seeming to describe the appearance of a bloody warrior.
9. With regard to fertility, Oengus is colloquially known as a god of love and beauty. His primary legends concern tales of love and wooing, and he is the one who arranges for Etain to marry Midir (before she is transformed by Fuamnach). His portrayal as ever-youthful and his name meaning “young” strengthens his connection to love tales and fertility. In “The Fosterage of the House of the Two Pails” it is said of him that “Aengus enjoined noble marriage on all in general,” suggesting that his role of arranging Midir's marriage was no fluke, but that encouraging or arranging marriages was a stable trait of the god. In addition, a later colloquial tradition developed in which it was said that “His kisses became birds that hovered invisibly over young men and women, whispering thoughts of love in their ears” (Celtic Myth and Legend, Charles Squire 1905). 
10. Association with Swans – Oengus is said to have four swans that circle over his head when he travels. When he finds Caer at the lake of the Dragon's mouth, he discovers that she and the other girls there would turn into swans for one year every second Samhain. He has to identify Caer in her swan form from among the other swan maidens, and when he does he turns himself into a swan as well and flies away with her. In the end of “Wooing of Etain” in which Oengus heavily features, when Midir wins his final wager with Eochu and is allowed to embrace Etain, Midir turns himself and Etain into swans and they fly away together. 
11. If Oengus and Midir had any particular associations with dance it is not clear; however, Oengus is a famous harper and plays the people to sleep with his harp at the end of Dream of Oengus.
12. Being associated primarily with the very human activity of love, while also being foster father of the seemingly human figure Diarmuid, demonstrates Oengus' particular closeness to human beings.
13. A tenuous connection to oaths may be that Oengus is sometimes said to be the foster son of Elcmar, who some claim to be Nuada by another name, and who was associated with justice. Elcmar is said to be a “judge” in the Dindshenchas. Oengus' other foster father Midir's name likewise is said to possibly come from the Old Irish word for a judge, midithir. The repeated association of judges with Oengus, both of his suggested foster fathers bearing the association, may suggest a role relating to the upholding of justice. Even when Oengus craftily tricks his father out of Bru na Boinne it is by forcing him to hold to the technical letter of the agreement, a bit like telling him he should have read the fine print.
14. Oengus does have an association with birth, found again in “The Fosterage.” This text states: “Aengus said to him... 'your wife is pregnant and whatever child is born I receive to bring up and educate...Manannan went away to his fort and the time came and the wife bore the fruit of her womb, a shapely lovely daughter with a tip of curly yellow-coloured hair on her head...She was given to Aengus to bring up and educate and daughters of other rulers of her own age along with her” (Fosterage).Oengus' role in founding cities is unclear.
15. Oengus was certainly a swordsman, and owned a famous sword named “Mortallach,” meaning The Great Fury, gifted to him by Manannan and passed along to Diarmuid along with another named Little Fury.
16. Intelligence is no less a common theme in his legends than love. Oengus famously used cunning to trick either Elcmar or the Dagda out of their burial mounds.
17. As mentioned previously, Oengus Og's name includes the title “Og,” meaning “young,” and another of his names is the Mac(can) Oc, or the “young son.” His association with youth is ever present and is a part of his identity. He seems to be eternally youthful. 
18. While the incarnations of the Horse Twins in the Mahabharata, Nakula and Sahadeva, die of vanity over their own beauty, Oengus too is associated strongly with beauty. Oengus is known colloquially as a god of beauty and it is his foster son Diarmuid who has the “love spot” on his face making anyone fall in love with him upon sight.
19. As the Asvins do not start as true immortal gods, but only later attain the drink of immortality, it is similarly said in a 12th Century text that Aengus Og drank a drink of immortality at Goibniu's feast (Colloquy of the Ancients).
20. As Sahadeva is the counselor of the Pandavas, so Oengus cleverly counsels Dagda on how to get rid of the satirist Cridenbel during the reign of Bres. Oengus then advises Dagda to select a dark, trained, spirited heifer as payment for his work, which ends up calling all the cattle of Ireland to it.——- 

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