Works Related To The Natural Landscape In Ecclesiastical History
In Bede’s ‘Ecclesiastical History’, we get a detailed description of Briton; in the Mabinogi, we have specific place names to tie into the real world. Another way that our readings tie into nature, and one that I personally find more interesting, is through different plants. Plants and trees carry several meanings throughout our texts, ranging from forthcoming danger to the supernatural. Although most of our texts are likely written or transcribed by Christian monks, some of the Celtic meanings and beliefs can be observed in the readings. This is most notably observed in the Lais of Marie de France, but we can also see some in Dream of the Rood and in the first branch of the Mabinogi.
The Lais of Marie de France are primarily tales of love and knightly expeditions, but we can also see symbolism in plants, notably of the forest. We see the forest connected with danger and misfortune in two lais: Guigemar and Bisclavret. As Guigemar is hunting in the woods, he sees a deer that is entirely white, with a stags antlers. The footnote here states that the whiteness of the deer and the fact that she has antlers alludes to it being a supernatural creature, but what follows from Guigemar’s attempt to kill it proves it to be such. After wounding the deer, his own arrow rebounded and goes through his thigh before she speaks and places a curse on him. As she is dying, she cries out.
Guigemar then has to traverse the woods to the ocean, and we can assume that such a journey would leave his wound worse for wear. The theme of a curse that can only be broken by true love is one that continues through literature to this day, and this likely was not the first occurrence of such a theme. Another lai where the woods seem to go hand in hand with danger is Bisclavret, or werewolf. It is told that werewolves can be anyone, and that they live in and roam the forest. The werewolf of focus is a wealthy lord who is quite favored by the king, but his wife was often left distraught at his leaving for three days every week.
When he tells her that he needs his clothes to return to his human form, she plots to steal them so she no longer has to be faithful to the man she now views as a monstrosity. When the king goes hunting and finds Bisclavret, we learn that he retains his intelligence and as a result, the knights around the king figure out that this is indeed Bisclavret. The placement of the supernatural in the forest is notable in these, and as Marie is writing lais from the Breton people, it follows that this would stem from what remained of the druidic beliefs common among the Celts. These two lais could be seen as warnings to not do wrong by the supernatural, or to treat the natural world with just as much respect as you would a king, but they do so in a negative light.
In contrast to this, the first branch of the Mabinogi portrays the woods still as supernatural, but through a more positive interaction. Pwyll is hunting in the forest when he sees a hind taken down by some stark white dogs. When he chases away the dogs and sets his own on the hind, he meets Arwyn. When he is confronted about the rudeness of stealing the hind, he apologizes and tries to find a way to reconcile his mistakes.
This leads to him living a year as king in the Otherworld, and although he is playing the part of Arwyn, Pwyll does not sleep with the queen. In not taking more than what is his, Pwyll returns home and remains strong friends with and retains a strong connection to the otherworld. This shows us that while the forest can be a supernatural place, it does not have to be dangerous if you are smart about your actions and choices. Despite all of this, we do not see any specific tree names, so we cannot interpret their specific meanings.
In Dream of the Rood, we still do not see any name for the tree, but we can still examine how it is described. In the beginning of the dream, we are told how the tree is bleeding. One of the native trees of Britain is alder, which, when cut, has a reddish-orange sap. This led to people believing the tree was bleeding, and as such it would make sense that the Rood was indeed alder. Alder was considered one of the fairy trees in celtic myth, and one could theorize that after being crucified, Jesus was protected in the otherworld after death. Another place we can observe the meaning of trees is in le fresne, or the ash tree.
Although this lai also can be viewed as a cautionary talw, it is more cautioning against speaking ill of tour neighbor than of being disrespectful to nature or the otherworld. When a respected lady gives birth to twin sons, another lady speaks ill of her in response, and in turn she gives birth to twin daughters. She keeps one, but in her shame asks one of her midwicves to take the other away. The midwife travels through the woods to find another town, and leaves the baby in an ash tree. The tree is described as sturdy and branching off in fours, a detail that is important to note.
In celtic tradition, the number four can often hold great significance, whether representing the four directions or the four cycles of myth. Ash as its own tree, though, holds much more solid meaning. Like alder, it is regarded as a fairy tree, and is said to be useful in protection from fairies. In this regard it makes sense to leave the baby in the ash tree instead of in front of the abbey, as in british and irish myth, fairies were known to be mischievious. The ash tree is also sometimes regarded for its strength, something that stems from its strong roots.
We can see that characteristic in Le Fresne, as she remains strong and kind to La Codre, despite the fact that La Codre is to be wed to the man Le Fresne loved. Hazel is also a fairy tree in Celtic myth, and in wales specifically, a rejected lover could be given a twig of hazel. As stated before, Marie’s lais are Breton, so it could follow that this is the symbolism that the lai was trying to achieve. When Le Fresne fails to bear children for her husband, it could be seen as her rejecting him, and as such another knight suggests he marry La Codre.
Ranging from the danger of forests and the supernatural to the meanings of certain trees, the Mabinogi, the Lais of Marie de France, and Dream of the Rood provide meaningful insight into the remnants of pre-christian belief and can be viewed as cautionary tales to this day. It is my belief that such a respect for nature and the things we do not understand can serve us well even in this modern era. These readings on their own carry great meaning, but the underlying beliefs of the Celts adds a depth and understanding to them.
