Celtic Mythology in Daughter of the Forest

An academic essay exploring the theme of Celtic Mythology present in Juliet Marillier's novel, Daughter of the Forest.

 

                Sorcha of Sevenwaters must save the only people she loves from her evil sorceress of a stepmother. Forced to become a mute to save them by The Fair Folk, Sorcha must complete her quest and endure many hardships along the way. Celtic mythology is believed strongly in the heart of Sorcha and her people, and it is these beliefs which give her hope. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier has a strong theme of Celic mythology, which can be seen through the use of magic and spells, Celtic names, and references to Celtic Gods and Goddesses through folklore.

                Celtic mythology is apparent in Daughter of the Forest through the recurring use of magic and spells. This can be seen when the lady Oonagh, Sorcha’s evil stepmother, performs black magic to torture her and her six brothers. She calls upon evil to make Cormack injure his dog, destroy Sorcha’s herb garden, which she uses for healing, and slowly kill all of Padriac’s animals which he puts his heart into healing and taking care of. Another display of magic, connecting to Celtic beliefs, is when Oonagh uses her evil powers to turn Sorcha’s brothers into swans. She uses Sorcha and her brother’s own white magic against them to achieve this. Magic can also been seen when The Lady of the Forest, a Celtic Goddess, comes to Sorcha and gives her the power to break the terrible spell placed upon her brothers. A quote to support this theory, which refers to the killing of Padriac’s animals is “Then Padriac’s animals began to sicken, and to die. First, it was the old donkey, found cold and stiff one morning in her stall…next, the mother cat disappeared, leaving her nest of kittens behind. Padriac tried to feed them, and I helped, but one by one, they pined and weakened and their tiny lives slipped away from them. I wept as the last one died in my hands, its once bright eyes fading to a filmy grey.” (Marillier, 128). Through the use of magic and spells, Celtic mythology is evident throughout the novel.

                Celtic Mythology is apparent in Daughter of the Forest through the continuous use of ancient Celtic names. The name of the protagonist, Sorcha, is pronounced Sor-sha, and is Irish for “bright, radiant light”. The name of the antagonist, Oonagh, is pronounced Oon-ah, or Oh-ah, and it means “unity”. In Celtic legend, Oonagh is known as “Queen of the Faeries”. The name of one of Sorcha’s brothers, Finbar, pronounced Fin-bar, translates into “light-haired”. The name of the antagonist’s son, Ciaran, pronounced Kee-rin, has a few different meanings. It can refer to “little friend”, “little beloved”, or “little dark one”. These are only a few of the many Celtic names found throughout the novel. A quote which supports the use of Celtic names throughout the novel is “By this time, my shrieks had brought the twins running. Cormack held onto me, since he was strong, and I was bawling and thrashing about with the pain. Conor tore off a strip from his grubby shirt. Finbar had found a pair of pointed twigs, and he began to pull out delicately, one by one, the tiny needle like spines the starwort plant had embedded in my soft flesh.” (Marillier, 3). Celtic mythology can be found throughout the novel in the use of ancient Celtic and Irish names.

                Celtic mythology is apparent in Daughter of the Forest through the recurring references to Celtic Gods and Goddesses and the use of folklore. This can be seen when the Lady of the Forest comes to Sorcha, and tells her how to break her stepmother’s spell. The Lady of the Forest is also known as Deirdre. In ancient legends, she is the queen and protector of the forest. Her powers are used to nurture the seedlings of new trees and provide food for the creatures who dwell within her kingdom. She also punishes those who destroy her beautiful lands, and hunt her precious children of the forest. Another display of Celtic references is when one of Sorcha’s brothers, Conor, tells her a story of Deirdre, Lady of the Forest, to comfort her and make her forget about the pain she is in. A quote to support this is “…and her name was Deirdre, Lady of the Forest, but nobody ever saw her, save late at night, if you went out along the paths under the birch trees, you might catch a glimpse of her tall figure, in a cloak of midnight blue, and her long hair, wild and dark, and her little crown of stars…” (Marillier, 3). Yet another piece of folklore, relating back to Celtic mythology, is told by Sorcha to one of her patients, for she is a healer. She tells him the story of the cup of Isha, which only allows the pure of heart to drink from it, and is found by a humble man who does not believe he is worthy of drinking from such a magnificent cup, until one day, he is forced to drink from it and finds out that he has a very pure heart, indeed. This is a very common Celtic legend, and most people of Irish descent have heard of it. Through the use of references to Celtic Gods and Goddesses and folklore, a strong theme of Celtic mythology becomes evident.

                Through the examination of Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, one may find that Celtic mythology plays a large role throughout the course of the novel and the protagonist’s journey. This can be seen through the use of magic and spells, including Oonagh’s evil spell to turn Sorcha’s brothers into swans, the Lady of the Forest’s visit to Sorcha, and Oonagh’s spells designed to put heartache and grief on Sorcha and her brothers. It is also evident in the use of Celtic names throughout the novel, including Sorcha, Oonagh, Finbar, and Ciaran. However, the most important themes of Celtic mythology are shown through the folklore throughout the novel, and the common references to Celtic Gods and Goddesses. These themes are very strong throughout the novel, and ultimately, give the protagonist the hope and courage necessary to complete her difficult quest, even when it seems that all has been lost.

 

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Works Cited

 

"Baby Names: Celtic Origin". Wedding Vendors. Accessed 2005.

               <www.weddingvendors.com/baby-names/origin/celtic/>

 

Baby Names of Ireland. Accessed 2005. <http://www.babynamesofireland.com>

 

"Celtic Baby Names". Baby Name Guide. Accessed 2005.

               <www.babynameguide.com/categoryceltic.asp?strCat=Celtic >

 

"Celtic Baby Names". Baby Name World. Accessed 2005. <www.babynameworld.com/celtic.asp>

 

Marillier, Juliet. Daughter of the Forest. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 2000.

Author's Note

This was my English final assignment for the semester in Grade 10. I believe I got a 95% on it and it was the piece that won first place for it's category that year.