The Landscape of the Gaelic Imagination

This paper is an attempt at constructing a model of the landscape of the Gaelic imagination, including the otherworld, as evinced by place-names, poetry, songs and tales. A major division is noted between those parts where nature is domesticated, and the wilderness where nature is the ascendant force, in constant need of propitiation. The model has its roots in pagan Gaelic mythology, when the invading Gaels banished the spirits of the land underground or across the sea, while still requiring union with them and co-operation. Time in the otherworld is circular, and chaos, regeneration and creativity both threaten and attract people. The model is partly subsumed into Christianity, making exile attractive to a people who revered the wilderness. Though this model is culturally specific, it is argued that it expresses a fundamental need for negotiation between man and nature, which remains a major concern to our survival on the planet.