For my MA thesis I have decided to focus on a medieval English text along with a medieval Irish text. The texts that I will be using are, Sir Orfeo, a late 14th century middle-English text and Tochmarc Étaíne, also known as The Wooing of Etain, dated to have been written around the 8th century, it is part of the early Irish Mythological cycle of texts. I have chosen to discuss both texts alongside each other as The Wooing of Etain is believed by some to be a possible original source material to Sir Orfeo. There was no study of Irish texts in the MedRen course and I did not consider this until the last moment when I felt the need to diverge from what I have learnt and delve into something new. I do not know how to read medieval Irish, so I will be using the translation by Osborn Bergin and R. I. Best, published in Ériu 12 (1938). I chose Sir Orfeo as it is my favourite medieval text and I will be using A.J. Bliss’s edition of the text. I would like to analyse the similarities of the two texts, focusing on the theme of abduction to the otherworld, the differences between the Irish and English interpretations of the otherworldly realm.
There is an extensive research on the theme of abduction in medieval literature, which I am grateful for, but there is a lack of an Irish and English texts studied together, this might be due to the fact that the folklore is different and that Irish literature is generally considered Pagan due to heavy Celtic influence and medieval English literature is heavily Christian oriented. Firstly, I will begin with research on abductions, some of books and journals I will be using are: Rape and Ravishment in the literature of Medieval England by Corinne Saunders (2001). Scholars and anyone has read or studied medieval literature will know that “rape frequently overlaps with abduction” (Saunders, pg. 189). Especially when it is supernatural abduction of a mortal woman who is taken away to the otherworld by the fairy King. The theme of abduction not only involves women, but also men as seen in the text Thomas of Erceldoune, which I will also aim to discuss as a contrast between the treatment of genders. This is not part of my argument as it is merely a statement / fact that the women are victim to the assault and coercion, even when the man is abducted, it happens because he forced himself unto a supernatural being in these texts. My aim will be to use this article to briefly mention and analyse this.
There is a great article that presents a feminist, queer reading that is relatively new in relation to the text of Sir Orfeo, which I would like to use when discussing the abduction of the female body. This article is titled “Abduction and Feminine expression in Sir Orfeo (2022)” by Ruth Worgan, which she analyses the abduction of Heurodis and “her rejection of her consumption by the masculine gaze” (pg. 2). I am excited to use this article as it links the female body to the natural environment and this is important to both the texts that I will be using as nature, especially elements within the forests are used as a portal to the otherworld and where abduction commonly occurs. Last, but not least, I will use the journal by Caroline Dunn on “The language of ravishment in Medieval England” (2011), while this is not my main focus, it does relate to the coercion and abduction, which I will further discuss in my thesis.
As mentioned before, there are many elements throughout both texts that reference the other through the use of Celtic themes and motifs. Celtic mythology was not a part of my MA study, but I am interested how a Pagan and Christian text work through these similarities. They both combine Celtic myths and folklore to produce a text of considerable narration and storytelling, which I aim to discuss. Similar motifs shared between the two are: the otherworld / Fairy realm as a parallel dimension to the human realm, the Fairy King and courtly structure, Ympe-tre (grafted tree) as a portal, abduction, wild men and the wilderness, music etc. I would like to keep most of my thesis as a surprise and mystery, so I will not list everything, but these are the few main themes that both texts share. An important journal article that will help in my research of such motifs is “The significance of Sir Orfeo’s self-exile” (1967) by Kenneth R. R. Gros Lois, which focuses on the Celtic influence, rather than the classical Greek influence of the poem which I would like to avoid where possible as this would change the whole layout of my research.
My research of The Wooing of Etain will mainly revolve around the Celtic motifs and understanding the complicated narrative structure of Irish mythology. To assist my research of this, I will be using the journal article of Bruce A. Rosenberg titled “Folklore Methodology and Medieval Literature” (1976) where he explains the different narrative structures that centre around mythology and folklore, using multiple examples to assist him in his arguments and statements. This is vital to my thesis as the area is a new study to me and understanding the elements and recurring motifs is important in establishing an argument between two texts of different social and cultural backgrounds. Another journal that I would like to refer to in my research is “The anatomy of power and the miracle of kingship: The female body of sovereignty in a medieval Irish kingship tale” (2006) by Amy C. Eichhorn-Mulligan, as the title suggests she discuses the female body and gender role within a symbolic courtly sovereign kingship. I can not mention abduction without referring to the female body and when discussing it in one text, I also need to mention it in the other. This is where the journal article helps in establishing my research question and argument, which I am in the process of formulating. My hope is that these articles provide the necessary information, which they do to some extent, of assisting in my research and evolution of my thesis, from the initial question and argument, throughout the research and until the end. These are not all the articles I will be using, but they are the main ones that I have read, that I can use to begin my thesis and they provide similar themes, occurrences and narration that will prove to be very important for both my understanding and research.
Works Cited:
Eichhorn-Mulligan, Amy C. “The Anatomy of Power and the Miracle of Kingship: The Female Body of Sovereignty in a Medieval Irish Kingship Tale.” Speculum, vol. 81, no. 4, 2006, pp. 1014–54.
Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis. “The Significance of Sir Orfeo’s Self-Exile.” The Review of English Studies, vol. 18, no. 71, 1967, pp. 245–52.
Worgan, Ruth “Abduction and Feminine Expression in Sir Orfeo.” Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality 58, No. 1 (2022) : 67-83.
Dunn, Caroline. “The Language of Ravishment in Medieval England.” Speculum, vol. 86, no. 1, 2011, pp. 79–116.
Saunders, Corinne J. Rape and Ravishment in the Literature of Medieval England. D.S. Brewer, 2001.
Rosenberg, Bruce A. “Folklore Methodology and Medieval Literature.” Journal of the Folklore Institute, vol. 13, no. 3, 1976, pp. 311–25.
Étaín and Midir, illustration by Stephen Reid in T. W. Rolleston‘s The High Deeds of Finn (1910).
The Yellow Book of Lecan, MS 1318. Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, H.2.16.
Sir Orfeo, Auchenleck Manuscript, by Anonoymous, dated early 14th century.
