10/31/2019
“Greetings digital traveler and Happy Halloween. Or, I should say, Happy Samhain! Today, I will be sharing the first Otherworld Brewery and Blendery myth. It is an ancient Celtic myth set during Samhain! If you have yet to meet me, you may call me Lorian the Beer Bard and I am your resident storyteller.
Did you know that many of your Modern Halloween traditions trace back to the Celtic holiday of Samhain, which took place on the first day of winter. The Celts of Ancient Ireland believed this seasonal transition into winter opened doors between our world and the Otherworld (the world of spirits, deities, and the dead), allowing the denizens of the Otherworld to walk among ours. Time also lost all meaning; a trait you will find in many Celtic myths set during Samhain.
This is also the case with the myth I am sharing today, ‘Nera and the Co**se’. As with many ancient myths, this one involves some violence and terror! If you are squeamish about such things, perhaps this is not a tale for you. Now, grab a sudsy beverage (might I suggest a Pumpkin Ale?) and let's dive in…
On one particularly devilish Samhain night, King Aillil and Queen Medb were enjoying a festive feast with their troops in the ancient fortress of Rathcroghan. Being deep in his cups and knowing the dangers presented by the Otherworld denizens that walked the earth that evening, King Aillil offered his retinue a test of courage. Should anyone volunteer to walk through the night to the tree where he had hung a prisoner earlier that day and tie a wicker band to the co**se’s ankle, they would be rewarded with a sword of gold. Fearing the terrors of the night, none volunteered save for the young warrior Nera of Connachta.
Nera donned his armor and entered the night, walking through a darkness filled with ghosts and wild creatures holding only a rushlight. After some time, he made his way to the gallows where the co**se swayed in the breeze. He tried several times to wrap the wicker band to the ankle, but the band kept snapping free. The longer he stayed there, the greater he knew was the danger. Suddenly, the co**se awakened and kicked its leg. “Pin the band to my leg, it is the only way,” the co**se croaked. Nera did as it said and the band finally stayed attached to the leg.
“Now,” growled the co**se, “for helping you, you must help me. I was very thirsty when I was hung and I require water.” Knowing that he had completed this task due to the co**se’s help, Nera agreed. Immediately, the co**se dropped from the tree and attached itself aggressively to Nera’s back. Following the co**se’s instruction, Nera entered back into the dangerous night carrying the dead man.
The first home they came across was suddenly surrounded by flames. “They must have dampened the fire in the hearth as they should,” rasped the co**se, “we cannot enter here.” The second home they approached was somehow surrounded by a lake. “They must have cleared the house of wastewater as they should,” spoke the co**se, “we cannot enter here.” The third house was unprotected. “Ahh,” whispered the co**se, “they did not remove their wastewater before sleep. This I shall drink.”
So, Nera brought the co**se into the house quietly and set it before three buckets of wastewater without waking the sleeping owners of the house. The co**se drank the first two heartily then drank of the last bucket and spit the wastewater out on the sleeping couple. Their faces wasted away and they died while the co**se laughed. “Foolish mortals, you should always remove your wastewater before sleeping,” the co**se huffed. Relieved to be done with the task, Nera brought the co**se back to the gallows-tree where it finally slipped off his back and reattached itself to the noose.
Arriving back at Rathcroghan, Nera was greeted by a terrible sight. The entire fortress was burning in a great blaze and his countrymen lay before him beheaded. Weeping in horror, he watched as the festival was overrun by a Sidhe (similar to fairies or elves) army and a host of nightmare creatures. As the army left the carnage, Nera followed with revenge on his mind.
Nera tracked them back to their home in the Mound of Cruachan where he was able to enter by listening in on their passwords. Unfortunately, the Sidhe had been aware of his presence the whole time. Realizing he had just entered the Otherworld and the home of a Sidhe army, Nera snuck around and tried to find a means to escape. He soon found himself surrounded by guards of the Sidhe and was brought before their King. Inspired by Nera’s courage, the King chose leniency and told Nera he must spend a year cutting firewood and bringing it to a certain Sidhe woman.
Nera performed his task well. Soon, the two of them fell in love and were with child. He began to notice that a blind man carrying a lame man would walk to the well at the center of the Sidhe kingdom every day. He asked his wife about this and she explained that the well held the King’s golden crown. It was their job to ensure that it remained there every day. Over time, Nera began to forget his previous life given that time in the Otherworld felt endless and he was not able to track it.
One day while lighting the fire for his wife, a spark shot out and burned his hand. Suddenly, his previous life came flooding back to him. His wife asked him what the matter was and he explained the sad tale of how he had come to be with her. She told him that the invasion of his home was just a vision and had not yet come to pass. However, it would certainly happen the following Samhain if he did not go back to warn them. His wife explained how to escape the mound and told him to bring the flowers of summer that were currently blooming in the Otherworld back with him. Even though it had seemed nearly a year since he had entered the Otherworld, only a few hours had passed in the real world. The fresh summer flowers would be proof to his King that he had indeed visited the Otherworld and should be taken seriously.
His wife gave him the summer flowers and said goodbye, telling him not to forget her or his child. Nera made his way out of the Mound of Cruachan and back to Rathcroghan where he found that the food at the feast was still warm as if only a couple hours had passed. He told his stories to the King but the King did not believe him until he produced the summer flowers. Amazed by the flowers, the King believed him and told Nera that they would prepare to attack the Sidhe at the Mound immediately. Nera explained that he must protect his family and King Aillil agreed to let him go ahead so he could get them out safely before the attack.
Nera found his way to the Mound of Cruachan and back to his family. To his surprise, his child had grown much older. He escaped with the two of them safely then joined the attack on the Sidhe. The Sidhe were defeated in the ambush and the King’s golden crown was taken from the well. With Rathcroghan and Nera’s people now safe, Nera and his family lived happily onwards in the King’s good graces back in the mortal world…
Well then, I hope you’ve enjoyed the tale of Nera and the Co**se! What does it all mean, you ask? Well, myths carry a great deal of information about the cultures from where they hail. The Celt’s fear of Otherworldly spirits is strong in this story while the incident with the wastewater and the co**se could likely be attributed to sanitary procedures that they used to practice. However, if you ask me, the moral is to never accept a test of courage from a drunken King! Hah!
Enjoy Samhain and beware of the denizens of the Otherworld tonight. May your experiences make great stories and your beer remain full!”
