In a class I held a few months back on my Picto-centric survey of 8th-9th
century poetic styles (that is, a sampling of extant poetry of cultures
documentably in contact with the Picts), I mentioned in passing the frequency
with which blackbirds appeared in Irish poetry of this period, particularly being
compared to scribes or poets. One of my students raised the possibility that
this was a mistranslation for crow or raven, with all the otherworldly
symbolism those held in Irish mythology (associations with Morrigan, Babh,
battle generally, etc.).
I did a little quick research (I love interesting questions!) and it
appears that the words were distinct and that there were blackbirds (lon or lon
dubh) as well as ravens (fiach or fiach dubh)(note that “dubh,” appearing
optionally in either term, means black or dark) and crows (I’m less sure of
this term—bran or perhaps caróg?) in Ireland. It appears that all appear in the
literature, with somewhat different roles. For a cursory look at the association
between the blackbird and rebirth, spiritual messengers, as well as with
scribal and bardic activities, see for example “On the role of the Blackbird as a
Preferred Supernatural Messenger in Medieval Irish Sources” by Andrea
Lane. I’m not sure I would agree with all her conclusions, but she cites some
interesting examples of both sets of birds. For a side by side translation of
one of the 9th century poems most clearly about a “lon”, a blackbird,
small, with a yellow beak, see “The Blackbird by Belfast Loch.”
Certainly the portrayals of the small melodic blackbirds, as opposed to the harsher cries of the crow, lend themselves well in my own mind to the various comparisons with bards, poets and scribes that appear in the poetry. The blackbird is sometimes pictured singing his songs where the working scribe can hear, a more cheerful counterpart to the crows that appear more often in literature at battlefields amidst the dying rather than outside scriptoria.
Certainly the portrayals of the small melodic blackbirds, as opposed to the harsher cries of the crow, lend themselves well in my own mind to the various comparisons with bards, poets and scribes that appear in the poetry. The blackbird is sometimes pictured singing his songs where the working scribe can hear, a more cheerful counterpart to the crows that appear more often in literature at battlefields amidst the dying rather than outside scriptoria.
I haven’t
yet come across a poem that uses both blackbirds and ravens (or crows), either
to contrast them or otherwise, but I will certainly keep an eye out now. I also
rather want to go back to survey all the talking/magical birds in the immrama and
other tales to see which species appear. I will certainly report back if I find
anything else of interest as I explore 8th-9th century
Irish poetry in more depth in the months ahead.
