Grimm Library
No. 18
AN IRISH PRECURSOR OF DANTE
(Fis Adamnáin)
The Grimm Library.
Half buckram. Net prices.
I. GEORGIAN FOLK-TALES. By M. WARDROP. Out of print.
II., III., V. THE LEGEND OF PERSEUS. A Study of Tradition and Story, Custom and Myth. By E. S. Hartland. 3 vols. Out of print.
IV., VI. THE VOYAGE OF BRAN, SON OF FEBAL, TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING. An old Irish Saga, now first edited, with Translation, Notes, and Glossary by Kuno Meyer. With an Essay upon the Irish Vision of the Happy Otherworld, and the Celtic doctrine of Rebirth, by Alfred Nutt. 2 vols. £1, 1s.
Vol. I. THE HAPPY OTHERWORLD. 1895. xviii, 331 pp.
Vol. II. THE CELTIC DOCTRINE OF REBIRTH. 1897. xii, 352 pp. 10s. 6d.
VII. THE LEGEND OF SIR GAWAIN. Studies upon its Original Scope and Significance, By Jessie L. Weston. 1897. xvi, 117 pp. 4s.
VIII. THE CUCHULLIN SAGA IN IRISH LITERATURE. By Eleanor Hull. Out of print.
IX., X. THE PRE- AND PROTO-HISTORIC FINNS. By the Hon. J. Abercromby. 2 vols. Out of print.
XI. THE HOME OF THE EDDIC POEMS. By Sophus Bugge. Out of print.
XII. THE LEGEND OF SIR LANCELOT DU LAC. Studies upon its Origin, Development, and Position in the Arthurian Romantic Cycle. By Jessie L. Weston. 1901. xii, 252 pp. 7s. 6d.
XIII. THE WIFE OF BATH’S TALE. By G. F. Maynadier. Out of print.
XIV. SOHRAB AND RUSTEM. The Epic Theme of a Combat between Father and Son. A Study of its Genesis, Use in Literature and Popular Tradition. By Murray A. Potter, A.M. 1902. xii, 224 pp. 6s.
XV. THE THREE DAYS’ TOURNAMENT. A Study in Romance and Folklore. Being an Appendix to the Legend of Sir Lancelot. By Jessie L. Weston. 1903. xvi, 59 pp. 2s.
XVI. THE CATTLE RAID OF CUALNGE (Táin bó Cuailnge). By L. Winifred Faraday, M.A. Out of print.
XVII. THE LEGEND OF SIR PERCEVAL. Studies upon its Origin, Development, and Position in the Arthurian Cycle. By Jessie L. Weston. Vol. I. 1906.
XVIII. AN IRISH PRECURSOR OF DANTE. By C. S. Boswell. 1908. 8s. 6d.
An Irish Precursor of Dante
A Study on the Vision of Heaven and Hell ascribed to the Eighth-century Irish Saint Adamnán, with Translation of the Irish Text
By
C. S. Boswell
London
Published by David Nutt
at the Sign of the Phœnix
Long Acre
1908
TO
H. M. H. B.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| [PART I] | |
| [1. INTRODUCTORY] | |
| Dante’s Commedia preceded by a long series of Visions of theOtherworld—The Vision a favourite subject with Irishwriters of the Middle Ages—Dante’s originality | 1-4 |
| [2. THE SEER] | |
| The Irish Church at the close of the seventh century—Itsmissionary activity—Irish scholars and clerics on theContinent—The authorities for Adamnán’s life—His birthand parentage—Meaning of his name—Enters the monasteryof Iona—Becomes abbot—Missions to Northumbria—Intercoursewith the Venerable Bede—The Paschal controversy—Adamnánadopts the Roman usage—His labours inthe cause—Wins over Ireland except Iona—His death—HisLife of St. Colm Cille—His treatise De Locis Satutis—Miscellaneousand apocryphal writings—His scholarship—Adamnánin the later annals—Anecdote of his studentdays—The Boruma Tribute—Remitted by Árd Rí FinnachtaFledach—Adamnán’s opposition thereto—Doubtfulauthenticity of the record—Further dissensions with theÁrd Rí—Death of Finnachta—Adamnán’s legislation onbehalf of the women of Ireland—Their previous statusand liability to military service—The Cáin Adamnáin—Characterof Adamnán—The Fis Adamnáin, why associatedwith his name—MSS. and editions of the Fis Adamnáin | 4-28 |
| [3. TRANSLATION OF THE FIS ADAMNÁIN] | |
| 1. Exordium—2. Enumeration of previous revelations of theOtherworld—3. Adamnán’s translation from the body—4-6.The Land of Saints—7-8. The Throne of the Deity—9.The Divine Presence enthroned, and 10. Picturedas a mystic omnipresent face—11. The Celestial City, itsseven walls and its floor; 12. Its inhabitants; 13. Its design,as of a Christian Church—14. Limbo of the excluded—15-18.The Soul’s progress through the seven Heavens;15. Their doors and porters; the first Heaven; 16. Thesecond Heaven, Purgatorial pains; 17. The third and fourthHeavens; 18. The fifth and sixth Heavens—19. The Judgmentof the Soul—20. The fate of the damned—21. Hell,a fiery glen—22-23. The Bridge of Doom—24. The halfgood, half wicked—25-29. Punishments of the wickeddescribed; classification of crimes and punishments—27.The charitable but carnal—29. Fiery wall reserved untilafter the Last Judgment—30. Description of Hell; impatienceof the damned for Judgment; respite on Sundays—31.Adamnán returns to Heaven; is restored to the body,and bidden report what he has seen—32. This the subjectof his subsequent preaching; consonant with the doctrineof the Apostles and Saints—33. Enoch, Elias, and the Bird-flocksof Paradise—34. Peroration; L’Envoy—35. Rhapsodicaldescription of Heaven | 28-47 |
| [PART II] | |
| [1. THE CLASSICAL TRADITION] | |
| Sources of the mediæval legend of the Vision of the Otherworld—TheClassical Tradition—The Otherworld in the Greekpoets—Influence of the Mysteries—The effect of initiationon the future life—Ethical teaching of the Mysteries—Plato’sVision of Er—Plato’s opinion of the Mysteries—Descriptionof Elysium in the Axiochus—The Frogs ofAristophanes; visit to Hades by Dionysos; light thrownon the Greek views of the Mysteries of the next world—Plutarch’sVision of Thespesios—Plutarch’s eschatology—Rebirththeory in Plato and Plutarch—The Vision in Latinliterature—The Somnium Scipionis—Virgil’s descriptionof the Otherworld—Literary character of his treatment—Compositenature of his eschatology—His authority in theMiddle Ages | 48-67 |
| [2. THE ORIENTAL TRADITION] | |
| Dante’s attitude towards Virgil—His scheme in the Commedia—Non-classicalelements thereby necessitated—Process ofaccretion in the later Jewish Church—The Chaldæaneschatology—Visits to Hades of Ishtâr and Gisdubar—TheChaldæan Elysium—Arali, the Chaldæan Hades—Aristocraticconception of Elysium—The effect of the Medianconquest—The Avestan eschatology—The soul after death—TheChinvât Bridge—Judgment—The Avestan Elysium—TheTree of Life and the World-Sea—The bird Karshipta—theVara of Yima—Yima and the Indian Yama—Allegorictendencies of the Avesta—Its adoption of earlier animism—Thequestion of its influence on Judaism—Darmesteteron Neo-Platonic elements in the Avesta—Older elementsin the Avestan theory of the Otherworld; Achæmenian,Indian and Chaldæan—The Amesha Spentas and thePhilonic emanations—Their probable connection with theChaldæan Spirits of Earth—Chaldæan and Persian influencesupon Jewish speculation—Oriental conceptionspresent in the Vision of Adamnán: the seven Heavens,the mystical Bird, the Tree of Life, the World-Sea, theBridge—Rebirth theory absent from the Avestan religion—Egyptand Neo-Judaism—The Jewish colony in Alexandria;its culture mainly Hellenic; interchange of ideaswith the Egyptians—Egyptian cults in the Hellenic world—Egyptianeschatology; Judgment, the ‘Eater of theDead,’ Elysium—Purgatorial and kindred theories of theRabbis and early Christians—Special treatment of halfgood, half wicked souls—Greek and Oriental influenceson the Otherworld conceptions of the Christian Church—Rebirthrejected by the Jews, and by the ancient Egyptians | 67-94 |
| [3. THE ECCLESIASTICAL TRADITION] | |
| The Vision of the Otherworld a favourite subject in the Jewishapocryphal scriptures—The Book of Enoch—Parallels toChristian Visions—Care for topographical details—Dissertationsas in Dante—Purgatorial theory—Descriptions ofHell and Heaven—The Celestial Mountain—Sheol—TheTree of Life—Judgment—The Gospel of Nicodemus—TheVision of Esdras in the Old Testament Apocrypha—AnotherVision of Esdras in the Christian apocryphal books—TheVision of Isaiah—Little information respecting the Otherworldin the canonical books of the New Testament—Detailsin the Epistles of St. Jude and St. Peter and theRevelation—Græco-Roman speculations during the earlyages of the Church—The Sibylline books—The ‘Harrowingof Hell’ legend—Spread of eschatological writings—TheShepherd of Hermas—An anticipation of Dante andBeatrice—Its scope rather anagogical than eschatological—TheApocalypse of St. Peter—The Revelation of St. Paul—Theirinfluence apparent in the Fis Adamnáin—TheTransitus Mariæ—Blending of Hebraic and Hellenicconceptions of the Otherworld—Persistence of the moralteaching in the Mysteries; and of the popular belief inTartarus—The Vision legend little affected by Pagan cultsor Neo-Platonic speculation—The Vision legend in theWestern Church—Instances recorded by St. Augustine andSt. Gregory—Minor importance of the legend in the Westuntil developed by the Irish Church | 94-113 |
| [4. THE LEGEND IN IRELAND] | |
| Relations of the Irish Church with Southern Gaul and the East—IrishPilgrimages to Egypt—The Egyptian Book of Adamand Eve preserved in Ireland only—Resemblances betweenthe Irish and Oriental monastic systems—Irish knowledgeof Greek writers and intercourse with the Greeks—Theecclesiastical conception of the Otherworld influenced bycognate ideas in Irish literature and mythology—Dignityof the Irish literary profession; its classifications—Categoriesof the Irish historical and romantic tales—Toleranceof the Irish clergy—Survival of the Imram and Fis, andtheir influence upon the literature of mediæval Europe—TheOtherworld a favourite subject in Irish legend—Elysianrealms of the Irish Gods; of the Dagda andOengus Óg, of Mider, of Manannán Mac Lír—Poeticdescription in the Voyage of Bran—Tethra, king of thedead—His messengers to summon mortals to him—Thestory of Connla—The Orpheus myth in Ireland—TheSerglige Conchulaind—No Tartarus in the Irish mythology—Malignantpowers—Sinister aspects of the Otherworld—Therealm of Scathach—The Bridge of the Cliff—Whetherof Norse origin, or ecclesiastical, or native—Parallels inthe Avesta and among primitive peoples—The Adventuresof Nera—The legend in the Finn Cycle—Late survivals—Thelegend in the Conn Cormac Cycle—Conn’s visits tothe Tír Tairngire—Christian redactions of Pagan stories—Theadventures of Árt in the Tír Tairngire, and the courtshipof Delbchaem—The visit of Cormac to the TírTairngire—The introduction of allegory—First rudimentaryethical conceptions in connection with the Otherworld—Whetheroriginal or due to clerical redactors—Interpolationsby the redactors—Increasing prominence of eschatologicalideas in the Christian Imrama—The chastity idealexisting side by side with its opposite in the Tír Tairngire—Cuchulainnand the children of Doel Dermait—Theenchanted castle and its Otherworld origin—The Voyage ofMaelduin’s Curach—Greek influences—Elysian islands—Infernalelements—The ‘Miller of Hell’—Picture ofElysium—Adaptation of the Phœnix legend to old Irishmyths—Bird souls—Island hermits—The cook of Torach—TheVoyage of the Curach of the Ui Corra—Eschatologyin the ascendant—Influences of Nature—Purgatorial theoryintroduced into the Imram—The Voyage of Snedgus andMac Ríagla—Transition from Pagan to Christian conceptionsof the Otherworld—Visions of the Otherworld inIreland—Visions of St. Colm Cille—St. Fursa; his Vision—Visionof Laisrén—The Scél Lái Brátha—The fourfolddivision of human souls—The Dá Brón Flatha Nime | 113-174 |
| [5. THE FIS ADAMNÁIN] | |
| Its structural and literary superiority to other Visions beforeDante—The general plan—Indications of composite authorship—Authoritiesfollowed by the writer of the Vision—Theguide to the Otherworld—The author’s use of old Irishimagery—His ecclesiastical treatment of the subject—Pictorialgrouping and imagery—Parallels to the Imrama—TheCockayne idea and the ascetic idea—The state describedto continue to the Last Judgment only—DeferredJudgment of certain spirits and their Limbo—The soul’sprogress through the seven Heavens—The Purgatorialtheory—Dante parallels—Judgment—The fate of the reprobate—Insistenceon the spiritual side of their sufferings—Thefurther description of Hell apparently interpolated—TheBridge incident—Fourfold division of the souls—Thepunishments of the reprobate—Increasing minuteness ofthese descriptions by successive Vision writers—Attemptsat classification—Dante parallels—Temporary punishmentof certain sinners—The region of the damned after theLast Judgment—Characteristics of northern and southernwriters respectively—The four rivers of Hell—Adamnán’smessage—Enoch and Elias with the Bird-flocks aboutthe Tree of Life—Rhapsodical description of Heaven | 174-206 |
| [6. LATER DEVELOPMENTS] | |
| Irish influences upon Continental writers—Enduring effect ofSt. Brendan’s legend—The Voyage of St. Brendan—OldIrish incidents preserved therein—The Paradise of Birdsand the rebel angels—Cessation of the Imram and continuanceof the Fis—The Vision of Tundale—Great developmentof Purgatorial incidents—The Bridge episode—Helldescribed as the mouth of a dragon—Description of Hell—Thehalf righteous—Converse with persons whom Tundalehad known in life—King Cormac—Paradise—The Tree ofLife and Bird-flocks—Blending in this vision of Irish andecclesiastical elements—Influence of the result uponEuropean literature—Relations to the Fis Adamnáin andto the St. Patrick’s Purgatory legend—Dante probablyacquainted with the Vision of Tundale—Comparison betweenthe Vision and the Commedia—Prevalence of theVision legend on the Continent—Foreign Visions derivedfrom Irish sources—The Vision of Drihthelm—St. Patrick’sPurgatory—The Vision of Owen—Doubtful origin of thelegend of St. Patrick’s Purgatory—Its popularity on theContinent—Treatment by Continental writers—The Visionof Alberic—Waning influence of the Irish school—Increasednumber but diminished importance of the Otherworldstories—Lack of originality | 206-241 |
| [7. CONCLUSION] | |
| Recapitulation—No theory propounded as to Dante’s indebtednessto the Irish school—His probable acquaintance withthe later Visions of that school—Probable nature andlimitations of their influence—Tendency of each school todrop the more characteristic traits of its predecessors—Dante’srejection of many conventional incidents—Theliterary qualities of the Fis Adamnáin—Irish susceptibilityto the beauties of Nature and to music—Absence of dissertationsfrom the Fis Adamnáin—Interruption of theIrish national literature—Modern renaissance | 242-249 |
| [Index] | 251 |