Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

1 38 Old Irish Religions,
This Mac Oc, or Aengus, is regarded as the Irish
counterpart of IMerHn or Emrys. He is associated with a
fairy maiden, in the form of a Swan. He was the son of
the divine King of the Tuaths, and usurped his father's
crown, as Zeus did that of his father Chronos. As in
other lands, the domains of heroes and gods continually
encroach upon each other ;
as divine attributes are bestow^ed
upon departed chiefs, and divine
honours, after the
tapu order, are often paid to living heads of Septs.
In no
country, perhaps, was there more reverence given to chiefs,
and in none more rigorous obedience exacted from the
people by those w4io then controlled the very tribal lands.
It may be that this peculiarity of native character would
account for the devotion to Saints in Irish Christian times.
Still, it has been pointed out how tradition has converted
honoured heroes or divinities of former days into modern
Saints. This is, at least, a very curious coincidence, and
by no means confined to Ireland, being witnessed in
Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany.
The great age to which some of these lived, according to
such authorities as The Four Masters, &c., excites attention.
St. Diarerca and St. Fechin continued on earth
1 80 yeai-s ;
but
St. Ciaran, 300; St. Mochta, 300; St.
Sincheall, 330. Their ubiquity is suspicious. Thus, there
are 25 St. Shanauns or Shannons, 37 Moluans, 43 Molaises,
58 Mochuans, 200 Colmans, and a number called St.
Dagan, St. Molach, St. Duil, &c. It is odd to perceive so
many provided with an alias.
''If the ancient Irish," observes Marcus Keane, "belonged
to one great system of mythology, we would
naturally expect to find traditions of different gods of
the same system preserved in the same locality. This
accordingly we find to be the case."
Mrs. Wilkes, in
Ur of the C/ialdees, remarked that many