Nicholas Kinney

The Simurgh as a legendary bird features in Firdausi's " Shah-Nameh" ( book of kings) and also in the " Mantiq al-Tayr" ( parliament of birds) It has a mysterious or even mystical character. Usually described as giant in size with eagle wings, vulture talons & extravagant tail. It has been suggested somewhere that it had a woman's face which is how I drew it here.         It happened that when Minucher became ruler he relied on his faithful councellor, the noble Saam. One day Saam heard that his wife was about to give birth. He rushed home to be instantly disappointed at the sight of the baby - a boy with snow white hair. "But he"s like an old man!" exclaimed Saam, who was so utterly distraught that he took the baby and left him in a remote place. The cries of the infant were heard by the giant bird Simurgh who carried him off to her nest on the summit of mount Alburz. Here she raised the boy until he became "a man who was like...

In may I posted an item on Melusine the water nymph who once a week mutated from a woman into a serpentine creature and finally one day turned into a dragon. Here are some more female mythical beings that humans should be wary of meeting. They always appear in stories as predators and seducers of men.    LAMIA was often portrayed as a beautiful woman from the waist up but from the waist down as a serpent. Victorian painter John William Waterhouse sees her as a lovely nymph in the picture above.   Robert Burton wrote in his "Anatomy of Melancholy" 1621        "One, Menippus Lycius, a young man 25 years of age, going betwixt Cenchreoe and Corinth, met such a phantasm in the habit of a gentlewomen, which taking him by the hand carried him home to her house in the suburbs of Corinth and told him she was a Phoenician by birth and if he would tarry with her he should hear her sing & play and drink such wine as never any drank, and no man should mo...

The Legend of the water nymph Mélusine was popular in medieval Europe. It is best known now from a prose romance by Jean d"Arras "The Roman de Mélusine" 1392-94, which blends fantasy and some factual accounts of Crusader activities in the Near East, It especially praises the writer"s patrons, the Lusignan family who proudly claimed that their dynasty was descended from the seductive legendary nymph with a terrible secret. Raymond of Poitou was in a hunting party in the forest when he became separated from his companions. He found himself in a softly lit place in the depths, lost and bewildered, listening to the sound of flowing water. There was a sparkling fountain and a woman splashing about in it. He inquired who she was and in a melodious voice she said her name was Mélusine. Raymond was bedazzled by her unearthly beauty.  Day became night and the forest creatures looked on as the huntsman fell in love in the moonlight with the sylvan nymph. Now Raymond did...

We are familiar with German folktales from the brothers Grimm "Kinder und Hausmarchen" and French ones from Charles Perrault. Here is a charming story from Flanders which has all the ingredients of a classic fable. A poor old woman living on her own had nothing in the world to give her pleasure so she was called Misery. Well, she had one thing of beauty & joy- an apple tree that gave forth juicy, delicious ripe red gold fruit. But people kept stealing all her apples. Day after day she would check the tree to find the fruit disappearing yet she never spied the thieves. One day a stranger passed by, an ancient man with a long white beard who asked Misery if she could spare a crust of bread for a hungry traveller. She obliged and he said he might grant her a wish. Misery replied " I wish that anyone who touches my apple tree sticks to it until I decide to set him free" The following day Misery came out of her house to find an amazing sight. She saw sticki...

Cormac mac Airt was a mythical High King of Ireland. He was described in the annals of Clonmacnoise as being "absolutely the best king that ever reigned in Ireland", that he was "wise,learned,valiant and mild, not given causelessly to be bloody as many of his ancestors were" and that he "reigned majestically and magnificently" His reign was in the time of the great heroes including Fionn mac Cumhaill. However he had no t always been the ideal sovereign; he learned to be wise after a unique experience.                                              the silver branch that banishes all sorrow                               ...

There is a genre of medieval Irish literature called "Immrams" consisting of tales about seafaring explorers to distant  fanciful places.The voyage of Bran and the later,christian narrative of St Brendan are the best known. My favourite is this lesser known Immram that may go back to the 8th century. It is preserved in part in the "Book of the Dun Cow" and in full in the 14th century "Yellow book of Lecan". It features a wonderful cast of pirates, fiery cats, demons on horseback and a possessive queen who keeps men captive on her island.                                              sea travel in medieval times was uncomfortable & perilous.                                  ...

Mermaids seem to be more popular now that ever before so here is an Irish legend that is not  often told. I preface it with a quotation from an Oscar Wilde story unrelated but in similar vein. "Her hair was a wet fleece of gold, and each separate hair as a thread of fine gold in a cup of glass. Her body was as white ivory, and her tail was of silver and pearl. Silver and pearl was her tail, and the green weeds of the sea coiled round it; and like sea-shells were her ears, and her lips were like sea-coral. The cold waves dashed over her cold breasts, and the salt glistened upon her eyelids."                                   detail from a mosaic wall at University of Limerick by                                   artist Desmond Ki...

Today I offer an Irish legend celebrated in a mosaic glass mural at Millennium Forum in Derry city, Northern Ireland. It was fabricated by Kinney Design from paintings by Desmond Kinney. This is the story of a woman who is immortal but for a long time doesnt know it. It is also a classic love story. It happened that Eochaid Airem, the high king of Ireland decided he needed a wife,for it is not proper he thought,for a king to be without a queen. A search was made throughout the land and messengers came back to say that in Ulster the fairest maiden in Ireland had been found. She was called Etain. When the king saw her he instantly fell in love and he quickly proposed marriage.Etain consented and preparations were made. They were married in Tara and everyone welcomed their new queen. Etain"s beauty,charm,singing & playing of the harp was admired by all men including the king"s brother Ailill Anglounach. Ailill became overpowered with a lust for Etain. He obsess...