CAMPS Lab: Damsels, Deluge, and the Dindshenchas: A Look at the Relationship between Women and Water in Select Dindshenchas Texts

CAMPS LAB

Damsels, Deluge, and the Dindshenchas: A Look at the Relationship between Women and Water in Select Dindshenchas Texts

Anne Williams (Special Collections, Hardiman Library)

Ties between women and water can be found in many stories throughout early Irish literature and folklore. Dindshenchas, or ancient place-name lore largely recorded in the Middle Ages, is some of the richest sources of these tales. In this presentation, I will explore the relationship between women and water in the dindshenchas of the rivers Shannon and Boyne, and what the meaning of that relationship could be. From baptism and religious conversion of pagan women to inundation and mutilation for sacred knowledge, this presentation will explore a broad range of themes situating the dindshenchas of the Shannon and Boyne rivers in their intellectual and literary context.

Centre for Antique, Medieval & Pre-Modern Studies (CAMPS) website: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/camps/

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