Ritual Details of the Irish Horse Sacrifice in Betha Mholaise Daiminse David Fickett-Wilbar Durham, New Hampshire
[email protected] The kingly inauguration ritual described by Gerald of Wales has often been compared with horse sacrifice rituals in other Indo-European traditions, in particular the Roman October Equus and the Vedic aßvamedha. Among the doubts expressed about the Irish account is that it is the only text that describes the ritual. I will argue, however, that a similar ritual is found in another text, the Irish Life of St. Molaise of Devenish (Betha Mholaise Daiminise), not only confirming the accuracy of much of Gerald’s account, but providing additional details. Gerald of Wales’ (Gerald Cambrensis’) description of “a new and outlandish way of confirming kingship and dominion” in Ireland is justly famous among Celticists and Indo-European comparativists. It purports to give us a description of what can only be a pagan ritual, accounts of which from Ireland are in short supply, surviving into 12th century Ireland. He writes: Est igitur in boreali et ulteriori Uitoniae parte, scilicet apud Kenelcunnil, gens quaedam, quae barbaro nimis et abominabili ritu sic sibi regem creare solet. Collecto in unum universo terrae illius populo, in medium producitur jumentum candidum. Ad quod sublimandus ille non in principem sed in beluam, non in regem sed exlegem, coram omnibus bestialiter accedens, non minus impudenter quam imprudenter se quoque bestiam profitetur. Et statim jumento interfecto, et frustatim in aqua decocto, in eadam aqua balneum ei paratur. Cui insidens, de carnibus illis sibi allatis, circumstante populo suo et convescente, comedit ipse.