Tír na nÓg

Tír na nÓg (Old Irish Tír inna n-Óc — Irish pronunciation: [tʲiːɾˠ n̪ˠə ˈn̪ˠɔːɡˠ]) is an Irish language name meaning roughly "Land of Youth". It is the most popular of the Otherworlds in Irish mythology. It is perhaps best known from the myth of Oisín, one of the few mortals who lived there, and his relationship with Niamh of the Golden Hair. It was where the Tuatha Dé Danann or sídhe settled when they left Ireland's surface, and was visited by some of Ireland's greatest heroes. Tír na nÓg is similar to other mythical Irish lands such as Mag Mell and Ablach.

Tír na nÓg was considered a place beyond the edges of the map, located on an island far to the west. It could be reached by either an arduous voyage or an invitation from one of its fairy residents. The isle was visited by various Irish heroes and monks in the echtrae (Adventure) and immram (Voyage) tales popular during the Middle Ages. This otherworld was a place where sickness and death do not exist. It was a place of eternal youth and beauty. Here, music, strength, life, and all pleasurable pursuits came together in a single place. Here happiness lasted forever; no one wanted for food or drink. It was the Irish equivalent of the Greek Elysium, or the Valhalla of the Norse.

Tír na nÓg plays a major role in the tale of Oisín and Niamh. To get to Tír na nÓg an adventurer needed a guide; in Oisín's case, Niamh plays the role. They travel together on a magical horse, able to gallop on water, to the Blessed Realm and the hero spends some time there. Eventually homesickness sets in and Oisín wants to return to his native land. He is devastated to learn three hundred years have passed in Ireland since he had been with Niamh, though it seemed to him only one. He goes home on Niamh's magical horse, but she warns him not to touch the ground, as the weight of all those years would descend upon him in a moment. While Oisín is helping two men move a stone, he falls from the horse and ages in an instant. It is suggested that Oisín fell from his horse in the area of Elphin, County Roscommon. This story bears a striking similarity to many other tales, including that of Urashima Tarō.

See also

• Fortunate Isles

References

• James MacKillop, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, Oxford:(1998). ISBN 0198609671
• W. B. Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, in A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend, and Folklore, ISBN 0-517-489904-X

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