Guest lecture by Dr Edyta Lehmann (Harvard University), Tuesday 5 April, 11.30

 

In my presentation I will share my current research on the image and function of
forests in Irish texts across centuries. Forests are ubiquitous in Irish literature
and in terms of their narrative presence are surpassed only by hills. They provide a
haven for saints and outlaws; serve as a witness to pursuits and captures; enable
transformations and allow for recoveries.  Forests are a space where the real
borders the mythical. Although forests are conventionally seen as fabulous, the
stories I discuss transgress the expectations of mythical heroism and describe the
human, mundane, and personal experience.  Irish heroes and heroines enter the wooded
spaces as a place where their story begins and where it can be fully told, embracing
both its supernatural and worldly dimensions.
I will include examples from the medieval tales from the Fenian Cycle (particularly
The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne), The Frenzy of Suibhne, and The Romance of Mis
and Dubh Rois. I will then speak about the echoes of this theme in the contemporary
poetry of Biddy Jenkinson and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill.