Book Fraud

[TomasFlannabhra]

http://www.witchvox.com/books/dt_bk.html?id=1877

[Seren_]

Witchvox have been contacted, as far as I'm aware (and as you probably know :p ), but I'm not sure if any action is being or will be taken. After all, if books like Douglas Monroe and Edain McCoy can be published and purported to be true - or a truth - then this book is surely no different?

Then again, it's a book by a self-proclaimed notable Celtic scholar who's translated one of the most important Irish manuscripts of all times (and yet had to self-publish, rather than publish through a scholarly source, perhaps, and be subject to peer review and so forth)...

Please tell me, if the associations with racist organisations alone weren't enough, that some random bloke on the internet, most notable for a fraudulent claim when you google his name, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Akins) is enough to put people off. I also hope that since most people are likely to buy this sort of book online, they'll read the reviews and realise what they're getting.

[childofbast]

I'm glad that Witchvox has been contacted. I posted a thread about it on one of the ADF forums and apparently there was already talk about it on a different ADF forum as well as in OBOD.

~Melanie

[Ben Edair]

I see that there is a link on the website advertising this book which details the nature of the Nazi involvement with the Lebor Feasa Runda that can be found here: http://www.geocities.com/lebor_feasa_runda/history

[samkhat]

I'm really glad someone brought this up here, and frankly, I would prefer that Witchvox at least issued an editorial about it, presenting a factual review.

There are a lot of young people out there searching for a path, and as large as Witchvox is, one would hope they would take just a bit of responsibility to offer all the info, since they are willing to profit from the ad.

[Lahmi]

It's a shame that he chose to publish fraudulent material.. :(
people shouldn't be misled like that.

[odubhain]

Witchvox have been contacted, as far as I'm aware (and as you probably know :p ), but I'm not sure if any action is being or will be taken. After all, if books like Douglas Monroe and Edain McCoy can be published and purported to be true - or a truth - then this book is surely no different?

Then again, it's a book by a self-proclaimed notable Celtic scholar who's translated one of the most important Irish manuscripts of all times (and yet had to self-publish, rather than publish through a scholarly source, perhaps, and be subject to peer review and so forth)...

Self publishing shouldn't be a mark against a book. Wasn't the CR FAQ self-published?


Please tell me, if the associations with racist organisations alone weren't enough, that some random bloke on the internet, most notable for a fraudulent claim when you google his name, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Akins) is enough to put people off. I also hope that since most people are likely to buy this sort of book online, they'll read the reviews and realise what they're getting.
I'm still following links provided here on this book LFR but have yet to see "racist organizations" endorsing it. That alone would not condemn it. Those types of organizations borrow and steal from the best of sources in their attempts to seem legitimate.

What makes the book seem bogus to me is the claim that a secret occult cauldron manufactured from pure gold was discovered in 2001. The image of this cauldron appears to be a photograph of the Gundestrup Cauldron (which was discovered in 1891). The cauldron is actually called the Chiemsee Cauldron. It appears to be a Nazi attempt to fabricate an authentic Aryan "Holy Grail." It's discussed along with several hoaxes and swindles associated with it at this URL:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,478958,00.html

Akins presnts it at these URL's:

http://www.geocities.com/lebor_feasa_runda/history
http://www.geocities.com/lebor_feasa_runda/chiemsee_cauldron.jpg


Aside from that, no real preview for the book is presented at iUniverse (where it is offered for sale at around $19 soft bound and about $28 hard bound.

There's too many loose associations in the description of the book's history to get terribly excited about its validity (lots of "might be's" "could be's" "it is suggested" etc.). These all smack of the 21LOM approach to selling a book as if it was authentic.

The table of contents has a section that looks like it was lifted straight from Lady Gregory's Gods and Fighting Men. The book seems to present it self as something that it is not. That's too bad, as the materials it tries to cover should be studied by students of the Druid way and CR. Understanding the real sources for those materials would take much more that 160 pages of English writings that are said to be translations of a German translation of an Old/Ogham Irish text.

I'm very wary of this text but would like to be able to browse more of it somewhere. I might even buy a copy as I have a collection of such texts so that I can reference what they actually say when they are discussed online or by my own students.

Searles O'Dubhain

[samkhat]

I'm still following links provided here on this book LFR but have yet to see "racist organizations" endorsing it. That alone would not condemn it. Those types of organizations borrow and steal from the best of sources in their attempts to seem legitimate.



Stormfront, the uber-neo-Nazi group, is going wild for it. You'll have to register to get in their site. Wear negative energy armor. ;)

The author himself is a white supremacist, and apparently this book was his attempt to generate some false history, both for himself (attempted bribery to Scottish officials to claim a family coat of arms and a scheme to plant a false headstone with said arms on it) and for the 'white race.'

[Seren_]

Self publishing shouldn't be a mark against a book. Wasn't the CR FAQ self-published?

I wasn't equating self-publishing with bad writing/content; I was pointing out that if this manuscript is as authentic as he claims, and if he is a 'notable Celtic scholar', why did he self-publish rather than go through an academic press, have it peer reviewed and so on?

Self-publishing in this context does nothing for his credibility, especially when the manuscript he's touting would be of serious interest to Celtic scholars (and yet there's a resounding lack of any proclamations from academia hailing this as a seminal piece of work that will revolutionise our understanding of the druids and early medieval Irish literature....). That doesn't mean that self-publishing should be automatically be a mark against a book, but there are things to be considered when choosing to go down that avenue.


I'm still following links provided here on this book LFR but have yet to see "racist organizations" endorsing it. That alone would not condemn it. Those types of organizations borrow and steal from the best of sources in their attempts to seem legitimate.

Searles O'Dubhain

Have you looked at the links provided by Jason on the Wild Hunt article? Jason makes it quite clear why people are finding the connections more than a little distasteful.

[odubhain]

I wasn't equating self-publishing with bad writing/content; I was pointing out that if this manuscript is as authentic as he claims, and if he is a 'notable Celtic scholar', why did he self-publish rather than go through an academic press, have it peer reviewed and so on?

I agree that an original copy of the Old Irish manuscript would allow for better dating of when it was copied (if that is true). Celtic scholars would do back flips for such a manuscript. I doubt that it exists or if it exists, that it is legitimate.


Have you looked at the links provided by Jason on the Wild Hunt article? Jason makes it quite clear why people are finding the connections more than a little distasteful.

I haven't read that link yet as I've been chasing down the links to the actual work itself. The next thing to do is to check out the author. After that, I'll read what others have to say about him and his book in terms of whether they are racist or not. My initial impression is that it is a work of fiction masquerading as fact like 21LOM but even then, that would not invalidate some of the things the book might be saying. By the same token, not everything in 21LOM is crap either (though enough of it is to be a danger to one and all).

Too often, PC notions about racism cloud otherwise clear-headed thinking (and no, I'm not implying that you're guilty of this failing). I'm particularly sensitive to this syndrome as it is almost as bad as the tendencies of the actual racists to co-opt information and traditions to pervert them to their own use. The middle ground is where the greatest clarity and objectivity is to be had IMO.

Searles O'Dubhain

[Seren_]

I haven't read that link yet as I've been chasing down the links to the actual work itself. The next thing to do is to check out the author. After that, I'll read what others have to say about him and his book in terms of whether they are racist or not. My initial impression is that it is a work of fiction masquerading as fact like 21LOM but even then, that would not invalidate some of the things the book might be saying. By the same token, not everything in 21LOM is crap either (though enough of it is to be a danger to one and all).

Too often, PC notions about racism cloud otherwise clear-headed thinking (and no, I'm not implying that you're guilty of this failing). I'm particularly sensitive to this syndrome as it is almost as bad as the tendencies of the actual racists to co-opt information and traditions to pervert them to their own use. The middle ground is where the greatest clarity and objectivity is to be had IMO.

Searles O'Dubhain

It's easy to have a knee-jerk reaction when certain words like 'racism' are thrown around, and of course everyone should make their own mind up about it as you're doing. The thread to the OBOD site that Jason links to from his article, where the author himself has posted, is especially illustrative of the problems people are having with this guy, though (IMO), and that's what I'm basing my opinions on along with everything else I've read on the issue.

[odubhain]

The Wild Hunt has also made a post about it with links and other details:
http://www.wildhunt.org/2008/11/lost-racist-book-of-ancient-celtic.html

I took a look at this URL and followed links to Akins' MySpace, his blog and a group he's in and is probably the founder. On his MySpace heroes list, he gives:


King Arthur, Sir William Wallace, The Marquis De Sade, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, Rob Roy MacGregor, William Blake, Charles Darwin, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Robert Owen, William Morris, Aleister Crowley, Maxfield Parrish, Adolph Hitler and Edward Duke of Windsor.

About the only really bad one there is Hitler. Crowley and Sade get bad press and probably enjoyed/encouraged it though were more "characters" than arch-demons. I think Akins must like the shock value of making such a statement. Down in Alabama (and I live in Alabama most of the time), racism and white supemacy still lurk under the surface. However, this is also true most everywhere else in the U.S. though it's not as visible.

Akins is reported to have attempted to bribe a person to plant a fake headstone in a Scottish graveyard as part of legitimizing his claim to a crest and a clann to the Lord Lyon. I have no way of knowing if that claim is true or not.

The Druid group that he probably founded is called "the Order of Siabran Druids" and seems to include a black man as a member (though I can't tell for certain from the image and link to him which don't seem to work). If he's a racist and a white supremacist, then having a black man in his groups seems to be strange. He again, I think he may be going for shock value and is making an attempt to throw people off having a stereotypical idea about him. He seems to enjoy being outrageous and presenting confusing contradictions about who he is.

http://tinyurl.com/5fuk9c

On the above page for the Order of Siabran Druids, the shield shown with the pentagram in it and the Ogham writings around the edges lists the four sites of Falias, Gorias, Findias and Murias given sunwise in Scholastic Ogham script.

When I'm next in Alabama for any length of time, I'll look him up personally as he seems to be located in Jasper, Alabama which is about 90 miles from where I live in Huntsville. It's a mountainous, hilly area that was populated by Scots-Irish early on so I expect it to be a wee bit on the conservative side. My own ancestors settled across lower Alabama from Georgia and North Carolina.

The OBOD thread was interesting with 7 or 8 pages of postings. Akins seems to have accounted himself pretty well in my scanning of it though he was attacked by some regarding StormFront and the matter of his alleged attempt to bribe someone to create evidence for a family lineage claim. I quote from his reply there (http://www.druidry.org/board/dhp/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25517&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=20):


There is a bit more to the story that you refer to than the sources cited reveal, but since you mention it, I will fill in some of the gaps for you.

A bit more than a decade ago I was appointed to serve as the representative head of my family, which led to in turn to the formation of a clan society. The coat of arms in question, which has been borne by my ancestors for the past several centuries, was not among those which were officially recorded in Lyon register, which was not begun until 1672, several years after my family had emigrated out of Scotland. Through correspondence with Sir Crispin Agnew who served as a herald in Lyon court, it was suggested that the arms might be retroactively registered as "ancient arms," provided that sufficent documentation could be supplied showing their use by my ancestors prior to the period when Lyon register was established.

At about the same time all of this was going on my marriage of 12 years was coming to an end, and my former wife and I were having a rather difficult time in settling on the issue of custody of our two children. She was angry over my wish to retain custody and sought to discredit me in any way that she could, which led to a lot of false alligations on her part designed to diminish my character, which of course spilled over in regard to the above, and largely had the effect which she desired. Although she was initially awarded custody, that was reversed upon her return to the U.S. after her absence of 6 months, during which time she and both of my children had been residing in Glasgow. I have since remarried and continue to raise my two children in the home they were both born to and have grown up in.

Most of the attacks on Akins in this thread seemed prompted by knee-jerk reactions to a swastika on the garb of a Druid at a ritual at Stonehenge (http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/4/4a/BritishDruids.JPG an old picture of Welsh Druids; the swastika on it seems to be more Indo-European than Aryan but that's also a blur) and a reaction to the Druids were pacifists-no they were militant controversy. There are however some really good questions about the LFR there which are passingly answered by Akins (in part). I plan to look into it more but am not convinced that the manuscript at the center of this controversy is actually pre-Christian and Druidic. Would that it were so! Akins says this about the manuscript:


My involvement with the Lebor Feasa Runda has simply been that of a translator, which began simply out of a wish to find out what exactly it was that had been passed along to me. Of course I have looked into the history surrounding the text wherever I could, talking with different individuals who offered me insight and speculated as to what they thought was likely true, and that has helped to form the editorial comments that I intend to provide with it by way of a preface to the book. I hope to have it published as I think it does contain much that will be of interest and use to others, whatever its origin. Like everyone else, I have my own pet-theories about it, but I wish to allow those who read it to draw their own conclusions. They may dismiss it if they like, or they may see it as something that fits in place where their own personal spirituality is concerned. My wish is simply to make it available by getting it published, as I feel it is quite a bit more authentic than much else out there that you will find lining the shelves in the new-age and occult section of most booksellers shops

If this keeps up, I may buy a copy myself just to see what all the bother is about.

Here's another work by Akins that may have clues to his LFR work:

http://www.geocities.com/the_pagan_research_foundation/part1

Searles O'Dubhain

[Ben Edair]

Here is what the author himself has to say regarding the origins and validity of the material in his book, which can be found on the iUniverse listing under the "free preview" section at: http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000110530

"The following text, which I have here translated for the first time in English, was initially brought to my attention through a very interesting conversation I had a number of years ago with a gentleman named John Paterson who, by an unusual set of circumstances, came to be aware of its existence as a young man while living near Glasgow, Scotland, during the Second World War. Mr. Paterson told me that he had briefly caught a glimpse of the book as it was being confiscated from Rudolf Hess, a high-ranking Nazi official who was taken into custody shortly after he parachuted from his unarmed plane after running low on fuel over Renfrewshire, Scotland, around 11 p.m. on the night of May 10, 1941. Touching down at Floors Farm near Eaglesham, south of Glasgow and some ten miles from his intended destination of Dungavel House, the country estate of the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, Hess had injured his ankle on impact and was quickly apprehended by David McLean, a local farmer armed with a pitchfork. McLean had seen the Messerschmitt Bf 110 go down and took its only occupant by surprise while he was struggling to disengage his parachute harness. Hess insisted that he had come to Scotland in an effort to negotiate a peace treaty between Germany and Great Britain with the Duke of Hamilton, who he believed to be an opponent of Britain’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, the man Hess held responsible for the outbreak of the war. Hess proposed that the war between Germany and Britain could be brought to a halt and that all the western European countries defeated by Germany would be turned over to their own national governments subject to German supervision. Germany would have been responsible for the cost of rebuilding those countries in return for Britain’s support of the impending invasion Hitler was about to launch against Soviet Russia. Mr. Paterson, who was present at the time Hess was detained, was of the impression that the ancient text, which was taken from Hess shortly thereafter, was intended as a gift of goodwill to the Duke. It had the appearance of being a very old Gaelic manuscript containing, among other things, a variety of charms and incantations. It was not until several months later that I would discover what the book actually was and how it had come into Hess’ possession. By fortunate coincidence I later met the widow of the late Mr. Henry Thorenson who kindly provided me with a copy of her husband’s German transcription of the volume Rudolf Hess had brought with him to Scotland as an intended gift to the Duke of Hamilton. Mr. Thorenson, an expert on linguistics, was among a team of scholars assigned by the Ahnenerbe Forschungs-und Lehrgemeinschaft to translate this ancient Gaelic text into German in the late 1930’s, by orders from Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler. Thorenson, who served as a German officer during World War II, had been captured by Allied forces in 1943 and was brought to the United States as a prisoner of war. In the years following the end of the war Thorenson was released from custody and continued to live in the United States, having married an American girl and settled down to live a modest life as a school teacher. In the decades which followed, Thorenson went on to complete his German translation of the early Irish manuscript known as the Lebor Feasa Runda (Book of Secret Knowledge), and actively sought to be of assistance in efforts to negotiate Rudolf Hess’ release from Spandau prison following the parole of Albert Speer and Baldur von Schirach in 1966. Thorenson died in 1991, never having published his German translation. The text of the Lebor Feasa Runda might otherwise have remained in complete obscurity had it not been for the willingness of Evelyn Thorenson, Henry’s widow, to allow me to use her late husband’s work as the basis for my present English translation. The remarkable history which surrounds this text was outlined by Thorenson’s own copious notes which detail how the Lebor Feasa Runda had passed from one owner to the next over the centuries. How much of this account is truth and how much may well be conjecture I am not prepared to say more than that my own extensive research into the events surrounding its discovery, and knowledge of Celtic culture and traditions, inclines me to believe that it has a solid foundation of truth....."

All of which is brought out in more detail (complete with period photographs) in the LFR website at: http://www.geocities.com/lebor_feasa_runda/history

Where the following is revealed:

"The Nazi's interest in the Lebor Feasa Runda stemmed from the fact that the text mentions a mysterious island called Tir nan'Og that once existed in the Atlantic Ocean and was considered to be the realm of the Celtic gods, which the Nazis believed to be the equivalent of Thule, an island that they considered to be the original homeland of the Aryan race. The Lebor Feasa Runda also mentions four great treasures possessed by the Celtic gods which were believed to weild amazing powers. Convinced that these mystical objects were the equivalents of such legendary artifacts as the Holy Grail, the Spear of Destiny, the Stone of Scone and the Sword Excalibur; Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler sent the Ahnenerbe across the continent of Europe on a scavenger hunt to acquire these renowned treasures."

The cauldron that appears in the photo on the LFR website is not the Gundestrup cauldron, but a faked Nazi-era "artifact" called the Chiemsee cauldron, as Searles pointed out:

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,853222,00.jpg

The LFR website shows the above photograph with the caption:

"The Lebor Feasa Runda may have inspired the creation of this World War II era "Celtic" style cauldron, made from 24 pounds of solid gold. The cauldron was deposited in Lake Chiemsee as part of an occult ceremony conducted by the Third Reich as an offering to the ancestral gods to help secure Nazi victory in World War II. The cauldron was later recovered by a diver in 2001."

This begs the question, is the Lebor Feasa Runda a Nazi forgery?, or did the Nazis actually have an ancient Celtic manuscript in their possession? Or is all of this merely a fabricated history cobbled together to sell a book on medieval Irish legends and neo-pagan rituals?

Ben

[odubhain]

This begs the question, is the Lebor Feasa Runda a Nazi forgery?, or did the Nazis actually have an ancient Celtic manuscript in their possession? Or is all of this merely a fabricated history cobbled together to sell a book on medieval Irish legends and neo-pagan rituals?

Ben


The veracity of the claims require more substantial evidence for it to be accepted as authentically Old Irish and pre-Christian. It might be more likely that a faked document was created by the Nazis but they were mainly interested in Teutonic traditions and Rune magic (though I suppose that Himmler was nuts for anything esoteric).

Akins' credibility is still to be proved, considering the allegations made against him. However, where I come from (which is pretty much the area where Akins now lives), a person's word and their honor are directly tied together. Also, people are usually given respect but the saying is "You've got my respect but god help you if you lose it."

His views on race, culture and the superiority of whites generally seem to mirror the more traditional Southern attitude on the topics. They are not much changed from teh same attitudes among the mores of that society for the past 400 years. I grew up in it; was indoctrinated by it; broke free of the programming at an early age. I understand completely where he is coming from but don't agree with his stand on these issues at all. I'm shocked that anyone who likes "Star Trek" as reading or viewing materials would take a segregated or racist position on such things. Everyone has a great potential for achievement though not everyone embraces that potential.

Cultures and sub-cultures are filled with traps for people to embrace an attitude of superiority over and non-empathy for others. A part of teh Druid way for me is discovering truth. This means breaking out of the box and learning from mistakes whether our own or those of others. To not do so is a clear departure from the ways of Druids IMO.

Let's hope that the promise that Akins presents is true and worthwhile and sensitive to as well as strong in the power of truth. Let the walls separating each of us from it be removed.

I'm very interested in seeing what else turns up on this book and Akins himself.

Searles O'Dubhain

[odubhain]

The cauldron that appears in the photo on the LFR website is not the Gundestrup cauldron, but a faked Nazi-era "artifact" called the Chiemsee cauldron, as Searles pointed out:

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,853222,00.jpg

The LFR website shows the above photograph with the caption:

"The Lebor Feasa Runda may have inspired the creation of this World War II era "Celtic" style cauldron, made from 24 pounds of solid gold. The cauldron was deposited in Lake Chiemsee as part of an occult ceremony conducted by the Third Reich as an offering to the ancestral gods to help secure Nazi victory in World War II. The cauldron was later recovered by a diver in 2001."


http://www.mysticcauldron.com/images/statues/gcauldron.jpg

As a completely unrelated aside, one would think that a similar cauldron that advertises itself as a copy to the Gundestrup Cauldron is made of gold with the price they ask for it. :-)

http://www.mysticcauldron.com/other_statues.html

Searles O'Dubhain

[Ben Edair]

......I'm very interested in seeing what else turns up on this book and Akins himself.

Searles O'Dubhain

I agree. Doing a bit of googling around on the internet I came across the following sites which seem to reveal a little more in regard to his (Akins') personality, which seems to be a bit more complex and artistic than one might expect:

http://www.asouthernjournal.com/Ezine/2008v24akins.html

http://www.asouthernjournal.com/Ezine/Archives/2008/2008v20akins.html

http://www.geocities.com/lewdsatyr/

[Ben Edair]

http://www.mysticcauldron.com/images/statues/gcauldron.jpg

As a completely unrelated aside, one would think that a similar cauldron that advertises itself as a copy to the Gundestrup Cauldron is made of gold with the price they ask for it. :-)

http://www.mysticcauldron.com/other_statues.html

Searles O'Dubhain

Nice looking replica, it's a shame that it's made out of "bronze colored resin" (i.e. plastic) instead of real bronze or at least brass. Wasn't the original pot made from silver?

[odubhain]

I agree that he is complex and not as most people would expect. Aside from a few attitudes that I don't embrace and the question regarding his integrity (which is by no means one way or the other AFAICS), I think I'd enjoy exchanging posts with the man. Of course, there's a fine line called truth that must be observed. He's certainly not as one would imagine a Redneck to be. I can say this with impunity because I hope folks don't find me to be as they expect a Georgia Cracker to be. :-)

Searles

[odubhain]

Nice looking replica, it's a shame that it's made out of "bronze colored resin" (i.e. plastic) instead of real bronze or at least brass. Wasn't the original pot made from silver?

The Gundestrup Cauldron was made from silver plates. I'd settle for bronze or brass if the price was reasonable. I'd also want to use it as a ritual object.

Searles O'Dubhain

[Ben Edair]

The Gundestrup Cauldron was made from silver plates. I'd settle for bronze or brass if the price was reasonable. I'd also want to use it as a ritual object.

Searles O'Dubhain

I wouldn't mind having a replica of the Gundestrup cauldron myself for ritual use, someone skilled in metal casting should pick up on this idea, as I'm sure there would be a ready market for such an item if it was made of reasonably-priced metal instead of overpriced cheap plastic. These are apparently imported from Jai Bhagavan Ltd. in India, its a shame that a country known for its inexpensive brass wares has turned to more modern thermo-plastic production methods.

Ben

[Ben Edair]

I agree that he is complex and not as most people would expect. Aside from a few attitudes that I don't embrace and the question regarding his integrity (which is by no means one way or the other AFAICS), I think I'd enjoy exchanging posts with the man. Of course, there's a fine line called truth that must be observed. He's certainly not as one would imagine a Redneck to be. I can say this with impunity because I hope folks don't find me to be as they expect a Georgia Cracker to be. :-)

Searles

The fact that he apparently regards Crowley as a role model is somewhat evident from the (perhaps not unintentional) resemblence seen in these photos:

http://www.geocities.com/lewdsatyr/Steven_Akins.jpghttp://lib.oto-usa.org/crowley/aleistercrowley.jpg

[odubhain]

I wouldn't mind having a replica of the Gundestrup cauldron myself for ritual use, someone skilled in metal casting should pick up on this idea, as I'm sure there would be a ready market for such an item if it was made of reasonably-priced metal instead of overpriced cheap plastic. These are apparently imported from Jai Bhagavan Ltd. in India, its a shame that a country known for its inexpensive brass wares has turned to more modern thermo-plastic production methods.

Ben

Now you have me thinking that one could copy the scenes on the cauldron and then photo-etch them into copper or brass (not sure if that would work but circuit boards are etched this way all the time. After that one could solder it all together or get it silver plated.

I defer to someone with greater knowledge and skill than I in these techniques and hope they are generous with their knowledge.

Searles O'Dubhain

[Ben Edair]

Akins is reported to have attempted to bribe a person to plant a fake headstone in a Scottish graveyard as part of legitimizing his claim to a crest and a clann to the Lord Lyon. I have no way of knowing if that claim is true or not.

[/URL]

Searles O'Dubhain


His family seems to have quite a long history of using a coat of arms, going back well over 200 years, at least here in America. See: [URL]http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GSmpid=46996187 (http://www.geocities.com/the_pagan_research_foundation/part1)&

[odubhain]

His family seems to have quite a long history of using a coat of arms, going back well over 200 years, at least here in America. See: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GSmpid=46996187&

The detail on some of the headstones seems "enhanced" to me or else they are more recent than the dates they bear. I have relatives who lived and died in the same period and none of their headstones are this readable. I'm not saying they are bogus (but something seems different). A lot of Southern families have a similar history with members fighting in the Revolution, the War of 1812, various Indian campaigns, the War Between the States, accompanied by various land grants for service and so on.

Searles O'Dubhain

[Ben Edair]

The detail on some of the headstones seems "enhanced" to me or else they are more recent than the dates they bear. I have relatives who lived and died in the same period and none of their headstones are this readable. I'm not saying they are bogus (but something seems different). A lot of Southern families have a similar history with members fighting in the Revolution, the War of 1812, various Indian campaigns, the War Between the States, accompanied by various land grants for service and so on.

Searles O'Dubhain

Yes, that's true. My own family has southern ties going back to Mississippi and even earlier to colonial Virginia. I agree that it looks as if something was done to the tombstones in several of the photos to highlight the details, it looks as if some of them were rubbed with chalk to make the inscriptions more visible. Most of the tombstones here in Arizona only date back to the late 1800's at the earliest, and those are few and far between.

For comparison, here are some other gravestones from the same period in the one of the same cemeteries:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=121&GScid=257584&GRid=14319224&

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=121&GScid=257584&GRid=14336266&

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=161&GScid=257584&GRid=16581945&

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=161&GScid=257584&GRid=23266622&

Many of these are in remarkably good condition considering their age.

[Steven Akins]

To the readers of this forum:


It has been brought to my attention that my recently published translation of the Lebor Feasa Runda has stirred up quite a little controversy here and on several other Pagan message boards and blogs. While I'm not completely surprised by this reaction, I do perceive it as being something of a tempest in a teapot; especially in view of the fact that those who have been so swift to decry it as some sort of travesty have apparently not even read the first word of it. Well, there's just no pleasing some people, I suppose; but for those who might wish to be given a somewhat more detailed account of how this particular work first came to my attention, I thought it might be preferable to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, as it were.

Having been born into an old southern family that for generations had resided in the foothills of rural Alabama, I grew up hearing many stories of how our ancestors had come to America long ago seeking to escape the turmoil and political persecution that had threatened them in their native homeland of Scotland. As a youngster the idea that our family had once lived in a far off land of windswept moors and ancient castles held an enormous appeal to me. There was something noble in that lineage of tartan-clad clansmen assailing their English oppressors on the heather-covered battlefields of the old country which seemed eminently more prestigious than the life I had always known growing up in a small Southern community. Everything here seemed so mundane and commonplace by comparison.
Years later, when I finally had the opportunity to visit the country where the heritage of my forefathers was rooted, I excitedly embarked on my first excursion outside of the United States, hoping to find some real connection to the past which could show me that I was in fact a descendant of some gallant figure of a bygone era who had bravely upheld the honor of the family from which I descended.
After a few days of looking around the graveyards of old churches and sorting through papers in local record offices, my hopes of discovering anything which might tie into the history of my family began to dim. Very little of what I found dated back earlier than the 19th century, and my family had left Scotland in the 1600’s. Somewhat dejected by this revelation, I decided to spend the rest of my trip taking in the local culture. Inevitably this led me to a small pub which seemed to be a popular destination for visitors to the area. Asking about the history of the region, I was told that the most remarkable event to have occurred there came during a pivotal moment in World War II when one of the highest-ranking Nazi officials seemingly defected from Germany by flying solo in the dark of night to Scotland. Having run out of fuel, he was forced to bail out of his plane before reaching his intended destination - a private landing strip at Dungavel House. There he proposed to meet with the Duke of Hamilton, allegedly to discuss a secret peace treaty with Great Britain.
Rudolf Hess had parachuted from his Messerschmitt fighter around 11 p.m. over Renfrewshire, Scotland, touching down at Floors farm near Eaglesham, south of Glasgow, about 10 miles or so from Hamilton’s estate in southern Lanarkshire. Breaking his ankle on impact, Hess was apprehended by David McLean, a local farmer armed with a pitchfork, who had seen the plane go down and took its only occupant by surprise while he was struggling to disengage his parachute harness.
As if these events were not already incredible enough, I was told in a hushed conversation over a pint in the pub that the legend of Rudolf Hess’ mission was not the whole story. There was far more to the extraordinary affair, though the gentleman who revealed this to me was somewhat reluctant to go into details about the specific nature of Hess’ business with the Duke. As the rainy autumn afternoon wore on however my companion, a Mr. Paterson, seemed to gather his confidence. Having partaken of more than a wee dram of single-malt scotch, he quietly told me that Hess had not come to the bargaining table empty-handed.
It seems that the former deputy-Führer had brought with him what amounted to a national treasure in hopes of sweetening the deal. Listening intently as he spun his yarn, I learned that the supposed treasure was actually a book. “No ordinary book, mind you, but a very old book.” It was, as it turned out, a manuscript of ancient Gaelic mystical lore. “I only got a wee glance at it,” Paterson admitted, “but it was right queer, like a book of spells of some sort.”
At first I gave little credit to what the old gentleman was saying; but as his story progressed, the details he revealed made the tale more and more convincing. Intrigued by his account, I began searching through old newspaper reports and on the internet for more information about the mysterious volume Hess had turned over to British officials; but nowhere in any of the articles that I came across was there the least mention of this supposedly ancient document. Ultimately I decided that I had simply been on the receiving end of what was most likely a cock-and-bull story; yet for some reason I couldn’t quite brush it off that easily.
Several months later, having returned home to the states, my work had taken me on the road. While traveling I had stopped for lunch at a small diner near the town of Aliceville, Alabama. Sitting down in a booth near the window I opened my briefcase and began looking over copies of the material I had collected on the Hess affair while the waitress went to the back to bring me my meal. When she returned, I moved the papers to one side of the table making room for the tray. Curious about the photocopies I had been reading, the waitress looked at them for a moment and asked if I was researching the German P.O.W. camp that had been located in Aliceville during the Second World War. I told her no, that I was actually trying to figure out what had happened to a book Rudolf Hess had supposedly brought with him when he had flown to Scotland back in 1941.
The waitress whose name was Mary smiled and said, “I was just a teenager then, but I remember hearing about that German flying over there now that you mention it.” Surprised, I asked her if she could remember anything about Hess having turned over a manuscript of some sort to the British. She replied, “No, I don’t know anything about that, but my sister Evelyn might be able tell you more than I can, she married one of those German fellows that was brought over here during the war.”
I told the waitress that I would enjoy meeting her sister and talking with her, to which she cheerfully responded, “Well, you just come on back here around six o’clock and I’ll take you out to see her.” I thanked her, and after finishing my lunch, I told her that I would be back later to go and visit with her sister.
When we arrived at Evelyn’s home that evening, Mary introduced me to her sister and told her the reason for my visit. The elderly lady looked at me for a moment and asked us to sit down. After exchanging pleasantries she showed me an old photograph of her husband that hung on her living room wall, told me that his name was Henry and that they had been married for 42 years until his death in 1991. “He was a German intelligence officer,” she said. “One of the finest men you could have ever met.” I asked her what he did after the war and was told that he was a school teacher. “He could speak about seven different languages,” she said; “he was a brilliant man.”
When I asked her if she had ever heard anything about the book Rudolf Hess had turned over to the British, her expression changed a bit as she lowered her brows and said in a serious tone, “Young man, how did you come to know about that?” I related to her the story of how Mr. Paterson had told me about it during my recent trip to Scotland, and that I was quite intrigued over his tale and wanted to find out if there was any truth to it. “There is,” Evelyn said, “but I’m not so sure that it’s something that you ought to go digging up.”
Not wishing to offend her, I said, “You’re probably right, I was just curious about it.” She smiled and said, “Some things are just better left alone.” I nodded and thanked her for telling me what she had, making my way back home after giving her one of my business cards and bidding the ladies goodnight.
When I arrived home there was a message on my answering machine. It was Evelyn. “Mr. Akins, I’m going to be sending you something in the mail this week, keep an eye out for it.” Surprised to hear from her so soon after my visit, I waited anxiously the next few days to see what she was sending. The package finally arrived on Thursday afternoon. I opened the large yellow envelope and pulled out a stack of several dozen photocopies of a typewritten text in what appeared to be German. There was no note with it, only the Xerox copies. Unable to read German, I flipped through them disappointedly until I noticed the heading which read: “Abschrift vom Irischen Druiden buch.”
Druiden buch??? Druid’s book? I puzzled over the title. Was this in some way related to the manuscript Hess had been carrying? Immediately I picked up the phone and called Evelyn back. “I have the papers that you sent me,” I told her, “but what exactly are they?” I asked. She told me that the copies she sent were of a text that her husband, along with a team of other researchers working for the Ahnenerbe Forschungs-und Lehrgemeinschaft had been assigned to translate into German in the late 1930’s, by orders from Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler. The copies came from a transcription of the manuscript which he kept in a personal journal that he was somehow able to retain throughout his capture and confinement, keeping it after his subsequent release.
Evelyn said that even after their marriage her husband had continued to work on the text, staying up late into the night typing it out. He told her that the translation was of an ancient religious tract predating Christianity. In a later telephone conversation Evelyn revealed that her husband Henry was interested in being of assistance in efforts to negotiate Rudolf Hess’ release from prison following the parole of Albert Speer and Baldur von Schirach in 1966.
I was stunned. What I held in my hands was apparently a copy of what must be one of the oldest and rarest works of European Pagan religious literature ever discovered. But why all the secrecy I wondered? That same day I went out and bought a copy of a German-English dictionary and sat down trying to decipher what seemed like an insurmountable volume of foreign gibberish. Gradually though, the meaning of the words that lay before me became apparent, as I carefully cross-referenced each one individually and arranged the result into a coherent order. In the end, I could scarcely believe the enormous significance of the document which had fallen into my possession. It was almost like finding the Holy Grail. Aside from Henry’s translation of this ancient text, he also provided copious notes detailing how the book had passed from one owner to the next over the centuries.
Attributed to the 8th century B.C.E. Irish king Ollamh Fodhla who, being the recipient of a vast dispensation of esoteric knowledge through a messenger of the ancient Celtic pagan deities, recorded the teachings that had been imparted to him in ogham text on a set of wooden tablets which he later instructed his son, Caibre, to inter alongside his body at the time of his death. These same ogham tablets were later supposedly discovered and translated in the 3rd century C.E. by the Druid Mogh Ruith as the Lebor Feasa Rùnda, a text which had been preserved in manuscript form, carefully transcribed along with other scriptures by monks of the early Christian Church in Ireland, as a treatise on the magical arts known as the Black Book of Loughcrew.
Early on, the Book of Loughcrew was apparently among the texts brought to England by Hiberno-Scottish missionaries from Ireland when they re-established a monastery amid the ruins of Glastonbury abbey. By the first half of the 10th century C.E. the book had evidently come into the possession Dunstan, abbot of Glastonbury, who was later appointed Archbishop of Canterbury and was formally canonized as a saint in 1029 C.E.; despite the fact that earlier in his career he had been expelled from the court of King Athelstan as a practitioner of sorcery and black magic.
In the decades that followed the text of the Lebor Feasa Rùnda may have circulated among the Knights Templars who could have easily adapted its rituals under the guise of a pseudo-biblical attribution to conceal its Pagan origin, perhaps inspiring medieval works on magic such as the Key of Solomon. Legends alluding to the Templars’ quest for relics such as the Holy Grail hint at parallels drawn from Celtic mythology in which sacred vessels possessing miraculous attributes feature prominently. Among the allegations brought against the Templars that led to the destruction of their order in the early 1300’s were accusations of their involvement with occult rites and the practice of magic; although rumors suggest that a surviving band of Templars, led by William Sinclair, escaped persecution by fleeing to Scotland. There, under the protection of the excommunicated King Robert the Bruce, their order is said to have continued in secrecy; supposedly leading to the formation of the fraternal order of Freemasons.
By the 13th century C.E. the Black Book of Loughcrew had purportedly fallen into the hands of Michael Scott, a famed Scottish occultist whose reputation as a sorcerer had earned him the nickname of “the Wizard of the North.” Scott, who was born in 1175 C.E. had studied at Durham and Oxford before going abroad to further his education in Paris, where he studied theology and was eventually ordained as a priest. Pope Honorius III (said to be practioner of the dark arts and attributed as the author of more than one book on black magic) had written to Cardinal Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1224 for the purpose of obtaining an English benefice for Scott, but he declined that appointment choosing instead to travel to Bologna, Italy, and later to Toledo, Spain, in order to continue his studies.
Following Scott’s death in 1232, the book containing the only surviving copy of the Lebor Feasa Rùnda was evidently acquired by the Franciscan Friar, Roger Bacon, whose scholarly interest in the occult accounts for the authorship of at least one medieval textbook on magic, De Nigromancia, being attributed to him. With Bacon’s death in 1294 the Black Book of Loughcrew changed hands several times, allegedly finding its way into the possession of such noteworthy personages as Henry Cornelius Agrippa and Georg Sabel (alias Johannes Faustus) before ending up in the library of a practicing physician and Catholic priest named Sir Robert of Drayton in Somerset, England.
Sir Robert apparently bequeathed the book to his former apprentice, John Walsh of Dorset, who was arrested in 1565 and examined the following year on charges of sorcery and Witchcraft. The book was confiscated by the arresting constable, Robert Baker of Crewkerne, and eventually found its way into the possession of one John Husey of Blokley who later passed it on to a certain acquaintance of his by the name of Edward Talbot (alias Edward Kelly). From there the book fell into the hands of the famed Elizabethan magus, Dr. John Dee, who employed Kelly as a crystal-gazer and medium. Dee’s experiments with the occult seem to have been partly influenced by its teachings.
It is unclear beyond this point as to what became of the book, as Dee and Kelly went abroad to Europe for several years seeking the patronage of continental nobility, but in 1589 Dee went back to England leaving Kelly behind. When Dee returned to his estate at Mortlake after an absence of six years he found that his considerable library had been ransacked and many of his rare books and instruments had been stolen.
Kelly, who had taken up residence in the Bohemian town of Trebon, remained in Central Europe under the patronage of Count Vilem Rozmberk, who supported Kelly’s alchemical experiments. Achieving considerable notoriety, Kelly was even honored by Emperor Rudolph II, who granted him the title of “Baron of the Kingdom,” but Kelly’s rise to eminence was short-lived and he was arrested and imprisoned on more than one occasion due to his failed experiments in creating gold. Kelly died in 1597 at the age of forty-two, allegedly succumbing to injuries received while attempting to escape from a tower in which Rudolph held him prisoner.
The manuscript containing the Lebor Feasa Rùnda eventually resurfaced for a brief time in the 18th century when it was said to have circulated as a literary curiosity among such notable personages as Giuseppe Balsamo (a.k.a. Count Alessandro di Cagliostro), Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Bavarian Illumanati and Sir Francis Dashwood, a friend of Weishaupt’s and organizer of London’s infamous Hellfire Club.
At some point in the late 19th century, the Black Book of Loughcrew passed between the hands of Austrian mystic Guido von List, and Carl Kneller, a wealthy German industrialist and Freemason who, together with Theodor Reuss, went on to found a secret society known as the Ordo Templi Orientis, or O.T.O., prior to his death in 1905.From that point the book came into the possession of Rudolf von Sebottendorff, a member of the List-inspired secret society known as the Germanenorden, who in collaboration with Walter Nauhaus, founded an occult study group called the Thule Gesellschaft. The disciples of this völkisch esoteric organization saw evidence for an Atlantean origin of the Aryan race in the lore contained within the Lebor Feasa Rùnda, specifically in the legends relating to the ancient gods of the pagan Celts having come from a mysterious island in the North Atlantic, bringing with them the four hallowedtreasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
The fact that the Lebor Feasa Rùnda apparently corroborated the Thule doctrine on the origins of the Aryan race led to Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler ordering its siezure by the S.S. following Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. Nazi ideology sought to equate the legendary Celtic treasures with long-lost relics of antiquity such as the Holy Grail, the Spear of Destiny and the Stone of Scone, all of which were ear-marked by Himmler for an official scavenger hunt carried out by the S.S. The ancient manuscript even inspired Neo-Pagan Nazi rituals such as the one in which a huge Celtic-style cauldron fashioned from 24 pounds of solid gold was cast into the Bavarian lake of Chiemsee as a votive offering during a ceremony performed to secure Nazi victory through propitiating the ancestral gods.
The fabled Black Book of Loughcrew was inexplicably returned to Britain by Rudolf Hess under mysterious circumstances on May 10, 1941, eventually ending up in the hands of the Occult Division of Britain’s MI5 Intelligence Service. Hess, a long-time member of the Thule Gesellschaft, had flown to Scotland and parachuted from his plane ostensibly under the pretext of meeting the Duke of Hamilton with the intention of negotiating a secret peace treaty that would insure German dominance in Europe and a reinforcement of the British Empire among its commonwealth states.
This escapade occurred not long after a covert military assignment code-named “Operation Mistletoe” is said to have been carried out in within the ranks of British Intelligence in 1940. This plot allegedly involved mysterious occult rituals taking place at Ashdown Forest in Sussex, England; purportedly attended by such notable figures as Ian Fleming and Aleister Crowley (who by 1923 had succeeded Theodor Reuss as head of the Ordo Templi Orientis). Interestingly, two German S.S. officers designated as “Kestral” and “Sea Eagle” were also supposedly present at these ceremonies. Whatever the case may be, the book that Rudolf Hess brought with him to Scotland has remained in the hands of the British government ever since.
Hess was taken into custody shortly after his descent into Scotland and briefly detained at Maryhill Barracks in Glasgow before being transferred to Buchanan Castle near Drymen. From there he was sent by rail to England, at the insistance of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who rejected Hess’ peace negotiations and had him placed in the Tower of London from May 17th – 21st , 1941; the last prisoner ever held there. Hess spent the next thirteen months under close guard at Mytchett Place, Camp Z, near Aldershot in Surrey, England; while there he reportedly attempted suicide by throwing himself off a balcony on June 15, 1941. On June 26, 1942 Hess was sent to Maindiff Court Hospital near Aberavenny, Wales, where he was confined for the remainder of the war.
Among the individuals brought in to interrogate him was naval intelligence officer Ian Fleming who suggested that noted occultist Aleister Crowley be allowed to interview Hess regarding the more esoteric aspects of his mission. The higher ranking officials in charge of the case would not permit it however. Within a few days of Hess’ arrival in Scotland, Hitler’s Riech Minister, Joseph Gobbels, issued "an order against occultism, clairvoyancy, etc." on May 15, 1941, writing in his diary, "This obscure rubbish will now be eliminated once and for all. The miracle men, Hess' darlings, will now be put under lock and key. "
Interestingly, Winston Churchill, the main proponent for Britain continuing the war against Germany, was himself a member of more than one esoteric fraternity, having been initiated to the Freemasons in the degree of Entered Apprentice at London’s Studholme Lodge in 1901. He later advanced through the Fellow Craft degree to the rank of Master Mason in March 1902 at Rosemary Lodge. By August 1908 Churchill had been initiated in the Albion Lodge of the Ancient Order of Druids in a ceremony which took place at BlenheimPalace, his family estate.
According to physicians assigned to evaluate his mental condition Hess reportedly stated that his flight came about as the result of having received spiritual messages from the gods revealing that he was the “chosen one” ordained to bring about a new era of world peace. Diagnosed as being mentally unstable, having a psychopathic personality, and suffering from hysterical amnesia, Hess was spared the death penalty in his post-war trial at Nuremburg, receiving a life sentence and confined at Spandau Prison. There he would remain for the next 41 years until his death in 1987 at the age of ninety-three, the prison’s sole inmate.
The contents of the Black Book of Loughcrew were photographed by the S.S. in the years prior to its return and placed on microfilm which was later recovered by U.S. troops in the summer of 1945 following the fall of the Third Reich. This microfilm copy was turned over to the U.S. Office of Strategic Services and is currently in the possession of the Central Intelligence Agency. The materials confiscated from Hess by British military intelligence shortly after his arrival in Scotland in May 1941 were kept in a sealed file which was supposed to remain unopened until 2017, but when the seal was broken in 1991-92, it was found that the contents of the file had already been removed and were missing.Given the seemingly incredible history of this single volume of Celtic mystical literature, it is remarkable that it survived at all.
The Lebor Feasa Rùnda, or “Book of Secret Knowledge,” may be counted among a very select group of religious documents which claim to have been divinely revealed to humanity through supernatural means. Never intended for general circulation, this rarely seen scripture proved to be an exposition of the Druidic faith, long held in secret and never before published. The history, legends, myths, religious doctrine, philosophical concepts, and magical teachings contained in this work represent the most comprehensive and authentic collection of ancient Celtic beliefs and practices known to date.
At face value, the Lebor Feasa Rùnda would seem to fulfill the same role in Pagan Celtic spirituality as the Bible, the Torah, or the Koran do in the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions. Yet it is far more than just the sacred text of a people, for it offers a unique and in-depth look at the intricate and highly developed society to which they belonged. It is a fascinating chronicle of events which have parallels echoed in the legends of many other cultures the world over. In it the esoteric doctrines of the Druids are explained, and the creation myth of the Celts is revealed alongside details of their origins and accounts of their epic struggles in both the natural and supernatural worlds.
In contemplating the significance of this work, I would have thought that the discovery of it, after all these years, would have been eagerly seized upon by some publisher in their bid to be the first to unveil this remarkable doctrine to the public; yet each one I have suggested this to seems strangely dispassionate about it. There is apparently more money to be made in selling how-to books on inane subjects like auras, tarot cards, and crystals served up as Pagan tradition, rather than answering the great need for something more substantial, more authentic, that many individuals in the Pagan community hunger for and first turned to Paganism seeking.
So I have foregone the time-honored approach of publishing this work through the old-boy network of the industry publishers and have decided instead to make it available using one of the newer print-on-demand presses. While this may not be as prestigious as having a book published by one of the well known, highly respected publishing houses, I believe that the text will stand on its own merit and will be eagerly received among the members of the Celtic Pagan community who have longed for the kind of sacred scripture that other religions have been fortunate enough to possess since their founding. If I accomplish only one thing in bringing this ancient tome to light, it is my hope that it will help the Druidic faith to achieve the recognition it deserves as a legitimate, established religion that continues to be practiced in today’s society by a few devoted individuals.

[odubhain]

To the readers of this forum:


It has been brought to my attention that my recently published translation of the Lebor Feasa Runda has stirred up quite a little controversy here and on several other Pagan message boards and blogs. While I'm not completely surprised by this reaction, I do perceive it as being something of a tempest in a teapot; especially in view of the fact that those who have been so swift to decry it as some sort of travesty have apparently not even read the first word of it. Well, there's just no pleasing some people, I suppose; but for those who might wish to be given a somewhat more detailed account of how this particular work first came to my attention, I thought it might be preferable to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, as it were.

<snip>

At face value, the Lebor Feasa Rùnda would seem to fulfill the same role in Pagan Celtic spirituality as the Bible, the Torah, or the Koran do in the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions. Yet it is far more than just the sacred text of a people, for it offers a unique and in-depth look at the intricate and highly developed society to which they belonged. It is a fascinating chronicle of events which have parallels echoed in the legends of many other cultures the world over. In it the esoteric doctrines of the Druids are explained, and the creation myth of the Celts is revealed alongside details of their origins and accounts of their epic struggles in both the natural and supernatural worlds.
In contemplating the significance of this work, I would have thought that the discovery of it, after all these years, would have been eagerly seized upon by some publisher in their bid to be the first to unveil this remarkable doctrine to the public; yet each one I have suggested this to seems strangely dispassionate about it. There is apparently more money to be made in selling how-to books on inane subjects like auras, tarot cards, and crystals served up as Pagan tradition, rather than answering the great need for something more substantial, more authentic, that many individuals in the Pagan community hunger for and first turned to Paganism seeking.
So I have foregone the time-honored approach of publishing this work through the old-boy network of the industry publishers and have decided instead to make it available using one of the newer print-on-demand presses. While this may not be as prestigious as having a book published by one of the well known, highly respected publishing houses, I believe that the text will stand on its own merit and will be eagerly received among the members of the Celtic Pagan community who have longed for the kind of sacred scripture that other religions have been fortunate enough to possess since their founding. If I accomplish only one thing in bringing this ancient tome to light, it is my hope that it will help the Druidic faith to achieve the recognition it deserves as a legitimate, established religion that continues to be practiced in today’s society by a few devoted individuals.

Steven,

I'll be home in Alabama for Thanksgiving on Thursday. If the original Old Irish version of this manuscript is in your possession, I'd like to see it and make copies of it. That being done, I will send copies to Celtic scholars in this country and Europe. I'll also have it typed into Word so that the Old-Irish-L list can have a go at translating, dating and seriously discussing its merits.

Email me privately at odubhain@comcast.net and we can set up an agreeable meeting location (Cullman seems to be halfway for both of us). I'll be in Huntsville on Thursday and Friday; near Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday and flying back to Washington D.C. on Sunday evening.

I think that the issue of credibility of the manuscript is of extreme importance to those who care about our past traditions and ways. AFAICS it would be important even if it was the product only of German research into the occult (much as the Rune work of Guido von List was important). If it comes out of an Irish tradition it is orders of magnitude more important.

Searles O'Dubhain

[odubhain]

Yes, that's true. My own family has southern ties going back to Mississippi and even earlier to colonial Virginia. I agree that it looks as if something was done to the tombstones in several of the photos to highlight the details, it looks as if some of them were rubbed with chalk to make the inscriptions more visible. Most of the tombstones here in Arizona only date back to the late 1800's at the earliest, and those are few and far between.

For comparison, here are some other gravestones from the same period in the one of the same cemeteries:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=121&GScid=257584&GRid=14319224&

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=121&GScid=257584&GRid=14336266&

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=161&GScid=257584&GRid=16581945&

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=161&GScid=257584&GRid=23266622&

Many of these are in remarkably good condition considering their age.


I have to admit they are in great condition. I took a look at some headstones that were photographed by my cousin when we attended a family reunion in North Carolina recently and my great, great, great, great grandfather's stone (who died on my birthday in 1802) looks like it was done only 40 or 50 years ago.

Too bad my grandmother is not alive, she'd have wanted to work out how we could be related. O'Neals are like that and her especially.

Searles O'Dubhain

[odubhain]

Steven,

I'll be home in Alabama for Thanksgiving on Thursday. If the original Old Irish version of this manuscript is in your possession, I'd like to see it and make copies of it. That being done, I will send copies to Celtic scholars in this country and Europe. I'll also have it typed into Word so that the Old-Irish-L list can have a go at translating, dating and seriously discussing its merits.

Email me privately at odubhain@comcast.net and we can set up an agreeable meeting location (Cullman seems to be halfway for both of us). I'll be in Huntsville on Thursday and Friday; near Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday and flying back to Washington D.C. on Sunday evening.

I think that the issue of credibility of the manuscript is of extreme importance to those who care about our past traditions and ways. AFAICS it would be important even if it was the product only of German research into the occult (much as the Rune work of Guido von List was important). If it comes out of an Irish tradition it is orders of magnitude more important.

Searles O'Dubhain

Steven,

I think it'd also help your cause to post some excerpts from the work here. There should be an Old-Irish version, a German version and the English translation.

Any of the above three would go forward to proving or disproving authenticity or usefulness for the work. It'd probably also increase book sales to have such excerpts on the websites marketing it.

Slán,

Searles O'Dubhain

[Steven Akins]

Steven,

I'll be home in Alabama for Thanksgiving on Thursday. If the original Old Irish version of this manuscript is in your possession, I'd like to see it and make copies of it. That being done, I will send copies to Celtic scholars in this country and Europe. I'll also have it typed into Word so that the Old-Irish-L list can have a go at translating, dating and seriously discussing its merits.

Email me privately at odubhain@comcast.net and we can set up an agreeable meeting location (Cullman seems to be halfway for both of us). I'll be in Huntsville on Thursday and Friday; near Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday and flying back to Washington D.C. on Sunday evening.

I think that the issue of credibility of the manuscript is of extreme importance to those who care about our past traditions and ways. AFAICS it would be important even if it was the product only of German research into the occult (much as the Rune work of Guido von List was important). If it comes out of an Irish tradition it is orders of magnitude more important.

Searles O'Dubhain

Hi Searles,

I don't believe that the original Old Irish manuscript of the Lebor Feasa Runda has seen the light of day for well over 60 years, not since it was removed from Rudolf Hess shortly after his arrival in Scotland back in 1941. From what I have gathered it wound up in the hands of the British Military Intelligence - though where it may have ultimately ended up is anyone's guess, as it was not found in the sealed file of documents removed from Hess (which was found empty in 1991 when the seal was discovered to have been broken). My own personal opinion is that Churchill may have kept it, as he was the one who ordered Hess sent to London immediately after having learned of his arrival in Scotland, after which he had Hess thrown in the tower of London as a prisoner and later kept at various detention facilities in Britain until the end of the war, after which Hess was tried at Nuremburg and sentenced to life in prison at Spandau, where he died some 41 years later at the age of 93.
My own work with the Lebor Feasa Runda was merely to translate Henry Thorenson's German version of it into English - a tedious task that kept me occupied for the past three and a half years, working from photocopies of Mr. Thorenson's type-written German translation that had been provided to me by his widow, Evelyn. Were it not for her willingness to share her husband's work with me, the Lebor Feasa Runda would no doubt have been forgotten altogether after her own death some two years ago. As it stands, the Lebor Feasa Runda was rescued from oblivion in the nick of time.
I would be happy to meet with you of course, provided our schedules can be worked out, though Thursday I will be on the road and spending the rest of the evening with my family for Thanksgiving, but perhaps we could get together sometime on Friday if you would like.

Steven

[Steven Akins]

Steven,

I think it'd also help your cause to post some excerpts from the work here. There should be an Old-Irish version, a German version and the English translation.

Any of the above three would go forward to proving or disproving authenticity or usefulness for the work. It'd probably also increase book sales to have such excerpts on the websites marketing it.

Slán,

Searles O'Dubhain

I'll be happy to post the following excerpts, the first being Mr. Thorenson's German transcription, followed by my English translation of the same text. As I mentioned earlier the original Old Irish manuscript disappeared in 1941 when it was taken to Britain by Rudolf Hess. Here then are excerpts of Thorenson's German and my own English translations of the same passage of text:



Erstes Kapitel



Vom Tir nan'Og und vom Áes Sídhe




Vor langer Zeit vor der Dämmerung des Alters, gab es wertlos aber die Tiefen einer beträchtlichen Leere, die die Göttin Domnann war, wer vom Anfang der Zeit existierte, Wohnung alleine ohne Begleitung, bis schließlich weiter aus von den Schatten ihrer Schwärzung, Netz, der Gott der Unterbrechung heraus kamen. Und durch die Energie von seinem fängt veranlaßte die Stille von Domnanns leer gestört zu werden, damit die Schwärzung geteilt wurde und Stoff und Formular Form nahmen, in der vor es nur Platz und Leere gab. Und in diese Lücke waren geborenes Ernmas, die Göttin der Masse und Tuireann der Gott des Himmels. Und Ernmas lag unter Tuireann, damit sie von ihm bedeckt wurde und von ihrem Anschluß waren geborenes Bel, der Gott der Sonne und Danand, die Göttin des Mondes.

Und die Helligkeit der Sonne glänzte nach der Masse während des Tages und dem Licht des Mondes bis zum Nacht. War die Wärme groß und Helligkeit des Bels, die Danand veranlaßte, mit Wunsch und dem Sehnen nach ihm gefüllt zu werden, damit sie nicht folgt nach ihm war, während er die Himmel überquerte. Durch ihre wiles seduce sie ihn und sie standen Geliebten. Von ihrem Anschluß wurde dem Rennen der Götter getragen, die das Áes Sídhe angerufen werden und das von altem als das Tuatha Dé Danann bekannt oder Leute von Danand.

Viele waren die Zahl des Tuatha Dé Danann und unter ihnen waren Lir, Lord der Tiefen der Ozeane; und Manannan sein Sohn, Tabellierprogramm der Wellen der Meere; und Dagda das gute, das ein großzügiger Helfer an alle ist; und seine Tochter, Brighid die Maid, Schutz der wachsenden Sachen; und Diancecht der Heiler, Arzt der Götter; und Goibniu der Schmied, Meister der Schmiede und metallfunktion; und Oghma das redegewandte, das am größten von allen Dichtern und von Gelehrten; und Nuada, der Krieger der Götter und des Verteidigers ihres Rennens; und Midhir, Wächter der Schätze, die liegen, begrub tief unter der Masse. Diese und viel mehr numerierten unter dem Tuatha Dé Danann.

Noch waren das Tuatha Dé Danann nicht die einzigen Kinder, die zum Erzeugung des Netzes und des Domnann getragen wurden, dort existiert einem älteren Rennen der Wesen verlangte das Fomoraig, das ebenfalls weiter von ihrem Anschluß kam. War ihre Größe groß und Stärke, Körper habend mögen an die eines Mannes aber mit den Köpfen der Ziegen; während andere von ihnen aber ein einzelnes Bein hatten, mit nur einem Arm und einem Auge jeder. Waren diese ungeheueren Geschöpfe so gemein und boshaft, die Tuireann nicht tragen könnte, um nach ihnen zu schauen und er ordinierte, daß sie in das Meer geworfen werden sollten. Aber das Meer verbrauchte sie nicht, und das Fomoraig nahm zum Leben unter dem Wasser des Ozeans, und sie reisten nach seinen Wellen. Und in den kalten, dunklen, Nordländern der Masse bildeten sie ihr Königreich, weit von Anstarren Tuireanns.

Und so kam das Fomoraig, das vom Stipendium des Tuatha Dé Danann verbannt wurde, in Lochlann, wegen ihrer großen Grausamkeit und Ruthlessness zu bleiben; alle sichern aber ein, das Samthainn benannt wird, das in seiner Jugend durch alle Götter für seine playful Natur geliebt war, wie er sie mit seiner Fröhlichkeit und Belustigung erfreute. In der Zeit entwickelte sich er zu ein stattliches Formular, aber für die Geweihe, die wuchsen weiter von seinem Kopf, damit er Cerna angerufen wurde und Ethe gehörntes, 'durch alles Tuatha Dé Danann bedeuteten. Und ihm wurde Ladung des Überwachens über ihren Mengen in auffängt und die Herden der Tiere gegeben, die in den Wäldern ihres Landes blieben, das Tir nan'Og genannt wurde.

Jetzt war Tir nan'Og eine Insel, das weites heraus zum Meer, über den Nordwinden, in der Mitte des großen Ozeans hinaus legen und es war aller Plätze in der Welt das angemessenste. Im Inneren dieser Insel verbreiten Sie ein beträchtliches normales benanntes Mag Mell. Ausgedehnt und grün waren seine auffängt und Wiesen, in denen unzählige Waldungen der Apfelbäume wuchs, nach deren silbernen Zweigen getragene goldene Früchte waren damit es manchmal Emhain Abhlach genannt wurde, die Insel der äpfel.

Nach dieser angemessenen Ebene, die dem Tobar Segais gestanden wurde, oder gut vom Wissen, von dem fünf strömt, fließen Sie. Dort schwammen fünf Lachse, wem nach den Muttern von neun Haselnußbäumen einzog, die über die Vertiefung wuchsen. Geldstrafe war das Wetter dort, und Alter kam nicht zu denen, die in diesem Land blieben, aber alle, die dort lebten, blieben jung und stark und schön. Und die, die dort blieben, hatten vier ausgezeichnete Städte aufgebaut; Fálias zum Norden, Gorias zum Osten, Findias zum Süden und Murias zum Westen. In jeder dieser vier Städte standen einen Betrachtung Aufsatz, der das Land von Tir nan'Og übersieht in, welchem vier große Meister des Wissens und des Lernens, erfahrenes in die künste der Verzauberung und der Magie weiter anhielten; Morfesa von Fálias, Esras von Gorias, Uiscias von Findias und Semias von Murias. Sie waren die Wächter von vier großen Schätzen und waren die Lehrer des Áes Sídhe, von dem sie große Klugheit und Fähigkeiten erlernten.

Und es geschah dieser ein Tag Brighid, die Tochter von Dagda, war allein wandered in die Wildnis, denn sie war in alle Weise der Kräuter und der grünen Sachen vernarrt und hatte großes Wissen ihrer Energien und Gebrauches. Und in ihr wandering riskierte sie in den Reich von Cerna, der tief in den Wäldern blieb und war Meister aller Tiere, die dort lebten, für war ihn mehr als irgendwelche der anderen Götter unter ihnen das wildeste und das wild.

Jetzt hatte Cerna nie eine solche angemessene und schöne Maid wie Brighid gesehen und nicht eher ihn abfing hatte, aber ein Blick von ihr war er smitten mit einer tiefen Sehnsucht, um sie zu haben. Aber war sie seines merkwürdigen Aussehens erschrocken, denn er wurde in tragenden Kleidern des rustic Kleides der grünen Eiche Blätter und der Habengeweihe nach seinem Kopf gekleidet, damit sie von seiner Firma floh. Dennoch tat Cerna ausüben sie, bis sie relented und die zwei Geliebten standen, und von ihrem Anschluß wurde dem Rennen des Mannes getragen.

Dieses resultierte gut nicht für Brighid für sie war viel geliebt durch Tuireann und als er ihr tryst mit Cerna entdeckte, er einstellte ungefähr, um sie zu bestrafen. Ein Blatt nehmend, das von Goibniu geschmiedet wurde, gab Tuireann es an Brian, und erklärt ihm, um zum Reich von Cerna weiter zu gehen, und Lage Vergeudung zu ihr, damit das Rennen des Mannes nur zu ihrem Vater, das gehörnte nicht mehr schauen, sie unterstützen konnte, wenn es ihren Lebensunterhalt durch die Jagd suchte und die Tiere in Herden lebte, die er anordnete, aber das sollten sie die anderen Götter des Tuatha Dé Danann aussuchen danach müssen, um sie in ihrer Mühe und in Arbeiten zu unterstützen, wenn sie Getreide durch den Schweiß ihrer Brauen anheben.

Und weil Menschheit vom tryst von Brighid mit dem gehörnten begriffen worden war, verordnete Tuireann, daß das Rennen des Mannes nicht im Land von Tir nan'Og abwarten sollte, aber daß sie in den Todländern der Masse für immer bleiben müssen. Und aus diesem Grund würde ihre Lebensdauer dort nicht unending sein, aber das sollten sie tödlich sein, damit Alter und Tod zu ihnen kommen würden. Dann er veranlaßt einen Schleier des Nebels, über Tir nan'Og zu fallen, damit es nicht von denen gefunden werden verschwand und konnte, die in der Todwelt blieben.

Und nachdem dieses vollendet wurde, Tuireann verbanntes Cerna vom Land von Tir nan'Og und sendete ihn thenceforth an Tech Duinn, der Reich der Geister und reiste Geist ab von ihm seinen von Eichenholz Personal nehmen und ihm eine Krone der Stechpalmeblätter gebend, sprechen, „Sie sind Donn, das dunkle, denn Sie haben Tod nach denen geholt, die Sie Leben gegeben haben. Reisen Sie jetzt von diesem Land ab und gehen Sie weiter, über dem Königreich der Toten anzuordnen.“

Und als Cerna die Krone der Stechpalme verläßt ihn von Tuireann gegeben, die Blätter der Eiche genommen hatte, die die Kleidungen seines Kleides bildeten, die früher grün und hell aussahen, anfingen zu verwelken und verblassen Sie. Tat dann Cerna sprechen an Tuireann, Saying, „ich warte nicht dort alleine,“ ab und er erklärte Tuireann, daß, während Brighid mit ihm war, sie von den Beeren des Bergasche gegessen hatte, der unter den Bäumen seines Waldes wuchs, und weil sie von ihnen partaken, wurde sie zum Halt mit ihm gesprungen. An welches Tuireann geantwortet „nur während einer Jahreszeit.“

Und Tuireann verordnete, daß von Imbolc zu Samhain, die Göttin Brighid unter dem Tuatha Dé Danann und danach bleiben würde, während im Reich der Toten, sie sollte nicht in die Form der schönen Maids gesehen werden, die Inneres Cernas mit dem Sehnen gefüllt hatte, aber als Morrigan, ein haggard altes altes Frau, das zu den wayfarers als drei dunkle Vögel Tod erscheint Nemain, Macha und Badb, die am Eingang zum Tech Duinn stehen, das heraus die Vorsicht „krächzt, kommen nicht, weg zu halten, überschreiten vorbei!“ herein

Und so kam es zu überschreiten, das, als Brighid weiter ging, im Land der Toten jedes Samhain am Ende der Erntejahreszeit zu bleiben, die Masse dunkel und kalt wurde, und wachsende Sachen würden verwelken und verblassen, damit während dieser Jahreszeit das Rennen des Mannes nur indem es den Tieren der Wälder Tod und Gemetzel, überleben konnte holte und auffängt.

Aber nach ihrer Rückkehr zum Tir nan'Og jeder Frühling würde sie an der Dämmerung auf dem Morgen von Imbolc zu gut von Jugend gehen und das Wasser von ihm trinken und seien noch einmal in eine angemessene und schöne Maid umgewandelt Sie deren Note das Gras zum Grün noch einmal dreht. Dann würden die Tage länger und heller wachsen, und die Masse wird noch einmal freigebig und so würden Männer zum Pflug zurückkommen und den Segen der Götter nach ihren Getreide suchen.

Und als Anzeige zu allen, die das Leben und der Tod für immer einer an den anderen angeschlossen werden, war es die Legacy von Cerna, die die Schlange, deren Bissen aller Geschöpfe das tödlichste ist, sollte von den Tiefen von weiter kommen mit Erde bedecken jede Feder, um unter den Wäldern abzuwarten und auffangen als Symbol, daß Tod immer anwesend ist, wohin es Leben gibt. Dennoch, selbst als die Schlange doth Halle seine erneuert zu werden Haut, so auch neue Lebensdauer tut, kommen Sie weiter vom Tod auch......




Chapter One

Of Tir nan’Og and the Áes Sídhe


Long ago, before the dawn of the ages, there was naught but the depths of a vast emptiness which was the goddess Domnann, who existed from the beginning of time, dwelling alone without companionship until at last there came forth from out of the shadows of her darkness, Net, the god of disruption. And through the power of his will Net did cause the stillness of Domnann’s void to be disturbed so that the darkness became divided and matter and form took shape where before there was only space and emptiness. And into this void was born Ernmas, the goddess of the earth, and Tuireann the god of the sky. And Ernmas did lie beneath Tuireann so that she was covered by him and from their union was born Bel, the god of the sun, and Danand, the goddess of the moon.

And the brightness of the sun shone upon the earth during the day and the light of the moon by night. Great was the warmth and brilliance of Bel, which caused Danand to be filled with desire and longing for him, so that she was wont to follow after him as he traversed the heavens. Through her wiles she did seduce him and they became lovers. From their union was born the race of gods who are called the Áes Sídhe, and who were known of old as the Tuatha Dé Danann, or People of Danand.

Many were the number of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and among them were Lir, lord of the depths of the oceans; and Manannan his son, ruler of the waves of the seas; and Dagda the good, who is a generous helper unto all; and his daughter, Brighid the maiden, protectress of growing things; and Diancécht the healer, physician of the gods; and Goibniu the smith, master of the forge and metalwork; and Oghma the eloquent, greatest of all bards and scholars; and Nuada, the warrior of the gods and defender of their race; and Midhir, guardian of the treasures that lie buried deep beneath the earth. These and many more numbered among the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Yet the Tuatha Dé Danann were not the only children who were born to the generation of Net and Domnann, for there existed an elder race of beings called the Fomoraig who likewise came forth from their union. Great was their size and strength, having bodies like unto that of a man but with the heads of goats; while others of them had but a single leg, with only one arm and one eye each. So wicked and malevolent were these monstrous creatures that Tuireann could not bear to look upon them, and he ordained that they should be cast into the sea. But the sea did not consume them, and the Fomoraig took to living amidst the waters of the ocean, and they did travel upon its waves. And in the cold, dark, northern lands of the earth they made their kingdom, far from Tuireann’s gaze.

And so the Fomoraig being banished from the fellowship of the Tuatha Dé Danann came to dwell in Lochlann, on account of their great cruelty and ruthlessness; all save but one named Samthainn, who in his youth was beloved by all the gods for his playful nature, as he delighted them with his mirth and merriment. In time he grew to a handsome form, but for the antlers that grew forth from his head, so that he was called Cerna, meaning ‘the Horned One,’ by all the Tuatha Dé Danann. And he was given charge of watching over their flocks in the fields and the herds of animals that dwelt in the forests of their country which was called Tir nan’Og.

Now Tir nan’Og was an island that lay far out to sea, beyond the north winds, in the midst of the great ocean; and it was the fairest of all places in the world. In the heart of that isle spread a vast plain called Mag Mell. Broad and green were its fields and meadows, where grew countless groves of apple trees upon whose silver branches were borne golden fruits; so that it was sometimes called Emhain Abhlach, the Isle of Apples.

Upon this fair plain stood the Tobar Segais, or Well of Knowledge, from which five streams did flow. There five salmon did swim who fed upon the nuts of nine hazel trees that grew about the well. Fine was the weather there, and age came not to those who dwelt in that land, but all who lived there did remain young and strong and beautiful.

And those who did dwell there had built four magnificent cities; Fálias to the north, Gorias to the east, Findias to the south, and Murias to the west. In each of these four cities there stood a watchtower overlooking the land of Tir nan’Og wherein four great masters of knowledge and learning, skilled in the arts of enchantment and magic held forth; Morfesa of Fálias, Esras of Gorias, Uiscias of Findias, and Semias of Murias. They were the guardians of four great treasures, and were the teachers of the Áes Sídhe from whom they learned great wisdom and skills.

And it happened that one day Brighid, the daughter of Dagda, was alone having wandered into the wilderness, for she was fond of all manner of herbs and green things and had great knowledge of their powers and uses. And in her wandering she ventured into the realm of Cerna who dwelt deep in the forests and was master of all the animals who lived there; for he more than any of the other gods was the most wild and feral among them.

Now Cerna had never seen such a fair and beautiful maiden as Brighid, and no sooner had he caught but a glimpse of her was he smitten with a deep longing to have her. But frightened was she of his strange appearance, for he was arrayed in rustic apparel wearing garments of green oak leaves and having antlers upon his head, so that she fled from his company. Yet did Cerna pursue her until she relented and the two became lovers, and from their union was born the race of man.

This did not bode well for Brighid for she was much beloved by Tuireann, and when he discovered her tryst with Cerna he set about to punish them. Taking a blade forged by Goibniu, Tuireann gave it unto Brian, and told him to go forth to the realm of Cerna and lay waste to it, so that the race of man could no longer look only to their father, the horned one, to aid them in seeking their livelihood by hunting and herding the beasts which he ruled, but that they should thereafter have to seek out the other gods of the Tuatha Dé Danann to assist them in their toils and labors in raising crops by the sweat of their brows.

And because mankind had been conceived from the tryst of Brighid with the Horned One, Tuireann decreed that the race of man should not bide in the land of Tir nan’Og, but that they must forever dwell in the mortal lands of the earth. And for this reason their life there would not be unending, but that they should be mortal, wherefore age and death would come to them. Then did he cause a veil of mist to fall about Tir nan’Og so that it disappeared and could not be found by those who did dwell in the mortal world.

And after this was accomplished, Tuireann banished Cerna from the land of Tir nan’Og and sent him thenceforth unto Tech Duinn, the realm of ghosts and departed spirits; taking from him his oaken staff and giving him a crown of holly leaves, saying, “Thou art Donn, the dark one, for thou hast brought death upon those whom thou hast given life. Depart now from this land and go forth to rule over the kingdom of the dead.”

And when Cerna had taken the crown of holly leaves given him by Tuireann, the leaves of oak that made up the vestments of his apparel, which formerly appeared green and bright, began to wither and fade. Then did Cerna speak unto Tuireann, saying, “I shall not bide there alone,” and he told Tuireann that while Brighid was with him she had eaten of the berries of the rowan that grew amid the trees of his forest, and because she had partaken of them she was bound to dwell with him. Unto which Tuireann replied “Only for a season.”

And Tuireann decreed that from Imbolc to Samhain, the goddess Brighid would dwell among the Tuatha Dé Danann and thereafter, while in the realm of the dead, she should not be seen in the shape of the beautiful maiden that had filled Cerna’s heart with longing, but as Morrigan, a haggard old crone who appears to wayfarers as three dark birds of death, Nemain, Macha and Badb, who stand at the entrance to Tech Duinn croaking out the warning “Do not enter, keep away, pass by!”

And so it came to pass that when Brighid went forth to dwell in the land of the dead each Samhain at the ending of the harvest season, the earth became dark and cold, and growing things would wither and fade, so that during this season the race of man might survive only by bringing death and slaughter to the beasts of the forests and fields.

But upon her return to Tir nan’Og each spring she would go at dawn on the morning of Imbolc to the well of youth and drink the water therefrom and be transformed once again into a fair and beautiful maiden whose touch turns the grass to green once more. Then would the days grow longer and brighter, and the earth become bountiful once again; and so men would return to the plough and seek the blessings of the gods upon their crops.

And as a reminder to all that life and death are forever connected one to the other, it was the legacy of Cerna that the serpent, whose bite is the most deadly of all creatures, should come forth from the depths of the earth each spring to bide among the forests and fields as a symbol that death is ever present wherever there is life. Yet even as the serpent doth shed its skin to be renewed, so too does new life come forth from death also.

But lo, a prophecy was foretold by Brighid, that a day should come when the gods themselves must take leave of their own immortal land, even as her children had been banished from its shores by Tuireann’s pride, so too would the Tuatha Dé Danann be made to flee and seek refuge amid the mortal lands of the earth. And likewise, as Cerna had been cast out and sent forth to dwell within the nether realm, it should come to pass that the race of men would someday compel all the gods to live amid the hollow places under the earth in the land that they should come to dwell in.

[Ben Edair]

I'm no expert on linguistics so I'm hardly qualified to make any judgement regarding the accuracy of your translation, but as a follower of the Celtic Pagan tradition, I have to say that it is a wonderful story and I personally enjoyed the treatment you have given it as far as the style in which it is phrased. Also, I don't see anything in the excerpt that you have posted that could be considered "racist" or bigoted, unless it is the description of the Fomorians as being evil; but since they are a race of mythical beings who are traditionally considered to be of a negative nature (like the Orcs in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings) it would be stretching it to try to denounce that as racism.

[Nuadu]

Steven thats excellent thanks for posting! I am full of questions now :boing:

Do you think the God is in any way linked to the Fir Domnainn the tribal ancestors of the Leinstermen?

Why do you think the composer of the manuscript varied from the christian book of invasions to give us a pagan creation myth but still kept to the format of the chronical of aquitain?

Two things come to my mind:
That it was a late manuscript written after the Book of invasions had been absorbed into the culture...
Or that it was a File instead of a fir comgne that wrote the legend...

Thanks :hahugh:

[Steven Akins]

Steven thats excellent thanks for posting! I am full of questions now :boing:

Do you think the God is in any way linked to the Fir Domnainn the tribal ancestors of the Leinstermen?

Why do you think the composer of the manuscript varied from the christian book of invasions to give us a pagan creation myth but still kept to the format of the chronical of aquitain?

Two things come to my mind:
That it was a late manuscript written after the Book of invasions had been absorbed into the culture...
Or that it was a File instead of a fir comgne that wrote the legend...

Thanks :hahugh:

The Fir Domnann show up later in Chapter Five together with the Fir Bolg and the Fir Gaileon, as descendants of Semeon, a survivor of Neimheadh's expedition, who had fled to Greece after being driven out of Ireland by the Fomoraig, but the whole human race is supposed to have descended from Cerna and Brighid. The various human expeditions and settlements of Ireland taking place over many centuries by colonists originating in Scythia. My own opinion is that the account given in the Lebor Feasa Runda predates the later Christianized versions found in the Book of Fermoy and the Book of Leinster, or at least the Lebor Feasa Runda preserves an earlier pre-Christian version of the stories found in the Lebor Gabala Erenn.

[Nuadu]

Thanks for replying Steven its great to have someone to talk about the manuscript traditions with :bigredgri

The idea that this manuscript is older and the Domnainn are at the top of the scheme has controversial implications.

The current thinking is that the earliest book of invasions comes from the Northern literary Tradition and was compiled at the Great monastery of Bangor and the Monastery of Movilla because they are centres of scholarship from the 6th century, the first annals begin there and that Tuan maic cairell whos charactor is used to legitimise the timescale of the book of invasions is taken from a the same dynastic sept as Saint Finnian the founder of Movilla.

The southern literary tradition is considered to be the newer of the two but the Monastery at Clonmacnois also contributed to the compilation and Fintan mac Bochra used by Clonmacnois to legitimise the christian timescale is identified as being identical with Tuan in a version of the book of invasions.

If the Fir Domnainn an early tribe from leinster genealogies carry the name of the creator deity they are at the pinnacle of the scheme and given that lebar gabala erenn is a christian compilation of different powerfull septs genealogies based on the christian world chronical scheme from eusebius that could that mean that the manuscript was composed at Clonmacnoise in leinster who put a local dynastic septs genealogy at the top of the scheme with the best interests of their own region at heart.

Since you only have a german translation and not the original it might never be settled what do you think Steven?

[Steven Akins]

Thanks for replying Steven its great to have someone to talk about the manuscript traditions with :bigredgri

The idea that this manuscript is older and the Domnainn are at the top of the scheme has controversial implications.

The current thinking is that the earliest book of invasions comes from the Northern literary Tradition and was compiled at the Great monastery of Bangor and the Monastery of Movilla because they are centres of scholarship from the 6th century, the first annals begin there and that Tuan maic cairell whos charactor is used to legitimise the timescale of the book of invasions is taken from a the same dynastic sept as Saint Finnian the founder of Movilla.

The southern literary tradition is considered to be the newer of the two but the Monastery at Clonmacnois also contributed to the compilation and Fintan mac Bochra used by Clonmacnois to legitimise the christian timescale is identified as being identical with Tuan in a version of the book of invasions.

If the Fir Domnainn an early tribe from leinster genealogies carry the name of the creator deity they are at the pinnacle of the scheme and given that lebar gabala erenn is a christian compilation of different powerfull septs genealogies based on the christian world chronical scheme from eusebius that could that mean that the manuscript was composed at Clonmacnoise in leinster who put a local dynastic septs genealogy at the top of the scheme with the best interests of their own region at heart.

Since you only have a german translation and not the original it might never be settled what do you think Steven?

At the risk of sounding like a comparative religionist, my own thoughts are that the stories told in all of these early chronicles stem from the proto Indo-European belief system which forms the basis of not only Druidism, but also Vedic Brahmanism, Greco-Roman and Nordic/Teutonic paganism as well.

I see the relationship between the Fomoraig and the Tuatha De as being the Celtic equivalent of the relationship between the Asura and the Devas in Hindu mythology; the Titans and Olympians in Greek mythology; and the Aesir and Vanir in Germanic/Scandinavian mythology. The Fomoriag being the older, primordial beings born out of darkness in the earliest stages of creation before the birth of the sun (Bel) and the moon (Danand) who in turn were the progenitors of the Tuatha De Danann as gods of light. The primordial goddess Domnann being the "abyss" or emptiness which existed before all creation and out of which all creation emanated, much like the Chaos in ancient Greek mythology.

I don't see the mortal tribe of the Fir Domnann as having a direct connection to the goddess Domnann, but in these stories their tribal name is explained as being the "men of the depths" because of the pits they labored in as slaves during their exile in Greece. Personally, I believe that this may be folk etymology, and the Fir Domnann may have actually been members of the Celtic Dumnonii tribe who were known to have inhabited Cornwall in Britain during the Roman period; whereas the Fir Bolg may have been the Belgae and the Fir Gaileon would have been the Galli (Gauls).

[Nuadu]

Hi again Steven thanks for taking the time to reply. People are going to be talking about your book for years :)

I can see where you are coming from there with the vedic stuff. Ive never subscribed to it myself but Im probably just not educated enough yet to understand it. Some of the stories in the book of invasions and its associated myths which youve said are in the manuscript like the ones revolving around the Lugh Cult\lughnasa and Samhain are probably ancient themes and the myths contained in the manuscript in unusual or new formats or even new myths are the things that are really valuable.

That said there are things in what you have given us on the forum that would indicate to me that the manuscript probably doesnt predate the Book of Invasions because the invasions that youve mentioned are also present in your manuscript are artificial.

If you look at our genealogies and the maps of tribal territories that existed in early Ireland the deities whether they are named as fomaire, Fir Bolg, Cessarian, tuatha de danann... in the book of invasions all coexist together here in single territories. They have mountains, lakes, rivers... named for them in those territories in both the dindshenchas and in the bealodeas and all have decendants in the genealogies of the Dynastic Septs. From that you can tell that the pantheons presented in the book of invasions are false they are compiled myths from different tribes meshed together to suit the dogma of the day. A dogma your manuscript also shares.

The book of invasions is a christian invention to bring Ireland in line with the Christian world chronical where the rulers of each kingdom are layed out in parallell columns each king shown to superceed the other (in our case in wave after wave of conquering invasions) until the founding of the holy roman empire. Early Ireland is a tribal society there are no successive rulers of the island because the highest title there is is only the King of a province and each lesser king still retained automony over their territory. If the manuscript predated the book of invasions that successive wave of invasions and the associated chronology wouldnt be present and that atleast dates your manuscript to the founding of the monasterys in the 6th century.

All manuscripts have mythology around their own creation and it doesnt really devalue the myths contained in the manuscript but it does mean that unique things in the text have to be looked at in the context of that christian attempt at creating a history for Ireland before it is accepted as pagan. Do you have any thoughts on that Steven?

[Steven Akins]

Yes, I do understand what you are saying, however it is likely that both these genealogies and the mythological tales existed for a very long time in the form of memorized oral history transmitted from generation to generation by the filid well before the Christian era, as I point out in the introduction to the book:

During the early Middle Ages a number of attempts were made by monastic scholars in the Celtic community to record the history and legends that had previously been preserved only by the bards and seannachies who committed to memory the folk tales and genealogies that they were called upon to orally recount before their listeners. The literature preserved through the efforts of these clerics resulted in a number of manuscripts, of which the Lebor Gábala Érenn (found in both the Book of Fermoy and the Book of Leinster) is perhaps the most well known example.

Due in part to past reliance upon memory alone, unaided by written accounts, as well as the tendency of Christian scholars to downplay the pagan overtones of the material that they were transcribing in an effort to make it fit more neatly alongside the Biblical history which they sought to supplement, discrepancies naturally occurred when the stories were eventually recorded by monastic scribes many centuries after their initial conception. Relationships between the numerous figures in these tales, and in some cases their names themselves, may have become confused or forgotten altogether.

An example of this is found where the name of the Gaelic mother-goddess is concerned. The gods of the Irish mythological cycle are known collectively as the Tuatha Dé Danann, a title which scholars normally translate as meaning the “Tribe of [the goddess] Danu.” The name Danu, however, is actually a modern-day hypothetical reconstruction based upon inferences which suggest that it may have been one of the original forms of the goddess’ name, despite the fact that it has never been found rendered as such in any of the original sources of existing Celtic literature.

The names of the goddess that do appear recorded in the medieval manuscripts range from Danand, Danann, Dinand, Dianann, Donann, Ana, Anand, Anann, Anu, Aine, Boand, Boann, and Boind, all of which most likely referred to what was originally a single entity, though in the accounts where these names are given they sometimes appear to refer to different characters. However, in the context of their association with two other prominent Celtic goddesses, Brighid and the Morrigan, it is apparent that all of them represent what was anciently conceived as a trinity of the divine feminine aspects of maiden, mother and crone which came to be personified as Brighid, Danand and Morrigan.


The Morrigan was herself represented as a triune deity in the form of Badb, Nemain and Macha, who were associated with war, death, and dark prophetic wisdom, assuming the form of three carrion crows or ravens. This symbolism of the goddess of death in bird form seems to be consistent throughout Celtic culture and may be paralleled in the Welsh legend of Blodeuwedd, the wife of Lleu Llaw Gyffes who was transformed into an owl for committing adultery, and also in the archaeological discoveries of artifacts depicting scenes of the Gaulish pagan deity Esus cutting down a tree in which is hidden a bull with three cranes, identified as Tauros Trigaranus.


The bull, which is often shown in ancient representations alongside the stag-antlered god Cernunnos, may represent the Celtic horned-god in his aspect as a guardian of the dead and protector of the underworld, a role hinted at in the Irish myths where the name Donn, meaning “dark one” is given to characters in several different stories, including the Táin Bó Cúailnge, or “Cattle Raid of Cooley”, in which Donn is the name of an enchanted brown bull who has undergone a series of mystical incarnations and conflicts together with his nemesis, Finnbhennach, the white-horned bull of Connacht; a tale in which the Morrigan appears as a prominent character.


The story of the conflict between the dark bull of Cooley and the white-horned bull of Connacht alludes to a theme of seasonal cycles in which light and darkness are involved in an eternal struggle, much like that of the Oak King and the Holly King in the Mummer plays of British folk drama. These pageants being a survival of pagan May-Day festivals celebrating nature’s springtime renewal personified by the Green Man, a symbolic entity that evolved from the concept of the horned god as a sylvan deity associated with forests and woodlands.


As a guardian of the dead, the Celtic horned god was also credited as being the ancestor of the human race. Julius Caesar speaks of this in the chronicle of his campaigns during the Roman conquest of Gaul and Britain in The Gallic Wars, where he refers to the Celtic deity using the name of his Latin counterpart, Dis Pater, saying, "All Gauls claim that they are descended from Dis Pater, and assert that this tradition has been handed down by the Druids. For this reason they calculate the divisions of every season, not by the number of days, but by nights, they observe birthdays and the beginnings of months and years in such an order that the day follows the night."


This peculiarity of the Celtic form of reckoning seems to have been preserved among the Gaelic people, who began and ended their calendar year with the festival of Samhain, which was observed on the eve of November, and later gave rise to the traditional folk festival of Halloween. Samhain was considered to be a particularly supernatural time when the gateway between the mortal and immortal realms was opened and spirits of the deceased were free to move among the living. This day was especially associated with the Celtic horned god, a fact which seems to be reflected in one of the names given to him in the Irish mythological cycle where he appears briefly as Samthainn, a brother of Cian and Goibniu, who was charged with guarding Cian’s enchanted cow in a story relating the events preceding the birth of Lugh Lamhfada which led to the second battle of Mag Tuiredh.


While the horned god of the Celts has been identified as Cernunnos on inscriptions from artifacts found in Gaul, this name does not occur in either Gaelic or Welsh mythological literature. A variant form of the name is briefly encountered in the legend of the Irish king Conaire Mor who was told “thou shall not hunt the wild beasts of Cerna” as part of a list of acts that were forbidden to him by an envoy of the gods. Likewise in Britain the names of Cerne and Herne echo as a half-remembered reference to this ancient pagan deity. In Wales the name of Cerna or Cernunnos may have evolved into that of Gronwy, the mysterious hunter with whom Blodeuwedd betrays her husband, Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Lleu being the Welsh counterpart of the god Lugus, worshipped by the Celts of Gaul, and the Irish deity Lugh Lamhfada, who was acknowledged as being a master of every skill.


The harvest festival of Lughnasadh, held on the eve of August, was said to have been inaugurated by Lugh himself in remembrance of his foster-mother Tailtiu who died of exhaustion after clearing the plain of Mag Breg in Meath. Lugh’s association as a god of the harvest is further emphasized in an episode from the second battle of Mag Tuiredh when he demands knowledge of agriculture from the defeated traitor-king Bres in exchange for sparing his life. Much later, the memory of Lugh would survive in the personification of the folk-character John Barleycorn, celebrated as a deification of the harvested grain and the spirits distilled from it.


Other significant festivals observed by the Celts included Imbolc, held on the eve of February, and Beltane which took place on May eve. The name Imbolc is an Irish word meaning “in the belly” and signifies the beginning of the lactation season for ewes, marking the arrival of spring. This day was considered sacred to Brighid, the ancient goddess of fertility whose name is found throughout Celtic culture variously rendered as Brigando, Brigantia, and later as the Christian St. Brigid. So well-loved was this deity that she survived all attempts to exterminate the last vestiges of paganism in the British Isles, eventually being conferred the status of a saint, whose holy day took the place of the earlier Celtic festival.

Beltane, a word meaning “the fire of Bel” in the Gaelic language, was the name given to the festival which marked the beginning of summer and the bright half of the year. Held on the first of May, Beltane was celebrated with bonfires and other festivities linked with fertility in honor of Bel, the sun god of the ancient Celts, who was worshipped as Belenos in Gaul and as Beli Mawr by the Welsh.


The calendar used by the ancient Celts appears to have been based upon both the lunar and the solar year. While the solar year consists of 365 days, a calendar based upon 13 months, each being four weeks or 28 days long, results in a lunar year of 364 days, to which an extra day would be added, making a total of 365 days. The extra day fell upon Samhain, which was considered to be the time when the old year ended and the new year began, giving rise to the expression “a year and a day,” frequently encountered in Celtic literature. This thirteen month calendar would have more easily accommodated the true zodiac consisting of the thirteen constellations through which the sun passes during the year and includes the constellation of Serpentarius or Ophiuchus, the serpent-holder, which was excluded from the zodiac by the Romans who favored a twelve month solar year.


Interestingly, this often ignored thirteenth sign of the zodiac, which falls between the constellations of Scorpio and Sagittarius and lies in the path of the sun from November 30 to December 17, is represented as a man holding a snake, which is a feature common to depictions of the Celtic horned god who is frequently illustrated as holding a serpent in his left hand in archaeological examples such as are found on the first century B.C. Celtic ritual cauldron discovered in Gundestrup, Denmark, as well as on rock carvings from Val Comonica in northern Italy which have been dated to 400 B.C.


The Celtic concept of the afterlife seems to have been similar to that of most other pagan cultures in Europe. Those who died valiantly on the field of glory received a hero’s welcome to the land of the gods, while those fated to succumb to an ignoble death through sickness or old age might retire to the shadowy abyss of the underworld known as Tech Duinn, or the “House of Donn,” to find rest before being reborn through a new incarnation.


The elysium of the Celtic gods was to be found on an island far to the west, beyond the setting sun, which was immortalized through many names, although Tir nan’Og or the “Land of Youth” seems to have been its original name; while Emain Abhlach or the “Isle of Apples” was another of its appellations, connecting it with Avalon in the Arthurian legends of later centuries. Like the lost continent of Atlantis, it seems to have sunk beneath the ocean, as it later came to be called Tir fo Thonn, the “Land Beneath the Waves,” and was ruled over by the ancient Celtic sea-god, Manannan mac Lir, long after the other gods of the Tuatha Dé Danann had forsaken it in favor of Ireland. As Tir Tairngire, the “Land of Promise,” it remained as a hoped-for destination that awaited those fortunate enough to visit its shores by leaving the mortal world behind.


When the iron-age Celts finally did arrive in Ireland around 500 B.C. they found a land that was filled with mysterious chamber tombs and megalithic monuments built by the former inhabitants during the Neolithic era and Bronze Age. The presence of these structures doubtlessly inspired the Celts’ belief that not only had the land once been populated by their gods, but that they continued to occupy the brugs and mounds in the surrounding landscape, giving rise to the habit of referring to the Tuatha Dé Danann as the Daoine Sídhe or “People of the Hills,” so that ultimately the word Sídhe was employed as a term for the gods themselves.


By the time Christianity reached Ireland in the fifth century A.D., the Druidic religion of the Gael already had a thousand year foothold on the people of that land, and the gods of the old religion would not soon be forgotten. While the new religion was rapidly and widely accepted, the old days and ways were never completely abandoned and lived on in the memories, legends, customs and beliefs of the people who first breathed life into them, the proud and ancient race of the noble Celts.

[odubhain]

Hi Searles,

I don't believe that the original Old Irish manuscript of the Lebor Feasa Runda has seen the light of day for well over 60 years, not since it was removed from Rudolf Hess shortly after his arrival in Scotland back in 1941. From what I have gathered it wound up in the hands of the British Military Intelligence - though where it may have ultimately ended up is anyone's guess, as it was not found in the sealed file of documents removed from Hess (which was found empty in 1991 when the seal was discovered to have been broken). My own personal opinion is that Churchill may have kept it, as he was the one who ordered Hess sent to London immediately after having learned of his arrival in Scotland, after which he had Hess thrown in the tower of London as a prisoner and later kept at various detention facilities in Britain until the end of the war, after which Hess was tried at Nuremburg and sentenced to life in prison at Spandau, where he died some 41 years later at the age of 93.
My own work with the Lebor Feasa Runda was merely to translate Henry Thorenson's German version of it into English - a tedious task that kept me occupied for the past three and a half years, working from photocopies of Mr. Thorenson's type-written German translation that had been provided to me by his widow, Evelyn. Were it not for her willingness to share her husband's work with me, the Lebor Feasa Runda would no doubt have been forgotten altogether after her own death some two years ago. As it stands, the Lebor Feasa Runda was rescued from oblivion in the nick of time.
I would be happy to meet with you of course, provided our schedules can be worked out, though Thursday I will be on the road and spending the rest of the evening with my family for Thanksgiving, but perhaps we could get together sometime on Friday if you would like.

Steven

I'm familiar with the German POW camp at Aliceville and some of the stories that were told about it. I can't for the life of me understand why Germans would stick around in the Alabama heat and humidity. I guess it was the pretty girls that did the trick. Up here in Huntsville, they stuck around because of Werner Von Braun and the rocket industry. I have a great appreciation for their science as I work on rockets and spacecraft. It keeps me moving around from Florida to Alabama to the Washington DC area and other places as well.

Let's see how time and schedules work out. Regardless of the LFR business, I'd like to see what is going on in your neck of the woods. After all, the Druid City is down that way as well as the Big Tree. Either of them would be worth the trip. I'll email you on Friday morning to see how things are (if I get your email that is; you've got mine already).

Searles O'Dubhain

[odubhain]

I'll be happy to post the following excerpts, the first being Mr. Thorenson's German transcription, followed by my English translation of the same text. As I mentioned earlier the original Old Irish manuscript disappeared in 1941 when it was taken to Britain by Rudolf Hess. Here then are excerpts of Thorenson's German and my own English translations of the same passage of text:



Erstes Kapitel

Vom Tir nan'Og und vom Áes Sídhe



That's a pretty good tale though there are parts of it that seem strange to me, but the excerpt definitely makes me want to read more of the book.

It's similar to what I already believe though I think that Danu is more of a goddess of the Star River and that the Sun is feminine and the Moon masculine. I also work with the four cities of Falias, Findias, Gorias and Murias in a different order than its presented in LFR (but I've seen it that way in other works so it's not a major problem for me).

I'm no expert of German but I'll bet there are folks who are who will be looking at what you've posted to see how it translates. The origins of the German version are very plausible. Is there any other supporting evidence for it? Did anyone leave a diary behind, letters, personal notes, etc? Are there children of Henry or Evelyn Thorenson still living? Maybe some SS intelligence folks who would be in the know? A lot of the other German mysticism and esoterica survived. I wonder why the LFR is not mentioned? Maybe it is and we just haven't heard? Have you researched that end of the manuscript further into Germany?

I'm not yet convinced that the source of the document is an Old-Irish manuscript and would like to see the parts of it that tell of its origins. Most such Old Irish books usually begin like the Auraicept na n-Éces begins with a series of statements as to where the book was written, when it was written, by whom it was written, and why it was written. Does this manuscript do that?

Another thing that should be a part of the book in some places would be Ogham names and symbols since the original LFR is said to have been written on Ogham tablets or staves. I'd expect a fair amount of the Draíocht in the book would involve Ogham.

Anyway, I'm going to buy a copy of the book and see what else it has to offer and then I'll do a detailed written review of it.

If you'd like to share more, I'd like to read it and discuss it further.

Searles O'Dubhain

[Steven Akins]

That's a pretty good tale though there are parts of it that seem strange to me, but the excerpt definitely makes me want to read more of the book.

It's similar to what I already believe though I think that Danu is more of a goddess of the Star River and that the Sun is feminine and the Moon masculine. I also work with the four cities of Falias, Findias, Gorias and Murias in a different order than its presented in LFR (but I've seen it that way in other works so it's not a major problem for me).

I'm no expert of German but I'll bet there are folks who are who will be looking at what you've posted to see how it translates. The origins of the German version are very plausible. Is there any other supporting evidence for it? Did anyone leave a diary behind, letters, personal notes, etc? Are there children of Henry or Evelyn Thorenson still living? Maybe some SS intelligence folks who would be in the know? A lot of the other German mysticism and esoterica survived. I wonder why the LFR is not mentioned? Maybe it is and we just haven't heard? Have you researched that end of the manuscript further into Germany?

I'm not yet convinced that the source of the document is an Old-Irish manuscript and would like to see the pats of it that tell of its origins. Most such Old Irish books usually begin like the Auraicept na n-Éces beginds with a series of statements as to where the book was written, when it was written, by whom it was written, and why it was written. Does this manuscript do that?

Another thing that should be a part of the book in some places would be Ogham names and symbols since the original LFR is said to have been written on Ogham tablets or staves. I'd expect a fair amount of the Draíocht in the book would involve Ogham.

Anyway, I'm going to buy a copy of the book and see what else it has to offer and then I'll do a detailed written review of it.

If you'd like to share more, I'd like to read it and discuss it further.

Searles O'Dubhain

Hello again Searles,

Yes there is a section of the book which explains the Ogham and its uses and association. There is also a prologue of sorts which comes before the main body of the text that explains the origin of the scriptures. I'll post it for you here:



The Testament of Ollamh Fodhla


Hear now the words of Eochaidh Ollamh Fodhla, the High King of Ireland, who spake unto his son, Cairbre, saying, “Value, O my son Cairbre, the wisdom of my words, seeing that I, Eochaidh, have received this from the Áes Sídhe.”

Then answered Cairbre, saying, “How hath it come to pass that I deserve to follow the way of my father Eochaidh in such things, who hast been found worthy to receive the knowledge of all great mysteries through the teaching of the Áes Sídhe?”

And Ollamh Fodhla said, “Hear, O my son, and receive my words, and learn the wonders of the Áes Sídhe. For on a certain night, when I stood upon the Hill of Tara overlooking my kingdom, I heard a voice carried upon the wind which spake my name and I puzzled over this and asked who called unto me. Then did there appear before me a messenger of the Áes Sídhe, even Nemglan, who spoke many things graciously unto me, and said, ‘Listen, O Eochaidh! For long hast thou ruled justly over Ireland and great is thy knowledge and learning, and deep is thy wisdom, so that it hath been ordained that I have been sent forth from Tir Tairngire to complete thy understanding of all things seen and unseen that are yet unknown to the mortal race of men.’

“And when I heard the words which were spoken unto me, I perceived that in me had the knowledge of all things, of both the mortal and immortal realms, been imparted; and I saw that all the teachings and learning of this present age were astray, and that no man was without flaw.

Thenceforth I inscribed in ogham characters upon staves of yew wood a certain record in which I have revealed the secret of secrets, and in which I have vouchsafed them hidden, and I have also therein related all history of the origins of our race and all knowledge of the immortal gods and of their dealings with mankind, and explained all wonders whatsoever of the magical arts of every adept; along with all marvels or undertakings, namely, of those mysteries which are in any wise worthy of being achieved. These things and more I have concealed upon these staves so that as a key openeth a locked door, so this testament alone may open the knowledge and understanding of all the sacred mysteries.

“Wherefore, O my son, thou mayest know all rites and rituals of every ceremony for calling upon and having dealings with the immortal gods, and through the conjuration of them by means of sacred proceedings as thou shalt see rightly set down by me, thou mayest work wonders through mastering the power of this knowledge, which I have set forth; even the ways of divination whereby all things which are in the Universe, and which have been in days long past, and which are yet to come to pass in future ages, may be revealed.

“Therefore, O my son Cairbre, I command thee by the benediction which thou expecteth from thy father, that thou shalt fashion a vault of stone, and therein place, conceal, and secure this my testament; and when I shall have passed away unto my fathers, I beseech thee to place the same in my tomb beside me, lest in another age it might fall into the hands of the profane.” And as Ollamh Fodhla commanded, so was it done.

And when, thereafter many generations had passed, there was held every third year on Samhain a Feis at Tara to which all the noblemen and scholars of Ireland did gather, and there came to Loughcrew unto the tomb of Ollamh Fodhla certain Druids; and when they had assembled they at once took counsel together that a certain number of men should restore the grave in Ollamh Fodhla’s honor; and when the tomb was uncovered to be restored, the vault of stone was discovered, and therein were the ogham staves, which they beheld with joyous hearts, and when they looked upon them none among them could discern their message by reason of the obscurity of the words and their arcane arrangement, and the occult essence of the meaning and knowledge contained therein, for they were not deserving to possess this treasure.

Thereupon, arose among the Druids, one more righteous than the others, both in the sight of the gods, and by reason of his age, who was called Mogh Ruith, and said unto the others, “Unless we shall go forth and ask the interpretation of this testament from the gods with piety and humility, we shall never discern the meaning of it.”

Therefore, when each of the Druids had retired to his abode, Mogh Ruith indeed fell upon his knees to the ground in great consternation and said, “What have I deserved above others, seeing that so many men can neither understand nor interpret this knowledge, even though there be no secret thing in nature which the gods hath hidden from me! Wherefore are these words so inscrutable? Wherefore am I so ignorant?”

And then on his bended knees, turning his eyes to the heavens, he said, “O gods, who are the creators of all, thou who knowest all things, who gavest such great wisdom unto Ollamh Fodhla the king of Ireland; grant unto me, I beseech thee, O mysterious, powerful and wondrous Sídhe, to receive the virtue of that wisdom, so that I may become worthy by thine aid to discern the understanding of these staves of mystery.”

And immediately there appeared unto him, a messenger of the Áes Sídhe, saying, “Dost thou remember that if the secrets of Ollamh Fodhla appear arcane and obscure unto thee, that the gods hath wished it so that such wisdom may not fall into the hands of profane men; wherefore dost thou promise unto me, that thou art not willing that such great knowledge should ever come to any living creature, and that which thou revealest unto any let them know that they must keep it unto themselves, otherwise the sanctity is defiled and no effect can follow?”

And Mogh Ruith answered, “I vow unto thee that to none shall I reveal them, save to the honor of the gods, and with much discipline, unto discerning, erudite, and righteous persons.” Then answered the messenger; “Go forth and read the testament, and its words which were obscure throughout shall be made manifest unto thee.” And after this the messenger returned to the realm of Siabra in a peal of thunder.

Then Mogh Ruith was glad, and laboring with a clear mind, understood that which the messenger of the Áes Sídhe had said, and he saw that the testament of Ollamh Fodhla was changed, so that it became discernable unto him and made apparent in all parts. And Mogh Ruith understood that this work might fall into the hands of the ignorant, and he said, “I conjure him into whose hands this secret may come, by the power of the gods, and their wisdom, that in all things they may desire, intend and perform, that this treasure may come unto no unworthy person, nor may they manifest it unto any who is unwise, nor unto one who regardeth not the gods; for if they act otherwise, I decree that they may never be worthy to attain unto the desired effect.”

And so he deposited the ogham staves, which Ollamh Fodhla preserved, in the vault of stone. But the words of the testament are as follows, hereafter written.

***********************************************************
If you would still like to get together during your Thanksgiving trip to Alabama, I would be pleased to meet with you during the day on Friday, perhaps in Cullman as you suggested. I will email you and give you my contact information. If you haven't ordered a copy of the book yet, I will be pleased to provide you with a review copy when we meet.

Steven

[odubhain]

Hello again Searles,

Yes there is a section of the book which explains the Ogham and its uses and association. There is also a prologue of sorts which comes before the main body of the text that explains the origin of the scriptures. I'll post it for you here:

<snip>

If you would still like to get together during your Thanksgiving trip to Alabama, I would be pleased to meet with you during the day on Friday, perhaps in Cullman as you suggested. I will email you and give you my contact information. If you haven't ordered a copy of the book yet, I will be pleased to provide you with a review copy when we meet.

Steven


Thank you Steven. I think that we should meet and see what there is to see and speak of those things that should be spoken. I'd be very appreciative to receive a review copy of the book. From what I've seen so far it is an interesting read, though I fear that there will always be controversy about it without the Old-Irish version being available.

It reminds me a lot of the work of James MacPherson which went through waves of accolades and opposition. It was received completely as authentic at one time. Then it went through a period where it was reviled as a forgery. Nowadays, some scholars say that his work contains some authentic materials and some interpretations from more modern tales, as well as a bit of creativity from the author himself. Without the original to LFR, one could *not* see what glamours and colours were placed on the text by the Germans.

Of course, the proof of the work will be its wisdom and its magic. These are things that one should personally verify from study, through experience and after much discerning inquiry. As part of my inquiry I will follow up via email or telephone (after you've contacted me) to make the necessary arrangements to get together. It'll be interesting for both of us, I'm certain. This will be the beginning of a lot of work. Of that much I am very sure. It's like the bookstore owner in the "Never Ending Story" talking about a book not being a safe book to open. This book will engender much controversy on all sides no matter its origins nor its contents. I've seen enough in my few short years to know and appreciate that.

Slán,

Searles O'Dubhain

[Steven Akins]

Searles,

I'm sure that the book will have its fair share of critics (as we've already seen), but I think that it will also resonate well with many people who take the time to actually read it and do so with an open mind. As someone pointed out in another blog that I ran across about it, very likely no one would have ever dreamt of finding the Coligny calendar until it was actually discovered some 111 years ago, and a century later scholars are still debating about that.

A great deal of the power that exists in magic lies in its mystery.

Steven

[cydira]

Having read this thread from beginning to completion (as of right now) I find myself looking somewhat suspiciously at the sources that you have presented, Mr. Atkins. I get the impression that the document that you were given is at least a third, if not fourth hand source. This right here would make me uneasy to base such a bold premise upon it.

The use of a source so removed from the original, especially when the original is in an entirely different language, makes it rather difficult to support the claims made. A language as complex as that of the ancient Celts, which has substantial regional variations and a great deal of subtleties that are difficult to understand within context, presents many many opportunities for translation errors. In looking at the context of when the original translation would have been produced, there is the distinct possibility that subjects had been glossed over due to fear of introducing elements that would displease one's superiors as it would have placed on in grave risk.

At that point in the history of Germany, they became quite restrictive upon anything that was potentially viewed as subversive to the Third Reich and this places a great deal of pressure upon anyone engaged in translations of documents for the government. An accurate translation that sounded subversive could have been a most dangerous thing. I'm certain that intentional errors would have been made to avoid such a thing.

And then there is the matter of the Celts. I presume, Mr. Atkins, that you are aware of the general scorn held for the Celts, especially for those of Ireland and Scotland. While Ireland, technically, could have been argued as home of the purest Aryan bloodline, they were discredited in the eyes of the Nazis by the fact that their nation had been subjugated. The same attitude could be argued to have been directed at the other descendants of the Celts because those areas had been taken over.

I also would contend that the emphasis upon a rather butchered and bizarre attempt at recreating the beliefs of the Teutonic peoples could account for some elements that you have upheld as recreations of the ancient Celtic beliefs. Many parallel belief system components are apparent between the ancient Celts and the ancient Teutons. Among them was votive offerings to deities by burying them or dropping them into bodies of water. This, however, appears to be consistent among all belief systems that had a strong emphasis upon nature deities.

I am attempting to give your argument presented here a fair shake, Mr. Atkins, but there's some basic matters that I simply can not get past to even really begin to assess the legitimacy of your claims.

[Ben Edair]

Mr. Akins,

If I may, I would like to ask a couple of questions that other people have been asking on this and several other message boards, the answers to which might well clear up some of the apprehensions and misgivings that have been buzzing around since you recently published your book.

Many here on this forum and others have been highly critical of the fact that you chose to self-publish this book through iUniverse, rather than going through a traditional publisher. Also, many people seem to be put off by the fact that you apparently did not subject your translation of this text to a peer review. I'm sure you had your reasons for doing this, but in the interest of clarity, would you mind explaining your reasons behind this?

There also seems to be a suggestion that your credibility as a reliable scholar has been somewhat tarnished due to some past involvement over an issue regarding your genealogy and family history, specifically concerning a coat of arms that you seem to have sought recognition of through the Scottish heraldic court. So that we may have a better understanding of these matters, could you clarify some of the details regarding this?

And lastly, there have been certain allegations made that you are in some way associated with racist ideologies or organizations. Is there any truth to that, and if so, is it reflected in the context of the book you have published?

My apologies for the rather pointed nature of these questions, but I feel that it would be in the best interest of everyone if you could provide some additional clarity on these issues.

Ben

[Steven Akins]

Mr. Akins....

Many here on this forum and others have been highly critical of the fact that you chose to self-publish this book through iUniverse, rather than going through a traditional publisher. Also, many people seem to be put off by the fact that you apparently did not subject your translation of this text to a peer review. I'm sure you had your reasons for doing this, but in the interest of clarity, would you mind explaining your reasons behind this?

There also seems to be a suggestion that your credibility as a reliable scholar has been somewhat tarnished due to some past involvement over an issue regarding your genealogy and family history, specifically concerning a coat of arms that you seem to have sought recognition of through the Scottish heraldic court. So that we may have a better understanding of these matters, could you clarify some of the details regarding this?

And lastly, there have been certain allegations made that you are in some way associated with racist ideologies or organizations. Is there any truth to that, and if so, is it reflected in the context of the book you have published?

Ben

Mr. Edair,

I'll be happy to answer your questions, and I appreciate your giving me the opportunity to address each of the points that you have brought up directly to me.

In answer to the question of why I chose to self-publish the Lebor Feasa Runda through iUniverse, rather than going through a more traditional publishing company, there are several reasons. Initially I did consider going through one of the more established publishing houses, there were several that I submitted the manuscript to, but of those who were interested in it, it would have taken about two years for them to actually get it to market due to their backlog of publishing other titles already ahead of mine; which was longer than I cared to wait in order to make it available to the public. So I began looking into self-publishing companies, and decided to go with iUniverse primarily based upon the upfront cost, the quality of their finished product, and the amount of control they gave me in designing the layout of the book, illustrating it, designing the cover, chosing the type faces for chapter headings and so on. They handle the acquisition of the book's ISBN number and it's placement on Amazon.com and other on-line booksellers. Also the royalties are somewhat higher than they would have been had I gone through a more traditional publishing house.

As for why I did not submit my translation to a peer review, there were a couple of reasons why that never happened. I did get in touch with Ronald Hutton and Joseph Peterson early on before seeking publication of the text, but they were unable to accomidate me due to their already demanding schedules, and another scholar I contacted expected to receive financial reimbursement for his endorsment of my work. The idea of actually paying a fellow scholar for their professional endorsement is nothing short of bribery in my opinion, and I personally feel that the reading public is quite intelligent enough to make their own determinations about the merits of any given publication without the necessity of having someone else tell them what they should or should not read. Several individuals within the Pagan community who I shared my work with prior to getting it published were kind enough to provide me with their reviews of it, and these are the ones that ended up on the dust jacket.

In regard to my credibility and the effects upon it that were made as a result of a slanderous tabloid article instigated by a man whom my ex-wife was at the time involved with, which led to my divorcing her and seeking the custody of my two children; that was an unfortunate scheme which my ex-wife seems to have concocted together with her paramour to damage my reputation and discredit me as an individual in her hopes that she might prevent me from securing the custody of my son and daughter. All of that having occurred during the time in which a petition I had sent to the Lord Lyon King of Arms in Scotland, seeking his recognition of my family's coat of arms, under the status of what are considered to be "ancient arms" in Scotland, the country from which my family long ago emigrated. The status of "ancient arms" being arms that can be proven to have been in use prior to the establishment of Lyon Register of all Arms and Bearings in Scotland, which was begun in the year 1672. My own family left Scotland several years before the register was begun in 1672, having emigrated to the Ulster Province of Ireland after the Cromwellian Civil War deposed King Charles I (the monarch my ancestors supported), and later my family ended up in the colony of Maryland, which is were my earliest American ancestor in the Akins line died in 1669. So, I was faced with providing Lord Lyon with several hundreds of years worth of documentation prooving my descent from this armigerous ancestor (who is buried here in the United States, near Baltimore).

It was while my petition to the Lord Lyon was pending that the "gentleman" my ex-wife had involved herself with, a Mr. Wallace who lives in an rented apartment in Glasgow, Scotland, contacted the court of Lord Lyon with some ridiculous story that I had asked him to plant a fake tombstone in a Scottish cemetery in order to substantiate my claim to the coat of arms my family has borne for well over 400 years, even though there was already documented evidence here in the United States of its use. Ultimately, the Lord Lyon declined to make a ruling on the status of my family's coat of arms, due to the absurd accusations made by Mr. Wallace, and the whole thing ended up getting published in a cheap Scottish tabloid called "The Sunday Mail" which is one of those unreliable scandal-sheets that are sold at the check-out stands of grocery stores, along the lines of the National Enquirer, who will print any sort of sensationalist tripe to fill the pages of their odious tabloids.

As to your last question regarding regarding any sort of associations that I have with racist organizations, I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of any such group or organization. My political views are not completely in line with either right-wing conservatives nor with far-left liberals. For instance, I support the death penalty and the right to bear arms, but I am also pro-choice on the issue of abortion and I am against mixing organized religion with public institutions and offices. As far as the issue of race is concerned, I believe that each race should endeavor to be the best it can be independantly, and that all races should strive to maintain and preserve their cultural, ethnic and genetic integrity.

[Phoenix Blue]

As far as the issue of race is concerned, I believe that each race should endeavor to be the best it can be independantly, and that all races should strive to maintain and preserve their cultural, ethnic and genetic integrity.
I think you're going to find yourself in the minority on this one, Mr. Akins -- and since MW does not tolerate discrimination, I suggest you express your beliefs ... carefully.

[Seren_]

Having read this thread from beginning to completion (as of right now) I find myself looking somewhat suspiciously at the sources that you have presented, Mr. Atkins. I get the impression that the document that you were given is at least a third, if not fourth hand source. This right here would make me uneasy to base such a bold premise upon it.

The use of a source so removed from the original, especially when the original is in an entirely different language, makes it rather difficult to support the claims made. A language as complex as that of the ancient Celts, which has substantial regional variations and a great deal of subtleties that are difficult to understand within context, presents many many opportunities for translation errors. In looking at the context of when the original translation would have been produced, there is the distinct possibility that subjects had been glossed over due to fear of introducing elements that would displease one's superiors as it would have placed on in grave risk.

At that point in the history of Germany, they became quite restrictive upon anything that was potentially viewed as subversive to the Third Reich and this places a great deal of pressure upon anyone engaged in translations of documents for the government. An accurate translation that sounded subversive could have been a most dangerous thing. I'm certain that intentional errors would have been made to avoid such a thing.

And then there is the matter of the Celts. I presume, Mr. Atkins, that you are aware of the general scorn held for the Celts, especially for those of Ireland and Scotland. While Ireland, technically, could have been argued as home of the purest Aryan bloodline, they were discredited in the eyes of the Nazis by the fact that their nation had been subjugated. The same attitude could be argued to have been directed at the other descendants of the Celts because those areas had been taken over.

I also would contend that the emphasis upon a rather butchered and bizarre attempt at recreating the beliefs of the Teutonic peoples could account for some elements that you have upheld as recreations of the ancient Celtic beliefs. Many parallel belief system components are apparent between the ancient Celts and the ancient Teutons. Among them was votive offerings to deities by burying them or dropping them into bodies of water. This, however, appears to be consistent among all belief systems that had a strong emphasis upon nature deities.

I am attempting to give your argument presented here a fair shake, Mr. Atkins, but there's some basic matters that I simply can not get past to even really begin to assess the legitimacy of your claims.

These are good points, and before I continue I'd like to echo the last paragraph in particular...

I also have concerns about the text presented, since the German translation seems to mix both Old Irish and more modern Irish spellings for names and placenames. This shouldn't be the case if the translation was from an authentic and uncorrupted manuscript, assuming the translation is reliable.

The directions given in the text for the four cities of Gorias, Fálias, Findias and Murias aren't found elsewhere in Irish tradition. They're generally listed as all being situated to the north, or above. They are attributed to specific directions in some modern esoteric traditions, however.

It would be easy to see neopagan influence in the figure of Cerna, since horned gods don't really figure in Irish mythology to any degree outside of the source you present. It seems odd that such an important figure - in an otherwise unheard of creation myth - would have been edited out elsewhere.

Neither is oak/holly an important element found elsewhere in Irish myth, or Irish folklore as far as I'm aware. Like John Barleycorn, I'm under the impression that's more of English provenance.

And since snakes are not native to Ireland, how does one fit in here? Certainly snakes are iconographically important in depictions of the Gaulish god Cernunnos, but I'm not sure how it would have been of religious significance to the Irish, since they wouldn't have had much awareness of them.

I'm not sure if you address these points in your book, Mr Akins, but you have any thoughts, in brief, on this?

ETA: I was aso wondering why you'd contact someone like Hutton for peer review. Since he's not a Celtic scholar, surely someone who is would have been better qualified to assess the manuscript.

[Steven Akins]

I think you're going to find yourself in the minority on this one, Mr. Akins -- and since MW does not tolerate discrimination, I suggest you express your beliefs ... carefully.[/warning]

That being said, perhaps you should take it to heart and not seek to discriminate against those who don't happen to share your own personal views, or seek to promote the same agendas that you support.

[Phoenix Blue]

I'm not playing word games with a psychopathic neo-Nazi.

Goodbye, Mr. Akins.

[Phoenix Blue]

Upon consulting with the forum guides, I'm reopening this thread.

[odubhain]

Upon consulting with the forum guides, I'm reopening this thread.

That's a step in the right direction and you are to be commended for it. One of the major contributors to the information directly related to the thread is missing and banned.

The few members with whom I've discussed this matter are as mystified as I am as to why Steven Akins was banned as his posts did not seem much out of line.

In my investigations into the events surrounding this book, I've read some posts he made on several message boards and forums. He's posted on MystickWicks, OBOD, WitchVox and StormFront AFAICS. His posting on any of these forums does not make him anything but a guy promoting his book.

He has stated that he is not a Neo Nazi. He's also not a member of the KKK (AFAIK). He's got his own views on racial matters but who doesn't? He had pretty much kept those to himself except to answer a direct question about them by another poster. He did not seem to be here to post hate information or to promote anything else but his book that I read in the posting of the thread.

I've messaged you, a few other hosts and Mol about this and hope that he will be reinstated and will return to discuss and provide additional information about his book and its history. It's important to everyone to get as much direct information as possible about him and his work as is possible. The book is already published and will be with us from this point forward. I recommend that we continue discussing it in as calm and objective a manner as possible and not let side issues derail the discussion.

Thanks for reopening the thread.

Searles O'Dubhain

[Phoenix Blue]

I opened this thread to continue the previous discussion, not to discuss an administrative decision. Do not discuss administrative decisions in public any further, or I will re-close the thread.

[odubhain]

I opened this thread to continue the previous discussion, not to discuss an administrative decision. Do not discuss administrative decisions in public any further, or I will re-close the thread.

I'll post what I learn about the book after meeting with Steven Akins in person on Friday. He's offered me a copy of his book for review and is also very open to getting signed copies for the other members who've requested them. I also plan to follow up on investigating the history of the people who are reported to have provided him the German manuscript.

So far, I've learned that John Dee had one of the largest private libraries in Europe of his time. Also, he and Edward Kelley were in Poland after being invited only to discover that their host was bankrupt. The two of them sold several manuscripts at that time (though none are reported to be the LFR).

I also discovered a site here in Alabama called The John Dee Memorial Theater of the Mind which is about an hour's drive from either of us:

http://www.skepdic.com/moody.html

It's conducted by the guy who wrote Life after Life

I'll check to see if there is a link there. I also plan to check the records for the POW camp at Aliceville, Alabama where Henry Thorenson was said to be imprisoned.

All in all, I'm hope that the discussion of the book can be fair and objective without prejudices of any kind preventing the truth from eventually being discovered.

Searles O'Dubhain

[_Banbha_]

Tomas Flannabhra has posted An Academic (P)Review of Akins' "Lebor Feasa Runda" (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=205492) in another thread. I think it's an excellent addition to the discussion and it's appropriate to link that thread here for future reference. :)

[odubhain]

Tomas Flannabhra has posted An Academic (P)Review of Akins' "Lebor Feasa Runda" (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=205492) in another thread. I think it's an excellent addition to the discussion and it's appropriate to link that thread here for future reference. :)

Please also read my reply to Tomas in that thread as the so-called "Academic (P) Review" is made by someone who has NOT EVEN READ THE BOOK! The poster of the article at the link admits right in the article that he hasn't read the book. He's making his comments based on some of the excerpts that Steven Akins was kind enough to post for us in this thread.

I welcome any and all real academic reviews of the book by actual academics in Celtic Studies who have truly read the book. I personally have questions about some of this material and hope to discuss that with Steven Akins on Friday and receive an actual copy of the book to review.

It could be a hoax. It could be authentic. It could be a corruption of an Old Irish manuscript. It could be Nazi propaganda. We just don't have enough information say for sure. Right now we can all have opinions and attitudes about it but without unbiased and accurate information about it and daily reading seemingly biased attacks against it we are each left in a vacuum of what to believe.

Searles O'Dubhain

[Ben Edair]

This afternoon I finished reading the Lebor Feasa Runda, which I purchased last week from Amazon.com shortly after having seen it advertised on Witch Vox, and I must say that as a book I throughly enjoyed reading it. While I am not convinced that it is an ancient book by any means, it is a book filled with ancient stories, retold in a way which makes them both understandable and consistant with concepts found in many Neo-Pagan traditions. In addition it also offers a highly workable system of magickal practice in the genre of Druidism, with an explicit emphasis on the Irish Celtic tradition. On the whole, the Lebor Feasa Runda does a very good job of fulfilling the role of a "sacred scripture" - something that has been woefully lacking in most Pagan traditions (Druidry in particular) that are practiced today.

While the Lebor Feasa Runda may not be a ancient pre-Christian Pagan text, it may well be a historic text, whose origins nonetheless do not ultimately lie with Akins himself. I noticed in reading the preface to the book that Akins himself hints at the possibility of the work he has translated as having a more recent (though still historical) origin, where he states:



Among the individuals brought in to interrogate him [Rudolf Hess] was naval intelligence officer Ian Fleming who suggested that noted occultist Aleister Crowley be allowed to interview Hess regarding the more esoteric aspects of his mission. The higher ranking officials in charge of the case would not permit it however. Crowley’s peripheral involvement with the Hess incident does open the doors to some interesting questions regarding the authenticity of the Lebor Feasa Rúnda and has led to speculation that the British government may have secretly commissioned its forgery by Crowley, who was well known as a translator of occult manuscripts. It is certain that the British Intelligence Service considered hiring a number of astrologers to fabricate horoscopes to be passed along to Nazi officials for the purpose of influencing their timing of certain military maneuvers so as to be better anticipated by the Allies in their conflict with the Axis forces.

Many of the passages found in the Lebor Feasa Rúnda bear a striking similarity to a number of traditional, centuries old, Gaelic spells and incantations that were collected from the rural inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands and published by the folklorist Alexander Carmichael in his Carmina Gadelica, a work comprising six volumes, the first
two being released in the year 1900. This was not long after Aleister Crowley had purchased Boleskine House on the southeastern shore of Loch Ness, located about a mile north of the village of Foyers, Scotland. Crowley had taken up residence in the secluded 18th century lodge in 1899 for the purpose of concentrating on his occult studies in
undisturbed solitude. If any meeting between Carmichael and Crowley ever occurred, there is no known record which mentions it. Carmichael died in 1912, and the remaining four volumes of the Carmina Gadelica were published posthumously. Volumes III & IV were edited by his grandson, James Carmichael Watson, and published in 1940 and
1941. The final two volumes being edited by Angus Matheson and were not published until 1954 and 1971.



Could Crowley have been the original creator of the Lebor Feasa Runda? It is certainly an interesting possibility!

But regardless of the ultimate origin of this work, it does a wonderful job of being what it is - a "bible" for Celtic Pagans and Druids who lean toward the Irish traditions. And as such, it matters little whether the text is 3000 years old or 3 days old; it is just as legitimate a "holy book" as any that has ever been written, since that is what holy books are - the creations of men, inspired by their visions and beliefs to write such works, be they the Tanka, the Upshanads, the New Testament, the Book of Shadows, or the Lebor Feasa Runda.

I think people are too quick to label others as charlatans because they are afraid of being played as fools. But in a sense, that is what all religions do, they tell people things that aren't true, yet they are accepted as truth because people want to believe them. As Mark Twain once said: "Faith is believing what you know ain't true." In this sense, Mr. Akins is no more a villain than men like Moses, or Mohammad, or Joseph Smith, or Gerald Gardner. He has a message that he wishes to share with others, as all these other men did, and he has done an eloquent job of sharing it. The gods and the truths that are found in the pages of the Lebor Feasa Runda, are the same gods and truths that have existed from long ago, and are still the same gods and truths accepted by many people still today.

Those who wish to condemn this book, or the man who saw fit to publish it, merely seek a scapegoat on which to lay their own fears of being played for fools; but that is what all religions do if we are willing to admit it. The only difference being that the con-men who sold the world other faiths are long since dead and buried, and thus far out of reach of the razor sharpened for the scape-goat's neck.

Rest assured, there is no crime in taking delight in fancies such as are found between the pages of any book - our lives can be greatly enhanced by them. And that is all any sacred-text is; mere words on pages, which are wisdom to some and lies to others; regardless of how ancient or how remote their origin - they are all written by the hands of men. Their divine nature lies only in their ability to inspire the minds of those who read them.

Ben

[skilly-nilly]

This afternoon I finished reading the Lebor Feasa Runda, which I purchased last week from Amazon.com shortly after having seen it advertised on Witch Vox, and I must say that as a book I throughly enjoyed reading it. While I am not convinced that it is an ancient book by any means, it is a book filled with ancient stories, retold in a way which makes them both understandable and consistant with concepts found in many Neo-Pagan traditions. In addition it also offers a highly workable system of magickal practice in the genre of Druidism, with an explicit emphasis on the Irish Celtic tradition. On the whole, the Lebor Feasa Runda does a very good job of fulfilling the role of a "sacred scripture" - something that has been woefully lacking in most Pagan traditions (Druidry in particular) that are practiced today.

I am a kind of Irish ReConstructionist and also an Evolutionist. I have never felt the lack of 'scripture' at all; there are plenty of stories for general instruction and the World Herself for 'scripture'.




While the Lebor Feasa Runda may not be a ancient pre-Christian Pagan text, it may well be a historic text, whose origins nonetheless do not ultimately lie with Akins himself.

But regardless of the ultimate origin of this work, it does a wonderful job of being what it is - a "bible" for Celtic Pagans and Druids who lean toward the Irish traditions. And as such, it matters little whether the text is 3000 years old or 3 days old; it is just as legitimate a "holy book" as any that has ever been written, since that is what holy books are - the creations of men, inspired by their visions and beliefs to write such works, be they the Tanka, the Upshanads, the New Testament, the Book of Shadows, or the Lebor Feasa Runda.

IMO, validity is not just in what you write but also in how you present it.

On the one hand, if you make up a story (or re-work a Greco-Roman myth with Irish characters) and present it as 'fiction' it can be lovely, poetic, engaging, and meaningful.

Robert Graves' 'The White Goddess', MZ Bradley's 'The Mists of Avalon', the Robert's 'Illuminatus! Trilogy' are all works of fiction which have belief followings because they are full of meaning and become important to their readers.

On the other hand, you can write a novel with the encapsulated pretence that it is a newly-discovered 'ancient' work while still marketing and presenting the book as fiction.

Michael Crichton's 'Eaters of the Dead' is a personal favourite of mine in this genre.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eaters_of_the_Dead in case it's not familiar.

On the gripping hand, if you write a fictitious 'myth' (or re-work a Greco-Roman myth with Irish characters), translate it backwards into German, and then write a cumbersome persiflage into the text about why the ancient original is missing then you're lying.
'The angel took back the golden pages and the speshul spectacles' --- not very believable.

My beef with this presentation is that it's unethical to lie and has nothing whatsoever to do with the excellence or non of the writing.

Good writing can make a lie believable, but not true.

[Ben Edair]

On the gripping hand, if you write a fictitious 'myth' (or re-work a Greco-Roman myth with Irish characters), translate it backwards into German, and then write a cumbersome persiflage into the text about why the ancient original is missing then you're lying.
'The angel took back the golden pages and the speshul spectacles' --- not very believable.

My beef with this presentation is that it's unethical to lie and has nothing whatsoever to do with the excellence or non of the writing.

Good writing can make a lie believable, but not true.

Then all religions, no matter how beautiful or meaningful their holy-books are, simply end up being lies; whether their testaments are supposedly obtained from burning-bushes, angels, or resurrected messiahs.

[skilly-nilly]

Then all religions, no matter how beautiful or meaningful their holy-books are, simply end up being lies; whether their testaments are supposedly obtained from burning-bushes, angels, or resurrected messiahs.

Sadly, you don't seem to really understand religion.

If a mystic receives what they believe to be communication from God/s/dess/desses and they report it as such to interested people/followers/their doctor then they are telling the truth about their experience even if they are in fact delusional. If someone writes a book and then misrepresents where it came from then, however lovely and inspirational the book is, they are lying.

If someone writes a personal-experience holy book and says that they heard it from the glowing mouth of god it's very difficult to argue with that statement. I can not subscribe to the presented beliefs; I can doubt their sincerity; I can question their communication but I can't really uncategorically call bull on their belief.

If, on the other hand, a person writes a book and then says that it is merely the translation of a previously translated but then lost ancient manuscript they are not bringing their belief to the table-- they are marketing. Akins makes no claims to be receiving holy communication from the Gods but executes a clever cya presentation that states he is just recovering a 'lost treasure'.

Which does not make him a prophet but instead a treasure-hunter.

[Ben Edair]

Sadly, you don't seem to really understand religion.

If a mystic receives what they believe to be communication from God/s/dess/desses and they report it as such to interested people/followers/their doctor then they are telling the truth about their experience even if they are in fact delusional. If someone writes a book and then misrepresents where it came from then, however lovely and inspirational the book is, they are lying.

If someone writes a personal-experience holy book and says that they heard it from the glowing mouth of god it's very difficult to argue with that statement. I can not subscribe to the presented beliefs; I can doubt their sincerity; I can question their communication but I can't really uncategorically call bull on their belief.

If, on the other hand, a person writes a book and then says that it is merely the translation of a previously translated but then lost ancient manuscript they are not bringing their belief to the table-- they are marketing. Akins makes no claims to be receiving holy communication from the Gods but executes a clever cya presentation that states he is just recovering a 'lost treasure'.

Which does not make him a prophet but instead a treasure-hunter.

Either way, the end result still leaves you with the fact that all religions are either the product of mad-men or liars, with the faithful followers of their offerings being perhaps the most delusional of all. In the case of the Lebor Feasa Runda, there is the distinct possibility that Akins is neither mad nor a liar, but has honestly accounted for way in which the book came into his possession. I don't see how that makes him so much a treasure-hunter, as he seems to be sharing his found treasure with those who care to partake of it, and has gone to no small trouble to do so, sticking his own neck out, as it were. I can't fault him for that.

[Xander67]

I wouldnt call him a prophet nor treasure hunter. I will call him a man who has a talent for writing and a good marketing plan.

[Ben Edair]

It is often the case with books, that the ones people most want to read are very ones other people tell them that they shouldn't.

[Seren_]

It is often the case with books, that the ones people most want to read are very ones other people tell them that they shouldn't.

I don't think anyone's telling anyone else what to do.

I do hope, though, that threads like this will give fair warning about what people are likely to get if they do decide to buy it, though.

[odubhain]

I don't think anyone's telling anyone else what to do.

I do hope, though, that threads like this will give fair warning about what people are likely to get if they do decide to buy it, though.

I intend to see that threads like this present a complete and factual review of the book rather than only opinions about it or its author. The book is not as much as I'd hoped it to be nor is it as bad as others have made it out to be IMO.

<wearing sod repelling hat>

Searles O'Dubhain

[Ben Edair]

I don't think anyone's telling anyone else what to do.

I do hope, though, that threads like this will give fair warning about what people are likely to get if they do decide to buy it, though.

Threads like this can only provide them with other people's opinions, and some ill-informed ones at that. Hopefully more people will actually wait until after having read the book to express their opinions about it; otherwise they are simply talking out of their arse.

[odubhain]

Threads like this can only provide them with other people's opinions, and some ill-informed ones at that. Hopefully more people will actually wait until after having read the book to express their opinions about it; otherwise they are simply talking out of their arse.

I think a reading and much more research is in order.

In an email with Steven Akins this morning, I inquired concerning the Ogham Talismans in the Leabhar Feasa Rúnda and asked if they existed in the Gerna pages that he'd received from Henry Thorenson's work. He replied that Thorenson's hand drawn diagrams were in the German pages in his possession. I've asked that these be scanned and sent o me. They are very similar to what I call "Name Ogham" that are shown in the Book of Ballymote's Ogham lists. I use similar Ogham talismans in my own practice.

Now, I've a kilt to pick up and a plane to catch.

Slán,

Searles O'Dubhain

[Nantonos]

So, did you get any further with this, Searles?

[odubhain]

So, did you get any further with this, Searles?

Nantonos,

I've worked on it off and on. I thought I'd placed links to the scans here, but perhaps not. I'll check and put them up again if not. Here's one image of an Ogham talisman I found after posting this:

http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?p=3788243

I've about 75% done with a complete review of the book and about 90% done with a consideration of the Ogham correspondences given in LFR. I don't plan to review the potions, polstices and other concotions it has as there are other more qualified than I to address them.

The rituals and invocations seem to echo Alexander Carmichael's work but that could just be in the free way that Akins and the others who've had their hands on the material interjected their own styles.

All in all, I find the book to be at least as good as most neoPagan, modern works on the subject. There are a lot of side issues regarding politics, social mores and views that distract from the book's authenticity and usefulness. It's not expensive to purchse and worth the differing viewpoints on tradition presented in the first part of the book and has some useful info on Ogham in the second part.

I'll target this weekend for completing my review and articles on it.

Searles O'Dubhain

[Sizzle Flambé]

I'll be happy to post the following excerpts, the first being Mr. Thorenson's German transcription, followed by my English translation of the same text.

Debunked elsewhere (http://mysticwicks.com/showpost.php?p=4038581&postcount=75): the German version is a computer translation of the English text, not vice versa.