MY Extended Essay

How W.B Yeats paid respect to his cultural heritage, reacted or rebelled against organized religion and used myths and legends throughout his poetry.
By: Jessica Michael Borchers
Word Count: 3,511


























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Abstract
In this Extended Essay the reader will be able to further understand the poetry of William Butler Yeats through the analysis of several poems, which are listed in Appendix A. In this analysis the reader will be able to understand the cultural, religious and mythological influence, which are severally apparent in a great deal of his poetry.




































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William Butler Yeats was a distinguished poet, playwright and one of the foremost figures of the 20th century. His works were influenced by Anglo-Irish myths, legends, and history. He is often noted as one of the founders of the Irish Literary Revival (the blooming of Irish literary talent in the late 19th and early 20th century, closely allied with a strong political nationalism and a revival of interest in Ireland's Celtic heritage). Having never completely agreed with the Protestant beliefs his family raised him with or the mass of the Roman Catholics which had consumed the majority of Ireland; he devoted the majority of his time to the study of spiritualism, theosophy, mysticism and magic. In order to pay respect to his cultural heritage and as a reaction or rebellion against organized religion, Yeats created poetry featuring fragments of stories and legends he heard through the oral tradition and the written word.
In the poem, “To the Rose upon the Rood of Time”, Yeats makes a great effort to share with the reader bits of his cultural heritage. “Come near me while I sing the ancient ways” makes reference to minstrels, who would sing poetry or stories of heroic deeds and disastrous “Cuchulainn battling with the bitter tide...” Cuchulainn is known by all of Ireland as one of the greatest warriors in Irish folklore. In this poem he is pictured fighting in one of his many extraordinary battles. The story goes that Cuchulainn was the nephew and foster son of King Conor of Emania. His original name was Setanta. He obtained the name Cuchulainn, which means the “hound of Chulainn”, through killing the hound that watched over a man’s house and until he could pay to replace the one he killed he would be the guard “hound”. According to myth, he died on the battlefield, as the way of heroes. With this poem Yeats communicates his knowledge of the great hero’s history and battles. He is allowing the
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reader to visualize the actions of this conqueror and acquire bits and pieces of his Irish customs.
In order to expand the readers’ knowledge of his cultural heritage, Yeats included a fragment of Irish folktales. “The Druid grey, wood-nurtured, quiet-eyed...” The Druids are members of an order of priests in ancient Gavland Britain who appear in Celtic legends as prophets and sorcerers. The Druids instructed young men, oversaw sacrifices, judged quarrels, and decreed penalties; they were exempt from warfare and paid no tribute. They studied ancient verse, natural philosophy, astronomy and religious lore; their principal doctrine was belief in the immortality of the soul and the transmigration of souls. They sometimes practiced human sacrifice to cure gravely ill people or protect warriors in battle.
In “To the Rose Upon the Rood of Time”, Yeats secretly includes his reaction or rebellion of organized religions. Having never truly agreed with his families Protestant beliefs nor influenced by the Roman Catholic beliefs which have conquered much of Ireland, Yeats was a lone wolf in a clan of hundreds. In line seventeen of this poem “And heavy mortal hopes that toil and pass” Yeats does not mention the mortal hopes passing to heaven or to hell. All he says is that they pass, but nothing of where they go after they pass. The reason for this could be that he encourages his readers to have their own interpretations and therefore allowing a little more leniency in the religious perspective. This shows the reader his rebellion against religion in a very subtly with his by refusal to settle with one single religion and willingness to be unbiased .
In the poem “The Hosting of the Sidhe”, in line one “The Host is riding from Knocknare (a)”, Knocknare (a) is the mountain that dominates the landscape to the west
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of Sligo town in County Sligo, Ireland. Yeats would know about this having been raised in a County Sligo family in Ireland. He mentions this out of cultural respect.
In “The Hosting of the Sidhe”, although he fails to mention a word of religion, the very ignoring of organized religion is in itself a reaction against it. Religion does not hold a great importance in his life. He therefore can justify to need to or to not to place religion as a major theme in his poetry.
Niamh is mentioned in line four “And Niamh calling Away, come away”. Niamh is most remembered for nursing Cuchulainn and later becoming one of his many mistresses according to celtic mythology. She is also the lover of Oisin (a poet and warrior). He is lured to Tír Na nÓg (land of youth) by Niamh, where he spends hundreds of years. This communicates Yeats’ ability to tie the stories he had heard as a child into works of poetry.
Caolte (Caílte) is also referred to in this poem, in line sixteen, “Caolte tossing his burning hair”. Here Caolte (Caílte) or Caolte Mac Rónáin is nephew of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, famous for his fleetness of foot. Caílte is a steward for Fionn and once helps him catch two of every kind of wild animal when Gráinne asks for them (similar to the Christian story of Noah’s Ark). Caílte kills giants. He is a reciter of tales and poems. He is also a favored minstrel for an evening's entertainment. Again this information lets the reader to envision Yeats’ vast awareness of stories told in through the written word or in speech.
“The Stolen Child” tells of faeries (fairies), in lines 11, 26, 40 and 52 “With a faery, hand in hand”, attempting to convince a child that he would be better off living with them in the fairy world. It is known throughout Ireland that a faery is a mischievous,
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tiny being containing magical powers and they often replace healthy, human children with their own sickly, lame child.
“Where dips the rocky highland-Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,-There lies a leafy island” This is a description of County Sligo (also known as Yeats Country, because it is where Yeats gathered inspiration for his poetry) In County Sligo, in the west coast province of Connacht, “every stone and hill has its own unique, often bloody, story to tell. Here one can literally trace the dramatic tendrils of our nation, from mythological origins through a turbulent history to a modern nation.”(8)
In “The Stolen Child”, Yeats shares some of his religious heritage through lines fifty and fifty-one, “For he comes the human child; To the waters and the wild”. These lines depict the human child as Jesus Christ and Jesus is being called to the water by the faeries who represent John the Baptist, who baptizes Jesus Christ in the river. This is significant because by showing the audience these images he is communicating his knowledge of the Catholic faith..
“The Stolen Child” tells of faeries (fairies), in lines eleven, twenty-six, forty and fifty-two, “With a faery, hand in hand”, attempting to convince a child that he would be better off living with them in the fairy world. It is known throughout Ireland that a faery is a mischievous, tiny being containing magical powers and they often replace healthy, human children with their own sickly, lame child. This baby fairy that is left behind is called a changeling. No luck will come to a family in which there is a changeling because the creature drains away all the good fortune which would normally attend the household.
In “The Secret Rose”, Yeats mentions the Druids once again in line eleven, “In Druid vapour and walking among the flaming dew”. Yeats mentioned the Druids in a
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previous poem, showing the reader that he is knowledgeable in Irish mythology and in his heritage. It is widely known in Ireland they the Druids are sorcerers and prophets, so to say “In Druid vapour...” implies that there is a magical mist in the air, making his allusion of Druids accurate to Irish myth.
Yeats features several parts of his religious beliefs placed upon him at a young age. Line nine says, “Of the crowned Magi”. The Magi is one of the three wise men depicted in the story of the birth of Christ. The magi were not only wise men but many were kings and priests as well. The word Magi is Latin. It is the plural term for magus, magician or sorcerer. In line three, “who sought the Holy Sepulcher...” the Holy Sepulcher is the rock cave in Jerusalem where, according to early tradition, Jesus Christ was buried and rose from the dead. Line ten said, “Saw the pierced hands and the Rood of elder rise,” depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which is an extremely important factor in the biblical story of Jesus. He died for the sins of everyone and was resurrected to say they were forgiven. This is important because it shows how Yeats shared his own religious knowledge with his readers in spite of the fact that he did not necessarily believe in them.
Yeats put these lines in his poem because although he did not believe them, he felt he had the right to share his knowledge of religion with the reader, in order to influence their beliefs by including his own heritage of the Protestant religion inside of his work.
In “The Secret Rose”, there are a few story fragments taken from Irish mythology. One located in the line fifteen, “And lost the world and Emer for a kiss”, tells of Emer who is the wife of Cuchulainn. She is also the possessor of the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, voice, sweet speech, skill in needle work, wisdom, and chastity. This is
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significant because it shows the audience his ability to transform the legends he has heard into poetry which can be easily understood by the reader and influence them to further research the stories.
Another story fragment found in this poem is in line thirteen, “Who met Faud walking among flaming dew...” Faud is a weak, helpless person. She is usually depicted as the wife of Monannan mac Lis and as a lover of Cuchulainn. Yeats chooses to include this fragment in order to allude to its irony with in the poem.
It is ironic that Yeats chose to use these to people from myth in the same poem, given that they are enemies. The feud between them gets so bad that Emer plans to kill Faud because Faud and Cuchulainn have done nothing but make love for an entire month and out of jealousy. Emer is jealous of Faud because, she’s not receiving love and attention from her husband; it’s going to Faud and a few other lovers instead. However, ultimately Emer doesn’t have the heart to kill Faud. Faud really cares for Cuchulainn and Emer realizes this. She even offers to let Faud have him; however Faud intern realizes that Emer loves him so much that she would rather let someone else have him than inflict pain on him with the death of his lover, so she breaks it off with him. Monannan shook his magic cloak between Cuchulainn and Faud, ensuring the two would never meet again. Then, Cuchulainn and Faud drank a potion to erase their memories of the entire affair.
In the poem “The Harp of Aengus”, mentions “Aengus” who is widely known in Ireland as the son of Dagda and Boann. He is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann (a race of gods or demigods who defeated the Fomorians and ruled Ireland during a golden age) and is a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration.

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In line one “Edain came out of Midhir’s hill and lay” tells of Edain (Etain) the beautiful queen of the Tuatha De Danann in Ulster, and a superb horsewoman. Irish folk know that she is turned into a butterfly by Midhir’s wife (Fuamnach), because was crazy with jealousy over her husband loving Edain. The alternate name for her is Epona. She is known as the protector of horses, donkeys, and mules. She is also a goddess of fertility. Many sets of religious beliefs have Edain depicted as a deity, demon, or angel whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the afterlife, with her many horses. Aengus’ half brother/ foster father Midhir is also mentioned in the poem in that same line. Midhir was a faery prince. After his people were defeated by the Milesians they all moved the sidhe (the fairy hills). It is known throughout Ireland that Midhir married Edain, while he was still married to Fuamnach angering her and unleashing her wrath on Edain. “She turns Edain into a butterfly. Midir then throws Fuamnach out. Edain then flies into the mouth of a queen; nine months later, the queen gives birth to the human Edain. She falls in love with King Eochad Airem and marries him. They have a daughter named Edain, who bears a striking resemblance to her mother. All this time, Midir has searched for Edain. Finally he found her at Eochad's castle. Edain now realizes who she really is, and wants to return to the Hollow Hills. However, Eochad is devastated, and refuses to let her go. Midir challenges him to a game of chess (in Irish, the game is fidchell, which is similar to chess). Eochad looses, and Midir leaves. However, Eochad sends his troops out after them and captures them. Back at the castle, Midir transforms all the attending women into the likeness of Edain--even the daughter Edain--and tells Eochad to pick the true Edain. If he does so, Midir will never return to bother him. Eochad makes his choice, takes her to the bedroom, and sleeps with her while Midir
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leaves--with the real Edain. Unfortunately for Eochad, he picked his own daughter, on whom he now committed incest. Midir and Edain return home to be together forever.” (9)
In the poem “The Harp of Aengus”, there are several fragments from different Irish legends. There’s the obvious one, “Aengus”. He is the son of Dagda and Boann. He is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann (a race of gods or demigods who defeated the Fomorians and ruled Ireland during a golden age) and is a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration.
His half brother/ foster father Midhir is also mentioned in the poem, in line one, “Edain came out of Midhir’s hill and lay....” They Aengus and Midhir have a close relationship, given that their father cheated on the other’s mother.
In that very same line of the poem lays another legend fragment, Edain. She is the beautiful queen of the Tuatha De Danann in Ulster, and a superb horsewoman. She is turned into a butterfly by Midhir’s wife (Fuamnach), who was crazy with jealousy over her husband loving another woman. An alternate name for her is Epona. She is known as the protector of horses, donkeys, and mules. She is also a goddess of fertility. Many sets of religious beliefs have Edain depicted as a deity, demon, or angel whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the afterlife, with her many horses.
The poem “Leda and the Swan”, tells the story if Leda. She is wife of king Tyndareus, of Sparta and the mother of many noble children, including the famous beauty Helen (was originally married to Menelaus, then abducted by Paris and taken to Troy. Her abduction was responsible for the Trojan War), the heroine Clytemnestra, and the twins Castor and Polydeuces (known as the Dioscuri, they are often identified with the constellation Gemini (the Twins). They were commonly regarded as protectors of
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sailors, to whom they appeared during storms as the lights of St Elmo's fire.). However, Tyndareus is not the father of all these children. It is said that Zeus disguised himself as a swan as a means of wooing Leda, it worked (supposedly). They made love to one another, on the same night that Leda and Tyndareus did. Many claim that Helen is the daughter of Zeus because of her beauty and Polydeuces is the son of Zeus, while his twin, Castor the son of Tyndareus. Clytemnestra is the daughter of Tyndareus as well.
The swan is the representation of the Grecian God, Zeus. Zeus was the celestial god of thunder and lightning. He is also the principal god of the Greek pantheon, ruler of the heavens, and father of other gods and mortal heroes. He was a very devious god. He had many children with goddess and mortals alike.
In this poem Yeats demonstrates that his vast knowledge of Western Literary history does not only pertain to Ireland but also Greece. By depicting an actual myth from Greek tradition Yeats postulates a cultural understanding, shown through the swan/Zeus character. Due to Zeus’s deviant behavior and need for sexual pleasure, he is often pictured as another form (such as a swan) in order to perpetrate his conquest over the female species. Yeats, therefore, made a clear picture for the audience of how Zeus is commonly shown in Greek mythology.
In the poem “Leda and the Swan”, the swan is the representation of the Grecian God, Zeus. Zeus was the celestial god of thunder and lightning. He is also the principal god of the Greek pantheon, ruler of the heavens, and father of other gods and mortal heroes. He was a very devious god. He had many children with goddess and mortals alike. He used his powers of seduction to lure many women. This shows Yeats’ toleration of other religions. Also in line seven, “how can body lain in that white rush”, the rush,
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which means water or river, is the recognition of a rebirth through the laying of Leda. Meaning, Leda has been reborn because of her sexual experience with the swan.
In the poem “Leda and the Swan”, there are more mythological allusions however these allusions are of Greek mythology. Leda is wife of king Tyndareus, of Sparta. She was the mother to many noble children; including the famous beauty Helen (was originally married to Menelaus, then abducted by Paris and taken to Troy. Her abduction was responsible for the Trojan War), the heroine Clytemnestra (married Agamemnon king of Mycenae and became the mother of Iphigeneia (or Iphianassa), Chrysothemis, Electra (or Laodicē), and Orestes) the twins Castor and Polydeuces (the pair, incidentally, were also known as the Dioscuri. The Dioscuri are often identified with the constellation Gemini (the Twins). They were commonly regarded as protectors of sailors, to whom they appeared during storms as the lights of St Elmo's fire.). However, Tyndareus is not the father of all these children.
Clytemnestra’s husband, Agamemnon, is mentioned in line eleven, “And Agamemnon dead.” This fragment is deals with the story of Agamemnon’s death. During Agamemnon's absence in the Trojan War, Clytemnestra took Aegisthus as a lover and upon Agamemnon's return with Cassandra, his Trojan concubine, she killed them both.
It is said that Zeus disguised himself as a swan as a means of wooing Leda, it worked (supposedly). They made love to one another, on the same night that Leda and Tyndareus did. Many claimed that Helen was born from an egg (making Zeus her father) and Polydeuces (who could have been born out of the same egg as Helen) is the son of Zeus, while his twin, Castor the son of Tyndareus. Clytemnestra is the daughter of Tyndareus as well. (Castor and Clytemnestra could have been born from an egg as well).
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The swan is the representation of the Grecian God, Zeus. Zeus was the celestial god of thunder and lightning. He is also the principal god of the Greek pantheon, ruler of the heavens, and father of other gods and mortal heroes. He was a very devious god. He had many children with goddess and mortals alike. He used his powers of seduction to lure many women. Often tricking them into making love by transforming himself into things they liked, for instance a swan. Zeus’ ability to shape shift into things makes him the ultimate temptation for women.
By Yeats including this Greek myth, he shows the reader that he has appreciation for other cultures and their mythological history. By depicting an actual myth from the Greek culture and Yeats created a new boundary of cultural understanding.
William Butler Yeats was a powerful writer combining an immense knowledge of Irish, Biblical, and Grecian verse with his own depictions, Yeats is largely responsible for convincing the world that the Irish are not illiterate drunken bums. Yeats has created some of the best poetry know to man. Each of his poems has something extraordinary to contribute to the reader, whether it be through insight to his cultural heritage, his rebellion against religion, or parts of magnificent tales of heroic or dastardly deeds, Yeats created his poetry to inspire the reader to take interest and attempt to understand the importance of culture in their own lives. He encourages the reader to research their own heritage and question their own religious beliefs all throughout is poetry.




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Appendix A
The Following Poems are all written by W.B. Yeats and analyzed within this essay:
 To the Rose Upon the Rood Of Time
 The Hosting of the Sidhe
 The Stolen Child
 The Secret Rose
 The Harp of Aengus
 Leda and the Swan