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| {{Short description|Mythical ancestor of the Gaels}} | |||
| '''Scota''', in ] and pseudohistory, was an ] princess to whom the ] traced their ancestry, explaining the name '']'', applied by the ] to Irish raiders, and later to the Irish invaders of ] and ] which became known as ]. | |||
| {{Distinguish|Scotta}} | |||
| {{EngvarB|date=November 2013}} | |||
| {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} | |||
| ] | |||
| According to the early Irish ] '']'' she was the daughter of an unnamed ], but see below. She married ], son of ], a ] who travelled to ] after the collapse of the ]. Nel was a scholar of languages, and was invited by the pharaoh to Egypt and given Scota's hand in marriage. They had a son, ], the eponymous ancestor of the Gaels, who created the ] by combining the best features of the 72 languages then in existence. | |||
| In medieval Irish and Scottish ], '''Scota''' is the daughter of an ] ] and ancestor of the ].<ref name="Lennon">{{cite book |last1=Lennon |first1=Joseph |title=Irish Orientalism: A Literary and Intellectual History |date=2008 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=9780815631644 |pages=11–12, 36 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nnbRKOsmyJIC&q=scota&pg=PR9 |access-date=14 June 2018 |language=en}}</ref> She is said to be ] of their ] name '']'', but historians say she (and her alleged ancestors and spouses) was purely ] and was created to explain the name and to fit the Gaels into a historical narrative.<ref name="Lennon"/><ref name="ohogain">{{cite book |last=Ó hÓgáin |first=Dáithí |title=Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition |publisher=Prentice Hall Press |year=1991 |pages=296–297}}</ref> | |||
| Goídel (or his son ]) was expelled from Egypt shortly after the ] of the ] by a pharaoh. ] Irish chronicler ] names Intuir. After much travelling his descendants settled in ] (or ] - modern ] and ]), where ] was born, and it was the ], ] and ], who established the Gaelic presence in Ireland. | |||
| ==Early sources== | |||
| According to ] in his book ''The Story of the Irish Race'', Scota married Niul, but he was the grandson of Gaodhal Glas. Then another Scota, who was coincidentally also a daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh, married Miled (or Milesius). This second Scota left Iberia with her eight sons and their families, after Miled died, and headed for Ireland. Many of the sons died en route, due to a storm, and Queen Scota died during the battle between the Milesians and the De Danann. | |||
| ] voyaging from ], as depicted in a 15th-century manuscript of the ''Scotichronicon'' of ]; in this version Scota and Goídel Glas (Latinized as Gaythelos) are wife and husband.]] | |||
| ] traced the first mention of Scota in literature to the 12th century.<ref>Cowan, E. J. ''Myth and Identity in Early Medieval Scotland''. '']'' ixiii, No. 176 (Oct. 1984). pp.111–135.</ref> Scota appears in the Irish chronicle '']'', in a ] of the '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/lebor1.html |title=Lebor Gabála Érenn}}</ref> The 9th-century '']'' contains the earliest surviving version of the Lebor Gabala Erenn story (centred on an unnamed ]), but this earliest version does not mention Scota even indirectly.<ref>{{citation|last1=Dumville|first1=David|title=Some aspects of the chronology of the Historia Brittonum|journal=Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies|date=1974|volume=25|issue=4|pages=439–445}}</ref> | |||
| The ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' states that Scota was the mother of ], the eponymous ancestor of the Gaels. This Scota was the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh named Cingris, a likely reference to Pharaoh Chenchres from the of ] (who is called ] in Egyptian records). She marries Goidel's father ], son of ] (the inventor of letters and legendary ancestor of the Phoenicians). | |||
| ==Theories as to Parentage== | |||
| Other sources say that Scota was the daughter of Pharaoh ] of Egypt and his wife ], and was the wife of Míl and the mother of Eber and Eremon. Míl had given Neferhotep military aid against ancient ] and was given Scota in marriage as a reward for his services. Writing in 1571, ] named the pharaoh ]; Keating named him ] or Forann. | |||
| It is also possible that the word SCOTI comes from the history of the Milisians who settled for a time in the land of the Sythians and married scythian women before sailing to Iberia and later to Ireland. The greek name was scythian but their name for themselves was SCOTI | |||
| Niul son of Fénius returns to ] as part of an effort to study the ]. He is a scholar of languages and is invited by Pharaoh Cingris to Egypt to take Scota's hand in marriage. Scota and Niul's son, Goídel, who was saved by a prayer from ] after being bitten by a snake, is said to have created the ] by combining the best features of the 72 languages then in existence. In Fordun's early Scottish version, Gaythelos, as he calls Goídel Glas, is the son of "a certain king of the countries of Greece, Neolus, or Heolaus, by name", who was exiled to Egypt and took service with the Pharaoh, marrying Pharaoh's daughter Scota. The ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' describes him as a ]n, yet the famed Irish genealogist ] notes that Niul's father was a Phoenician, the brother of the legendary ].<ref>O'Hart, John. ''Irish Pedigrees; or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation.'' 1892. Page 9</ref> | |||
| ==Sources== | |||
| *'']'' | |||
| *], ''Forus Feasa ar Éirinn'' | |||
| * Seumas MacManus, ''The Story of the Irish Race'' (February 1970 The Devin-Adair Company New York) | |||
| * Seumas MacManus, ''The Story of the Irish Race'' (1990 edition printed by Wings Books) | |||
| * ], ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' (1616-1636 Donegal) | |||
| * Aidan Dodson, ''Monarchs of the Nile'' (1995) | |||
| Other twelfth-century sources state that Scota was the wife of Geytholos (Goídel Glas), rather than his mother, and was the founder of the ] and ] after they were exiled from Egypt.<ref>Matthews, William. "The Egyptians in Scotland: the Political History of a Myth". '']'' 1 (1970). pp.289–306.</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| Other manuscripts of the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' contain a legend of a Scotia who was the wife of Goidel's descendant ] of ancient ]. This ] is a famous landmark in Munster.<ref>MacKillop, James. ''A dictionary of Celtic mythology''. Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 330.</ref> | |||
| The Gaels, known in Gaelic as ''Goídel'' and in Latin as ''Scoti'', are said to be named after Goidel and Scota. However, historians say they were characters created to explain the names and to fit the Gaels into a historical narrative.<ref name="ohogain"/><ref name="Lennon"/> | |||
| ==Scota and the Stone of Scone== | |||
| {{main|Stone of Scone}} | |||
| ] is credited with being the first to connect the ] with the Scota foundation legends in his 1301 work ''Processus'', putting forward an argument that Scotland, not Ireland, was where the original Scota homeland lay.<ref>]. ''The Irish identity of the kingdom of the Scots in the 12th and 13th centuries''. Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 1999, p. 120.</ref> | |||
| Bisset wanted to legitimize a Scottish (as opposed to English) accession to the throne when ] died in 1286. At his coronation in 1249, Alexander himself heard his royal genealogy recited generations back to Scota. Bisset attempted to legitimize a Scottish accession by highlighting Scota's importance as the transporter of the ] from ], during ] of ], to Scotland. In 1296, the Stone was captured by ] and taken to ]. In 1323, ] used Bisset's legend connecting Scota to the Stone in an attempt to return it to ] in Scotland.<ref>McMullan, Gordon and David Matthews. ''Reading the medieval in early modern England''. Cambridge University Press, 2007, p. 109.</ref> | |||
| The 15th-century English chronicler ] later attempted to debunk Bisset's claims.<ref>Carley, James P. ''Glastonbury Abbey and the Arthurian tradition''. Boydell & Brewer, 2001, p. 275 ff.</ref> | |||
| ==Later sources== | |||
| ]'s ''Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland'' and ]'s '']'' (1385) are sources of the Scota legends, alongside Thomas Grey's '']'' (1362). ]'s 16th-century '']'' ("History of the Scottish People") also mentions the Scota foundation myth. | |||
| ]'s 15th-century '']'' included the first illustrations of the legends. The 16th-century writer ] included the story of Scota in his ''Historia Gentis Scotorum'', and ] made a verse translation in the ] for the Scottish royal court.<ref>William Turnbull, </ref> | |||
| ==Scota's Grave== | |||
| ] | |||
| "Scota's Grave"<ref>{{cite web |title=Scota's Grave |url=http://www.logainm.ie/en/1415138 |website=] |access-date=4 January 2023}}</ref> or "]" is a rock feature in Gleann Scoithín or 'Glenscoheen', south of ] in ], Ireland. According to the ], "Following a site inspection in 1999 it was concluded that the evidence was not sufficient to warrant accepting this as an archaeological monument".<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Environment Viewer |url=https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment/ |website=] |access-date=4 January 2023}}</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| {{Gaels|state=collapsed}} | |||
| {{Celtic mythology (Mythological)|state=collapsed}} | |||
| {{Celtic mythology (Scottish)|state=collapsed}} | |||
| {{Given name|Scota|nocat}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Scota}} | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 04:25, 14 June 2024
Mythical ancestor of the Gaels Not to be confused with Scotta.
In medieval Irish and Scottish legend, Scota is the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh and ancestor of the Gaels. She is said to be the origin of their Latin name Scoti, but historians say she (and her alleged ancestors and spouses) was purely mythological and was created to explain the name and to fit the Gaels into a historical narrative.
Early sources
Edward J. Cowan traced the first mention of Scota in literature to the 12th century. Scota appears in the Irish chronicle Book of Leinster, in a redaction of the Lebor Gabála Érenn. The 9th-century Historia Brittonum contains the earliest surviving version of the Lebor Gabala Erenn story (centred on an unnamed Goídel Glas), but this earliest version does not mention Scota even indirectly.
The Lebor Gabála Érenn states that Scota was the mother of Goidel Glas, the eponymous ancestor of the Gaels. This Scota was the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh named Cingris, a likely reference to Pharaoh Chenchres from the kings list of Jerome (who is called Akenkheres in Egyptian records). She marries Goidel's father Niul, son of Fénius Farsaid (the inventor of letters and legendary ancestor of the Phoenicians).
Niul son of Fénius returns to Babylon as part of an effort to study the confusion of languages. He is a scholar of languages and is invited by Pharaoh Cingris to Egypt to take Scota's hand in marriage. Scota and Niul's son, Goídel, who was saved by a prayer from Moses after being bitten by a snake, is said to have created the Gaelic language by combining the best features of the 72 languages then in existence. In Fordun's early Scottish version, Gaythelos, as he calls Goídel Glas, is the son of "a certain king of the countries of Greece, Neolus, or Heolaus, by name", who was exiled to Egypt and took service with the Pharaoh, marrying Pharaoh's daughter Scota. The Lebor Gabála Érenn describes him as a Scythian, yet the famed Irish genealogist John O'Hart notes that Niul's father was a Phoenician, the brother of the legendary Cadmus.
Other twelfth-century sources state that Scota was the wife of Geytholos (Goídel Glas), rather than his mother, and was the founder of the Scots and Gaels after they were exiled from Egypt.
Other manuscripts of the Lebor Gabála Érenn contain a legend of a Scotia who was the wife of Goidel's descendant Míl Espáine of ancient Iberia. This Scotia's Grave is a famous landmark in Munster.
The Gaels, known in Gaelic as Goídel and in Latin as Scoti, are said to be named after Goidel and Scota. However, historians say they were characters created to explain the names and to fit the Gaels into a historical narrative.
Scota and the Stone of Scone
Main article: Stone of SconeBaldred Bisset is credited with being the first to connect the Stone of Scone with the Scota foundation legends in his 1301 work Processus, putting forward an argument that Scotland, not Ireland, was where the original Scota homeland lay.
Bisset wanted to legitimize a Scottish (as opposed to English) accession to the throne when Alexander III of Scotland died in 1286. At his coronation in 1249, Alexander himself heard his royal genealogy recited generations back to Scota. Bisset attempted to legitimize a Scottish accession by highlighting Scota's importance as the transporter of the Stone of Scone from Ancient Egypt, during the Exodus of Moses, to Scotland. In 1296, the Stone was captured by Edward I of England and taken to Westminster Abbey. In 1323, Robert the Bruce used Bisset's legend connecting Scota to the Stone in an attempt to return it to Scone Abbey in Scotland.
The 15th-century English chronicler John Hardyng later attempted to debunk Bisset's claims.
Later sources
Andrew of Wyntoun's Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland and John of Fordun's Chronica Gentis Scotorum (1385) are sources of the Scota legends, alongside Thomas Grey's Scalacronica (1362). Hector Boece's 16th-century Historia Gentis Scotorum ("History of the Scottish People") also mentions the Scota foundation myth.
Walter Bower's 15th-century Scotichronicon included the first illustrations of the legends. The 16th-century writer Hector Boece included the story of Scota in his Historia Gentis Scotorum, and William Stewart made a verse translation in the Scots language for the Scottish royal court.
Scota's Grave
"Scota's Grave" or "Scotia's Grave" is a rock feature in Gleann Scoithín or 'Glenscoheen', south of Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. According to the National Monuments Service, "Following a site inspection in 1999 it was concluded that the evidence was not sufficient to warrant accepting this as an archaeological monument".
See also
References
- ^ Lennon, Joseph (2008). Irish Orientalism: A Literary and Intellectual History. Syracuse University Press. pp. 11–12, 36. ISBN 9780815631644. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí (1991). Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition. Prentice Hall Press. pp. 296–297.
- Cowan, E. J. Myth and Identity in Early Medieval Scotland. Scottish Historical Review ixiii, No. 176 (Oct. 1984). pp.111–135.
- "Lebor Gabála Érenn".
- Dumville, David (1974), "Some aspects of the chronology of the Historia Brittonum", Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, 25 (4): 439–445
- O'Hart, John. Irish Pedigrees; or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation. 1892. Page 9
- Matthews, William. "The Egyptians in Scotland: the Political History of a Myth". Viator 1 (1970). pp.289–306.
- MacKillop, James. A dictionary of Celtic mythology. Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 330.
- Broun, Dauvit. The Irish identity of the kingdom of the Scots in the 12th and 13th centuries. Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 1999, p. 120.
- McMullan, Gordon and David Matthews. Reading the medieval in early modern England. Cambridge University Press, 2007, p. 109.
- Carley, James P. Glastonbury Abbey and the Arthurian tradition. Boydell & Brewer, 2001, p. 275 ff.
- William Turnbull, Buik of the Croniclis of Scotland, vol. 1 (London, 1858), pp. 8-16
- "Scota's Grave". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- "Historical Environment Viewer". National Monuments Service. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
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