My... Romeo and Juliet are... Deirdre & Naoise

Romeo and Juliet mean nothing to me, I don't feel the connection between these two children and only see teenagers who just met. A bad idea getting out of hand, a too quick response. Death as the result af a wrongly executed plan. I understand the spirit of the times, but it just feels to me like something is missing.

The true love couple for me is found in Irish mythology.

As far as can be traced back, the story would have been told around the year 100. The warning at the birth of a girl that she will bring disaster on a king(dom), results in her being punished by being raised in isolation away from her fellow human beings.

A. Roland Holst wrote the book 'Deirde and the Sons of Uisneach' (1916), a story based on this mythology. For me, Deirdre, the girl who grew up in seclusion, and Naoise, Uisneach's eldest son, symbolize true love.

The myth is over 1,900 years old and the symbol of their love, two intertwined trees, can still be found in Irish culture and beyond.

And when Deirdre looks out from her lonely tower over the deserted plain, she sees a raven pecking at something. The blood stands out against the white sand.
She says she wants a man with raven black hair and this turns out to be Uisneach's eldest son. It is love at first sight when the three sons of Uisneach knock on the door to find shelter against the storm. A door that must remain closed until the king arrives to collect Deirdre to 'marry' her. A decision made by the king who has felt threatened by her since her birth.

In both myth and this book, Deirdre and Naoise remain together in exile and struggle for better or for worse. How often do we see, that true love or at least loyalty, faithfulness to a person, pronounced doom, is cursed by third parties? Family, society force lovers, innocents, to live in fear and give up their dreams and true love.

The book by A. Roland Holst, a symbolist, is prose and belongs to Dutch literature. I suspect that the current student no longer reads it.

When Naoise eventually dies, after being trapped again and again and sent to the battlefield by a jealous king, Deirdre does not surrender, submits to the murderous king who sees her as a threat and his downfall.

In the myth, Deirdre hangs her head from the battle chariot and it splits against the rocks. In the Dutch publication, Deirdre, who has the 3rd eye and therefore the gift of foreseeing disaster, ends the hunt for her by walking into the sea. Just like we know from the original story of the little mermaid, she turns into sea foam.

A Dutch expression is: being the foam (scum) of the earth.

Over the years, the emotional value of words has changed, just like the symbolism. Indeed I am a child of the spirit of the times in which I was born. This in combination with my rough childhood is certainly the reason why this Irish love story is my symbol of true love. The fact this couple found each other in a hostile world in war is more than just a coincidence. These two rather go down fighting than let go of each other's hand. This is what true love is about, fighting for your love, belief instead of drama and manipulative behaviour by taking a sleep liquid. Character makes a huge difference and so does the culture we are raised with.

Aspects of the love story of Deirdre and Naoise can also be found in my life, beliefs and stories as in my comment and Dream Steem Travel On The Road - No partner offers where at the end of the story the main character feels attracted to the tree after she recognizes herself saying that woman is me and nexts waits for the soulmate to free her.

I am aware that symbolism and literature are not food for thought for everyone.

This story deeply touched me as a teenager. When I see intertwined trees, I think of this loving couple how two souls intertwine in the network, a web spun by others still united and faithful for eternity.

When the sea rustles and I see its foam, I think of a strong, courageous woman who fought side by side on the battlefield, wars started by others out of envy and rage, with her lover.
Deirdre symbolizes the strong, militant woman. She is not someone who allows herself to be treated as a slave and refuses to choose the path of least resistance out of fear, laziness or convenience.

The myth of Deirdre runs like a red thread through the lives of me and my children. And I hope that my Deirdre and Naoise will always find each other in their struggle for the right to a loving life in a world full of hatred, envy and misunderstanding.

If you made it this far, thank you for trying to read me. I'm fine if you do not leave a long #comment

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29-3-2024
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