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Pop quiz: What do the Irish hero Cú Chulainn, the Irish god Lugh, King Arthur, and Halley’s Comet all have in common?
Turns out they all might be the same thing.
Or rather, the aforementioned mythological heroes may all have started out as representations of the same celestial body.
First proposed by Irish professor and dendrochronology expert Mike Baillie, the theory holds that a 6th-century CE dip in global temperatures, as revealed in tree-ring chronologies from across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, was caused by a close encounter with a comet, which in turn inspired stories of fierce, fiery heroes.
More specifically, the tree-rings point to two consecutive but potentially related dips in global temperatures, one in 536 CE and the second starting around 540 CE.
Baillie, after failing to find ample historical evidence for what would have been a cataclysmic event for earth’s inhabitants, turned, reluctantly, to mythology.
And lo and behold, which well-known figure is said to have fallen in battle right around that time, in either 537, 539, or 542 CE? The legendary King Arthur.
Indeed, the 10th-century Welsh manuscript Annales Cambriae includes an entry for the year 537 describing the “strife of Camlann, in which Arthur and Medraut fell, and there was great mortality in Britain and Ireland.”
Hmmm.
From here, Baillie draws a direct line to the Irish hero Cú Chulainn, the hound of Culann a.k.a. the Hound of Ulster, whom some scholars believe was the original inspiration for King Arthur.
Baillie points to descriptions of Cú Chulainn’s physical appearance as evidence of his cosmic connection.
Specifically, the hero is said to have three distinct styles of hair that flow behind him in three long shining coils.
And during battle, when Cú Chulainn goes into berserker mode, one of his eyeballs bulges out of his head and blood squirts everywhere and the blood forms a mist in the air.
Hmmm.
From here, Baillie connects the dots to Lugh, Cú Chulainn’s biological father. Although the latter is often said to be a reincarnation of the former.
Lugh is Irish mythology’s original hero who famously leads the Tuatha Dé Dannan, the Irish gods, in battle against the oppressive Fomorians.
Given his shiny appearance—the “radiance of his face and forehead” is so great that the Fomorians are unable to gaze upon him—some scholars have interpreted Lugh as a sun god.
But considering Lugh “rises” in the West and travels East to save the day, and not the other way around, Baillie proposes an alternative:
Lugh doesn’t represent the sun. Just like Arthur and Cú Chulainn, he represents a comet. The fact that Lugh’s most common epithet is “of the long arm” or “long throw” is—in Baillie’s estimation—further evidence of this point.
And while Baillie doesn’t specify which comet in particular these mythological characters are representations of, he does specify that this hypothetical comet did not impact the Earth directly (you probably wouldn’t be here right now if that had happened). Instead, this Camelot-conceiving comet would have passed by very close to the Earth sometime in the 530s, leaving behind a trail of atmosphere-altering debris.
Now, it just so happens that a very well-known comet went whizzing by our pale blue dot around the year 530:
No, the timing doesn’t work out perfectly for a nuclear-winter-type event in the year 536 and another starting in 540, but, I mean, come on: the dates are pretty freakin’ close.
So should we chalk it up to coincidence that Halley’s Comet passed by just a few short years before?
Research scientist and submarine impact crater expert Dallas Abbott, for one, doesn’t think so.
According to Abbott, those tree rings anomalies first observed by Baillie weren’t caused by some cometary dusting in the upper atmosphere. Instead, she argues that a chunk of Halley’s comet broke off during its 530 CE fly-by, eventually finding its way to earth and crashing into the ocean in 536.
So, case closed, right? Lugh and Cú Chulainn and King Arthur were all inspired by Halley’s Comet, a chunk of which, or, perhaps, a couple chunks of which, smashed into the ocean, one in 536 and another around 540, causing a global drop in temperatures and widespread crop failures, thus making Europe more susceptible to the so-called Justinian’s plague of the 540s, which was the first recorded emergence of the bubonic plague or Black Death.
The pieces all fit. The science. The history. The mythology.
So, really, there’s no need to peel back the layers of this celestial onion any further…
Just kidding. That’s exactly what we’re going to do in part 2.
Want to learn about the darker side of Irish mythology? Check out…
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Irish Monsters in Your Pocket
In the Ireland of myth and legend, “spooky season” is every season. Spirits roam the countryside, hovering above the bogs. Werewolves lope through forests under full moons. Dragons lurk beneath the waves. Granted, there’s no denying that Samhain (Halloween’s Celtic predecessor) tends to bring out some of the island’s biggest, baddest monsters. Prepare yourself for (educational) encounters with Irish cryptids, demons, ghouls, goblins, and other supernatural beings. Learn more…
Neon Druid: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy
“A thrilling romp through pubs, mythology, and alleyways. NEON DRUID is such a fun, pulpy anthology of stories that embody Celtic fantasy and myth,” (Pyles of Books). Cross over into a world where the mischievous gods, goddesses, monsters, and heroes of Celtic mythology live among us, intermingling with unsuspecting mortals and stirring up mayhem in cities and towns on both sides of the Atlantic, from Limerick and Edinburgh to Montreal and Boston. Learn more…
Want to learn the basics?
The IrishMyths YouTube channel has got you covered.
More the listenin’ type?
I recommend the audiobook Celtic Mythology: Tales of Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes by Philip Freeman (narrated by Gerard Doyle). Use my link to get 3 free months of Audible Premium Plus and you can listen to the full 7.5-hour audiobook for free.
