Chapter VIII: How Ciaran Spoiled His Mother's Dye (vg)

I have found no parallel to this most remarkable story. It displays the following noteworthy points--

1. It belongs to the Ciaran-tradition which places the home of the family in Cenel Fiachach.

2. It preserves what has every appearance of being an authentic tradition of a prohibition against the presence of males, even of tender years, when dyeing was being carried on.[12]

3. Most likely the saint's curse--indeed, the whole association of the tale with Ciaran--is a late importation into the story: it was probably originally a [Pagan] tale, told as a warning of what would happen if males were allowed to be present at the mystery. The different colours which the garments assumed are perhaps not without significance; Sullivan, in his introduction to O'Curry's _Manners and Customs_ (i, p. 405), says "the two failures ... are simply the failures which result from imperfect fermentation and over-fermentation of the woad-vat."

4. There is an intentionally droll touch given to the end of the _Märchen_.

5. The independence of parental control which the youthful Ciaran displays will not escape notice.

_The Stanza._--This is written in a peculiar metre; two seven-syllable lines, with trisyllabic rhymes, followed by two rhyming couplets of five-syllable lines with monosyllabic rhymes.

_Iarcain_ is a word of uncertain meaning: it probably denotes the waste stuff left behind in the vat.