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They embalm in cedar oil the heads of the most distinguished enemies, and preserve them carefully in a chest, and display them with pride to strangers, saying that for this head one of their ancestors, or his father, or the man himself refused the offer of a large sum of money. They say that some of them boast that they refused the weight of the head in gold; thus displaying what is only a barbarous kind of magnanimity, for it is not a sign of nobility to refrain from selling the proofs of one’s valour.
The cult of the head is frequently mentioned in Celtic mythology, particularly in the Irish Ulster Cycle. Cúchulainn, returning to Emain Macha after his first battle, is described as having three heads hanging from his chariot and “nine heads in one hand and ten in the other, and these he brandished at the hosts in token of his valour and prowess.” To enforce that the Celts believed that the soul dwelt in the head and, therefore, the head could function without the body, we have the example of Conaire Mór, who is slain in “The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel.” His head is removed. But when Conall, the warrior, pours water into the mouth, it speaks and thanks him. In the Welsh tale about Bran the Blessed, Bran, having been mortally wounded, asks his companions to remove his head and take it back to the Island of the Mighty for burial. It takes them many years on their journey and, all the time, Bran’s head eats, drinks, and speaks just the same as when he had been in life. Archaeological finds give full corroboration to this cult.
[I] See Eber.
[W] Father of Rhiannon. Hen signifies “ancient.”
[W] Son of Gwynn, one of the survivors of Bran and Matholwch’s devastating war in Ireland. It is he who has the courage to open the magic door through which the seven survivors are released from the island of Gwales.
[W] The chief bard at the court of Arthur at the time when Talisien arrives.
[W] Daughter of Cynddylan.
[I] See Eremon.
[W] See Hefydd Hen.
Of Ireland, see Ard Rí.
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