This could be interesting · 12:00am Apr 27th, 2017
I found this video earlier today,
, and I have to agree that the points he brings up are pretty good and interesting. So, I'm going to ask the same question he did, you should still watch the video though. Why don't more creators, especially authors, make use of Irish lore and mythology? Now, I'm going to ask a different question, one he didn't outright state, what elements or figures from Irish lore and mythology do you find most intriguing?
For me, it's a lot. Why? Because I'm part Irish, it's part of the cultural heritage I have ties to. Although, the biggest ones would have to be their lore and mythology regarding otters and dragons. Otters because their abilities seem to be rather odd when compared to the lore and mythos surrounding them in the more well-known lores from across the globe. And dragons because of how they diverge greatly in mannerisms from those of the Britannian Isles and Mainland Europe.
Due to this, I have been working on integrating aspects of Irish lore and mythology into some of my projects, most of which are not MLP related. I've actually written up a rough outline for an MMO RPG, which does draw on some Irish mythos and some other mythos from across the globe. PM if the project is of interest to you and I'll see what I can do. Although, the more obscure pieces of world mythology and culture would be more welcome than other pieces.
I'm part Irish too, and whenever I've looked into Irish mythologies, they tend to be outright terrifying and get more so the more in-depth you get, with only a handful of exceptions, and those end up being somewhat neutral at best.
Look into Banshees and the origins of All Hallows Eve.
Also look up Clurichauns. They're my favourite.
4511485 I might later. But the points still stand. Greek, Roman, Chinese and Japanese mythology are all the most pervasive lore we see. We don't need to go far to see this, MLP is actually a good example. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic primarily draws on Greek influences and culture, just take a look at all of the traditional garb of the ponies from the Hearth's Warming Eve play back in the second season or the creatures we've been shown to exist in the world Equestria inhabits. Let's start with the garb from the play, which is implied to have its appearance derived from the time Equestria was first settled. Commander Hurricane's armor, along with that of Private Patsy, draws its design sensibilities from Greco-Roman, an influence still quite present in the modern western world, military garb. Princess Platinum's attire is derived from classic European royal/noble garb, which made its appearance in the medieval period (the medieval period happened after the collapse of the Roman empire, which means it draws inspiration from Roman culture due to the more educated individuals in Europe seeking to emulate aspects of the Romans). The attire of the Earth Ponies in the play seems to be akin to that of the peasantry in parts of Europe going back to what they were forced into wearing after Rome fell.
As for the creatures of MLP let's take a closer look at the established entities. First off, the 3 pony tribes. The Greeks and Romans had numerous tales about the horse, as did many other cultures across the globe, which were often linked to their might and majesty. Earth Ponies are stated have their innate magic tied to Earth and this usually means references to their strength when it is referred to. Pegasi are the most self-explanatory, they're a direct reference to a specific Greek myth. Pegasus exists in Greek mythology as "the last of the flying stallions" and is stated to have wings to enable flight, modern culture (MLP included) has taken to naming his breed after him on account of tales involving him are more prolific in our modern era. Unicorns are actually the trickiest of the tribes to peg down in terms of Greek influence, mostly because there are no openly known cases of unicorn stories existing in classical Greek stories. Unicorns are more prolific in European, especially Irish and British, lore than anywhere else, but since Europe has made it a habit of drawing on Greek lore we'll just let that one be implied. Griffons and Manticores are both monsters that popped up in Greek lore quite frequently. The realm of Tartarus, which is a very real place in Greek lore, is referenced and shown on more than one occasion, along with the Cerberus, who is a major monster in Greek lore that is tasked with guarding the Underworld. In Rainbow Falls we were introduced to the Orthrus, which in Greek lore is stated to be a close relative of Cerberus. We met the minotaur Iron Will in the episode Putting Your Hoof Down, in the Greek tales of the King known as Minos he had a great maze known as the Labyrinth where he threw prisoners and told them that all would be set free if the could best the minotaur and escape the maze. We can even go a bit forward for further proof, the coming movie is stated to have sea ponies confirmed as being in it. The sea ponies are a further Greek reference, to the tale of the creation of horses in Greek mythology and a bit further. The sea ponies are a reference to the Hippocampus, which literally means "sea horse" and are stated to be one of Poseidon's creations connected to his trying to get Athens to take him on as their patron deity. As you can see, most of the creatures displayed have more of a connection to Greek lore than anywhere else.
Yes, there was the episode Pony Point of View, which featured the Tri-Horn Bunyip. The Bunyip is an entity in Australian lore, but that's the only reference to Australian lore that is so blatant in its appearance, and even then it's not even a proper representation of the lore from which it is derived. And the season six finale, along with the season 7 opener, displayed the newly designed Thorax drawing inspiration from the Irish deity Cernunnos. But once again, that's a very small reference to a non-Greek culture. Even the unicorn tales are more prolific in England and mainland Europe than Ireland, unicorns are shown to be something distinctly European. But, as stated earlier, since Europe has made it a habit of pulling heavily from Greek lore it's not entirely unreasonable to think that unicorn-like entities could be found in Greek lore.
Because haggis Me Laddie Haggis
4511498 Well, hopefully if they DO start including more Irish myths in FIM, they won't butcher them like they did the one Australian mythological creature they used.
Bunyips don't fucking look like that! And they're not sea-dwellers either!
4511503 I know, they're terrifying lake monsters. A creature of Irish lore they could adapt rather easily, with little to no hacking, could be otters. They're described as being nearly invincible warriors. Can you imagine an episode, or movie scene, where Fluttershy, and maybe some other member(s), encounter entities like that. Of course at the rate things are going, we're more likely to see the Nemean lion in series before anything like that shows up. On that note, you should check out some of that guy's other videos, he actually has a few videos that involve creatures and monsters found in Irish lore.
4511499 that's Scotland, you silly dolt. Scotland is the land of haggis and kilts