not found in any of the Latin Lives.
=A.= Ciaran was born A.D. 515. The first section of his life, his
Childhood and Boyhood, may have covered the first ten or twelve years
of his life--say in round numbers 515-530. Fifteen incidents of this
period are recorded, which are found in the Lives as under--
LA LB LC VG
II. _The origin and birth of Ciaran; the
wizard's prophecies_ 1 1 1 2
III. _How Ciaran raised the steed of Oengus
from death_ 2 2 2 3
IV. _How Ciaran turned water into honey_ 3 3 3 4
V. _How Ciaran was delivered from a
hound_ 6 9 4 5
VI. _How Ciaran and his instructor conversed,
though distant from one another_ 4 - - 6
VII. _Ciaran and the fox_ - - - 7
VIII. _How Ciaran spoiled his mother's
dye-stuff_ - - - 8
IX. _How Ciaran restored a calf which a
wolf had devoured_ 5 8 5 9
X. _How Ciaran was delivered from
robbers_ 7 - 6 10
XI. _How Ciaran gave a gift of cattle_ 8 - - -
XII. _How Ciaran gave a gift of a
plough-coulter_ 9 - - -
XIII. _How Ciaran gave a gift of an ox_ 10 - - -
XIV. _How Ciaran gave the king's cauldron
to beggars and was enslaved_ 11 - 7 11
XV. _How Ciaran reproved his mother_ 13 - 9 -
XVI. _The breaking of the carriage-axle_ 14 - 10 -
The boyhood legend probably consisted originally of the five incidents
common to all, II-V, IX. It is noteworthy, however, that LB transfers
V, IX, to a position after the second phase of the Life. This is
possibly due to a misplaced leaf in the exemplar from which our copies
of LB are derived. X-XIII, variants on the theme of XIV, are probably
interpolations in LA, and VIII, a valuable fragment of folk-lore, is
an interpolation in VG. VI and VII are conflations of two varieties of
one incident, as is pointed out in the Annotations. These observations
will show how complex is the criticism of the Ciaran tradition.
=B.= The second phase of the life is the Schooling of Ciaran at
Clonard; perhaps about 530-535, still using round numbers. This part
of the life is most fully told in VG; it is very fragmentary in all
the Latin Lives. There are thirteen incidents--
LA LB LC VG
XVII. _How Ciaran went with his cow to
the school of Findian_ 15 4 11 12
XVIII. _The angels grind for Ciaran_ 16 - 12 13
XIX. _Ciaran and the king's daughter_ 17 - - 14
XX. _How Ciaran healed the lepers_ - - - 15
XXI. _Ciaran and the stag_ - - - 16
XXII. _The story of Ciaran's gospel_ 18 - - 17
XXIII. _The blessing of Ciaran's food_ 19 - 8 -
XXIV. _The story of the mill and the
bailiff's daughter_ - 6 - 18
XXV. _The story of Cluain_ - - - 19
XXVI. _How Ciaran freed a woman from
servitude_ 20 5 - 21
XXVII. _How Ciaran freed another woman
from servitude_ 21 - - 22
XXVIII. _Anecdotes of Clonard_ - - - 20
XXIX. _The parting of Ciaran and Findian_ - - - 23
=C.= The third phase may be called the Wanderings of Ciaran. From
Clonard he made his way to the monastery of Ninnedh on the island in
Loch Erne now called Inismacsaint (it is to be noted that VG knows
nothing of this visit). From Loch Erne he went to Aran, thence (after
a visit to Saint Senan on Scattery Island) to his brother's monastery
at Isel, a place not certainly identified. After this he removes
to Inis Aingin, now Hare Island in Loch Ree, which is his last
halting-place before reaching his goal at Clonmacnois. There are
twelve incidents. The first forms incident 13 of LC, which then breaks
off; this text therefore no longer requires a special column. The
wander-years end with 548, the year of the saint's arrival at
Clonmacnois.
LA LB VG
XXX. _The adventure of the robbers of Loch
Erne_ -- 7 --
XXXI. _How Ciaran floated a firebrand on the
lake_ -- 10 --
XXXII. _Ciaran in Aran_ 22 11 24
XXXIII. _How a prophecy was fulfilled_ 12 -- 25
XXXIV. _How Ciaran visited Senan_ 23 12 26
XXXV. _Ciaran in Isel_ 24 13 28
XXXVI. _The removal of the lake_ 25 14 29
XXXVII. _Ciaran departs from Isel_ 26 -- 30
XXXVIII. _Ciaran in Inis Aingin_ 27 15 31
XXXIX. _The coming of Oenna_ 28 16 32
XL. _How Ciaran recovered his gospel_ 29 -- 33
XLI. _How Ciaran went from Inis Aingin
to Clonmacnois_ 30 17 34
The difference of opinion as to the setting of incident XXXIII is to
be noted. Also noteworthy is the absence of any reference to a second
visit to Senan, though such is postulated in the lives of the latter
saint.
=D.= The fourth phase covers the time--according to all our texts
a few months, according to other authorities some years--intervening
between the foundation of Clonmacnois and the death of Ciaran. The
traditions of LA and VG here run along the same lines; LB is curiously
diverse. There are in all twelve incidents, namely--
LA LB VG
XLII. _The foundation of the church_ 31 -- 35
XLIII. _How Ciaran sent a cloak to Senan_ 32 -- 27
XLIV. _Ciaran and the wine_ 34 18 36
XLV. _The story of Crithir_ 33 -- 37
XLVI. _How an insult to Ciaran was averted_ -- 19 --
XLVII. _How Ciaran was saved from shame_ -- 20 --
XLVIII. _How a man was saved from robbers_ -- 21 --
XLIX. _The death of Ciaran_ 35 22 38
L. _The visit of Coemgen_ 36 -- 39
LI. _The earth of Ciaran's tomb delivers
Colum Cille from a whirlpool_ 37 23 --
LII. _The envy of the saints_ -- -- 40
LIII. _Panegyrics of Ciaran_ 38 24 41
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