The Goddess Who Died of Exhaustion

What happened before the first Lughnasa celebration

When you think about it, it was all inevitable. Destined even.

I wrote my Tailtiu story (just released on KnotWork Storytelling) while standing. And I was so grateful. Just a day before I’d been stuck on the floor with an epic back spasm. 

I had been trying to craft this story for months, but somehow I found the flow while balancing the laptop on a giant cat scratching post (the cat was not impressed). 

I had long known that I would weave Tailtiu’s story for Lughsasa. The great festival was originally celebrated in her honor, after all. Plus, the story contains some seriously potent concepts for us to think about today. 

As the traditional Irish myth goes, Tailtiu of the conquered Fir Bolg people was the foster mother of Lugh, the golden boy of the race of conquering gods, Tuatha Dé Danann.

Tailtiu cleared vast fields so the people could plant their first crops. 

And then, she died from exhaustion. 

Sure, this story may serve as a handy way to describe how the agricultural revolution came to Ireland, but really, how could you possibly get past the way that a woman sacrificed her life to make room for other people’s barley?

The truth is, I couldn’t write this story from anywhere but from the bottom of an empty cup.

Tailtiu’s story is one of over-giving gone awry. It is about ignoring all the signs to pay attention and practice self-care. And, while my own story wasn’t nearly so dramatic as Tailtiu’s, I needed to feel the burn of helpless, utter depletion to tell the story I needed to tell.

And now, a week later, the back mostly healed and the story now out in the world, I sit in an Adirondack chair with the winds of the Canadian maritime in my hair and the scent of the ocean filling my senses.

I look try to take in Prince Edward Island’s rolling hills - all the wheat and potatoes and corn. All the bounty and beauty of it all.

Of course it all comes full circle.

As much as I question the virtue of Tailtiu’s sacrifice, and the inevitability of the agricultural revolution, I also must admit that this is my favorite place on the planet, and it was sculpted by farmers and their crops, and, indeed all of us who benefit from this way of being. 

But then, these are the paradoxes of myth working - all questions and celebrations and contradictions and everything in between.

Join us for HARVEST: a Lughnasa retreat for mythic-minded writers

Really, JOIN US: it’s included in your paid Myth is Medicine Subscription!  

This three-hour online retreat is designed to deepen your creativity at many levels:

• The inspiration and renewed perspectives that come from looking at modern life through the lens of an ancient story

• The opportunity to pause and review all you’ve created - recently, and over your lifetime

• The support that comes with writing and sharing with a community

• The accountability and structure to make sustainable plans for your next creative projects

And, during our time together, I’ll take you into the world of Tailtiu’s story.

Want to join us? 

If you’re already a paid subscriber, please put August 1 from 2 - 5 PM ET on your calendar. You’ll receive the Zoom link as the date approaches. (It would be great if you could leave comment below to let me know you plan to come!

If you’ve been meaning to support the KnotWork Storytelling podcast through a paid subscription to Myth Is Medicine, this is the perfect time to upgrade!