Resources for Parents and Youth: Teaching Ethics

RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE:
Teaching ethics to children - through virtue
(For parents)

By Eva Gordon, FoDLA Youth Religious Education Coordinator

Without Sunday Schools, Bibles, catechisms or other methods of imparting religious doctrine to children, how can Celtic Pagans or Neo-druid folk guide our children in living a good, worthwhile, ethical life? Is it possible? Since ancient times, for many generations, this goal has been sought and achieved by parents and elders both by example and by storytelling.

The myths and legends of the Gaelic tradition can inspire and instruct us and our children. Not all of these tales are appropriate for younger children, and not all of the characters can be taken directly as role models, but there is much to learn from this rich heritage.

One great role model in the tales would, of course, be Fionn Mac Cumhal (Finn Mac Cool), hero, warrior and poet. Here is a little bit about how he was raised, and how he got his wisdom.

When Fionn was born, his father Cumhal had just been killed by the sons of Morna, in battle over the leadership of the tribes. For fear that his father’s enemies would kill Fionn too, his mother Muirne sent him away to be raised in secret by two women, one of whom was a Druid. They cared for him in a small hunting cabin in the woods, and trained him in feats of running, swimming, and hunting, and he grew to be strong and skilled. When he was old enough, he was trained under the care of a troop of poets, but one night, a band of robbers came and killed the poets. Fionn escaped and found his way back to the two wise women.

After a time, Fionn grew old enough to travel on his own, hunting and defending the people, in the service of the local chieftain. He managed to slay his father’s killer in battle, and to get from him the magic craneskin bag of Manannan Mac Lir, which had belonged to Cumhal. Fionn gave the bag to his father Cumhal’s brother Crimall, who was now the rightful owner.

Fionn then took the name Deimne, and went to serve the great Druid poet Finegas, who lived on the banks of the Boyne River. Finegas had been seeking for many years to catch the Salmon of Knowledge, which he thought would come to him through a prophecy and give him all knowledge and inspiration. He finally did catch the Salmon, and cooked it on a spit over an open fire. He left on an errand, and instructed Fionn (Deimne) to watch over it while it was cooking, but not to eat any of it. When the Druid returned, he saw a different look in Fionn’s eyes, and he asked Fionn whether hea had eaten any of the Salmon. Fionn said no, he had seen a blister rise up on the skin of the Salmon and popped it with his thumb. The fish burned his thumb, so he had immediately put his thumb in his mouth to cool it, and in that way gained great poetic inspiration and knowledge. From then on, whenever Fionn needed to know the answer to an important question, he would put his thumb in his mouth and right away find the answer.

From the story, we can see that Fionn has many excellent qualities that we would like for our children to imitate, and that might inspire them. Fionn not only is skilled from long training in physical sports, brave in hunting and war-craft, but is going to be a gifted poet and seer as well. He serves the chieftains and Finegas the Druid willingly and well. He returns the crane bag to his uncle, to whom it now belongs, and is truthful when the Druid asks him if he had tasted the Salmon of Knowledge. (Interestingly, though the Druid did not at first want Fionn to eat the Salmon and gain the Knowledge, he realizes that it had been meant for Fionn all along by a prophesy, and admitts that it was so. This seems to show that the gaining of divine or special knowledge is not necessarily something to be punished!)

Tales and myths can excite and inspire, but even more important to children is what they see in their parents’ and other adults’ own behavior day by day. This is something we all know, but need to keep in mind on an ongoing basis. We ourselves need to be inspired to virtues like those of Fionn Mac Cumhal—bravery, skill, generosity, truthfulness--even if we are not warriors or famous poets. And, keep in mind that our kids are watching and learning from us all the while!

( For some interesting thoughts on a pagan concept of Virtue, take a look at the recently published book by Brendan Myers, The Other Side of Virtue. This book (not for children) deals with concepts of virtue in the Heroic Age, classical Greek and Roman civilization, and during the Renaissance.)

Activities for Bealtainne season:

Share gardening with children. Grow cooking herbs in containers or window boxes. Learn about native plants in your area, and try to plant those that attract bees, birds or butterflies. If water is scarce in your area, look for drought-tolerant plants. (Show hospitality to local Nature Spirits!)

Take part in community river, trail, or wildlife sanctuary clean-up activiites (for older children, with supervision). These are often sponsored by organizations like Sierra Club or Audubon Society, or by local groups.

Decorate a bush or small tree with ribbons, colored egg shells, sea shells and flowers. Children may make a wish for each ribbon or “cloutie” placed on the tree. If you don’t own a live tree or bush, you could construct one from twigs and branches (fallen, not cut from live trees!).