There are many sacred wells in Ireland, some with artifacts dating to Neolithic times. St. Patrick went about the country in the 5th century "saining" the wells, claiming them from paganism, dedicating them as Christian places of healing. The wells have continued in popular use as effective healing resources until the present day, and elements of both paganism and Christianity coexist in the phenomena surrounding the wells. The wells are usually characterized physically, as in earliest times, by a small pool in the earth containing water that may sometimes percolate. A well may be surrounded by stones and slabs and a tree that grows alongside. The wells may allow glimpses of a resident salmon or eel, also as in pagan times. Statues of saints and tokens of prayer and healing may decorate the well site, encrusting the tree.
Some remarkable natural and supernatural wonders are recounted by the authors in the process of describing these wells.
The authors of this book are phenomenologists of religion who've conducted a 15-years-long objective study seeking a greater understanding of the significance of venerated springs and of the uniquely Irish aspects that add to the universal symbolism of such. They begin their discussion with an early statement about the importance of sacred wells as shown in the universal symbolism of water, which is spoken of as "the source, the healer, and the essence of plant life. The regenerative ability of water, its ability to fertilize and bring about new birth, is the pattern of life itself: aqua vita, ma (the Sumerian word for conception)." The authors delineate the two basic types of religion: One that tends to spring from herding and hunting cultures, which typically engender religions of a male sky deity who is a sovereign father, creator, and intervener in history, versus plant-based, earth-rooted, fertility religions that tend to manifest in a female deity associated variously with earth, water, or sometimes the moon. The sky religions imply a linear time scale with history moving purposely toward an ultimate goal, whereas the earth religions evince a cyclic, circular, repetitive, regenerative time frame resistant to change. These two forms would be embodied in the paganism and Christianity that are both represented at the holy wells of Ireland.
The authors find from their study that a synthesis of these two religious forms has not occurred, but, rather what they call a syncretism, and this has only taken place slowly over a period from the 5th through the 17th centuries. [Synthesis, as defined by the Brennemans, is when a new third form results from the blending of two separate forms. Syncretism, on the other hand, retains both forms that gave rise to it in a harmonious and integrated way, so syncretism functions as an unresolved paradox.] That is certainly the state of things today with regard to the holy wells. Pagan and Christian rituals coexist and interact but never actually blend. For instance, although Masses are held around the wells, no well water is imbibed during the Mass; only afterward, and then, too, ancient, carefully prescribed circumambulatory and other types of rituals may be performed.
The authors indicate that the acceptance of Christianity in Ireland was made possible by the existence of some similar concepts that the two opposed religious consciousnesses held in common. (They cite Husserl's "Ideology" as a basis for understanding this process.) For instance, the Cross and Tree of Life symbolism of Christianity related well with the Celtic concept of the sacred tree that stood by the well. The fish symbolism of Christianity related well with the Celtic concept of the sacred salmon. (The several pages in which the Brennemans discuss the inter-relational meanings of these symbols are, for me, a highlight of the book. For just one example, they get into the delightful history of how the early Christian candidates for Baptism were called "pisciculi," or little fishes, and the baptismal font was called a "piscina," or fish pond!)
Several chapters are devoted to examining the changes that have taken place in wells devoted respectively to (St) Brigid, originally a Celtic underworld goddess of fertility, and those devoted to the Virgin Mary. The Brigid wells seem in decline while the Mary wells grow more flourishing of late.
The authors noted the increase in the phenomenon of Marian apparitions in Ireland in the 1980s and were interested to see if these had taken place in connection with watery places, or otherwise in juxtaposition to signs suggestive of pagan locations like the wells. They found that they did, in fact, take place in connection with signs of ancient Celtic pagan places, and the authors particularly noted the important apparitions of Melleray Abbey as indicating a willingness of the Virgin Mary to evoke echoes of ancient, pagan Ireland. (Comparable, perhaps, with aspects of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which did the same with regard to Mexican pagan symbols.)
The book includes an interesting conjecture about the difference between places where healing does and does not occur: "One form of energy or power is contained in subterranean veins of water that shift direction beneath the earth's surface due to contact with immutable substances such as clay or impervious rock. The other type of power is in the form of beams of earth energy that run in straight lines. Where these beams of earth energy cross the water vein as it rises to the surface, we find a healing or transforming power."
In all, over 500 wells scattered all over Ireland were studied by the authors, of which 63 are cited in the book. There are photographs of 22, but these are not extremely high definition and details of them can be a bit difficult to discern. This is an academic type of narrative and a few spots in it require an extra effort at understanding.
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