‘For As Often As He Slept’: A Comparative Analysis of Medieval Insular Vernacular Dream-Narratives

Abstract

Commonly found in medieval Insular literature, dreams take up a space ‘between’, providing its receipient and audience with knowledge that would be otherwise unobtainable. The way this knowledge is conveyed varies; the dream narratives utilize certain themes to deliver their message. This thesis investigates said themes and characteristics of medieval (dream-) vision literature in a selection of medieval Insular secular dream-narratives written in the vernacular. The research covers prose texts with composition dates ranging from the 8th to 12th centuries, i.e. Aislinge Óenguso, Breudwyt Maxen Wledic, Breuddwyd Rhonabwy, and Aislinge Meic Con Glinne, and is done on the basis of the theory of genre. The aim of this thesis is to enhance the understanding of medieval Insular secular dream narratives, and to provide an overview of shared themes between the texts. This is done through the exploration of medieval thought and literature surrounding dreams, its reflection on the corpus, medieval (dream-) vision literature, and its core characteristics. I expand upon similarities and discrepancies between central themes in a comparative analysis of the corpus, which results in a schematic overview of themes. I conclude that the unifying theme between the texts is the gaining of otherwise unobtainable knowledge through the dreams. In order for this paradox to work, I then propose that dreams and dreamscapes should be considered an inherent liminal space which sole purpose is to provide this knowledge.