Danann and Mamm of Perth

Danann and Mamm of Perth

Undaunted by Fire and Sword, they are not defeated by them, nor at all by anything else. Ever.
Here are some bits from their Story:

From Mamm of Perth:

In her later years, Mamm of Dunnottar is Storying at the family hearth to help ease the pain of loss and to get this family through the Long Dark of winter.

...   And so my mother’s mother’s mother came to this very Grove one year for the Fall Blessing and there was a great storm. 

     Some of the ancient trees lost limbs and Mamm, who was my mother’s mother’s mother, chose a piece of one of the limbs of the most ancient of oaks in the Grove to make herself an under-bed chest to use when she became a bride.

Even though she had yet to meet anyone she wanted to wed, Mamm knew that one day that time would come and she wanted THIS piece of wood to become her under-bed chest. 

The younglings stir restlessly at this bit of news.

‘But … but … YOU’RE Mamm!’

‘Indeed I am, but I am not the FIRST Mamm ever in the world, you know, any more than any of you are the first Merri, or the first Dothann, or the first Brann, or the first Diann, or the first Corrbed, or the first Rua, or the first of ANY name. My mother’s name was Mamm, and so was her mother’s and so was HER mother’s – and since it is with that one with which we begin our story, we shall call her Mamm of Perth, as that was her home. That way we can tell them apart.’

The younglings nod in understanding and settle back down, crowding a little closer to Mamm’s feet as they do.

Now, Mamm of Perth took her time designing and building this under-bed chest, and prayed to the Trinity as she worked on it so it would turn out just exactly right.

She built it strong and true, as she wanted to be strong and true when she became a bride.

She carved the designs with loving attention into beautiful patterns, as she wanted to be loving and attentive and beautiful when she became a bride.

She organized the inside carefully and thoughtfully into the most efficient use of the space that she could devise, as she wanted to be organized and careful and thoughtful and efficient when she became a bride.

She made the top to fit just exactly right, as she wanted to be sure that she would be just exactly right for the man whom she would wed, and he for her.

And so the piece of wood, from this very Grove here on Dunnottar, made its way inland and became a very beautiful under-bed chest for Mamm of Perth.

Little red-headed Rua pipes up, ‘Oh Mamm, that’s WONDERFUL! It’s not sad at all! I thought this was gonna be a sad story.’

And Mamm smiles at the rambunctious youngling who is by this time almost wrapped around her leg.

‘Well, you know, not ALL of the parts of a sad story have to be sad!’

‘Oh.  Well, I’m glad it’s not sad yet.’

And Mamm gives Rua’s curly red head a pat as she continues.

            It wasn’t long after she finished the under-bed chest that Mamm met the man she was to wed. Both of them knew at once that it was together they would be, the two of them, and so it happened.

     His name was Danann.     

...

Years later, Danann rides to Hadrian's Wall to defend their 

homeland. Mamm has to stay behind with their daughters who are 

too young for battle.

...   But of course she can’t just sit there while Danann rides off to battle, so she finally hies herself outside and runs toward the hill just south of the house where she stands to watch the line of Fienne filing south. 

As she stands there, she sees a red blur separate itself from the rear of the column. 

It is, of course, Danann, who darned well knows she’s there. They are Sidhe; they know these things.

The red horse and rider trace a circle on the ground before heading back into the column and Mamm knows it is for her that they do so. 

She goes back to the yard, mounts the horse she has chosen, a tall yellow mare, and rides. 

Following the track of the column of Fienne, she gets to the circle that Danann has drawn for her. 

Silent tears course her face and drop to the ground as she carefully clears the circle of all stones. 

The stones she removes from the circle she puts, one by one, into each hoof print of that circle. 

The circle is their promise to one another, a symbol of their continuity and faith. 

When Danann gets back, they will travel once more to the mountains. 

There they will carefully select oak saplings, and a cutting from the sacred yew, carefully remove them from the mountain forest, and carry them back to plant around that circle. 

This then will become their grove and within it will they celebrate their faith.  

...

More years have passed ... their daughters have grown up ... here is 

Danann with MammTwo, their second-eldest ...  

...   Danann doesn’t help matters any when he says to her, ‘Do you remember, at the Wall, when we were cleaning our weapons and your ears popped? Forr and Alianora had just exchanged glances, remember?’

     ‘I remember; so what?’

     ‘Mine popped then as well.’

     ‘And so? What does that have to do with Ordha and that wicked red stallion she refuses to leave?’

     ‘It has nothing whatsoever to do with them, not that I know of,’ says Danann, ‘but when I came in and found you railing at Ethan, my ears popped in just that same way.’

     MammTwo stares at her father.

     ‘No.’

     ‘No?’

     ‘NO! Absolutely and unequivocally NO!’

     ‘If you say so.’

     And Danann walks away from his daughter to hide the grin that he can’t stop.

     Watching him, MammTwo sees that grin anyway, as it lifts the ends of her father’s mustache.

     She throws the apple she has been gnawing on and hits him in the middle of his back; he doesn’t even break his stride but his mustache ends give another waggle at her from the sides of his face.

...

Danann and Mamm founded a family and built it around

Faith, Family, Friendship, Freedom, and the Future ... their love 

for one another, begun so very long ago, continues to this day

through the generations that have passed between then and

now.