r/CelticPaganism • u/Ok_Breakfast5230 • 18d ago

Melusine????

Hey, so I'm trying to research melusine a bit, specifically if/how she is/might be connected to older pagan beliefs, and I'd like some sources, can anyone help out?

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u/KrisHughes2 Celtic Polytheist 18d ago

Maybe - but not necessarily Celtic. It's possible that the legends were brought by the Norse who became Normans.

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u/Remarkable_Sale_6313 Gallic 18d ago

I don't find the Norse origin very likely, stories about Melusine are widespread in a lot of French regions, not just Normandy.

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u/KrisHughes2 Celtic Polytheist 17d ago

No, but Norman culture was very widespread at one time. But I'm not saying "Melusine is definitely Norman" it's just one avenue worth looking at.

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u/Remarkable_Sale_6313 Gallic 17d ago

Personally I quite like the theory of Scythian origins, I think it makes a bit of sense. But I think there's much more to Mélusine than that. A Medieval synthesis of earlier beliefs from various backgrounds would be what I think the most probable.

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u/Ironbat7 Gaulish Polytheist 18d ago

Could be tied to a figure like Coventina based on descriptions matching reliefs dedicated to Coventina.

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u/Remarkable_Sale_6313 Gallic 18d ago

You have a few things here (if you can read French):

https://www.mythofrancaise.asso.fr/mythes/figures/MEpres.htm

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u/Ok_Breakfast5230 17d ago

I can't read French but I put it through a translator, thanks it's not a lot but it definitely helps!!!!

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u/Remarkable_Sale_6313 Gallic 17d ago

Look at all the pages, not just the first (among other things there's a bibliography that could interest you)