Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-26510374-20170628215104/@comment-31473471-20170704094425

Caoranach is a monstrous female serpent who is said to be the mother of all demons and monsters. She is supposed to have lived in Lough Derg, an Irish lake that is home to the famous Christian pilgrimage site, Station Island, known for a legend in which Jesus revealed to Saint Patrick a cave that was supposed to be an entrance to Hell. Saint Patrick himself is said to have slain (or banished) Caoranach after doing battle with her for two days and two nights in the murky waters of Lough Derg–which name, incidentally, means “Dark Lake”, apparently referring to the darkening of the lake as it filled with the defeated Caoranach’s blood. (In one version of the story, Saint Patrick was actually swallowed whole by Caoranach, and was forced to escape by puncturing her side with his crosier). What really interests me about this story, however, is its eerie similarity to that of Beowulf. After defeating the monster Grendel, Beowulf proceeds to the lair of Grendel’s mother (sometimes translated as being the mother of all monsters), which happens to be under a lake. Diving down to an underwater cave, Beowulf slays Grendel’s mother and returns to his men triumphant