Book of Medb hErenn

 
A reader wrote to inform me that he believed Medb hErenn, and in fact any Iron Age Irish Celt, could be considered a Noble Savage. Intrigued by the suggestion, I did some research, but I have come to the conclusion that this is probably incorrect.

The term 'noble savage' was used by Romantic Primitivism to indicate an individual unspoiled by civilization, who had virtue and honor despite being untamed. In fact, the word 'savage' in this context did not mean bloodthirsty and cruel, but simply wild, as in a wild flower. Other terms often used for this person was 'nature's gentleman' and 'good savage'.

Though the concept can be traced as far back as the Roman historian Tacitus in the first century C.E., the term did not come into widespread use until the nineteenth century, when the figure of the Noble Savage became a stock character like the Virtuous Milkmaid and the Wise Chinaman. These characters share one characteristic in common: that the low-born can be more virtuous than their social betters. In fact, for much of its history, the concept of the Noble Savage was used to attack the idea that civilization was a benefit to mankind. The claim was that mankind had been corrupted by civilization, and that so-called civilized people were in fact far more barbaric and savage (in the sense of cruelty) than any wild man. It is therefore ironic that in the latter half of the twentieth century, the term Noble Savage came to be used as a derogatory term to criticize anyone who tried to present uncivilized people in a positive light. This was done by apologists for colonialism and scientific racism, but in time even professional anthropologists would use it to discredit and intimidate colleagues who questioned the prevailing belief that uncivilized cultures were inherently inferior.

To determine if Medb is a Noble Savage, however, we have to compare her characterization with the attributes of Romantic Primitivism:

Living in harmony with Nature — While this is open to interpretation, in the context of the Noble Savage this means living in the wild like an animal. He can still have shelter, clothes, and tools, but he does not take more than he needs, and he gives back as much as he takes. Though Medb has lived this way, this is not her style. She does not see harmony in nature, only a balance created by the fact that no living thing other than man has the intelligence or technology to fully exploit his resources without consequences. She knows that when animals can, they will eat themselves out of house and home, and pollute their environment with their own waste. The only difference being that their population will crash as a result and restore the balance. Only man can exceed his resource base by using technology, and she sees nothing wrong with that. In fact, she would rather live in civilized comfort than in a pristine natural setting.

Generosity and selflessness — The idea here is that man is by nature generous and selfless, from birth, and that it is civilization which corrupts him and turns him greedy and selfish. Medb believes this view is ludicrous. She believes people are born amoral, and need to be taught right and wrong. This is done by instilling a sense of honor in a person, which can be done to wild men and civilized men alike. Medb acknowledges that she is selfish, but her code of personal honor requires that she be generous and selfless under certain circumstances.

Innocence — This means free of sin. The Noble Savage can be violent, and can steal and kill, but does not murder or rape, and he is free of the vices of greed, envy, cowardice, hate, prejudice, sloth, lust, pride, etc. Once again, it is civilization that corrupts people and tempts them to these major sins. Medb also considers this ridiculous. She believes that anyone can be corrupted by anything, that it takes will to resist temptation, and that the presence or absence of civilization has no bearing on the ability to resist.

Inability to lie, fidelity — Again, the idea is that the Noble Savage doesn't know how to lie or be disloyal, until he is taught by civilized man to do so. And again, Medb believes this to be false. She has found that all people can lie, and that all people know when they lie. At best, some people may not know lying is unacceptable, but they still know when they do not tell the truth, and they can tell when doing so hurts someone else. The same is true for disloyalty.

Physical health — The assumption here is that wild men are inherently healthier than civilized men, because they must be continually active and they live in a cleaner environment. Medb, however, believes that this is a matter of semantics. Wild men may be stronger and fitter, but they don't live as long, and they are more prone to accidents and disease. Civilized men may be exposed to pollution and are less active, but they also have access to more and better food, better shelter, better clothes, and medicine. Both lifestyles have trade offs that only technology can alleviate.

Disdain of luxury — This belief came about because wild men did not appear to possess the luxuries that civilized men had, and it was assumed they didn't want them otherwise they would make them. Yet it is Medb's experience that wild men love luxury just as much as civilized men if not more, and they will go to great lengths to acquire as much as they can when the opportunity presents itself. And she would note that all austerity philosophies were invented by civilized men.

Moral courage — As before, the belief is that, being uncorrupted by civilization, the Noble Savage is a more moral person, and more willing to act in a correct moral fashion. Medb, however, has encountered moral and immoral wild and civilized men, and sees morality as a feature of the human heart, not lifestyle.

"Natural" intelligence or innate, untutored wisdom — Finally, this belief stems from the assumption that formal eduction, being an aspect of civilization, can actually degrade native intelligence and wisdom. Medb understands that intelligence is a complex phenomenon, with natural and cultural aspects that must be melded together properly for someone to be truly intelligent. While she accepts that people can be born with enhanced natural aspects and that wisdom comes in part from experience, she also believes that knowledge is power, and takes every opportunity to learn as much as she can about any subject.

The conclusion would be that, while Medb does possess characteristics that are attributes of Romantic Primitivism — generosity, truthfulness, physical health, and moral courage — they stem from a completely different source than that of the Noble Savage, and other characteristics, such as her selfishness, avarice, deceitfulness, and love of comfort, put her at odds with the classical picture of the Noble Savage.