2T4U/Spells archive/Geas

Availability: Witchcraft, Sorcery, or Faith Magic

A geas (plural geasa) has its origins in Celtic mythology. The traditional geas was not a spell, but a metaphysical condition that could be revealed by magic. It is effectively a taboo that if broken will lead to one's death through one means or another. Conversely following ones geas was said to give the person great power. Geasa can be either a curse or a blessing. Examples include:

• Cuchulain had two geasa. The first was that he could never refuse the hospitality of a woman. The second was that he could not eat the flesh of a dog. The two geasa came into conflict when a hag invited him to dine with her as she feasted on the flesh of a dog. Seeing no way out he chose to eat the flesh of the dog, obeying his first geas but violating his second. He died in battle the next day.

• Lleu Llaw Gyffes had a geas that was more of a blessing than curse. It stated that he could die neither during the day or night, nor indoors or outdoors, neither riding nor walking, not clothed and not naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made. His wife tricked him into proving that he could actually be in that position, then killed him. I would say it was stupidity that killed him, however.

The geas spell emulates the natural geasa that come about through the normal metaphysical order. It is a vow that is reinforced by magic to make it impossible to break without then perishing. Humans must enter into a geas voluntarily. However, there are equivalents in other cultures, in particular in Christianity, in which a supernatural being can have effects identical to that of the geas spell placed upon them involuntarily. This involuntary geas however cannot be imposed upon a human.

Defying a geas means death (or oblivion for those dead already), generally through some random act. Once you are under the effects of a geas, you must abide by it absolutely and no method may be used to bend the rules. If the geas is a vow to carry out a specific action or quest, you have no choice but to complete that quest lest you perish. If the geas is to forbid you from taking a particular action, you may not even attempt at performing that action even by roundabout methods without then succumbing to oblivion.