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Pangur Ban
Pangur Ban
Pangur Ban is Brother Aidan's Cat

Species

Cat

Voiced By

None

Family

None Known

Friends

Aidan, Brendan, Aisling

Enemies

The Wolves (not any more), the Vikings

Status

Alive

Affiliation

Good

Base of Operations

Wherever Aidan (and later Brendan) is

Pangur Ban is a white cat from the movie The Secret Of Kells. She belongs to Brother Aidan.

History[]

Not much is known about the history of Pangur Ban. She has been with Aidan for a very long time, and, as implied by the prequel comic, may have even been with Aidan's teacher, St. Colmicille.

Characteristics[]

Pangur Ban, like all cats, can be rather disdainful with those who she doesn't know or trust. Once that trust is earned, however, one has her steadfast loyalty. She is clearly quite intelligent, and seems to be somewhat exasperated by her human companions, Aidan and Brendan. Her expressions often convey concern as well, as Brendan goes dashing off into the forest or some such place.

Relationships[]

With Brendan[]

Pangur Bán and Brendan are close friends. At first, Pangur Bán was quite dismissive of Brendan, and reacted hostilely when he tried to look at the Book of Iona. However, he managed to convince her of his good intentions, and from that point on, she was a near-constant companion of his.

With Aisling[]

Pangur Bán and Aisling are also friends. Aisling didn't have to do anything to gain Pangur Ban's trust. Pangur Bán called on the aid of the fairy to help Brendan escape from the high tower when Abbot Cellach locked him, and Pangur Bán didn't hesitate when Aisling used her magic to turn the cat into a spirit to release their mutual friend.

With Aidan[]

Pangur Bán has been with Aidan since before the Viking's attack on Iona. While she is clearly fond of him, she seems to follow Brendan around more than she does Aidan, perhaps because the former needs her help more than the latter.

With Abbot Cellach[]

Pangur and the Abbot have interacted a grand total of once, and he clearly sees nothing but a cat.

Behind the Scenes[]

  • Pangur Bán is a poem in an early 9th Century Irish manuscript called the Reichenau Primer. Pangur Bán is a white cat who is owned by the monk writing the poem. The last verse talks about turning darkness into light, the stated purpose of the most important page of The Book of Iona/Kells line (according to Brother Aidan) and emphasized again by Aisling as she nearly sacrifices herself to help Brendan retrieve the Eye of Crom Cruach.
  • Bán means white in Old Irish, when applied to living beings the meaning is fair
  • Here are a few pages that tell the story of the Irish manuscript and provide the original and translations of the eight-stanza poem:  Page 1 , Page 2 , Page 3
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