| Topics in the Ulster Cycle | |
|---|---|
| Ulster characters |
Amergin Athirne Blaí Briugu Briccriu Cairbre Cuanach Cathbad Celtchar Cethern mac Fintain Conall Cernach Conchobar mac Nessa Condere mac Echach Cruinniuc Cúchulainn Culann Cúscraid Dáire mac Fiachna Deichtine Deirdre Éogan mac Durthacht Fedlimid mac Daill Fergus mac Leti Findchóem Folloman mac Conchobair Furbaide Ferbend Láeg Lóegaire Búadach Mugain Naoise Ness Sencha mac Ailella Sualtam Usnech |
| Connacht characters |
Ailill mac Máta Bélchú Cet mac Mágach Ferdiad Findabair Fráech Maine Medb Nera |
| Ulster exiles |
Cormac Cond Longas Dubthach Dóeltenga Fergus mac Róich Fiachu mac Fir Febhe |
| Other characters |
Achall Áed Ruad Aífe Cairbre Nia Fer Connla Cú Roí Emer Erc mac Cairpri Fand Fedelm Noíchrothach Flidais Friuch Garb mac Stairn Goll mac Carbada Lugh Lugaid mac Con Roí Lugaid Riab nDerg Macha Mesgegra Mórrígan Nechtan Scéne Scáthach Uathach |
| Weapons | |
| Places | |
| Animals | |
| Texts |
Fled Bricrenn Mesca Ulad Serglige Con Culainn Táin Bó Cuailnge |
The Ulster Cycle, formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and Louth. Amergin ( Amairgin, Amairgen, Amorgen) is the name of two Poets from Irish mythology. Athirne or Athairne the Importunate was a poet and satirist of the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Blaí Briugu (Blaí the Landholder or Hospitaller is an Ulster warrior in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. Briccriu ( Bricriu, Briccirne, Bricne) is a warrior poet and troublemaker in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. Cairbre Cuanach is an Ulster warrior from the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. Cathbad ( Old Irish pronunciation /ˈkaθvað/ is the chief Druid in the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology Celtchar (or Celtchair) son of Uthechar or Uthidir is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. In the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology, Cethern mac Fintain is an Ulster warrior who aids Cúchulainn in the Táin Bó Cuailnge Conall Cernach is a heroic warrior of the Ulaid in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Conchobar mac Nessa (son of Ness) is the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Condere mac Echach is an Ulster warrior renowned for his eloquence in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. Cruinniuc ( Crunniuc, Cruinn, Crundchu, Crunnchu, Cronnchu) is a wealthy cattle-owner of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle Cúchulainn /kuːˈxʊlɪnʲ/ ( ( Irish for "Hound of Culann " also spelled Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind, Cúchulain, or In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Culann was a smith whose house was protected by a ferocious watchdog Cúscraid, known by the epithet Mend Macha (the "stammerer" or "inarticulate one" of Macha) is a son of Conchobar mac Nessa in the In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Dáire mac Fiachna was an Ulster cattle-lord and owner of Donn Cuailnge, the Brown Bull of Cooley over In Irish mythology, Deichtine or Deichtire was the sister of Conchobar mac Nessa and the mother of Cúchulainn. Deirdre or Derdriu is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish mythology. Éogan mac Durthacht is king of Fernmag (Farney county Monaghan) in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Fedlimid mac Daill was a harper and the chief-storyteller in the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. Fergus mac Léti (also mac Léte, mac Léide, mac Leda) was according to Irish legend and traditional history a king of Ulster. Findchóem (also spelled Finnchóem, Findcháem, Finncháem, Fionnchaomh) is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology Furbaide Ferbend (or Ferbenn) is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Láeg, or Lóeg, son of Riangabar is the Charioteer and constant companion of the hero Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Lóegaire Búadach (Lóegaire the Victorious is a hapless Ulster warrior who mainly functions as Comic relief Mugain, daughter of Eochaid Feidlech, is the wife of Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster, in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. In Irish mythology, Naoise (also spelled Noisiu) was the nephew of King Conchobar mac Nessa of Ulster, and a son of Usnech (or Ness (also written Neas, Nessa) is a princess of the Ulaid and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Sencha mac Ailella is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Súaltam ( Súaltaim, Súaldam, Súaldaim, Súaltach) mac Róich is the mortal father of the hero Cúchulainn in the In Irish mythology, Usnech (also known as Usnach Usna or Uisliu was the mother of Naoise and two other sons all three of whom were killed by her brother Conchobar Ailill ( Aillell, Oilioll) mac Máta was king of Connacht and husband of Medb in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology Bélchú ( Old Irish "dog-mouth" also spelled Bealchu or Bealcu) of Breifne is a warrior of Connacht in the Ulster Cet mac Mágach is a Connacht warrior in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. Ferdiad (also Fer Diad, Ferdia, Fear Diadh) son of Damán son of Dáire of the Fir Domnann, is a warrior of Connacht in the In Irish mythology, Findabair or Finnabair (whose name means "fair eyebrows" was the daughter of Ailill and Medb of Connacht Fráech ( Fróech, Fraích, Fraoch) is a Connacht hero in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Medb ( Old Irish spelling mɛðv Meḋḃ Meaḋḃ modern Meadhbh mɛɣv reformed modern Irish Meabh, Meːv sometimes Anglicised Maeve or Maev Nera is a warrior of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Cormac Cond Longas ( Connlongas, Connloinges, "Exiled Prince" was the eldest son of Conchobar mac Nessa by his own mother Ness, in In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Dubthach Dóeltenga ("beetle-tongue" Beetles being proverbially black was a cynical ally of Fergus Fergus mac Róich (son of Ró-ech or "great horse" also mac Róig, mac Rossa) is a character of the Ulster Cycle of Irish In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Achall, the daughter of Cairbre Nia Fer, committed Suicide (or died of grief after her brother Áed Rúad, son of Badarn Díthorba, son of Deman and Cimbáeth, son of Fintan three grandsons of Airgetmar, were according to medieval Irish legend Aífe ( Modern Irish Aoife /iːfʲə/ is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Cairbre Nia Fer ( Niafer, Niaper) was the King of Tara in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. Connla or Conlaoch is a character in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, the son of the Ulster champion Cúchulainn and the Scottish In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Cú Roí ( Cú Ruí, Cú Raoi) mac Dáire is a king of Munster and a sorcerer who Emer, or in modern Irish Eimear, daughter of Forgall Monach, is the wife of the hero Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Erc mac Cairpri is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Fand is an early Irish sea goddess later described as a "Queen of the Fairies " See also Fedelm Fedelm Noíchrothach ("nine times beautiful" also known as Fedelm Noíchride ("nine-hearts" Flidais is a figure in Irish mythology, a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Lugh (ˈluː modern Irish Lú, earlier Lug) is an Irish Deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Lugaid mac Con Roí was the son of Cú Roí mac Dáire Lugaid Riab nDerg ("the red-striped" son of the three Findemna, triplet sons of Eochu Feidlech, was according to medieval Irish legend Macha (/ˈmaxə/ is a presumed Goddess of ancient Ireland, associated with war horses sovereignty and the sites of Armagh and Emain Macha In Irish mythology, Mesgegra ( Mes Gegra, Mes Gedra) was king of Leinster during the events of the Ulster Cycle. The Morrígan ("terror" or "phantom queen" or Mórrígan ("great queen" (also known as Morrígu, Morríghan, Mor-Ríoghain In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology Nechtan Scéne ( Nechta Scéne, Nechtan Scéine) was the mother of three warriors named Fannell Foill Scáthach ("Shadowy" is a figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. In Irish mythology, Uathach was Scáthach 's daughter According to a legend Cuchulainn, who had recently arrived at Scáthach's fortress-home to be her Caladbolg ("hard belly" or possibly "hard lightning" sometimes written Caladcholg ("hard blade" is the Sword The Gáe Bulg (also Gáe Bulga, Gáe Bolg, Gáe Bolga, meaning "notched spear" "belly spear" Navan Fort should not be confused with Navan in County Meath. Cruachan ( Cruachu, Cruachain, Ráth Cruachain) is the ancient capital of the kingdom of Connacht, and the seat of Medb and her Newgrange (Dún Fhearghusa is one of the Passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath, one of the most famous The Red Branch ( in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology was the name of two of the three royal houses of the king of Ulster, Conchobar mac Nessa The Hill of Tara ( Irish Teamhair na Rí, "Hill of the Kings" located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology Donn Cúailnge, the Brown Bull of Cooley, was an extremely fertile stud bull over whom the Táin Bó Cúailnge In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Finnbhennach ("white-horned" sometimes rendered as "Whitehorn" was an extremely fertile stud Fled Bricrenn ( Old Irish " Bricriu 's Feast" is a story from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Mesca Ulad ( English: The Intoxication of the Ulaid; the Ulstermen is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle preserved in the Serglige Con Culainn ( Old Irish: "The Sick-Bed" or "Wasting Sickness of Cúchulainn " also known as Oenét Emire The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings The Ulaid (pron /'ʊləɣ′/ were a people of early north-eastern Ireland, who gave their name to the modern province of Ulster: modern Irish Cúige Ulster ( Ulaidh ˈkwɪɟɪ ˈʌlˠu / ˈʌlˠi is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in addition to Connacht, Munster and Leinster Leinster (ˈlɛnstər Irish: Laighin, lainʲ one of the Provinces of Ireland, lies in the east of Ireland and comprises the counties of County Armagh ( Contae Ard Mhacha in Irish - from the height of Macha) is a county in Ulster in the north east of Ireland County Down, ( Ulster Scots: Coontie Doun. is one of the nine counties that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form County Louth (Contae Lú is a County on the East coast of Ireland, on the border with Northern Ireland. The stories are set in and around the reign of king Conchobar mac Nessa, who rules the Ulaid from Emain Macha (now Navan Fort near Armagh). Conchobar mac Nessa (son of Ness) is the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Navan Fort should not be confused with Navan in County Meath. The City of Armagh ( is an ancient religious site of worship of both celtic paganism and Christianity and the oldest of the five cities in Northern Ireland, The most prominent hero of the cycle is Conchobar's nephew Cúchulainn. Cúchulainn /kuːˈxʊlɪnʲ/ ( ( Irish for "Hound of Culann " also spelled Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind, Cúchulain, or The Ulaid are most often in conflict with the people of Connacht, led by their queen, Medb, her husband Ailill, and their ally Fergus mac Róich, a former king of the Ulaid in exile. Medb ( Old Irish spelling mɛðv Meḋḃ Meaḋḃ modern Meadhbh mɛɣv reformed modern Irish Meabh, Meːv sometimes Anglicised Maeve or Maev Ailill ( Aillell, Oilioll) mac Máta was king of Connacht and husband of Medb in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology Fergus mac Róich (son of Ró-ech or "great horse" also mac Róig, mac Rossa) is a character of the Ulster Cycle of Irish The longest and most important story of the cycle is the Táin Bó Cúailnge or "Cattle Raid of Cooley", in which Medb raises an enormous army to invade the Cooley peninsula and steal the Ulaid's prize bull, Donn Cúailnge, opposed only by the seventeen year old Cúchulainn. The Cooley Peninsula is a hilly Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland, which includes towns such as Omeath, Carlingford and Greenore In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology Donn Cúailnge, the Brown Bull of Cooley, was an extremely fertile stud bull over whom the Táin Bó Cúailnge Perhaps the best known story is the tragedy of Deirdre, source of plays by W. B. Yeats and J. M. Synge. Deirdre or Derdriu is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish mythology. Edmund John Millington Synge ( (16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909 was an Irish Playwright, Poet, Prose writer and collector of Folklore. Other stories tell of the births, courtships and deaths of the characters and of the conflicts between them.
The stories are written in Old and Middle Irish, mostly in prose, interspersed with occasional verse passages. Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language, or rather the Goidelic languages, for which extensive written texts are possessed Middle Irish is the name given by historical philologists to the Goidelic language used from the 10th to 12th centuries it is therefore a contemporary They are preserved in manuscripts of the 12th to 15th centuries, but in many cases are much older: the language of the earliest stories is dateable to the 8th century, and events and characters are referred to in poems dating to the 7th. [1] The tone is terse, violent, sometimes comic, and mostly realistic, although supernatural elements intrude from time to time. Cúchulainn in particular has superhuman fighting skills, the result of his semi-divine ancestry, and when particularly aroused his battle frenzy or ríastrad transforms him into an unrecognisable monster who knows neither friend nor foe. Evident deities like Lugh, the Morrígan, Aengus and Midir also make occasional appearances. See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always Lugh (ˈluː modern Irish Lú, earlier Lug) is an Irish Deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant The Morrígan ("terror" or "phantom queen" or Mórrígan ("great queen" (also known as Morrígu, Morríghan, Mor-Ríoghain For similar names see Angus (disambiguation. In Irish mythology, Aengus ( Áengus, Óengus, Aonghus In Irish mythology Midir (or Midhir or Mider) was a son of The Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Unlike majority of early Irish historical tradition, which presents ancient Ireland as largely united under a succession of High Kings, the stories of the Ulster Cycle depict a country with no effective central authority, divided into local and provincial kingdoms often at war with each other. A High King of Ireland ( Ard Rí na hÉireann) is a historical or legendary figure who claimed lordship over the whole of Ireland. The civilisation depicted is a pagan, pastoral one ruled by a warrior aristocracy. Bonds between aristocratic families are cemented by fosterage of each other's children. Wealth is reckoned in cattle. Warfare mainly takes the form of cattle raids, or single combats between champions at fords. The characters' actions are sometimes restricted by religious taboos known as geasa. In Irish mythology and folklore a geis ( plural geasa) is an idiosyncratic Taboo, whether of obligation or prohibition similar to being under
The events of the cycle are traditionally supposed to take place around the time of Christ. Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " The stories of Conchobar's birth and death are synchronised with the birth and death of Christ,[2] and the Lebor Gabála Érenn dates the Táin Bó Cúailnge and the birth and death of Cúchulainn to the reign of the High King Conaire Mor, who it says was a contemporary of the Roman emperor Augustus (27 BC - AD 14). Lebor Gabála Érenn ( The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of Poems and Prose narratives Conaire Mór (the great son of Eterscél, was according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition a High King of Ireland. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was [3] However, some stories, including the Táin, refer to Cairbre Nia Fer as the king of Tara, implying that no High King is in place at the time. Cairbre Nia Fer ( Niafer, Niaper) was the King of Tara in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. The Hill of Tara ( Irish Teamhair na Rí, "Hill of the Kings" located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs
Some scholars of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Eugene O'Curry and Kuno Meyer, believed that the stories and characters of the Ulster Cycle were essentially historical; T. F. O'Rahilly was inclined to believe the stories were entirely mythical and the characters euhemerised gods; and Ernst Windisch thought that the cycle, while largely imaginary, contains little genuine myth. Eugene O'Curry ( 20 November 1794 &ndash 30 July 1862) was an Irish Scholar. Kuno Meyer ( 20 December 1858 &ndash 11 October 1919) was a German scholar distinguished in the field of Celtic literature Thomas Francis O'Rahilly, Irish name Tomás Proinsias Ó Rathaile (1883–1953 was an influential scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly in the Ernst Wilhelm Oskar Windisch ( 4 September[[ 844]] Dresden - 30 October[[ 918]] Dresden was a German scholar and celticist. [4] Elements of the tales are reminiscent of classical descriptions of Celtic societies in Gaul, Galatia and Britain. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Warriors fight with swords, spears and shields, and ride in two-horse chariots, driven by skilled charioteers drawn from the lower classes. [5] They take and preserve the heads of slain enemies,[6] and boast of their valour at feasts, with the bravest awarded the curadmír or "champion's portion", the choicest cut of meat. The Curadmír or Champion's Portion was an ancient custom referred to in Early Irish literature, whereby the warrior acknowledged as the bravest present [7] Kings are advised by druids (Old Irish druí, plural druíd), and poets have great power and privilege. A druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in the ancient Celtic societies These elements led scholars such as Kenneth H. Jackson to conclude that the stories of the Ulster Cycle preserved authentic Celtic traditions from the pre-Christian Iron Age. Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson (1 November 1909 – 20 February 1991 was an English linguist and a translator who specialised in the Celtic languages. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. [8] Other scholars have challenged that conclusion, stressing similarities with early medieval Irish society and the influence of classical literature,[9] but it is likely that the stories do contain genuinely ancient material.
Contents |
Most of the important Ulster Cycle tales can be found in the following publications:
The Ulster Cycle provided material for Irish writers of the Gaelic revival around the turn of the twentieth century. Thomas Kinsella (born May 4, 1928) is an Irish poet, Translator, editor and publisher Kuno Meyer ( 20 December 1858 &ndash 11 October 1919) was a German scholar distinguished in the field of Celtic literature For the Gaelic resurgence to overthrow English supremacy in the 14th-16th century see Gaelic resurgence. Augusta, Lady Gregory's Cuchulain of Muirthemne (1902) retold most of the important stories of the cycle,[10] as did Eleanor Hull for younger readers in The Boys' Cuchulain (1904). Isabella Augusta Lady Gregory (15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932 née Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish Dramatist and folklorist. Eleanor Henrietta Hull (1860-1935 was born in England, of a County Down family [11] contemporary William Butler Yeats wrote a series of plays - On Baile's Strand (1904), Deirdre (1907), The Green Helmet (1910), At the Hawk's Well (1917), The Only Jealousy of Emer (1919) and The Death of Cuchulain (1939) - and a poem, Cuchulain's Fight with the Sea (1892), based on the legends, and completed the late John Millington Synge's unfinished play Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910), in collaboration with Synge's widow Molly Allgood. At the Hawk's Well is a one act play by William Butler Yeats, first performed in 1916 and published in 1917 Edmund John Millington Synge ( (16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909 was an Irish Playwright, Poet, Prose writer and collector of Folklore. Deirdre of the Sorrows is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, first performed at the Abbey Theatre by the Irish [12]
More recent literary adaptations include Rosemary Sutcliff's children's novel The Hound of Ulster (1963) and Vincent Woods' play A Cry from Heaven (2005). Rosemary Sutcliff CBE ( December 14, 1920 - July 23, 1992) was a British Novelist, best known as a writer of highly acclaimed Vincent Woods (born 1960) is an Irish Poet and Playwright. He was born in County Leitrim. A Cry from Heaven is a play by Irish playwright Vincent Woods. Cartoonist Patrick Brown is currently adapting the cycle as a webcomic, beginning with the story of Conchobar's mother Ness. Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are Comics Published on a Website, often exclusively providing easy access to an Ness (also written Neas, Nessa) is a princess of the Ulaid and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish [13]