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The Táin
The T in B Cuailnge, center-piece of the eighth-century Ulster cycle of heroic tales, is Ireland's greatest epic. Thomas Kinsella's lively translation is based on the partial texts in two medieval manuscripts, with elements from other versions. This edition includes a group of related stories which prepare for the action of the T in along with brush drawings by Louis le Br...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
November 21st 2002
by Oxford University Press, USA
(first published 1106)
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When I learned that China Mieville had appropriated the title "The Tain" for one of his little apocalypto-dystopic excursions back in 2002, my reaction was something like this:
BACK OFF, MIEVILLE, YOU PLUNDERING, PLAGIARIZING SASSENACH GIT! THAT TITLE'S ALREADY TAKEN.
Because, as every cultured person knows, "The Tain" (pronunciation "Thoyne") is the name given to the most important story in ancient Irish literature, the collection of tales al...more
BACK OFF, MIEVILLE, YOU PLUNDERING, PLAGIARIZING SASSENACH GIT! THAT TITLE'S ALREADY TAKEN.
Because, as every cultured person knows, "The Tain" (pronunciation "Thoyne") is the name given to the most important story in ancient Irish literature, the collection of tales al...more
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When I came across an actual copy of this book during my visit to Chicago, I was almost afraid to buy it. I had to buy it, of course--it's not often I find real evidence of Celtic Studies works showing up in bookstores, and when I do find titles that fit the bill, I always buy them. Bookstores need to be supported and congratulated for stocking things that are outside of the mainstream.
I was afraid to read the book because I was convinced that Thomas Kinsella's translation, graced ...more
I was afraid to read the book because I was convinced that Thomas Kinsella's translation, graced ...more
Imagine someone took you for a walk from the North to the South of the USA, from New England across the Mason-Dixon line and onward to Georgia, all the while using cues from the landscape to narrate the Civil War. The Táin does this, guiding the reader through an interactive map where the story and the landscape are inseparable.
While undeniably a "classic" epic, the unity of place, narrative, and heritage gives The Táin the feel of classic Indian epics, like the Bhagavad G...more
While undeniably a "classic" epic, the unity of place, narrative, and heritage gives The Táin the feel of classic Indian epics, like the Bhagavad G...more
The Tain is epic. In fact it is Epic - at least as Epic as more famous Epics, such as the Iliad. In fact, the number of correspondences between the Cattle Raid of Cooley and the story of Achilles' rage is remarkable. (It must be - I just remarked it.) Wanna know what they are (at least some of them, anyway)? Oi - you at the back! stop saying, "No."
here we go:
Illiad: Achilles only vulnerable on one heel.
Tain: CuChulain's foster brother only vulnerable to a gae bo...more
here we go:
Illiad: Achilles only vulnerable on one heel.
Tain: CuChulain's foster brother only vulnerable to a gae bo...more
I just read this book for the third time, and finished teaching it this morning. I always kind of forget how very, very weird the Irish were. We just spent 30 minutes in each section talking about sex, and then 20 on whether this is a credible source or not for the 1st century. Cuchulainn kills people in the most interesting ways. Anyway, I love this book - it just is such a reminder that people think about the world differently.
Kinsella's translation is also interesting - no notes m...more
Kinsella's translation is also interesting - no notes m...more
This is one of a set of pre-Christian Irish epics, part of the Ulster Cycle, the events of which allegedly took place in the 1st century AD, the earliest written manuscripts dating from the 12th century AD. Written mostly in prose, it nonetheless is similar in many ways to the Greek and Indian heroic epics, complete with hyperbolic language, magic, and many formulas characteristic of bardic oral traditions. It is a most entertaining read, with humor, gore, implausibility, and wild exaggeration...more
Tain Bo Cuailnge (pronounced toin-bow-COO-lin-gah) is the centerpiece of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. The title translated to English is The Cattle Raid of Cooley. It is funny, particularly the character Medb (pronounced "mave"), who uses her sensuality as a means of power and domination. Her decision to go on the cattle raid is the result of a dispute between her and her husband. She is determined to have more property and thus be more powerful than he, so she sets about the t...more
Not a bad translation, all told, but not very easy reading, especailly when you get to the points where all they do is list everyone who just got their asses handed them by Cu' Chulainn, but I'm sure that's how the Gaelic version went too. I would have liked it better if Carson had included all the little pre-stories, rather then just adding the pertinent ones as footnotes. But all an all, a great translation of this epic story.
I haven't read much Irish mythology at all, so it was high time I got round to reading The Táin. It's an epic based around the feats of Cù Chulainn, as he defends the land of Ulster from the armies of Ailell and Medb. It's (here's one of my favourite words again) hyperbolic and, well, it's an epic, what do you expect? There's verse and one-on-one combats and ridiculous feats of arms involving throwing spears through boulders and so on.
I was actually surprised by how little I knew ab...more
I was actually surprised by how little I knew ab...more
The Tain, sortof a bizarro Irish epic - like all the other Irish epics - was one of my favorite works in college. The definitive translation is by Kinsella (1969), but there's this newish one by Ciaran Carson (2007), which I've finally gotten around to judging.
Here's the spoiler-free gist of the Tain: the Irish king Ailill and his wife Medb argue in bed over who's richer, and on the spot they insist on having every item they each own brought to them so they can tally it up - herds a...more
Here's the spoiler-free gist of the Tain: the Irish king Ailill and his wife Medb argue in bed over who's richer, and on the spot they insist on having every item they each own brought to them so they can tally it up - herds a...more
This ancient poem from Ireland is so entertaining even after these hundreds of years. If I had to compare it to anything, I would say its like Homer's Iliad but instead of a whining Achilles, you have this joke cracking, heart throbbing, berserker named Cu Chulainn who is so over the top I was laughing out loud throughout the whole book. It's basically a cattle raid that goes horribly wrong. Throw in some pagan gods, some sex, amazing feats of strength and acrobatics, faeries, enchanted weapons,...more
Since this is an ancient Irish epic which has lasted through time, I feel a little silly only giving it 3 stars. So I guess my rating is based on if I'd recommend it to the general public; I'd say you'd be more interested if you had some reason for reading it. And after reading it I figured out it was actually not the tale I was looking for, but that's all good! Now I know all about the legendary Cuchulainn.
Incidentally, I compared this with another more recent translation, and th...more
Incidentally, I compared this with another more recent translation, and th...more
I may be stirring a hornet's nest here, but I prefered this to the Kinsella. Been a while since I read his translation though.
Thought this flowed very well.
My only gripe was that there weren't enough notes. There were a fair few times that I got a ref to some other tale and was surprised that it didn't have an explanation in the notes. This doesn't spoil the tale, but if you've not read, or heard, other old tales you may miss out on some of the depth that wee hints imply. (For instan...more
Thought this flowed very well.
My only gripe was that there weren't enough notes. There were a fair few times that I got a ref to some other tale and was surprised that it didn't have an explanation in the notes. This doesn't spoil the tale, but if you've not read, or heard, other old tales you may miss out on some of the depth that wee hints imply. (For instan...more
Giving this stars seems kind of ridiculous. But I will, anyway.
It is a minor embarrassment that I had not read The Táin until last week. When my sister found out she made me, which is fair enough. We are quite immersed in many of the stories surrounding the Ulster cycle during our education: the young Cúchulainn, Medb and Ailill. We are even told a vastly simplified version of the Táin Bó Cúailnge, mostly focusing on the two bulls and not the war going on around them.
My firs...more
It is a minor embarrassment that I had not read The Táin until last week. When my sister found out she made me, which is fair enough. We are quite immersed in many of the stories surrounding the Ulster cycle during our education: the young Cúchulainn, Medb and Ailill. We are even told a vastly simplified version of the Táin Bó Cúailnge, mostly focusing on the two bulls and not the war going on around them.
My firs...more
Ah, the great deeds of Cu Chulainn. How I love this story. And how wonderful to have a new translation. As Carson points out, there are places where his translation is nearly the same as Kinsella's, but that's bound to happen when you have two people translating from the same source material.[return][return]That being said, I do believe I like Carson's translation better. He tends to play with words a bit more and that lends a bit more immediacy to this translation--it sounds more like I imagine...more
This curious tale is one of the oldest and longest ancient Irish tales. It recounts the exploits of Irish hero Cu Chulainn as he repels an army come to steal the Ulstermen's prize bull, the Dun Cuailnge. I'm pretty sure it is the most violent piece of literature I've read, and I've read Blood Meridian. Heads are lost, men are cut in twain, and a few are speared through their "rear portal." And those are the most normal ways people die. The story freely takes in the hyperbolically heroi...more
Really a reread, though it's been forever since I read it. I decided to read it again in anticipation of Ciaran Carson's translation that I'm told is less than literal--though if you want to get technical about it, Kinsella's translation also isn't a literal word-for-word translation. But I still love the story and the illustrations in this version, which are purposely primitive, add so much. [return][return]However, I can't always find I'm sympathetic to Ulster simply because of the origins of ...more
This is a medieval Irish myth whose origins seem to extend back to the Iron Age and therefore, is very useful in re-constructing what life could have been like in the Ancient Celtic world. It tells the story of a war between the Men of Ireland and the Men of Ulster, in which the the main figures are King Aillill and Queen Medb of Connacht and King Conchobar and the great hero, Cu Chulainn of Ulster.
The best epic story ever !
Sometimes it makes me sad to think that 'The Táin' is not as known as Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey !
Even if this is a medieval text, it doesn't look so : there are no priests, no church , no knights in shining armour, no chrisitan strict rules in the hole narrative . So it doesn't matter if you don't like medieval history : you're going to like this story the same way!
Sometimes it makes me sad to think that 'The Táin' is not as known as Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey !
Even if this is a medieval text, it doesn't look so : there are no priests, no church , no knights in shining armour, no chrisitan strict rules in the hole narrative . So it doesn't matter if you don't like medieval history : you're going to like this story the same way!
As this is the only translation I've read of this tale, I may not be best placed to write a review.
I found this book fairly easy to read, especially in comparison to the texts that are available online. The endnotes were especially helpful, though I am not sure if some matters were left out as there were references to, say, the history of the bulls themselves, but nowhere in the book was this history related. Perhaps I missed it? I would also have apprecited an pronuncation gui...more
I found this book fairly easy to read, especially in comparison to the texts that are available online. The endnotes were especially helpful, though I am not sure if some matters were left out as there were references to, say, the history of the bulls themselves, but nowhere in the book was this history related. Perhaps I missed it? I would also have apprecited an pronuncation gui...more
This is the Irish Iliad--Cuchulainn defends Ulster against everyone. Single-handed. It's a great story, but if it has a flaw, it's that it gets a little repetetive when Cuchulainn is fighting against the succession of heroes. That shouldn't detract too much--battle scenes in the Iliad and the Morte Darthur aren't terribly interesting either.
This book is likable as a cultural epic, but it is also boring and predictable for the same reasons. The endless list of warriors and place names are of little interest to the average reader not steeped in the history of Ireland and Irish lineages. That aside, I appreciate the unique depiction of women that comes in this tale. When compared to other cultural epics, woman have tremendously more roles then simply the wife/mother, the virgin/daughter, and the temptress/whore. Some of the women of t...more
This is a translation of a mediaeval text, telling the story of Cuchulain - one of ireland's great heroes. I had a vague sense of the tale before reading, but what startled me most was the reason for the huge, heroic battles...
It's all about a cow. A really big cow, admitedly, but Medh wants it (for long and complicated reasons) and the people who own it won't let her have it, and so they go to war, huge armies march across the country, and for a long time, Cuchulain holds them off a...more
It's all about a cow. A really big cow, admitedly, but Medh wants it (for long and complicated reasons) and the people who own it won't let her have it, and so they go to war, huge armies march across the country, and for a long time, Cuchulain holds them off a...more
This is your second Irish assignment after reading "How the Irish Saved Civilization." Understand the mythology, understand the culture. This volume of selected stories includes tales of fierce warriors and fiercer women. Don't let the Gaelic names put you off; this bloody, sexy epic is a wild read.
To keep it short and sweet this is a must read for anyone interested in Irish history and culture, Celtic Heathenry, Odinism, mythology or general Celtic studies. One of the most essential texts for learning about any of these things but besides that the saga of Cuchulainn is a great entertaining story too.
If you like long lists of unpronounceable names, lengthy descriptions of each person's clothing types and colors, whether their hair is blonde or brown, curly or straight, if their shields are gold, silver, or both, and reading about people and places turning grey with brain matter, then this book may be for you, otherwise, don't bother.
I think that some people think of this as the national epic of Ireland, though it isn't a poem. It is very much in the style of a war epic. It's mostly about how the hero Cúchulainn from the kingdom of Ulster fights off the warriors of the rest of Ireland almost single-handed.
What an amazing epic. I had always heard of Cuchulainn, but never read anything about him, and I must say that he is one of the most awesome heroes I've ever come across in literature (in terms of strength and ability, of course).
Not as refined an epic as Beowulf or the Illiad--probably on par with Gilgamesh in that sense--but still an awesome piece of literature. Focuses far more than any other epic I've read on showing how certain parts of the setting were named (i.e., and at that ford so-and-so died; that is why it is called so-and-so's ford). Some pretty interesting and complex characters, most notably Cu Chulainn, Fergus Mac Roich, and Fer Diad. There are a couple of tedious parts--the lists and descriptions of hero...more
I didn't really care for this even though I wanted to. I had heard it was the Irish legend to read. The part I didn't like was pages and pages of names and places over and over again, it got to where I just skipped over the names and places. I found it monotonous and boring. The core of the story, (the war on Ulster by Queen Maeb, the magic bulls and my favorite champion, Cuchulainn) was good but could have been written better. I'm sure, at the time when this was an oral tradition, it was fa...more
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