Aspects of the Táin

Editor: J.P. Mallory

Publisher: December Publications

Published: 1992

ISBN: 0951706829

Pages: 159

Synopsis: From the back cover: “Aspects of the Táin attempts to bring together for the modern reader an account of the historical development of the tale, how it succeeds or fails as literature, and to what extent it is a window on the Iron Age”.”

Review: This is one of those must read books that you should read along side The Táin. It starts with an outline of the story in the Táin by the editor J.P. Mallory and then it has 3 very informative essays.

The first essay is by Ruairí Ó hUiginn and it talks about the background to the Táin as well as all the things that influenced it, the different recensions, its age and so on.

Patricia Kelly’s essay talks about the themes, characters and elements in the Táin. It also talks about its literary impact.

The final essay is by J.P. Mallory and it is about how different people tried to put the tales in chronological order and look for archaeology to support it.

This was a short book but it was an interesting one. You can see all the different views that people had while studying the Táin and how their views were sometimes opposite to one another.

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Inside the Táin

Full Title: Inside the Táin – Exploring Cú Chulainn, Fergus, Ailill, and Medb

Author: Doris Edel

Publisher: Cruach Bhán Publications

Published: 2015

ISBN: 978-3-942002-20-2

Pages: 371, including 2 Appendices, Works Cited and Index

Synopsis: This is the first literary-critical study of the Táin Bó Cúailnge in its entirety, and as an autonomous literary work.

The key to a more deeply probing understanding of the semiliterate epic is the study of its characters: what they do and why they do it – why more important than what. Why reveals the differences between the various versions. Most promising is the multilayered Recension I, mainly preserved in Lebor na hUidre, which testifies of the keen interest of its compilers in the portrayal of the characters, while the version in the Book of Leinster, with its tendency to omit what might lessen the heroes’ prestige, pays for its greater unity with loss of depth.

The multi-facetedness of the characters in the early version, combined with the deceptive simplicity of the plot, lends the work a remarkable pragmatism. Despite occasional baroque descriptions of battle frenzy, the main heroes Cú Chulainn and Fergus embody a heroism reined in by prudence. All through the war they do everything in their power to limit the use of force. Ailill and Medb represent a new type of ruler-entrepreneur, who seeks to realize his aim at the lowest possible cost and accepts failure matter-of-factly. So the epic has no fatal end-point. The greater part of the two armies are able return to their countries. The theme of mutual destruction is relegated to the Battle of the Bulls. The lasting antagonism between the North and the remainder of the island must have endowed the Táin with contemporary significance at various points in time, as the allusions to (near-)contemporary events suggest.

Review: This is one of the most interesting books I’ve read as a companion to the Táin. The Introduction to the book gives very good basic information on the recensions of the Táin, which goes into technical details that assume you are familiar with he content of all three Recensions of the TBC. The book then goes into a deep analysis of the actions of Cú Chulainn, Fergus, Ailill, and Medb. As usual when we talk about the analysis of a single person I don’t agree with everything that is concluded but for the most part the analysis presented is a very sound one. The author raises some good points and also explains things in an easy manor that helps the reader get a deeper feel for the Táin and its most important characters.

The amount of information in this book is no joke. I think I would have gotten this book for the Appendices only, never mind all the deep analysis in the body of the text. A must read book.