The Tain (edition 1975)

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 about The Tain. I'm sure I've read plenty about Cù Chulainn, but knew very little about what goes on in the Cattle Raid.

The translation seems clear and is very easy to read, though I can't comment on accuracy. The introduction is helpful, and the notes are comprehensive and informative. ( )

My edition OUP, 1972, no. 239 ( )

The Cattle Raid of Cooley. The classic tale of the armies of Medb and Ailill, and the war fought over a cow.

A person develops a very special kind of relationship with the previous owner(s) of one's book. In this case, I believe I've grown to know a little something about "Jen." Let me share: on page 44, there is a passage that reads: "The boy set upon him and they struck at one another. The boy struck him bald-headed with his sword, in the stroke of precision. 'The joking has come to a head!' Cúchullain said. 'Now we'll wrestle.'" In the margin, Jen wrote "pun" and drew a cute little arrow to the line that starts with "the joking." Later, on page 132, Cúchullain's encounter with King Buan's daughter is annotated: "parallels to Ishtar comeing [sic] to Gilgamesh." Some sort of learning is going on. ( )

IR/A/B 008