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fandomhigh2005-12-02 04:08 pm
godinakilt.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2005-12-02 04:08 pm
Celtic Literature and Civilisation Lesson F.I.I.K. 3
"Welcome back class, sorry for my previous absence," Camulus drawls when everyone (all three - hopefully) is assembled. "Right onto the lesson. The Pillowtalk. An activity I'm fairly sure you're all familiar with. So. The pillowtalk begins with introducing the characters of Ailill and Medb, rulers of Connacht. What's important to note is that Medb is the only queen that rules with any sort of authority in any Celtic tale, and through the Tain you'll see that she actually wields quite a bit of power. However, Celtic lore is about as kind to women as Arthurian lore is. Medb comes to be a very corrupt figure, the reason for Connacht's downfall. And you'll see that it is her pride that starts the events of the Tain.
"So our story begins in a very Celtic way - with a pissing contest. Only it isn't between two warriors, it's between Ailill and Medb. Which continues to the end of 'The Occasion of the Tain' with Maeve declaring war - or a cattle raid - on Dare mac Fiachna to possess the Brown Bull of Cuilagne."
Camulus pauses for a moment. "Another of the pre-stories that we didn't cover deals with the conception of the two bulls, the Brown Bull and the White Bull. We've already dealt with humans changing form and thus living for a very long time in one animal shape or another. And we've also dealt with a woman drinking an enchanted fly or insect of some sort and that fly being born as a child. The story of the bulls is both. Two friends began life as pig-keepers and went through various incarnations in which they fought with each other, until finally they were imbibed by two heifers and reborn as these bulls. So they already know each other."
He waves a hand. "I want 'The Rising of the Men of Connacht' and 'The Foretelling' read for next class. And at the end of the Tain, I want story summaries handed in. They don't have to be long - some sections only require a sentence or two - but I want them complete. Any questions about the Tain so far?"
"So our story begins in a very Celtic way - with a pissing contest. Only it isn't between two warriors, it's between Ailill and Medb. Which continues to the end of 'The Occasion of the Tain' with Maeve declaring war - or a cattle raid - on Dare mac Fiachna to possess the Brown Bull of Cuilagne."
Camulus pauses for a moment. "Another of the pre-stories that we didn't cover deals with the conception of the two bulls, the Brown Bull and the White Bull. We've already dealt with humans changing form and thus living for a very long time in one animal shape or another. And we've also dealt with a woman drinking an enchanted fly or insect of some sort and that fly being born as a child. The story of the bulls is both. Two friends began life as pig-keepers and went through various incarnations in which they fought with each other, until finally they were imbibed by two heifers and reborn as these bulls. So they already know each other."
He waves a hand. "I want 'The Rising of the Men of Connacht' and 'The Foretelling' read for next class. And at the end of the Tain, I want story summaries handed in. They don't have to be long - some sections only require a sentence or two - but I want them complete. Any questions about the Tain so far?"
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