Táin Bó Cúailgne Comprehension Questions 1
Q-1 • In which ráth (fortification) does the narrative begin? It constitutes the royal palace and seat of power of Connacht (also spelled Connaught), Ireland’s western province. A significant demarcation line, separating much of Connacht from the rest of Ireland, is the River Shannon — the longest river in Ireland and Britain.
Q-2 • According to Queen Medb, in her “pillow-talk” encounter with Ailill, what “strange bride-gift” did she demand of any prospective husband? And — again, according to Medb — what kind of dependence does Ailill manifest in his marriage to Medb?
Q-3 • Clearly, gender is a core concern in the initial, “pillow-talk” episode. In respect to his having married Medb, what point does Ailill make about his mother?
Q-4 • The term cumal (plural: cumala) appears several times in the “pillow-talk” episode. What does it signify?
Q-5 • How did Ailill come to have ownership of Findbennach, the white-horned super-bull?
Q-6 • Who informs Medb of the existence of Donn Cúailnge, the brown super-bull that resides on — and is named after — the Cooley peninsula on Ireland’s east coast? (Supply both the man’s name and his position in Medb’s royal household.) Also: Who owns Donn Cúailnge?
Q-7 • In the conversation between three members of MacRoth’s retinue, what fact does the third messenger reveal about the procurement of Donn Cúailnge for Medb?
Q-8 • According to Dáire’s butler, who would guide Medb and Ailill’s forces in an attack on Cooley, the mission being the capture of Donn Cúailnge?
Q-9 • What name do each of Medb and Ailill’s seven sons have in common? Also: Three bands of armed men answer Medb’s summons; about which warrior does each of them ask, and who is that man’s father?
1 Q-10 • In her conversation with Feidelm, the female prophet, Medb insists that her forces have nothing to fear from Conchobar and his Ulster warriors. What term does Medb use for the condition that afflicts the men and, thus, prevents them from engaging in combat?
Q-11 • Feidelm predicts that Cú Chulainn will present the main threat to Medb’s forces. According to the prophet, what district does Cú Chulainn regard as his home, and who is his father?
Q-12 • From which of Ireland’s provinces do the exceptional warriors known as the Gailioin, members of Medb’s coalition army, come? As he is their “bond and surety and guarantee,” Fergus insists that the Gailioin be included in the army. What method does he propose for including them?
Q-13 • The members of Medb’s army select Fergus to guide their march from the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland to that of Ulster in the north. How long did Fergus serve as Ulster’s monarch, and how long has he lived in exile in Medb’s royal court? According to the narrative, what happened to Usnech’s sons that precipitated Fergus’s decision to quit Ulster
Q-14 • When conversing with his father at the Ard Cuillenn pillar-stone, what does Cú Chulainn reveal that he must do at Tara — and why is fulfilling the commitment necessary?
Q-15 • Why do Medb and her army decide to camp overnight just south of the Ard Cuillenn pillar- stone? How does the weather behave that night?
Q-16 • After Cú Chulainn kills four of Medb’s men — Nera’s two sons and their two charioteers — he impales their heads on a four-pronged pole that he had inscribed with words and then inserted deep into the ground. What does he not do after the killing?
Q-17 • What piece of equipment does Fergus need to successfully extract the partially buried forked pole, on which Cú Chulainn impaled the heads of Nera’s sons and their charioteers?
Q-18 • What is the family relationship between Deichtire, Cú Chulainn’s mother, and Conchobar, king of Ulster? Also: How does Cú Chulainn pass the time when journeying from his mother’s home to Conchobar’s palace-complex at Emain?
Q-19 • Fergus recalls one of Cú Chuainn’s boyhood exploits. After Cú Chulainn (originally named Setanta) placed himself under the protection of the members of boy-troop at Emain, why did he attack them? How old was he at that time?
Q-20 • Cormac recalls another of Cú Chulainn’s boyhood exploits. In what manner did Culand the Smith’s bloodhound die as a result of an action on Cú Chulainn’s part? How did Cú Chulainn propose to make things right for Culand?
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