Tochmarc Momera

Tochmarc Momera An edition and translation, with introduction and textual notes Anouk Nuijten (3662896) RMA Thesis Ancient, Medieval & Renaissance Studies, Utrecht University Dr. Mícheál Ó Flaitheartha Dr. Aaron Griffith November 2016 Table of Contents Acknowledgements 5 Abbreviations 6 I. Introduction 7 Summary 7 History of the Eóganachta 8 Source 10 II. Literary context 11 Genre 12 Names 16 Eógan 16 Momera 20 III. Language 24 Style 24 Language and date 26 Spelling 26 Nouns 27 Adjectives 29 Pronouns 29 Article 30 Verbs 31 Miscellaneous developments 32 IV. Edition 33 Editorial practice 33 Edited text 36 V. Conclusion 88 VI. Bibliography 89 VII. Appendix 93 Index of personal and placenames 93 Personal names 93 Placenames 94 Transcription 96 Image on title page: Statue of Breogán before the Tower of Hercules, known in Lebor Gabála Érenn as the Tower of Breogán. Picture taken from http://www.wearesweet.co/culture/travel/g288/most-amazing-lighthouses/?slide=9 (retrieved November 8, 2016). 2 Plagiarism rules awareness statement Fraud and Plagiarism Scientific integrity is the foundation of academic life. Utrecht University considers any form of scientific deception to be an extremely serious infraction. Utrecht University therefore expects every student to be aware of, and to abide by, the norms and values regarding scientific integrity. The most important forms of deception that affect this integrity are fraud and plagiarism. Plagiarism is the copying of another person’s work without proper acknowledgement, and it is a form of fraud. The following is a detailed explanation of what is considered to be fraud and plagiarism, with a few concrete examples. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list! If fraud or plagiarism is detected, the study programme's Examination Committee may decide to impose sanctions. The most serious sanction that the committee can impose is to submit a request to the Executive Board of the University to expel the student from the study programme. Plagiarism Plagiarism is the copying of another person’s documents, ideas or lines of thought and presenting it as one’s own work. You must always accurately indicate from whom you obtained ideas and insights, and you must constantly be aware of the difference between citing, paraphrasing and plagiarising. Students and staff must be very careful in citing sources; this concerns not only printed sources, but also information obtained from the Internet. The following issues will always be considered to be plagiarism: cutting and pasting text from digital sources, such as an encyclopaedia or digital periodicals, without quotation marks and footnotes; cutting and pasting text from the Internet without quotation marks and footnotes; copying printed materials, such as books, magazines or encyclopaedias, without quotation marks or footnotes; including a translation of one of the sources named above without quotation marks or footnotes; paraphrasing (parts of) the texts listed above without proper references: paraphrasing must be marked as such, by expressly mentioning the original author in the text or in a footnote, so that you do not give the impression that it is your own idea; copying sound, video or test materials from others without references, and presenting it as one’s own work; submitting work done previously by the student without reference to the original paper, and presenting it as original work done in the context of the course, without the express 3 permission of the course lecturer; copying the work of another student and presenting it as one’s own work. If this is done with the consent of the other student, then he or she is also complicit in the plagiarism; when one of the authors of a group paper commits plagiarism, then the other co-authors are also complicit in plagiarism if they could or should have known that the person was committing plagiarism; submitting papers acquired from a commercial institution, such as an Internet site with summaries or papers, that were written by another person, whether or not that other person received payment for the work. The rules for plagiarism also apply to rough drafts of papers or (parts of) theses sent to a lecturer for feedback, to the extent that submitting rough drafts for feedback is mentioned in the course handbook or the thesis regulations. The Education and Examination Regulations (Article 5.15) describe the formal procedure in case of suspicion of fraud and/or plagiarism, and the sanctions that can be imposed. Ignorance of these rules is not an excuse. Each individual is responsible for their own behaviour. Utrecht University assumes that each student or staff member knows what fraud and plagiarism entail. For its part, Utrecht University works to ensure that students are informed of the principles of scientific practice, which are taught as early as possible in the curriculum, and that students are informed of the institution’s criteria for fraud and plagiarism, so that every student knows which norms they must abide by. I hereby declare that I have read and understood the above. Name: Anouk Nuijten Student number: 3662896 Date and signature: 12/11/2016 4 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank all of my teachers at the Celtic department of Utrecht University for introducing me to the wonderous world of Celtic Studies over six years ago. I especially owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Mícheál Ó Flaitheartha, for supervising me and providing valuable commentary on the various drafts of this thesis. I also owe special thanks to Dr. Margo Griffin-Wilson of Cambridge University, for our long conversations on potential dissertation topics, which resulted in my choice to study the present tale. I would also like to thank Jaap Bakker: for his unfailing support and continued patience. Alice Taylor: for helping me out from the other side of the sea. Guus van Loon: for providing last-minute feedback that was both very insightful and entertaining. Finally, I would like to thank my parents, Dick and Marion Nuijten, for putting up with months of books cluttering the living room and their unconditional believe in me and my ability to finish this thesis. 5 Abbreviations EIHM Early Irish History and Mythology, T.F. O’Rahilly DIL Dictionary of the Irish Language GOI A Grammar of Old Irish, R. Thurneysen LL Leabhar Laighneach, Book of Leinster, TCD MS 1339 (H.2.18) LU Lebor na hUidre, Book of the Dun Cow, RIA MS 23 E 25 TM Tochmarc Momera, The Wooing of Momera YBL Leabhar Buidhe Lecáin, Yellow Book of Lecan, TCD MS 1318 (H.2.16) 6 I. Introduction The medieval Irish tale Tochmarc Momera has received little to no scholarly attention over the course of the past century. Since the publication of the edition of Cath Mhuighe Léana or The Battle of Magh Leana, together with Tochmarc Momera or the Courtship of Momera in 1855 by Eugene O’Curry,1 it has only been mentioned by scholars in passing reference, while most remain unaware of its existence. Although Kenneth Jackson produced a new edition of Cath Maighe Léna in 1938, which was reprinted in 1990 with additional corrigenda,2 he did not include a new edition of Tochmarc Momera. O’Curry’s edition of the tale does not comply to the modern standards of an edition: not only is the translation outdated and does it lack a discussion on the language and date of the tale, it is also written in the Gaelic script, which obscures the level of editorial interference. The aim of this thesis is to provide a new edition of Tochmarc Momera (TM), based on my own transcription made from the Yellow Book of Lecan, which contains the only extant copy of the text. It is preceded by an introduction to the contents, the historical background and the source of the tale. The chapter on the literary context provides a general overview of the role of the tale in transmission and its influence on other sources, since a full-scale analysis of the literary aspects of the tale is beyond the scope of this thesis. The edition itself is further supplemented with a linguistic analysis and textual notes, including a discussion of the language and dating, and a new translation is presented on the basis of this edition. The objective of this thesis is to make the tale Tochmarc Momera accessible, to both the general and academic public by providing a new edition and additional contextualization, to enable further research that may contribute to our knowledge of Irish language and literature. Summary Three strange young men arrive at the abode of Eógan Taídlech, son of Mugh Neid, and relate to Eógan that it has been prophesied to Éber, the king of Spain, that a man from Ireland would sail to Spain and marry his daughter, who would give birth to several children that would rule over Ireland. Éber asked his druid to find out who this man would be, and the druid replied that an Irishman would come to marry her if the king would send messengers to fetch him. Eógan decides to come with the three men, who are the sons of the druid, and travels with his fosterbrothers to Spain. In the meantime, the king of Spain inquires of his druid about the whereabouts of the messengers, and is 1 O’Curry, Eugene (ed. & tr.), Cath Mhuighe Léana or The Battle of Magh Leana, together with Tochmarc Moméra or the Courtship of Moméra (Dublin 1855). 2 Kenneth Jackson (ed.), Cath Maighe Léna (Dublin 1990). 7 answered in verse that they are on their way. When the company arrives they are entertained while a feast is held, and Eógan marries the princess. Afterwards, the druid tells the girl that it is foretold that a salmon will come every seventh year into the river Ebro, and that she will catch it and strip it of its wool.

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