Honour and Early Irish Society: a Study of the Táin Bó Cúalnge
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Honour and Early Irish Society: a Study of the Táin Bó Cúalnge David Noel Wilson, B.A. Hon., Grad. Dip. Data Processing, Grad. Dip. History. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Arts (with Advanced Seminars component) in the Department of History, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne. July, 2004 © David N. Wilson 1 Abstract David Noel Wilson, Honour and Early Irish Society: a Study of the Táin Bó Cúalnge. This is a study of an early Irish heroic tale, the Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of the Cooley). It examines the role and function of honour, both within the tale and within the society that produced the text. Its demonstrates how the pursuit of honour has influenced both the theme and structure of the Táin . Questions about honour and about the resolution of conflicting obligations form the subject matter of many of the heroic tales. The rewards and punishments of honour and shame are the primary mechanism of social control in societies without organised instruments of social coercion, such as a police force: these societies can be defined as being ‘honour-based’. Early Ireland was an honour- based society. This study proposes that, in honour-based societies, to act honourably was to act with ‘appropriate and balanced reciprocity’. Applying this understanding to the analysis of the Táin suggests a new approach to the reading the tale. This approach explains how the seemingly repetitive accounts of Cú Chulainn in single combat, which some scholars have found wearisome, serve to maximise his honour as a warrior in the eyes of the audience of the tale. Each episode shows how Cú Chulainn responds appropriately to the honour or affront offered to him by his adversary. The approach also helps to explain the dishonour of Medb and the ambiguous status of Fergus’ honour. It is further argued that many commentators have misunderstood the true target of the Táin’s depiction of Medb. By presenting this paragon of misrule as a woman, the redactors have been able to present a critique of leadership without the risk of offending any of the incumbent kings, who were the real target of this satire on leadership. The study also describes the historical and political background of the two complete recensions of the Táin and suggests how this background may have contributed to the differences between the two works. The redactor of the Book of Leinster version of the Táin , Áed Úa Crimthainn, was directly affected by the events of the twelfth century which led to the Norman control of Leinster. Áed lived to see the Norman expansion into much of Ireland which resulted in unsympathetic Norman control of many of the monastic institutions that had previously preserved the Irish literary tradition. These events may explain why his recension of the Táin had a more pessimistic ending to the tale, than did the earlier recension. His recension also had a greater emphasis of Cú Chulainn as an ideal hero, yet suggested that wars were not institutions to be accepted and glorified, but were the result of vanity and greed. © David N. Wilson 2 This is to certify that (i) the thesis comprises only my original work except where indicated in the preface, (ii) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, (iii) the thesis is 20,000-22,000 words in length, exclusive of footnotes, appendices, and bibliography. David Noel Wilson © David N. Wilson this work is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced without the written permission of the Author. Revision 1.01 2006-01-22 Small typographical and grammar corrections. David N. Wilson email [email protected] © David N. Wilson 3 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the support given to me by several people. Dr. Ann Trindade who and introduced me to the field of early Irish studies and whose inspiration encouraged this project. Dr. Dianne Hall who supervised the final stages of this work and ensured that it stayed on track. Anne Clarke who kindly helped with proof reading. Finally and especially my wife, Christine MacLeod, without whose support this thesis could never have been completed. © David N. Wilson 4 Contents Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................7 Chapter 1. Early Ireland and its Society................................................................................................9 Description.......................................................................................................................................9 Debates in the Study of Early Irish Society and Culture ................................................................11 Chapter 2. Honour, Status and Law ....................................................................................................14 Honour-price..................................................................................................................................15 Critical approaches to honour.........................................................................................................16 Chapter 3. Introduction to the Táin ....................................................................................................19 The Ulster Cycle and the Táin ......................................................................................................19 The Text and its Recensions...........................................................................................................20 Cultural-Historical Background of the Táin ..................................................................................24 Critical Approaches to the Táin .....................................................................................................28 Chapter 4. Analysis of the Táin...........................................................................................................31 Cú Chulainn’s Single Combats: The Balance of Honour................................................................31 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................47 Bibliography........................................................................................................................................49 Index of Tables Table 1. Cú Chulainn’s Response to Warriors 32 © David N. Wilson 5 Abbreviations Táin LL Táin Bó Cúalnge from the Book of Leinster. Translated and edited by Cecile O’Rahilly. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1970. Táin I Táin Bó Cúalnge Recension 1. Translated and edited by Cecile O’Rahilly. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1976. Use of the word ‘Táin’ otherwise refers to the story. References to these two texts will be cited within the text of the thesis. All other references will be footnoted. © David N. Wilson 6 Introduction This is a study of the early Irish heroic tale, the Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of the Cooley). It focus on the role and function of honour, both within the tale and within the society that produced the text. The following episodes, which also introduce the three main characters of the Táin, show something of the preoccupation with honour in this tale and its problematic nature. The first episode occurs after the young Cú Chulainn overheard a druid proclaiming an omen that a boy who should take up arms on that day would be splendid and famous but would be short-lived and transient. ( Táin LL 164) Straight away, Cú Chulainn went to his uncle, the king of Ulster, to ask for arms. He explained: It is a wonderful thing if I am but one day and one night in the world provided that my fame and my deeds live after me. ( Táin LL 164) Cú Chulainn has made the same choice as Achilles — to seek immortal fame even at the cost of a short life. The second is from the final battle between the Men of Ireland and the Ulstermen. Fergus had formerly been king of Ulster, but had been forced into exile, and had become a leader of the Men of Ireland. In the midst of the battle, Cú Chulainn encountered Fergus and reminded him of their prior agreement: you promised that you would flee from me when I should be wounded, bloody and pierced with stabs in the battle of the Táin, for I fled before you in your own battle of the Táin. Fergus heard that, and he turned and took three mighty, heroic strides, and when he turned all the men of Ireland turned and were routed westward over the hill. ( Táin LL 269) With his ‘heroic strides’, Fergus has, in fact, betrayed Medb and the Men of Ireland. Later, when the defeated forces were fleeing from the battle, Fergus blamed Medb, his queen and lover, for the disaster, sidestepping his own role in the defeat: ‘This day was indeed a fitting one for those who were led by a woman’ said Fergus. [lacuna] . ‘This host has been plundered and despoiled today. As when a mare goes before her band of foals into unknown territory, with none to lead or counsel them, so this host has perished today’. ( Táin LL 270) These episodes illustrate some of the complex themes in the Táin : those of fame, honour, shame and conflicting loyalties. Questions about honour and the resolution of conflicting obligations form the subject matter of many of the heroic tales. Early Irish society expected its members to display an appropriate and balanced reciprocity in