Ulster Cycle

As Ulster Cycle is a group of age - and medium of Irish legends and tales will be summarized.

The cycle includes works through traditional and mythological heroes of the Irish province of Ulster, the plot is set in the time of Christ's birth. The Ulster Cycle represents one of the four major cycles of the old Irish mythology

In the center of the saga Táin Bó cycle Cúailnge ( " The expelling of the cattle of Cooley ") stands, which tells the story of the defense of Ulster against the warriors of the neighboring province of Connacht queen Medb and king Ailill under mac Máta. The focus of the stories are Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster, and especially the young hero Cú Chulainn. An important storyline is the tragic love story Longas mac nUislenn ( " The Exile of the Sons Uislius " ) about Deirdre and Naoise.

The Táin Bó Cuailgne are some, also the Ulster Cycle associated with related histories, the remscéla. These include the legends Aislinge Oenguso ( " Oengus ' dream face" ), Compert Con Chulainn ( " Procreation Cú Chulainn " ), Compert Conchobuir ( " The procreation of Conchobar " ), De chophur in da muccida ( "From the (?) Of the swineherd " ), Echtrae Nerai ( " Nera's Adventure " ), Macgnímrada Con Culainn ( " Cú Chulainn boys deeds " ), Noínden Ulad ( " the weakness of the Ulter " ), Serglige Con Chulainn ocus oenét emirs ( " Cú Chulainn sickbed and the only jealousy emers " ), Táin Bó Froích ( " the expelling of cattle Froechs " ) and Tochmarc emirs ( " the wooing of Emer ").

Other stories are about Aided Cheltchair maic Uthechair ( "Death Cheltchars, the son Uthechars " ), aided Chonchobuir ( " Conchobar's death " ), Aided Chon Culainn ( "Death Cú Chulainn " ), aided Loegairi Buadaig ( " The Death of Loegaires victorious " ), aided Oenfir Aife ( " The death of Aífes only son " ), Cath Étair ( " The Battle of ETAR " ), Echtra Fergusa maic Lete ( " The Adventure of Fergus mac Leite " ), Fled Bricrenn ( " Bricrius hard " ), Immacallam in dá Thuarad ( " the conversation of the two ways " ), Scéla mucce Meic Datho ( " The Story of Mac Dathós pig " ) and Togail Bruidne Since Derga ( " the destruction of the hall since Dergas ").

For a long time the stories of the Ulster Cycle were regarded as authentic testimony of the pre-Christian Irish culture. Recently, however, a more critical interpretation has been established, which emphasizes both the mythical and historical character of many passages, and in many depictions of everyday life and social life of contemporary monastic and secular culture recognizes, in which the recorder of the word lived.

The Ulster Cycle describes, in contrast to the stories of the Finn cycle, a society in which there is a Sakralkönigtum, supported by noble warriors with chariots. Struggle and livestock are the center of life, the bull, the horse, the ( fattened ) Pig and the Irish fighting dog, the most important animals. Here is an unmistakable parallels to ancient Greek Iliad can be seen.

Later, the legends of the Ulster Cycle came in favor of the Finn cycle into oblivion and were only rediscovered by the recent literature research.