Honors 171: The Human Event
Dr. Jacquie Scott
The Táin Bó
Cuailgne & the Epic Tradition
Definition of an Epic Poem:
A long narrative poem in elevated style presenting characters of high
position in adventures forming an organic whole through their relation to
a central heroic figure and through their development of episodes important
to the history of a nation or race.
--from Harmon & Holman, A Handbook to Literature, 8th
ed.
The Epic Tradition:
In world literature, the most influential epics written are
- The Epic of Gilgamesh (Sumerian/Cuneiform, c. 2000 b.c.e.)
- The Iliad & The Odyssey (Homer, Greek, c.
725 b.c.e.)
- The Ramayana of Valmiki (Sanskrit, c. 550 b.c.e.)
- The Mahabharata (Sanskrit, c. 400 b.c.e. - c.e. 400)
- The Aeneid (Virgil, Roman/Latin, c. 29-19 b.c.e.)
- Táin Bó Cuailgne (Irish, c. 600-1100)
- The Epic of Son-Jara (African)
- Beowulf, (Old English, c. 725 –1000)
- The Song of Roland (French, c. 1100)
- The Divine Comedy (Dante, Italian, 1307-1321)
- Orlando Furioso (Ariosto, Italian, 1516)
- La Semaine (Du Bartas, France, 1570s)
- Jerusalem Delivered (Tasso, Italian, 1581)
- Paradise Lost (Milton, English, 1667)
General Characteristics of Ancient Epics:
Content:
- features an epic hero who embodies the ideals of a particular nation
or culture
- focuses on the struggle for something of value to that culture
- includes a god or gods who intervene in the affairs of men, often
to aid or punish the hero
- includes "epic catalogs" (e.g, lists of warriors, armor, spoils of
war, etc.)
Form:
- usually adheres to conventions of a long narrative poem; that is, it
tells a story in verse
- exhibits an elevated style and serious tone
- incorporates "epic similes" –extended, ornate comparisons using "like"
or "as"
- uses repetition as memory aid
Create a List of the Cultural Values Reflected in the Táin
Bó Cuailgne:
1.
4.
7.
2.
5.
8.
3.
6.
9.