Aided Chonchobuir

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Aided Chonchobuir [ 'aðʴeð' xonxovurʴ ] ("Conchobar's death") is the name of a story from the Ulster cycle . In five manuscripts that have survived, there are a total of three different versions of the legend. In Lebor Laignech ("The Book of Leinster") an almost complete version is recorded, which is a continuation of Cath Étair ("The Battle of Étar").

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At the Battle of Étar, the hero Conall Cernach beheads King Mes Gegra of Leinster and mixes his brain with lime to form a rock-hard ball. This ball is kept in Ulster as a trophy. The Connacht warrior Cet mac Mágach steals it and uses it in a battle as a projectile for his slingshot. He hits King Conchobar mac Nessa in the forehead, where the ball gets stuck deeply. The doctors cannot remove the bullet, otherwise the king would die immediately, but they save Conchobar's life for the time being. After seven years of infirmity, Conchobar learns of Christ's death on the cross. In one version of the narrative, he is so angry about it that the ball pops out of his brain and he dies of the open wound. According to Irish tradition, Conchobar is therefore considered a martyr even before Ireland was Christianized .

In another manuscript, two fools at the court of King Conchobar are playing with the brain ball. Cet mac Mágach takes the ball from them and hurls it at the king. The rest of the narrative coincides with the version above.

See also

literature

Web links

  • Chapter Death in the article Conchobar mac Nessa of the English language Wikipedia.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ingeborg Clarus: Celtic myths. Man and his otherworld. P. 52 f.
  2. Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 825.