Beyond Aran

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Jenseits von Aran is a Christian youth novel by the German author Arnulf Zitelmann , set in pre-Christian Ireland in the year 400 . The book was published in 1980 by Beltz & Gelberg .

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The protagonist of the story is the young warrior and king's son Crithir , whose goal in life is to achieve glory and honor on the battlefield , true to the example of his hero Chuchulain . A chance for this seems to arise when his father, King Ruad , calls him to avenge Crithir's slain brothers. In an accident, however, he kills his own father in battle and is to be sacrificed to the gods as atonement. Crithir survived; in the marshland he is (unknowingly) nursed to health by his own sister Ronait , who is neither known to his or her own ancestry. The two fall in love; Together with Oengus , a noble friend of Crithir, they travel across Ireland to the land of the Deisi, where Crithir defeats Semuine , who killed Crithir's brothers, in a duel. Before that, Semuine reveals that he planned King Ruad's death together with his brother Larene , Crithir's uncle, in order to bind Ruad's kingdom to the Deisi. On the return trip, the two get to know Tomas , a Christian priest, who uncovered the secret of their ancestry. Before it can be aired, however, Ronait is killed by Crithir's traitorous uncle Larene. Crithir recognizes her as his sister and is baptized by Tomas, he seems to be at peace with his past; but in the end he sails out to sea, to his death, to see Ronait again.

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