Historical cycle
The historical cycle or the royal cycle is the modern name for some old and central Irish stories.
The Irish history professor Eugene O'Curry chose this term for historical, but sometimes also mythical-legendary traditions. The actions take place in the period from the 3rd century BC. BC to 11th century AD, the stories were recorded between the 8th and 14th centuries AD in the versions preserved today.
The royal legends are particularly well represented, which explains the name of the royal cycle sufficiently. Examples include Ailill Aulom , Cano mac Gartnáin , Cathair Mór , Conn Cétchathach , Cormac mac Airt , Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine , Guaire Aidne , Labraid Moen , Lugaid mac Con , Muirchertach mac Erca , Rónán mac Colmáin and Suibne . The plot of the story Bóruma with the main character of King Brian Boru extends over several centuries.
Some of the themes mentioned in the historical cycle overlap with themes of the mythological cycle for the reason given above .
See also
literature
- Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 .
- Bernhard Maier: The religion of the Celts. Gods, myths, worldview . Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-48234-1 .