Mesca Ulad

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Mesca Ulad [ 'mʴeska' ulað ] ("The drunkenness of the warriors of Ulster") is the title of a story from the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology . It has been handed down in two parts, the end in Old Irish in Lebor na hUidre ("The Book of the Dark / Dark-Colored Cow"), the beginning in Middle Irish in Lebor Laignech ("The Book of Leinster"). The Leabhar Buidhe Lecain ("The Yellow Book of Lecan") and a Scottish manuscript from the 16th century combine the two parts.

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King Conchobar mac Nessa persuades his two foster sons Fintan and Cú Chulainn to give him sole rule over all of Ulster for a year . The two had each received a third of the province from him a year earlier. After this time has elapsed, both want to hold a big party for Conchobar on the same day. Since he is obliged to both, he decides to celebrate first with Fintan and in the second half of the night with Cú Chulainn. As they all drive from Fintans to Cú Chulainn's castle in their chariots, they get lost in the darkness of midnight. They mistakenly end up with King Cú Roí , who is hostile to all of them , and who hypocritically welcomes them as guests. He invites her to a meal in an iron house with wooden paneling, which he closes with chains after she has entered. Then the house is set on fire - with Cú Chulainn's help, however, the Ulter break the chains, leave the house and destroy Cú Roí's Temair Luachra castle .

The drunkenness

For the Celts, social drinks were an important social component. Especially among the Irish, drinking mainly mead or beer (which is said to have been invented by a companion of Partholon's ) up to drunkenness ( mescae ), even up to "confusion of the beer house" ( cumascc cuirmthige ) with quarrels and struggles was common and desirable.

“The nation is greedy for wine and knows how to prepare many wine-like types of drinks. Some of the lowly folk walk around in a voluntary frenzy with staggering gait, constantly drunk. "

See also

literature

Web links

  • James MacKillop: A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (=  Oxford paperback reference ). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-860967-1 , pp. 329 (English, limited preview in Google Book search).

Individual evidence

  1. Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 1090 f.
  2. Ammianus Marcellinus : Res gestae , Volume XV, 12, 4.