What stories are in the Ulster Cycle?
The Ulster Cycle (Irish: an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It focuses on the mythical Ulster king Conchobar mac Nessa and his court at Emain Macha, the hero Cú Chulainn, and their conflict with the Connachta and queen Medb.
What are the 4 cycles of Irish mythology?
Basically all of Irish mythology is split into four sections, or cycles, from oldest to newest there is the mythological cycle, the Ulster cycle, the Fenian cycle and the king cycle. Each cycle is characterized by recurring themes in the stories from those cycles.
What year was the Ulster cycle?
The stories, set in the 1st century bc, were recorded from oral tradition between the 8th and 11th century and are preserved in the 12th-century manuscripts The Book of the Dun Cow (c. 1100) and The Book of Leinster (c. 1160) and also in later compilations, such as The Yellow Book of Lecan (14th century).
Who wrote the Ulster cycle?
In The Ulster Cycle, Randy Lee Eickhoff translates Ireland’s ancient mythology into vital, accessible and novelistic retellings. Enter the world of pre-Christian Ireland, when warriors fought from chariots, Druids provided the mystical answers to the universe, and men and women believed strongly in magic.
Is the Ulster Cycle Celtic?
The Ulster Cycle is a series of stories from Celtic mythology telling the adventures of legendary figures such as the Irish warrior hero, Cuchulainn, and epic battles such as the Cattle Raid of Cooley, known in Irish as Táin Bó Cúailnge. They gave their name to the province of Ulster.
Is Ulster a Celtic?
The Celts that settled in what we know as Northern Ireland today, were the Ulaid (Old Irish) or the Ulaidh (Modern Irish). They were a people of early Ireland who gave their name to the modern province of Ulster, which means “land” or “territory.”
What are the 4 cycles of Béaloideas?
The four cycles are the Mythological Cycle, Ulster Cycle, Fenian Cycle and Historical Cycle.
What is the Morrigan?
The Morrigan is one of Pagan Ireland’s most famous—and notorious—goddesses. Her name translated as “phantom queen” or “great queen,” the Morrigan is famous for being a goddess of war, witchcraft and death, protection and retribution.
Why is it called the Ulster Cycle?
The Ulster Cycle, known in Irish as an Rúraíocht, contains 80 stories about a group of people known as the Ulaid who according to legend, occupied the north east of Ireland more than 2,000 years ago. They gave their name to the province of Ulster. The Ulster Cycle is set around the reign of King Conchobar mac Nessa.
Why are there only 6 counties in Northern Ireland?
Most Ulster unionists wanted the territory of the Ulster government to be reduced to six counties, so that it would have a larger Protestant unionist majority. They feared that the territory would not last if it included too many Catholics and Irish nationalists.
Is Ulster Catholic or Protestant?
Ulster Protestants (Irish: Protastúnaigh Uladh) are an ethnoreligious group in the Irish province of Ulster, where they make up about 43% of the population. Today, the vast majority of Ulster Protestants live in Northern Ireland, which was created in 1921 to have an Ulster Protestant majority. …
What did the Tuatha De Danann look like?
What Did the Danann Look Like? The Danann are generally described as tall with red or blonde hair, blue or green eyes, and pale skin. Interestingly, archaeology has unearthed evidence all around the world of small colonies of red-haired people from the same time period as the Tuatha De Danann’s arrival in Ireland.
What is the Ulster Cycle about?
In The Ulster Cycle, Randy Lee Eickhoff translates Ireland’s ancient mythology into vital, accessible and novelistic retellings. Enter the world of pre-Christian Ireland, when warriors fought from chariots, Druids provided the mystical answers to the universe, and men and women believed strongly in magic.
Is the Ulster Cycle of mythology worth a read?
Covering many of the stories of the Ulster Cycle of myths, there are stories here that I actually hadn’t heard before, as I am sure will be the case for many other readers. Overall, a great book, and not to be missed by someone interested in Irish and Celtic mythology. AT LAST!!!!
Who are the Warriors in the Ulster Cycle?
The Ulster Cycle is a group of legendary stories from early Irish literature, set in and around the reign of Conchobar mac Nessa in Ulster. His warriors include his nephews, Cú Chulainn and Conall Cernach.
What is the cycle of the Ulaid?
The Ulster Cycle (Irish: an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and Louth, and taking place around or