The Tain

At the center of The Táin is the hero’s journey, for while the overarching epic narrative leads to a final battle between the Connacht and Ulster armies, the story more closely follows Cúchulainn’s transformation from a wild, powerful, uncontrolled force of nature as a boy to a disciplined and fair warrior. In the prehistories Cúchulainn is constantly testing the boundaries of his powers and transgressing cultural norms, and the men of Ulster must scramble to accommodate his chaotic energy or control his outbursts. For example, his initial run-in with the boy troop in Ulster when he failed to ask them for protection (77) reveals his boyhood ignorance, and his inability to master his own energy is demonstrated when Conchobor must deploy naked women to distract Cúchulainn, who was so aggressive after battle he returned home on a path of destruction to attack his own people (92).

These stories are presented in contrast with the Cúchulainn who holds off the Irish forces, day after day, strategically invoking challenges and rules for combat, and punishing those who undermine those rules. In Cúchulainn’s boyhood histories, this moment of change and maturity is marked when he takes on the name the “Hound of Ulster” (84).