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Thats the great warrior Cuchulain - but most call him 'the big lad' because thay can`t pronounce his name!
© 大象传媒 2003
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The Hound of Ulster |
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These sagas contain a wealth of material for the historian. They show us a land where the men were herdsmen, tillers of the soil, hunters, bards, seers, but, above all, warriors. The pagan Irish did encounter the peoples of Britain or of Continental Europe, whether in trade or in piracy, but their chief interest lay in the deeds within their own borders.
There were high kings of shadowy power, whose sway was vaguely recognized as extending over the island, but whose practical supremacy was challenged on every hand whenever an under-king felt a fierce whim seize him. There were chiefs and serfs; there were halls and fortresses; there were huge herds of horses, cattle, sheep and swine. The Kings and Queens, the great lords and their wives, the chiefs and the fighting men, wore garments crimson and blue and green and saffron, plain or chequered, and plaid and striped.
They had rings and clasps and torques of gold and silver, urns and mugs and troughs and vessels of iron and silver. They played chess by the fires in their great halls, and they feasted and drank and quarrelled at the drop of a hat.
Heavenly proof?
Most of the translations of the Ulster Cycle and the story of Cuchulain have been filtered through different languages and interpretations, and the long memories needed ( up to 6 centuries) to decipher any factual events from the romantic and passionate story telling.
Arthurian stories talk about gods appearing in the sky – of which Cuchulain`s immortal father, Lugh is one. There is a time-dependent connection between the death of Arthur, around AD540, and a bright Celtic sky god who is described in terms reminiscent of a comet.
According to debris from a comet nearly 1,500 years ago, may have caused a catastrophic change in the global climate, leading to plague, famine, the fall of the Roman Empire, the birth of the Dark Ages and even the legend of King Arthur.
Could this galactic intervention have inspired the Irish to recount stories of brightly light sky Gods, albeit slightly exaggerated, based on factual events?
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