The Pangs of the Ulstermen: An Exchangist Perspective

Journal article

Abstract:: Why is Cu Chulainn exempt from the curse of Macha in Tain Bo Cuailgne? In the present article, I attempt to resolve the issue of Cu Chulainn's exceptional status by nominating the curse of Macha and the naming of Cu Chulainn pre-narratives to the Tain as semantic inverses of each other. Specifically, I argue that the former narrative depicts the breaking of a contract between the third functional group and the combined forces of the first and second functions in Georges Dumezil's Indo-European social taxonomy; while the latter narrative, I suggest, charts the restoration of this same contract. On this basis, I then identify Macha's curse with the spiritual animation that, according to Marcel Mauss, accompanies all violations of social reciprocity.

Language:: English
Keywords:: Celtic Studies

Epic

Indo-European Studies

Tain Bo Cuailgne

Reciprocity
Pubs id:: pubs:375175
UUID:: uuid:c37ab380-1950-48f5-aabf-f4c5d48e04ee
Local pid:: pubs:375175
Source identifiers:: 375175
Deposit date:: 2013-09-24

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