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The Red Branch Tales: The Sixth book in the Ulster Cycle
 
 
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The Red Branch Tales: The Sixth book in the Ulster Cycle (Paperback)

by Randy Lee Eickhoff (Author) "This tale is found in The Book of Leinster (c. 1160) and is only one of the stories that explain how the Red Branch was..." (more)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Eickhoff has been writing novelistic translations of the great medieval Irish texts called the Ulster Cycle, sources of the stories of the greatest legendary Irish heroes. In this addition to the series, which includes The Raid (1997) and The Feast (1999), Eickhoff goes for the mythological gold--to wit, the tale of the great raid on northern Ulster by Queen Maeve of the western province of Connaught for the sake of a magical brown bull. This tale, the so-called Iliad of Ireland, is the centerpiece of an interconnected sequence of stories about its main characters: studly Fergus Mac Roich, unbeatable Cuchulainn, sorrowful Macha, evil but magical Cathbad, raped Nessa, sharp-tongued Aithirne, as well as queenly Maeve and the wild goddess who shadows her, the black-winged Morrigan. Eickhoff has kept true to the texts while employing a sleek modern tone that makes these great ancient tales accessible and vital. Patricia Monaghan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


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"Terrific verse that may remind some of Seamus Heaney's brookwater Anglo-Saxon in his recent Beowulf."-Kirkus reviews on The Destruction of the Inn
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This tale is found in The Book of Leinster (c. 1160) and is only one of the stories that explain how the Red Branch was established. Read the first page
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5.0 out of 5 stars Giving the swords & balls back to the Irish warrior, Oct 29 2003
This review is from: The Red Branch Tales: The Sixth Book of Ulster Cycle (Hardcover)
THE RED BRANCH TALES are stories of the Ulster Irishmen. The Medieval Christianized tales have their basis in the oral traditions of the Pagan Irish Celts. Basically, they cover the building of Emain Macha, the main city and the rise of Conchobar Mac Nessa until just after his death. Conchobar is kind of like an Irish King Arthur (Arthur was a Romanized British Celt Warlord if he was anything but a legend. Forgive my doubt.) but without the genteel chivarly put on the Arthurian legends by later generations. Conchobar was the king that Deirdre of the Sorrows was meant to marry before she set her sights on Naisi, but her story is not in here as the Eickhoff has set it apart in another book THE SORROWS. However, he does give us another version of the pivotal The Cattle Raid of Cooley, which he covers in THE RAID from a different source. Among the other characters you will encounter are Queen Maeve (Mabh), Cuchulain, & Fergus Mac Roich. Although these read like fairy tales and have supernatural elements in them, they are earthy and violent. Think Conan the Barbarian, not Disney's Snow White. This along with their lists of names make it unsuitable for anyone under a mature 12. The Fragments were intiguing, hinting at things that we have lost. I especially enjoyed the small tidbit called On Werewolves. Eickhoff also has a large section of notes that explain details and ideas to the reader. If you are interested in entering the mind of the ancient Irish, these are the stories for you. I have read various versions of these tales and never quite got the stories, never quite understood the mindset of these people, my ancestors. Here the translator has done an excellent job of giving the ancient Irish warrior back his swords and balls in a context that makes sense.
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4.0 out of 5 stars beautiful lyrical translation, Mar 1 2003
By Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Red Branch Tales: The Sixth Book of Ulster Cycle (Hardcover)
The thirty stories that make up THE RED BRANCH TALES come from twelfth century Ireland translated into modern English with the beautiful lyrical prose that Dr. Randy Lee Eickhoff has brought to all his previous translations. The tales provide common themes of life among the various clans with the title providing an obvious clue as to what to expect. The stories vary in content with many dealing with heroism, war, and romance.

The anthology is entertaining though like much of medieval literature, formal language is sprinkled with baroque eloquence and comically lewd capers. Also included are "Fragments" of incomplete tales and proverbs. As usual Dr. Eickhoff provides a marvelous collection, that will be of interest to English majors and those readers who recently savored The Canterbury Tales or Beowulf.

Harriet Klausner

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