The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig

The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig () is a legendary tale in the Ulster Cycle.

The story tells of a dispute between the Connachta, led by Ailill and Medb, and the Ulaid, led by Conchobar mac Nessa, over the acquisition of the hound of Leinster, Ailbe. The dispute is ultimately resolved through the plan of the king of Leinster, Mac Da Thó, to hold a feast at his hostel, at which a fight breaks out over the assignment of the curadmír or champion's portion.

The work is an example of early Irish literature, written primarily in prose attributed to an unknown author of Leinster c. AD 800, and survives in at least six manuscripts, written between the 12th and 18th centuries. The story was apparently popular in the Middle Ages and later times, and became the subject of a number of independent poems.

Although apparently the quintessential Ulster Cycle story in many respects, the tale's composition also displays a sophisticated satiric quality as a parody of the genre.

Manuscripts and editions

The texts are preserved in 6 manuscripts:

L Book of Leinster; Trinity College, Dublin. Irische Texte I: 93–112Facsimile of the Royal Irish Academy, pp. 111 sqq. H H.3.18, Trinity College, Dublin ed. Anecdota from Irish manuscripts 5: 8–16 Hl Harley MS. 5280, fol. 40r-42r (old pagination; fol. 50, 52, 53r, rec. pag.); British Library R Rawlinson B. 512, fol. 105 v 2–108 r 2; Bodleian Library, Oxford., Hibernica Minora, pp. 51 sqq. Edinburgh. MS. XXXVI, fol. 86r-91v; National Library of Scotland ed. ZCP 17: 213–222 H.6.8, pp. 37–50; Trinity College, Dublin.

The text was edited by Rudolf Thurneysen (1935) as a single book, the LHHl texts with the R text printed below.

Sources and composition

Of The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pigs six manuscripts, the earliest and best form of the story is preserved in three texts: the Book of Leinster, in the paper leaves of H.3.18 in Trinity College, Dublin, and in the Harley 5280 manuscript in the British Library (formerly the British Museum). The earliest of these is the Book of Leinster, written c. AD 1160; the Harley 5280 manuscript was written in the first half of the 16th century, whereas H.3.18 was written c. 1700. In two of these manuscripts, H.3.18 and Harley 5280, the story is called Scēla muici M(ei)c Dathó, "Tidings of the pig of MacDathó". In the Book of Leinster, the story is similarly entitled Incipit Scēl Mucci M(ei)c Dathó. These texts are independent of each other, but are believed to be derived from a common source. Linguistically, this source is believed to be a lost 10th- or 11th-century transcript of a previous version dating to c. 800. The scene of the story, and its familiarity with the area of modern County Kildare, suggests a Leinster authorship; though it appears that the south-west of Ireland was also not unknown to the author.

A fourth version is recorded in the 15th-century MS Rawlinson B 512, now in the Bodleian Library, which is less accurate and conservative than the first three. In this redaction, the story is designated Scaradh Ulad ocus Connacht im choin M(ei)c Dá-Thó ocus immá muic, "The Separation of the Ulstermen and the Connaughtmen on account of the dog of Mac Dá-Thó and his pig". The manuscript does not preserve the original text with any accuracy, but contains innovations, expansions and other deviations in almost every section. This remoulding might date to the 11th or 12th century: The text is written by the same scribe as Baile in Scáil, which he took from the 11th century Book of Dub-Da-Leithe, leading Celticist Kuno Meyer to conclude the Rawlinson B 512 version was derived from the same source.

Linguistically, the text of Rawlinson B 512 is similar to Harley 5280, especially at the beginning; and there are also innovations in common with the Book of Leinster, showing that the redactor clearly had more than one manuscript at his disposal. In one instance the diction seems to come closer to the form of the original than any other surviving manuscript. An interpolation concerning Cú Roí points to this version's origin in Munster. In spite of some miscomprehension of the story on the part of the revisionist scribe, the literary style as a whole is somewhat smoother than in the earlier version, which Rudolf Thurneysen points out is of help for the understanding of the tale.Thurneysen (1935) pp. ii-iii

The last two manuscripts containing the story are Edinburgh MS. XXXVI in the National Library of Scotland and H.6.8 in Trinity College, Dublin, written 1690–1691 and c. 1777 respectively. These represent a modernisation of the story that might have been made in the 15th or 16th century. The two manuscripts differ from each other in some respects, and the spelling is very poor. William J. Watson notes that the text of MS. XXXVI was based on the redaction contained in Rawlinson B 512, but not upon that specific manuscript. The changes are so considerable in these modernisations that they are of no value for reconstructing the original text.

The story was apparently called Orgain Mic Da Thó ("The Slaughter of Mac Da Thó") in the days of yore, and mentioned as such in a poem by Flannacán mac Cellaig (d. 896) the king of Bregha, and the 10th-century prímscéla, the list of the "primary stories" or "chief stories" which the professional poetic class (filid) used to relate to kings.

Summary

Mac Da Thó Genealogy Mac Da Thó, described as king of Leinster in the base manuscript, is actually probably Mes Róidia, the famed brugaid ('landowner', 'hospitaller') of Leinster and the brother of King Mes Gegra, as attested by a genealogical poem in the Book of Leinster, and by the R variant of the Tale.

Both Mes Gegra and Mes Róidia are described as "Mac Dathó", or sons of two deaf-mutes in the Talland Étair ("the siege of Howth"), Mac Dathó in this instance being emended and construed as Mac Dá Túa, "the son of two silent persons". Rudolf Thurneysen dismissed this altogether as a dubious etymological tradition, however, a more recent scholar cautions that this nickname may hold some validity, connected with the behaviour of Mac Dathó who holds his silence or withholding information.

Mac Da Thó, according to the prose Dindsenchas, had a wife who was named Maine Athrai, and together they had a son Lena., §24, p. 24.

Plot The story opens with Mac Da Thó the king (or the hosteller of LeinsterR manuscript version; ), who possessed a hound called Ailbe which defended the entire province, which became famous throughout Ériu (Ireland) so that the monarchs of the other provinces wished to own it, namely Ailill and Medb of Connacht and Conchobar mac Nessa of Ulster. The messengers from Connacht offer an immediate tribute of 160 milch cows, a chariot and two of the finest horses of the Connachta, and the same tribute to be paid to Leinster again the following year, while the messengers of Ulster offer Mac Da Thó "jewellery and cattle and everything else from the north" and an alliance through the "great friendship" that would result.

Mac Da Thó, on his wife's advice, decides to deal with the conundrum by promising the dog to both parties, and letting them fight over it. Both delegations arrive for a feast at Mac Da Thó's Hostel on the same day, expecting to receive the hound.

Mac Da Thó has his pig slaughtered for the feast – an animal which had been nourished by 60 milch cows for seven years and which had 40 oxen spread across it for its enormous size. The pig immediately attracts the attention of the Ulaid (Ulstermen) and Connachta (Conachtmen), who must decide over how it is to be divided up, and to whom shall be awarded the curadmír or "hero's portion". It is agreed that the warriors shall challenge each other to boast their past exploits in battle.Gantz (1981), pp. 182–183 The Connacht warrior Cet mac Mágach asserts his right to carve the pig as the foremost champion, unless his claim could be proved otherwise:

Cet manages to outboast his Ulster challengers for several turns: Óengus son of Lam Gabuid, Éogan son of Durthacht, Muinremur son of Gerrgend, and Mend son of Salchad Cet even outboasts the champion Celtchair son of Uthecar, whom he had castrated with his spear, and a prince, Conchobar's son Cúscraid Mend Machae, whom he had pierced through neck with a spear during Cúscraid's first feat of arms, entailed by the ignominious abandonment by a third of Cúscraid's retinue. In each case, the challenging warriors are compelled to retake their seats in shame.

Just as Cet is exulting in his victory over the full warrior contingent of Ulster present, the Ulster hero Conall Cernach enters the hostel, and leaps into the middle of the hall to roars of welcome from the Ulaid. Cet and Conall acknowledge each other in an exchange of archaic rhetorical verses, and Cet concedes that Conall is a better warrior than he.Gantz (1981), pp. 185–186. Cet adds that his brother Anlúan would best Conall in a contest: It is our misfortune that he is not in the house.' 'Oh but he is,' said Conall, and taking Anlúan's head from his wallet he threw it at Cet's breast so that a mouthful of blood spattered over the lips."

In shame, Cet leaves the pig to Conall, who rightfully claims the belly as his portion, a burden for nine men, leaving only the fore-trotters to the Connachta. Dissatisfied with their meagre share, the Connachta rise against the Ulaid, and a drinking bout breaks out in the hostel and spills out into the courtyard outside. Fergus rips up a great oak tree from the ground by the roots. Mac Da Thó unleashes Ailbe to see which side it would choose; Ailbe sides with the Ulaid, and precipitates the rout of the Connachta. The dog itself is decapitated by Aillil's charioteer Fer Loga at Mag nAilbi (present-day Moynalvy, County Meath), and gave it its name, meaning "Plain of Ailbe".

As the hosts sweep westward across Mide, Fer Loga hides in the heather and leaps into the chariot of Conchobar as it passes, seizing the king's head from behind. Conchobar promises him any ransom he wishes; Fer Loga asks to be taken to the Emain Macha, capital of Ulster, where the women of the Ulaid and their nubile daughters are to sing to him each evening in chorus, "Fer Loga is my darling". A year later, at the end of the tale, Fer Loga rides westward across Ath Luain with two of Conchobar's horses and golden bridles for them both.

Additional material

Dindsenchas

Besides the onomastic account of Mag nAilbe, "The Plain of Ailbe" near the end of The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig, there are also other reminIscent Dindsenchas stories, namely, the Dindenchas of Mag Léna said to be named after Mac Da Thó's son Léna. This exists in the prose Rennes Dindsenchas version as well as the poetic Metrical Dindsenchas version, and appended to Thurneysen's edition of the tale., §23&24, pp. 23–24.