Monday, April 20, 2009
The Tain - Anthropological Importance
I really just have a theory on why an entire epic was written about two bulls. Let's face it, as awesome as the hero was and how annoying the vain Queen and her ambitions, the story was really about these two treasured bulls. They were revered and held about the lives of men. I think this is because food is such an important aspect of anyone's life. In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs ..food is right at the bottom. It has to be fulfilled first before any other need can be tackled. Thus the idea of these bulls, animals that provide food and supplies, becomes so consuming to the Celtic people they write a story to illustrate how important it is. So instead of a woman causing a war like in the Iliad (which was really about honor, not love) it was all about FOOD!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Lol that is an intresting point Mary. In a way I totally agree with you. It was about what the bulls could provide in the long run. Which of course the way you are looking at it is how much food can they provide. Intresting prespective.
ReplyDeleteInteresting theory! It seems like a lot of big wars are started for pretty insignificant reasons. The war in the Tain was fought because a queen was jealous of her husband, and the Trojan War was fought because a kings wife left him for another man. Royalties petty concerns result in entire nations going to war...
ReplyDeleteI love your theory Mary! I would not have come up with something like that in a million years, LOL! But yes, i do agree with you and also with Emily O. that some wars start because of the smallest things but have a very disastrous ending. This war started because of one bull, Trojan war started because of one woman, also one of the main reasons of war in Mahabharata was also one woman, Draupadi. Speaking of bulls, something else i can sort of relate it to is the fact that cows are also very sacred in Hinduism. They don't eat beef but do drink the milk from cows. So the source of food is not only relevant in Irish myth but also in Hinduism.
ReplyDeleteHa, I have to say heck no to your theory. I don't think food was the main idea behind writing The Tain. bulls were not just a good source of meat they also represented fertility and growth. these particular bulls also represented the fighting between the countries as shown when the two bulls begin to fight and the one from ulster wins solidifying ulsters victory. In the end its about respect. Cu chulainn demanded respect and killed any man that insulted him. when the messenger first showed up at conchobar's home he was willing to give up the bull until he found that they were willing to take it. Medb was rich any way so why would she be fighting over food?
ReplyDeleteInteresting theory. I know I would not have come up with that one. I'm not sure I would quite agree, but it makes sense. Food sources were important and having a bull of such magnificance I guess was a sure sign of wealth and prosperity.
ReplyDeleteA bull like that could help to pro-create lots of cows or as the text says heifers which would provide much food and milk.
Like everyone else I do find your theory interesting but I have to side with compwill89 on this one. I think the bulls final battle is symbollic of the war and that the war itself was started over greed. Just like the greed of Duryodhana caused the war in The Mahabharata, the greed of Agamemnon(power), Helen & Paris(greed of self) in The Illiad, and here the greed of Queen Medb.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with everyone else here, interesting theory Mary. Hmm... I know there to be some symbol here, but, I would doubt that the author meant for us to think this entire book centered around eating. Perhaps a more modern day poem would be centered around food, and I would have no trouble believing it!
ReplyDeleteWaouw, that's true, I didn't think of it this way... But I think that also makes the story horrible... I mean if you take it as a fight for food, a whole war for two bulls... the murder of son and brother for food. It makes you wonder what are the real priorities for these people? But of course it s not only food, it s also greed, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhile that is an interesting point, I don't think food is the main theme behind the text. Though it's centered around the two bulls, I believe they are symbolic of the power of the two cities. As you stated, the greed and envy of the queen over the bulls brought about the destruction and death of many. Also, the courage and honor of heroes like Cuchulainn over 'evil' is another theme. But, delving deeper and thinking about food is an interesting aspect I wouldn't think.
ReplyDelete