Motif
animal chooses a side in battle
animal_chooses_a_side_in_battle
A motif of the Sacred Combat and Ritual Warfare family, within the sub-family Cosmic and Supernatural Combat. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
celtic irish
-
Heroic Romances of Ireland MAC DATHO'S BOAR / INTRODUCTION / MAC DATHO'S BOAR / FROM THE BOOK OF LEINSTER (TWELFTH-CENTURY MS.); lines 2466-2608 confidence: high
Mac Datho brings out the hound on a leash to test which army it will choose. The hound joins Ulster, attacks the fleeing Connaughtmen, seizes Ailill and Maev's chariot poles, and is struck by Ferloga; the plain of Ailbe is explained as named from the hound.
Mac Datho releases the hound to see which side it will choose, and it joins Ulster before attacking the Connaughtmen.
read in the book →