Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

cattle raid or cow-spoil

cattle_raid_or_cow_spoil

A motif of the Sacred Combat and Ritual Warfare family, within the sub-family Cattle Raid and Livestock War. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

2 occurrences

1 traditions


celtic irish

  • The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Tain Bo Cualnge WITH TWO PAGES IN FACSIMILE OF THE MANUSCRIPTS / MY MOTHER / CONTENTS / PREFACE; lines 194-276 confidence: high

    The passage says some surviving foretales lead up to and explain the Tain Bo Cualnge, translated as The Cualnge Cattle-raid, and calls it a major Irish epic tale.

    The passage repeatedly classifies the Tain as a Tain or cow-spoil, involving cattle-driving, reaving, and the carrying off of the Brown Bull and herd.

    read in the book
  • The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Tain Bo Cualnge WITH TWO PAGES IN FACSIMILE OF THE MANUSCRIPTS / MY MOTHER / CONTENTS / PREFACE; lines 197-279 confidence: high

    The passage explains Tain as cattle-driving or cattle-reaving, says the Tain Bo Cualnge concerns the Brown Bull of Cualnge, and notes that the bull is head of a herd and accompanied by fifty heifers.

    The passage explicitly defines Tain as a cattle-driving or cattle-reaving category and places the Tain Bo Cualnge in the class of Cow-spoils.

    read in the book