Motif
Mistaken killing of allies by night
mistaken_killing_of_allies_by_night
A motif of the Sacred Combat and Ritual Warfare family, within the sub-family Treachery and Forbidden Kin Combat. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
celtic irish
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Gods and Fighting Men CHAPTER II. MEARGACH'S WIFE / CHAPTER III. AILNE'S REVENGE / BOOK NINE: THE WEARING AWAY OF THE FIANNA. / CHAPTER I. THE QUARREL WITH THE SONS OF MORNA; lines 13786-13882 confidence: high
Three battalions of the Fianna in Corcomruadh see a troop's track, think it belongs to the sons of Morna, surround the group at night, and kill them all; in the morning they recognize them as their own people with the King of Ulster's sons and keen them with three loud cries.
Fianna battalions misread the tracks of their own allied party as those of the sons of Morna, surround them at night, and kill them all before recognizing them in daylight.
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