Written by: Jazmine Chambers
Kings and Warriors in early Irish literature are often bound by the honour system of the time. The consequences of breaking the honour system are written into many epics that end in tragedy. A unique view of the honour system is written in The Tale of Mac Da Thó’s Pig. A text found in The Book of Leinster (compiled in the 12th Century), which presents its warriors’ display of honour as satirical and parodic of other heroic tales.
The tale features a great feast, which is easily connected with the Old Irish idea of curadmír (champions portion). The King, Mac Da Thó, has a great hound, Ailbe, whom he is unsure whether to gift to the kings of Connacht or Ulster. Owning a great hound was a symbol of high status, and hounds were considered valuable assets to a warrior and a king. Hounds also represented loyalty and strength: warrior-like qualities. Mac Da Thó wishes to preserve his honour and his social standing, by refusing to choose just one side. When the kings and their warriors are invited to a feast – Mac Da Thó and his wife have deceivingly invited both kings from Connacht and Ulster to come at the same time, so that neither knows the hound was promised to both of them – the warriors from both sides partake in a boasting match to decide who will carve the pig. This pig is claimed to have “forty oxen laid across it,” an exaggeration that could be seen as comedic.
Men committing deceitful acts is not uncommon in old Irish literature, although it was considered a dishonourable act. However, it is almost always after consulting with their wife that they partake in this. Is this because women were outside the boundary of the honour system, and could therefore persuade men to also act dishonourable? Is this a medieval addition, echoing the biblical betrayal of Eve to Adam? Clearly, no matter the gender, the outcomes of deceit in old Irish literature are never fruitful and almost always have dire consequences for both kings, wives and warriors. What suggests that this is a parodic tale, is that Mac Da Thó does not suffer any consequences for his deception.
During the boasting match, Cet mac Mágach, a Connacht warrior, claims to have defeated them all in battle and caused them all bodily harm (parts being chopped off that, in some lights, could be considered amusing to lose). His shaming of the other warriors is indicative of the Old Irish belief of words having power, but it is also quite over-the-top and satirical. This display of power could be more of a form of entertainment for those listening to and reading the tale rather than an indication of how honour and boasting worked. Warriors having missing limbs and injuries were usually a sign of their defeats in battle, but the tale describes them as their shortcomings instead. For example, a warrior without a hand could no longer hold a sword, and therefore was not much of a warrior anymore. These bodily descriptions could also be an exaggeration of the warrior’s masculinity, and a commentary on how body image and ‘manliness’ went hand in hand with honour.
By the end of the tale, the warrior’s boasting and shaming have erupted into violence. The battle at the end is caused by the men of Connacht who are shamed for their small portion, as divided by Conall – a warrior from Ulster who won the right to carve the pig. This battle, to protect their honour over a pig (and by extension, over the deception of Mac Da Thó), seems to be the author questioning how far the honour system should go. The system, which kings and warriors adhered to, was perhaps further parodied by the fact that, in this case, it did not help resolve the situation without bloodshed and the death of the hound they coveted (the hound is killed by accident in the midst of the fighting). Honour is perhaps further scrutinised when the king of Ulster surrenders instantly when captured by a charioteer; an honourable, supposedly wise king is now, in the eyes of the honour system, a coward. Is this a subtle commentary on how the honour system and masculinity were just for show?
The Tale of Mac Da Thó’s Pig serves as a parody of honour and the Irish warrior literary tradition. All aspects of the honour system are exaggerated in an entertaining way, but also subtly question the validity of such a system, when the outcome results in unresolved conflict and chaos. The warrior and his motives are scrutinised and ridiculed: the masculine image is dismembered and the reason for their fighting is forgotten through their own arrogance. The literary tradition of glorifying warriors and kings is parodied: there is no hero of the story.
Bibliography
Gantz, Jeffrey. Early Irish Myths and Sagas. London: Penguin, 1981. Print.
Buttimer, Cornelius. “Scéla Muicce Meic Dathó: a reappraisal”, in Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium 2, 1982, pp. 61-73.
Koch, John T., The Celtic Heroic Age: Literary Sources For Ancient Celtic Europe and Early Ireland and Wales. Aberystwyth: Celtic Studies Publications, 1994. Print.
O’Leary, Phillip. “Jeers and Judgements: Laughter in Early Irish Literature”, in Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 22, 1991. pp.15-29.
Sheehan, Sarah. “Losing Face: Heroic Discourse and Inscription in Flesh in Scéla Mucce Meic Dathó.” in The Ends of the Body. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2015. 132–152. Web.
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