Texts

Cesta Grega ‘Greek questions’

  • Early Irish
  • prose
Title
Cesta Grega
‘Greek questions’
The title is uncertain. The Book of Fermoy reads Cesta garga, which Todd emends to Cesta grega ‘Greek questions’. Stokes silently accepts this emendation in his edition, even though the form is ungrammatical (RIA catalogue on the B. of Fermoy).
Manuscripts
pp. 179b–180
rubric: ‘Cesta garga andso’
beg. ‘Ca ni is duibhi ina in fiach?’
Much of it is now illegible.
London, British Library, MS Egerton 146
Copy of the Fermoy text by Edward O'Reilly.
f. 7
beg. ‘Ca dealb i bfuil Luicifer a n-ifearn ar tuitim trena diumus’
Second half of the collection.
Language
  • Early Irish
  • Stokes suggested that the language is older than the riddle-and-answer section of Tochmarc Ailbe.
Form
prose (primary)

Classification

Sources

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] [tr.] Stokes, Whitley, “Irish riddles”, The Celtic Review 1:2 (1904–1905): 132–135.
Internet Archive – 1.1 only: <link>
Edition based on the Book of Fermoy.
[ed.] [tr.] Meyer, Kuno [ed.], “Anecdota from Irish MSS XIII: 1. Some scholastic riddles; 2. An early attempt at phonetic spelling”, Gaelic Journal 5 (1895): 155–156.
Corpas.ria.ie – 1. Some scholastic riddles: <link> Internet Archive: <link>
155 Reprint from Mélusine.
[ed.] [tr.] Meyer, Kuno, “Devinettes irlandaises”, Mélusine: recueil de mythologie, littérature populaire, traditions et usages 6 (1892): 38.  
Reprinted in Gaelic Journal 5 (1895): 155.
Gallica: <link>
Edition based on the BL MS Add. 4783.

Secondary sources (select)

Mulchrone, Kathleen, Thomas F. OʼRahilly, Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, and A. I. Pearson, Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in the Royal Irish Academy, 8 vols, Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 1926–1970.  
8 volumes: Vol. 1, pp. 1–654 (fasc. 1-5) -- Vol. 2, pp. 655–1294 (fasc. 6-10) -- Vol. 3, pp. 1295–1938 (fasc. 11-15) -- Vol. 4, pp. 1939–2578 (fasc. 16-20) -- Vol. 5, pp. 2579–3220 (fasc. 21-25) -- Vol. 6, pp. 3221–3500 (fasc. 26-27) -- Vol. 7 (index 1) -- Vol. 8 (index 2).
Vol. 5,
Flower, Robin, Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in the [British Library, formerly the] British Museum, vol. 2, London: British Museum, 1926.
– IIIF Presentation API v2: View in Mirador – IIIF Presentation API v3: View in Mirador
520–522
Contributors
C. A., Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
January 2020, last updated: June 2023