Fergus mac Róich
warrior in tales of the Ulster Cycle; former king of Ulster in exile in Connacht; Medb’s lover
See also: Ailill mac MátaAilill mac Máta
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
king of Connacht, husband of Medb of Connacht
See more Medb CrúachnaMedb Crúachna
See more Conchobar mac NessaConchobar mac Nessa
Conchobar mac Nessa
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
king of the Ulaid in tales of the Ulster Cycle; son either of Cathbad or Fachtna Fáthach (father) and Ness (mother); husband of Mugain; father of Cormac Cond Longas, Cúscraid Mend Macha, Furbaide Fer Bend and Fedelm Noíchrothach; fosterfather of Cú Chulainn.
See more Russ RúadRuss Rúad
Ross Rúad;Ros Rúad
Obscure ancestor figure in tales of the Ulster Cycle and material related to the Laigin; variously claimed as the father of Ailill mac Máta, Fergus mac Róich, Cairpre Nia Fer (high-king of Ireland from the Laigin), Find Fili (king of Leinster) and Fachtna Fáthach; sometimes identified as a son of Rudraige.
See more Conmac mac FergusaConmac mac Fergusa
eponymous ancestor figure for the Conmaicne, listed (along with Ciar and Corc) as a son of Fergus mac Róich in Cóir anmann, which also gives his name as Cú and Lugaid Conmac.
See more Medb ChrúachnaMedb of Crúachan
Medb of Crúachan;Medb Crúachna;Medb of Connacht
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
Queen of the Connachta, co-ruler with her husband Ailill mac Máta, in the Ulster Cycle. She is said to have a daughter, Findabair, and seven sons known as the seven Maines. Her lover is Fergus mac Róich.
See more
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
king of Connacht, husband of Medb of Connacht
See more Medb CrúachnaMedb Crúachna
Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.
See more Conchobar mac NessaConchobar mac Nessa
Conchobar mac Nessa
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
king of the Ulaid in tales of the Ulster Cycle; son either of Cathbad or Fachtna Fáthach (father) and Ness (mother); husband of Mugain; father of Cormac Cond Longas, Cúscraid Mend Macha, Furbaide Fer Bend and Fedelm Noíchrothach; fosterfather of Cú Chulainn.
See more Russ RúadRuss Rúad
Ross Rúad;Ros Rúad
Obscure ancestor figure in tales of the Ulster Cycle and material related to the Laigin; variously claimed as the father of Ailill mac Máta, Fergus mac Róich, Cairpre Nia Fer (high-king of Ireland from the Laigin), Find Fili (king of Leinster) and Fachtna Fáthach; sometimes identified as a son of Rudraige.
See more Conmac mac FergusaConmac mac Fergusa
eponymous ancestor figure for the Conmaicne, listed (along with Ciar and Corc) as a son of Fergus mac Róich in Cóir anmann, which also gives his name as Cú and Lugaid Conmac.
See more Medb ChrúachnaMedb of Crúachan
Medb of Crúachan;Medb Crúachna;Medb of Connacht
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
Queen of the Connachta, co-ruler with her husband Ailill mac Máta, in the Ulster Cycle. She is said to have a daughter, Findabair, and seven sons known as the seven Maines. Her lover is Fergus mac Róich.
See more
See also references for related subjects.
Edel, Doris, Inside the Táin: exploring Cú Chulainn, Fergus, Ailill, and Medb, Berlin: curach bhán, 2015. xii + 372 pp.
abstract:
This is the first literary-critical study of the Táin Bó Cúailnge in its entirety, and as an autonomous literary work. The key to a more deeply probing understanding of the semiliterate epic is the study of its characters: what they do and why they do it – why more important than what. Why reveals the differences between the various versions. Most promising is the multilayered Recension I, mainly preserved in Lebor na hUidre, which testifies of the keen interest of its compilers in the portrayal of the characters, while the version in the Book of Leinster, with its tendency to omit what might lessen the heroes’ prestige, pays for its greater unity with loss of depth.
The multifacetedness of the characters in the early version, combined with the deceptive simplicity of the plot, lends the work a remarkable pragmatism. Despite occasional baroque descriptions of battle frenzy, the main heroes Cú Chulainn and Fergus embody a heroism reined in by prudence. All through the war they do everything in their power to limit the use of force. Ailill and Medb represent a new type of ruler-entrepreneur, who seeks to realize his aim at the lowest possible cost and accepts failure matter-of-factly. So the epic has no fatal end-point. The greater part of the two armies are able return to their countries. The theme of mutual destruction is relegated to the Battle of the Bulls. The lasting antagonism between the North and the remainder of the island must have endowed the Táin with contemporary significance at various points in time, as the allusions to (near-)contemporary events suggest.
(source: publisher)
