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Verba Scáthaige
verse beg. A mbé eirr óengaile

  • Old Irish
  • verse
  • Early Irish poetry, Ulster Cycle
Poem in the form of a prophecy delivered by Scáthach to Cú Chulainn.
First words (verse)
  • A mbé eirr óengaile
“When you are a peerless champion”
First words
A mbe<ë> eirr ōengaile (initial line of verse, as reconstructed in the edition by P. L. Henry).
Context(s)The (textual) context(s) to which the present text belongs or in which it is cited in part or in whole.
independent, Tochmarc Emire
Manuscripts

Two versions:

Version A:
Version B (expanded, part of Tochmarc Emire):
Language
  • Old Irish
Date
7th-8th century
Form
verse (primary)
prose (secondary)

Verse, with prose introduction.

Metre
dactyllic (trisyllabic), except in verses 8, 20 and 29 (Henry)
    Number of lines
    32
    Textual relationships
    Refers to various combats at the ford undertaken by Cú Chulainn in the course of the story told in Táin bó Cúailnge

    Classification

    Early Irish poetryEarly Irish poetry
    ...
    Ulster Cycle
    Ulster Cycle
    id. 1797

    Subjects

    Cú ChulainnCú Chulainn
    Young Ulster hero and chief character of Táin bó Cuailnge and other tales of the Ulster Cycle; son of Súaltam or Lug and Deichtire (sister to Conchobor); husband of Emer (ingen Forgaill)
    See more     ScáthachScáthach
    (time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle, Conchobar mac Nessa)
    A warrior woman and instructor of warriors in the Ulster Cycle, notably responsible for training the hero Cú Chulainn.
    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     Ailill mac MátaAilill mac Máta
    (time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
    king of Connacht, husband of Medb of Connacht
    See more     FinnbennachFinnbennach (Aí)
    Findbennach
    (time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
    No short description available
    See more     Donn CúailngeDonn Cúailnge
    Dub Cúailnge
    (time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
    The fertile brown bull of Cúailnge (Cooley, Co. Louth) in the Táin and foretales.
    See more

    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.] Henry, P. L. [ed. and tr.], “Verba Scáthaige”, Celtica 21 (1990): 191–207.
    Celtica – eprint (PDF): <link>
    [ed.] Thurneysen, Rudolf [ed.], “Verba Scáthaige nach 23 N 10”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 9 (1913): 487–488.
    Internet Archive: <link>
    [ed.] Meyer, Kuno [ed.], “Verba Scāthaige fri CoinCulaind”, in: Osborn Bergin, R. I. Best, Kuno Meyer, and J. G. OʼKeeffe (eds), Anecdota from Irish manuscripts, vol. 5, Halle and Dublin, 1913. 28–30.
    Celtic Digital Initiative – PDF: <link> Internet Archive – vols 1-5: <link> Internet Archive – vols. 3-5: <link>

    Secondary sources (select)

    Thurneysen, Rudolf, Die irische Helden- und Königsage bis zum siebzehnten Jahrhundert, Halle: Niemeyer, 1921.  
    comments: Part 1 (chapters 1-23): Allgemeines; Part 2 (chapters 1-85): Die Ulter Sage
    Internet Archive: <link>
    376–377
    web page identifiers
    Contributors
    Dennis Groenewegen, Patrick Brown
    Page created
    October 2010, last updated: September 2022
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