Táin Bó facts for kids
The Táin Bó, pronounced "Tawn Boh", is a special kind of story from ancient Ireland. It literally means "driving-off of cows" or a "cattle raid". These stories were a popular type of literature long ago.
Ancient Irish writers grouped their stories into different types, like how we have fantasy or sci-fi today. The "Táin Bó" was one of these main types. Other types included adventures (called Echtra), voyages (Imram), feasts (Fled), wooings (Tochmarc), and stories about births (Compert) or deaths (Aided).
The Most Famous Táin
The most famous táin story is Táin Bó Cúailnge. This means "the Cattle Raid of Cooley". People often just call it The Táin. It's the best-known story today and was also very popular hundreds of years ago.
This story is the main part of the Ulster Cycle. The Ulster Cycle is a collection of myths and legends from early Irish history. Many believe The Táin was first told by people speaking it aloud. Later, Christian writers in the Middle Ages wrote it down.
Other Táin Stories
There are many other tána (which is the plural of táin). Some of these stories are only known by their names. But most of them still exist today. Many have even been translated into the English language.
Here are some of the other tána:
- Táin Bó Flidaise - "The Cattle Raid of Flidais"
- Táin Bó Aingen - "The Cattle Raid of Aingen" (also known as Echtra Nerae)
- Táin Bó Dartada - "The Cattle Raid of Dartaid"
- Táin Bó Ere
- Táin Bó Fraích - "The Cattle Raid of Fráech"
- Táin Bó Munad
- Táin Bó Regamna - "The Cattle Raid of Regamain"
- Táin Bó Regamon - "The Cattle Raid of Regamon"
- Táin Bó Ros
- Táin Bó Ruanadh
- Táin Bó Sailin
Stories Before the Main Táin
In ancient Ireland, it was common to tell shorter stories before a very long tale like The Great Táin. These shorter stories were called remscéla, meaning "preludes" or "fore-tales".
Sometimes, people mistakenly think these preludes are part of Táin Bó Cúailnge. This is because popular translations, like the one by Thomas Kinsella, often include some of these shorter stories.
Many of the lesser tána were perfect to use as remscéla. They could set the stage for the big events in Táin Bó Cúailnge. For example, one version of Táin Bó Fraích ends by saying that Fraech and his cows later join Ailill and Medb for the great cattle raid of Cooley.
Similarly, Táin Bó Regamain ends by explaining how it leads into Táin Bó Cúailnge. It describes how a peace deal was made and cows were given. This helped prepare for the big assembly for the main Táin Bó Cúailnge.
Besides these, many other stories from different genres also connect to Táin Bó Cúailnge. They share characters and could also be used as preludes. Stories about the birth of characters like Conchobar mac Nessa and Conall Cernach fit this idea. Any story about Cúchulainn, from his birth to the Wooing of Emer, could also serve this purpose.
