In the final episode of Fled Bricrenn, our heroes head deep into the Otherworld, a.k.a. Kerry. They enter the mysterious revolving fort of Cú Roí Mac Daire, culminating in the iconic beheading game.
Join the Story Archaeologists as they take an axe to the Gordian Knot of this magnificent, though bewildering, saga.
Please note: This would originally have been one long episode! This episode is marked as “Part 1 of 2”, which covers the rest of the text., but instead of “Part 2 of 2”, there will be a new episode, entitled Dindshenchas 7: Fled Bricrenn 4 – A Head to Head Discussion.
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Old episodes now available on archive.org.
Music: “Tam Lin” by Gian Castello.
Links for the episode
- Fled Bricrenn, “Bricriu’s Feast” – translated by George Henderson; Irish Texts Society, 1899
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One thing I remember you all discussing about Cú Chulainn in these podcasts is how melancholy he seems.
What occurred to me in the descriptions you shared about how everyone treats him is that it is reinforced over and over again to him that he doesn’t belong. I get the feeling that he wants to belong, but people keep pointing out that he’s otherworldly. He doesn’t quite belong in our world or the Otherworld.
He’s repeatedly told he’s different from everyone. So, when people respond in a way that he doesn’t expect, he feels he has to prove himself again and again until gives up that he doesn’t belong in this world and gives into his melancholy.