Bricriu’s Feast is one of the longest tales in the
group of early Irish narratives known as the ULSTER CYCLE, the cycle containing the exploits of the
great Irish mythological hero CUCHULAIN. The
story, which survives in several versions, probably
dates back to the eighth century, though the earliest manuscript containing the tale is the Book of the
Dun Cow from about 1100. Of special interest to
students of medieval ROMANCE because of its relationship to the MIDDLE ENGLISH poem SIR GAWAIN
AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, Bricriu’s Feast makes entertaining reading in itself because of its comic as well
as heroic elements.
The plot of the tale revolves around the notion
of the “hero’s portion”: It was customary among
ancient Celtic peoples to present a “champion’s
portion” of any feast to the acknowledged greatest
warrior present—a custom that occasionally
caused spontaneous battles among rival
claimants at the feast. In this story Bricriu “of the
poison tongue”—the Irish trickster figure—invites the heroes of Ulster to a feast at his newly
built palace, but before the day of the feast he
promises the hero’s portion to three different
warriors (Lóegaire Buadach, Conall Cernach, and
Cuchulain). When the feast day arrives, the three
warriors rise to do battle in the hall in dispute
over the portion. The Ulstermen’s King Conchobar stops them, and it is decided to submit the
question to Ailill, king of Connacht. In the meantime Bricriu has stirred up a rivalry between the
wives of the heroes as well, saying that the first
one to enter the doors to the feast will be considered the preeminent woman in Ulster. The three
women tuck up their skirts and race to the palace,
while their husbands demolish Bricriu’s house
trying to let the women in.
A series of tests follows: Ailill looses wild cats
upon the heroes, and while Cuchulain alone stands
his ground, Lóegaire and Conall refuse to accept
the judgment that he receive the champion’s portion because it was not earned in battle against
men. Ailill’s wife Medb gives the heroes trophies,
the most valuable going to Cuchulain, but again the
others refuse to accept the outcome. Finally they
decide to submit the dispute to Cu Roi, a legendary
wizard from the south of Ireland (probably not
originally part of the northern Ulster cycle at all).
At Cu Roi’s castle, the three warriors stand guard
on successive nights. A giant easily defeats Lóegaire
and Conall the first two nights, but on the third
Cuchulain conquers the giant as well as a monstrous beast and nine other warriors. Cu Roi awards
the prize to Cuchulain, but when the three arrive
back at Conchobar’s court, Lóegaire and Conall
again refuse to accept Cuchulain’s victory.
After this a large, hideous churl (or bachlach) appears at court carrying a great axe. The churl
challenges the heroes of the court to a game: He will
allow one of them to cut off his head with his axe so
long as the warrior agrees to return the following
night to allow his own head to be cut off. When Lóegaire takes up the challenge and beheads the intruder, the churl simply picks up his head and walks
off. Lóegaire fails to appear the following night, and
Conall takes up the challenge. But he has similar
success and, like Lóegaire, does not appear the following night to take the churl’s return blow. Next
Cuchulain, like the others, beheads the churl. But
unlike anyone before him, Cuchulain has the
courage to return the following night to receive the
churl’s blow. When Cuchulain puts his own head on
the chopping block, the churl tells him to rise up,
declaring that there is no warrior in all Ireland that
can match him, and awards him the hero’s portion—and awards his wife precedence over all other
women in Ulster—forever after. The churl then disappears, and it is revealed that he was in fact Cu Roi
in disguise, who had come to see that the Ulstermen
adhered to his original judgment.
While the story has been criticized at times for
being repetitious and rambling, it remains a fascinating look at an ancient Celtic custom. It has long
been recognized that the “beheading game” of
Bricriu’s Feast is a close analogue to that in Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight. Even the Green
Knight’s name, Bercilak, seems clearly related to
the bachlach in Bricriu’s Feast. Thus the tale is important not only in its own right but also for its
relationship to the Arthurian tradition.
Bibliography
Dillon, Myles. Early Irish Literature. Chicago and
London: University of Chicago Press, 1948.
Cross, Tom Peete, and Clark Harris Slover. Ancient
Irish Tales. 1936. Reprinted with a revised bibliography by Charles W. Dunn. New York: Barnes and
Noble, 1969.