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Transl. Thomas KinsellaA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
ââWhat is the present hour lucky for?â
âFor begetting a king on a queen,â he said.
The queen asked him if that were really true, and the druid swore by god that it was: a son conceived at that hour would be heard of in Ireland for ever. The girl saw no other male near, and she took him inside with her.â
Conchoborâs origins are linked to both legitimate authority and supernatural predestination. While his mother Nes is a queen of Ulster by birth, thus already elevating her sonâs status, the druid Cathbadâs prediction gives his âbegettingâ a supernatural legitimacy and mythic status. The mythical origins of a king, whose blood is part royal and part magical, is a common trope in medieval literature.
âThey decided, âWhat Fergus sold let it stay sold; what Conchobor bought let it stay bought.ââ
This moment marks the official transfer of power from Fergus to Conchobor as ruler of Ireland. It was accomplished through Nesâs cunning but maintained through Conchoborâs ability to gain the admiration of Ulster during his temporary rulership. It also sets up an ongoing conflict in the text, where two legitimate kings of Ulster must coexist, which ultimately results in Fergusâs exile and alliance with Ailill and Medb. This theme is also present in Fergus and Ailillâs tenuous alliance.
âFive days and four nights, or five nights and four days, the pangs lasted. For nine generations any Ulsterman in those pangs had no more strength than a woman on the bed of labor. Only three classes of people were free from the pangs of Ulster: the young boys of Ulster, the women, and CĂșchulainn.â
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