Aided Óenfhir Aífe
Encyclopedia
Aided Óenfhir Aífe is a story from the Ulster Cycle
of Irish mythology
.
It is a sequel to Tochmarc Emire
(The Wooing of Emer), in which the Ulaid
hero Cú Chulainn
, while training in arms overseas, left the warrior princess Aífe
pregnant. In Aided Óefhir Aífe their son Connla
, at the age of seven, comes to Ireland in search of his father, following instructions that Cú Chulainn had left him not to identify himself.
When he arrives on the Irish coast in a bronze boat with golden oars, Connla's prowess alarms the Ulaid. The persuasive Condere mac Echach fails to convince him to turn away, and the hero Conall Cernach
is overcome by him. Finally Cú Chulainn, despite the suspicions of his wife Emer
that the boy is his own son, fights him and kills him with the Gáe Bulg
, a barbed spear the use of which the warrior woman Scáthach
taught only to him. Finally, the grief-stricken Cú Chulainn recognises Connla as his son.
The text is dated to the late ninth or early tenth century, and is found in the Yellow Book of Lecan
, a manuscript of the 15th century. It is an Irish instance of an international tale-type represented by the Persian tale of Rostam
and Sohrab
. W. B. Yeats used it as the basis of his poem "Cúchulain's Fight with the Sea" and his play On Baile's Strand.
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and...
of Irish mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
.
It is a sequel to Tochmarc Emire
Tochmarc Emire
Tochmarc Emire is one of the stories in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology and one of the longest when it received its form in the second recension . It concerns the efforts of the hero Cú Chulainn to marry Emer, who appears as his wife in other stories of the cycle, and his training in arms...
(The Wooing of Emer), in which the Ulaid
Ulaid
The Ulaid or Ulaidh were a people of early Ireland who gave their name to the modern province of Ulster...
hero Cú Chulainn
Cú Chulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
, while training in arms overseas, left the warrior princess Aífe
Aífe
Aífe is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She appears in the sagas Tochmarc Emire and Aided Óenfhir Aífe . In Tochmarc Emire she lives east of a land called Alpi, usually understood to mean Alba , where she is at war with a rival warrior-woman, Scáthach...
pregnant. In Aided Óefhir Aífe their son Connla
Connla
Connla or Conlaoch is a character in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, the son of the Ulster champion Cú Chulainn and the Scottish warrior woman Aífe. He was raised alone by his mother in Scotland...
, at the age of seven, comes to Ireland in search of his father, following instructions that Cú Chulainn had left him not to identify himself.
When he arrives on the Irish coast in a bronze boat with golden oars, Connla's prowess alarms the Ulaid. The persuasive Condere mac Echach fails to convince him to turn away, and the hero Conall Cernach
Conall Cernach
Conall Cernach is a hero of the Ulaidh in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is said to have always slept with the head of a Connachtman under his knee. His epithet is normally translated as "victorious" or "triumphant", although it is an obscure word, and some texts struggle to explain it...
is overcome by him. Finally Cú Chulainn, despite the suspicions of his wife Emer
Emer
Emer , in modern Irish Éimhear, or, erroneously, Eimhear or Éimear, daughter of Forgall Monach, is the wife of the hero Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.-Tochmarc Emire "The Wooing of Emer":...
that the boy is his own son, fights him and kills him with the Gáe Bulg
Gáe Bulg
The Gáe Bulg , meaning "spear of mortal pain/death spear", "gapped/notched spear", or "belly spear", was the name of the spear of Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...
, a barbed spear the use of which the warrior woman Scáthach
Scáthach
Scáthach is a figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She is a legendary Scottish warrior woman and martial arts teacher who trains the legendary Ulster hero Cú Chulainn in the arts of combat...
taught only to him. Finally, the grief-stricken Cú Chulainn recognises Connla as his son.
The text is dated to the late ninth or early tenth century, and is found in the Yellow Book of Lecan
Yellow Book of Lecan
The Yellow Book of Lecan , or TCD MS 1318 , is a medieval Irish manuscript written no later than the dawn of the 15th century. It is currently housed at Trinity College, Dublin and should not be confused with the Great Book of Lecan.-Overview:The manuscript is written on vellum and contains 344...
, a manuscript of the 15th century. It is an Irish instance of an international tale-type represented by the Persian tale of Rostam
Rostam
Rostam is the national hero of Greater Iran from Zabulistan in Persian mythology and son of Zal and Rudaba. In some ways, the position of Rostam in the historical tradition is parallel to that of Surena, the hero of the Carrhae. His figure was endowed with many features of the historical...
and Sohrab
Sohrab
Sohrāb or Suhrāb is a character from the Shahnameh, or the Tales of Kings by Ferdowsi in the tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab. He was the son of Rostam, who was an Iranian warrior, and Tahmineh, the daughter of the king of Samangam, a neighboring country. He was slain at a young age by his father...
. W. B. Yeats used it as the basis of his poem "Cúchulain's Fight with the Sea" and his play On Baile's Strand.