Cormac and Ciarnat


The Cycles of the Kings

Kings Home Updates The Sagas The Kings The Dynasties Copyright Information Early Irish Literature Links D. Wiley Homepage Hastings College Contact	Cormac 7 Ciarnat "Cormac and Ciarnat" Editions K. Meyer (ed & tr), 'Stories and Songs from Irish Manuscripts: III. Cormac and Ciarnat', Otia Merseiana II (1900) 75-6. Manuscripts Egerton 1782 (fol. 44b) Date No earlier than the eleventh century Characters Cormac mac Airt, king of Tara from Dál Cuinn (prehistoric ancestors of the Connachta and Uí Néill) Ciarnat, daughter of the king of the Cruithin Eithne Ollamda ingen Cathaír, Cormac's wife Notes This text is part of the Cycle Cormac mac Airt It would seem to be an origin legend describing the circumstances that led the first foreign mill wright to come from abroad and build the first mill on Irish soil. Summary After five Ulstermen capture Ciarnat, the daughter of the king of the Picts, on an overseas raid, Cormac demands they bring her to him and the girl is brought to his house. However, when Cormac takes her as his lover, his wife, Eithne Ollamda, becomes terribly jealous and forces Ciarnat to grind nine sacks full of grain every day. This task becomes impossible after she becomes pregnant. So, in order to spare her from his wife's wrath, Cormac brings a mill wright from abroad and has a mill built for Ciarnat.




Copyright 2004 Dan M. Wiley. Last updated 07/26/04