Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Finnabair
Am I the only one who thinks it is weird that Finnabair dies twice in The Tain? The first time is when Ailill and Medb offer her to Cu Chulainn and he kills her and the fool that she is with (Finnabairs Stone) then she magically shows up alive later on when Medb tries to convince Fer Diad to fight Cu Chulainn. Finnabair would be given to Fer Diad if he goes and beats Cu Chulainn, seeing as which Fer Diad dies Finnabair does not marry him and fades into the background, that is until Rochad Mac Faithemain comes around. Evidently, Finnabair had been in love with Rochad and they lay together well because Medb had used Finnabair as a tool one to many times the upset men went to attack Ailill and Medb which led to seven hundred men dying. When Finnabair heard about this she was so filled with shame that she dropped dead (Finnabair Sleibe, Finnabair of the Mountain). Does anyone else find it interesting that Finnabair is the only person in The Tain that has managed to die twice on two separate occasions?
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Hello, I really liked your comment, I too was confused about Cu Chulainn killing her when she was offered in marriage to him and then miraculously reappearing when Fer Diad was called to battle. I think her role in the story is to show that woman ultimately decided the faith of the man in society. Such as is the case of Queen Medb over her desire for an equal bull to match her husband's Finnbennach the White Horned. Mebd manipulated her husband into war over a silly desire, and her husband, raised his army to please her; showing that Mebd ultimately held absolute power over her husband to raise war or to do whatever she pleased. Finnabair in the other hand is used to manipulate man into rising to war for her name. Though her character is that of a daughter that does what she is told, she is ultimately being used by Queen Mebd to manipulate man into doing whatever she wants. I think the story presents her death and reappearance to show that no matter what, the ill intent of a woman’s will, cannot be destroyed, and will continue to reappear as if it was never destroyed in the first place. However, woman will also bring about their own destruction, simply for attempting to manipulate men. Queen Meb lost the battle, and Rochad Mac Faithemain the new son in-law fought against the Irish army in the final battle.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this might be significant in relationship to the repetitious nature of the story itself? Many times, we see character repeating statements or questions as though they were asking for a new outcome. Maybe, given the cyclical nature of Nature, death and rebirth and death again wasn't too farfetched a concept.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that this was very interesting. However, I thought that this may have happened to have some kind of effect on her mother, Queen Medb because it said that her mother and father offered Finnabair to any man who was willing to fight Cuchulainn as she said “You can have Finnabair if you take on that man” (79). Perhaps it was supposed to be a second chance for the mother to act like an actual parent. On the other hand, it could have something to do with Karma (from the Mahabharata) because she did drop dead the first time when she heard about those who had died because of her. Therefore, since her first death did not seem too "fair" maybe she was brought back because of good karma.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see I wasn't the only one confused by Finnabair's death occurring twice in less than 100 pages!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the second death (dropping of shame, p. 174), I reread the first death scene (p. 99-100). Maybe it's just me, but since Ailill sent his fool, Tamun, the Stump, as the king himself, and they never mention that Finnabair is going, just "the girl", I thought it might be possible that they sent someone to pose as Finnabair, just as someone was posing as Ailill. Thoughts?