Ulster Cycle
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The Ulster Cycle continues with The Sorrows, three stories that dramatically portray Ireland's cultural heritage. The first, "The Fate of the Children of Tuirenn," is a tragic tale in which three brothers must pay a blood fine for murdering an enemy of their clan-a reflection of the great sorrow, which is Ireland's Civil War.
"The Fate of the Children of Ir" tells of an evil stepmother who transforms her four stepchildren into swans. After nine hundred years they are released from their fate, symbolizing the triumph of Christianity over paganism.
"The Fate of the Children of Uisliu" introduces us to Conchobor, the Red Branch King, as he forces the young yet strong-willed Deidre to be his wife-just as England sought to force the Irish into servitude.
Filled with adventure and tragedy, The Sorrows provides another insightful look into Ireland's past through three of her most enduring tales.
“Terrific verse that may remind some of Seamus Heany’s brookwater Anglo-Saxon in his recent Beowulf.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Readers interested in mythology and Irish folklore will thrill to this fast-paced epic, which should thrill both scholar and layperson alike.” —Booklist
April 1, 2011
