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I've changing the title of this thread to reflect the proposed new direction of the discussion.
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I was discussing old Irish legends with TrueHobbit a couple of weeks ago and I referred to the story of Cuchulainn. Also, in reference to my childrens names there was some enquiry about the history of the names. Finally, Tolkien often regretted the fact that the Norman invasion had all but wiped out English Mythology and mourned it's loss greatly.
I promised Hobby that I would look for a copy of "Cuchulainn of Muirthemne" by Lady Gregory and that I would send it on to her, but unfortunately I could not find a copy. It suddenly occurred to me that it was probably out of copyright and in the public domain so I looked for a copy on the net. Lo and Behold, I found it!
To give a little backstory, an Englishwoman, Lady Augusta Gregory, was widowed in the late 1800's and chose to spend a lot of her time in the country estate of her late Husband in Coole in the West of Ireland. She developed a desire to learn the Irish language and from this began to learn the old legends. She was surprised to see that these tales existed only in the oral tradition or alternatively in ancient Gaelic texts that were inaccessible to laymen of the time. She made it her lifes work to take down these tales and to structure a narrative out of them that would be written in English as this was already becoming the dominant language in Ireland.
Irish people are incredibly indebted to her for her foresight in this. Without her, many of these legends would simply have been forgotten and lost.
I hope some of you enjoy them:
Cuchulainn of Muirthemne
Of Gods and Fighting Men