The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu (1 of 8)
Publication Date: May 17, 2010
Chapter: English Literature During The Middle Ages
I'll be ripping on this story a lot, but make no mistake - the Ulster Cycle (including, but not limited to, the Tain) is awesome. It's so awesome, in fact, that more than one band has written a concept album about it (well, if you wanna get technical, The Decemberists' version is only a concept EP). This particular tale, translated as "The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu" in the Norton Anthology, takes place near the beginning of the cycle, starting with the birth of Derdriu (more commonly refered to these days as Deirdre).
Deirdre's life is pretty much ruined, as is so often the case in mythology, by a jerkface prophet that decided to call her evil before she was even born. There's no particular reason for her to be evil, other than the fact that she's gonna be smoking hot. From this, I can only assume that Cathbad is a misogynistic asshole. Who knows how many bars he stumbles into, proclaiming to any pregnant woman within earshot that their child will be cursed. Man, what a tool.
Year: c. 8th Century • Info: Celtic Literature Collective
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About The Comic
Lit Brick is a comic started by Jodie Troutman in an effort to read the entire Norton Anthology of English Literature. Having eventually succeeded in that goal, it now features comics about all manner of random literature. For more of Jodie's work, visit longtalljodie.com!
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