Fergus Mac Róich’s first mention is on page 9 of the Táin. He is described as “crafty”. For seventeen years he has lived in exile as the deposed king of Ulster whose crown was treacherously usurped by his stepson Conchobar after being betrayed by his wife, Nessa. Fergus having been forced to change allegiances, now fights for the King and Queen of the Irishmen. But has he really switched sides or is he craftily trying to regain his place in Ulster? Referred to throughout the Tain as “comrade Fergus”, the question becomes who are Fergus’s true comrades?
It is true that Fergus knows the ‘friendship of the Irish Queen thighs’, but is he appeasing her to help his foster son, Cu Chulainn who single-handedly has the job of defending all of Ulster? Not trusted by either side, Fergus makes secret deals with Cu Chuliann, but then “in a single onslaught cut down a hundred Ulstermen with his sword” (203) after choosing not to take King Conchobar’s life. Do Fergus’s “pangs of affection for the people of his native province” (24) make him secretly fight for the men of Ulster or has his “vengeance [been] thwarted by a woman’s will” (61-62)?
Fergus is conjured from his grave to tell the story of the Táin. In another legend, the prince of Connacht allows visitors to eat him out of house and home for fear of their satire. His brother, a recluse, has nothing to lose and puts the visitors under a curse that takes away their poetry until they are able to recite the Táin. Being able to recite an epic would be punishment enough (there is a reason bards were a respected elite), but in this case, the task is near impossible: the story has been lost, only fragments remain. It takes an act of magic to literally resurrect it. Colm Cille leads the cursed visitors to Fergus’s grave where he summons Fergus to tell the story. Fittingly, St. Ciaran of Cluain writes the story of The Cattle Raid of Cooley down on the hide of his pet dun cow (vellum). The question remains: why would it be Fergus who was summoned? Is he the best person to tell the story of the Táin? Why or why not?
The Táin. Trans. Ciaran Carson. New York: Viking, 2008. Print.
Wonderful question! Since no one has weighed in yet, and since I'm dying to answer, here's a thought--Fergus is ideal in many ways. He knows both sides well, and CC and Medb extremely well, but there is more to it than that. My mentor in all things Celtic, Joseph Nagy, has written extensively on this topic. One thing he points out is that in one version of the finding of the epic, the poets must do so in order to restore their reputation; much of this process deals with displacement, and who is more displaced than Fergus? He lost his crown, he lives in exile, and well, he's dead. This is the same Fergus that so often read the terrain, who tracks CC, so again, it's fitting he be the source. See his _Conversing with Angels and Ancients_, 310ff. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteWas Fergus forced to fight for Medb? I thought he left on his own after the sons of Uisnech were killed and Deirdre taken by Conchabar. Even so, if he loved his country why would he fight against it...and send warning to them at the same time?
ReplyDeleteYou're right. He does seem rather lost. It's not suprising given all that's happened to Fergus. It would seem like Fergus still loves Ulster but not it's king. I can't really blame him given all that's happened between those two.
I really this this character but really haven't been able to dig up as much about his as I would have liked. Yup. My paper is on him. :)
I think that comrade (I really like that word for some reason) Fergus is a divided man. If I try and place myself in his shoes, I see myself as a King betrayed. I want to get back my crown, so I side with enemies of the country to try and reclaim my kingdom. But at the same time, I know innocent people not involved with my being dethroned will be caught in the crossfire. Now, being a former king, it's my job to look after my subjects, even if they are not mine anymore. Do you get what I'm saying?
ReplyDeleteI wanted to post a response before reading other respondents to hopefully give my take first and then tweak it based off of others' ideas (apologies for any duplications of comments that may come about! :-). I like the question of why Fergus might be summoned to tell the tale of The Tain, as well as the related questions of his allegiance. I think Fergus has the extremely unfortunate role of being at once devoted to Ulster and the society of which he was a part for so long, and now, a new allegiance to Ailil and Medb who have provided him sanctuary during his exile from Ulster. Obviously he does not have complete allegiance to Ailil and Medb -- as you note he has secret meetings with Cu Chulainn and he also leads the Connacht-gathered army on an extremely roundabout path across Ireland to give Ulster time to learn about the war path being made -- but I do not think that Fergus is ultimately able to decide on either group for where his energies fully lie. I believe he wants to do what is right by all groups and when he sees wrong-doing on either side, including his own, he feels the need to speak up or change the course of events. The most direct place to see this is near the end of the story when Fergus is confronted by Conchobar and he is about to kill him. He is told to think "about the honour of Ulster (that) has never been compromised" and moves from striking down the king to striking down one hundred Ulstermen in his rage. I read this act as an extreme moment of self control, as not only had Conchobar just insulted Fergus, but he is the reason Fergus is in exile. Instead of doing what he would really like to do, then, and killing Conchobar, he directs his energy instead to killing nameless Ulsterman, fulfilling his role for Medb and Ailil while at the same time allowing Ulster to maintain its king and commander.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is this sense of fairness and the dual-allegiance that is forced upon Fergus that makes him the perfect narrator for the Tain. His narration would be sure to speak highly at points of both sides and would also lend the story an air of heightened believability when describing the actions of both sides that a retelling by Cu Chulainn or Medb would have lacked.
Now what I would like to see is a modern tale told from the perspective of Donn Cuailnge, and that's no bull! (So sorry, the pun was just waiting)
Wow! I'm glad I posted this questions because the responses are so good! For me, Fergus was the most interesting character. He walks the razor's edge and must balance both sides interests. His sexual passions (like characters in the other myths we studied) lead to his humiliation and downfall. His eyes in the picture I found of him speak volumes to me. He seems quite alone.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to write my paper on him, as well, but I went with the person I think is the least sympathetic and most misunderstood: Queen Medb. She's the closest we've come to a major female hero and yet as a hero, she's been unrightly debased. (Draupadi was admirable and yes, was a catalyst, but I felt was secondary and in the background.)