Marina Nebro
March 24, 2014
A Satire on Honor: The Story of Mac Dá Thó’s Pig and Hound
Satire has been used as a story-telling genre and technique throughout time
and across the globe as a way to underscore flaws and absurdities within the
depicted culture. One can humorously criticize one’s own culture using this method,
or apply the satire to a foreign culture, poking fun at its practices and customs. The
Story of Mac Dá Thó’s Pig and Hound is an example of the latter form of satire – an
external jab at a foreign culture. The particular version of the tale in Koch’s The
Celtic Heroic Age is one adopted from an oral tradition, written down by a Christian
scribe, as literacy entered Ireland through the Church, who was also familiar with
the practices of the Irish people. It is apparent that the storyteller had familiarity
with the Celtic culture through his knowledge of certain motifs and characters that
appear throughout many stories from the time. There are specific elements within
the text that hint at the fact that the scribe took some personal liberties, bringing out
certain elements in his writing to portray or convey specific satirical messages
about the culture of Celtic heroism.
The main focus of The Story of Mac Dá Thó’s Pig and Hound is on the idea of
heroism and warrior prowess in the Celtic community. The animal of the hound is
representative of power and strength. Hence, the hound is a metonym for warriors
and hunters. A hound is known for having a strong sense of smell and is a cunning
animal that is able to sneak up on its prey. In a society where hunting and fighting is
a main aspect of life, a hound is crucial. It is for this reason that Ailill of Connacht
and Conchobor of Ulster want the precious Ailbe, Mac Dá Thó’s hound “that would
run round all Leinster in one day” (68). Not only would Ailbe be a beneficial
acquisition for either Ailill or Conchobor as a great hunting dog, but also the hound
would further his aura as a strong and powerful warrior. The symbol or motif of the
hound in Celtic myth is not limited to this tale in particular, but also makes
appearances in The Kin-Slaying of Ronan, as well as other texts.
The storyteller takes advantage of this prevalent character in various works
of Celtic myth to further his satire. After the flyting and fighting of the two main
parties at the banquet, neither ends up with the hound. Not only does the culture of
heroism leave the parties hound-less, “there were slain one thousand and four
hundred armed men both of Ulster and Connacht” (74). To heighten the futility of
the fighting that takes place, the storyteller tells the reader that Ailbe had been
killed in the onslaught; he had been beheaded.
In Celtic culture, the head, as opposed to any other part of the body, is of high
importance and significance. In warrior and princely circles, there is always the
motif of “saving face,” and preventing the shame of oneself and of others. This
practice can be seen in myriad mythological examples such as the Kin-Slaying of
Ronan and Pwyll. In comparison, The Story of Mac Dá Thó’s Pig and Hound deals
with bringing shame on others as a way to convey and display one’s own strength. A
major motif found throughout Celtic texts is the idea of the curadmir or the
champion’s portion. In order to win the best cut of meat at the banquet, each
warrior must prove to the table that he is the strongest. In this tale, before any
fighting ensues, the members of the dinner party tell tales of their violent “exploits
in the face of the other… therefore [giving] a blow on the other’s nose” (71). The
repetition of the face or the nose shows a great focus on the importance of the head
as the seat of a warrior’s fame and power.
It is interesting to note that there are other types of sources that confirm the
literary proof of the importance of the head. In Celtic art found on the continent, the
depiction of heads on shields and armor is thought to have brought more power to
the person holding it. Celtic art is often quite abstract, and the head is used to
denote and represent the entire being. There are images of detached heads, heads
without bodies, riding horses. The Gundestrup Cauldron, in particular, has images
of the Celtic gods Teutates, Cernunnos, and Rigani, represented most clearly through
a frontal depiction of their faces. Other figures, thought to be human attendants,
surrounding the gods are relegated to a profile position due to their inferior status.
These servants do not have the power or strength to be given frontal poses like the
gods. The torc, a ring-like collar worn often by the Celts, emphasized the seat of
power – the head.
What can the reader make, then, of the fact that Ailbe is beheaded at the end
of the story? The Celtic people were known for headhunting – cutting off the heads
of enemies and collecting them as trophies. Not only did the collection of these
heads increase the status of the victorious warrior, it also shamed the man who has
been killed. Such is the example in the story when Conall wins the champion’s
portion by displaying the severed head of Anlúan mac Mágach. He brings fame upon
himself while ridiculing the slain. Looking at the text as a satire of the heroic
tradition of Celtic society, the beheading of the hound, again, a symbol of power and
the status of a warrior, represents the absurd and futile nature of the culture. The
headless hound is akin to the destruction of power and heroism. The Celtic culture,
one that promotes bravery and strength, does nothing but engage in meaningless
violent combat, defeating the purpose of heroism and strength in the first place.
The satire is enhanced further at the end of the text with an anecdote about
one of the charioteers. Fer Loga, merely a servant to Ailill, threatens Conchobor by
“[seizing] his head from behind” (75), again bringing to the forefront of the text the
importance of the head. He demands to be taken to the ceremonial site of kingship,
Emain Macha, and to be given beautiful maidens to sing his praise. In the end, of all
the men at the dinner party flyting about their victories and enterprises, an ordinary
charioteer is the victor of the day, rising above both the rulers of Connacht and
Ulster.
None of the above explains how this text is an example of satire by an
external party, and the proof is only evident from a single paragraph in the text. The
storyteller puts the characters of the story, the Ulstermen and Connachtmen, in
relation to Christ and the Christian religion when he states, “Those were not faces of
friends at a feast… for three hundred years before the birth of Christ there had been
war between them” (71). The idea that the entire text can be seen as a satire comes
from a closely following sentence: “But on venom that pig had been reared, since on
its account a slaughter of the men of Ireland was made” (71). The first thing one
must read into this sentence is the mention of venom by an Irish storyteller. As
there were no snakes in Ireland, the only exposure to the idea of venom would be
through the Old Testament and the Genesis story of the serpent, again highlighting
the author’s external point of view on the Celtic culture. Secondly, this sentence
precedes any mention of fighting or flyting. Thirdly, the sentence gives away the
entire plot by telling the reader that by the end, the men at the dinner party would
partake in slaughtering one another. Already knowing the ending gives the reader
the opportunity to look at the text in a different light. The purpose of the accounts
of heroic battles, and the ensuing conflict that arises once Conall wins the
champion’s portion no longer furthers the plot to reach a climax. If that were the
case, the storyteller made a big mistake in spoiling the tale before it started. These
details, instead, serve the purpose of ridiculing the culture represented in the text.
The Story of Mac Dá Thó’s Pig and Hound, though most probably an earlier
mythological oral story from the Celtic world, was adopted into the written tradition
by a Christian scribe with an ulterior motive in deriding the customs, practices, and
culture of the Celtic people. He uses Celtic motifs and elements to further his satire
and criticism, by letting the reader know that he is knowledgeable on the subject of
the Celts and not just poking fun of a people blindly.