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IMC 2010: Sessions

Session 1606: Heroic Warriors and their Weapons in Medieval Literature and Modern Archaeology

Thursday 15 July 2010, 11.15-12.45

Moderator/Chair:Kaarina Hollo, Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, University of Cambridge / School of English Literature, Language & Linguistics, University of Sheffield
Paper 1606-aThe Mystery of the Medieval English Lancegay
(Language: English)
David Scott-Macnab, Department of English, University of Johannesburg
Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Military History
Paper 1606-bThe Transformation of Cethern Mac Fintain: Epic Hero as Cyborg
(Language: English)
Rodger I. Wilkie, Department of English, St Thomas University, New Brunswick
Index terms: Language and Literature - Celtic, Language and Literature - Comparative, Technology
Paper 1606-cSown Spears and Round Shields: Tradition and Change in Welsh Poetry, c.1100-1282/3
(Language: English)
Jenny Day, Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies, University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Language and Literature - Celtic, Military History
Abstract

Paper -a:
According to a variety of documentary sources, the lancegay flourished as a weapon in England for approximately 100 years, and earned the disapproval of a succession of monarchs, before it suddenly disappeared. Yet the archaeological record is surprisingly sparse – or is it?

Paper -b:
Cethern Mac Fintain, a minor character in the Táin Bó Cuailnge, undergoes an unusual transformation: mortally wounded, he is fused to his chariot and given a three-day lifespan so that he can rejoin the fighting on Muirthemne Plain. While interpretations of Cethern's transformation vary, one unexplored possibility is that this character is a cyborg - a self-sustaining man-machine system designed to function within a particular context, namely battle. The post-human figure of the cyborg provides a useful lens through which to examine the intersection of biology and technology in the construction of warrior heroism not just in the Táin but also in epic narrative generally.

Paper -c:
The clearest descriptions of fighting with spears in the poems of the bards of the Welsh princes refer to throwing or 'sowing' javelins, rather than to fighting with couched lances in the manner of Anglo-Norman knights. Likewise, there is no clear mention of the 'kite' or 'heater' shaped shields associated with knights. Even so, the disappearance of references to circular shields early in the 13th century suggests that the bards were not oblivious to the changes in Welsh society, and that their works reflect their struggle to reconcile these changes - particularly the more 'visible' ones - with pre-existing bardic traditions.