O'Grady, Standish, 1846-1928 / 2008-06-14 00:00:00
EBOOK, THE COMING OF CUCULAIN ***
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THE COMING OF CUCULAIN
BY
STANDISH O'GRADY
Author of
"THE TRIUMPH AND PASSING OF CUCULAIN"
"IN THE GATES OF THE NORTH"
"THE FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE"
ETC.
PREFACE
There are three great cycles of Gaelic literature. The first
treats of the gods; the second of the Red Branch Knights of Ulster
and their contemporaries; the third is the so-called Ossianic. Of
the Ossianic, Finn is the chief character; of the Red Branch
cycle, Cuculain, the hero of our tale.
Cuculain and his friends are historical characters, seen as it
were through mists of love and wonder, whom men could not forget,
but for centuries continued to celebrate in countless songs and
stories. They were not literary phantoms, but actual existences;
imaginary and fictitious characters, mere creatures of idle fancy,
do not live and flourish so in the world's memory. And as to the
gigantic stature and superhuman prowess and achievements of those
antique heroes, it must not be forgotten that all art magnifies,
as if in obedience to some strong law; and so, even in our own
times, Grattan, where he stands in artistic bronze, is twice as
great as the real Grattan thundering in the Senate.
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