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General >> Project Goliath - The History of The Sling >> Irish Lore and the Sling
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Message started by Torc on Aug 3rd, 2012 at 10:08am

Title: Irish Lore and the Sling
Post by Torc on Aug 3rd, 2012 at 10:08am
I came across this book online about the Irish legend Cuchulain while trying to find reference for the Irish and slings. This was the stories that came to mind when I started slinging.

http://archive.org/stream/cuchulainofmuirt00gregrich#page/84/mode/2up/search/sling

Title: Re: Irish Lore and the Sling
Post by Lugh-Lamhfada on Aug 3rd, 2012 at 11:48am
That was written during the Gaelic revival of the late 1800s and early 1900s. It as written by Anglo Irish scholars using extremely dodgy sources such as the Leabhar Gabhala Eireann which was a bunch of made up rubbish written in the early middle ages that had more in common with Lord of the Rings than with actual events, nevertheless it did bring together some oral traditional stories.

It is all mythology and mythology doesnt by its very nature have to be correct or continuous, it changes and morphs every time its told, which is the beauty of Irish folklore and the art of the bard and the storyteller. Irish folklore changes depending on what part of the country a story is told in, in the last hundred years its all become a bit uniform though.

The story of Cuchulainn describing the sling as a mans weapon and not just a boys IMHO shows its importance in ancient Ireland. Even amongst the European celtic groups the sling wasnt as important as the spear or sword even though some warriors chose to remain as massr slingers instead of taking their place in the spear line.

Thanks for sharing the link, brought me back to my Primary School days :)

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