Irish Fairy Tales · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
The chapter is a brief dedication to Seumas, Iris, and Helen Fraser.
Chapter 2
Irish Fairy Tales
A collection of Irish fairy tales that weave together themes of transformation, love, honor, and the supernatural, featuring characters like Fionn mac Uail, Tuan mac Cairill, and others as they navigate a world of magic, kingship, and ancient rivalries.
Chapter 3
The Story of Tuan Mac Cairill
Tuan mac Cairill, an ancient survivor of successive invasions of Ireland, recounts his extraordinary transformations through various animal forms—stag, boar, hawk, and salmon—before being caught and eaten by a woman, leading to his rebirth as a human. He later recites his genealogies to Finnian, linking the past to the present.
Chapter 4
I
The abbot of Moville Monastery collects stories from traveling storytellers to preserve pre-Christian Irish tales. A storyteller named Cairidè arrives with a unique story called 'Mongan's Frenzy,' which he claims has been passed down through his family for generations. The abbot eagerly prepares to record it.
Chapter 5
II
Brótiarna, Mongan's wife, is consumed by jealousy and curiosity about Duv Laca, a name Mongan often utters in his sleep. She questions her storyteller Cairidè and presses Mongan to tell her the story, but he continually postpones it.

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