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Tecosca Cormaic‘The instructions of Cormac’

• Old Irish
• Medieval Irish wisdom literature

A collection of Old Irish maxims presented as words of advice by the legendary judicious king of Ireland Cormac mac Airt in reply to questions asked by his son and successor Cairpre (Lifechair). The maxims cover a variety of topics relating especially to the nature of good kingship.

Manuscripts

• Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1339 (H 2. 18) = Book of Leinster [s. xii²]

  pp. 343–345
• Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS 23 P 12 = Book of Ballymote [1384 x 1406]

  pp. 62a–65a
• Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS 23 P 2 = Book of Lecan [s. xvⁱⁿ]

  ff. 420r–422r
  • Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1319 vol. 2, pp. 172-187, 192-194 = fragment of the Book of Lecan [xvⁱⁿ]

    pp. 179–180
• Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS 23 N 10 (Betham 145, 967) = Book of Ballycummin [s. xvi]

  pp. 1–2, [lacuna], 3–5.m

   

  Meyer writes "23 N 17", but it is clear from his references in the footnote that 23 N 10 is intended.
• Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS 23 N 27 (966) [1714]

  ff. 7v–16v

   

  An extensively glossed copy written by Domhnall ó Duinn mac Eimuinn (1714).
  • Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS 23 O 20

     

    Transcript of the former written in 1828 by O'Donovan.
• Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1289 (H 1. 15) = The Psalter of Tara [1745]

  pp. 149–174

   

  Teagasg Riogh, written by Tadgh ua Nechtain (1745).
• Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1298 pp. 376-456 [s. xv]

  pp. 420a–422a
• Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1283 (H 1. 9) [s. xvii]

  pp. 59–end
• Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1349 (H 4. 8) [c.1700]
• Edinburgh, National Library of Scotland, Adv. MS 72.1.7

  ff. 9ra–9vb

See also results from manuscript descriptions

Language

• Old Irish
• “I think there can be no doubt that Tecosca Cormaic in the form in which it has come down to us was compiled during the Old-Irish period of the language and so far as I can judge, not later than the first half of the ninth century. The later forms of the infixed pronouns which Strachan has pointed out [...], such as -das- or -dos-, do not appear in our text” (Meyer).^{(2)n. 2} Kuno Meyer, The instructions of King Cormac mac Airt (1909): xi, referring to John Strachan, ‘The infixed pronoun in Middle Irish’, Ériu 1 (1904).

Date

"so far as I can judge, not later than the first half of the ninth century" (Meyer).^{(1)n. 1} Kuno Meyer, The instructions of King Cormac mac Airt (1909): xi.

Textual relationships

• Related:
• Irish glossary from TCD 1337, pp. 623-628
• Máthair ime gaeth áithe

Classification

Medieval Irish wisdom literature

Subjects

Cormac mac AirtCormac mac Airt (ass. time-frame: Id:Cormac mac Airt) – legendary high-king of Ireland; son of Art son of Conn Cétchathach; contemporary of Finn mac Cumaill
See more Cairpre LifechairCairpre Lifechair – No short description available
See more

Sources

Notes

^1.

Kuno Meyer, The instructions of King Cormac mac Airt (1909): xi.

^2.

Kuno Meyer, The instructions of King Cormac mac Airt (1909): xi, referring to John Strachan, ‘The infixed pronoun in Middle Irish’, Ériu 1 (1904).

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] [tr.] Meyer, Kuno [ed. and tr.], The instructions of King Cormac mac Airt, Todd Lecture Series 15, Dublin, 1909.

CELT – edition: <link> CELT – English translation: <link> Internet Archive: <link>

Secondary sources (select)

Thurneysen, Rudolf [ed.], Zu irischen Handschriften und Litteraturdenkmälern [I], Abhandlungen der königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Philologisch-Historische Klasse 14.2, Berlin, 1912.  

comments: Continued by Rudolf Thurneysen, Zu irischen Handschriften und Litteraturdenkmälern II (1913).

web page identifiers

page name: Tecosca Cormaic
page url: https://www.vanhamel.nl/codecs/Tecosca_Cormaic
redirect: https://www.vanhamel.nl/codecs/Special:Redirect/page/6182
numerical alternatve: https://www.vanhamel.nl/vhcodecs/index.php?curid=6182
page ID: 6182
page ID tracker: https://www.vanhamel.nl/vhcodecs/index.php?title=Show:ID&id=6182

Contributors

Dennis Groenewegen

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