Several times the passage mentions birds, horses and cattle, however they are in odd situations. The flock of birds in ‘How Cuchulainn was begotten’ were seen to destroy the human character’s land and were hooked together by silver chains. The foals were supposed to raise young Cuchulainn and herds of cattle are referenced often through out all of the sections. Based upon these references, how are animals viewed through the eyes of the Tain characters? Do they treat them with respect or as a force to be dominated? Feel free to bring in your own textual references other than the ones mentioned above.

“Nature” could truly be construed in new ways due to this epic poem. With much of childbirth driving the story, would you consider birth to be a part of nature? Is it outside of a woman’s control or is it her “will” to enact something upon nature and the course of man’s story? If is it something thrust upon her by nature, how do you justify this opinion? Overall, what is the relationship between woman and nature in “The Tain”?

While The Táin may not be written in verse, could this text be argued to almost like an Epic? Go in depth about whether is could be with specific evidence from the text.

The three shepherds seem to spend a lot of time talking about and listing various herbs and foods? Why do you think this is? Do they play a more significant role in the meaning of the play or in connecting the characters to nature?

We tend to think of shepherds as very connected with nature (or at least animals), and shepherds seem to be thought of today in mainly religious contexts.

Why then do  three of the shepherds feel compelled to “quit their job” after receiving the message of the baby Jesus? Does this mean there is something wrong with shepherding?

We’ve talked in class about the “wheel of fortune” and it is mentioned quite a few times throughout these plays. What do you think the attitudes/beliefs about the wheel of fortune say about attitudes/beliefs about nature?

In both of these plays, the characters either interact with or refer to different animals (sheep, cow, etc). Look at one of these sections. How does each play make use of the  animal in these instances? How do these plays use the same animal (especially the sheep) differently?