Rot·naisc mar nasces idu feda!

Rot·naisc mar nasces idu feda!

(he bound you * as * binds * ivy (?) * trees)

He bound you the way ivy binds trees!

This is one of a string of taunts delivered by the charioteer Lóeg to Cú Chulainn in “Aided Guill”, after the hero’s enemy got the better of him in combat. (RC 14) Cú Chulainn uses an almost identical image to threaten Fergus at the conclusion of the LL Táin: “Rat nasciub mar nasces féith fidu!” (“I will bind you the way honeysuckle binds trees!”)


Topics: The Characters Speak Similes, Metaphors & Kennings