#sreng mac sengann | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

celticmythpodshow · 7 years

Text

CMP003 - The Rule of Bres the Beautiful

Bres is elected King over the Tuatha De Danaan and has a very eventful reign!

It's always great to hear from you! Email [email protected], or call us on Speakpipe

Show Summary:

The Battle of Magh Tuireadh is over and after Nuada is seriously injured and Bres gets elected to be King over the Tuatha De Danaan. His reign, however, does not go exactly well. We hear of how the Dagda is treated and learn about the mysterious origin of Bres. Bres then turns to an unexpected source for allies.

This episode is the 3rd episode of the Irish Book of Invasions.

More resources over at our main Website at http://celticmythpodshow.com Show Summary:

Running Order:

Intro 0:36

News & Views 1:15

Story 2:24

Listener Feedback - Damh the Bard 22:43

Review - Anne is a Man 26:27

All the credits for this episode can be found in our show-notes at http://celticmythpodshow.com/irish3

We hope you enjoy it!

Gary & Ruthie x x x

News & Views

We welcome St Patrick's Day for Ireland on March 15th. We also talk about the new Fiction list on the site, as well as the Character biographies. (The biographies have since been abadonned in favour of the excellent work done by Mary Jones).

The Rule of Bres the Beautiful - Episode 3 of the Irish Mythological Cycle and Part 3 of the Book of Invasions

Names Used in this Story

Listed in order of appearance

Rath

Connachta

Tailltiu

Coill Cuan

Eochaid

Sreng

Fir Bolg

Tuatha De Danaan

Cesair

Fintan

Partholon

Fomori

Tuan

Nemed

Fomor

Gann

Sengann

Samhain

Toree, Tory

Fir Domnan

Gaileanga

Magh Mor

Erc

Eithne

Balor

Cian

Diancecht

Temhair

Bres, Eochaid Bres

Eriu

Danu

Nechtan

Findgoll

Findemas

Ogma

Dagda

Kath Brese

Cridenbel

Aengus Mac Og

Cairbre

Etain

Nuada Argat-lamh

Miach

Airmed

Delbaeth

Elatha

Maeth Sceni

Locations mentioned in this story

Listener Feedback

We had an answer to Ruthie's question about the Welsh Red Dragon from Damh the Bard. Thank you Damh! We also mention that Damh is the host of Druidcast. We had a second email from George in Peru. Thank you so much for your amazing email.

Voice Feedback

We're very proud to bring you our first voice feedback from Erin from Columbus, Ohio. Thank you so much for your awesome feedback Erin.

Sources used in this Episode

Timeless Myths http://www.timelessmyths.com/celtic/invasions.html#DanannArrival

Lebor Gabala http://members.aol.com/lochlan2/lebor.htm

The Irish Tradition http://members.aol.com/lochlan6/mlegend1.htm

The Second Battle of Moytura http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T300011.html

Lebor Gabala Erenn http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/lebor4.html#55

Cairpre''s Satire http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/cairpre.html

Reign of Bres http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/gafm/gafm04.htm

Expulsion of Bres http://www.celtic-twilight.com/celts/rolleston/chapter_iii.htm

And, of course, the Awen - inspiration and imagination!

Special Thanks

For voice acting: Edward, our son.

For incidental music: Diane Arkenstone, The Secret Garden . See the Contributor page for details.

Kim Robertson, Angels in Disguise . See the Contributor page for details.

Time Ticks Away by Jigger. See their Contributor Page for details.

For our Theme Music

The Skylark and Haghole, the brilliant Culann's Hounds. See their Contributor page for details.

Extra Special Thanks for Unrestricted Access to Wonderful Music

(in Alphabetic order)

Anne Roos Extra Special thanks go for permission to use any of her masterful music to Anne Roos. You can find out more about Anne on her website or on her Contributor page.

Caera Extra Special thanks go for permission to any of her evocative harping and Gaelic singing to Caera. You can find out more about Caera on her website or on her Contributor Page.

Celia Extra Special Thanks go for permission to use any of her wonderful music to Celia Farran. You can find out more about Celia on her website or on her Contributor Page.

Damh the Bard Extra Special thanks go to Damh the Bard for his permission to use any of his music on the Show. You can find out more about Damh (Dave) on his website or on his Contributor page.

The Dolmen Extra Special thanks also go to The Dolmen, for their permission to use any of their fantastic Celtic Folk/Rock music on the Show. You can find out more about The Dolmen on their website or on our Contributor page.

Keltoria Extra Special thanks go for permission to use any of their inspired music to Keltoria. You can find out more about Keltoria on their website or on their Contributor page.

Kevin Skinner Extra Special thanks go for permission to use any of his superb music to Kevin Skinner. You can find out more about Kevin on his website or on his Contributor page.

Phil Thornton Extra Special Thanks go for permission to use any of his astounding ambient music to the Sonic Sorcerer himself, Phil Thornton. You can find out more about Phil on his website or on his Contributor Page.

S.J. Tucker Extra Special thanks go to Sooj for her permission to use any of her superb music. You can find out more about Sooj on her website or on her Contributor page.

Spiral Dance Extra Special thanks go for permission to use Adrienne and the band to use any of their music in the show. You can find out more about Spiral Dance on their website or on their Contributor page.

We'd like to wish you 'Slán Go Foill!', which is Irish for 'Goodbye', or more literally 'Wishing you safety for a while'!

Get EXTRA content in the Celtic Myth Podshow App for iOS, Android & Windows

Contact Us: You can leave us a message by using the Speakpipe Email us at: [email protected]. Facebook fan-page http://www.facebook.com/CelticMythPodshow, Twitter (@CelticMythShow) or Snapchat (@garyandruth), Pinterest (celticmythshow) or Instagram (celticmythshow)

Help Spread the Word: Please also consider leaving us a rating, a review and subscribing in iTunes or 'Liking' our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CelticMythPodshow as it helps let people discover our show - thank you :)

If you've enjoyed the show, would you mind sharing it on Twitter please? Click here to post a tweet!

Ways to subscribe to the Celtic Myth Podshow:

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

Click here to subscribe via RSS

Click here to subscribe via Stitcher

Check out this episode!

#celtic myth #podcast #mythology #celts

0 notes

margridarnauds · 4 years

Text

Broke: Sreng singing “On my Own” when the Fir Bolg are sent into exile, believing that he’ll never see Bres again and that his feelings for him are unrequited. Woke: Bres collapsing onto the couch dramatically and singing “On my Own” when Sreng so much as leaves to go to the store.

“WITHOUT ME, HIS WORLD WILL GO ON TURNING-” “IT’S BEEN TWO MINUTES, BRES.”

#irish mythology #bres mac elathan #sreng mac sengann #otp: my flesh and tongue were gladdened

16 notes · View notes

margridarnauds · 4 years

Text

Bres has annoyingly perfect hair. Like, Sreng? Lies down for three seconds and has to spend the next hour combing it out. Meanwhile, Bres sleeps like the dead for 10 hours, in whatever position suits him (generally face down on Sreng’s chest), and, as soon as he’s up, he’s already out the door after casually running a comb through it two (2) times, looking like he came out of a L’Oréal ad, pressing a brief kiss to Sreng’s cheek on his way out.

If Sreng didn’t absolutely adore him to pieces, he would kill him.

#bres mac elathan #sreng mac sengann #otp: my flesh and tongue were gladdened #irish mythology

2 notes · View notes

margridarnauds · 4 years

Text

I am always emo about Sreng mac Sengann, son and brother to a murdered king, the champion of his tribe who did everything he could to prevent a battle, but then carried it on anyway when the ones who pressed for it were dead and managed to beat a group of supernatural beings with insanely powerful magic into a stalemate, including taking the arm of their king, proving long before the sons of Míl did that the gods could bleed

#irish mythology #sreng mac sengann #MY ACTUAL SON IN LAW

6 notes · View notes

margridarnauds · 5 years

Text

Things that eternally haunt me: Sreng describing Bres as “Manly and masterful.” Manly and masterful at WHAT, Sreng?

#irish mythology #celtic studies #sreng mac sengann #bres mac elathan #THEY B A N G E D

7 notes · View notes

margridarnauds · 5 years

Note

3, 4, 12, and 27 for any Celtic or Arthurian ship (go wild with 'em!)

It is a fact universally acknowledged that I am A Soft Bitch. Also it has been SO LONG since I’ve dipped my toes into Arthuriana.

(Sorry it took me so long; I had a Fourth of July dinner to go to and then afterwards I was so exhausted by people asking me about the drinking opportunities available in Ireland because obviously that’s why I’ve spent five years of my life dedicated to the field, amiright? + getting stung by fire ants because fuck Florida that I had to take a long freaking nap.)

3. Who is the most romantic?

Bres/Sreng

I think that they actually both are, it’s just...how they express it.

Sreng tends to be slightly blunter as far as he feels, he tends to show his affection for Bres via being a rock for him when he needs it most. He helps Bres with the children, he distracts him when the pressures of being with the Fomorians and the diplomatic hot potato get to be too much for him, he’s the one who Bres vents to when his father is being difficult on something, he tries to find ways to visit Bres whenever he can. He was the one in the tent with Bres when the news about Ruadan’s death came, he was the one who held Bres throughout the night as he SOBBED into Sreng’s last good cloak.

Bres on the other hand is slightly less big on ACTIONS; it would be really, really easy for an outside observer to think that he’s less invested in the relationship. The truth is that he’s just as invested as Sreng is, if not more. He just tends to show it via, for example, curling up with Sreng’s cloak when he’s not there or being the one to take his hand when they’re in bed together, running his fingers along Sreng’s knuckles.

Bres’ private space is very important to him, it’s part of why the Tuatha dé and he never really CLICKED, because the king of the Tuatha dé needed to be...well...an extrovert, someone who can host lavish feasts, someone who can humor everyone in the hall while maintaining the social order, and the longer that Bres stood in the kingship, the more he grew to despise everyone there. But Sreng is allowed IN there, he can go to Bres’ quarters with no problem, he can dine with Bres privately and Bres is perfectly at ease with him, he can share Bres’ living space to the extent that Bres tends to use him as a pillow. Also: Bres totally dotes on him and occasionally slips him a new gold neck-ring when he’s not looking. Because Sreng would be too proud for it normally but Bres can’t stand to see his decline. Which is big for Bres, given how we KNOW how stingy he was with the Tuatha dé.

You know that if he’d won he would have totally spoiled Sreng. If that Fir Bolg wanted ANYTHING, he would have had it. It’s hard to use the term “consort” because the Medieval Irish were so BIG on marriage = children as a concept, but...Sreng would have been Bres’ nearest, dearest companion that he lavished attention on. Which would have rubbed salt on the Tuatha dé’s wounds even more.

Mordred/Galahad

Galahad. He has VERY high ideals of love and how it should be expressed, and so he’s constantly trying to court Mordred in the most courtly way he possibly can. Which is massively confusing to Mordred because he has no idea what to DO but...well...it’s nice. At least, once he realizes that Galahad id 100% serious. At first, he laughs about it with his brothers, but then as time goes on, he realizes that he LIKES it. (Namely when Galahad’s away on a quest at one point and suddenly Mordred doesn’t have that attention anymore.) Mordred is more the “I happened to find this by the side of the road, but don’t think that I LIKE you” type.

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves?

Bres/Sreng

...Bres. Bres is just...Bres. He can’t keep his hands to himself and he will make bad jokes the entire time in his attempt to be smooth. He deeply enjoys trying to find excuses to touch Sreng whenever they are at a feast together. This drives Sreng absolutely batty since there’s really nothing that he can do to reciprocate when they’re in front of some of THE MOST POWERFUL FOMORIAN NOBILITY TO EXIST and Bres is behaving very casually, making pleasant conversation and Oh, Queen Cethlenn, is that a new silk dress? I hadn’t noticed it before while he raises his goblet at Sreng. Sreng always takes his revenge in the end, waiting until they have at least a sliver of privacy before pinning Bres against the nearest hard surface and kissing him absolutely senseless. Which was totally Bres’s intended purpose.

Mordred/Galahad

In general, Mordred, despite often seeming aloof. Mordred is very, very handsy with his boyfriend because, even though he won’t ADMIT it, the boy’s touch starved, and Galahad is endlessly compassionate when it comes to that. Though Galahad DID get tipsy once and was, as it turns out, a very affectionate drunk, which gave Mordred fuel to tease him for WEEKS. (And the rest of Camelot tbh. Given that we know that they are not above roasting someone given Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.) Galahad can’t enter the Great Hall without blushing for ages. Mordred tells him that his father’s done far, far worse in his time.

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious?

It’s odd with them because their bond’s been intense since the first time they met. They just had one of those instant connections, so in some ways them finally going from friends to lovers...wasn’t THAT big of a step, because they always were serious. Their meeting is actually really, really unusual in terms of how two champions from opposite sides GENERALLY interact in-text, given that they both are on such good terms with one another and they STAY on good terms with one another even after everything happens. No, this did not feature in my undergrad Capstone in any way, what would give you that idea?

I think that Bres is really, really surprised that Sreng stays by his side after their reunion. He puts on this very confident front, but privately, he puts a lot of his self identity on his looks. And when they went with Cairpre’s satire, that was a HUGE blow mentally and physically, even before it touches how it affects his kingship. He knew on some level that Sreng was interested in him, but they’d left things at a confusing place. So, he didn’t think that Sreng would keep an interest in him when his looks were marred, Sreng didn’t think that he had ANY interest in him...it’s a mess. And both of them still kind of think that the other’s going to change their mind at any given time even after they begin the process of clearing things up, not the least because neither one of them have really ever been in a place of stability in their lives.

But then, it’s a month onwards, then it’s a year, then it’s two years, and both of them are still there, and it’s just like “Oh. This is a Thing” and there’s just this general feeling of security that starts to creep in. And, gradually, their lives just kind of naturally intersect. Both of them interact with one another regularly, both of them know each other’s families (regrettably, in Sreng’s case, given that he is the founding member of the Elatha Hate Club, even though he does love Bres’ children dearly), both of them have stuff over at the other one’s place. In the modern day, it would be painfully obvious that they were a couple, but since it IS this time, everyone else thinks They’re Just Good Friends, because that’s how good friends ARE at this point in time. Except for Lugh, who post-Cath Maige Tuired firmly believes that Bres is The Actual Devil and that Sreng and he have some sort of devious plan to take Ireland back.

Mordred/Galahad

For once, they stop thinking about their respective destinies as much.

Like, don’t get me wrong, in Galahad’s case in PARTICULAR, his eventual destiny is something that’s ALWAYS at the back of his mind, because he’s spent literally his ENTIRE CHILDHOOD being told that. We do not discuss the truly endless depth of my hatred for his mother and grandfather for THAT ONE + their treatment of Lancelot.

And for Mordred, I think that on some level, there’s just this resignation that he’s going to be the villain, he’s going to kill Arthur one day, he’s going to be Evil™. He’s known that since he got the prophecy, and I tend to see him as having this “Then let me BE evil” moment after he murders the old priest and then Lancelot, the knight who he’d IDOLIZED and probably had a little bit of a crush on, tries to kill him. And that’s why he tends to see all the bad in Camelot, because it makes it that much easier to bring it all down.

But, for a little while, there’s this period of time where they have the luxury of thinking about something outside of their fates, they can have a LIFE that’s theirs, without worrying about the future. It’s one of those things that they don’t even really NOTICE until it’s like “Wait, I haven’t thought about my tragic but inevitable death for a month now, where’s the time gone?”

27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them?

Bres has FRIENDS?

Alright, alright, that’s probably a little cruel, but...Well, he doesn’t really HAVE anyone. I tend to HC that Sreng’s brothers don’t really understand the relationship AT ALL and tend to view Bres as The Tuath Dé Who Shamelessly Seduced Their Brother (If you ask Bres, HE’LL say that it was the other way around, if you ask Sreng, he’ll just shrug because honestly to this day he has no idea how he scored Bres.)

Tailtiu thinks that Sreng is essentially tying himself to a sinking ship. (Which...is she WRONG?) And Bres’ presence is basically a gigantic wedge between Sreng and Lugh being Bros™, which would obviously be Tailtiu’s endgame of choice. That, and Bres did. Kind of. Try to kill her former husband. Even though he had a Very, Very Good Reason for it at the time. Still. That has to sting a little.

Elatha REALLY doesn’t like Sreng or the relationship, because he views it as a Distraction™ (that, and he doesn’t understand the appeal. If his son’s going to throw everything out on the line for someone, couldn’t it have been someone better, more attractive, more witty, less blunt? Someone that he could bend to his own ends), but he also knows that he has to tacitly allow it to continue, because he does NOT want to deal with the fallout. (Not even from Bres. Oh no, there’s a bigger threat to be considered. Eriu. Who is Very Happy That Her Boy’s Found Someone To Make Him Happy and won’t hear a bad word against Sreng, who she considers to be A Very Nice Boy. If she were a modern mom, she totally would be knitting Sreng a Christmas sweater while they speak and asking them when the wedding was even before either one of them had really THOUGHT of proposing.)

Bríg does NOT like Sreng at all, not necessarily because of personal jealousy (she never really loved Bres, he never really loved her, even though there was a definite possibility that they could have loved one another in the early days), but because of the Nuada Incident. She doesn’t really understand why Bres would spend so much time with him when he’s The Enemy, and he’s a Fir Bolg so he’s inherently lesser than the Tuatha dé anyway.

Bres’ brothers don’t really understand it either. Over 3000 years in and the Dagda STILL thinks that Bres’ problem is that he doesn’t get laid enough and that if Bres would just get away from That Fir Bolg... (If only he knew, if only he knew.)

Meanwhile, the Fomorian lords, sans Elatha, are more or less completely oblivious. Tethra might have a better idea than the others, but does he care? Nope. He’s not overly invested in this whole thing anyway. He’s got his own issues at home to take care of, thank you VERY much. He participates in the raids because he has to dole out the loot to his men the same as anyone else, but he’s not INVESTED in it. It’s a necessary part of maintaining his kingship, nothing more. Sreng isn’t overly fond of them because he considers them to be essentially a snakepit of intrigue and corruption that will stab the two of them in the back at their earliest opportunity and he’s not wrong for the most part, though the one thing I WILL emphasize is that it’s not because they’re Fomorians, it’s that they’re...well, medieval kings, but they have a decent enough working relationship because they both hate the Tuatha dé’s guts.

Mordred/Galahad

Agrap-Agravaine tends to be annoyed that his brother’s spending all his time with someone who’s such a goody two shoes. Mordred and he have always been the closest in terms of age and personality, and suddenly he’s no longer Mordred’s Favorite.

I actually think that Morgause would like Galahad? She’s definitely very, very pro-her sons being happy in Le Morte d’Arthur and Good Mom Morgause is a hill that I’m willing to die on. Because fuck T.H White. I do think it would be a little strange, to say the least, given that obviously Galahad is staunchly religious whereas I don’t REALLY see Morgause having that same bent. Morgause just...lives her own life, regardless of what society says, and I think she would have some trouble understanding why her son would go for someone like that when he’s HIM. But I do think that for the most part, she would just be thrilled that Mordred has someone who he’s devoted to given that he’s REALLY not been OK since That One Quest With Lancelot.

ANY of Galahad’s friends tend to be annoyed at Mordred simply for the fact that Mordred is...Mordred. He doesn’t have the best reputation for a REASON, and it’s very, very dissonance inducing to see the two of them constantly in one another’s presence, even though they try to frame it in terms of Mordred being a charity case of Galahad's.

And Lancelot obviously hates Mordred because he knows of The Prophecy™. He is NOT pleased by this turn of events, and it goes way beyond “annoyance.”

#irish mythology #bres mac elathan #sreng mac sengann #mordred #galahad #this is not an elaine of corbenic friendly blog #violetcancerian

6 notes · View notes

margridarnauds · 5 years

Note

Sreng and Bres: who would freak the fuck out at a haunted house and pull out some protection charm, and who would be the one to be so scared they would bolt out while dragging the other with them?

Sreng - MOST likely to do a protection charm. He’s probably the more stoic of the two, more unaffected by that kind of thing, but if he DID get freaked out, it would either be that, or his instinct would be “fight” between “fight or flight.”

Bres - Most likely to run away, bless him. Alternatively: At some point, he jumps into Sreng’s arms.

#irish mythology #bres mac elathan #sreng mac sengann #violetcancerian

1 note · View note

margridarnauds · 5 years

Note

Ship Meme: 7, 16, 30; Ronan/Laz or Bres/Sreng

Since apparently I’m in the mood for these two losers...

7. What do they get up to on a night out?

Even though Ireland will always be Bres’ main stronghold (out of sheer stubbornness if nothing else), he also has a bit more of an international reach than the rest of the Tuatha dé and is overall much, much happier just being around mortals. (He and Manannan will both STAUNCHLY deny having that in common, but. Well. Like uncle, like nephew.) Most of the Tuatha dé have a disdain for the mortals, still holding them responsible for them losing Ireland, perfectly content to stay beneath the earth in their Sidhe-mounds and keep to themselves as they’ve done for centuries, but does Bres REALLY care about that? No. He's actually FONDER of them for that reason.

He’s perfectly happy in Paris, Boston (though the Dagda is oddly fond of that one, for reasons that Bres quite frankly can’t understand), or Las Vegas, where he’s one more face in the crowd. (As opposed to, say, Dublin, which, as much as he likes it for its Viking origins, there’s a not-inconsequential possibility that he’ll run into someone that he cares about or, God help him, Lugh, on the rare occasions Lugh bothers with mortals.) He also tends to avoid Scotland and Norway, because there’s a little too much Fomorian influence for him to be happy, and the LAST thing he wants is for his father to be there when he’s on a nice, happy date with his boyfriend.)

Their nights out tend to be when both of them relax around one another. Both of them are a lot more animated than they tend to initially come off (post CMT, Bres has really sobered for the most part, ESPECIALLY after the little incident with the red liquid), going from one thing to another. Bres tends to look up everything beforehand that they could go to and drags Sreng from place to place, though sometimes he’s perfectly happy just to go for a walk, now that they’re both at a place where they can HAVE that kind of liberty. Back in the old days, there was such an emphasis on status and having a proper retinue that there were few enough times that they could actually have any time to themselves. Taking aside all the touristy options, arcades seem to be a particular favorite. Bres is a GENIUS at pinball. Meanwhile, he totally takes advantage of having a tall boyfriend to get a ton of tickets in the little basketball courts. They get VERY competitive when it comes to laser tag, to a frankly ridiculous extent.

(Lugh is always constantly on the lookout, because he believes that it’s part of some diabolical scheme that Bres has to conquer Ireland. It’s been centuries now. He still has no idea.)

16. When the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together?

Honestly, Bres and Sreng are SET for the zombie apocalypse. The two of them are, in their own time, two of the most competent men from their respective sides. (Bres is a bad KING, but look at his kill count in Cath Maige Tuired Conga. He’s a very, very pretty killing machine.) There would be NO problem as far as whether or not they could, like, drive a knife through someone’s brain. The answer is an obvious “Yes.” Personally, I see Bres becoming disgusted with the Tuatha dé fairly early on with things, since they would obviously leave those who don’t fit their Ideal to the zombies (which would include the Fir Bolg, the slaves, the ones who don’t fit into that artistic elite, etc), defecting to Sreng and the Fir Bolg.

(”Oh no, Lugh’s a zombie, whatever shall we do?”)

I do think that Sreng would be tested to his extreme, because in-canon (I know, always a funny term to use with these texts), Sreng DID have to deal with a situation where their population was depleted that MASSIVELY. And, if we’re assuming this is taking place post-Cath Maige Tuired Conga, it would be CRUSHING to him because their population is so small that ANY Fir Bolg that’s killed would be someone he KNEW. He would have to make a lot of high pressure decisions really quickly, and I think it would haunt him. There would be all those thoughts of “What could I have done differently?” In which case Bres would really be the best person to deal with it, just as a source of stability. But, from what we see of Sreng, he’s level minded, he’s NOT stupid, and he’s not keen on taking huge risks. He’d honestly probably be the best guy the Fir Bolg could have on their side.

30. Why does it work (or not work) between them?

Bres and Sreng honestly have a LOT in common. One thing that I don’t think I really discuss as much with them is that BOTH of them start out at this place where they’re essentially outsiders in their own tribe.

It’s not mentioned in-text, but Sreng’s father, Sengann, was one of the initial Fir Bolg kings who first landed on Ireland, and he would be killed fairly early on in things. It’s not mentioned how old Sreng was when that happened, but I tend to lean towards “YOUNG.” And then Sreng’s brother, Fodbgen became ruler after killing the man who killed their father, only to die shortly thereafter at the hands of Eochaid mac Erc, who was king of the Fir Bolg when Sreng fought Cath Maige Tuired Conga and who would die then. The homefront for Sreng at the beginning of things has GOT to be tense when they send him out to meet with Bres, he’s got to be in this very odd position as far as everyone EXPECTING him to one day kill Eochaid, because that’s been the pattern.

And meanwhile, Bres isn’t REALLY in with the Tuatha dé either; his father’s a foreigner, his connection to the Tuatha dé comes from the maternal line. And, like with Sreng, it’s pretty easy to read between the lines with Bres and at least guess that he’s not exactly had a childhood as we’d know it (not that a lot of Irish heroes did, given the love that the texts have for the Prodigy Hero). Growing at twice the age of a normal kid, I think that his bonds with kids his own age would have been very stunted, I tend to think that he probably was subjected to taunting because of his status. (Judging from some bardic poetry where Lugh gets bullied for his Fomorian ancestry, along with the little moment in Tochmarc Etain where Aengus is given a difficult time for not knowing his father and mother.) Bres is probably married to Bríg at this point (though there’s such little info available on that one, you could HC it any number of ways), but she’s part of that literary elite that Bres doesn’t fit in with.

So, when they meet up, they’re both really at this place where they’ve managed to work their way into the tribe, but they’re also not content there, and then they meet someone who GETS them on a fundamental level. Which is why I tend to HC that Bres goes downhill once the Fir Bolg leave. He had a chance at someone who UNDERSTOOD him and who loved him outside of his looks or what he could do for them, and suddenly that was ripped away. And that’s how I tend to see their dynamic going throughout the years afterwards, as the two of them really ARE the only stability that they’ve ever had. They’re really kind of an inversion of the later Cú Chulainn/Ferdiad dynamic, where they met young, got that attachment to one another, and then let their peoples tear them apart. Bres looked at that society that said “You have no choice but to choose us over him, if you’re lucky we might even forgive you for replacing Nuada” already exhausted and heart-sick and said “I have one option left: Break society.” Bres ISN’T the faithful dog to them that Cú Chulainn or even Lugh is but he’s a better man, because he still has a conscience, even if he buried it deep for Cath Maige Tuired, and so he ends up breaking, and suddenly him and Sreng are at this place where they’re free to start things, and Sreng’s stable enough and puts enough of a focus on family ties that he’s perfectly fine acting as another parent to Bres’ kids. And because of the way that things ended initially, Sreng totally didn’t think that there would ever be a chance that Bres could requite things. Like, he’ll still sometimes turn over in bed and go “WOW. How did that happen?”

Basically, unlike, say, Ferdiad/CC, which starts off as Friends-Lovers-Rivals, they go from Rivals-Friends-Lovers. And if Bres is away from Sreng for more than, like, a few days, he goes into full-blown pining mode. It’s pathetic. The TDD have accepted that The Fir Bolg has to be there, because NO ONE wants to put up with an irritable, pining half-Fomorian former king. Because Bres has more or less forgotten how to sleep on any other surface that isn’t Sreng’s chest throughout the years. Yet another advantage of the height difference.

#bres mac elathan #sreng mac sengann #i am always emo for these two #long post #irish mythology #otp: my flesh and tongue were gladdened #fallenidol-453

1 note · View note

margridarnauds · 5 years

Text

Hey, can I have a few words with you? Just a nice friendly conversation.

I JUST WANT TO TALK.

#irish mythology #sreng mac sengann #fir bolg

20 notes · View notes

margridarnauds · 5 years

Note

for the otp ask meme: ronan/peyrol and/or bres/sreng; 2, 9, 15

Thanks!

2. How do they wake up next to each other?

For Lazare and Ronan, it depends on the night. In the very early days, Lazare very rarely stuck around long enough for Ronan to really wake up to him, being gone at least an hour or so before daybreak, when Ronan tends to gets up. As time went on and he realized that it was important to give Ronan attention/affection, he grew to like it, liked the stability of having Ronan THERE and knowing that he was. Sometimes, they’ll fall asleep with Ronan settling his head into Lazare’s neck and they wake up like that. (And then the first thing Lazare’s aware of is Ronan playing with his hair, which he is never willing to admit that he likes.) Sometimes, one of them has a nightmare (generally Lazare, but as time goes on, Ronan gets his demons as well, and more than his fair share of ghosts) and startles, generally needing a little bit of time to relax before they try to go to sleep again. Sometimes, Ronan spreads out, taking up most of the bed (and the blankets). Sometimes, they wake up facing one another, legs entangled so that there’s real way to tell the two apart, and there’s a moment or so when they can think “Oh my God, we actually made it.”

Since Sreng is repeatedly referred to in-text as HUGE (The Fir Bolg’s description: ”For he is big and fierce, and bold to spy on hosts and interview strangers, and uncouth and terrifying to behold.” Bres’ description of him: “A big, powerful, fierce man…with vast, wonderful weapons, truculent and hardy withal, without fear of any man”) while Bres doesn’t get the same description, I tend to think that they have a height difference, so Bres just…..flops on top of him. Possibly slightly more dignified than that but still. Sreng makes a very nice, warm pillow and Bres has high standards for this kind of thing. And, barring anyone Bres flopping around, they probably wake up in a similar way, with Bres sometimes nuzzling against Sreng, especially post-Cath Maige Tuired when I think that Bres would become increasingly clingy.

9. When their partner has a bad day, what is something the other picks up to try and make their day a little better?

Ronan - Tends to get either coffee (Laz drinks STRICTLY black, in both the Modern and the Canon verse) and/or chocolate, depending on just how bad a day we’re talking about. (If Artois is anywhere in the vicinity, it’s a “both” kind of day.) @lehetsz-kiraly and I somehow decided a while ago that, like his Toho actor, Laz is a chocoholic. Albeit a very, very closeted one who tends to blame Ronan for the various and assorted chocolates that are stuffed around the house (Oka Kojiro is a delight to follow on Instagram but my GOD does the man love his sweets. And….every other type of food. Do NOT go on his account if you happen to have an empty stomach.) So, Ronan brings the chocolate and makes a BIG deal over not being able to finish it after 1-2 pieces and can’t just let it go stale, you know (because….subtlety….Ronan….they don’t match).

Also has been known to bring Lazare lunches to his office, on the days when he gets so engrossed in his work he forgets to eat, and tends to try to find ways of distracting him, because he knows that Lazare has the tendency of brooding on this sort of thing and generally just needs a way of getting away from it for a little while. (For all that he rags on Lazare for mother-henning him, he can be JUST as bad, being the one most statistically likely to make a nuisance of himself before Lazare gives in and takes care of himself. Ronan might have a bit of a puppy dog personality, but he has a cat’s habit of sitting on Lazare’s lap, blocking the keyboard, etc. when SOMEONE doesn’t listen.)

Laz - Lazare…tends to go casual, on the days when Ronan’s off. Not FULLY casual, because it’s still LAZ. We’re still not going to see him dead in, say, a pair of jeans, but he bends a little bit more. Fast food? He might cut his hamburger into tiny pieces and then poke at them like he’s a scientist working on a lab experiment, but he’ll do it. Lounging on the couch and watching Shape of Water with Ronan, despite claiming that he has no interest in this sort of thing? He’ll do it. And if seeing his boyfriend making that kind of effort for his sake doesn’t make Ronan cheer up at least a little, then seeing his awkward attempts at behaving like a Normal Functioning Human Being™ will.

Sreng - For some reason, I see Sreng as being much less…big on getting THINGS so much as reassuring Bres and being outwardly affectionate. Sreng’s odd because on one hand, he was born the son of a king and he grew up the brother of a king, until Fodbgen was killed by Eochaid mac Eirc. And, even then, he’s STILL described as being (along with his brothers Semne and Sithbrug) the Fir Bolg King of “The province of Cú Roi” (Modern Munster) when the Tuatha dé arrive, so he’s STILL in the upper, upper ranks of the nobility. Despite the “uncouth and terrifying to behold” description, this is NOT someone who’s exactly having to scavenge in the forest for his next meal. In some ways, he’s actually BETTER BORN than Bres, at least if we’re talking about the context of Cath Maige Tuired, since he’s IN with the tribe in a way that Bres ISN’T with the Tuatha dé (or, really, even with the Fomorians). But then, with the Tuatha dé’s victory, the Fir Bolg become unsettled, in at least some stories being reduced to refugees or servitude (AGAIN) and he loses a lot of that prestige, so he can’t really…PROVIDE that to Bres on the same level (Which…honestly, has to sting Sreng’s pride at least a little). All he can really provide is himself, and so he does. Like, Bres gets home and then he’s got Sreng gently rubbing his shoulders. Or he falls asleep in the middle of planning a strike against the Tuatha dé, face down on a table somewhere, and the next thing he knows, he’s waking up in his own bed, Sreng beside him, rubbing his back. During the CMT era in particular, Bres NEEDS that reassurance and that affection; he’s got the material help from his father, but he doesn’t have any SUPPORT except for his mother and Sreng. (Alright, and the kids, but they’re…his KIDS. He’s not going to tell the full truth to them, even when they’re Adults™.)

Bres - Bres totally brings the punny cards, in keeping with my ongoing theme of Dad Joke Bres. Sreng rolls his eyes, but he keeps them all anyway, in a small wooden chest that he keeps his “Things that I’ll take if I’m forced to move suddenly” in and looks at them when Bres can’t be there for one reason or another. Lugh intercepts them at one point and tries to run them through every. Single. Cipher and way of deciphering secret messages that he can, thinking there’s some hidden wordplay in there. Ogma is the one who has to gently break it to him that, no, Bres is just Like That, there is not actually a secret message written in invisible ink on there. Though the jury’s still out on whether any one of the Tuatha dé…realize EXACTLY what they mean. “They swore a vow of friendship long ago, Lugh”

15. Things they do for one another because they know their partner hates it?

In any modern AU where he can’t fall back on servants, Peyrol takes care of anything when it comes to cleaning and cooking. Partially because he knows Ronan hates it and partially because he is TERRIFIED of the results otherwise. (Modern AU Ronan can make ramen and various and assorted microwave meals and that is pretty much it. And Lazare wants his place to still be standing.)

Also in any AU where they stay together long enough to get pets, Lazare’s the one who tends to let them out, because even though he SAID that they were going to be Ronan’s primary responsibility, he couldn’t find it in himself to wake Ronan up the first time they started pawing at him to be let out.

Ronan tends to help Lazare with getting dressed, given that he’s never trusted a valet enough for that duty and it’s difficult for one person to do and even if he did, Ronan REALLY doesn’t necessarily want someone in the room with him and Lazare, no thank you, he didn’t have much privacy growing up but he’s not going to have a STRANGER seeing him half-naked at best with his boyfriend. And Lazare doesn’t want a giant neon sign that says “I’m gay, please report me to law enforcement.” He grumbles about the different layers, on why the aristocracy makes everything so complicated just to show off how rich they are, but he also loves having that intimacy.

Bres - This is cliche as fuck but do I care? No. No I do not. Bres tends to specialize in anything involving planning things; outfits, feasts, etc. He might HATE being social, but he likes the presentation of it. Whereas, as discussed below, Sreng’s better at the social aspect and less at the presentation. This did backfire on Sreng one Halloween when Bres had them go as Louis and Lestat. The 18th-19th century were BRES’ centuries, not Sreng’s.

Also, Bres tends to do better when it comes to taking care of animals. Not in a “sweet summer child laying in a field with puppies” way, but anything from the equipment to making sure Babgiter doesn’t chew up Sreng’s cloak again. (He has given a very stern lecture to the pig about this before. Babgiter didn’t look overly convinced.) In general, when it comes to agriculture, Bres excels, whereas Sreng is more fundamentally a warrior and an aristocrat. (I swear that I didn’t INTENTIONALLY wind up with another farmer/aristocrat duo, it just…happened.) I don’t really see Bres as being actively involved like ANOTHER farmer would be, because he’s still…a nobleman…albeit a very….unorthodox one, and for a nobleman to take up manual labor DRASTICALLY lowered his honor price, especially a former king like Bres, but he takes a more active management role, whereas Sreng isn’t really interested in it more than he has to be in order for his people to eat for another year. And, if Bres wants to take control of that aspect of things, GREAT. It keeps his boyfriend occupied in something that he loves for a change and it gives Sreng one less headache.

Sreng - Despite outwardly appearing like the less socially inclined of the pair, Sreng’s actually BETTER with dealing with people, in the long run. Bres…is a bit of a disaster when it comes to handling people according to their rank and sometimes lets his mouth run ahead of him, even after he becomes more mature and level headed following his expulsion from the throne, whereas Sreng….might not like them, but he also has a lifetime of experience as far as treating people as society says they need to be treated even if he collapses afterwards, so, any time the two of them are in a position where they have to deal with people, Sreng tends to field the most stress-inducing conversations. Though, when it comes to the family, Bres is on his own because Sreng does NOT want to deal with the Dagda or Bres’ terrifying aunts more than absolutely necessary. (Badb in particular tends to feel like she’s just waiting for the chance to tear him apart, black eyes never fully leaving him, and even though Bres assures him that that’s normal, Sreng’s oddly not convinced.)

Also, even though Bres loves his children FIERCELY and doesn’t hate spending time with them, there are times where he’s too exhausted to deal with six kids all clamoring for his attention, so Sreng’s been known to distract them. (AKA “How Indusa first learned how to handle a sword.”)

#1789 les amants de la bastille #irish mythology #bres mac elathan #sreng mac sengann #ronan mazurier #lazare de peyrol #fallenidol-453 #long post #otp: He would be troubled if you died on him

2 notes · View notes

margridarnauds · 6 years

Link

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Cath Maige Tuired Conga, Irish Mythology Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Bres mac Elatha/Sreng mac Sengann Characters: Bres mac Elatha, Sreng mac Sengann, References to Bríg Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, nothing else changes, Society is a bitch, Let these two be together, Bres is a Good Boy, It'd be such a pity if something happened to his idealism, Semi-Canon Compliant, Did I just quote a Disney Musical in the title?, the answer is yes, Nothing goes with Irish Mythology like Disney Musicals, pre-Nuada getting maimed, tfw you meet a cute boy and then might have to kill him, soulmarks are hard in a pre-literate society Summary:

When Bres first meets Sreng mac Sengann to negotiate for a peace, he finds not just another champion, but his soulmate. When their efforts fail, after the first day of battle, they make a tryst.

#no Irish Mythological figures have been harmed in the making of this text #bres mac elatha #sreng mac sengann #I always want these two to be cute and then...angst #So much angst

2 notes · View notes

margridarnauds · 4 years

Note

Hamilton

I spent way too much of my undergrad listening to “Wait For It” dramatically as I wondered what the Hell I was doing for it not to make the cut. (Okay...I STILL listen to Wait For It dramatically, this is a lie, but let me have what little dignity I have left.)

#aka 'the song that made me stan sreng mac sengann'#because i just....accidentally....started associating it with him #Anonymous

2 notes · View notes

margridarnauds · 2 years

Note

Hello! I discovered your blog through this post and (as someone new to and interested in Irish history) am Intrigued. Do you share your work anywhere, or is it private?

Hi!

I almost never talk about it, but I've been working on a retelling of two mythological prose tales: Cath Muighe Tuired Conga (The First Battle of Moytura) and Cath Maige Tuired (also known as The Second Battle of Moytura) for about...God, the last ten years now, essentially taking the bare bones of the two texts and then focusing on two characters. 99% of the time, I write fanfiction, because it's easier to get out, more feedback, more rewarding in that sense, and I do write fanfiction for medieval Irish/medieval Welsh texts, but this one is basically the one thing of mine that I want to see published...one day. Maybe when I'm an octogenarian, at this rate, but one day. I...don't think I've ever actually publicly posted a snippet from it, since I tend to play it so close to my chest.

First of the viewpoint characters is Bres mac Elathan, a fatherless boy who grows up attached to his mother, coddled by the women of the tribe as their son, but overlooked and unaccepted by the men. When his tribe, the Tuatha Dé, finally arrive in the land that their ancestors vacated, they burn their ships on the shore, determined to either settle or die. Bres' king sends him out to meet with the champion of the people currently living in Ireland, the Fir Bolg, to negotiate for a sharing of the land, but Bres has no idea that his acceptance will kick into gear a series of events that will have him questioning everything he knows. The cost of losing is complete and utter annihilation, however the cost of winning will also prove high, especially when the Tuatha Dé will be forced to contend with the invaders from the North, who are very interested in their new holdings...and have an even more vested interest in Bres.

Second is Sreng Mac Sengainn, a young man who grows up hearing stories of his father, one of five brothers who fled slavery in Greece, killing every man they could lay hands on and stealing the king of Greece's own ships to make their escape. But times have changed since the days of Sengann and the other sons of Dela, and Sreng has never known stability in his life, his early years marked by fear after his father's murder while Sreng was still in the womb. His brother takes the throne, avenging their father's death, but he too falls to the dynastic politics that have plagued the descendants of the sons of Dela. Raised by his brother's killer, Sreng has the eye of his entire tribe on him from an early age, and he sets out to make himself indispensable as a warrior in order to avoid an early death. When his land is invaded, and he is sent out to interview the invaders, he has no idea that he will be sent on a path that will shake the limits of his loyalty, as he realizes that, if they want to have any chance at surviving, they will have to choose between the past and the future of his tribe...even if it might mean defying the will of his king.

Both of them find a kindred spirit in the other, an instant connection formed, but tribal politics threaten to interfere, and both of them will be forced to choose, time after time again, between their duties and their hearts, as they try to figure out, once and for all, where their place truly lies.

CMT is a ninth century text, written at the time of the Viking invasions in Ireland, even though it's allegedly set about 2000 years before that, and so I decided, when writing a retelling, to stick as closely to a ninth century setting as best as I can, which is why I say "vaguely" 9th century. It was actually what made me become a Celticist -- I wanted to get the research as right as I could...which somehow led to me taking up a MA program in Ireland that ended up launching me into a PhD program and now I'm somehow considering conference papers and dissertation topics.

#seriously though i love chatting about my child #it just always comes out as a bit of a jumble #kingless conquest

8 notes · View notes