From Knowledge to Acknowledgement: Feis Tige Becfholtaig

In the Old-Irish tale Feis Tige Becfholtaig, the pragmatic details of the king’s success, marital and martial, are delineated. However, as the goal of the king is Truth or happiness, his worldly conquests, in love or war, cannot exist in isolation. They are part of a whole. His progress towards Wisdom and Truth is indicated by an acallam in which he recognises his reliance on the goddess and the part she plays in bringing things to this pass. However, if he is to be a good king he must not only acknowledge the full Truth or the whole of reality to himself, but make it known to his subjects. This paper examines the incremental fashion in which the king, at first refused and then only partially acknowledged the truth before eventually proclaiming it in full in public.