The Tain

Directed by: Andy Smetanka
2004

[@LaPeppercorn]

Always loved that there's a guy at Kill Rock Stars called Bobcat Marshall. "Bob, is that short for Robert?" "No it's short for Bobcat."

[@22grena]

It's about time they made a major motion picture about Irish mythology

[@irishelk3]

I know yeah, we have such great stories, all they need is someone to turn them into films, who though? thats the thing.

[@wulfocrow5549]

Why? So they can make conchobar black and cu and fer diad gay? No fucking thank you.

[@liamquinn1981]

@@wulfocrow5549 loooool true story. I heard Lugh was a genderfluid asian in a wheelchair...

[@iheartguido]

@@wulfocrow5549 You talking about the same Cuchulainn who defeated Ferdiad by piercing him through his anus with a magical spear?

[@jackmcgarrigle7811]

@@wulfocrow5549 irish mythology is is already homoerotic without any modern influence. Sorry to break it to ye, but Cúchulainn and ferdiad were a lot closer than 'just mates'.... 🤠🌈

[@ionlost]

This was so ahead of its time.

[@sazerack]

we had to watch this for my early brit lit class at my university, it was brilliant. so glad my professor made this part of an assignment.

[@ashleyv017]

The animation almost looked like shadow-puppetry, and moved so hauntingly~ A fantastic accompaniment to a great work of music

[@seamusmcmeel7588]

The band Horslips did an entire album about this subject,called The Tain.Like this,it is brilliant.

[@CreepyTruckingMiessner]

I remember getting to meet the gentleman who made this music video. He came in and talked to my senior A/V class in high school and brought the cutout characters he used in this video and explained in great detail how he met with the band and came up with this video idea. Took him 6+ plus months of stop motion photography and moving each individual character. He had to restart multiple times. Awesome guy, and very knowledgeable.

[@raoulio351996]

the decemberists are one of the few bands that can pull of such long songs (like this one and the crane wife) and make people actually want to listen to every second of them

[@jonathanredacted3245]

for anyone wondering why and how the curse works, essentially their king was a fucker and forced a goddess to outrace a horse on foot while pregnant, and she cursed the men of ulster to suffer labour pains in their time of need, which Cuchulain (lugh's dark hound) was exempt from as he was seventeen and thus not technically fully a man (despite being a fully trained warrior and having sired and accidentally killed a son by this point somehow). So after Cuchulain fought and died the curse had expired, and the men of ulster finished the job.

[@stevecummins324]

Cuchulain was son of the god Lugh of the Long hand, so he wasn't considered an Ulsterman

[@WilliamRufus100]

I was brought here by the Horslips, an Irish band who have a 1973 album The Tain. I'm glad I was. The Decembrists just judging by this are absolutely bloody great.

[@niteowl9491]

love the extra lil reprise during the credits. what a special treat this video is

[@TheDarkLordLucifer911]

Just some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. :)

[@Thekimmisbu]

Thanks to this vid, i passed my middle age lit final. This will forever have a special place in my heart

[@tentaclehands]

this is completely incredible, absolutely wonderful, and totally amazing.

[@johnr797]

Can you believe how few views this has? It's a masterpiece.

[@Biverix]

Okay, the decemberists have bought me much earlier but now that I hear they covered a theme from Irish mythology, I don't think I can love them enough.

[@sked231]

Every pupil in every Irish school should hear the telling of this legend through this song!! Fuckin A!!!!

[@maryannslatteryburrows7228]

Barry, Love your enthusiasm!!!!

[@muskrat477]

We had to learn it from the old projectors when I was in school

[@triplenickelpickletickle3796]

still one of the most underappreciated pieces ever written

[@TheConMan620]

18 years later I’m still coming back. It’s actually insane how an 18 minute song can be so tight and never let up

[@JamJestKox]

I just randomly came across the Ulster Cycle and I'm obsessed. Thanks!

[@TheReaperKinlord]

Both the song and the video are fantastic. A wonderful combination.

[@frankmarotta1960]

A brilliant piece of music! A favorite of mine.

[@wawankrembung]

Amazing music, guys! I really enjoyed the entire show, great concoction of folk and classic and classic rock elements. And the animation? It's great. You don't know how much a literature student can learn from the animation. :D

[@lrunyon60]

It's Gary!! 5:45

[@rujawa27]

This is amazing! One of my favorite albums of all my favorite bands, and this video has pushed it up a few rungs. Really remarkable.

[@viktorkardell9366]

This one is so properly WEIRD. Fitts the Tàin Bo Cualigne perfectly.

[@leadbreastplate7496]

Beautiful

[@pkd14u2]

Brilliant! I'm so glad I found this while reading The Tain!

[@Randomhazerd]

Amazing. I've never seen or heard anything like this.

[@legatomodi3522]

Man, you should have heard it when it was new. Decemberists never went that hard before this. This has high gain distortion. It was a real surprise. Before this they were more like pop and folk songs but this just defied all expectations.

[@allegedcombustion9014]

All you have to do was catch the damn tain Cj

[@Jim_Thomas_Draper]

Actual lols.

[@Coleo20]

This is beautiful, dark, and funny all at the same time. Bravo!

[@IndieMusicFan13]

This is pretty much the best thing ever.

[@MattBurnside]

I actually am in love with this. AMAZING!

[@aimeeinkling]

Holy crap, there's a video!

[@MrGUYWITHFACE]

I love this.

[@plusbabs]

It amazes me how these guys can do a song like this and then turn around and make an album for the masses like The King is Dead. Both fantastic, and both completely different.

[@jomomma1512]

Best story ever!

[@thewittylion]

Great interpretation of the epic, any story where the main conflict derives from a Cow is ok in my book.

[@agathacathartese7041]

'Twas a bull my friend

[@pinkzeppelincult6637]

This is beautiful.

[@tottertates]

love love love this!

[@textcavation]

I'd be very interested to know how Andy Smetanka filmed this. At times it looks like shadow puppet theater, then stop action, then 3D animation made in a virtual world. It's just AMAZING, and really complements the song. As I told Baba, the images capture not only the figures on the Gundestrup Cauldron, but remind me of Attic pottery--black/red. Not a bad rep of the Tain, either. LOVE IT.

[@MaMas21]

I was 19 and pregnant with my first child when this wonderful Ep came out. My now 11 year old son Eli loves it too x

[@mimis5140]

Awwww💙

[@annaleist9983]

I’m sure Eli’s name was no coincidence:)

[@npxmnpxm]

This style of animation is nearly as old as art itself and yet I find it endlessly fascinating. Bravo.

[@thelasttimeitried]

I think I held my breath through the whole thing

[@jmccush]

I've had this on repeat. Airblaster's shred flick "December" brought me here! Thanks boys :]

[@TheMucusMo]

INSPIRATIONAL! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@Browns19nc]

They opened their show 4/23/11 in Columbus, OH with this gem. Phenomenal!

[@Recoil1808]

Y'know. The little details kinda go unnoticed at times, but I've gotta say, I really like this depiction of the Warp Spasm.

[@BigIrishMike1]

Thank you. This was amazing! I am in awe...

[@dewinterist]

Very true, I adore everything by The Decemberists, but especially The Hazards of Love, a work of genius no one I know has heard of :(

[@nngeneration]

merci ! i love so much !

[@NickTipa]

This makes me so happy :)

[@LosersIncorporated]

LOVE IT!!

[@DylanNes]

If you ever think you can't do something, think of all the people who must have told the Decemberists they can't do a 21 minute song.

[@dolly212211]

Someone call Spongebob, Gary ran away again.

[@lorcanmacmathuna]

I lke the animation. gruesome and abstractly anaonymous like the famous debroquey images of An Táin which accompanied the Kinsella translation

[@MrsReign]

masterpiece! I can't believe HG is gonna feature this band. Knew them before and I love hunger games, these 2 combined is just ... epic!!!

[@paulyoldmac]

simplest way is to get an overhead projector,make paper cutouts for the figures,stick thumbtacks or similar in their joints for movement,then using stop motion animation project onto a wall and take photos as you go,hope that helps

[@hughcurtis5178]

you tell em!

[@slavam7986]

What a tale! and a work of ART! Watching it with an eye of a six year old my heart almost jumped out of my ribcage! I think I'll soothe my soul with some Beatles now..hahahahaha!

[@AcmePotatoPackingPocatello]

The song and art

[@TyrannoJack]

holy shit this was amazing i can't believe i haven't seen this before!

[@solitarynorthstar]

what an awesome band! oh my!

[@ycb661]

Andy has always been a genius.

[@naffy3327]

Still have no idea what the fuck is going on.

[@FabulousKilljoy]

I wish more people knew about this.

[@bigmattk]

C-bus was awesome. Hope you are seeing them in Cleveland in July

[@DHLonnie]

This song would go so well with any older movie that has Bruce Campbell in it. It seems like no one survives but him.

[@djimbavallinor3065]

whole 'nother level

[@djuengst2000]

Ok beautiful, but that was one of most messed up things I ever watched or listened to. Still love it 😊

[@WilliamRufus100]

and stupendous animation too. I feel en-cultured if that's the right word.

[@claytonfs]

The last 30 seconds have big Man Man vibes.

[@Kedai610]

Well, that was great. Time for the nightmares!

[@MalMarvel]

It's their greatest song longer than 20 minutes ;)

[@sazerack]

maybe if you would have asked before going all bizerk, you would've found out that although it was early british literature, we covered the Tain because my professor has such a profound love for it, and albeit Irish, it fit into the time period and the theme. He made a distinction. Chill out. Honestly, you should be happy it's being taught at all and that such an amazing and rich story is being shared with students from my generation.

[@WilliamRufus100]

"Horslips - Maeve's Court & Charolais"

[@rahawa774]

William Rufus I was just thinking of their Tain album! “When he brought his bull to her, it meant a woman making war... beyond the eiderdown 😉”

[@cg_thebandit7328]

For all them mf who spelt “rain” with a T, I feel u

[@fearailer]

Might i be able to get permission to use some footage from this animation in a documentary I am currently making?

[@chagnonjw]

Wow don't know who they are but I lime what I hear and see. Cool!

[@sazerack]

Definitely. It was British Lit but we ventured off into other segments simply because they were enriching, dealt with similar topics, or just so damn good we had to cover them too.

[@LaPeppercorn]

Was the animation of this video (and "The Bachelor and the Bride", for that matter) by any chance inspired by The Adventures of Prince Achmed? Kinda wish they had more videos like this.

[@hughcurtis5178]

reminded me of NOggin the NOg

[@IndieMusicFan13]

Part two reminds me of the Edward Gorey story The Insect God. "King of the insects..."

[@All_Seeing_Knap]

Black Sabbath needs to cover this song

[@paulyoldmac]

That's you told!

[@acedubs8732]

nice job dad from asa

[@TyrannoJack]

@jordo1441 i also can't believe how few views this has. this is bloody amazing

[@dewinterist]

Can't argue with that, can I? :)

[@buzzkill1969]

UNFUCKNBELIEVABLE !!

[@m0ygara]

5:45 A SNAIL!

[@paulyoldmac]

nice to know..

[@ProffesionalZombie12]

Aw D; It's over!

[@stovocore]

@Browns19nc i was there, it was my first time seeing them!

[@dewinterist]

Maybe not the best (in my opinion) but still excellent, and the video is perfect! I'm as shocked as you, people need to see this :)

[@lister1013]

the decemberists are from portland, oregon

[@textcavation]

@babashee every modern film interpretation of a written text is a "falsification" of it. This is fantastic. Really captures the barbaric quality of the Irish epic and the imagery mimics the La Tene artwork (think Gundestrup Cauldron). I see it as taking "artistic license." :)

[@net8floz]

I'm so sick of people thinking their better at arguing because they can point out grammar errors

[@wallawizardz]

epic

[@sithspitdanikan4725]

"The Taint"

[@HerbDurgin]

Still, I find parallels in my native New England: the Abenaki didn't have a written language until the Europeans arrived, yet a great number of place names bear Penacook origins. Does this knowledge mean I claim fluency in the language, since I can deduce what isn't French, English, or Irish is likely Native?

[@quinton4506]

5:45 shout out to Gary the Snail

[@Koalaslovesloths]

My favorite part is when he defeats the army single-handed with a sling shot LOL

[@hughcurtis5178]

No, it's more mundane than that. He picks them off 100 at a time, at night etc. Read it, it's good.

[@hellostarshine1989]

No... Was it Kinsella's?

[@reillyodonnell]

@supermanben123 they are from portland, oregon, usa

[@BudokaiTH]

5:43 Is that Gary?!