abstract: This study examines the account of the death and resurrection of Mongán mac Fíachnae in the Mionannála , a text preserved solely in London, British Library, MS Egerton 1782. On the basis of linguistic evidence, I propose a date of composition in the late twelfth century. The narrative is considered in relation to other medieval Irish aideda 'death-tales' and eschatological writings. I argue that the Mionannála represents a distinctive contribution to the Mongán legend, shaped by the intellectual and historiographical trends of the twelfth century. By rejecting legendary motifs, such as Mongán's divine ancestry and his capacity for shapeshifting, the text reconfigures inherited mythic material within a more critical framework of historical writing. In this process, it emerges as both innovative and theologically ambiguous, offering valuable insight into medieval Irish conceptions of death, resurrection, and the shifting boundaries between myth and history.
Mark Robert Pote (Sun,) studied this question.