ABSTRACT
Comperta (“birth tales,” plural of Old Irish compert [conception/birth]) are among the classes of tales found in Irish narrative literature, and they deal almost exclusively with the events surrounding the conception and birth of a hero. The native classification was according to tale type, usually the first word of the title. Examples of the classes Comperta, Imrama (Voyages), and Echtrai (Expeditions) are: Compert Con Culainn (Birth of Cú Chulainn), Imraim Brain (Voyage of Bran), and Echtrae Chonnlai (Expedition of Connlae). Two lists of the various classes of tales survive in Irish manuscripts and are referred to as List A and List B, of which List B includes the class Comperta. These lists contain the stories that a medieval Irish poet would have been expected to be able to narrate.
