Sentence:  Mentioned in the ancient lists as Prime Stories, these short narratives were evidently <WSD>foretales</WSD> ("remscéla") to the saga of Conaire Mor, the Great King of Tara, regarded by several clans as their ancestor. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  An account or telling given as an introduction to a larger body of work; prologue; a prior or previous recollection or account of events