Hello. My name is Oisín Ó Dubhshláine and welcome to the second part of our five part series on Animals. Last week, we shared some stories with you on Swans. Now, we’ll take a look at Bulls.
Bulls are often seen as symbols for fertility. Particularly male fertility. Bulls are strong and powerful beasts. As well as that, it’s unlikely that you could ever stop a Bull once he gets his feet under him.
There is a story about the Cailleach Beara, the Hag of Beara and the bull she had. He was called the Fierce Bull. It’s said that he was so powerful and so fertile that if a cow heard his bellow, by year's end, she would be pregnant. One day, the Cailleach led a herd of cows over Toin na Péice, in Derry-Emly. The Fierce Bull heard a cow lowing and went in search of her. The Cailleach Béara followed him closely. The Fierce Bull ploughed through the river. When he reached the brook on the other side, the Cailleach leaped and landed beside him. She put her hand to him, instantly turning him to stone. It’s said that the remnants of this stone can still be seen in Mainin.
The most enticing story in terms of Bulls is the story of the Táin, which means the cattle-raid. In the time of the Ulster Cycle, bulls and cows were the currency. Of course, gold and silver and precious metals were still of value. But these beasts were the most important things in the country. They represented their masters’ power.
At this time, the country was separated into five kingdoms. These were the provinces we have today, Ulster, Connaught, Leinster, and Munster, as well as Meath. Bodh Dearg was the King of Munster at the time, and Octhne was the King of Connaught. They had a pair of cowherds between them. Rucht from Munster and Friuch from Connaught. This pair were capable cowherds. They got on with one another, but unfortunately, as what happens when two individuals are evenly matched, the people of Ireland put them in competition with one another. Always, the people around them would ask, who is the most powerful man? Who has the strongest magic?
These kingdoms would often visit one another. They waited for a mast of oak and beechnuts to fall. If they fell in Munster first, then that’s where they would go to, and vice versa. This particular year, the mast fell in Connaught. Rucht visited Friuch. Friuch grew tired of the gossip around them and put a spell on Rucht’s cows, that they would not grow in the coming year. Rucht returned home and for a year, he had skinny, lean cows. The next year, he put the same spell on Fricuh’s cows. The people around were dissatisfied by this, since both men were still evenly matched. And it’s certain that Bodh Dearg and Ochtne weren’t happy either, with all of the interfering with their cows. As such, the pair were thrown out of their districts. They were no longer welcome there.
With that, Friuch and Rucht spent years fighting against one another. For the first two years, they stayed in the forms of ravens and babbles viciously with one another. They spent the next two years in the River Suir and then in the Shannon in the form of sea serpents. They took bites from one another as they thrashed in the water. Another two years spent as stags, constantly crashing antlers. Two púca’s scaring one another. Until they transformed into worms. Rucht fell in the river Cronn in Cooley and a cow belonging to Dara Mac Fiachna drank him. Friuch fell in a spring well in Garad. Medb’s cow drank him there. From this, the bulls, Donn Cuailgne, the Bron Bull of Cooley, and Finnbhennach, the White Horned One were born. Unfortunately, Finnbhennach was not happy with having a woman as an owner and moved from Medb’s field to Aillel’s field. Honestly, it was that action that the Táin began.
One night, Medb lay in bed with her husband Aillel. They spoke and Aillel annoyed Medb, bragging that she was the lucky one in the marriage. Medb stopped his words on the spot and after a heated debate, they pulled the servants from their beds. They ordered them to find every possession they owned and to count them all up. They were nearly matched, but Medb had nothing to compete with Finnbhennach, who now belonged to Aillel. As such, she sent servants to search for a bull of the same kind and finally, she heard tell of Donn Cuailgne.
Medb failed in her negotiations with Dara Mac Fiachna and the Táin, the cattle-raid itself began. After a long war full of exciting chapters, Medb managed to take the Donn and to bring it home with her. Unfortunately, when Finnbhennach heard the Donn’s bellow, he broke free of his enclosure. Finnbhennach and Donn crashed horns and Bríciú the heaven-tongues of the poison-tongues acted as the referee. During the fight, the two bulls charged at one another and Bríciú failed to jump out of the way in time. That was how he met his end.
Cormac Conn Loingeas ran his spear along the Donn’s back three times, insulting the bull as he did so. After this, the Brown Bull of Cooley buried his horns in Finnbhennach, ending his life. Medb’s forces saw the Donn coming over the hill the next morning, Finnbhennach lying on his horns.
The Donn Cuailgne scattered parts of Finnbhennach’s body across the country on his way home. When he reached Cooley, it’s said that his heart exploded on top of Slieve Breagh. It’s not known if this happened when his anger was finally extinguished or if his heart broke after seeing the damage that had been done to his home.
This was our story on Bulls. Join us next week for our next story.
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