Hello, my name is Oisín Ó Dubhshláine and welcome to the fourth part of our six-part series on Life and Death. Last week, we spoke about the death of Lugh. This week, we’ll turn to his son, Cú Chulainn, one of the most incredible and bloodsoaked heroes to ever set food on Irish soil.
The story of Cú Chulainn comes from the Ulster Cycle, in particular, the story of the Táin or the Cattle-Raid. This cycle follows the retreat of the Tuatha Dé Danann. At this time, the provinces were the superpowers in Ireland. Queen Medb ruled Connnacht with her husband, Aillel in Rathcroghan. Aillel was the son of Ros Ruadh, the King of Leinster. But Medb was the daughter of Eochaid, the High King of Ireland. This pair were one of the main drivers of the Táin. Up in the North, Conchubhar Mac Nessa stood as the King of Ulster and he sat in Eamhain Mhacha. His sister was named Deichtre. This was Cú Chulainn’s mother.
After Cú Chulainn’s triumph in defending the Gap in the North, Medb returned to Rathcroghan, in a rage. Cú Chulainn had stood in her way for the last time. With that, she collected allies, with a specific purpose in mind. She spoke to Lugaid, the son of Cú Roí, Erc, the son of Cairbre, and to the Daughters of Calatin. During this war, Cú Chulainn had killed Cú Roí, Cairbre, and Calatin. There’s no question that their children sought revenge.
The Daughters of Calatin were powerful druids. The three of them were deformed since birth and had three eyes to share between them. They went across the world looking to expand their skills. After meeting Queen Medb, they turned their gaze on Eamhain Mhacha to take revenge on their father’s murderer.
They stood outside of the fort and constructed soldiers from stalks and oak leaves. With their magic, they composed the music of battle. Cú Chulainn sat up in his bed and reached for his sword. Geanann, son of Cathbad, saw him rising to fight and tackled him in the bed.
“It’s only enchantment and trickery!” Geanann said.
“My men are dying out there!” Cú Chulainn answered.
“You’re wrong, my friend. It’s only the Daughters of Calatin trying to lure you out to your death,” Geanann explained.
Cathbad, the chief druid of Conchubhar Mac Nessa, came to Cú Chulainn with the other learned people to tell him the same. Eventually, they settled the Hound. The next night, the daughters returned to Eamhain Mhacha. The music began once more and even Cathbad coudn’t keep Cú Chulainn from looking out at the scene outside of the fort. Cú Chulainn saw Gradh the son of Lir standing in the plain. As well as that, he heard the music of the harp of the son of Mangur, playing the music of the Sídhe. From this, he knew his strength and courage would not last much longer. One of the daughters of Calatin transformed into a crow and flew over the house where Cú Chulainn was, throwing insults on his name.
Cathbad struggled to settle him, always reminding him that COnall Cearnach would come soon to help. It took all of the women in the fort to settle Cú Chulainn this time, with their own music, cleansing his mind of any confusion. Finally, the day was ended and so were the tricks of the daughters of Calatin.
When Conchubhair heard what was happening in Eamhain Mhacha and what Cú Chulainn was suffering, he reminded Cathbad of the importance of keeping him in Eamhain Mhacha. If Cú Chulainn took on the forces of Ireland on his own, without help from the North, Conchubhair knew that he would be killed and they would lose any chance they had against Medb.
And so, Conchubhair suggested that they go to Gleann na Bodhar, or the Valley of the Deaf. After a lot of encouragement, Cú Chulainn agreed to go to this place. He didn’t wish to leave Eamhain Mhacha at all, since he thought that the forces of the South would see this as a retreat, that he was running from them, but he went anyway. Cathbad, Geanann, Niamh, a close friend of Cú Chulainn, and the other poets in Eamhain Mhacha went with him. Cú Chulainn’s wife, Emer, did not go with him, but she forced him not to leave the Gleann without permission from Niamh. Cú Chulainn agreed to these terms as well.
The party settled in Gleann na Bodhar. The daughters of Calatin followed them and started up with their tricks again. They didn’t succeed and Badb the daughter of Calatin grew frustrated. She transformed herself into the form of a handmaiden and entered the camp. She enticed Niamh and her handmaidens outside the valley. When there was enough distance between them and the camp, the other pair raised a thick fog. The women couldn’t find their way back. Badb entered the camp once more, this time taking Niamh’s shape. She met Cú Chulainn, tears in her eyes.
“My little hound. Dún Dealgáin has been burned and the Murithemne destroyed by the forces of Ireland. The blame falls upon me for trapping you here.”
“My grief, that my home would be destroyed,” Cú Chulainn said.
“Go now, I give you my leave,” Badb Nic Calatin said.
With that, Cú Chulainn threw his cloak around himself but the golden brooch fell from it and impaled his foot. Cú Chulainn left the tent and ordered Laeg, his charioteer, to yoke the horses, Liath Macha and Dun Sainglend or the Grey of Macha and the Black of Saingliu. The party saw what he was doing and Cathbad went to stop him.
“My son, wait one day more and I will be able to protect you from all of the enchantments of the Daughters of Calatin. I promise you.”
“My master, there is no reason to protect me, my life is coming to an end and my country is destroyed. Niamh gave me her leave and that was all I needed.”
Even when Niamh returned and told him that it was Badb Nic Calatin who he had spoken to, Cú Chulainn did not listen to her. He had made up his mind that he would go to fight.
He turned to Laeg, who was struggling with the horses. Every time he went to yoke them, they moved further from him. Liath Macha would not even near Cú Chulainn.
“That’s a bad omen, to be sure,” Laeg said.
“It is, for certain,” Cú Chulainn said, turning to his horse. “You’ve never behaved so badly for me before.”
The Liath Macha turned to him then and let a single tear of blood fall on Cú Chulainn’s foot. The two horses were yoked, and away with Cú Chulainn and Laeg. They went over Eamhain Mhacha and neither Levarcham nor Emer could stop them. They didn’t stop until the reach the house of Cú Chulainn’s mother.
Here, Deichtre gave her son some wine but when he put it to his lips, he tasted blood. He spilled the contents on the ground. She refilled the cup and again, he tasted blood. For the third time, Deichtre filled the cup and once again, it was full of blood. Cú Chulainn dashed the cup and left his mother their, turning to the battle to come.
It was here that Cú Chulainn saw the woman washing bloody clothes in the ford. He understood they were his clothes that she was cleaning and that this was a sign that death was nearing him. He continued until he reached three women on the side of the road. They offered him a piece of dog’s meat. Now, after killing the first Hound of Cullen as a boy, Cú Chulainn was under a geasa not to eat dog meat. But, as well as this, every warrior in Ireland was under a geasa not to refuse the hospitality of anyone. As such, Cú Chulainn accepted this meal and he lost the strength in half of his body. It’s believed that these women were the Mórríghan who offered him this food.
Cú Chulainn and Laeg continued on the road of Meadhon-Luachair and went around Slieve Fuad until they reached Erc Mac Cairbre on the road. By this time, Erc had collected the forces of Leinster, and Luagaid Mac Cú Roí the forces of Munster together with Medb’s army. They had put their warriors to battle with three druids among them.
Cú Chulainn went as far as the first druid.
“Give me your spear,” the druid said.
“I need it more than you do, my friend,” Cú Chulainn said.
“If you don’t, I will put a bad name upon you,” the druid said.
“I’ve never had a bad name put on me because of my refusal before,” Cú Chulainn said.
With that, he threw the spear through the druid’s head. Lugaid Mac Cú Roí collected this spear and turned to the Daughters of Calatin.
“Who will die with this spear?” he asked.
“A king will die by this spear,” they answered.
Lugaid threw the spear back at Cú Chulainn but failed to hit him. Instead, he killed Laeg, the King of Charioteers.
“This day, I will be a fighter and a charioteer,” Cú Chulainn said and said goodbye to his friend.
He then met the second druid.
“Give me your spear,” the druid said.
“I need it a lot more than you do, my friend,” Cú Chulainn said.
“If you don’t, I will place a bad name upon Ulster.”
“Ulster was never given a bad name because of my refusal before,” Cú Chulainn said.
With that, he put the spear through the second druid’s head. This time Erc Mac Cairbre collected the spear.
“Who will die by this spear?” he asked the Daughters of Calatin.
“A king will die by this spear,” they answered.
Lugaid threw the spear and it sailed through the Liath Macha, the Grey of Macha, King of the Horses. Cú Chulainn released him and said goodbye to another friend. He came as far as the third druid.
“Cú Chulainn, give me your spear,” the druid said.
“I need it a lot more than you do, my friend,” Cú Chulainn said.
“If you do not give it to me, I will put a bad name on your kindred.”
“The story of this battle will not reach my kindred, I will not even reach them. I’ve not a lot of life left in me,” Cú Chulainn said.
With that, Cú Chulainn put his spear through the head of the third druid. Again, Lugaid Mac Cú Roí collected this spear. For the last time, he turned to the Daughters of Calatin.
“Who will die by this spear?” he asked.
“A king will die by this spear,” they answered.
He threw the spear and it flew through Cú Chulainn’s body, the King of the Heroes of Ireland. Cú Chulainn understood that he had reached the end of his life when his bowels fell out of him. Dubh Saingeand left Cú Chulainn there but he rose still.
“I wish to take a drink of water,” Cú Chulainn said.
“We will allow you to go to the lake, if you return to us,” the men said.
“If I do not return, come and collect me,” Cú Chulainn answered.
Cú Chulainn collected his bowels and went to the lake. He drank from it and cleaned his body. He staggered up the hilltop. He tied himself to a standing stone, so that he would die standing.
It was not until a raven landed on his shoulder that the other men neared him. Lugaid stood before Cú Chulainn and took his head from him. When he did this, Cú Chulainn’s sword fell from his hand and separated Lugaid’s hand from his body. With that, Lugaid took Cú Chulainn’s hand from him and it is said that only then was his hero-light extinguished.
This is our story on the Death of Cú Chulainn. Join us next week, for our next story.
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