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June 1st, 2017 
Awake Goy By Ron McVan
“I swear by the oath of my people” said Cuchulain, “I will make my doings be spoken among the great deeds of heroes in their strength.”
Every generation owes a debt to the past…. even to its mistakes. If we forget the past we are bound to repeat its mistakes. The great heroes of legend play a large role in the forming and building of our heritage, whether successful or unsuccessful, and by their noble and outstanding deeds, leave behind most valuable if not critical lessons from which we must observe and adapt to our own personal being, place and time. Our heroes serve to guide us along our journey as a race and as individuals. Our ethnic gods serve a similar purpose and will often intervene with the hero but ultimately it is the hero himself who fulfills his destiny. Some heroes are begotten by supernatural means while others lift themselves from within the ranks of the common man. One thing is for certain, the need for great heroes remains with us constantly.
The past may be forgotten, but it never dies. The elements which in the most remote times have entered into a nation’s composition endure through all its history, and help to mold that history.” ~ T.W. Rolleston
Most people today are quite familiar with the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer and all its spectacular valorous tales of distant times under the watchful eye of Zeus and the gods of Olympus. The ancient Celts had an equally profound mythological epic known as The Ulster Cycle, with every bit as much in length, brilliance and lore of its telling. Of The Ulster Cycle, “Cuchulain” was one of the rare heroes born from supernatural beginnings. So influential and widespread were the heroic deeds and exploits of Cuchulain that his fame influenced the development of the Arthurian myths in Britain and France. In those early days of Ulster, Conchobar, son of Ness, was the reigning King in the time of Cuchulain. It is handed down that Conchobar had held a great feast at his palace known as “Emain Macha” for the marriage of his sister Dechtire. During that particular feast, Dechtire accidently swallowed a Mayfly with her wine and fell into a deep sleep. During this sleep, “Lugh of the Long Arm”, the solar god of the non corporal Otherworld, divine sun god of the Celts appeared to her to confess that he was the Mayfly that she had swallowed and had come to carry her away along with fifty of her maidens to his kingdom. The Other-world was not a place of gloom and suffering to the pagan Celts but a realm of light and liberation.
Dechtire soon mysteriously bore a child which Conchobar claimed as his nephew and he was named Setanta. The young Setanta at the age of seven was already anxious to participate in physical warrior competition. Living with his mother and her husband he one day learned of a competition being held among the sons of kings and nobles in a neighboring town. Upon his arrival he found 200 youths of nobility playing a warlike game similar to modern day football. Without waiting to be invited he immediately joined in and kicked the ball well beyond the goal. This outraged the other youths who were larger and older and they attacked him with their sticks and spears. In a rage he swelled up to fearsome proportions and knocked them all easily to the ground. The great king Conchobar was not disturbed by the incident however, as he recognized that this fledgling Setanta was destined to become a great defender of Ulster.
It is said that the Druid Morann prophesied over the infant Setanta: “His praise will be in the mouths of all men; charioteers and warriors, kings and sages will recount his deeds; he will win the love of many. This child will avenge all your wrongs; he will give combat at your fords, he will decide all your quarrels.”
As a child Cuchulain was trained in the court of King Conor along with other princes and chieftains. One particular afternoon the King and his nobles were on the way to attend a feast at the estate of a wealthy smith named Cullan in Quelgny where they intended to spend the night. As the king and his men departed, Cuchulain was in the middle of a game of Hurley and said to those leaving that he would catch up with them later after the game. Once the king and his party reached their destination and were inside with their host, Cullan let loose his huge ferocious dog which guarded the lonely estate every night. By this time the king and his men had overlooked that Setanta would soon be joining them and would be left to deal with the fearsome hound. Soon there was a terrible shriek that brought everyone to their feet in an instant, followed by the sound of a fierce combat. The king and his warriors were both stunned and elated to see Setanta come into the feasting hall unharmed. He had caught the hound by its throat and dashed out his brains on a post. The host Cullan, owner of the hound however was obviously distraught to have lost his loyal guard dog. Setanta, having assessed the situation said to Cullan, “Give me, then a whelp of that hound, O Cullan, and I will train him to be all to you that his sire was. And until then give me shield and spear and I will myself guard your house; never hound guarded it better than I will.”
All the company at that point shouted applause at the generous pledge, and on the spot, as a commemoration of his first deed of valor, they named Setanta, “Cuchulain”, The Hound of Cullan, and by that name he was known until he died.
When Cuchulain was older and ready to assume the weapons of manhood he happened to pass by a Druid named Cathbad who was at that moment instructing his pupils on the art of divination and augury. In passing he happened to hear the Druid pronounce: “The youth who should take up arms on this day would become of all men in Erin most famous for great deeds, yet will his life be short.” Later that afternoon Cuchulain came before the King and the King asked him what arms he would chose to take up as a warrior. He gave the lad two great spears but when Cuchulain took them into his mighty hands and shook them they splintered and broke. It was the same with other spears that were handed to him. The chariots that were presented to him also broke to pieces when he stomped his foot upon them. The king decided to offer him his own chariot and spears which Cuchulain could not break, do what he would, and so this equipment he retained.
It seemed that every woman that Cuchulain gazed upon became bewitched by him and the men of Ulster bade him to find himself a wife of his own. No woman it seemed could please him until he met the maiden Emer, daughter of Fogall, The Lord of Lusca. He decided to set out in his chariot to meet her and woo her to be his bride. At the time of his arrival she was busy teaching her female companions the art of embroidery. Emer possessed The Six Gifts of Womanhood—–the gift of beauty, the gift of voice, the gift of sweet speech, the gift of needlework, the gift of wisdom and the gift of chastity.
Upon Cuchulain’s arrival, Emer went out to meet him and saluted him. When Cuchulain later urged his love upon her, captured by her beauty, Emer made her situation clear that none could possess her who had not slain hundreds in battle and performed many noble deeds. At this, Cuchulain departed and drove his mighty chariot back to Emain Macha.
When Forgall, who had shamanic powers, heard of Cuchulain’s wooing of Emer he went in disguise to Emain and persuaded Conchobar to send Cuchulain to Scotland, where he could learn the finer points of war from the wild female warrior Skatha of that place. Before Cuchulain sailed for Scotland he secretly visited Emer, and the two swore that they would wed one another soon as the time was right.
Next day Cuchulain knew it was time to set out on his heroic quest. He had heard of the renowned woman-warrior named Skatha, who dwelt in The Land of Shadows, and who could teach young heroes who came to learn her wonderful feats of arms and battle. To reach her domain he had to travel through the treacherous “Plain of ILL-Luck”, and escape the many beasts of the “Perilous Glen” and finally the precarious “Bridge of Leaps” beyond which he would find the country of Skatha.
For a year and a day Cuchulain took up abode with Skatha and all the feats she had to teach he learned easily. The last feat she taught him was the use of the “Gae Bolg”. This was a dreadful multi-barbed belly spear which Skatha deemed no champion before Cuchulain good enough to have. A rival to Cuchulain’s skill in battle was his best friend Ferdia who also trained with Skatha and the two warriors made a pact to honor and help one another as long as they should live.
The fiercest and strongest woman-warrior of the day world-wide was the princess Aifa whom even Skatha feared to meet in arms. When a war developed between Skatha and the people of the princess Aifa, Cuchulain was eager to get in the battle. When the armies finally met to engage in war, Cuchulain and the two sons of Skatha wrought great deeds on the foe and slew six of the mightiest of Aifa’s warriors. Aifa challenged Skatha to single combat. Cuchulain intervened and declared that he would gladly meet the fury Aifa in place of Skatha.
The combat began and every champion’s feat did they both use against one another but in vain, till at last the blow of Aifa’s sword shattered the sword of Cuchulain to the hilt. Cuchulain knew that Aifa cherished above all else her chariot, horses and charioteer. To distract his opponent at such a critical moment he cried out, “Ah-me! behold the chariot and horses of Aifa, fallen into the glen!” Aifa quickly glanced round, and Cuchulain, rushing in, seized her round the waist and slung her over his shoulder and bore her back to the camp of Skatha. There he flung her to the ground and put a knife to her throat. She begged for her life and Cuchulain granted it on condition that she would make lasting peace with Skatha. To this she agreed. Later Cuchulain and Aifa became not only good friends but lovers as well.
Cuchulain had left Aifa with child and he instructed her that should it be a boy to give him the golden ring he now handed her when the boy was old enough to fit the ring. Then he said, “Charge him under geise that he shall not make himself known, that he never turn out of the way for any man, nor ever refuse combat. And be his name called Connla.” Many years past when one day it was reported that a strange young lad had arrived in Ulster, expert in weapons and was laying many warriors down who attempted to challenge him. The King called for Cuchulain to settle the dispute once and for all. At his arrival Cuchulain found the boy tossing up his weapons and doing marvelous feats with them. “Delightful is thy play boy. Who art thou and whence dost thou come?” “I may not reveal that,” said the lad. “Then thou shalt die,” said Cuchulain and the lad said, “so be it.” When they closed in with their swords the lad stood so firmly that Cuchulain could not move him. The young warriors feet gripped the stone so tightly that they sank into it and left footprints embedded.
At last they both fell into the sea and Cuchulain was near drowning until he remembered the Gae Blog and drove it into the lads belly ripping him brutally. The lad uttered, “That is what Skatha never taught me, Woe is me, for I am hurt.” At that moment Cuchulain saw the gold ring on Connla’s finger and knew it was his son. He then bore him to the shore and said to his kinsmen, “Here is my son for you, men of Ulster.” The boy lifted his voice to the warriors, “It is true. And if I had five years to grow among you, you would conquer the world on every side of you and rule as far as Rome. But since it is as it is, point out to me the famous warriors that are here that I may know them and take leave of them before I die.” Then one after another they were brought to him, and he kissed them and took leave of his father and died. Thus died the only son that Cuchulain ever had.
Not long after, Cuchulain learned of a fierce warrior band known as The Sons Of Nechtan which rivaled even King Conor’s own elite warriors of renown known as “The Red Branch”. It was said that The Sons Of Nechtan had killed more men of Ulster than were living. Cuchulain drove his chariot to their fortress where he came upon a tall pillar of stone and round it a collar of bronze upon which was writing in Celtic Ogam. The writing declared that any man of age to bear arms who should come to that place, not to depart without first having challenged one of the dwellers to single combat. Cuchulain flung his arms around the pillar and yanked it from out of the earth and heaved it collar and all into a nearby river. Soon one of the sons of Nechtan named Foill came forth and a challenge was made. Cuchulain’s charioteer informed him that Foill could not be slain by point of sword for he was invulnerable by magic powers. At that, Cuchulain placed a ball of tempered iron into his sling and tossed it so hard that it went clear through Foill’s brain and skull. Cuchulain severed Foill’s head and bound it to his chariot. Other sons of Nechtan came forth and he slew them all with sword or spear. This done, he then set the entire castle ablaze.
As Cuchulain returned to Ulster he was still in his battle berserker rage with many heads now dangling from his chariot. The battle rage of Cuchulain was far more gruesome and intense than any common warrior. Cuchulain was known to shape-shift into giant proportions in size when he was in a berserker battle rage. King Conor was warned of Cuchulain’s approach and war frenzy. The King gave order for a group of maidens to strip naked and stand before him in the road to distract him. This they did and a number of the waiting warriors were able to seize him and plunge him into a vat of water but the water boiled round him and the vat burst asunder. This they did again and again until his fury left him and his natural form was restored.
Next day Cuchulain went to claim his beloved Emer at her father Forgall’s castle. He leaped “The Heroes Salmon Leap” that he learned from Skatha to get over the wall. The mighty men of Forgall set upon him. He delt only three blows and each blow killed eight men. Forgall in the attempt to escape the fury of Cuchulain leaped to his death from a rampart of the castle. That day alone Cuchulain slew a hundred enemies of Ulster at every ford from Olbiny to the Boyne; and so was Emer won as she desired. Cuchulain then took her to Emain Macha to become his bride which she remained until his death. Upon his return with his beautiful bride, Cuchulain was given the headship of the young men of Ulster. He was chief among the warriors, poets, musicians, trumpeters and jesters. Of him the bards would say, “He is as hard as steel and as bright, Cuchulain, the victorious son of Dechtire.”
A Lord of Ulster named Briccriu of The Poisoned Tongue once invited King Conor and his entire Red Branch to a feast at his castle. True to his name, as soon as the warriors had assembled at the feast he began to stir up much strife among them as to who were the leading champions of the Red Branch. After much heated debate it was agreed by all the three foremost champions among them were Cuchulain, Conal of The Victories, and Laery The Triumphant.
To decide who among the three was the supreme hero over all and to put them to the test a demon named “The Terrible” was summoned from the dark depths of a lake nearby. The demon proposed to the three heroes that anyone of them could cut off his head to-day if that hero would lay down his own head for the axe upon the next day. Conal and Laery shrank from the test but Cuchulain accepted and lopped off the head of the demon.
The next day the demon reappeared quite whole and sound to claim fulfillment of the bargain. Cuchulain true to his word and fearless of death, laid his neck upon the block. The demon swirled his axe wildly about in the air and came down hard upon the block with the bitt end of the axehandle and bid Cuchulain to rise unhurt, champion of Ireland and her boldest hero.
In Connacht ruled a warrior queen named Maev, who was a rival to Ulster. Maev was fierce and strong as a goddess. She was tall and commanding in appearance and had long blond hair, yellow as ripe corn. Cuchulain was much loved and respected throughout the Celtic lands but in time Queen Maev gathered to herself an army of all who hated or envied Cuchulain. She then cast spells upon him with her powers as a seeress to make him imagine that enemies of Ulster were ravaging his land until he was lead to declare war upon them just exactly as Maev had planned.
Maev next spun her web around Cuchulain’s best friend Fergus, first making love to him then getting him to help plot against the kingdom of Ulster. Maev then drew together the mighty warriors of Connacht—first the Seven Sons of Maines, Sons of Ailell and Maev, each with his retinue; and Ket and Anluan, Sons of Maga, with thirty hundreds of armed men; and yellow-haired Ferdia, with his company of Firbolgs, boisterous giants who delighted in war and strong ale. In addition were more allies of Maev, the elite warriors known as the Men of Leinster, who so excelled the rest in warlike skill that they were broken up into single command lest they should prove a danger to Maev herself. Also there was Cormac, son of Conor, with the mighty Fergus Mac Roy and other exiles from Ulster, who had revolted against King Conor for his treachery to the Sons of Usna.
The battle between Ulster and Connacht was most fierce and bloody. Cuchulain’s battle frenzy was long described by Gaelic writers as superhuman. It was even said that some warriors went completely panic stricken or in some cases even fell dead just at the sight of him. Towards the twilight of the long battles that Cuchulain undertook he had gone through the mightiest of Maev’s men, save one, Ferdia, son of Daman, Cuchulain’s life long best friend and a close equal in warrior skills. For four days the two battled each other in single combat with a variety of weapons. On that fourth day Ferdia knew the contest would be decided and he armed himself with special care. Cuchulain himself sensed that this was the day that he must use the Gae Bolg. They fought until midday but none could gain advantage upon the other. Ferdia was able to knock Cuchulain several times in a row into the Ford until finally Cuchulain’s battle fury was ignited against his friend. The fury of their fighting became so intense that all the wildlife and unearthly things in the glens shrieked in horror. In one split second Ferdia caught Cuchulain off guard and was able to smote him deeply with the edge of his sword and now pressed even more intensely. Cuchulain knew it was time to use the Gae Bolg and after much more clash of arms was able to thrust it firmly into the belly of Ferdia. In his last gasp he said to Cuchulain, “Tis enough, I have had my death of that. It is an ill deed that I fall by thy hand, O Cuchulain.” Cuchulain seized him as he fell, and carried him northward across the ford that he would not die in enemy territory, at which time Cuchulain fell into a stupor and wrought with intense grief. Even as the enemy began to close in, and despite the warnings and pleadings of his kinsmen he did not stir.
Maev had put a curse over all of Ulster and all but Cuchulain it seemed lost their will to battle with the enemy. Cuchulain’s step father Sualtam took one of his son’s horses and like Paul Revere rode from village to village to awaken his kinsmen to rise and face the enemy that was fast approaching and already slaughtering villagers and taking them prisoner. The spell they were under started to lift and King Conor pronounced an oath to the Gods that he would avenge his people through every ounce of his being and his infectious words were spread from village to village and soon all of Ulster were rising up to battle. The clangor of all of Ulster justly enraged created a thunder and flashes of light and storm. Queen Maev hearing the clangor of Ulster rising to battle said to the mighty warrior Fergus, “Do not worry, we have the capable warriors to meet them.” “You will need that! ” Fergus said, “for all in Ireland, nay, in all the Western world, to Greece and Scythia and the Tower of Bregon and the Island of Gades, there live not who can face the men of Ulster in their wrath.” “Warriors rose together, formed ranks, With a single mind they assaulted. Short their lives, long their kinsmen long for them….So long their kinsmen long for them!”
The battle was joined on the Plain of Garach, in Meath and it was a battle of battles that legends are made of. The sword of Fergus was sweeping down whole ranks of Ulster men. (The sword of Fergus had mystical powers and was called the Caladeholg, a name of which the much later King Arthur sword “Excalibur” was a latinized corruption, but both swords were one and the same) Cuchulain could now hear the ringing thunder of the sword of Fergus and that aroused his warrior berserker instinct. His body began to swell in size with his growing rage knowing that his men were being cut down. He caught up to Fergus and challenged him but Fergus knew when he was out matched and retreated with his Men of Leinster, leaving Maev alone with her seven sons. Cuchulain easily overtook Maev and said, “I am not one to slay women”, and he protected her until they had crossed the Shannon at Athlone. Ulster had triumphed and peace seemed to be restored but Maev vowed the death of Cuchulain for the shame he had brought upon her and on her province. Maev now resorted to black magic and summoned all of Cuchulain’s enemies including the demon possessed Clan Calatin, the hideous offspring of the wizard Calatin whom Cuchulain had slain at the ford.
Cuchulain set off to do battle with the newly formed forces that Maev had created to attack him. On his way he saw a young maiden kneeling by a stream, weeping and wailing as she washed some bloody armor. When she raised the armor out of the water Cuchulain could clearly see that it was his own vest and corselet. As he crossed the ford and looked back the maiden had vanished.
Cuchulain soon found his enemies south of Armagh and pressed hard towards them. He slew many until a warrior dared to come near him and demand his spear back. “Have it then!,” said Cuchulain, and flung it at him with such force that it went clean through him and killed nine men beyond. Soon another warrior demanded his spear and Cuchulain flung it at him but the warrior was able to dodge and grab it. When he threw it back it struck Cuchulain’s horse and gave it a mortal wound. Cuchulain drew the spear from out of the horses side and they bade each other farewell. The third time Cuchulain threw the spear back to a satirist, Lewy, the son of the King of Munster, flung it back and it struck Cuchulain, and his bowels fell out in the chariot after which his remaining horse, Black Sainglend, broke away from the chariot and left him.
“I would fain go as far as to that loch-side to drink,” said Cuchulain, knowing the end was very soon to come, and his enemies suffered him to go when he had promised to return to them afterwards aware that he was not long to last. Cuchulain found a large rock to lean up against near the edge of the stream so that he could die standing. His wounded but ever faithful horse Grey of Macha came to his side to protect him from his foes with much biting and kicking. When a raven settled on Cuchulain’s shoulder and it was clear that he was dead, Lewy approached and severed the great heroes head with his sword. As the sword fell from Cuchulain’s hand it severed the hand of Lewy as it fell. They then severed the hand of Cuchulain in revenge and bore both head and hand to Tara, and there buried them and raised a huge mound over the grave.
Conall of the Victories hastening to Cuchulain’s side on news of the war met Grey of Macha along the way, blood soaked and staggering, the horse led him to the rock where Cuchulain’s headless body was tied. The horse laid his head upon the hero’s breast then himself fell in a heap and died. Conall sped southwards to avenge Cuchulain’s death and caught up with Lewy by the river Liffey. Lewy having one hand, Conall tied one of his own hands behind his back and for half the day they fought, but neither could prevail. At that juncture Conall’s horse ran up and bit a chunk out of Lewy’s side, and in the commotion Conall slew Lewy and severed his head taking it back to Emain Macha. But there was no show of triumph, for Cuchulain the Hound of Ulster was no more.
“Till the death he craves be given; and, upon his burial stone Champion-praises duly given, make his name and glory known; For, in speech-containing token, age to ages never gave Salutation better spoken, than, “Behold a hero’s grave.”
Source Article from http://www.renegadetribune.com/cuchulain/
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