Myths & Legends of the Celtic RaceRolleston, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race
Rolleston, T. W. (Thomas William)
Celts -- Religion; Mythology, Celtic
When he came to the ford upon the plain of Emania he saw there kneeling by
the stream as it were a young maiden, weeping and wailing, and she washed
a heap of bloody raiment and warlike arms in the stream, and when she
raised a dripping vest or corselet from the water Cuchulain saw that they
were his own. And as they crossed the ford she vanished from their
sight.(163)
*Clan Calatin Again*
Then, having taken his leave of Conor and of the womenfolk in Emania, he
turned again towards Murthemney and the foe. But on his way he saw by the
roadside three old crones, each blind of one eye, hideous and wretched,
and they had made a little fire of sticks, and over it they were roasting
a dead dog on spits of rowan wood. As Cuchulain passed they called to him
to alight and stay with them and share their food. “That will I not, in
sooth,” said he. “Had we a great feast,” they said, “thou wouldst soon
have stayed; it doth not become the great to despise the small.” Then
Cuchulain, because he would not be thought discourteous to the wretched,
lighted down, and he took a piece of the roast and ate it, and the hand
with which he took it was stricken up to the shoulder so that its former
strength was gone. For it was _geis_ to Cuchulain to approach a cooking
hearth and take food from it, and it was _geis_ to him to eat of his
namesake.(164)
*Death of Cuchulain*
Near to Slieve Fuad, south of Armagh, Cuchulain found the host of his
enemies, and drove furiously against them, plying the champion’s
“thunder-feat” upon them until the plain was strewn with their dead. Then
a satirist, urged on by Lewy, came near him and demanded his spear.(165)
“Have it, then,” said Cuchulain, and flung it at him with such force that
it went clean through him and killed nine men beyond. “A king will fall by
that spear,” said the Children of Calatin to Lewy, and Lewy seized it and
flung it at Cuchulain, but it smote Laeg, the king of charioteers, so that
his bowels fell out on the cushions of the chariot, and he bade farewell
to his master and he died.
Then another satirist demanded the spear, and Cuchulain said: “I am not
bound to grant more than one request on one day.” But the satirist said:
“Then I will revile Ulster for thy default,” and Cuchulain flung him the
spear as before, and Ere now got it, and this time in flying back it
struck the Grey of Macha with a mortal wound. Cuchulain drew out the spear
from the horse’s side, and they bade each other farewell, and the Grey
galloped away with half the yoke hanging to its neck.
And a third time Cuchulain flung the spear to a satirist, and Lewy took it
again and flung it back, and it struck Cuchulain, and his bowels fell out
in the chariot, and the remaining horse, Black Sainglend, broke away and
left him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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