Thread by @of_mythology

THE STORY OF CU CHULAINN AND THE CATTLE RAID OF COOLEY
Irish Mythology

Special request by @Hughesurdaddyy

Cu Chulainn is one of the most famous heroes in Irish Mythology. He appears in the stories of the Ulster cycle and the Scottish and Manx folklore.

Cu Chulainn, whose birth name was Setanta, was the son of the god Lugh(image below) and the mortal woman Deichtine.

He was also the nephew of Conchobar mac Nessa, the king of Ulster.
Many considered Setanta as the incarnation of his father the warrior God Lugh. In some depictions, Setanta is a small young man with no beard and thick black hair. Then there are some weird depictions of him where

his is said to have brown hair at the roots, red in the middle, and yellow at the tips. He is also said to have four dimples on each cheek, seven bright pupils in each eye, seven toes on each foot, and seven fingers on each hand. This depiction fits that of the monster Setanta

Often turned or transformed into during a fight. The depictions varied over time probably to fit his transformations.
He first transformed into that beast at a young age when he joined the boy troop at Emain Macha. Setanta set out and ran onto the playing field, not knowing the

tradition of asking for protection. The other boys on the field saw this as a challenge and proceeded to attack Setanta, a mistake on their part. Setanta transformed abs beat up every single one of the boys that dared attack him. His uncle, the king Conchobar, heard the noise and

ran out to stop the fight. The king then asked the boys to take his nephew under their wing and allow him train with them, to which they all agreed.
On a particular day, the king was invited to a dinner party at the house of Culann the smith. He asked Setanta if he would like to

accompany him to the dinner party. Setanta, who was in the middle of playing on the field, said he would join them later on. The king, his small guests, and Culann the smith partied till dawn. Culann invited everyone to sleep over and before they went into the house, Culann asked

the king if anyone would be joining them later as he was about to release his ferocious guard dog.The king, forgetting about his nephew, said no and the guard dog was released. After playing his game, Setanta made his way to Culann's house and came face to face with his guard dog

Setanta eventually killed the dog and the noise brought everyone outside. Culann was upset that his dog was dead as no one would be able to protect his house. Setanta, after realizing his mistake, offered to guard Culann's house while he trained another guard dog.

This is where Setanta got his name Cu Chulainn from and its meaning was "Culann's Hound"

Later on in Cu Chulainn's life, he would be the only warrior standing to defend Ulster. A warrior queen who is having a competition with her husband to see who is richer sets on a journey

to find a bull that can rival that of her husband's. Unfortunately for her, the owner refuses to sell it to her no matter how much she offers. Enraged, she gathers her army and prepares them to invade Ulster. Now usually, the Ulster men would be ready to fight any threat, but

their king had recently disrespected the Morrigan and she had laid a curse of a 9 day illness on the army. All but Cu Chulainn were affected as he was a demigod. Cu Chulainn stood against the warrior Queen's army and one by one he defeated the soldiers that fought him.

The Morrigan was impressed by Cu Chulainn's strenght and bravery that she fell in love with him. She then transformed into a beautiful princess and tried to get the attention of Cu Chulainn, but dating was the last thing on his mind

Angered by his rejection, The Morrigan decided to pour her wrath on Cu Chulainn. She appeared in his dream as an old woman washing his armour(which in irish mythology meant death for the warrior)
When Cu Chulainn went to the battlefield, he was stopped by 3 women who offered him

some food. Unknown to him, those 3 women were the Morrigan in disguise. She had poisoned the food so as to weaken his strength. The three women told him that the spears he would throw that day would kill 3 kings. Feeling confident, Cu Chulainn made his way to the battlefield and

began fighting. The first spear he threw hit his opponent and killed him, but another solider threw the spear back at him and it hit his best friend and confidant Feridad, who had been standing behind Cu Chulainn in his chariot watching the battle.

Cu Chulainn was angry and threw another spear which hit his opponent. The spear was once again thrown back and this time it hit the horse of Feridad. Not thinking straight anymore, Cu Chulainn threw his third spear and it missed his opponent. The spear was thrown back at

Cu Chulainn and he started to bleed to death. Not wanting to die on the floor like an animal, he tied himself to a rock and stood upright till he died.

During his final moments, the Morrigan appeared as a crow on his shoulders and he knew that the princess, the woman in his dream, and the 3 women were her all along. He died with a bitter smile on his face and the Morrigan was happy with her revenge

End of thread
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