The Legends Read Free

Dundalk and had not been in the king’s court when the incident occurred.
    As a result when Queen Maeve attacked, only Cúchulainn stood between the coveted brown bull and the entire army of Connaught. Almost immediately armies from the provinces of Munster and Leinster, which pledged their support to Connaught, joined Maeve in the attack.
    At first, Cúchulainn waged a guerrilla type war, disposing of the various scouts Maeve sent out. Soon she began sending champions to finish the job, but these men met with a similar fate. Still, however, Maeve’s army moved forward into Ulster toward Cooley, the home of the great brown bull. Because she was losing so many men and champions to Cúchulainn, Maeve decided to negotiate with the young champion. First, she tried to bribe Cúchulainn to change his allegiance but this offer offended Cúchulainn’s sense of honor and so he refused. Maeve then struck a bargain, which she hoped would save her army.
    Cúchulainn agreed to fight one champion each day and while the fight was on, Maeve’s army would be allowed to proceed without delay. If Cúchulainn was successful in defeating the champion, Maeve’s army would be required to halt their march until the next day and the next champion. After all, Maeve concluded, it is better to lose one man each day than to lose one hundred every night, especially as her army could move while the battle progressed. Certainly, she assumed, even if Cúchulainn was successful it would take at least several hours for him to defeat her champions. In that case the bull might well be hers before she even needed to dispose of Cúchulainn.
    In the days and weeks that followed champion after champion fell to Cúchulainn’s sword and spear. So quickly did he dispose of Maeve’s soldiers that her army barely broke camp when they had to stop for the day. Eventually Maeve became impatient, broke her promise and began to send two and three men against Cúchulainn, but he destroyed them all. Of course all this fighting began to take its toll on the great champion who was wounded many times and lost a great deal of blood.
    Just as it appeared that he could fight no more, Cúchulainn’s father, Lugh of the Long Hand, appeared from his fairy fort in the nether world and stood guard to protect his son while Cúchulainn recovered. While Lugh was reluctant to intervene in human affairs, even on behalf of his son, he was angry that Maeve had broken her word and he was not about to let his son die a slow and painful death as a result of this treachery. While Lugh stood guard, he also brought women especially trained in the healing arts who treated Cúchulainn’s wounds with special herbs so the when the young warrior awoke three days later he was refreshed and cured.
    In his absence, however, the boy troop of Ulster, made up of the sons of Ulster champions, stood in Cúchulainn’s place and fought against Maeve’s army. These boys had not participated in dishonoring the pregnant woman so no spell was cast over them. Although they were able to fight, they were mere children fighting against seasoned champions. Unfortunately, although they fought gallantly and killed many of the enemy, the entire boy’s army was destroyed by the strength and experience of Maeve’s champions. Their supreme sacrifice purchased Ulster the time Cúchulainn needed to recover and as a result Maeve’s army had not moved forward.
    When he heard of the death of these boys, many of whom were his friends, the fury, the red mist, came over Cúchulainn and he rode around Maeve’s army killing hundreds of the enemy in revenge. After that, not one of Maeve’s champions was interested in fighting Cúchulainn. She began to bribe her champions sending out great numbers against Cúchulainn but he slew them all. Eventually she blackmailed Cúchulainn’s old friend and great champion Ferdia by threatening that her bards and poets would spread stories and songs questioning his honor and courage.