The Cattle Raid (Part 2)

With Medb's troops settling in for the night, she developed a plan to have her army split into two groups and enter Ulster from opposite paths. She knew the forces of Ulster, with Cu Chulainn on the front lines, would be too strong to enter through one bottleneck. And as she commanded, so her troops followed.

In the meantime, Cu Chulainn was working to make life harder for Medb's army. His chariot driver took him to the river dividing Medb's army and Ulster. Cu Chulainn cried for help saying, "I call on the waters of the Cronn to help me. I beseech Heaven and Earth and the Cronn above all." Suddenly the waters of the river began to rise. They kept coming and coming until the river was running at the tops of the trees normally lining the river.

Medb's troops went for water from the river; this time in a group of thirty rather than individually. The group of troops saw the waters of the Cronn rising higher than what seemed possible. The scene sent shivers down their spines. The leader of that segment of troops saw Cu Chulainn across the river. They began to yell across the river at each other. After exchanging sarcastic greetings, one of the troops dared Cu Chulainn to fight the whole army by himself.

Cu Chulainn, in a sort of mocking way, laughed and asked his chariot driver, "Do these men fear me?"

"By the gods," said his driver. Then Cu Chulainn agreed to fight the whole army by himself, one by one.

That night, Cu Chulainn prepared his weapons. It is said that one hundred of Medb's troops died that night from fear and dread at the thought of facing Cu Chulainn in battle. Upon seeing that another hundred of her troops had passed, Medb tried to bargain with Cu Chulainn.

First, she sent a soldier to offer him a life of luxury in Medb's region as long as he would become a member of her army. He rejected the offer.

Next, they offered to pay him massively and give him a choice woman from their homeland. Again he scoffed at the offer.

Finally they offered him massive riches, many of the finest women, and herds of cattle. Yet again he said no.

Instead, Cu Chulainn said, "Let me fight each little man in your army, one by one. Each day I'll tear the limbs from another of your puny men until your army lie in pieces across the fields of Ulster."

When Medb caught word of the terms, she happily agreed thinking it better to lose one man a day than one hundred, and it was likely that Cu Chulainn would become fatigued eventually.

So they agreed to the terms, and across the river went the first warrior. Nobody volunteered to go first, but this young man was unfortunately chosen. He met Cu Chulainn and spoke with him. He inquired about fighting the next morning rather than today, likely because he knew his fate. Cu Chullain rejected his request, but he had mercy on the little warrior. With his blade, Cu Chulainn made a quick stroke under his feet. The ground came up from under the man and he was knocked onto his back.

Cu Chulainn told the little man, "You can still run before it's too late," but the little man had courage saying, "No, I will fight this fight until I have slain you and pillaged your stores."

Cu Chulainn laughed and took another brief swipe with his blade, this time shaving the man bald in one clean swipe. Again Cu Chulainn implored the man to run, and again the warrior said, "No. I will not quit until you have been slain."

Having enough of his games, Cu Chulainn made two more strokes with his blade. The little man was cut into three pieces as his head, torso, and legs tumbled to the ground.

The next warrior was a huge man. He brought no weapons other than a few burnt, and sharpened, pieces of wood. He threw them at Cu Chulainn, almost like darts, but Cu Chulainn paid him no mind. He ran and jumped after the birds in the field. The man thought he had defeated Cu Chulainn and went about boasting so, but Cu Chulainn had been showing him mercy because he would fight nobody without fit weapons. The man's boasting enraged Cu Chulainn, and when it came time for the battle to commence the next morning he appeared in a different form of a monstrous beast. He was three times larger than before with legs the size of a Red Wood tree, and arms to match. The Earth shook when he took a step, and his battle cries were comparable to a lion's roar. Cu Chullain was glowing with a dark red aura of rage around him. The warrior saw the beast and asked a young man where Cu Chulainn was, and the young man pointed to the beast.The man felt fear in every sense of the word, but he would never show it. So the warrior approached the beastly form of Cu Chulainn and took a swipe with his sword. He connected on the hit, but his sword broke in half. In an instant, Cu Chulainn jumped and took one side swipe with his fist. The warrior's head fell from his trunk, and the fight was over. Cu Chullain continued to assault the man who had claimed victory over him, but the rage slowly dissipated and he transformed back to his normal form.

He was ready to murder another, but the morning had not come...

Author's Note: The picture below may be helpful in understanding the raging form of Cu Chullain. To be clear, a Red Wood tree is known as one of the largest trees that grows on Earth, with some being big enough to drive your car through the trunk of the tree.

There was a bit of confusion in Medb's camp because Cu Chullain agreed to terms with some of the men in the Army at the River Cronn. These men did not inform Medb of the terms, so that is why she continued to make proposals to Cu Chullain.

I also think it is important to remember that Cu Chullain is not just a ruthless killer. He is defending his homeland from invasion. Additionally, he made an offer to the little warrior to spare his life. Again, he showed mercy on the larger warrior because he didn't have an adequate weapon, so he clearly has some sort of moral backing.

The Morrigan was not present in this segment of the story, but she will return soon.

In the next, and final, installment of the Cattle Raid, the fight will continue with Cu Chullain facing more of Medb's warriors while she makes a final plot for victory. Make sure to check in to see how the battle ends as Cu Chullain defends Ulster from Medb.

Cu Chulainn - Smitegame

The Ancient Irish Epic Tale: Tain Bo Cualnge by Joseph Dunn