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The Birth Of A Hero

This is the first in a series of stories about the Irish hero CúChulain, this the story of his birth, as I understand it.
Of all the heros of ancient Ireland, the most prominent would be, with a doubt Cú Chulainn - Culainn’s hound, the hound of Ulster as he became known. He was famous for many feats and bold adventures. Being a strong, bright and brave lad, that beat all the other boys, in the games boys would play at the time. He was still very young when he took up arms and armor, and upon first taking a chariot. He didn’t live a long life, but it is not the nature of his death I am relating, but the story of his birth.
Once and once and many good times ago, Conchubar, son of Ness, was King of Ulster, and he held his court in the palace of Emain Macha. It was by suspicious ways that he came upon his Kingly means, but that is a story for another time.
Now it happened one day that Conchubar was making a feast at his palace for the marriage of his sister Dechtire with Sualtim son of Roig. At the feast, Dechtire being thirsty, was given a cup of mead, and as she was drinking it, a mayfly flew into the cup, which she swallowed with a sip. Presently she went into her sunny parlour, her fifty maidens along with her, where she fell into a deep sleep. While she slept, Lugh Lamfada, Lugh of the Long Hand appeared to her, saying: "It is I myself was the mayfly that came to you in the cup, and it is with me you must come away now, and your fifty maidens along with you." Lugh put upon them the appearance of a flock of birds, and they went with him southward till they came to Brugh na Boinne, the dwelling-place of the Sidhe. No one at Emain Macha could get tale or tidings of them, or know where they had gone, or what had happened them.
It was about a year after that time, there was another feast at the palace, and Conchubar and his chief men were sitting at the feast. Suddenly from the window they saw a great flock of birds, that lit on the ground and began to eat up everything before them, so that not so much as a blade of grass was left. This vexed the men of Ulster, the sight of the birds destroying all that was before them, so they yoked nine of their chariots to follow after them. Conchubar was in his own chariot, and following with him were Fergus son of Rogh, and Laegaire Buadach, the Battle-Winner, and Celthair son of Uithecar, and Bricriu of the bitter tongue was along with them, as were many others.
So there were the nine chariots making chase after the flock of birds. They were the most beautiful that had ever been seen; nine flocks of them there were, linked together two and two with a chain of silver, and at the head of every flock there were two birds of different colours, linked together with a chain of gold; and there were three birds that flew by themselves, and they all went before the chariots, to the far end of the country, until the fall of night, and then there was no more to be seen of them. Before the dark of the night settled in, Conchubar said to his companions: "It is best for us to unyoke the chariots now, and to look for some place where we can spend the night." So Fergus went forward to look for some place, and what he came to was a very small poor-looking house. A man and a woman were in it, and when they saw him they said: "Bring your companions here along with you, and they will be welcome." Fergus went back to his companions and told them what he had seen. It was Bricriu who said: "Where is the use of going into a house like that, with neither room nor provisions nor coverings in it; it is not worth our while to be going there."
Then Bricriu went on himself to the place where the house was. But when he came to it, instead of the little shanty, he saw a wonder, there in its place he saw a grand, new, well-lighted house; and at the door there was a young man wearing armour, very tall, handsome and shining. He said: "Come into the house, Bricriu". There was a young woman beside him, fine and noble, with curled hair, saying to him: "Surely there is a welcome before you from me." "Why does she welcome me?" asked Bricriu. "It is on account of her that I myself welcome you," said the young man. "Is there no one missing from you at Emain Macha?" he said. "There is surely," said Bricriu. "We are missing fifty young girls for the length of a year."
"Would you know them again if you saw them?" said the young man.
"If I would not know them," said Bricriu, "it is because a year might make a change in them, so that I would not be sure."
"Try and know them again," said the man, "for the fifty young girls are in this house, and this woman beside me is their mistress, Dechtire. It was they themselves, in the form of birds, that brought you here." Then Dechtire gave Bricriu a purple cloak with gold fringes; and he went back to find his companions. But while he was going he thought to himself: "Conchubar would give great treasure to find these fifty young girls again, and his sister along with them. I will not tell him I have found them. I will only say I have found a house with beautiful women in it, and no more than that."
When Conchubar saw Bricriu, he asked him. "What news do you bring, Bricriu?". Whereupon Bricriu responded with "I came to a fine well-lighted house, I saw a queen, noble, kind, with royal looks, and curled hair; I saw a troop of women, beautiful, well-dressed; I saw the man of the house, tall, open-handed and shining." "Let us go there for the night," said Conchubar. So there the heros went; and they were hardly in the house when every sort of food and of drink, some they knew and some they did not know, was put before them, so that it was the best night they had ever spent. When they had eaten and drunk and began to be satisfied, Conchubar said to the young man: "Where is the mistress of the house that she does not come to bid us welcome?" "You cannot see her to-night," said the young man, "for she is in the pains of childbirth."
They rested well that night, and in the morning Conchubar was the first to rise up; but he saw no more of the man of the house, and what he heard was the cry of a child. And he went to the room it came from, and there he saw Dechtire, and her maidens about her, with a young child beside her. She bade Conchubar welcome, and she told him all that had happened her, that she had called him there to bring herself and the child back to Emain Macha. Conchubar said: "It is well you have done by me, Dechtire; you gave shelter to me and to my chariots; you kept the cold from my horses; you gave food to me and my people, and now you have given us this good gift. And let our sister, Finchoem, bring up the child".
But this decision didn’t rest well with the Kings companions, as each thought they themselves the best choice to raise the child. They each in turn boasted their abilities, claiming the right for fosterage. You see, in those days the legal system was always in favor of the child, more so then even in our own modern times. But finally it was the brehon judge Morann that gave his judgment. "It is for Conchubar," he said, "to help the child to a good name, for he is next of kin to him; let Sencha teach him words and speaking; let Fergus hold him on his knees; let Amergin be his tutor." And he said: "This child will be praised by all, by chariot drivers and fighters, by kings and by wise men; he shall be loved by many men; he will avenge all your wrongs; he will defend your fords; he will fight all your battles."
And so it was settled. And the child was left until he should come to sensible years, with his mother Dechtire and with her husband Sualtim. And they brought him up upon the plain of Muirthemne, and the name he was known by was Setanta, son of Sualtim.

Adapted from "Cuchulain of Muirthemne"
By Lady Augusta Gregory

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