BS: Cu Chulainn

Subject: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: Pogo
Date: 05 Aug 04 - 10:31 PM

odd question out of the blue here...but I'm writing a story with a friend of mine that involves Celtic legends and whatnot and I was wondering...do any Celtic legends buffs around here have a fairly concise physical description of him I could go by? And also what were Aife and Scathach supposed to look like? thank you in advance :o)

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 06 Aug 04 - 02:07 AM

There should be a description in the Tain. There is a graphic description of him undergoing the warp-spasm.

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: mack/misophist
Date: 06 Aug 04 - 09:34 PM

His face turned bright red when the battle rage was on him. As a boy, he was small and unimpresswive. At least King Cashel thought so.

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: Micca
Date: 07 Aug 04 - 05:05 AM

There is, probably, as much a description here as anywhere CuChulain
all others in later lterature, ie Lady Gregory's is based on this

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: Micca
Date: 07 Aug 04 - 05:19 AM

specifically

"Fair, of deeds, the man I see;
Wounded sore is his fair skin;
On his brow shines hero's light;
Victory's seat is in his face!
"Seven gems of champions brave
Deck the centre of his orbs;
Naked are the spears he bears,
And he hooks a red cloak round!

Noblest face is his, I see;
He respects all womankind.
Young the lad and fresh his hue,
With a dragon's form in fight!

I know not who is the Hound,
Culann's hight, of fairest fame;
But I know full well this host
Will be smitten red by him!

Four small swords--a brilliant feat--
He supports in either hand;
These he'll ply upon the host,
Each to do its special deed!

His Gae Bulga, too, he wields,
With his sword and javelin.
Lo, the man in red cloak girt
Sets his foot on every hill!

Two spears from the chariot's left
He casts forth in orgy wild.
And his form I saw till now
Well I know will change its guise!

On to battle now he comes;
If ye watch not, ye are doomed.
This is he seeks ye in fight
Brave Cuchulain, Sualtaim's son!

All your host he'll smite in twain,
Till he works your utter ruin.
All your heads ye'll leave with him.
Fedelm, prophet-maid, hides not!

"Gore shall flow from warriors' wounds;
Long 'twill live in memory.
Bodies hacked and wives in tears,
Through the Smith's Hound whom I see!"

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: Pogo
Date: 21 Aug 04 - 04:50 PM

ah thank you muchly. I think I'll just take a few creative liberties with the old boy then...writer's perogative ;o)

BTW I really like that poem Micca...good stuff!

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: Juan P-B
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 03:22 PM

He mustn't have looked very well - Shane McGowan wrote about his sick-bed!!

BFG

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 04:44 PM

As I understand it he was a little black fellow. Since he was a Donegal man, as far as I remember, he probably would have had the colouring typical of that area: pale skin, pale grey eyes, very dark curly hair, black eyebrows and thick black eyelashes.

He was a horseman - or rather, he fought from a chariot, which was controlled by his foster-brother.... Laochra, was it?

He was also a touchy little bastard (especially for a king's sister's son), who snobbishly said that he was not brought up "between the hearthstone and the kneading-trough" - in other words, grabbing the passing bit of bread - but in a king's house.

He was obviously not a man in great control of his temper, from the first sight of him playing hurling against all the other children and beating them all (even today hurling is... well... rough... while then it had no rules except win and survive) to the next when he kills a savage mastiff by thrusting his hurling-ball down its throat with his bare hands, to the point when he kills his own son through a prideful mistake, then attacks the sea in a rage of grief, to the point of death when he is forced by clashing taboos to break one taboo after another, and ends up dying, having tied himself to a rock so he'll die upright and facing the rising son, and as he dies he sees a crow drinking his blood, laughs at it and kills it, and dies laughing. Or that's as far as I remember the Red Branch stuff. Heavy dude.

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: Pogo
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 05:50 PM

heheheh indeed...Now I have heard that he was a rather tall burly fellow but perhaps that's the impression one gets from his reputation as a fighter. Personally I find a little fellow with a bad temper a much more intriguing and realistic character to write about.

As I understand the deal with his son (Connla I believe) was due to the fact that Aife his mother had instructed him to deny no man a fight and tell no man his true name. So basically Connla and Chulainn went at it, and it almost (from the version I've read) sounds as though Connla goaded him into fighting. And of course CC ended up skewering his own son with a spear (wasn't that the Gae Bulga?). I had not heard that bit about him grieving over it afterwards though...this is all great stuff to include in the story thanks {O)

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: Cluin
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 08:08 PM

Take what liberties you want with Setanta's appearance; you wouldn't be the first. Most have described him as a tough wiry little bugger, though comely to the ladies.

The battle with the sea story was by W.B. Yeats wasn't it?

Subject: RE: BS: Cu Chulainn
From: Alba
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 08:34 PM

Pogo, an Irish Artist Jim Fitzpatrick has a lot of paintings of the Celtic Legends you can view "his" impression of Cu Chulainn Here
Blessings
Jude