Cuchulain of Muirthemne
by Lady Augusta Gregory
Enthralling accounts of the legendary Cuchulain, the greatest of ancient Ireland's Knights of the Red Branch, tell of his birth and boyhood deeds, exploits in love and war, and premature death, all in the same beautifully simple style Lady Gregory first heard them as a child.
"This is Lady Gregory's collation of the Cuchulain cycle. Cuchulain was a mighty warrior, 'the Hound of Ulster', the hero of 'the Red Branch', a band of elite fighters of ancient Ireland. Cuchulain is the subject of numerous tales set in pre-Christian Ireland, including the pivotal 'War for the Bull of Cuailgne'. The mythological and supernatural elements are tightly interwoven in this saga, including the ever-present Sidhe (fairies); and Celtic gods and goddesses, particularly Morrigu, the goddess of war. As for the battles, they are principally composed of single combats as hair-raising as any in the Iliad or the Mahabharata. The female characters are vivid and self-motivated. The saga is overlaid with episodes which could be echoes of ancient myths, for instance the story of the two shapeshifting swineherds. There are sections of great poetry embedded in the text, particularly the lament of Emer on Cuchulain's death."
I. Birth of Cuchulain
II. Boy Deeds of Cuchulain
III. Courting of Emer
IV. Bricriu's Feast, and the War of Words of the Women of Ulster
V. The Championship of Ulster
VI. The High King of Ireland
VII. Fate of the Sons of Usnach
VIII. Dream of Angus
IX. Cruachan
X. The Wedding of Maine Morgor
XI. The War for the Bull of Cuailgne
XII. The Awakening of Ulster
XIII. The Two Bulls
XIV. The Only Jealously of Emer
XV. Advice to a Prince
XVI. Sons of Doel Dermait
XVII. Battle of Rosnaree
XVIII. The Only Son of Aoife
XIX. The Great Gathering at Muirthemne
XX. Death of Cuchulain
