|
THE BROWN BULL OF ULSTER
Queen Medb of Connacht and her consort, Ailill, lay chatting in bed one night, boasting of their possessions. They were evenly matched except for Finnbennach, the great, white-horned bull owned by Ailill. Medb searched her lands in vain for a comparable beast until she heard of the Donn, the magnificent Brown Bull of Ulster which was owned by Daire mac Fiachniu. Daire might have been willing to lend Medb the Donn for a year if he had been made a generous offer, but he overheard the queen's drunken envoys bragging that they would take the animal with or without his consent. So he refused to cooperate and sent the bull into hiding. On hearing the news Medb was livid and she bullied Ailill into invading Ulster to steal the Brown Bull. They amassed a huge force including a well-disciplined contingent from Leinster. Jealous of their performance, the evil Medb contemplated sending them home, or even killing them. However, wise counsel prevailed, and she was talked into dispersing them throughout the rest of her army to spread their good influence. A bitter struggle ensued between the forces of Connacht and King Conchobar of Ulster, often pitting relations and old friends against each other. For much of the time the great warrior Cúchulainn fought the Connacht army single-handed because he was the only Ulster hero unaffected by a curse of weakness which descended periodically on the men of the land. Medb failed to defeat him with bribes and tricks, and he killed large numbers of her men, many sent against him in single combat and others attacking as a hundred at a time. Eventually the men of Ulster regained their strength and, rallying in support of Cúchulainn, they routed Medb's army. In the meantime, Medb's scouts had found the Donn and they had driven it back to Connacht along with 50 heifers which followed it from Daire's herd. When the Brown Bull came into contact with Ailill's white-horned animal, there was instant hatred between them. The great beasts lowered their horns and fought a tremendous battle, rampaging over the whole of Ireland. At last the Brown Bull was seen galloping back victorious to Ulster, scattering Finnbennach's entrails across the plain. But the Donn was exhausted and mortally wounded, and it died soon after. Thus, in the space of a month, thousands died over a greed whim and neither side won the great bull.
Pages
designed by Odhinns Child™™
|
