Chapter XII: Ulster Rises from its Pangs

Summary

Mac Roth's report

The armies go south from Ferdia's Ford. Cúchulainn lies sick, and Senoll Uathach and the two sons of Ficce are first to reach him. They carry him to Conaille and bathe his wounds in a string of rivers, the Sas for ease, the Búan for steadfastness, the Bithslán for lasting health, and others. The armies camp at Imorach Smiromrach, the Mash of Marrow. Mac Roth goes north as far as Sliab Fuait to watch for Ulster and sees only one chariot. Its driver has silvery-grey hair, carries a silver spike, and is goading his charioteer as well as the horses. Ailill wonders if it is Conchobor or Celtchar. Fergus says it is Cethern, Fintan's son.

Cethern and the healers

Cethern hurls himself at the camp and slaughters many, then comes back to Cúchulainn with his guts around his feet. Cúchulainn sends Laeg to ask Fiacha mac Fir Febe for a healer, with the message that he will kill them all, even under the earth, if they don't come. The first healer says Cethern will not survive. "Then neither will you!" Cethern says, and strikes him with his fist so that his brains splash over his ears. He kills fifty healers this way, some say, though others say fifteen. The last gets a glancing blow and falls stunned, and Cúchulainn saves his life. Cúchulainn tells Cethern he had no right to kill the healers, since they will get no one to come now. "They had no right to give me bad news," Cethern says.

They send for Fingin, Conchobor's own healer. Cúchulainn warns him to watch out for Cethern. Fingin names each wound, Cethern describes who gave it, and Cúchulainn says who it was. A vain, arrogant woman gave the first, a tall fair woman with two gold birds on her shoulders, and Cúchulainn says that was Medb of Cruachan. Others were given by Illann, Fergus's son, by Oil and Oichne, by Bun and Mecon, Trunk and Root, by Braen and Láréne, by the stewards Scenb, Rann and Fodail, carver, divider and server, and by Maine Athramail and Máthramail. The last two were Ailill and his son Maine Cotagaib Uli. Fingin says a whole horde has left its tracks in him and one way or another his life is done. Cethern hits him with his fist too, across the chariot shafts, and smashes the chariot. Cúchulainn tells him it was a wicked blow to give an old man. From his word "Luae", a blow, the name Ochtur Lui in Crích Rois is taken.

Fingin offers a choice: a year of treatment and a full life, or enough strength in three days and nights to fight his enemies. Cethern chooses the three days. The healer asks for bone-marrow, so Cúchulainn takes what beasts he can find and makes a mash of their bones. That is the Bath of Marrow, Smirommair. Cethern sleeps in it day and night. He says he has no ribs left, so Cúchulainn gets him the ribs out of the chariot-frame. His wife Finn Bee brings his weapons, and he sets off for the armies with the chariot-frame bound around his belly.

The healer Itholl, who had lain like a dead man among the healers' bodies, goes ahead to warn the Connacht camp. They set Ailill's crown on top of a pillar-stone, and Cethern drives his sword through the stone and his fist after the sword. That is the origin of Lia Toll, the Pierced Stone. He says he will give them no rest until one of them puts the crown on. One of the Maine does, and drives at him in a chariot. Cethern throws his shield, which splits him and his charioteer and cleaves through the horses into the ground. Then the armies close in, and he wreaks havoc among them until he falls.

Fintan and Menn

Fintan comes to avenge his son with three times fifty men, all with double-headed spears. After seven battles only Fintan and his son Crimthann are left. Ailill saves Crimthann out of fear of Fintan, on condition that he fights no more until he comes with Conchobor to the last Battle. When Fintan's people and the men of Ireland are found, they have each other caught by the lips and noses in their fanged teeth.

Menn mac Sálchada goes against them with thirty men. Twelve of Medb's men and twelve of his fall, and he is badly wounded. He is let go home to the Boann and no more men are killed.

Rochad and Finnabair

Cúchulainn sends his charioteer to Rochad mac Faithemain, who comes south with a hundred warriors. The watcher says they have a tender youth among them and the rest reach only to his shoulders. Ailill's plan is to send out a hundred warriors with Finnabair in front and a horseman to say she wants to talk to him alone. Finnabair loves Rochad, the handsomest hero in Ulster, and has already told her mother so. Her parents tell her to sleep with him that night and ask for a truce. Rochad goes alone and is seized by the troop, and his followers flee. He is freed on his promise not to fight the armies until all Ulster comes, and is offered Finnabair, and takes her. She sleeps with him that night. Then he returns to Ulster.

The seven kings of Munster hear this. Each says she was promised to him, one with fifteen hostages. They go to take vengeance on Ailill's sons, who are keeping watch in Glenn Domain. Medb, the Galeóin troop of three thousand, Ailill and Fergus all rise against them, and seven hundred die slaughtering each other. When Finnabair hears that seven hundred have died because of her deceit, she falls dead of shame. From this comes Finnabair Slébe, Finnabair in the Mountains.

Ilech

Ilech is Laegaire Buadach's grandfather, left in Laegaire's care at Ráith Impail. He comes at Ath Feidli in a decrepit old chariot without covers or cushions, drawn by two old yellow horses and filled with stones and clods. He flings them at anyone who comes to look at him in his nakedness, with his narrow tool and his balls hanging down through the floor. The army jeers until Dóchae mac Mágach stops them and tells Ilech to get out of the way or lose his sword and head. Ilech is told the mash of marrow is made of Ulster cows' bones. That day he makes another marrow-mash beside it out of the bones of Connachtmen. At nightfall Dóchae cuts off his head and takes it to Laegaire, and makes a pact of friendship with him.

Stones and charioteers

At Tailtiu three times fifty of Ulster's charioteers attack, kill three times their own number and are all killed. The place is Roi Arad, the Battlefield of the Charioteer. Then a great stone hurtles upon the armies from the east and another from the west. They meet in the air and fall on the camps of Fergus and Ailill. This goes on for a day while the armies hold their shields over their heads. The plain fills with stones and becomes Mag Clochair. Cúroi mac Dáiri, at Cotail, and Munremur mac Gerrcinn, who came from Emain Macha to help Cúchulainn, are the two throwing. They make a pact: Cúroi goes home and Munremur to Emain Macha until the Battle. Kinsella's note says Mag Clochair is much further north than Tailtiu, and that the anomaly is due to the switching of versions.

Sualdam at Emain

As the pangs end, Sualdam hears at Ráith Sualdaim how his son is being harassed. He finds him pierced in every part bigger than the tip of a rush, with fifty bloody places in his left hand alone. Cúchulainn sends him to the men of Ulster. At Emain he cries "Men murdered, women stolen, cattle plundered!" three times, the third from the Mound of the Hostages. Nobody answers, since in Ulster no man speaks before Conchobor and Conchobor will not speak before the three druids. A druid says the man is annoying the king and ought to suffer death. Conchobor agrees. All the men of Ulster agree. Then Conchobor admits that Sualdam is right. It seems to Sualdam they are not doing enough, and he runs out, falls over his shield and the rim cuts off his head. The head is carried back on a shield into the house and repeats the warning.

Conchobor says he will beat them and bring back every cow and woman. He tells Finnchad Fer Benn to summon the chieftains, a long list that Kinsella's note says is not to be taken too seriously. They gather around Emain and march south. At Iraird Cuillenn they wait for Conchobor's sons, who have gone to Temair for Erc and Fedelm Noichride. Conchobor will not wait, and rides ahead with Celtchar and returns with eight score heads from Airthir Midi Ford, now Ath Féne, Warriors' Ford.

That night Dubthach Dael dreams of the armies at Gáirech and Irgairech and speaks in his sleep of hosts in turmoil and a red sun. It upsets the sleeping armies, and the Nemain brings confusion, and a hundred fall dead. In the western camp Cormac Connlongas, or some say Ailill mac Mata, chants of a great truce and a great plague.