Cuchulain (or Cú Chulainn) (lived 1st century AD)

Legendary Celtic hero. A stupendous fighter in Irish hero-tales, he was the chief figure in a cycle associated with his uncle Conchobar mac Nessa, King of Ulster. While still a little boy, he performed his first great feat by slaying a ferocious hound. As a young man, he single-handedly kept a whole army at bay, and won battles in both the real world and the otherworld, but was slain through a combination of magic and treachery. His most famous exploits were recorded in Taín Bó Cuailnge/The Cattle Raid of Cooley. Cuchulain became a symbolic figure for the Irish cultural revival in the late 19th century, and a bronze statue of him stands in Dublin General Post Office, commemorating the Easter Rising.

Early life As a child Cuchulain was known as Setanta, son of the Ulster warrior Sualtam and the princess Dechtire, but his true father was the warrior god, Lugh, ruler of light, sorcery, and the crafts. He was brought up at Dun Imbrith (Louth) and, at the age of six, went to the court of King Conchobar. After killing the watchdog of Culann the smith, he guarded in its stead and acquired the name ‘Culann's hound’. Later, he killed the three sons of Nechta, hereditary foes of the Ulster people.

Cattle Raid of Cooley At the age of 17, when Medhbh of Connaught and her army attempted to capture a great bull, the Donn of Cuailnge, Cuchulain defended the frontier single-handed during the magic debility of the men of Ulster. This weakness, inflicted when Ulster was in danger, was the curse of the goddess Macha, who was forced to run a race against horses while about to give birth; Cuchulain was protected because he was from Leinster.

Death Cuchulain was slain about ten years after the cattle raid, by Lugaid and the children of Calatin Dana.