The Hero Cuchulain
The stories of the great hero Cuchulain are so old that they were nearly forgotten. Cuchulain was born with the name Sentanta. It was later changed to Cuchulain, after the dog he killed which had belonged to Cullan. The name Cuchulain means "hound of Cullan".
Who his mother was is not certain. Different versions of the stories say different things. There are many who say she was human, and others that say she was divine. The celtic god Lugh is said to be his father. This is more of a spiritual relationship than a biological one. His human father was named Sualtam.
Cuchulain studied under a warrior goddes named Scathach on the Isle of Shadow. He later returned to Ulster to be a great warrior and the leader of the red Branch. The Red Branch was a semi-chivalrous order of warriors in Ulster. Cuchulain later became divine because of his adventures. he is now honored as a celtic pagan god. There were many women who Cuchulain fell in love with. Among them were Aife, Emer, and a faery woman named Fand.
In Dublin you can find a statue of him which portrays his death while in battle against the Maeve's armies. Queen Maeve of Connacht was his great enemy. She wanted him as a husband, but he refused. This led to many battles, where Maeve ended up winning. Legend tells that he died while single-handedly trying to hold Maeve's armies back while tied to a tree. His blood was spilled into the earth in the manner of a sacrificial god. During his death he did not see the Morrigan fly over him, which many people believe is what actually killed him. The Morrigan is a symbol of the Crone which means he failed to realize the role he was born to play.
You can find many stories of Cuchulain in a book called The Book of Dun.
