The category of Sports and Games in Martial Learning includes those instances of sport-like activity which occur in the earlier, learning phases of a warrior‟s career. The activities grouped together here are sourced primarily from the Macgnímrada
(„The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn‟), Tochmarc Emire („The Wooing of Emer‟) and Foglaim ConCulainn („The Training of Cú Chulainn‟). According to the Ulster
tale, „The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn‟, it seems that youngsters who aspired to be warriors gathered at Emain Macha to be part of the boy-corps, an elite group of young, aristocratic boys. The corps trained daily in physical activity and rudimentary martial skill learning. „The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn‟ is a series of extracts about Cú Chulainn‟s childhood which are told to the Connachta army and their supporters by Fergus who is in exile from Ulster over a dispute involving a woman. The tale gives important background information for the Táin. The „Boyhood Deeds‟
are told to the Connachta (Medb, Ailill and their troops) as they prepare to engage Cú Chulainn in the cattle raid. Fergus tells the tale to indicate to the hosts the nature of the character with whom they are dealing with in Cú Chulainn.
The tales Tochmarc Emire („The Wooing of Emer‟) and Foglaim ConCulainn („The Training of Cú Chulainn‟) both have passages which include accounts of how Cú Chulainn learned feats of arms from the warrior woman Scáthach (the „Shadowy‟).
Tochmarc Emire deals primarily with the trials and tribulations that Cú Chulainn goes through to secure for himself the marital commitment of Emer, a woman of equal age, form and race to Cú Chulainn, and one who satisfied Cú Chulainn‟s conditions of being equal in skill and deftness and who was the best handiworker of all the maidens
540
An identification and examination of activities that can be categorised under the heading „Sports and Games and Displays of Heroics and Superiority‟ are discussed in Chapter Seven.
in Ireland. Emer alone fulfilled all these conditions. As part of his „wooing‟ of Emer, Cú Chulainn travels to visit a number of warriors who train him in martial arts.541
The tale Foglaim ConCulainn („The Training of Cú Chulainn‟) is an extended version of the journey that Cú Chulainn undertakes to secure this expert training. Whitley Stokes translated the tale for the 1908 issue of Revue Celtique. Stokes suggests that the tale, although defective in parts, has importance in that it makes some parts of
Tochmarc Emire intelligible. In order to more effectively discuss their contents as they relate to martial learning, these three tales are outlined below.
Outline of the Tale Macgnímrada (‘The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn’)542
Cú Chulainn, at the age of five, hears of the boy-corps from his mother and decides to visit Emain Macha to test the boy-corps „at their own sports‟.543 Despite his mother‟s protestations that he was too immature, the precocious lad asked for directions and set out alone for Emain Macha. On his long journey to Emain Macha, Cú Chulainn takes with him his hurley, made of brass, his ball of silver, his throwing javelin and his toy spear.544 When Cú Chulainn does reach Emain Macha he encounters the 150 boys of the boy-corps „hurling on the green and practicing martial exercises‟.545 The boys think that Cú Chulainn must be the son of „some petty Ulster warrior‟ because he does not follow the procedure for seeking „safe-conduct‟.546
Cú Chulainn joins the boys and is set upon as an outsider. Cú Chulainn runs to where the king is playing fidchell. The king stops Cú Chulainn and informs him of the need for securing protection from the corps. Cú Chulainn then joins the boy-corps. The next five episodes are unique to Recension I of the Táin and they see Cú Chulainn, firstly, unable to sleep for want of a pillar stone at his head and feet. The bedding arrangement is altered at his request. Secondly, a man attempts to waken Cú Chulainn but Cú Chulainn when aroused dashes his brains out. In the third episode,
541 Cross and Slover suggest that this aspect of the tale is an addition of earlier material to the „later‟
(eighth century) wooing tale in „the Wooing of Emer‟, p. 153.
542 This summary is drawn from the LU version of the Táin (Recension I) as it contains five episodes of
the Macgnímrada not found in the LL version. For an in-depth consideration of the various versions of the tale see Daniel Melia, „Parallel Versions of “The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn”‟, Forum for Modern Language Studies, Vol. X, No. 3, July 1974, pp. 211-226.
543 Cross and Slover, „The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn‟, p. 137. 544 Cross and Slover, „The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn‟, p. 138. 545
Cross and Slover, „The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn‟, p. 138.
Cú Chulainn is playing with the boy-corps and he accidentally kills 50 of them. Cú Chulainn runs to the king‟s bedchamber and Fergus makes peace between him and the corps. The fourth LU episode sees Cú Chulainn leave the king‟s house because he hears King Conchobar groaning after a fight between the Ulstermen and Egon Mac Durthacht. Cú Chulainn first encounters Fergus, then an otherwordly being whom he wrestles, and then he finally comes across Conchobar. He retrieves some pig meat for Conchobar which helps him recover from his battle wounds and Cú Chulainn carries him back to Emain Macha.
The final LU episode not found in the LL version is where the Ulstermen are in the grips of their pangs and 27 marauders attack Emain Macha. The boy-corps comes to help but all are scared away except Cú Chulainn who kills nine of the men and scares away the rest. The next and subsequent episodes of the tale are the same for LU and LL. Cú Chulainn is invited to attend a feast with the Ulster nobility at Culann the Smith‟s residence. Cú Chulainn is busy on the playing fields and decides to follow along afterwards. Forgetting that Cú Chulainn is to follow, the king tells Culann to go ahead and release his guard dog after the main party arrive. Subsequently the boy arrives and is confronted by the vicious dog. With all the ruckus, the king remembers that Cú Chulainn is due to arrive and they are all sure that the boy has been killed by the dog but they underestimate Cú Chulainn. The boy kills the dog using a hurley ball (or using his bare hands in another version of the tale). The episode ends with an explanation of the relevance of Cú Chulainn‟s name („Hound of Culann‟), as Cú Chulainn takes up the role of guard dog for Culann until a worthy pup can be appropriately trained. The final episode in the Macgnímrada is Cú Chulainn‟s taking up of arms. Cú Chulainn overhears the druid Cathbad telling some boys that it was an auspicious days for someone to take up arms. Cú Chulainn deceives the king by telling him that Cathbad told him specifically that he should take up arms. King Conchobar helps the boy by giving him weapons and Cú Chulainn sets out to the border to seek combat. He finds and defeats the three sons of Nechta and starts to make his way back to Emain Macha. On his approach it is noticed that Cú Chulainn is overcome with „battle rage‟ and a strategy is quickly devised where, as a diversion, a number of women bare their breasts at him. This gesture embarrasses Cú Chulainn so much that he turns his head away long enough for him to be seized and dunked into
vats of water until his battle rage subsides. Cú Chulainn then takes up his place in the court at the king‟s feet.
Outline of the Tale Tochmarc Emire (‘The Wooing of Emer’)
In this tale Cú Chulainn, although still a youth, finds himself „wooing‟ Emer, who eventually becomes his wife. The men of Ulster have realised that Cú Chulainn is so beautiful that there is a chance that the wives and daughters of the Ulstermen will be seduced by him. There is also some concern that Cú Chulainn may not produce an heir. Convinced that marriage is a good idea and with messengers being unable to find an appropriate maiden, Cú Chulainn goes to Emer but before she will have him as her husband she sets him several physical challenges, including slaying hundreds of men and staying awake for a year. In the meantime, Forgall the Wily, Emer‟s father, who is against the marriage, visits the court at Emain Macha disguised as a foreign dignitary. Forgall convinces Cú Chulainn to travel abroad to better his warrior skills, all the while hoping that Cú Chulainn will be killed while he is away. Cú Chulainn, then, journeys abroad to visit the best warrior camps in the known world. Travelling with Conchobar, Conall and Leogaire, Cú Chulainn stays at two such camps, one run by Donall (a male) and the other run by Scáthach (a female). At both camps Cú Chulainn hones his warrior skills under the tutelage of expert teachers. While fighting for Scáthach, Cú Chulainn overpowers a neighbouring warrior-woman and ends up fathering a son to her. The child, Connla, features in another tale, „The Tragic Death of Connla‟. Cú Chulainn, after returning to Ireland, sets about achieving the challenges set by Emer. They are married and according to this story they were not separated until their death.
Outline of the TaleFoglaim ConCulainn (‘The Training of Cú Chulainn’)
The tale Foglaim ConCulainn („The Training of Cú Chulainn‟) is an extended version of the journey that Cú Chulainn undertakes to secure expert training. Whitley Stokes translated the tale for the 1908 issue of Revue Celtique. Stokes suggests that the tale, although defective in parts, has importance in that it makes some parts of Tochmarc Emire intelligible. „The Wooing of Emer‟ and „The Training of Cú Chulainn do differ in content at times, notably for the purposes of this thesis in the warrior camps that Cú Chulainn stays at and in the length of time spent there.
The tale begins with Cú Chulainn embarking on a journey „to get his training‟ with Leogaire the Victorious and Conall the Triumphant. At the very first stop, the expert teacher, Dordmir, only allows Cú Chulainn to train with her so his companions return to Ireland. Cú Chulainn stays at the Dordmir‟s camp for a year when he is informed of an even greater teacher, Scáthach. He leaves the first camp and travels to Scáthach‟s camp. After proving his worth Cú Chulainn is permitted to stay at the camp. Then, after surviving an attack from the Scáthach‟s warriors, killing one of her sons in single combat and sharing a night with her daughter, Cú Chulainn uses knowledge gained from the daughter to force Scáthach into training him. He stays with Scáthach for a year before travelling to visit the warrior woman Aífe, who suggests that Cú Chulainn needs to stay and complete the final aspects of his training with her. Again, Cú Chulainn stays a year. By the time Cú Chulainn is ready to leave, Aífe informs him that she is pregnant to him. Cú Chulainn leaves Aífe‟s stronghold and on the way back to Scáthach‟s camp he meets a hag. She asks him to move out of the way on the narrow pass but when he does so she attacks him and Cú Chulainn kills her.
After returning to Scáthach‟s camp Cú Chulainn finds several Irish warriors including Ferdiad, so Cú Chulainn stays for another year at Scáthach‟s camp, learning alongside them. At the end of a year they all leave but not before Scáthach binds them all in honour and friendship. They pay their fees and leave.547 The warriors are not heard of until they reach a kingdom run by Aed the Red. The warriors decide to ask for lodgings for the night and Cú Chulainn goes off alone to secure some live birds to take to the fort while the others go to find Aed. While on his own, Cú Chulainn comes across 200 men and women weeping and lamenting over the imminent departure of the king‟s first born child (a beautiful damsel) as a part of a tribute to the tribe of the Fomorians. Three men arrive to take their „tribute‟ and on seeing Cú Chulainn they think he is part of the tribute. Cú Chulainn disposes of the three and then, deciding that it was not right to speak to the damsel any further, leaves her alone and re-joins his comrades at the fortress of Aed. Cú Chulainn does not tell his companions of his adventure. Though sad after losing his daughter, Aed welcomes the Irishmen in anyway. Not long after, the damsel approaches the fortress. She tells
547
These may well be „fosterage fees‟ as in other texts both Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad refer to Scáthach as their foster mother.
her father of the events that took place and Aed is very pleased. Cú Chulainn is offered the tribute instead. Cú Chulainn divides the tribute evenly, one third each to the Irishmen, the Fir Catt and towards the damsel‟s dowry. After staying with the Fir Catt for six weeks they return to Ireland where they are welcomed back and receive many accolades and gifts, partly because they had earned a very fierce reputation which brought great wealth and respect to Ulster.