Equestrian Celtic Mythology: The Morrigan and Cuchulain · 5:51pm Sep 5th, 2013
The Morrigan. Celtic goddess of war, fate, and death. A harsh goddess, she is not without love as she had a strong attraction to the Hound of Ulster himself, the Kelpie warrior Cuchulain.
According to legend, before one particular battle a beautiful young mare came to Cuchulain, claiming to be the daughter of a king. She offered him her love, but he refused her. The mare revealed herself as The Morrigan, and in revenge for this slight she attacks him in various animal forms while he is engaged in combat against. As an eel, she trips him in the ford, but he breaks her ribs. As a wolf, she stampedes cattle across the ford, but he puts out her eye with a sling-stone. Finally she appears as a cow at the head of the stampede, but he breaks her leg with another sling-stone. After Cuchulain finally defeats his foe, The Morrigan appears to him as an old mare milking a cow, with the same injuries he had given her in her animal forms. She gives him three drinks of milk, and with each drink he blesses her, healing her wounds.
The Morrigan is forever a mysterious goddess. Many say that she is the long lost sister to Celestia and Luna, though given The Morrigan's dark nature the Lunar and Solar princesses try to quell these rumors. Whatever the case may be, everypony knows to tread lightly and speak carefully in the presence of The Morrigan. You're life may well depend on it.
Cuchulain is said to be the greatest warrior to ever walk the known lands. After one particularly arduous combat Cuchulain lies severely wounded, but is visited by Lugh, God of The Sun, a being that is the personification of the sun itself, who tells him he is his father and heals his wounds. When he wakes up he attacks the army and kills hundreds, building walls of corpses. When his foster-father Fergus mac Róich is sent to face him Cuchulain agrees to yield, so long as Fergus agrees to return the favor the next time they meet. Finally, he fights a grueling three-day duel with his best friend and foster-brother, Ferdiad, at a ford that was named Áth Fhir Diadh (Ardee, County Louth) after him.
Finally his enemies, the chief among them being called Lugaid. Lugaid has three magical spears made, and it is prophesied that a king will fall by each of them. With the first he kills Cuchulain's charioteer Láeg, king of chariot drivers. With the second he kills Cuchulain's brother, Liath Macha, king of racing. With the third he hits Cuchulain, mortally wounding him. Cuchulain ties himself to a standing stone in order to die on his feet. This stone is traditionally identified as one still standing at Knockbridge, County Louth. Due to his ferocity even when so near death, it is only when a raven lands on his shoulder that his enemies believe he is dead. Lugaid approaches and cuts off his head, but as he does so the "hero-light" burns around Cuchulain and the fallen hero's severed head manages to bite Lugaid's hoof off as it falls past
Hrmmm...interesting...