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The myth of Ireland's two greatest warriors - Iseult Gillespie

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    Cú Chulainn, hero of Ulster, stood at the
    ford at Cooley,
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    ready to face an entire army
    singlehandedly—
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    all for the sake of a single bull.
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    The army in question belonged to Queen
    Meadhbh of Connaught.
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    Enraged at her husband’s possession
    of a white bull of awesome strength,
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    she had set out to capture the fabled
    brown bull of Ulster at any cost.
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    Unfortunately, the King of Ulster had
    chosen this moment
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    to force the goddess Macha to race her
    chariot while pregnant.
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    In retaliation, she struck down him and
    his entire army with stomach cramps
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    that eerily resembled childbirth—
    all except Cú Chulainn.
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    Though he was the best warrior in Ulster,
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    Cú Chulainn knew he could not take on
    Queen Meadhbh’s whole army at once.
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    He invoked the sacred rite of single
    combat
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    in order to fight the
    intruders one by one.
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    But as Queen Meadhbh’s army
    approached,
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    one thing worried him more than
    the grueling ordeal ahead.
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    Years before, Cú Chulainn had travelled to
    Scotland
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    to train with the renowned
    warrior Scáthach.
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    There, he met a young warrior from
    Connaught named Ferdiad.
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    They lived and trained side-by-side,
    and soon became close friends.
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    When they returned to their
    respective homes,
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    Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad found themselves
    on opposite sides of a war.
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    Cú Chulainn knew Ferdiad was marching
    in Meadhbh’s army,
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    and that if he succeeded in fending off
    her troops, they would eventually meet.
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    Day after day, Cú Chulainn
    defended Ulster alone.
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    He sent the heads of some of his
    adversaries back to Meadhbh’s camp,
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    while the rushing waters of the ford
    carried others away.
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    At times, he slipped into a trance and
    slayed hundreds of soldiers in a row.
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    Whenever he saw the queen in the distance,
    he hurled stones at her –
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    never quite hitting her,
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    but once coming close enough
    to knock a squirrel off her shoulder.
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    Back at the Connaught camp, Ferdiad was
    laying low,
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    doing everything he could to avoid the
    moment
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    when he’d have to face his best
    friend in combat.
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    But the Queen was impatient to get her
    hands on the prize bull,
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    and she knew Ferdiad was her best
    chance to defeat Cú Chulainn.
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    So she goaded him and questioned
    his honor
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    until he had no choice but to fight.
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    The two faced off at the ford, matching
    each other exactly in strength and skill
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    no matter what weapons they used.
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    Then, on the third day of their fight,
    Ferdiad began to gain the upper hand
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    over the exhausted Cu Chulainn.
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    But Cú Chulainn had one last trick up
    his sleeve:
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    their teacher had shared
    a secret with him alone.
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    She told him how to
    summon the Gáe Bulg,
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    a magical spear fashioned from the
    bones of sea monsters
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    that lay at the bottom of the ocean.
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    Cu Chulainn called the spear, stabbed
    Ferdiad to death, and collapsed.
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    Meadhbh seized her chance and swooped
    in with the rest of her army
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    to capture the brown bull.
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    At last, the men of Ulster were recovering
    from their magical illness,
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    and they surged out in pursuit.
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    But they were too late: Queen Meadhbh
    crossed the border unscathed,
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    dragging the brown bull with her.
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    Once home, Meadhbh
    demanded another battle,
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    this time between the brown bull
    and her husband’s white bull.
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    The bulls were well matched, and struggled
    into the night,
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    dragging each other all over Ireland.
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    At long last, the brown bull killed the
    white bull,
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    and Queen Meadhbh was finally satisfied.
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    But the brown bull’s victory
    meant nothing to him.
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    He was tired, injured, and devastated.
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    Soon after, he died of a broken heart,
    leaving behind a land
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    that would remain ravaged by
    Meadhbh’s war for years to come.
Title:
The myth of Ireland's two greatest warriors - Iseult Gillespie
Speaker:
Iseult Gillespie
Description:

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Video Language:
English
Team:
closed TED
Project:
TED-Ed
Duration:
04:28

English subtitles

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