The Cattle Raid of Cualnge
by L. Winifred Faraday
This is a translation of a story cycle at the core of the saga of Cuchulainn, one of the masterpieces of Irish literature. Cuchulainn was the son of the God Lug and the daughter of the king of Ulster. Cuchulainn had the strength of Hercules, but was slow in gaining control over his powers, which turned him into a monster, leaving a trail of mayhem in his wake. At the age of seventeen, still beardless, Cuchulainn single-handedly repeals an invasion of Ulster by Queen Mebd of Connacht to steal the mythic bull Donn Cuailnge. Cuchulainn has parallels in other great sagas worldwide, such as the Mahabharata and the Iliad.
