Cu Chulainn
Cu Chulainn, born Setanta, gains his name after slaying Culann’s hound and taking its place. A youthful champion, he defends Ulster alone in the Cattle Raid of Cooley, unleashing a monstrous warp-spasm and bound by fatal geasa.
Story beats
- 1) Setanta kills a smith’s hound in self-defense; to atone, he serves as guard, earning the name Cu Chulainn (Culann’s Hound).
- 2) Trained by Scáthach, he receives the barbed spear Gáe Bulg and battle frenzy (ríastrad).
- 3) During the Táin, he holds the ford against Connacht armies, winning single combats and suffering prophecy-bound wounds.
- 4) Bound by conflicting geasa, he rides to battle knowing his death looms, tying himself to a pillar stone to face enemies upright.
Context & symbolism
Cu Chulainn mirrors Achilles—a brilliant, doomed youth. His geasa highlight honor’s constraints; warp-spasm shows warrior rage turning body monstrous. His stand at the ford exemplifies heroic single combat over mass war.
His death, foretold by Morrígan and woven with geis-breaking, underscores tragedy in upholding conflicting obligations.
Motifs
- Warp-spasm transforming body
- Barbed Gáe Bulg spear
- Guarding the ford alone
- Pillar-stone death posture
Use it in play
- Single-combat challenges to delay an army; each duel buys time.
- Handle conflicting geasa: honor hospitality vs. war duty.
- Harness or control a warp-spasm ability in a berserker ally.
- Seek training from a shadowy mentor like Scáthach to earn a cursed spear.