Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure. Among Celts in close contact with Ancient Rome, s...
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About a year after Cuchulainn won his name, by killing Cullen’s hound and guarding Cullen’s lands, he was with the boy’s troop in Emain Macha. These were the sons of the warriors of King Conor Mac Nessa’s Red Branch, and they trained together to become the next generation of warriors and heroes. They received instruction on arms and fighting feats, and learned chess-playing and other strategic arts, and they also had to have some education in poetry and the druidic arts. King Conor’s chief druid was called Cathbad, and he used to instruct his own class of druidic students. Now, one day, Cathbad was instructing his students, and the Boy’s Troop, on the arts of prophecy: how to read the signs and omens to be able to see what the future would hold, and how different days could be propitious for different things. To demonstrate, he read the signs for them in the flights of birds, and threw a bundle of sticks into the air to read which way they landed, and he said that this day was an important day. That any young man who took up arms for the first time on this day would have a brief life, but a glorious one. And though he would die while still in his youth, his name would live on forever and his glory would never be surpassed!
Now, Cuchulainn and all of the other young men in the Boy’s Troop heard this, and though a few of them were almost at the age to take up arms, they mostly decided that it didn’t sound worth it. But Cuchulainn made his choice immediately. He ran inside to his uncle Conor Mac Nessa and demanded to be given a set of arms immediately. Conor tried to talk him out of it; “You’re far too young,” he said, “Who put this idea into your head?” And Cuchulainn answered him truthfully, if not honestly, that Cathbad had. So Conor thought that was alright, if the Druid had given his blessing. He sent his servant to get the set of weapons he had had when he was seventeen and took up arms for the first time. Cuchulainn shook the weapons to test their strength, but he splintered them into pieces. Conor sent for stronger and stronger swords and spears and shields, but Cuchulainn destroyed them all, until in the end Conor lent Cuchulainn his own weapons. These were of such fine quality and craftsmanship that they withstood the battering Cuchulainn put them through.
At this point, Cathbad came in and exclaimed, “What on earth is this little boy doing, taking up arms?” And Conor turned around and said, “He told me you told him to!” Cathbad was aghast; he had thought his prophecy would be interpreted as a warning, not taken as encouragement. Conor was furious when he heard the full wording of the prophecy, but Cuchulainn was unrepentant, he said he didn’t care if he died tomorrow, as long as his name would never be forgotten; and besides, it was too late now.
Knowing that there was no turning back now, Conor tried to equip Cuchulainn with a chariot and a charioteer, but he used the chariots as hard as he’d used the weapons, and the king lent him his own chariot before he could destroy too many of them. Cuchulainn asked for his friend Laeg from the Boy’s Troop to be his charioteer. Laeg was gifted with horses, and he and Cuchulainn were fast friends. But Conor said that he wasn’t going to send out two hot-headed youths to make trouble together, and Ibar the charioteer with Cuchulainn, to keep an eye on him. Now, Ibar was skilful, but he was also cautious and careful, and Conor thought he might be able to keep Cuchulainn from getting into any trouble.
