RUBY CARMEN retells the Irish legend of a boy whose courage, remorse, and an unbreakable oath transformed him into one of Celtic mythology's greatest heroes.
A very long time ago, in ancient Ireland, in the time of many fine warriors and gods and goddesses, there lived a young lad by the name of Setanta.1 But history—nay, legend—now remembers him by another name: Cu Cullen.2
Let me tell you now, this lad has an interesting backstory. It is said that he was the son of the sun god Lugh and a mortal woman. From early boyhood, he was recognized as having immense strength and supernatural powers. He was considered handsome of face and intelligent too.
This lad, Setanta, was the nephew of the king of Ulster, Conor mac Nessa.3 And like many young lads, he loved to play sports, in particular, the ancient sport of hurling.4
Setanta longed to join the warriors, in particular the Red Branch Knights of Ulster, and there was a school, or training camp, for this purpose. His parents were not too keen on him becoming a warrior, it seemed, and tried to persuade him not to go to this school.
To further complicate matters, there was a prophecy by a druid that the young Setanta overheard—and it was this: if a person took up arms on a particular day, he or she would have eternal glory and fame, but that person’s life would be short-lived. Setanta, in his enthusiasm and high spirits, willingly accepted this and embraced this druid’s prophecy, becoming Cu Cullen of legend.
King Conor mac Nessa was impressed by Setanta’s skill in fighting and hurling and gave permission for him to train as a warrior with the Red Branch Knights. Some time passed, and Setanta grew stronger and became skilled in strategy. He even went to Scotland to receive training from a famous warrior woman, the fearless Scathach!5
One evening, Setanta’s uncle, the king, invited him to the castle for a feast given for the grand Chieftain Cullen. After a long day of hurling and training, Setanta arrived at the castle at dusk. The shadows of the trees and valleys danced on the landscape, and the golden evening light glinted playfully on his cloak. He could hear the birds’ call and caught sight of a crow in the nearby bush. In his hand, he held his hurley tightly. It was only then that he came face to face with a fierce and exceptionally tall guard dog, an Irish wolfhound no less. The wolfhound bared his fangs, growling and ready to attack, for the creature was trained to defend and protect the Chieftain Cullen from harm and intruders. Instantly and in self-defense, Setanta hit the wolfhound using his hurley and sliotar, fatally wounding the animal.
On hearing all this commotion, King Conor and the Chieftain Cullen left their feasting and came outside only to discover Setanta standing there. When the chieftain saw what had happened to his dear wolfhound, he was full of sorrow. His face crumpled, he asked in disbelief, “What have you done, lad?” By contrast, the king was quietly pleased to see his nephew safe and well, unharmed by the wolfhound.
“Forgive me, sir, the hound attacked as I arrived to feast with you, and the king…” His voice trailed off, unable to complete his sentence as words would not suffice. Remorsefully, Setanta kneeled down in front of Chieftain Cullen. In that moment, he knew what he must do. There and then, he made an oath, a true promise to the chieftain:
“I, Setanta, swear to take the place of your hound, to protect you and your property until you have no more need of me.”
And he made good on his word, sleeping at the door of Chieftain Cullen’s home, sleeping lightly, with only one eye open, circling the perimeter of the property all through the night. He would remain there until a wolfhound pup became fully grown to replace him! It was from then on that the young lad, Setanta, became Cu Cullen, meaning “Hound of Cullen.” And the rest, they say, is legend!
1 Setanta is the anglicized form of Sétanta, the birth name of Cu Cullen.
2 Cu Cullen is the anglicized form of Cú Chulainn, meaning “Hound of Culann” in Irish.
3 Conor mac Nessa is the anglicized form of Conchobar mac Nessa, a legendary king of Ulster.
4 Hurling is a 3,000-year-old Irish field sport, often described as the world’s fastest game. It is played with a wooden stick called a hurley and a small ball called a sliotar.
5 Scathach is the anglicized form of Scáthach, a legendary warrior woman of Scotland whose name means “shadow.” She is associated with guiding fallen warriors to the Celtic underworld.
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Ruby Carmen
