"Cuchulain Slays the Hound of Culain", illustration by Stephen Reid from Eleanor Hull's The Boys' Cuchulain, 1904.
The Ulster Cycle (also known as the Red Branch Cycle) is the 2nd of the four great cycles of Irish Celtic history. It revolves around the heroes of the Ulaid which is now part of Easter Ulster and northern Leinster in Ireland and is said to have occurred around the 1st century AD.
The stories are set around the reign of King Conchobar mac Nessa, who rules Ulaid from Emain Macha. The most talked about hero is the nephew of King Conchobar, Cu Chulainn who is also known as Cúchulainn. The people of Ulaid are in conflict with the people of Connachta which are lead by their Queen Medb and her husband Ailill.
The parentage of Cuchulainn is rather strange. It is said that he is the son of the long gone god Lug (Greek Apollo) who appears to him in a vision later in life when he is injured. Per wikipedia (and also described in Celtic mythology):
There are a number of versions of the story of Cú Chulainn's birth. In the earliest version of Compert C(h)on Culainn ("The Conception of Cú Chulainn"), his mother Deichtine is the daughter and charioteer of Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster, and accompanies him as he and the nobles of Ulster hunt a flock of magical birds. Snow falls, and the Ulstermen seek shelter, finding a house where they are made welcome. Their host's wife goes into labour, and Deichtine assists at the birth of a baby boy. A mare gives birth to two colts at the same time. The next morning, the Ulstermen find themselves at the Brug na Bóinde (the Neolithic mound at Newgrange)—the house and its occupants have disappeared, but the child and the colts remain. Deichtine takes the boy home and raises him to early childhood, but he falls sick and dies. The god Lug appears to her and tells her he was their host that night, and that he has put his child in her womb, who is to be called Sétanta. Her pregnancy is a scandal as she is betrothed to Sualtam mac Róich, and the Ulstermen suspect Conchobar of being the father, so she aborts the child and goes to her husband's bed "virgin-whole". She then conceives a son whom she names Sétanta.[9]
by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com and www.hiddenhumanstory.com)
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_Cycle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%BA_Chulainn
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