In Irish Celtic mythology, Cúchulainn is the very prototype of the hero, one of the most important characters, a quasi-god. His physical strength, his magical powers and his divine supports make him an extraordinary man, capable of anything. He can also be considered a berserk.[1] One of his favorite weapons is the gae bolga, that is to say the lightning javelin which is inevitably fatal:when it penetrates the body of an enemy, the iron end deploys in many points. It was during his stay in Scotland, with Scáthach that he learned how to handle it. He appears in many stories (76 different texts) and his interventions include different versions, sometimes complementary, sometimes contradictory. Its epic is linked to the reign of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
His first name is Setanta (the "path"), he was renamed Cúchulainn, that is to say the "dog of Culann" (the blacksmith) by his grandfather and tutor the Druid Cathbad, at the age of five years old when he kills the watchdog.
His genesis is multiple:he is the son of Lug the polytechnician, supreme god of the Celtic pantheon and of Eithne the mother of all the gods, symbol of motherhood. On a human level, its conception is the consequence of a meeting in the Other World of King Conchobar Mac Nessa and his sister Deichtire, who is also his coachman. His adoptive father is Sualtam while his foster father is Amorgen the poet of King Conchobar. He lives in Dun Delgan in the domain of Mag Muirthemm (Dun means "fortress" and Mag "plain").
He is sometimes called "Contortionist" because he has the ability to take on all appearances, the heat of his body makes water boil and snow melts, he also embodies Knowledge and his head radiates Knowledge. He was initiated in Scotland, along with his friend Ferdiad, by the great magician Scáthach, whose daughter Uatach he married. Subsequently, to marry Emer, he will have to kidnap her. A brief affair will unite him to Fand in the Other World.
His adventures and exploits are innumerable, in the story Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Raid of the Cows of Cooley), he is the only man to escape the "spell of Macha" and to defend Ulster against the armies of Medb, the queen of the Connaught. He continually fights and kills his enemies, until the curse ends. He dies on Samhain, Morrigan is on his shoulder in the form of a crow.
If he represents warrior magic, it is in vain that he tries, on several occasions, to obtain sovereignty.
One of his horses Liath Macha (the Gray of Macha) has human intelligence.