Lugaid mac Con Roí- Celtic HeroHero

The Murder of Cú Roí

Lugaid's father, Cú Roí mac Dáire of Munster, was one of the mightiest warriors in Ireland, a figure of supernatural power who could not be slain except by a specific fate. In the tale of Aided Con Roí (The Death of Cú Roí), Cú Chulainn, aided by Cú Roí's own wife Bláthnat who had turned against her husband, murdered Cú Roí through treachery. Bláthnat revealed the secret of Cú Roí's vulnerability and diverted the stream flowing through his fortress, signaling Cú Chulainn and his warriors to attack. Cú Roí was slain, and in one version the poet Ferchertne, loyal to Cú Roí, seized Bláthnat and leapt with her from the cliff, killing them both. Lugaid grew up with the knowledge that his father's killer walked free and was celebrated as Ulster's greatest hero.

The Death of Cú Chulainn

Lugaid's vengeance forms part of the climactic tale of the Ulster Cycle: the Aided Con Culainn. When the enemies of Ulster, led by Medb of Connacht and her allies, conspired to destroy Cú Chulainn, Lugaid joined their cause. The sons of Calatín, sorcerers who bore their own grievance, conjured illusions and traps to weaken the champion. Through a series of geis-violations forced upon Cú Chulainn by supernatural trickery, the hero was progressively stripped of his powers. In the final battle, Lugaid cast one of three spears fashioned by the sons of Calatín. The first had killed Cú Chulainn's charioteer Láeg, the second his horse Liath Macha, and the third, thrown by Lugaid, struck Cú Chulainn himself, mortally wounding him. The dying champion bound himself to a standing stone so that he might face his enemies upright, and it was only when a raven landed on his shoulder that his foes knew he was truly dead. Lugaid cut off Cú Chulainn's head, but in death the hero's sword fell and severed Lugaid's own hand, a final act of defiance from beyond the grave.