This is the story of the Death of Celtchar mac Uthechair from the red branch of the mythology Irish.
The Death of Celtchar mac Uthechair
1. Where does the tragic death of Celtchar mac Uthechar come from?
It's not hard to say. There was a famous man among the men of Ulster, Blái Briuga himself, the Hospitaller. He owned seven herds of cattle, seven hundred cattle in each herd, and a couple of oxen to plow in each herd. He also ran an inn. Now it was a geis to him that a woman in a company should not enter his house without him sleeping with her, unless her husband was in that company. Then Brig Brethach, the wife of Celtchar, went to her house. "It's not right what you did, woman," said Blái the Hospitaller. “Coming to me as you came is a geis to me. "He is a wretched man," said the woman, "one who violates his own gessa." " " It's true. I'm an old man and you're provoking me too,” he said. That night he slept with her.
2. Celtchar knew it; and he went to fetch his wife. Blái the Hospitaller departed until he was next to Conchobar in the Royal House. Celtchar also left until he was on the floor of the Royal House. There were Conchobar and Cuchulainn playing Fidchell's game; and Blái the Hospitaller's chest was between them, above the game board. the spear a drop (of blood) fell on the tray.
3. “Truly, Cuchulainn! said Conchobar. “Verily, indeed, Conchobar! said Cuchulainn. The game board is measured from the drop, here and there, to find out which of the two was closer. In fact the drop was closer to Conchobar and he took the longest to take revenge. Blai the Hospitaller, however, died. Celtchar escaped until he was in the territory of the Déisi of Munster to the south.
4. "That's bad, Conchobar!" said the men of Ulster. “It means the death of two men. It is enough that we must lose the man who died, let Celtchar return to his land,” said the men of Ulster. "Let him come, then," said Conchobar; "and let his son go get him and let him be his safeguard." In those days, among the men of Ulster, the crime of a father did not fall on his son, nor the crime of the son on the father. So he went until he was in the south to summon him.
5. "Why did you come, my son?" Celtchar said. "To bring you back to your land," said the boy. » What is my backup? "Me," the boy said. "Really," he said. “subtle is the betrayal that the men of Ulster practice on me, that I must go with my son's guarantee. – “Subtle will be his name and the name of his descendants,” said the Druid. “Stay [here], boy,” said Celtchar, “and I'll go there. »
6. This is accomplished, hence Semuine comes into the land of the Deisi.
7. However, this is the price that was exacted for the death of Blái the Hospitaller, to deliver them from the three worst plagues that would come to Ulster in his time.
8. Then Conganchness mac Dedad came to avenge his brother, Curoi son of Daire mac Dedad himself, upon the men of Ulster. He greatly devastated Ulster. Spears or swords did not hurt him, but bounced off him like the horn.
9. "Free us from this plague, Celtchar!" said Conchobar. "Surely I will," said Celtchar. And on a certain day he went to confer with Conganchness to deceive him, promising him his daughter, namely Niam daughter of Celtchar, as well as the provision of a supper per cent every afternoon. Then the woman deceived him, asking him, “Tell me,” she said, “how you can be killed. – “Red-hot iron spikes have to be pushed through my soles and shins. So she told her father that he should make two big spikes, and put a sleeping spell on him, and that he should gather a large army with him. And so was done. And they went on his belly, and the spears were thrust into his soles with hammers and straight into his marrow, that he (Conganchness) fell because of him (Celtchar). And Celtchar cut off his head, on which a cairn was raised, namely, a stone was placed by every man who came there.
10. And behold the second plague, that is, the Brown Mouse, namely, a pug which the widow's son had found in the hollow of an oak tree, and which the widow had brought up until let it be big. Finally he attacked the widow's sheep, and he killed her cows, and her son, and killed her herself, and then went to the Glen of the Great Sow. Every night he devastated a home in Ulster, and every day he slept. "Free us from him, Celtchar!" said Conchobar. And Celtchar went into a wood and brought out an alder stalk, and a hole was dug in it the length of his arms, and he boiled it in fragrant herbs, in honey, and in fat, until be tender and resistant. Celtchar went to the cave that the Brown Mouse used to sleep in and he entered the cave early before the Brown Mouse returned after his murders. She came back and her muzzle stuck up high in the air at the smell of wood. And Celtchar pushed the wood toward her into the cave. The dog took it in its jaws and sank its fangs into it, and the fangs caught on the hard wood. Celtchar pulled the wood towards him; and the dog pulled to the other side; and Celtchar put his arm through the log (inside) and took out his heart through his jaws so that he had it in his hand. And he took his head with him.
11. And on that day, at the end of the following year, some cowherds went towards the cairn of Conganchness, and heard the cries of puppies in the cairn. And they dug in the cairn and found there three puppies, namely, a fawn dog, and a dog with little spots, and a black dog. The dog with the little spots was given as a present to Mac Datho of Leinster, and because of him many men in Ireland died in Mac Datho's house, and Ailbe was the name of that dog. And it was to Culann the smith that the tawny dog was given, and the black dog was Celtchar's own dog, Dóelchú. He didn't let anyone near him except Celtchar. Once Celtchar was not at home, and the dog was out, and the people of his house could not catch him, and he attacked the cattle and the herds, and in the end he attacked himself to a living thing every night in Ulster.
12. "Free us from this plague, Celtchar!" said Conchobar. Celtchar walked towards the valley in which the dog was, with a hundred warriors, and three times he called for the dog until they saw him coming towards them, going straight to Celtchar to which he came to lick the feet. "It's sorry, indeed, what the dog is doing," they all said. "I don't want to be incriminated because of you anymore!" Celtchar said, kicking Luin Celtchar6, so that he tore out his heart, after which he died. " Misfortune! everyone shouted. "That's right," he said, while lifting the spear, when a drop of the dog's blood ran down the spear and passed through him to the ground, so that he died of it. And they made his lament, his stone and his tomb were erected there. It is therefore the tragic death of Blai the Hospitaller, and of Conganchness, and of Celtchar the son of Uthechar.End.
