Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend
Encyclopedia
Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend ("black of Saingliu") are the two chariot-horses of the hero Cúchulainn
in the Ulster Cycle
of Irish mythology
.
Both horses appear to Cúchulainn from the pool of Linn Liaith in the mountains of Sliab Fuait, a gift from either Macha or her sister the Morrígan
. Cúchulainn leaps onto their backs, and they run around Ireland for a day but cannot throw him off, after which they were tame.
On the day of Cúchulainn's death, as his enemies gathered for battle, Liath Macha refuses to allow Láeg
, Cúchulainn's charioteer, to harness him to the chariot. He only relents for Cúchulainn himself, but weeps tears of blood. He is hit by the second spear thrown by Lugaid mac Con Roí
(the first had killed Láeg), and returns to the pool of Linn Liaith in the mountains of Sliab Fuait, where Cúchulainn had originally found him. The sons of Calatin had prophesied to Lugaid before he threw each spear that it would kill a king. When he challenges them each time, they respond that he had killed the king of charioteers and the king of horses. Dub Sainglend continues to pull the chariot, but Lugaid's third spear hit Cúchulainn, who falls out of the chariot. Dub Sainglend runs on, but Liath Macha returns to protect him, killing fifty with his teeth and thirty with each of his hooves. After Cúchulainn dies, Liath Macha leads Conall Cernach
to his master's body. Conall pursues Cúchulainn's killers and avenges him.
Cúchulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
in the Ulster Cycle
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and...
of Irish mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
.
Both horses appear to Cúchulainn from the pool of Linn Liaith in the mountains of Sliab Fuait, a gift from either Macha or her sister the Morrígan
Morrígan
The Morrígan or Mórrígan , also written as Morrígu or in the plural as Morrígna, and spelt Morríghan or Mór-Ríoghain in Modern Irish, is a figure from Irish mythology who appears to have once been a goddess, although she is not explicitly referred to as such in the texts.The Morrigan is a goddess...
. Cúchulainn leaps onto their backs, and they run around Ireland for a day but cannot throw him off, after which they were tame.
On the day of Cúchulainn's death, as his enemies gathered for battle, Liath Macha refuses to allow Láeg
Láeg
Láeg, or Lóeg, son of Riangabar, is the charioteer and constant companion of the hero Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His horses are Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend....
, Cúchulainn's charioteer, to harness him to the chariot. He only relents for Cúchulainn himself, but weeps tears of blood. He is hit by the second spear thrown by Lugaid mac Con Roí
Lugaid mac Con Roí
In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Lugaid mac Con Roí was the son of Cú Roí mac Dáire. He was also known as Lugaid mac Trí Con ....
(the first had killed Láeg), and returns to the pool of Linn Liaith in the mountains of Sliab Fuait, where Cúchulainn had originally found him. The sons of Calatin had prophesied to Lugaid before he threw each spear that it would kill a king. When he challenges them each time, they respond that he had killed the king of charioteers and the king of horses. Dub Sainglend continues to pull the chariot, but Lugaid's third spear hit Cúchulainn, who falls out of the chariot. Dub Sainglend runs on, but Liath Macha returns to protect him, killing fifty with his teeth and thirty with each of his hooves. After Cúchulainn dies, Liath Macha leads Conall Cernach
Conall Cernach
Conall Cernach is a hero of the Ulaidh in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is said to have always slept with the head of a Connachtman under his knee. His epithet is normally translated as "victorious" or "triumphant", although it is an obscure word, and some texts struggle to explain it...
to his master's body. Conall pursues Cúchulainn's killers and avenges him.