Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

164 Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race[196]asunder. This they did again and yet again, and at last his furyleft him, and his natural form and aspect were restored. Thenthey clad him in fresh raiment and bade him in to the feast in theking's banqueting-hall.The Winning of EmerNext day he went to the dūn of Forgall the Wily, father ofEmer, and he leaped “the hero's salmon leap,” that he had learnedof Skatha, over the high ramparts of the dūn. Then the mightymen of Forgall set on him, and he dealt but three blows, and eachblow slew eight men, and Forgall himself fell lifeless in leapingfrom the rampart of the dūn to escape Cuchulain. So he carriedoff Emer and her foster-sister and two loads of gold and silver.But outside the dūn the sister of Forgall raised a host againsthim, and his battle-fury came on him, and furious were the blowshe dealt, so that the ford of Glondath ran blood and the turf onCrofot was trampled into bloody mire. A hundred he slew atevery ford from Olbiny to the Boyne; and so was Emer won asshe desired, and he brought her to Emain Macha and made herhis wife, and they were not parted again until he died.Cuchulain Champion of ErinA lord of Ulster named Briccriu of the Poisoned Tongue oncemade a feast to which he bade King Conor and all the heroes ofthe Red Branch, and because it was always his delight to stir upstrife among men or women he set the heroes contending amongthemselves as to who was the champion of the land of Erin. Atlast it was agreed that the championship must lie among three ofthem, namely, Cuchulain, and Conall of the Victories and Laerythe Triumphant. To decide between these three a demon namedThe Terrible was summoned from a lake in the depth of whichhe dwelt. He proposed to the heroes a test of courage. Any oneof them, he said, might cut off his head to-day provided that he,the claimant of the championship, would lay down his own headfor the axe to-morrow. Conall and Laery shrank from the test,but Cuchulain accepted it, and after reciting a charm over his