Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

170 Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race[203]But though Ailell was king, Maev was the ruler in truth, andordered all things as she wished, and took what husbands shewished, and dismissed them at pleasure; for she was as fierce andstrong as a goddess of war, and knew no law but her own wildwill. She was tall, it is said, with a long, pale face and masses ofhair yellow as ripe corn. When Fergus came to her in her palaceat Rathcroghan in Roscommon she gave him her love, as she hadgiven it to many before, and they plotted together how to attackand devastate the Province of Ulster.The Brown Bull of QuelgnyNow it happened that Maev possessed a famous red bull withwhite front and horns named Finnbenach, and one day whenshe and Ailell were counting up their respective possessions andmatching them against each other he taunted her because theFinnbenach would not stay in the hands of a woman, but hadattached himself to Ailell's herd. So Maev in vexation went to hersteward, mac Roth, and asked of him if there were anywhere inErin a bull as fine as the Finnbenach. “Truly,” said the steward,“there is—for the Brown Bull of Quelgny, that belongs to Darason of Fachtna, is the mightiest beast that is in Ireland.” And afterthat Maev felt as if she had no flocks and herds that were worthanything at all unless she possessed the Brown Bull of Quelgny.But this was in Ulster, and the Ulstermen knew the treasure theypossessed, and Maev knew that they would not give up the bullwithout fighting for it. So she and Fergus and Ailell agreed tomake a foray against Ulster for the Brown Bull, and thus to enterinto war with the province, for Fergus longed for vengeance, andMaev for fighting, for glory, and for the bull, and Ailell to satisfyMaev.Here let us note that this contest for the bull, which is theostensible theme of the greatest of Celtic legendary tales, the“Tain Bo Cuailgné,” has a deeper meaning than appears on thesurface. An ancient piece of Aryan mythology is embeddedin it. The Brown Bull is the Celtic counterpart of the Hindu