Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

CHAPTER V: TALES OF THE ULTONIAN CYCLE 181surged hither and thither, and many perished from each other'sweapons, and many from horror and fear. And this was the greatcarnage, called the Carnage of Murthemney, that Cuchulain didto avenge the boy-corps of Emania; six score and ten princeswere then slain of the host of Maev, besides horses and womenand wolf-dogs and common folk without number. It is said thatLugh mac Ethlinn fought there by his son.The Clan CalatinNext the men of Erin resolved to send against Cuchulain, insingle combat, the Clan Calatin. 152 Now Calatin was a wizard,and he and his seven-and-twenty sons formed, as it were, but onebeing, the sons being organs of their father, and what any oneof them did they all did alike. They were all poisonous, so thatany weapon which one of them used would kill in nine days theman who was but grazed by it. When this multiform creature metCuchulain each hand of it hurled a spear at once, but Cuchulaincaught the twenty-eight spears on his shield and not one of themdrew blood. Then he drew his sword to lop off the spears thatbristled from his shield, but as he did so the Clan Calatin rushedupon him and flung him down, thrusting his face into the gravel.At this Cuchulain gave a great cry of distress at the unequalcombat, and one of the Ulster exiles, Fiacha son of Firaba, who [216]was with the host of Maev, and was looking on at the fight, couldnot endure to see the plight of the champion, and he drew hissword and with one stroke he lopped off the eight-and-twentyhands that were grinding the face of Cuchulain into the gravel ofthe Ford. Then Cuchulain arose and hacked the Clan Calatin intofragments, so that none survived to tell Maev what Fiacha haddone, else had he and his thirty hundred followers of Clan Rurybeen given by Maev to the edge of the sword.Ferdia to the Fray152 “Clan” in Gaelic means children or offspring. Clan Calatin=the sons ofCalatin.