Cú Roí

Cú Roí (Cú Ruí, Cú Raoi) mac Dáire is a king of Munster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is usually portrayed as a warrior with superhuman abilities and a master of disguise possessed of magical powers. His name probably means "hound of the plain/field",^[1] or more specifically, "hound of the battlefield".^[2]

Though often an outsider figure, for instance in the role of intervener or arbitrator, Cú Roí appears in a great number of medieval Irish texts, including Forfess Fer Fálgae, Amra Con Roi, Brinna Ferchertne, Aided Chon Roi (in several recensions), Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad and Táin Bó Cúailnge. The early Irish tale-lists refer to such titles as Aided Chon Roí, Echtra Chon Roí (List A), Orgain Chathrach Chon Roí and Cathbúada Con Roí (List B), but only the first of these tales can be shown to have survived in some form.^[3]

Reconstructed career

The following is a synopsis based on events described in a number of early Irish texts of varying dates

Fled Bricrenn

When Cú Chulainn, Conall Cernach and Lóegaire Búadach were incited to compete for the champion's portion by Bricriu, Cú Roí was one of those who judged among them. Like all the other judges, he chose Cú Chulainn, but Conall and Lóegaire refused to accept his verdict. When the three heroes returned to Ulster, Cú Roí appeared to each in the guise of a hideous churl (bachlach) and challenged them to behead him, then allow him to return and behead them. Only Cú Chulainn was brave and honourable enough to submit himself to the churl's axe, so he was declared champion.

Táin bó Cúailnge

The combat of Munremar and Cú Roí

Comlond Munremair 7 Con Roi ("The combat of Munremar and Cú Roí") in Recension I of Táin bó Cúailnge.^[4] Cú Roí, who had sent a contingent to the Connacht army but had not hitherto been personally involved in the recent hostilities between Ulster and Connacht,^[5] did intervene when he learned that the Ulster warrior Munremar mac Gerrginn (lit. "Fatneck son of Shorthead")^[6] had come to assist Cú Chulainn in fighting the Connacht army. Since he believed no warrior in the army was able to withstand Munremar, he chose to rally to the support of "his people" (muinter). The resulting encounter (comlond) between the two warriors was a spectacular stone-throwing contest, described from the perspective of the Connacht troops, who witnessed many stones flying in opposite directions from the east and west (Cotal and Ard Róich) and colliding right above their heads. The shower of falling rubble forced them to use their shields for protection, until on their request, Cú Roí and Munremar agreed to discontinue the fight and return home. The plain strewn with stones was afterwards called Mag Clochair ("The Stony Plain").

The trance of Amairgin

• 1. Aislinge n-Aimirgin ("The trance of Amairgin") in Recension I of Táin bó Cúailnge.^[7] Having followed news of Cú Chulainn's sustained success in single-handedly opposing the Connacht army, Cú Roí once again appeared on the scene, this time to fight Cú Chulainn directly. However, on finding Cú Chulainn weak from the injuries which Fer Diad had recently inflicted on him, he refused to carry out his original plan. Instead he faced the giant warrior poet Amairgin, who in a trance was hurling stones at the Connacht army in Tailtiu, with devastating effects. Cú Roí attacked him in kind and their stones met in the air. They paused when on Cú Roí's request, Amairgen allowed the cattle to go past Tailtiu, but seeing as the passage had become difficult, Cú Roí agreed to withdraw from the contest altogether.
• 2. The episode in the Book of Leinster (Recension II), called Imthúsa Chon Ruí meic Dáire (header) or Oislige Amargin (text),^[8] offers by and large the same story, but adds more explicit detail, notably on the point of Cú Roí's sense of honour in his encounters with Cú Chulainn and Amairgin.^[9] First, Cú Roi explains his refusal to fight Cú Chulainn not only by pointing out the unequality between a physically healthy and an injured warrior, but also by saying that a victory would not be his, seeing as it was Fer Diad who had laid low his opponent. Second, the conclusion of Cú Roí's fight with Amairgin is told from a perspective which highlights the role of honour in his motives. Medb insisted "[b]y the truth of your [Cú Roí's] valour" ([a]r fír do gascid fritt) that he should abandon the competition, obstructive as it proved to be to the progress of the expedition. Cú Roí, however, was determined to persist "till the day of doom" (co brunni brátha) unless Amairgin agreed to stop. (When the matter was settled and Cú Roí returned to his country, Amairgin resumed his attacks on the invading army, explaining that his agreement was with Cú Roí only.)

Forfess Fer Fálgae, Siaburcharpát Con Culainn and fragments

In exchange for his choice of the spoils, Cú Roí joined Cú Chulainn on a raid of Inis Fer Falga (possibly the Isle of Man), again in disguise. They stole treasure and abducted Blathnát, daughter of the king of the island, who loved Cú Chulainn. But when Cú Roí was asked to choose his share, he chose Blathnát. Cú Chulainn tried to stop him taking her, but Cú Roí cut his hair and drove him into the ground up to his armpits, before escaping, taking Blathnát with him.

Aided Con Roí

Later, Blathnat (Blanaid) betrayed Cú Roí to Cú Chulainn, who besieged his fort and killed him. In one version of the story, Cú Roí's soul was hidden in an apple in the belly of a salmon which lived in a stream in the Slieve Mish Mountains, and only surfaced once every seven years; Blathnát discovered the secret and told Cú Chulainn, who killed the fish, enabling him to kill Cú Roí. However Ferchertne, Cú Roí's poet, enraged at the betrayal of his lord, grabbed Blathnát and leaped off a cliff, killing her and himself.

Cú Roí's uncle (or brother or nephew), Conganchnes ("Horn-skinned"), tried to avenge him, but was killed by Celtchar. His son, Lugaid mac Con Roí, later succeeded in avenging him by killing Cú Chulainn, but was himself killed by Conall Cernach.

In another version Curaoi took Blathnat to the fort and kept her captive there. Blathnat communicated with Cú Chulainn and a plan was hatched. Taking an opportunity when most of Curaois men were absent from the fort, Blathnat gave the signal to Cú Chulainn by pouring milk into the Fionnghlaise (white stream - now the Derrymore River). Cú Chulainn, on seeing the stream become white, stormed the fort, killed Curaoi, and carried off Blathnat. As Curaoi's men returned up the valley Blathnat put a spell on the valley which made the valley walls dance in front of the mens' eyes. Walkers who ascend Caherconree via the Derrymore River valley can still see this effect which is caused by an optical illusion called receedance.

Family and followers

See Érainn, Dáirine, Darini.

This section requires expansion.

• Sen
  • Dedu
    • Dáire mac Dedad
      • Cú Roí mac Dáire
        • Lugaid mac Con Roí

Conganchnes mac Dedad

Cland Dedad

This section requires expansion.

Caherconree

The Iron Age ruin of Caherconree (Irish Cathair Con Raoi, Cú Roí's castle) in the Slieve Mish Mountains, on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, preserves Cú Roí's name.

Cú Roí in Welsh literature

Cú Roí's name also appears in two examples of medieval Welsh literature. First, it occurs in the corrupt form Cubert m. Daere in the Middle Welsh tale Culhwch ac Olwen, along with the names of other characters of the Ulster Cycle - Conchobor, Fergus, Conall Cernach and Lóegaire Búadach. Here the Irish heroes form one group out of a long list of King Arthur's warriors whose names Culhwch invokes as his sureties when he demands to have Olwen as his bride.^[10] Second, an elegy (marwnat) for Corroi/Corroy m[ab] Dayry is preserved in the Book of Taliesin, which mentions his contention with "Cocholyn", or Cú Chulainn.^[11]

Notes

Primary sources

• Amra Con Roí
  • Henry, P.L. (ed. and tr.). "Amra Con Roi (ACR): discussion, edition, translation." Études Celtiques 31 (1995): 179-94: 186-94.
  • Stokes, Whitley. "The Eulogy of Cúrói (Amra Chonroí)." Ériu 2 (1905): 1-4.
• Táin bó Cúailnge (Recension I), ed. and tr. Cecily O'Rahilly, Táin Bó Cúalnge Recension 1. Dublin: DIAS, 1976. Text and translation available from CELT.
• Táin bó Cúailnge (Recension II, Book of Leinster), ed. and tr. ed. and tr. Cecily O'Rahilly, Táin Bó Cúalnge from the Book of Leinster. Dublin: DIAS, 1967 (reprinted: 1970). Text and translation available from CELT.
• Culhwch ac Olwen, ed. Rachel Bromwich and D. Simon Evans, Culhwch and Olwen: An Edition and Study of the Oldest Arthurian Tale. University of Wales Press, 1992. ISBN 0-7083-1127-X.

References

• Hellmuth, Petra Sabine. "A Giant Among Kings and Heroes: Some preliminary thoughts on the character Cú Roí mac Daire in medieval Irish literature." Emania 17 (1998): 5-11.
• Sims-Williams, Patrick. "The Significance of Irish Personal Names in Culhwch ac Olwen." Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 29 (1982): 600-20.
• Caherconree:
  • Joyce, P.W. A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland, Treating of the Government, Military System, and Law; Religion, Learning and Art; Trades, Industries, and Commerce; Manners, Customs, and Domestic Life, of the Ancient Irish People. 1906. Online source
  • Cuppage, Judith. Archeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne, Ballyferriter, 1986.
  • CAMP Historical & other Information, An Cam. Oidhreacht agus Gnéithe Eile Suimiúla an Cheantair. Online source
  • Kerry County Council webpage on Caherconree.
  • Photo of the Iron Age promontory fort at the top of Caherconree Mountain.

Further reading

• Gray, Elizabeth A. "The Warrior, the Poet, and the King: 'The Three Sins of the Warrior' and the Death of Cu Roi." In Heroic Poets and Poetic Heroes in Celtic Tradition. A Festschrift for Patrick K. Ford, ed. Joseph Falaky Nagy and Leslie Ellen Jones. CSANA Yearbook 3-4. Dublin Four Courts Press, 2005. 74-90.
• Hellmuth, Petra Sabine. "The Role of Cú Roí in Fled Bricrenn." In Fled Bricrenn: Reassessments, ed. Pádraig Ó Riain. Irish Texts Society, Subsidiary Series 10. London, 2000. 56-69.
• Sims-Williams, Patrick. "The Evidence for Vernacular Irish Literary Influence on Early Medieval Welsh Literature." In Ireland in Early Medieval Europe: Studies in Memory of Kathleen Hughes, ed. Dorothy Whitlock et al. Cambridge, 1982. 235-57: 249-51.