Heroes Section: Cuchulainn... Background characters...

This area of the page deals with the background characters who appear in the tales of the great heroes. The sources of the quoted passages (quoted text is grey script) are listed in the Bibliography.

INDEX

Topic 1 Queen Mebh.

Topic 2 Ferdia.

Topic 3 Conchur Mac Nessa.

Topic 1

Queen Mebh. Back to the Index.

Queen Mebh was the Queen of Connaught in the time when Cuchulainn lived. It was she who initiated the war between Connaught and Ulster in the Tain. The war began when Mebh and her husband Aillil, compared their wealth and Mebh's assets were equal to her husband's except for a great white bull. She wished to better his wealth and sent her servant MacRoth to get the great Brown Bull of Ulster which belonged to a man called Daire. Daire refused her offers for the bull after he learned of her desperation and Mebh invaded Ulster.

 

Mebh was responsible for the fight between Cuchulainn and his best friend Ferdia by taunting Ferdia for not fighting his friend because of his cowardice. Cuchulainn eventually killed his best friend during a three day battle at the ford. After Cuchulainn spared her life during the first invasion of Ulster, she invaded again seven years later and her warriors en masses defeated Cuchulainn by force of numbers. When she was handed the heroes head, she turned away in disgust as her final victory over Cuchulainn was a poor one.

Topic 2

Ferdia. Back to the Index.

The best friend of Cuchulainn and a great warrior of Ulster serving under Queen Mebh. Ferdia trained with Cuchulainn under Scatha, the great woman warrior. Ferdia was the son of King Daman of Connaught who was a Fir Bolg.

 

Ferdia was Queen Mebh's last remaining warrior after Cuchulainn relentlessly defeated them all in single combat at the ford. Queen Mebh sent Ferdia to fight at the ford but he would not, even when she promised her daughter to him as a bride (meaning he would be the next King of Connacht). He only left when she taunted him saying that he was a coward. Ferdia was killed by Cuchulainn after a three day long battle during the Tain.

Topic 3

Conchur Mac Nessa. Back to the Index.

The King of Ulster who ruled from Eamhan Mhaca in the time time of Cuchulainn. His druid was Cathbad the grandfather of Cuchulainn. He was killed by Conal of the victories (Cuchulainn's foster brother) with a brain ball (a projectile weapon fashioned from the brains of a slain Lenster King). The ball lodged in his skull but failed to kill him until years later, he died from the wound when he fell into a great rage. During the later years of his reign, he became evil and it was he who had Naoise and his brothers killed after they eloped with the beautiful Deirdre.

 

Early in his reign, he was a just and loved King. His people refused to let him stand down from his position when the true claimant of the throne Fergus Mac Roth wanted to recommence his reign after giving Conchur a single year on the throne. He gave Cuchulainn his own chariot and weapons when Cuchulainn took up his arms.