The story of Tain Bo’ Cuailnge (Cattle raid of Cooley) is an oft told tale and bespeaks of the struggles between gods, between people, and of the interference of ethereal beings in the daily affairs of people. In essence, Queen Medb and Ailill of Connacht (her consort) boast to one another about their respective possessions.
Things are pretty even between the two but Ailill has in his possession a great white horned bull, Findbennach. Medb scours her herd but has no comparable bull. She eventually learns of a great brown bull of Ulster owned by Daire mac Fiachniu. He agrees to loan the bull to Medb for a large sum. Unfortunately for Medb, he hears her soldiers bragging about how they would have taken the bull if he hadn’t agreed to the loan. Thus, he subsequently backs out of the deal and hides the bull.
Medb eventually decides to invade Ulster in order to seize the Donn Bull. War rages and the Donn Bull is sent to Connacht for safe keeping. However, Findbennach, the white bull, senses his presence and the fight between the great bulls is on.
The bulls are huge (large enough for 50 boys to ride at once) and immensely strong. The battle rages for days over all of Ireland. Eventually, the Donn Bull kills Findbennach but is so exhausted by the struggle dies as well.
This is an interesting story full of intrigue and mystery. It shows how Gods interfered with the day-to-day existence of mortals and suggests that humans at this time felt a need to explain conflicts as having a purpose beyond the mere mortal concerns. At the same time, Gods were seen as being motivated by concerns not all that dissimilar to mortals’ concerns…just on a grander scale.
