The Conversation of the Morrigan with Cuchulainn

Cuchulainn saw a young woman coming towards him, with a dress of every colour on, and her form very excellent.

‘Who are you?’ said Cuchulainn.

‘Daughter of Buan the king,’ said she.  ’I have come to you; I have loved you for your reputation, and I have brought my treasures and my cattle with me.’

’The time at which you have come to us is not good.  For our condition is evil, through hunger.  It is not easy to me to meet a woman, while I am in this strife.’

‘I will be a help to you. ...  I shall be more troublesome to you,’ said she, ’when I come against you when you are in combat against the men.  I will come in the form of an eel about your feet in the ford, so that you shall fall.’

’I think that likelier than the daughter of a king.  I will take you,’ said he, ’between my toes, till your ribs are broken, and you will be in this condition till a doom of blessing comes (?) on you.’

’I will drive the cattle on the ford to you, in the form of a grey she-wolf.’

’I will throw a stone at you from my sling, so that it shall break your eye in your head; and you will be in that state till a doom of blessing comes on you.’

’I will come to you in the form of a hornless red heifer before the cattle.  They will rush on you on the plains(?), and on the fords, and on the pools, and you will not see me before you.’

‘I will throw a stone at you,’ said he, ’so that your leg shall break under you, and you will be in this state till a doom of blessing comes on you.’

Therewith she goes from him.

So he was a week on Ath Grencha, and a man used to fall every day by him in Ath Grencha, i.e. in Ath Darteisc.

The Death of Loch Mac Emonis

Then Loch Mac Emonis was asked like the others, and there was promised to him a piece of the arable land of Mag Ai equal in size to Mag Murthemne, and the equipment of twelve warriors and a chariot worth seven cumals [Note:  A measure of value.]; and he did not think combat with a youth worthy.  He had a brother, Long Mac Emonis himself.  The same price was given to him, both maiden and raiment and chariots and land.  He goes to meet Cuchulainn.  Cuchulainn slays him, and he was brought dead before his brother, Loch.

This latter said that if he only knew that it was a bearded man who slew him, he would kill him for it.

‘Take a battle-force to him,’ said Medb to her household, ’across the ford from the west, that you may go-across; and let fair-play be broken on him.’

Then the seven Manes, warriors, go first, so that they saw him on the edge of the ford westward.  He puts his feast-dress on that day.  It is then that the women kept climbing on the men to look at him.

‘I am sorry,’ said Medb; ’I cannot see the boy about whom they go there.’

‘Your mind will not be the gladder for it,’ said Lethrend, Ailill’s squire, ‘if you could see him.’