Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

Táin Bó Cúalnge from the Book of Leinster (Author: [unknown])

section 19

Then Medb sent forth six together to attack Cú
Chulainn, to wit, Traig and Dorn and Dernu, Col and Accuis and
Eraíse, three druids and three druidesses. Cú
Chulainn attacked them and they fell by him. Since the terms of
fair play and single combat had been broken against Cú
Chulainn, he took his sling and began to shoot at the host that
day northwards from Delga. Though the men of Ireland were
numerous that day, not one of them could turn southwards, neither
hound nor horse nor man.

Then came the Morrígu, daughter of Ernmas, from the
elf-mounds in the guise of an old woman and in Cú
Chulainn's presence she

{line 2104-2133}
milked a cow with three teats. The reason she came thus was to be
succoured by Cú Chulainn, for no one whom Cú
Chulainn had wounded ever recovered until he himself had aided in
his cure. Maddened by thirst, Cú Chulainn asked her for
milk. She gave him the milk of one teat. May this be swiftly
wholeness for me. The one eye of the queen which had been wounded was cured. Cú
Chulainn asked her for the milk of another
teat. She gave it to him. Swiftly may she be cured who gave
it. He asked for the third drink and she gave him the milk of
the third teat. The blessing of gods and
non-gods be on you, woman.The magicians were their
gods and the husbandmen were their non-gods.And the queen
was made whole.

Then Medb sent a hundred men together to assail Cú
Chulainn. Cú Chulainn attacked them all and they fell by
his hand. It is a hateful thing for us that our people should
be slaughtered thus said Medb. That was not the first
hateful thing that came to us from that man said Ailill.
Hence Cuillend Cind Dúne is still the name of the place
where they were then and Áth Cró is the name of the
ford by which they were, and rightly so because of the great
amount of their blood and gore which flowed with the current of
the river.