1 00:00:06,965 --> 00:00:12,013 Cú Chulainn, hero of Ulster, stood at the ford at Cooley, 2 00:00:12,013 --> 00:00:15,513 ready to face an entire army singlehandedly— 3 00:00:15,513 --> 00:00:19,513 all for the sake of a single bull. 4 00:00:19,513 --> 00:00:23,620 The army in question belonged to Queen Meadhbh of Connaught. 5 00:00:23,620 --> 00:00:28,129 Enraged at her husband’s possession of a white bull of awesome strength, 6 00:00:28,129 --> 00:00:33,557 she had set out to capture the fabled brown bull of Ulster at any cost. 7 00:00:33,557 --> 00:00:37,557 Unfortunately, the King of Ulster had chosen this moment 8 00:00:37,557 --> 00:00:41,992 to force the goddess Macha to race her chariot while pregnant. 9 00:00:41,992 --> 00:00:47,645 In retaliation, she struck down him and his entire army with stomach cramps 10 00:00:47,645 --> 00:00:53,825 that eerily resembled childbirth— all except Cú Chulainn. 11 00:00:53,825 --> 00:00:56,515 Though he was the best warrior in Ulster, 12 00:00:56,515 --> 00:01:02,105 Cú Chulainn knew he could not take on Queen Meadhbh’s whole army at once. 13 00:01:02,105 --> 00:01:05,105 He invoked the sacred rite of single combat 14 00:01:05,105 --> 00:01:08,575 in order to fight the intruders one by one. 15 00:01:08,575 --> 00:01:10,785 But as Queen Meadhbh’s army approached, 16 00:01:10,785 --> 00:01:15,555 one thing worried him more than the grueling ordeal ahead. 17 00:01:15,555 --> 00:01:19,325 Years before, Cú Chulainn had travelled to Scotland 18 00:01:19,325 --> 00:01:22,739 to train with the renowned warrior Scáthach. 19 00:01:22,739 --> 00:01:27,475 There, he met a young warrior from Connaught named Ferdiad. 20 00:01:27,475 --> 00:01:32,497 They lived and trained side-by-side, and soon became close friends. 21 00:01:32,497 --> 00:01:35,187 When they returned to their respective homes, 22 00:01:35,187 --> 00:01:39,719 Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad found themselves on opposite sides of a war. 23 00:01:39,719 --> 00:01:43,953 Cú Chulainn knew Ferdiad was marching in Meadhbh’s army, 24 00:01:43,953 --> 00:01:48,573 and that if he succeeded in fending off her troops, they would eventually meet. 25 00:01:48,573 --> 00:01:53,513 Day after day, Cú Chulainn defended Ulster alone. 26 00:01:53,513 --> 00:01:57,513 He sent the heads of some of his adversaries back to Meadhbh’s camp, 27 00:01:57,513 --> 00:02:01,043 while the rushing waters of the ford carried others away. 28 00:02:01,043 --> 00:02:06,464 At times, he slipped into a trance and slayed hundreds of soldiers in a row. 29 00:02:06,464 --> 00:02:10,464 Whenever he saw the queen in the distance, he hurled stones at her – 30 00:02:10,464 --> 00:02:12,114 never quite hitting her, 31 00:02:12,114 --> 00:02:17,001 but once coming close enough to knock a squirrel off her shoulder. 32 00:02:17,001 --> 00:02:20,371 Back at the Connaught camp, Ferdiad was laying low, 33 00:02:20,371 --> 00:02:22,751 doing everything he could to avoid the moment 34 00:02:22,751 --> 00:02:25,971 when he’d have to face his best friend in combat. 35 00:02:25,971 --> 00:02:29,581 But the Queen was impatient to get her hands on the prize bull, 36 00:02:29,581 --> 00:02:33,822 and she knew Ferdiad was her best chance to defeat Cú Chulainn. 37 00:02:33,822 --> 00:02:36,712 So she goaded him and questioned his honor 38 00:02:36,712 --> 00:02:40,582 until he had no choice but to fight. 39 00:02:40,582 --> 00:02:46,046 The two faced off at the ford, matching each other exactly in strength and skill 40 00:02:46,046 --> 00:02:48,816 no matter what weapons they used. 41 00:02:48,816 --> 00:02:54,078 Then, on the third day of their fight, Ferdiad began to gain the upper hand 42 00:02:54,078 --> 00:02:56,928 over the exhausted Cu Chulainn. 43 00:02:56,928 --> 00:03:00,928 But Cú Chulainn had one last trick up his sleeve: 44 00:03:00,928 --> 00:03:05,322 their teacher had shared a secret with him alone. 45 00:03:05,322 --> 00:03:09,322 She told him how to summon the Gáe Bulg, 46 00:03:09,322 --> 00:03:13,322 a magical spear fashioned from the bones of sea monsters 47 00:03:13,322 --> 00:03:15,872 that lay at the bottom of the ocean. 48 00:03:15,872 --> 00:03:22,565 Cu Chulainn called the spear, stabbed Ferdiad to death, and collapsed. 49 00:03:22,565 --> 00:03:26,826 Meadhbh seized her chance and swooped in with the rest of her army 50 00:03:26,826 --> 00:03:29,146 to capture the brown bull. 51 00:03:29,146 --> 00:03:33,359 At last, the men of Ulster were recovering from their magical illness, 52 00:03:33,359 --> 00:03:35,979 and they surged out in pursuit. 53 00:03:35,979 --> 00:03:40,476 But they were too late: Queen Meadhbh crossed the border unscathed, 54 00:03:40,476 --> 00:03:43,406 dragging the brown bull with her. 55 00:03:43,406 --> 00:03:47,046 Once home, Meadhbh demanded another battle, 56 00:03:47,046 --> 00:03:52,030 this time between the brown bull and her husband’s white bull. 57 00:03:52,030 --> 00:03:55,870 The bulls were well matched, and struggled into the night, 58 00:03:55,870 --> 00:03:59,880 dragging each other all over Ireland. 59 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:03,590 At long last, the brown bull killed the white bull, 60 00:04:03,590 --> 00:04:07,774 and Queen Meadhbh was finally satisfied. 61 00:04:07,774 --> 00:04:11,144 But the brown bull’s victory meant nothing to him. 62 00:04:11,144 --> 00:04:15,634 He was tired, injured, and devastated. 63 00:04:15,634 --> 00:04:20,826 Soon after, he died of a broken heart, leaving behind a land 64 00:04:20,826 --> 00:04:26,016 that would remain ravaged by Meadhbh’s war for years to come.