Serglige Con Culainn facts for kids
Serglige Con Culainn (which means The Sick-Bed of Cú Chulainn or The Wasting Sickness of Cúchulainn) is an old Irish story. It's also known as Oenét Emire (meaning The Only Jealousy of Emer). This tale comes from the Ulster Cycle, a famous collection of stories from Irish mythology.
The story is about the great warrior Cú Chulainn. He gets a strange illness after bothering some magical women from another world. To get better, he has to help these women in a fight. The story also shows how his wife, Emer, feels when Cú Chulainn meets one of these magical women, named Fand.
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Why This Story Is Important
This ancient tale is very special for a few reasons. It gives us long descriptions of a magical place called Mag Mell, which means 'the Plain of Delights'. This place is like a happy, dream-like land in Irish myths.
The story also has beautiful poetry. Almost half of the text is made up of poems. These poems show strong feelings like sadness and joy. They are written in a way that makes the reader feel those emotions too. The story also has funny parts, like when Cú Chulainn's charioteer, Láeg, talks to Lí Ban. These moments make the old stories feel very real and close to us.
How the Story Was Written Down
This story has survived in two old books. One is from the 1100s, called the Book of the Dun Cow. The other is a copy made in the 1600s.
It seems the Book of the Dun Cow combined two different versions of the story. Parts were written by the main scribe. But other parts were changed or added by a different scribe. This second scribe might have copied from another lost book. This mix of different versions means the story sometimes has small parts that don't quite match up. For example, Cú Chulainn's wife is called by two different names at times.
What Happens in the Story
The story begins with the hero Cú Chulainn and other men hunting birds. They are in a place called Muirtheimne. Many men catch birds for their wives to wear feathers on their clothes. But Cú Chulainn's wife, Emer, doesn't have any birds.
Cú Chulainn wants to find the most beautiful birds for Emer. He sees two large, special seabirds linked by a golden chain. They sing a magical song that makes people sleepy. Emer knows these birds are from the Otherworld, a magical realm. She warns Cú Chulainn not to harm them.
But Cú Chulainn tries to catch them anyway. He hits one bird's wing, but doesn't kill it. After this, Cú Chulainn falls very ill. He lies unconscious and feverish next to a standing stone.
While he is sick, he sees two women. They are Fand and Lí Ban, the magical women he attacked when they were birds. They beat him with horsewhips. Cú Chulainn stays sick in bed for almost a year.
Then, Lí Ban comes back. She asks Cú Chulainn to come to Mag Mell (the Plain of Delights). She needs his help to fight Fand's enemies there. If he helps, Fand will heal him. Cú Chulainn refuses at first. But his charioteer, Láeg, agrees to go.
Láeg returns and tells Cú Chulainn about Mag Mell. Emer also tells her husband that he should put his pride aside and get well. Finally, Cú Chulainn agrees to go with Láeg to Fand's lands.
In Mag Mell, Cú Chulainn joins the battle. He helps Fand and Lí Ban defeat their enemies. Fand is very grateful.
Emer finds out about Cú Chulainn and Fand. She comes with a group of women. After talking, both Emer and Fand realize they both care deeply for Cú Chulainn. Fand decides that since she already has a husband, Manannán mac Lir, Emer should stay with Cú Chulainn. This way, Emer won't be alone.
Cú Chulainn and Fand are both sad to part. Fand asks Manannán to create a magical mist between her and Cú Chulainn. This mist makes sure they can never meet again. To help Cú Chulainn and Emer forget the whole sad event, wise druids give them a special drink. They drink it and forget everything that happened.
The story ends with a note about how powerful magic was in ancient times. It says that magical beings could appear to people and show them amazing things. People believed these visions were real.
Images for kids
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Cúchulainn rebuked by Emer (1905 illustration by H. R. Millar)
