Ireland – 2,000 years ago – Emain Macha, peaceful capitol city of the verdant province of Ulster.  SULTIM and DECTERA are married before KING CONOR, his champion FERGUS, and chief druid CATHVAD.  The Celtic God LU OF THE LONG HAND emerges from the Otherworld, announcing to Dectera in a dream that a great hero grows within her womb – the “Sword of the Gael” – who alone will save his people from destruction.


The child is born with the name SETANTA, and when at a young age his divine blood is revealed through a display of supernatural strength, his parents send him to King Conor.  A feat of heroism against a ferocious hound gains the lad the name CÚ CULLAN (“Cullan’s Hound”).  Under Cathvad’s tutelage, Cú Cullan grows in wisdom and stature; it is prophesied that his name will live forever in heroism – but his time on earth will be short.


Embracing his destiny, Cú Cullan takes up arms, and commandeers LAIG (the best charioteer in the land).  At the edge of the province they encounter three murderous men of Connaught – the sworn provincial enemy of Ulster.  Seeing that they have killed his friend NIALL, Cú Cullan quickly dispatches the older, more experienced foes – and returns to Emain Macha still enflamed with bloodlust.  In order to embarrass and thus calm him, the young women of Ulster disrobe in unison – all save one, the fair EMER.  Cú Cullan propositions Emer, whereupon she demands of him three challenges that must be met before he can have her.

Cú Cullan is sent to SKYA, the great mistress of warrior arts, who teaches him both wondrous battle skills – and the discipline to master his lethal, all-consuming temper.  Cú Cullan befriends FERDIAD, a young warrior of Connaught.  Despite the longstanding enmity between their countries, Cú Cullan and Ferdiad exchange gifts and pledges of eternal friendship. Upon Cú Cullan’s departure, Skya gives him the ultimate weapon:  Gae Bolga, a spear of legendary power.

Meanwhile, in Connaught, QUEEN MAEVE gains her throne by treachery and murder.  Warned by the sorcerer CALATIN of Cú Cullan’s rise, she plots Ulster’s destruction…

 

In the grim capitol of Connaught, the sultry but malevolent Queen Maeve compares her vast personal wealth with that of her feckless husband, KING AILILL.  Their fortunes are equally matched, save for Ailill’s fine white-horned bull, Finbennach.  In all of Ireland, there is only one superior treasure:  the Brown Bull of Cooley – in Ulster.  To trump her husband, Maeve plots the acquisition of this spectacular creature.

Cú Cullan returns to Ulster to claim his beloved Emer – but her father, FORGALL THE WILY, refuses to acquiesce.  Cú Cullan then proceeds to fulfill Emer’s three challenges – sadly and unintentionally, at the cost of her father’s life.  Cú Cullan and Emer are married in Emain Macha, where is it revealed that the champion Fergus has defected to Connaught – after King Conor betrayed his honor.
Queen Maeve musters the four provincial armies of Ireland to invade Ulster, including her husband King Ailill and the turncoat Fergus.  Ferdiad, citing his oath of friendship, refuses to join the raiding party, which will traverse the Plain of Murhevna – wherein lies Cú Cullan’s family home, the Spiral House at Dun Dalgan.

While Cú Cullan and Emer are still celebrating their wedding in Emain Macha, the cattle raiders cross the border, killing Cú Cillan’s mother, Dectera, and gravely wounding his father, Sultim.  Cú Cullan raises the alarm – only to discover that the men of Ulster are unable to fight, rendered impotent in their time of need by an ancient curse.  Spared the affliction by virtue of his divine blood, Cú Cullan must stand alone against the invading army.  He takes leave of his bride to fulfill his duty and destiny.

Driven by the ailing charioteer Laig, Cú Cullan intercepts Maeve’s army, and devastates all soldiers who come against him.  Maeve offers the Ulster hero a generous price to step aside (including her own “friendly thighs”), which he refuses – whereupon the Connaught Queen’s duplicity is revealed in the form of an ambush by the sorcerer Calatin and his seven sons.  Cú Cullan kills the seven, and when Calatin shape-shifts into a raven, brings the magician down with a stone from his sling.

Fergus determines that the only way to occupy Cú Cullan long enough for Maeve to grab the Brown Bull is to offer him a series of single combats.  Cú Cullan defeats all comers – and spurns the smoldering advances of THE MORRIGAN, the seductive goddess of the Underworld.  The scorned immortal shape-shifts into a giant eel, and badly wounds the demigod before he drives her off.

Maeve succeeds in stealing the enormous Brown Bull, but she will not be satisfied until all Ulster lies in smoking ruins.

Cú Cullan, his face and body monstrously transformed by his terrifying Battle Frenzy, devastates the Irish armies in a fearsome slaughter at Breslech Mor.  Finally Maeve sends Fergus against him.  In honor of their past allegiance, Fergus convinces Cú Cullan to give way – promising to return the favor someday.

Maeve then persuades Ferdiad that Cú Cullan has foresworn their oath of friendship.  Hearing that Ferdiad will come against him, Cú Cullan slips away for a last night with his beloved Emer, before facing the only warrior in Ireland who can match his skills.  Appalled at the steep price his destiny is exacting, the demigod wonders if he might yet choose another path…

Cú Cullan faces Ferdiad in an epic battle of champions.  They fight until their vast arsenals of weapons are depleted and they are both grievously wounded.  Finally, employing the horrible spear Gae Bolga, Cú Cullan kills Ferdiad – and then, heartbroken, sings a song of lament over his ruined form.

Inspired by the rallying cry of the dying Sultim, the men of Ulster finally begin to shake off their enfeebling curse.  King Conor, the druid Cathvad, and the army of Ulster engage Maeve’s forces on the battlefield.  Cú Cullan, near death from Ferdiad’s terrible blows, hears the cry of Ochain, King Conor’s shield, in the thick of the fight.  The weakened hero totters onto the battlefield, where he encounters Fergus – and calls in the favor.  Honoring his pledge, Fergus retreats – the Irish morale breaks – and the army is routed.  Maeve kills Fergus for his perceived cowardice, and summons BADB, the hideous one-eyed witch daughter of the slain sorcerer Calatin.

The victorious Ulster army returns to Emain Macha, but is quickly beset by Badb’s dark magic.  The witch creates illusory visions of Maeve’s forces attacking from all sides, in an effort to lure Cú Cullan out of the safety of the capitol.

Cathvad shape-shifts into a stag and leaps into the forest to confront Badb – but she takes on the shape of Laig the charioteer to trick Emer… then assumes her form to deceive Cú Cullan!  Cathvad uncovers the plot – too late to prevent Cú Cullan from falling into the trap. Riding headlong into an ambush, surrounded by Maeve’s armies, Cú Cullan fights heroically, killing countless foes including the Connaught King Ailill.  When Maeve throws her spear at Cú Cullan, Laig sacrifices himself – taking the fatal blow but saving the Ulster champion.  Cú Cullan responds with the Gae Bolga, killing Maeve.

The witch Badb retrieves the awesome spear, and strikes with it a mortal blow upon Cú Cullan.  She then reveals her true identity:  The Morrigan!  Railing against the capricious deities who toy with the fate of men, Cú Cullan tears the shaft of the spear from his riven flesh, and kills the malignant goddess.  Then he dies.

The Ulster army pours in, routing their enemies once and for all – but too late to save their hero.  Emer throws herself upon Cú Cullan’s corpse.  She sings a wrenching song of sorrow, the breath leaves her body, and her spirit joins Cú Cullan in the Otherworld.