74 THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



In the early history of Ireland we find references. 

 There is an Irish epic cycle said to be quite one of 

 the oldest known — the cycle of Cuchulainn — in 

 which the warriors all fight from chariots and do 

 terrible things. In this respect the poems of the 

 Ossianic cycle are different, from which it has 

 been inferred that the latter were written later. 



If this was so it helps to bear out the argument 

 that chariots went steadily out of use as cavalry 

 came more and more into vogue. Various dates 

 have been assigned to the " Cuchulainn Saga," 

 but from the records that exist it seems safe to 

 say that the original poem must have been written 

 in Pagan times — the events referred to in it are 

 supposed to have occurred about the first century 

 B.C. — though probably it was revised and added to 

 in later years. 



Indeed it is beyond dispute that as early as 

 the seventh century a.d. some of these poems 

 were already deemed to be of great antiquity. 



Cuchulainn's horses are described at length in 

 " The Wooing of Emer." They were " alike in 

 size, beauty, fierceness and speed. Their manes 

 were long and curly, and they had curling tails. 

 The right-hand horse was a grey horse, broad 

 in the haunches, fierce, swift and wild ; the other 

 was jet-black, his head firmly knit, and he was 

 broad-hoofed and slender ; long and curly were 

 his mane and tail. Down his broad forehead 

 hung heavy curls of hair." 



