430 



and that was not the most comfortable night with them, from the 

 uproar of the giant, i. e. Dubtach, through his sleep. The bands were 

 immediately startled, and the army confounded, until Medbh went to 

 check the confusion." — Lebar na hUidhre, fol. 46, a. 1. 



And in another passage, in the episode called Breslech Maighe Muir- 

 themhne, where a terrible description is given of Cuchullain's fury at 

 seeing the hostile armies of the south and west encamped within the 

 borders of Uladh, we are told ("Book of Leinster," fol. 54, a 2, and 

 bl):- 



" Atchonnairc seom uad gristaitnem na narm nglan or da os chind 

 chetri noil choked nErend refuiniud nell na nona. Do fainig ferg ocus 

 luinni mor icanaiscin re ilar a bidbad, re immad a namad. Rogab a da 

 shleig, ocus a sciatli, ocus a chlaideb. Crothais a sciath, ocus cressaigis a 

 shlega, ocus bertnaigis a chlaidem, ocus do bert rem curad as a bragit coro- 

 recratar bananaig ocus boccanaig, ocus geniti glinni, ocus demna aeoir, re 

 uathgrain na gare dosbertatar ar aird, co ro mesc ind Neamain, A. in 

 badb forsint slog. Dollotar in armgritli cethri choiced hErend im rennaib 

 a sleg ocus a narm fadessin, conerbaltatar ced laech dib dhiathbas ocus chri- 

 demnas ar lar in dunaid ocus in longjjhoirt in naidchisin" 



" He saw from him the ardent sparkling of the bright golden wea- 

 pons over the heads of the four great provinces of Eriu, before the fall 

 of the cloud of evening. Great fury and indignation seized him on 

 seeing them, at the number of his opponents and the multitude of his 

 enemies. He seized his two spears, and his shield and his sword. He 

 shook his shield, balanced his spears, and brandished his sword, and 

 uttered from his throat a warrior's shout, so that sprites, and satyrs, 

 and maniacs of the valley, and demons of the air responded, terror- 

 stricken by the shout which he had raised on high. And the Nemann, i. e. 

 the Badb, confused the army ; and the four provinces of Eriu dashed 

 themselves against the points of their own spears and weapons, so that 

 one hundred warriors died of fear and trembling in the middle of the 

 fort and encampment that night." 



Of the effects of this fear inspired by the Badb was the geltacht or 

 lunacy, which, according to the popular notion, affected the body 

 no less than the mind, and, in fact, made them so light that they flew 

 through the air like birds. A curious illustration of this idea is af- 

 forded by the history of Suibhne, son of Colman Cuar, king of Dal- 

 Araidhe, who became panic-stricken at the battle of Magh-Eath, and 

 performed extraordinary feats of agility. Another remarkable instance 

 will be found in the Fenian Eomance called Cath-Finntragha (battle 

 of Ventry Harbour), where Bolcan, a king of France, is stated to have 

 been seized with geltacht at the sight of Oscur, son of Oisin, so that he 

 jumped into the air, alighting in the beautiful valley called Glenn-na- 

 ngealt (or "the glen of the Lunatics"), twenty miles to the east of 

 Ventry Harbour, whither, in the opinion of the past generation, all 

 the lunatics of the country would go, if unrestrained, to feed on the 

 cure -imparting herbs that grow there. 



