437 



Cuchullain rushes headlong to his doom. But still the Morrigan does 

 not abandon him, although apparently quite powerless to assist him ; 

 for as he comes near to the enemy, "a bird of valour" is seen flying 

 about over the chief in his chariot (en blaith, i. e. Ion gaile, etarluam- 

 nach uasa err a oen charpait). And after he has received his death wound 

 she perches beside him a while, before winging her flight to the fairy 

 palace beside the Suir, from which she came. The following is the 

 description of Cuchullain's proceedings after receiving his mortal wound, 

 extracted from the " Book of Leinster," fol. 78, a 2 : — 



' ' Do dechuid iarum erich mor ond loch {Loch Lamraith im Magh 

 Muirthemne) star, ocus rucad a rose airi, ocus teit doehum coirthi cloiche 

 file isin maig cotarat a choimchriss immi, narablad na suidiu, nach ina 

 ligu, conbad ina sessam atbalad. Is iarsin do dechatar na fir immacuairt, 

 ocus ni rolamsatar did a dochum. Andarleo ropo beo. Is mebol duib, ol 

 Ere mac Cairpre, cen cend ind fhir do thabhairt lib in digail chind 

 m'atarsa rucad leis co ro adnacht fri air see Echdaeh Niafer. Rucad a 

 chend assaide co fil i sid Nenta iar nusciu. . . Iarsin tra do dechaid 

 in Liath Macha co Coinculaind dia imchoimet in cein roboi a anim and, 

 oeus ro mair in Ion laith ass a Han. Is iarum bert in Liath Macha na 

 tri derg ruathar immi ma cuairt, co tor chair I. leis cona fiaclaib, ocus xxx 

 each crui do issed romarb dont sluag. Conid de ata nitathe buadremmend 

 ind leith Macha iar marbad Conculainn. Conid iarsin dolluid ind ennach 

 for a gualaind. Nir bo gndth in corthe vt fo enaib ar Ere mac Carpre." 



"He (Cuchullain) then went westwards, a good distance from the 

 lake (Loch Lamraith in Magh Muirthemne), and looked back at it. 

 And he went to a pillar stone which is in the plain, and placed his side 

 against it, that he might not die sitting, or lying, but that he might die 

 standing. After this the men went all about him, but dared not ap- 

 proach him, for they thought he was alive. ' It is a shame for you/ 

 said Ere Mac Cairpre, 'not to bring that man's head in retaliation for my 

 father's head, which was borne off by him, and buried against Airsce 

 Echdaeh Niafer. His head was taken from thence, so that it is in Sidh- 



penta.' 



Afterwards, moreover, the Liath Macha went to Cuchullain, to guard 

 him whilst his spirit lived in him, and whilst the Ion laith (bird of va- 

 lour ?) continued out from his face. Then the Liath Macha executed the 

 three red routs about him, when fifty men fell by his teeth, and thirty 

 by each shoe, all of the enemy's host ; and hence the proverb — ' Not more 

 furious was the victorious rout of the Liath Macha, after the killing 

 of Cuchullain.' Thereupon the bird went, and perched near his shoul- 

 der." ' That pillar stone was not usually the resort of birds,' said Ere 

 Mac Cairbre, who supposed the Morrigan to be a mere carrion crow 

 awaiting the feast prepared by his hand. Then they advance, and cut 

 off Cuchullain's head, and the Morrigan disappears from the scene. 



I have not met with any statement identifying the bird of valour 

 with the scare-crow, or, indeed, with any bird in particular, although 

 the principal heroes in the Irish battle pieces, from Cuchullain to 



