Celtic Mythology: History of Celts, Religion, Archeological Finds, Legends & Myths. T. W. Rolleston

the hypothetical primitive versions, kept the bull as the central figure, but introduced a rival bull, and described its death differently, while both bulls are said to be reincarnations of divine swine-herds.⁴⁵³ The idea of a fight for a bull is borrowed from actual custom, and thus the old form of the story was further distorted.

      The Cúchulainn saga is more coherent than the Fionn saga, because it possesses one central incident. The "canon" of the saga was closed at an early date, while that of Fionn has practically never been closed, mainly because it has been more a saga of the folk than that of Cúchulainn. In some respects the two may have been rivals, for if the Cúchulainn saga was introduced by conquerors from Britain or Gaul, it would not be looked on with favour by the folk. Or if it is the saga of Ulster as opposed to that of Leinster, rivalry would again ensue. The Fionn saga lives more in the hearts of the people, though it sometimes borrows from the other. This borrowing, however, is less than some critics, e.g. Zimmer, maintain. Many of the likenesses are the result of the fact that wherever a hero exists a common stock of incidents becomes his. Hence there is much similarity in all sagas wherever found.

401. IT i. 134; Nutt-Meyer, ii. 38 f.; Windisch, Táin, 342; L. Duvau, "La Legende de la Conception de Cúchulainn," RC ix. 1 f.

402. Windisch, Táin, 118 f. For a similar reason Finnchad was called Cú Cerca, "the hound of Cerc" (IT iii. 377).

403. For the boyish exploits, see Windisch, Táin, 106 f.

404. RC vii. 225; Windisch, Táin, 20. Macha is a granddaughter of Ler, but elsewhere she is called Mider's daughter (RC xvi. 46).

405. Rh^ys, CFL ii. 654; Westermarck, Hist. of Human Marriage, ch. 2.

406. Miss Hull, Folk-Lore, xii. 60, citing instances from Jevons, Hist. of Religion, 65.

407. Windisch, IT ii. 239.

408. Windisch, 184, 312, 330; cf. IT iii. 355; Miss Hull, 164 f.; Rh^ys, HL 468.

409. LL 119a; RC iii. 175.

410. Windisch, 342.

411. RC iii. 175 f.

412. Ibid. 185.

413. Crowe, Jour. Kilkenny Arch. Soc. 1870-1871, 371 f.

414. LL 79a; O'Curry, MS. Mat, 640.

415. LL 125a. See my Childhood of fiction, ch. 14.

416. Miss Hull, lxxvi.

417. "Da Derga's Hostel," RC xxii. 283; Rh^ys, HL 438.

418. LL 68a; Rh^ys, 437; Ingcel the one-eyed has also many pupils (RC xxii. 58).

419. Miss Hull, lxiii.

420. RC viii. 49.

421. LL 77b; Miss Hull, lxii.

422. Other Celtic heroes undergo this distortion, which resembles the Scandinavian warrior rage followed by languor, as in the case of Cúchulainn.

423. Miss Hull, p. lxvi.

424. Irish saints, standing neck deep in freezing water, made it hot.

425. IT i. 268; D'Arbois, v. 103; Miss Hull, lxvi.

426. HL 448.

427. See Meyer, RC xi. 435; Windisch, IT i. 589, 740. Though richis means "charcoal," it is also glossed "flame," hence it could only be glowing charcoal, without any idea of darkness.

428. HL 458.

429. IT i. 107.

430. Arch. Rev. i. 1 f.; IT i. 213; see p. 381, infra.

431. See p. 164, infra.

432. Diod. Siculus, iv. 56.

433. IT iii. 393.

434. Les Celtes, 58 f. Formerly M. D'Arbois identified Smertullos with Lug, ii. 217; Holder, i. 46, 262. For the incident of the beard, see Windisch, Táin, 308.

435. IT iii. 395.

436. IT i. 420.

437. RC xxvii. 319 f.

438. RC xviii. 256.

439. Les Celtes, 63; RC xix. 246.

440. D'Arbois, RC xx. 89.

441. D'Arbois, RC