Culann’s Hound 53: The Birds
Samhain (pronounced sow-in, to rhyme with cow-in) is a Gaelic holiday celebrated on October 31, the same day as American …
Tag Archives: Irish mythology
Culann’s Hound 51: The Pearl
Manannán mac Lir, the son of the Sea, was a prominent figure in ancient Irish religion. He also appears in …
Culann’s Hound 50: A Mortal Hero
Mortality is at the center of the great epics. In the Sumerian Gilgamesh epic, the hero (like Achilles and Cúchulainn) …
Culann’s Hound 49: At The Ford
Cúchulainn’s battle at the ford with his friend Ferdiad is the climactic scene of the Táin Bó Cúailnge. The fight is …
Culann’s Hound 48: Black’s King
The “Staunton” style of chess pieces, required for formal competition, was created by a man named Nathaniel Cooke, an editor …
Culann’s Hound 47: Mournful Eyes
One of the challenges I encountered in adapting the Cúchulainn myths was that certain place names in Irish sagas do …
Culann’s Hound 46: The Golden Man
Throughout history, people have used poison-tipped arrows and spears in hunting. The practice survived to the modern day among indigenous …
Culann’s Hound 44: Honor
According to Irish Archaeology, hurling is “arguably the fastest field sport in the world and quite possibly the oldest.” It …
Culann’s Hound 43: Ogham Letters
When I traveled in Sweden, I saw plenty of runestones dating from the Viking age. Ireland had its own script, …
Culann’s Hound 41: The Pangs
In the epic Táin Bó Cuailnge (“Cattle Raid of Cooley”), all the men of Ulster except Cúchulainn are laid low, …
