The Tain Chapter Summary & Analysis - How Cuchulainn Was Begotten, pages 21-50 Summary

How Cuchulainn Was Begotten, pages 21-50 Summary

Conchobor and his men have a bird hunt on chariots, taking them to the land of Brug, where they find shelter in an inn. The innkeeper is pregnant, and Conchobor's sister Deichtine serves as midwife for the child. Deichtine decides to raise and nurse the child as her own. In exchange for the baby, the innkeeper is given two horses.

The baby catches an illness and dies. Deichtine is devastated. She drinks a cup of water and a tiny creature finds its way into the water, so that she consumes it. That night she is treated to a vision of a god-like man who says Deichtine will bear a child by him, in fact the same child who just died will be implanted in her womb, to be called Setanta. Indeed, Deichtine becomes pregnant, which Ulster fearing Conchobor had sex with his sister while drunk. Conchobor has Deichtine marry...
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