The Wasting Sickness of Cú Chulainn
Also known as: Serglige Con Culainn, The Sick-Bed of Cú Chulainn, Serglige Con Culainn ocus Óenét Emire, The Wasting Sickness of Cuchulain
Struck by a mysterious wasting after a dream-encounter with Otherworld women, Cú Chulainn is recruited by Fand to fight in the síd. He heals and takes Fand as lover, but Emer’s intervention and Manannán’s cloak and forgetting-draught end the affair and restore order.
Description
This Ulster Cycle tale recounts how two Otherworld women appear at Samain and strike Cú Chulainn, leaving him bedridden for a year. Through the mediation of Lí Ban and his charioteer Lóeg, he is summoned to aid Fand, estranged wife of Manannán mac Lir, in an Otherworld conflict under Labraid. Cú Chulainn fights successfully and recovers, entering into a liaison with Fand. Emer, his wife, confronts Fand with dignity and fierce claim, and the two women negotiate. Manannán reclaims Fand, shaking his cloak between her and the hero to sever desire; a drink of forgetfulness is given to Cú Chulainn and Emer so that peace returns to Emain Macha. The tale intertwines martial prowess, geasa-like obligations, and the fraught boundary between mortal and síd worlds.
Historiography
The tale is preserved in early prose with occasional verse insertions, notably in Lebor na hUidre (damaged, with lacunae) and later in the Yellow Book of Lecan, which offers a fuller redaction. Scholars note stylistic features of Old/Middle Irish and thematic ties to Otherworld voyages. Translations and editions vary in arrangement of episodic sequences, reflecting manuscript divergences. Reception emphasizes its unique portrayal of Emer’s agency and the sovereignty-inflected return of Fand to Manannán.
Date Notes
Survives in Lebor na hUidre (11th–12th c.) and Yellow Book of Lecan (14th c.); language suggests Old/Middle Irish origins.
Themes
Symbols
Major Characters
- Cú Chulainn
- Fand
- Emer
- Manannán mac Lir
- Lí Ban
- Lóeg
Myths
- The Fairy Women’s Enchantment
- Cú Chulainn’s Love-Sickness
- Healing through Emer and the Sid
Facts
- The tale belongs to the Ulster Cycle and centers on Cú Chulainn’s only recorded illness.
- Two síde women beat the hero in a dream, initiating a year-long wasting.
- Lí Ban and Lóeg serve as envoys bridging Ulster and the Otherworld.
- Fand, estranged wife of Manannán, recruits Cú Chulainn to fight for Labraid.
- After victory, Cú Chulainn and Fand become lovers, prompting Emer’s intervention.
- Manannán shakes his cloak to separate Fand and Cú Chulainn permanently.
- A forgetting-draught is administered so Cú Chulainn and Emer release jealousy and sorrow.
- The narrative highlights Emer’s eloquence and authority in negotiating the resolution.
- Earliest witnesses are in Lebor na hUidre, with fuller text in the Yellow Book of Lecan.
- The story explores boundaries between mortal sovereignty and the síd realm.