336 The European Sky-God.
hero.^ And Curoi is regarded by Mr. Standish O'Grady,^ by Prof. Rhys,^ and by Prof. A. C. L. Brown/ as a sort of Manannan. Hence we might look to find Cuchulain mating with Curoi's wife Blathnath, as with Manannan's wife Fand.^ But this is just what we do find; for a well-known Irish romance^ tells how one November-eve Cuchulain, in response to a pre-arranged signal from Blathnath, entered Curoi's dun, slew Curoi and carried off to Ulster Blathnath daughter of Midir along with Midir's three cows and cauldron. Another story ^ has it that Curoi had originally got Blathnath, the cows and the cauldron, by guile from their rightful owner Cuchulain, whom he subsequently vanquished in a duel by main force. In fact, Curoi and Cuchulain contended with alternate success for the hand of Blath- nath — a trait which recalls their alternate decapitation, and suggests comparison with the strife between Gwyn and Gwythyr for possession of Creiddylad daughter of Lludd,^ Again, if we may thus venture to detect in Cuchulain some characteristics of the divine king, certain gessa or tabus laid upon him ^ fall into place, e.g. he might not swerve a foot from his path before a fight with one man, he might not refuse a duel, he might not go to Emain without a combat, and — like the king of Tara^" — he might not let the sun be up before him in Emain. These rules were made for one who must always accept
^ Rhys Hibbert Lectures p. 43 1 ff. , Miss E. Hull The Ciichullin Saga in Irish Lite7-ature London 1898 p. Ivi ff.
^S. O'Grady, History of Ireland, critical and philosophical Dublin 1881 i. 220 n.
^Rhys Hibbert Lectures p. 474 n. i.
- Prof. A. C. L. Brown ' Iwain ' in Studies and Notes in Philology and
Literature Boston 1903 viii. 51.
^Folk-lore xvii. 149 f. ^ Rhys Hibbert Lectures p. 473 f.
Id. ib. p. 475 ff. ^folk-lore xvii. 48.
' Whitley Stokes in the Revue celtique xiv. 399 ff.
"^^ Folk-lore xvii. 161 f.
