Scathach – The Shadowy One – Legendary Martial Arts Teacher Who Trained Cuchulainn And Other Warriors

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - It was from Scathach that the great Irish hero Cuchulainn learned how to become a mighty warrior. The legendary Martial arts teacher Scathach trained him personally and revealed secrets that made him invincible.

Known as 'Mother and nurse of heroes,' Scathach, whose name means the 'Shadowy One,' was a great warrior queen who taught the art of combat in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.

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According to legends, her dwelling place, an impregnable castle, was very difficult to reach. It was located on an island and guarded by her daughter Uathach.

Cuchulainn's Journey To Scathach's Fortress

In the old Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge it is written that Cuchulainn must visit the female warrior teacher Scathach and he is sent to Alpae, a term that literally means "the Alps." This can be a little confusing, but the name, in this case, refers to Scotland (otherwise Albu in Irish). It was believed that Scathach, who ran a training academy for young warriors, resided in a fortress on the Isle of Skye.

Cuchulainn wanted to marry his beloved Emer, daughter of the chieftain Forgall Monach. Emer's father objected and said Cuchulainn must prove himself worthy of his daughter. Before he can marry Emer he must be trained by Scathach and return as a great, courageous warrior.

Forgall Monach knew that few men survived Scathach's hard training, and her home was almost impossible to find. It was unlikely Cuchulainn could ever marry Emer. Later events showed Forgall Monach had underestimated the will and strength of Cuchulainn.

Cuchulainn and his companion Ferdiad, a warrior of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle, traveled far to reach the fortress of Scathach. The journey was long and complicated, and they faced many dangers along the road.

Finally, they reached the Scathach's fortress and encountered Scathach's daughter Uathach at the gates, who fell in love with Cuchulainn.

Scathach's Training Of Cuchulainn

There are some different versions of what happened next. According to one account, Cuchulainn threatened Scathach with a sword and demanded she would teach him the art of warfare and reveal all her secrets.

One day, he accidentally broke Uathach' fingers and was challenged by her lover Cochar Croibhe to a duel. Cuchulainn, who was already a skilled warrior at the time, killed Cochar Croibhe and became Uathach's lover.

Scathach granted him three wishes. One was to train him properly. The second wish was to offer him her daughter without bride price, and the third was to foretell his future. She told the young man that he would become a great and famous warrior, but his life would be short. He would die at the age of 30.

It didn't seem to bother Cuchulainn at all. His mind was focused on training. Cuchulainn studied martial art at Scathach's academy for one year, and he became her most famous student.

Scathach was the rival and sister of Aoife, both daughters of Árd-Greimne of Lethra. In return for this instruction, Cuchulainn helped Scathach "in fighting the amazon Aoife and her warriors. Having discovered that Aoife loved her charioteer and chariot horses, he exclaimed that these had perished as he fought her. She looked aside, and at that moment Cúchulainn overcame her and made her promise never again to oppose Scathach.

From his amour with Aoife, a son would be born called Conlaoch, wearing a ring that Cúchulainn left for him and seeking his father when he was a warrior of seven years old. He must make himself known to none, turn aside for none, and refuse combat to none." (John Arnott - Celtic Mythology)

Scathach Gave Cuchulainn The Spear, Gae Bolg

Before Cuchulainn left Scathach, he received the greatest gift of all – the cruel, magical spear Gae Bolg. This weapon made Cuchulainn invisible. It was said that this spear with thirty darts could kill an enemy in a matter of seconds.

As a result of Scathach's martial arts training, Cuchulainn became the most famous Irish warrior. Some have suggested that he was an incarnation of the god Lugh.

It is important to remember that Cuchulainn was no ordinary warrior. When engaging in a battle ", he became a raging monster, completely out of control. His body spun around his skin so that his knees and feet faced backward. His long hair stood on end, each strand tipped with blood or fire. His muscles swelled to an enormous size; his jaws gaped and foamed and spluttered.

"Cú Chulainn Riding His Chariot into Battle", illustration by J. C. Leyendecker in T. W. Rolleston's Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race, 1911

Black blood gushed from the top of his head, and fire belched from his mouth; one eye sank deep inside his skull, the other bulged horrendously. Sometimes, his battle-fury boiled so fiercely that he could no longer tell friends from enemies. It took three huge vats of icy water to quench his burning anger," Fiona Macdonald writes in the book Heroes, Gods And Monsters Of Celtic Mythology

Cuchulainn was a Berserker, an old tradition of mad fighting that dates back to 4,000-3,000 B.C.

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

Updated on August 25, 2022

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