"We have not found there a man-at-arms that is harder, nor a point that is keener, more terrible nor quicker, nor a more bloodthirsty wolf, nor a raven more flesh-loving, nor a wilder warrior, nor a match of his age that would reach to a third or a fourth the likes of Cú Chulainn."

Cú Chulainn is a major legendary figure in Celtic Mythology, primarily during the Ulster Cycle. Born under the name Sétanta, The half-god son of Lugh and a Mortal Woman is one of Ireland's most famed heroes. He gained his more famous title after killing the guard hound of the blacksmith Culann and offering to serve as its replacement. His most famous exploits can be found in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, in which a 17-year-old Cú Chulainn stands his ground and protects the land of Ulster against Queen Medb and her armies. Cursed to gain fame in youth, but also to die young, Cú Chulainn was regarded as a peerless warrior, and remained as such throughout Celtic Lore.

Strength:

• With one hand, cut’s down an oak tree

Cú Chulainn strode into the wood, and there, with a single blow, he lopped the prime sapling of an oak, root and top, and with only one foot and one hand and one eye he exerted himself

• Throws a pitchfork hard enough to sink into the earth

He went into the wood at that place and sprang out of his chariot, and he lopped off a four-pronged fork, root and top, with a single stroke of his sword. He pointed and charred it and put a writing in ogam on its side, and he gave it a long throw from the hinder part of his chariot with the tip of a single hand, in such wise that two-thirds of it sank into the ground and only one-third was above it in the mid part of the stream, so that no chariot could go thereby on this side or that.

• Beheads four men in a single strike

Cú Chulainn turned on them, and straightway he struck off their four heads from themselves Eirr and Indell and from Foich and Fochlam, their drivers, and he fixed a head of each man of them on each of the prongs of the pole.

• At age 6, kills Culann’s watchdog, said to have the strength of 100 hounds

The watch-dog descried the lad and bayed at him, so that in all the countryside was heard the howl of the watch-hound. And not a division of feasting was what he was inclined to make of him, but to swallow him down at one gulp past the cavity of his chest and the width of his throat and the pipe of his breast. And the lad had not with him any means of defence, but he hurled an unerring cast of the ball, so that it passed through the gullet of the watch-dog's neck and carried the guts within him out through his back door, and he laid hold of the hound by the two legs and dashed him against a pillar-stone that was near him, so that every limb of him sprang apart, so that he broke into bits all over the ground.

• At age 7, breaks a chariot with only a rock

He picked up a hand-stone from the ground which was the full of his grasp. He hurled it from him from his sling the length of a stone-shot at the yoke of Conall's chariot, so that he broke the chariot-collar in two

• At age 7, Hurls a stone pillar overhead

The lad deciphered the writing and put his two arms around the pillar-stone. Just as the pillar-stone was with its ring, he flung it with a cast of his hand into the moat, so that a wave passed over it.

• At age 7, throws a spear through a mans skull

Cú Chulainn took the lath-trick in hand for him and threw it from him the length of his cast, so that it lighted on the flat of his shield and on the front of his forehead and carried away the bulk of an apple of his brain out through the back of his head.

• At age 7, casts his spear through a man’s armor and out the backside

the lad laid his hand on Conchobar's lance against him, and it struck the shield above his belly and broke through the ribs on the farther side after piercing his heart within his breast

• Thunder Feat: Casting a stone from a sling; in warp-spasm form, has enough force to kill up to 500 men in a single shot.

All the dry kine in the herd, all the nobly-born among the captives, and cease to ply your sling against the men of Ireland and let them sleep, for not pleasant is the thunder feat you perform against them every evening."

[...]

Then his first distortion came upon Cú Chulainn [snip, description of transformation and chariot]. Then he performs the thunder-feat of a hundred and the thunder-feat of two hundred and the thunder-feat of three hundred and the thunder-feat of four hundred, and he stopped at the thunder-feat of five hundred for he thought that at least that number should fall by him in his first attack and in his first contest of battle against the four provinces of Ireland.

• Cuts a man into thirds

Cú Chulainn dealt him a cleaving blow on the crown of the head, so that it drove to his navel. He dealt him a second crosswise stroke, so that at the one time the three portions of his body came to the ground.

• Punches a mans head off, and then punches him in half

Then Cú Chulainn sprang from the ground and alighted on the top of the boss of Nathcrantail's shield and dealt him a side stroke over the upper edge of the shield, so that he struck off his head from his trunk. He raised his hand quickly again and gave him another blow on the top of the trunk so that he cleft him in twain down to the ground

• Kills a man with an Apple

Then it was that Cú Chulainn glanced at him and then it was that he raised and threw the eight apples on high and cast the ninth apple a throw's length from him at Cûr macDa Loth, so that it struck on the disk of his shield between the edge and the body of the shield, so that it carried the size of an apple of his brains out through the back of his head

• Brings two women’s heads together hard enough to kill them, despite being critically injured

The two women lampoonists that made a feint of weeping and wailing over his head, Fethan and Collach to wit, he smote each of them against the head of the other, so that he was red with their blood and grey with their brains.

• Lifts a portion of a castle that his wife and her ladies in waiting may pass

Cu Chulainn upheaved the palace just over against his bed, till the stars of heaven were to be seen from underneath the wattle. By that opening came his own wife with half a hundred of her attendants in her train, as also a hundred in waiting upon the other twain.

• Overpowers a Giant in combat

Loeg yelled. Then Cu Chulainn arrived. He and the giant came to close quarters and either rained blows upon the other. The giant was worsted.

• Kills a man with a Chess Piece

He hurled one of the chessmen, and it pierced the center of the herald's brain.

• Kills a Large Lake Monster with his Bare Hands

He then perceived the upheaving monster, and it seemed to him to be thirty cubits in curvature above the loch. It raised itself on high into the air and sprang towards the fort, opening its mouth so that one of the halls could go into its gullet.

Then Cu Chulainn called to mind his swooping feat, sprang on high and was as swift as a winnowing riddle right round the monster. He entwined his two arms about its neck, stretched his hand into its gullet, tore out the monster's heart, and cast it from him on the ground.

• Throws his spear through the heads of nine men

With that he threw his spear at him, and it went through his head, and through the heads of the nine men that were behind him, and Cú Chulainn went through the host as he did before.

Skill:

• At the age of 5, defends himself against the attacks of 150 other children

Thereupon they all set upon him together. They cast their thrice fifty hurl-bats at the poll of the boy's head. He raises his single toy-staff and wards off the thrice fifty hurries. Then they throw their thrice fifty balls at the lad. He raises his upper arm and his forearm and the palms of his hands against them and parries the thrice fifty balls. They throw at him the thrice fifty play-spears charred at the end. The boy raises his little lath-shield against them and fends off the thrice fifty play-staffs, and they all remain stuck in his lath-shield.

• At the age of 6, 150 boys are unable to best him at any of their sports

Conchobar came on to the fair-green, and he saw a thing that astounded him: Thrice fifty boys at one end of the green and a single boy at the other, and the single boy won the victory at the goal and at hurling from the thrice fifty boys. When it was at hole-play they were-- a game of hole that used to be played on the fair-green of Emain-- and it was their turn to drive and his to keep guard, he would catch the thrice fifty balls just outside of the hole, and not one went by him into the hole. When it was their turn to keep guard and his to drive, he would send the thrice fifty balls into the hole without fail, and the boys were unable to ward them off. When it was at tearing off each other's garments they played, he would strip off them their thrice fifty suits so that they were quite naked, and they were not able all of them to take as much as the brooch from his mantle. When it was at wrestling they were, he would throw those same thrice fifty boys to the ground under him, and they did not succeed all of them around him in lifting him up.

• At age 7, literally takes out multiple birds with one stone

Then did the lad perform one of his lesser feats upon them: he put a small stone in his sling, so that he brought down eight of the birds; and then he performed a greater feat: he threw a large stone at them and he brought down sixteen of their number.

• Manages to fire a sling carefully enough to almost hit a woman’s head

Then Cú Chulainn made a threat in Methe that wherever he saw Medb he would cast a stone at her and that it would not go far from the side of her head. That he also fulfilled. In the place where he saw Medb west of the ford he cast a stone from his sling at her, so that it killed the pet bird that was on her shoulder.

• Kills 102 warriors in a single day

Cú Chulainn clung close to the hosts that day provoking them to encounter and combat. And he slew a hundred of their armed, kinglike warriors around Roen and Roi, the two chroniclers of the Táin

• Kills 100 Warriors a night for three nights

The warriors of four of the five grand provinces of Erin pitched camp and took quarters for three days and three nights at Druim En ('Birds' Ridge') in Conalle Murthemni, but neither huts nor tents did they set up, nor did they engage in feasts or repasts, nor sang they songs nor carols those three nights. And Cú Chulainn destroyed a hundred of their warriors every night ere the bright hour of sunrise on the morrow.

• Disarms his brother-in-arms while unarmed himself

Cú Chulainn knocked all of Larinè's weapons out of his hand as one might knock toys out of the hand of an infant

• Simultaneously blocks 29 poisoned spears

And when Calatin arrived at the place where Cú Chulainn was, they forthwith hurled their nine and twenty spears, and not one of them went past him by a misthrow. Cú Chulainn played the edge-feat with his shield, so that all the spears sank up to their middles into the shield.

• The only student of Scathach to master the Gae Bulg

The gilla set the Gae Bulga down the stream, and Cú Chulainn caught it in the fork of his foot, and threw the Gae Bulga as far as he could cast underneath at Ferdiad, so that it passed through the strong, thick, iron apron of wrought iron, and broke in three parts the huge, goodly stone the size of a millstone, so that it cut its way through the body's protection into him, till every joint and every limb was filled with its barbs.

• Pierces the eye of a needle with another needle. Fifty times.

Cú Chulainn hen sought out the womenfolk and took thrice fifty needles from them. These he tossed up one after the other. Each needle went into the eye of another, till in that wise they were joined together.

Speed and Agility

• At age 7, is capable of outrunning wild deer

The lad got down from the chariot and as the fruit of his run and his race, in the morass which was around him, he caught two of the swift, stout deer.

• Outruns a Chariot

Thereupon the charioteer repaired by one way to his master, and Cú Chulainn went by another, and fast as the gilla sped to Orlam, faster still Cú Chulainn did reach him

• Able to land on the tips of darts being thrown at him

Cú Chulainn sprang from the middle of the ground till he came on the tip of the dart. And again Nathcrantail threw a second dart. Nathcrantail threw a third dart and Cú Chulainn sprang on the point of the second dart and so on till he was on the point of the last dart.

• Dodges the attacks of a Giant

Then the giant cast one of the branches at Cú Chulainn, who let it pass him. He repeated it twice or thrice, but it reached neither the skin nor the shield of Cú Chulainn. Cú Chulainn then hurled his spear at the giant, but it did not reach him. Whereupon the giant stretched out his hand towards Cú Chulainn to grip him as he had the others. Cú Chulainn leapt the hero's salmon-leap and called to mind his swooping feat with the sword drawn over the giant's head. As swift as a hare he was, and in mid-air circling round the giant, until he made a water-wheel of him.

• Catches a spear and turns it back at its owner

And as soon as he saw Cú Chulainn, he threw his spear at him. But Cú Chulainn caught the spear and threw it back again, and it struck the horse in the neck, so that he reared up and threw his master.

Durability and Endurance

• Forces a Holly-Split through his own foot

Cú Chulainn left him and drove the sole of his foot against a holly-spit, so that it pierced through flesh and bone and skin. Thereat Cú Chulainn gave a strong tug and drew the spit out from its roots

• Fights after being beaten to the ground by 29 men

While thus engaged, they rushed in upon him and delivered their nine and twenty right fists at the same time on his head. They smote him and curbed him withal, till his face and his countenance and visage met the sand and gravel of the ford

• Battles an equally skilled warrior an entire day with gaping wounds throughout his body

Either of them began to pierce and to drive, to throw and to press down the other, from early morning's twilight till the hour of evening's close. If it were the wont for birds in flight to fly through the bodies of men, they could have passed through their bodies on that day and carried away pieces of blood and flesh through their wounds and their sores into the clouds and the air all around

• Fights after being impaled through the chest

It was then Ferdiad caught Cú Chulainn in an unguarded moment, and he gave him a thrust with his tusk-hilted blade, so that he buried it in his breast, and his blood fell into his belt, till the ford became crimsoned with the clotted blood from the battle-warrior's body. Cú Chulainn endured it not under Ferdiad's attack, with his death-bringing, heavy blows, and his long strokes and his mighty, middle slashes at him.

• Agrees to (and is victorious in) combat despite near fatal injuries

And when he was come to the place where Cú Chulainn was, he saw Cú Chulainn there moaning, full of wounds and pierced through with holes, and he felt it would not be honourable nor fair to fight and contend with him after the combat with Ferdiad. Because it would be said it was not that Cú Chulainn died of the sores and wounds which he would give him so much as of the wounds which Ferdiad had inflicted on him in the conflict before. Be that as it might, Cú Chulainn offered to engage with him in battle and combat.

• Sleeps with 51 Women in a Single Night

The women were apportioned among them. Finnabair, with a train of fifty damsels, was brought to the place of Cú Chulainn... Moreover, Medb herself was accustomed to visit the couch of Cú Chulainn. They slept there that night.

• While mortally wounded, takes a moment to compose himself

Then he gathered up his bowels into his body, and he went down to the lake. He drank a drink and he washed himself, and he returned back again to his death, and he called to his enemies to come and meet him.

Other

• Overhears a conversation literally across town

Cathba the druid was with his son, namely Conchobar son of Ness, imparting learning to his pupils in the north-east of Emain… Cú Chulainn overheard what he said, though far off at his play-feats south-west of Emain

• As he grows angrier, his body warps into a more horrifying visage

Then took place the first twisting-fit and rage of the royal hero Cú Chulainn, so that he made a terrible, many-shaped, wonderful, unheard of thing of himself. His flesh trembled about him like a pole against the torrent or like a bulrush against the stream, every member and every joint and every point and every knuckle of him from crown to ground. He made a mad whirling-feat of his body within his hide. His feet and his shins and his knees slid so that they came behind him. His heels and his calves and his hams shifted so that they passed to the front. The muscles of his calves moved so that they came to the front of his shins, so that each huge knot was the size of a soldier's balled fist. He stretched the sinews of his head so that they stood out on the nape of his neck, hill-like lumps, huge, incalculable, vast, immeasurable and as large as the head of a month-old child.

• So great is his anger, it is enough to boil water

He was placed in three vats of cold water to extinguish his wrath; and the first vat into which he was put burst its staves and its hoops like the cracking of nuts around him. The next vat into which he went boiled with bubbles as big as fists therefrom. The third vat into which he went, some men might endure it and others might not.

• His anger melts the snow around him

The snow melted for thirty feet all around him, because of the intensity of the warrior's heat and the warmth of Cú Chulainn's body.

• His war cry is terrifying enough to kill

He shook his shield and brandished his spears and wielded his sword and sent out the hero's shout from his throat, so that the fiends and goblins and sprites of the glens and demons of the air gave answer for the fearfulness of the shout that he lifted on high, until Nemain, which is Badb, brought confusion on the host. The four provinces of Erin made such a clangour of arms with the points of their spears and their weapons that an hundred warriors of them fell dead that night of fright and of heartbreak in the middle of the camp and quarters.

• A skilled warrior, sleep deprived or otherwise

For from the Monday before Samain ('Summer-end') even to the Wednesday after Spring-beginning, Cú Chulainn slept not for all that space, except for a brief snatch after midday, leaning against his spear, and his head on his fist, and his fist clasping his spear, and his spear on his knee, but hewing and cutting, slaying and destroying four of the five grand provinces of Erin during that time.

• Possesses a sickle/scythed chariot that cuts bloody swathes through entire armies and leave furrows as deep a fort and fortress combined in its tracks.

After Cú Chulainn had been thus distorted, the hero sprang into his scythed chariot with its iron points, its thin sharp edges, its hooks, its steel points, with its sharp spikes of a hero, its arrangement for opening, with its nails that were on the shafts and thongs and loops and fastenings in that chariot.

[...]

And he came forth in this manner to attack his enemies, and took his chariot in a wide circuit outside the four great provinces of Ireland. And he drove the chariot heavily. The iron wheels of the chariot sank deep into the ground so that the manner in which they sank into the ground left furrows sufficient to provide fort and fortress, for there arose on the outside as high as the iron wheels dikes and boulders and rocks and flagstones and gravel from the ground.

• Knows a spell of Invisibility

Then cast he a spell of concealment over his horses and over his fellow, so that they were not visible to any one in the camp, while all in the camp were visible to them.