Art Siegel notes that he has "a collection of poems that includes a Yeats poem
from 1893, 'Cuchulain's (sic) Fight With The Sea'. A footnote in the volume reads:
The Irish folk hero, exemplar of all that is ardent, gallant, and mystic
in the character of Ireland.
As a child he was name Setanta, the foster-son of four wise men who taught
him wisdom, warfare, magic, and poetry. He first showed his mettle when
they offered him the choice of long life or fame, and he chose fame. They
predicted he would gain it in terrible combat, and that his first and last
exploits would be the killing of a dog.
The four wise men also laid certain mystic laws upon Setanta. Among other
things he was never to pass a hearth without tasting the food being cooked
there, but he must never eat the flesh of a dog.
Setanta made the first prophecy come true when he was only seven years
old, when the great hound of Cullen the Smith attacked him while he was
playing ball. Setanta stopped the hound's gaping mouth with his ball and
then dashed out its brains. Cullan complained about the death of the dog
but Setanta replied "I promise to act as the watchdog of Ulster for the
rest of my life." For this promise he was named Cu Chulainn, meaning
Cullan's hound.
After this first exploit he had to face many other ordeals, but he
survived each of them by his courage, skill, and magical powers. He won
all his warlike equipment by courage and guile, and he could swim like a
fish, run like a deer, and leap as high as a flying bird. In courtly
circles he was a pleasing companion for the sweetness of his nature and
his ability to compose poems for any occasion, but on the field of combat
he was a terrible enemy.
The fame promised by the wise men came to him when he was challenged by
the giant warriors Thratauna, Trita, and Apta. His friends begged him not
to fight them, but he was filled with the true frenzy of battle and greed
for fame. He galloped forth to meet the giants in a chariot drawn by his
steeds Black of Saingliu and Grey of Macha, which were born on the same
day as himself.
He was a brave and terrible sight as he sped to the fray, adorned with
splendid jewelry and with his long hair, tinted in many colors, streaming
behind him. He chanted his war song louder than the thundering hooves and
his eyes flashed fire as he fell upon the challengers.
They were no match for his berserk fury and he cut off their heads and
slung them from his chariot. On the way back he captured a stag to run
behind him and a flight of swans to fly overhead to signal his coming.
The people of the court feared that in his warlike frenzy he might attack
them, but the Queen of Ulster contrived a way to calm him down. She led
all her ladies naked to meet him and when Cu Chulainn politely closed his
eyes her warriors seized him and plunged him into icy water.
Cu Chulainn's love of fame and lust for battle led him into many
adventures both honorable and dishonorable. He suffered grievous wounds
but never flenched from enemies, although they sometimes humiliated him.
When he and his followers raided the Otherworld with the help of the
sorcerer Cu Roi, but refused to share with him, Cu Roi buried Cu Chulainn
up to his armpits and shaved off all his hair.
Eventually Queen Medb, the leader of Ulster's enemies, wove a great curse
which paralyzed all the country's warriors except Cu Chulainn. He fought
off Queen Medb's forces single-handed, and she enlisted sorcerers to bring
about his downfall.
They learned of the taboos which he must not break, and when he rode forth
to another battle three sorceresses roasted a dog by the roadside. He had
to stop and eat some of the meal, but he knew that his taste of roast dog
would deplete his magical powers.
Thus it happened that in his last battle his enemies could deal him a
mortal wound. He escaped from them and washed his wound in a lake, but as
he did so an otter, known as a "water dog", drank from the bloodstained
water. Cu Chulainn killed the otter and then realized the prophecy of his
final exploit had been fulfilled. Determined not to show any further
weakness to his enemies, he bound himself to a stone pillar so that they
might kill him as he stood there.