Volume 20 Article 5

Number 2

Spring 3-15-1994

Cuchulainn and Women: A Jungian Perspective

Marian Davis O.S.B.

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Davis, Marian O.S.B. (1994) "Cuchulainn and Women: A Jungian Perspective," Mythlore: A Journal of
J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 20: No. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol20/iss2/5

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Cuchulainn and Women: A Jungian Perspective

Abstract
A Jungian interpretation of the Irish mythological cycle featuring the hero Cuchulainn, with particular
attention to the prominent role of women.

Additional Keywords
Cuchulainn; Irish mythology—Red Branch cycle; Jungian analysis of Irish mythology; Women in Irish
mythology

This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic
Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol20/iss2/5
J ^ Y T l^ L o R e Iss u e 76 S p R I M G 1 9 94 P a Q 6 23

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part from the poetry of Y eats and others associa­ differentiation of the psyche (H enderson 128-129).
ted with the "C eltic Tw ilight" movement, there Just as the hero m ust do battle w ith fearsom e monsters
are very few references to Irish mythology in and must accept daunting challenges, the individual must
m od em literature, and little is known about it. confront two archetypal figures, the shadow and the an-
Although the sagas are sophisticated and intricate, they ima, in his own subconscious. The shadow is often defined
seem to have been overshadowed by the A rthurian ro­ as being the dark, repressed, negative qualities of the
mances, a later developm ent in Celtic mythology. The unconscious mind, the hidden aspects of the ego which
translation of the tales of Arthur and his court into French, must be integrated into the personality. N ot all aspects of
and subsequently into English, m ade them infinitely more the shadow are negative, however; qualities such as natu­
accessible and popular in the M iddle Ages. English hostil­ ral instincts and affections m ay be used in a positive way.
ity to Irish language and culture and the systematic effort The anima is generally viewed as being the contrasexual
to deprive the native population of higher education pre­ self. In the hero's case this is his lady-soul, the fem inine
vented the study of the Irish m yths for centuries, and aspect of his personality; it is the idealized male for the
resulted in their being virtually lost. O nly in the past heroine, often with m asculine aspects of aggression. In
hundred years or so have the ancient stories been revived psychological terms the anima represents the fem ale com­
and studied. C onsequently, these m yths have been largely ponent which has usually been involuntarily repressed,
ignored in m od em , international approaches to mythol­ but which must be recognized and acknowledged in the
ogy and psychology. quest for wholeness (Gose 131). The hero's early battles
m ight be seen to parallel the individual's confrontation
The significance of m ythology and its connection with
with the shadow aspect of his personality, and the quest
psychology was established b y Carl Jung, who viewed the
for the beautiful w om an as representing his search for the
characters of the myths as archetypes, im ages from the
anima. It should be noted that there is a good deal of
deepest part of the subconscious which possess a numi­
ambivalence about the anima. Ideally it functions as a
nous character. These im ages can unconsciously influence
helper or guide, as in the case of Beatrice in The Divine
the thought, em otion and behavior of the individual and
Comedy or of the princess w ho helps her rescuer, b ut it may
thus have a shaping effect on his future (Gose 39-40). Jung
also suggest the mother w ho nurtures, the beautiful fem m e
suggests that each person has originally a feeling of whole­
fatale, or the witch w ho seeks the hero's downfall (Gose
ness, a strong, com plete sense of self, and it is from this
131).
self, or totality of the psyche, that "the individualized
ego-consciousness em erges as the individual grows up" The Red Branch Cycle, the m ost significant of the Irish
(Henderson 128). This psychological process of individu­ sagas, dem onstrates the psychological parallels suggested
ation, of becom ing o ne's mature self, begins at birth with by Jung in a particularly interesting way. C uchulainn, the
the separation from the mother, and the consciousness is hero, is presented as having superior battle skills, great
further developed by encounters with the world (Emma courage, loyalty, and honor, but the saga is exceptional in
Jung 85). Emma Jung notes that the developm ent and the prominence given to w om en throughout his life. U n­
preservation of the ego-consciousness is such a difficult like the typical hero w ho is presented alm ost exclusively
achievement that it is best represented b y the hero myth, as a m an am ong men, he is involved w ith w om en on
for it can be com pared with the fight with the terrible various levels, and is significantly affected by them, both
adversary, such as a dragon, w hich calls for "alm ost su­ as warrior and lover. His interaction with them dem on­
perhum an strength" (43). These stories m ay vary in detail, strates the Jungian interpretation of the hero m yth, but
but they have a basic structure and appeal on both the with a som ewhat different slant. C uchulainn perform s the
dramatic and psychological levels, and provide the young requisite quest in search of the desired wom an, corre­
person w ith an ideal to encourage and support him in the sponding to the individual's search for the anima, but
battle for individuation (Henderson 110). It is n ot surpris­ m any of his m artial exploits are confrontations with such
ing, then, that the hero m yth is the best-known of all the aggressive, violent w om en that these encounters suggest
m yths and recurs in the legends and dreams in all societies. the shadow aspect of the personality rather than that of the
It is the sym bolic means by w hich the em erging ego sepa­ anima. O n the historical level the negative presentation of
rates itself from the parental im ages of early childhood, powerful wom en m ay have had a cautionary function.
and m ay be seen as corresponding to the first stages in the Rank in Celtic society was determ ined by ownership of
p A Q 6 24 Iss u e 76 j S p R l N q 1 994 JW yT foL oK e
cattle, and a wom an w ho was wealthier than her husband take her mother by surprise and threaten to kill her unless
was automatically his superior — a situation which is she com plies with three requests: she must train him,
central in this saga, and which brings about the death of prophesy his future, and give him Uathach in marriage.
the hero. Using his "great salm on leap " the h ero captures Scathach
in the tree from which she is supervising the training of
Like that of m ost heroes, Cuchulainn's birth is sur­
young w arriors and she agrees to his dem ands. By this
rounded by m ystery: he is apparently the son of the pow­
time he has apparently overcom e h is earlier shyness, and
erful god Lugh Lamhfada and Dechtire, the king's sister.
the saga records that eventually she gave him "th e friend­
From birth he seem s destined to be a great w arrior, and as
ship of her thighs." This account of the union of the hero
a child of seven he succeeds in defeating the entire boy
and the female w arrior in the course of his initiation sug­
corps of the king. His name, Setanta, is changed to Cuchu-
gests the relationship of the warrior with his weapons, a
lainn (the hound of Culann) because he kills the fierce
kind of marriage relationship. The subduing of the female
hound (cu) of Culann, then takes the place of the animal
w arrior and sexual consum m ation seem s to sym bolize the
in guarding the blacksm ith's stronghold until a substitute
individual's control of the sexual aspects of his shadow on
can be trained. His initiation proper, however, begins on
the psychological level.
the day on which he takes up arms. W hen he hears the
druid, Cathbad, tell the older boys that one w ho becomes Although most hero stories present the encounter with
a warrior on that particular day will have a glorious career, the shadow in descriptions of battle with enem ies of the
but a short one, he prom ptly asks the king to invest him, same sex, it seem s clear that the Scathach episode fits in
not telling him of the prophecy. His first exploit is suitably the this category. C uchulainn's initial danger from
spectacular, as he kills all three of the sons of Nechta, Scathach and her warriors, and his subsequent benefit
sworn enem ies of the king, and ties their heads to his from her tutelage, parallels the idea that positive aspects
chariot. H e further adorns his chariot for his triumphal may be found in the shadow dim ension of the uncon­
return by tying two live deer behind it and having a flock scious, and that becom ing aware of these and learning to
of captured swans flying overhead. In most stories the channel them appropriately enriches the individual. The
hero is sim ply received with acclaim following his first feat connection of strife and sex is continued in the account of
of arms, but there is a unique twist to this account which Cuchulainn's battle with the w arrior princess, Aoife, who
seem s particularly Jungian. Initiation rites, which confer must not only surrender to him sexually, but must promise
the status of maturity, frequently have a sexual com po­ that the son bom of their union will be sent to Ireland when
nent, and this awareness of sexuality seem s to be a neces­ he is old enough. Again, rather than dem onstrating a
sary part of the individual's encounter with the shadow. negative anima, this account seem s to suggest an im ma­
As Cuchulainn approaches the king's encam pment the ture fear of sexuality, a p art of the shadow, w hich m ust be
people realize that he is in a battle fury and is unable to overcome in the quest for wholeness.
distinguish friend from foe, so all are in danger of being
slaughtered by the invincible hero. The resourceful queen, Having proved him self in battle C uchulainn returns to
knowing of the b oy's modesty, tells her w omen to go out Ireland toclaim Em er as his bride. A ccording to the con­
naked to greet him . H is m om entary confusion allows the vention he must face great peril to accom plish this, and
w arriors to capture him and to restrain him until a succes­ this challenge is generally seen to parallel the individual's
sion of cold baths brings him to a calm er state. The neces­ search for his wom an-soul, the fem inine aspect of his
sity of controlling arbitrary violence seems to suggest a personality. W hen he had approached Em er initially she
negative aspect of the shadow, the danger of uncontrolled has teased him about his youth, his short stature, and his
instinct over reason. Unless the hero can channel this energy lack of reputation. T his suggests that the young person in
he is as dangerous as the enemies from whom he wishes to search of self may also be mocked, and m ay expect scorn
protect his people. The hero's encounter with the naked for his ambition. Even the great C uchulainn is not alw ays
ladies— and his apparent evasion of it— suggests the initial successful: in an exploit early in his career he had suffered
inability of the young person to deal with sexuality. the ignominy of having his head shaved and sm eared with
dung by an opponent.
C uchulainn's training continues in Scotland under the
tutelage of som e warrior wom en, and again it seem s clear A typical heroine of m ythology, Em er has laid down
that they represent the shadow rather than the anima. At three specific tasks which must be accomplished by
the suggestion of Forgall the W ily, who wishes to separate C uchulainn if he w ishes to w in her. Alw yn Rees com m ents
Cuchulainn from Emer, his daughter, the king sends on the fact that the bride in h ero tales is the em bodim ent
Cuchulainn to study with Scathach, the famous woman of all that is good, beautiful, and fem inine in wom en, but
warrior. The arduous journey to the north of Scotland she is other-worldly, and the hero m ust negotiate the gulf
sym bolizes the journey into the unconscious, and, signifi­ that separates her from him (Rees 265). Em er is the most
cantly, the nam e "Scathach " itself means "shadow ." Enter­ beautiful and highly-skilled girl in Ireland, and thus per­
ing Scathach's stronghold is no m ean feat, but Cuchulainn sonifies the fem inine aspect or anim a of C uchulainn's
succeeds in killing the guard and w inning the confidence personality, but the conditions she sets indicate the dark,
of Uathach, Scathach's daughter. She tells him he must masculine structure of her animus, her m asculine self. She
J W yT foL oK e Iss u e 76 j0»pRlKUS 1 9 94 25

is w illing to help h er beloved in overcom ing obstacles, but and w ill enable Em er to overcom e her jealousy and bitter­
she stubbornly refuses to be abducted until all of her ness. In psychological terms Cuchulainn's desire to remain
conditions have been met. This is certainly not out of w ith Fand is a regressive tendency, a renunciation of his
loyalty to h er father, w ho objects to Cuchulainn as a suitor, destiny. To becom e im m ersed in the anim a is dangerous,
for she views Forgall's death in the course of the conflict as it prevents the person from engaging in further stm ggle
with a rem arkable lack of concern. for individuation.

A nother personification of the anim a is that of the Q ueen M aeve, w ho ultim ately brings about the death
otherworldly m istress w ho entices the hero to return with of Cuchulainn, is the m ost pow erful, aggressive — and
her to the land beyond the sea or underneath the earth, sex y — wom an in Irish mythology. She is also the im petus
thus abandoning his am bitions as a w arrior. In Irish my­ for his m ost heroic deeds, challenging him to such ven­
thology the other world, the land of the Si (she) is histori­ tures that he is assured him of lasting fame. It m ight be
cally and predom inantly fem inine. The dwellings of these argued that M aeve represents aspects of the shadow
fairy people are often surrounded by w ater, swam ps, or rather than the anima, for the qualities w hich she projects,
damp forests, suggesting the fem inine. The hero's m aking such as the urge to w anton violence and an inflexible will
love to the beautiful w om an is significant, for the sex act to dom inate, are qualities which C uchulainn h ad learned
"represents both birth in reverse and an unconscious en­ to control during his initiation period, b ut which surface
actm ent of the desire to return to dampness...so the desire again in his defense of Ulster against M aeve. 10 On the
of the hero w ho rushes into the quest for the subm erged historical level the account of M aeve's cam paign and its
princess reflects the desire to return to the w om b" (Mark- disastrous results m ight be in terpreted as a criticism of
hale 72). This also suggests a return to the unconscious, for Celtic society, dem onstrating the danger o f allowing
this journey and the exploring of the contents of the un­ w om en to be in control. O n the psychological level the
conscious "is often depicted in dream s and fantasies as a victory of the hero sym bolizes the successful com pletion
descent into the underw orld, and this m otif also fre­ of individuation.
quently recurs as one of the typical deeds or tasks of the The story of the Tain Bo C uailgne, or cattle raid of
hero" (Emm a Jung 68). Jung tends to be negative about the Cooley, begins innocuously enough with som e playful
longing for the unconscious, seeing it as a regression, but pillow talk betw een M aeve and A M I, h er husband. M uch
others note that there m ay be positive aspects, as it can to her chagrin he claim s authority over her, on the legal
"point to an abundance of sym bolic m aterial w hich indi­ ground that he has m ore wealth. She disputes this, and
cates a concealed urge to rebirth and transform ation of they engage in a lengthy inventory which show s that they
personality" (Emm a Jung 40-41). This ambivalence is strik­ are alm ost equal in possessions. M uch to his delight, A ilill
ingly dem onstrated in the account of Cuchulainn and is shown to possess a prize bull w hich is superior to any
Fand, his other-w orldly mistress. Despite her love for him, of M aeve's beasts. U nwilling to accept a subordinate posi­
there is no doubt about Fand's pow er over Cuchulainn, tion, the im perious M aeve dem ands to borrow the brow n
even before he becom es aware of her. H e inadvertently bull of Cooley, in Ulster, for breeding purposes. W hen this
provokes her wrath by attem pting to capture two bright request is reftised she determ ines to take the b ull by force.
birds for Emer, not know ing that Fand and her sister-in- She is confident of victory, for it is w ell known that the
law, Li- Ban, have assumed these shapes in order to ap­ Ulster warriors are cursed, and are afflicted w ith labor
proach him and ask for help against enem ies beneath the pains in any time of crisis. A n interesting role reversal is
lake. W hen he in jures one of the birds they both fly into described in this passage, for M aeve is the w arrior, and her
the lake, and C uchulainn sits by a pillar to rest. He dreams opponents are engaged in the m ost w om anly of debilities.
that two beautiful wom en beat him with whips, and when Unfortunately for M aeve, C uchulainn does not share in
he awakes he is so debilitated that he must be carried to the general affliction, possibly because of his father's
bed, where h e rem ains for a year. O n the anniversary of other-worldly origin. Since he alone is responsible for
his encounter h e receives a message to return to the lake, defending the territory until his com patriots recover, he
and there he m eets Li-Ban. She explains to him that he has convinces M aeve to allow h im to engage in single com bat
been punished for his violence, b ut that Fand still loves w ith the best of her warriors. She watches in rage and
him and w ishes him to aid her brother in fighting their regret as they are handily despatched, one after the other.
enem ies beneath the lake. H e consents, and after he is The m ost poignant account, and the one w hich reflects
victorious he is so besotted by Fand that he prom ises to badly on Cuchulainn, is that of the battle w ith his child­
rem ain with her forever. He returns to earth with the hood friend and foster brother, Ferdia. They fight fiercely,
intention of bidding his people farewell, telling Fand he he albeit reluctantly, each day, and at sunset renew their
w ill m eet her at the end of one month, b ut Em er intervenes friendship and share their food and m edicine. Finally,
and Cuchulainn, tom b y his love for Fand and his loyalty w earied of the com bat, Cuchulainn releases the dreaded
to Emer, elects to stay on earth. The heart-broken Fand gae bolga, a m agical weapon w hich unerringly destroys its
returns to the underw orld and the disconsolate Cuchu­ victim. Ferdia dies in excruciating p ain, and the grieving
lainn w anders around in a daze. T he druids finally inter­ Cuchulainn is hum iliated by his use of an unfair strata­
vene and m ix up a potion w hich w ill m ake him forget Fand gem. This incident suggests that he has reverted to the
P * .Q e 2 6 Iss u e 76 J0 p R lM < 5 1 9 94 ^ E v T fo L o K e
wanton violence and the dishonorable desire to win at any raises som e tantalizing questions in regard to Ju n g's con­
cost typical of his shadow, or it m ay be interpreted as his cept of the archetypes of shadow and anim a, and dem on­
giving in to his negative anima, as projected by Maeve. strates the difficulty of seeing neat parallels between the
Since time is running out and reinforcements will soon stages in the process of individuation and the adventures
arrive to assist Cuchulainn, Maeve enlists the aid of the of a particular hero.
witch-like daughters of Calatin, his sworn enemies.
Through their m achinations and magic he is lured into
battle, despite a series of bad omens, and is finally left Bibliography
unarmed, m ortally w ounded. There is a tragic nobility in Cross, Tom Peete, and Clark Harria Slover. Ancient Irish Tales. New York:
Barnes and Noble, 1969.
the account of the death of Cuchulainn, for he knows going
De Jubainville, H. D'Arbois. The Irish Mythological Cycle and Celtic Mythol­
into battle that this is the day of h is death, and his only ogy. Trans Richard Irvine Best. Dublin: Hodges, Figgis and Co. Lts.,
concern is for h is honor. A warrior to the end, he refuses 1903.
to lie down to die, but lashes him self to a pillar and expires Gantz, Jeffrey, ed, and trans. Early Irish Myths and Sagas. New York:
standing. Even in death he is so fearsome that no one dare Penguin Books, 1983.
Gose, Elliot B., Jr. The World of the Irish Wonder Tale. Toronto: Univ. of
approach until one of the daughters of Calatin, in the form
Toronto Press, 1985.
of a raven, perches on his shoulder. W hen the Ulster men Henderson, Joseph L. "Ancient Myths and Modem Man." Man and His
arrive and find their hero in this condition they honor him Symbols. Ed. CarlG. Jung. 1964. New York: Doubleday & Co., 1983.
and they avenge him by routing the forces of Queen Hull, Eleanor, ed. The Cuchullin Saga in Irish Literature. London: David
Maeve. Nutt Co., 1898.
Jacobi, Jolan. The Psychology of Jung: An Introduction with Illustrations.
Despite his early death Cuchulainn has attained his Trans. R.W. Bash. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1943.
life's ambition in winning a nam e for him self as a great Jung, CarlG. and C. Kerenyi. Essays on a Science of Mythology. Trans. R.F.C.
hero. Jung sees the early death of the hero as being appro­ Hull. 1949. New Jersey: Princton U.P., 1971.
priate, since he represents the early part of m an's life. The --------------- . Ed. Man and His Symbols. New York:Doubleday and Co.,
1983.
struggle of the ego to become separate from the uncon­
--------------- . The Portable Jung. Ed. Joseph Campbell;. New York: Viking
scious is expressed by the battle of the archetypal hero Press, 1971.
against all the challenges he encounters: Jung, Emma, and Marie-Louise Van Franz. The Grail Legend. New York:
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1970.
In the struggle of primitive man to achieve conscious­
Loomis, Roger Sherman. Celtic Myth and Arthurian Romance. New York:
ness, this conflict is expressed by the contest between the
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archetypal hero and the cosmic powers of evil, personi­
MacCana, Proinsias. Celtic Mythology. Londong: Hamlyn, 1970.
fied by dragons and other monsters. In the developing
Markale, Jean. Women of the Celts. Trans. A. Mygind, C. Hauch, and P.
consciousness of the individual the hero-figure is the Henry. Rochest, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, 1975.
symbolic means by which the emerging ego overcomes
Rees, Alwyn and Brinley. Celtic Heratige. 1961. London: Thames and
the inertia of the unconscious and liberates the mature Hudson, 1990.
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state of infancy in a world dominated by the mother. Von France, M.L. "The Process of Individuation." Man and His Symbols.
(Henderson 118) Ed. Carl Jung. New York: Doubleday and Co., 1983.
Once the individual has accomplished the early stages of
individuation by sym bolically confronting the shadow
and recognizing the anima aspect of his unconscious, he
can enter the mature phase. A t this point the hero myth
loses relevance for him, and "the hero's sym bolic death
becomes, as it were, the achievement of m aturity" (Hen­
derson 172).

The Jungian interpretation of the hero sagas helps to

explain their popularity. Apart from the obvious dramatic
appeal, they are of profound psychological importance in
providing a m odel for psychic development, and thus
have an attraction for wom en as well as men. The exploits
of the hero correspond to the first stage in the differentia­
tion of the psyche, the integration of aspects of the shadow
and of the anima. Unless the individual succeeds in achiev­
ing some degree of autonom y at this point he will be
unable to relate to his adult environm ent (Henderson 129).
Unlike the typical pattern in which w om en characters are
presented as either the damsel in distress or the aged
helper, the Red Branch Cycle presents strong, inde­
pendent wom en. Their prominence and atypical behavior