The Táin Bó Cúailnge

The epic begins with 'pillow talk' between Queen Medb of Connacht and her husband Ailill. Comparing their vast wealth, Medb realizes she is slightly less wealthy because Ailill owns the magnificent White-Horned Bull. To surpass him, she seeks the Donn Cúailnge, the great Brown Bull of Ulster. When its owner refuses to sell, Medb raises a massive army to take it by force. As her forces march, a curse falls upon the men of Ulster, leaving them incapacitated by labor pains. Only the seventeen-year-old hero Cú Chulainn is immune. He defends the border alone, invoking the right of single combat at river fords. Day after day, he slays Medb’s champions, eventually facing his own foster-brother, Ferdia, in a tragic three-day duel. Though Cú Chulainn triumphs, the cost is heavy. Eventually, the Ulstermen recover and drive Medb back. The Brown Bull is captured but eventually fights Ailill's White-Horned Bull to the death, wandering back to Ulster to die of a broken heart. The war, sparked by pride and greed, leaves nothing but devastation in its wake.