The Morrigan and Cú Chulainn

During the epic Cattle Raid of Cooley, the war goddess Morrigan appeared to the hero Cú Chulainn as a beautiful young maiden. She offered him her love and her aid in the coming battles, but Cú Chulainn, consumed by his own prowess and warrior’s pride, rudely rejected her. He claimed he did not need the help of a woman to win his wars. Insulted by his arrogance, the Morrigan threatened to hinder him when he was at his most vulnerable. True to her word, she attacked him during a fierce combat at a river ford, shifting her shape into an eel to trip him, a she-wolf to stampede cattle toward him, and finally a red-eared heifer leading a charge. Though Cú Chulainn wounded her in each form, the struggle nearly cost him his life. Later, the Morrigan appeared as an old woman milking a cow, bearing the three wounds Cú Chulainn had inflicted. Not recognizing her, the thirsty hero accepted three drinks of milk, blessing her after each one. These blessings unwittingly healed the goddess. Upon revealing herself, she warned him that while he had the strength to wound a god, his pride had insured that she would not be there to save him when his final hour arrived.