Celtchar, son of Uthechar or Uthidir, is a character from the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle (), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Do ...

Irish Mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

. In '' Scéla Mucce Maic Dathó'' ("The Tale of Mac Dathó's Pig") he is described as "a grey, tall, very terrible hero of

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

". When he challenges Cet mac Mágach for the champion's portion, Cet counters that he once emasculated Celtchar with a spear at Celtchar's own house. He lives in Dún Lethglaise, also known as the Mound of Down ( Irish ''Dún''), or Rathkeltair (Irish ''Ráth Celtchair'' or Celtchar's Fort) in

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Down Cathedral, Its cathedral is sai ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

. His wife is Findmór of Dún Sobairche ( Dunseverick,

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

). He wields a spear or lance, the '' Lúin Cheltchair'', whose lust for blood is so great it has to be dipped in a cauldron of poison to control it. In the '' Táin Bó Cúailnge'', after the Ulstermen have roused from their debility, he and

Conchobar mac Nessa Conchobar mac Nessa (son of Ness) is the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Emain Macha (Navan Fort, near Armagh). He is usually said to be the son of the High King Fachtna Fáthach, although in some stories ...

rescue eight captive Ulster women from eight men of Ailill and Medb's household at Áth Féinne. In compensation for murdering

Blaí Briugu Blaí Briugu (Blaí the Landholder or Hospitaller) is an Ulaid, Ulster warrior in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. He was wealthy and kept a hostel, and had a ''geis'' which required him to sleep with any woman who stayed there unaccompanied. ...

, who had slept with his wife, Celtchar has to rid Ulster of three menaces. The first is Conganchnes mac Dedad, who seeks revenge for the death of his nephew Cú Roí, and who has skin like horn, which no weapon can pierce. Celtchar offers him his daughter Niam in marriage, who discovers that Conganchnes can only be killed by hammering red hot spits into the soles of his feet. She passes the information to her father, who does the deed. The second menace is a ferocious dog called ''Luch Donn'' ("brown mouse"). It had been found as a pup by a widow, who raised it until it was enormous and uncontrollable. It killed all the widow's sheep and cattle, then her sons, and finally the widow herself, and now it devastates a settlement every night. Celtchar finds an alder log, hollows it out so his arm will fit through it, and boils it in honey, grease and herbs until it is tough and supple. He approaches the dog with the log over his arm, and when the dog bites into it its teeth get stuck, enabling Celtchar to pull its heart out through its throat, killing it. The third menace is Dóelchú, Celtchar's own dog. It was found as a pup inside Conganchnes's burial mound, and would only let Celtchar handle it, until one day it escaped, and became a menace to the cattle and sheep of Ulster. Celtchar finds the dog and calls to it, and it comes and licks his feet. Reluctantly, Celtchar dispatches it with his spear. As he lifts the spear, a drop of the dog's poisonous blood runs down it and through Celtchar's body, killing him.''Aided Cheltchair meic Uthechair'', edited and translated by Kuno Meyer
"The Death of Celtchar mac Uthechair"
, ''The Death Tales of the Ulster Heroes'', Todd Lecture Series. Dublin, 1906: pp. 24-31

References

{{Irish mythology (Ulster) Ulster Cycle

See also

References