:''See

Lugaid Lugaid (Lughaid, Lughaidh, Lughaí, with all equivalents originally attested as Ogham Lugodeccus) is a popular medieval Irish name, thought to be derived from the god Lug. It is borne by a number of figures from Irish history and mythology, incl ...

for other figures of the same name, and Lug for the

god In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

the name derives from.'' In the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle ( ga, an Rúraíocht), 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 coun ...

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by C ...

, Lugaid mac Con Roí was the son of

Cú Roí Cú Roí mac Dáire (Cú Ruí, Cú Raoi) is a king of Munster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is usually portrayed as a warrior with superhuman abilities and a master of disguise possessed of magical powers. His name probably means "ho ...

mac Dáire. He was also known as Lugaid mac Trí Con ("son of three hounds"). He avenged his father's death by killing Cúchulainn after conspiring with

Medb Medb (), later spelled Meadhbh (), Méibh () and Méabh (), and often anglicised as Maeve ( ), is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Her husband in the core stories of the cycle is Ailill mac Máta, although she had seve ...

and the children of other people Cúchulainn had killed. After Lugaid's

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

had spilled out his innards, Cúchulainn tied himself to a

standing stone A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright rock (geology), stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. T ...

(traditionally said to be

Clochafarmore Clochafarmore is a menhir (standing stone) and National Monument (Ireland), National Monument in County Louth, Ireland. Location Clochafarmore is located east-northeast of Knockbridge, Dundalk on the left bank of the River Fane. History and ...

) so he could die standing up. Only when a

raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

landed on his shoulder was Lugaid convinced he was dead. As Lugaid cut off his head, Cúchulainn's sword fell from his hand and cut off Lugaid's hand.

Conall Cernach Conall Cernach (modern spelling: Conall Cearnach) is a hero of the Ulaid in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He had a crooked neck and is said to have always slept with the head of a Connachta, Connachtman under his knee. His epithet is normal ...

pursued him. As Lugaid had lost a hand, Conall fought him with one hand tucked into his belt, but he only won when his horse took a bite out of Lugaid's side. He took Lugaid's head and set it on a stone, but his blood melted the stone and the head sank right through it.

References

* Margaret E. Dobbs,
Side-lights on the Táin age and other studies
'. Dundalk: WM. Tempest. 1917. *

T. F. O'Rahilly Thomas Francis O'Rahilly ( ga, Tomás Ó Rathile; 11 November 1882 – 16 November 1953)Ó Sé, Diarmuid.O'Rahilly, Thomas Francis (‘T. F.’). ''Dictionary of Irish Biography''. (ed.) James McGuire, James Quinn. Cambridge, United Kingdom: C ...

, ''Early Irish History and Mythology''.

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) ( ga, Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a statutory independent research institute in Ireland. It was established in 1940 on the initiative of the Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera, in Dub ...

. 1946. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lugaid Mac Con Roi Ulster Cycle

See also

References