The Tain

Fergus tells stories of Cúchulainn’s childhood. In the first story Cúchulainn hears of a group of 150 boys who are always playing in Emain and insists on joining the boy troop against his mother’s wishes. He runs up to the boys, unaware he must first get “a promise of safety” (77), and his approach is seen as a challenge. They all attack him, and he fends them off with his toy weapons and child’s body, until a superhuman “Warp Spasm” (77) overtakes his body and he becomes too dangerous. Conchobor and Fergus are playing fidchell together, and their game is disrupted by flying bodies. Conchobor intervenes, stopping Cúchulainn by explaining why the boys attacked him and promising him his protection; in turn, Cúchulainn promises his own protection to the boys.

In the second story Cúchulainn cannot sleep unless he has the same level under his head and feet, which Conchobor resolves by creating a level bed for him to sleep on. When some man comes to wake the boy, Cúchulainn drives his fist through his head, and it is remarked upon that “it was a warrior’s fist, the arm of a prodigy” (79). From then on, no one tries to wake the boy.