Page:Athletics and Manly Sport (1890).djvu/210

Rh III. THE WEAPON-FEATS OF CUCHULLIN. , or Cuchullain (literally the hound of Chullin), was the renowned champion of his time (A. M. 4480). He was not only the ablest soldier, but the best hurler in Ireland; and after his visit to a famous war-college in Alba, or Scotland, the head of which was, strange to say, a woman, named Scáthach, he became the greatest "all-round" athlete in the Celtic world. Scáthach taught him various feats (cleasa) of championship, which are thus enumerated in a very ancient Gaelic tale called "The Courtship of Emer, and the Education of Cuchullain:"

"Ubhall-cleas the ball-feat; faebhar-cleas, the small, sharp-edged shield-feat; Torand-cleas, the thunder-feat, which was performed with the war-chariot; faen-cleas, the prostrate feat, which I cannot explain; cleas-clitenech the dart-feat; ted-cleas, the rope-feat; the cleas-cait, the cat-feat, of which I know nothing; the coriech n-errid, or champion's salmon-sault or leap; the imarchor n-delend, or proper carrying of the charioteer's whip; the leim-dar-n-eimh, the leap over a fence (?); the filliud erred nair, the whirl of a valiant champion; the gaebolga, or feat of throwing the belly-dart; the bai-braissé literally sudden death (?); the roth-cleas, wheel-feat, something like casting the sledge of the present day; the othar-cleas,