Finnbhennach

Thu Cuailnge [ doN ' kual ʴ n ʴ ge] ( " The brown of Cooley " ) and Findbennach [' f ʴ indveNax ] ( "The White Horned " ) are the famous bulls of Ulster and Connacht, the reasons for the war between the two Irish provinces, told in Táin Bó the Cuailnge ( " the bull robbery of Cooley " ) and in the Remscéla ( Vorerzählung ) De chophur in da muccida ( "From the [ transformation? ] of the two swineherd ").

Mythology

In a magic competition of the two swineherd Friuch and Rucht these last transform in two water worms that are eingeschlürft of two cows at the watering hole. The cows then throw each one bull calf, namely Thu Cuailnge in Ulster and Connacht in the Findbennach. Donn is black brown, grim, red-eyed and strong as the onslaught of the wave, like the bear, as the fury of the dragon, like the wrath of the king. Findbennach has on a white skull white horns and a red body, as if he were bathed in blood, born of the mistress of his cows to victory ...

When the queen Medb Ailill mac Máta the king of Connacht marries, she brings her bull Findbennach into the marriage. However, the Taurus replaced the tired " petticoat government ", the flock of Ailill about what Medb must feel as a personal disgrace. To compensate for this, they tried to take the bull by its owner Thu Cuailnge Dáire mac Fiachna to borrow for a year and promises him for it by its messengers Mac Roth fifty calves, a chariot and their willing legs. Since the first entirely consenting Dáire learns, however, Medb wanted to let the bull if necessary abduct by force, he refuses indignantly and chased her messenger. That is the reason for the campaign against Connacht Ulster.

After the defeat of Connacht by Cú Chulainn they still lead the Donn Cuailnge as booty to take home. In Findbennachs herd arrived, he immediately challenges his rival to a fight. For one day, they fight each other at Rath na Darbh, at night you can hear their thundering gallop around the whole island. In the morning Donn comes alone to Cruachan, the king of Connacht seat back, he carries on the horns of the tattered Findbennach. These pieces he throws throughout Ireland and withdraws to Ulster. Once there, he breaks the sunset together also dead.