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Aengus Arawn Badb Brigid Cailleach Ceridwen Cernunnos Cu Chulainn Dagda Danu Gwydion Herne the Hunter Lugh Medb Morrigan Neit Nuada Taliesin Taranis
Chalchiuhtlicue Coatlicue Huitzilopochtli Mictlantecuhtli Mixcoatl Ometeotl Quetzalcoatl Tezcatlipoca Tlaloc Tonatiuh Xipe Totec Xochiquetzal Xolotl
Amaterasu Ame no Uzume Benzaiten Bishamonten Daikokuten Ebisu Fujin Fukurokuju Inari Izanagi Kagutsuchi Raijin Susanoo Tsukuyomi
Caishen Cangjie Dragon King Eight Immortals Erlang Shen Fuxi Guanyin Hou Yi Huxian Jade Emperor King Yama Leizi Lu-ban Mazu Nezha Nuwa Pangu Shennong Sun Wukong Xiwangmu Yue Lao Zhong Kui
Norse Classical Celtic Arthurian
Literature Stories Names
Aphrodite Apollo Ares Artemis Athena Atlas Coeus Crius Cronus Demeter Dionysus Gaia Hades Hephaestus Hera Hermes Hestia Hyperion Iapetus Mnemosyne Oceanus Phobos Phoebe Poseidon Prometheus Rhea Tethys Themis Uranus Zeus
Bacchus Ceres Diana Juno Jupiter Mars Mercury Minerva Neptune Pluto Venus Vesta Vulcan
Amun Anubis Aten Atum Babi Bastet Bes Geb Hapi hathor heqet Horus Isis Khepri Khnum Khonsu Maat Nephthys Nut Osiris Ptah Ra Seshat Seth Shu Sobek Thoth
Alfheim Baldur Freya Freyr Frigg Heimdallr Helheim Idun Jotunheim Loki Nerthus Njord Odin Thor Tyr
Aengus Arawn Badb Brigid Cailleach Ceridwen Cernunnos Cu Chulainn Dagda Danu Gwydion Herne the Hunter Lugh Medb Morrigan Neit Nuada Taliesin Taranis
Chalchiuhtlicue Coatlicue Huitzilopochtli Mictlantecuhtli Mixcoatl Ometeotl Quetzalcoatl Tezcatlipoca Tlaloc Tonatiuh Xipe Totec Xochiquetzal Xolotl
Amaterasu Ame no Uzume Benzaiten Bishamonten Daikokuten Ebisu Fujin Fukurokuju Inari Izanagi Kagutsuchi Raijin Susanoo Tsukuyomi
Caishen Cangjie Dragon King Eight Immortals Erlang Shen Fuxi Guanyin Hou Yi Huxian Jade Emperor King Yama Leizi Lu-ban Mazu Nezha Nuwa Pangu Shennong Sun Wukong Xiwangmu Yue Lao Zhong Kui
Norse Classical Celtic Arthurian
Literature Stories Names
  1. Celtic Mythology
    Otherworld Warrior Society Celtic Cycles Facts & Figures Genealogy Bibliography About Celtic Myths
  2. Warrior Society
    Red Branch Fianna High Kings Druids Bards Minor Celtic Characters
  3. Druids
    Background Iarbonél Druids of Danu Gebann Birog Bé Chuille & Dianann Caicer Cathbad Barach Cailitin Fedelm Tadg Bodhmall Finneces (Finegas) Dark Druid (Fer Doirich) Gallizenae Other Druids
  4. Cailitin

Cailitin

Cailitín Dána (Cailitin or Calatin) was the chief druid of Medb and Ailill. Cailitin was known most for his fight against Ulster's hero Cu Chulainn, in the Táin Bó Cuailnge.

Cailitin had many sons and several daughters, and they were all known as the Clan Cailitin. They were all described as hideously deformed druids.

Twenty-seven sons joined Cailitín when they crossed over to Ulster with the large army of Medb. Just before the single combat between Cu Chulainn and Fer Díad Mac Damann, Calitin and his sons fought an unfair combat against the Ulsterian hero. Actually, 29 of them fought against Cu Chulainn, and one of them was named Glas Mac Delga, who was either Cailitin's grandson or nephew (sister's son).

The Clan Cailitin wielded 29 poison-tipped spears; if the victim was killed outright, they would die from the poison after nine days of agony. Cu Chulainn caught all 29 spears with his shield, but their superior numbers would have killed the hero, had not one of the exiled Ulstermen, Fiachu Mac Fir Fhebe, come to his aid. With one sword stroke, Fiachu sheared off the right arms of Clan Cailitin. Cu Chulainn killed all the Clan Cailitin, though Glas managed to momentarily escape back to Medb's camp. Before Glas could disclose the treachery of Fiachu, Cailitin's nephew was killed by a slingstone of Cu Chulainn.

Despite the death of Cailitin and his 27 sons, Cailitin's other surviving children became involved with Cu Chulainn's death. They used their magic to lure the hero away, alone again, to face Medb's army.

Related Information

Name

Cailitín, Calatin, Calatin.
Cailitín Dána, Calatín Dána, Gaile Dána.

Clan Cailitin (Cailitin and his children).

Related Articles

Medb, Ailill, Cu Chulainn.

Jimmy Joe Timeless Myths

By Jimmy Joe

Druids:

  • • Background
  • • Iarbonél
  • • Druids of Danu
  • • Gebann
  • • Birog
  • • Bé Chuille & Dianann
  • • Caicer
  • • Cathbad
  • • Barach
  • • Cailitin
  • • Fedelm
  • • Tadg
  • • Bodhmall
  • • Finneces (Finegas)
  • • Dark Druid (Fer Doirich)
  • • Gallizenae
  • • Other Druids
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May 13th, 2003 • Jimmy Joe
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A woman warrior. Aífe (Aife) possibly came from Britain. Aife was the chief enemy of Scathach , who was also a woman warrior. So great was her prowess and skills in battle that even if Scathach did not fear Aife, she was still wary, since Aife was...

November 8th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe

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