The Bull - card

The Bull (Tarbh in irish), represents the fourth month in the Celtic Animal Lore calendar and is an animal which “stars” in one of the most prominent Irish mythological cycle, that of the Táin Bó Cúailnge, the Cattle Raid of Cooley. It tells the story of how Maebh (Maeve) Queen of Connacht and her husband Ailill compared their individual fortunes and it transpired that when all was added, Maebh was short one bull. Ailill had one of the most famous bulls in all of Ireland, Finnbenach the white bull, and none could be its equal bar one. That was the Donn Cuailnge, the brown bull, in Cooley (in modern day Co. Louth). Thus, began the epic tale, wherein Cúchullain stood against the might of Queen Maebh’s army and where eventually, the bulls fought to the death. The white one died in the battle, the brown bull, mortally wounded, collapsed and died from exhaustion, when it finally reached its home. This illustration shows the battle of the legendary brown and white bull as the fires of Bealtaine (1st May) burn during this time. Overhead we see the new leaves and last of the catkins on the willow tree.
Tree Lore equivalent is the Willow.

Illustrated by Margaret McKenna