Fergus mac Rog

Also known as: Fergus / Fergus the son of Rog · Family: Ulstermen · Role: surety · First appears: The Sick-bed of Cuchulain · Part 1

At the festival on Murthemne Plain, Cuchulain delayed proceedings until Fergus and Conall arrived; Fergus was Cuchulain’s foster-father, and later welcomed him as “my pupil.” In the Book of Leinster version of The Exile of the Sons of Usnach, Fergus was named surety when the sons agreed to return. Conor delayed him with an ale-feast while the sons continued toward Emain; Fergus struck down Traigthren and his brother, joined the fighting in which three hundred Ulstermen fell, and set Emain on fire before going into exile with his followers to Connaught, where Ailill and Maev sheltered them.

In the Glenn Masain version, Fergus, Cormac, Dubhtach, and their forces fought Conor’s household, killing Maine and three hundred others, then destroyed and burned Emain Macha. They went to Connaught and received welcome and support from Ailill and Maev. For seven years, or perhaps ten, Fergus and his allies raided Ulster and subdued Cualgne. In The Combat at the Ford, Fergus told Cuchulain that Ferdia, his friend and fellow pupil, was coming to fight him.

In The Driving of the Cattle of Flidais, Flidais sent messengers to Fergus each week because she loved him; after going to him by Ailill and Medb’s decree, she went with him to his home. Fergus received lordship over part of Ulster, including Mag Murthemni and land that had been in Cuchulain’s hands. After his wife’s death, he went west to Cruachan seeking a story and a grant of cows from Ailill and Medb; he later died in Connaught through Ailill’s jealousy.