MEDB

She started a war because she refused to be worth less.

One night in bed, Medb and her husband Ailill compared their wealth. They were equal in everything except one thing: Ailill owned a great white bull, Finnbennach, and Medb had nothing to match it. The only equal bull in Ireland was the Brown Bull of Cooley in Ulster.

Medb assembled the armies of Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and the exiled Ulstermen under Fergus. She invaded Ulster. This was the Táin Bó Cúailnge — the Cattle Raid of Cooley — the central epic of Irish mythology. She started it because she refused to be less than any man.

Fedelma told her what was coming. She marched anyway.

Before leaving, Medb encountered the seer Fedelma. Three times she asked how the army would fare. Three times Fedelma answered: “I see crimson. I see red.” Medb dismissed the warning. She encountered Cú Chulainn at the ford. He held her entire army at bay, alone, for weeks. The Táin became the bloodiest story in Irish mythology.