What was the name of Cú Chulainn's wife, known for her intelligence and beauty? Cú Chulainn’s wife was Emer, the intelligent and beautiful heroine of the Ulster Cycle.
Emer is the daughter of Forgall Monach and the central figure of Tochmarc Emire, or The Wooing of Emer. In that story, Cú Chulainn refuses the idea of an arranged search for another bride because he wants Emer. Their courtship is shaped by riddles and conversation, highlighting her intelligence rather than presenting her only as a beautiful woman.
Traditional descriptions associate Emer with six celebrated gifts of womanhood: beauty, a gentle voice, sweet speech, wisdom, skill at needlework, and chastity. Forgall opposes the match and attempts to keep the couple apart, but Cú Chulainn eventually completes the martial training associated with the courtship and marries her.
Emer remains important in later Ulster Cycle stories. In The Wasting Sickness of Cú Chulainn, she responds to his relationship with Fand, the wife of Manannán mac Lir. That episode shows her as forceful and perceptive, not merely a passive love interest. Sadhbh, Gráinne, and Deirdre are also prominent Irish mythological women, but they belong to different stories.