Who trained the hero Cú Chulainn in martial arts?

Who trained the hero Cú Chulainn in martial arts? Scáthach trained Cú Chulainn in the arts of combat.

Scáthach is a legendary Scottish warrior woman and martial-arts teacher in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Her instruction is most notably told in Tochmarc Emire, “The Wooing of Emer,” in which Cú Chulainn travels to Alba, the traditional Gaelic name for Scotland, to study under her.

Scáthach teaches him a wide range of warrior skills, including the use of the Gáe Bulg, the fearsome barbed spear associated with Cú Chulainn. The weapon is traditionally thrown with the foot and must be cut out of its victim, making it one of the hero’s most distinctive weapons.

Cú Chulainn is not Scáthach’s only pupil: the warrior Ferdiad also trains with her, and the two later become opponents in the Táin Bó Cúailnge. Aífe, one of Scáthach’s rivals or relatives depending on the tradition, is another important figure in the training episode, but she is not the answer to this question. Gráinne and Medb belong to different major episodes of Irish legend.