A historically inaccurate misinterpretation of the dramatic situation in which Cú Chulainn, the great hero of Irish legends, has one of his spectacular warp spasms (ríastrad). Here’s how the legends describe it: One eye bulging out of his head, the other sucked in deep that a wild crane couldn’t probe it out of the depths of his skull. If a royal apple tree were shaken above him, each apple would be spiked on a bristle of his hair as it stood up on his scalp with rage.
In this scene Cú Chulainn is returning to the village of Emain Macha in the state of uncontrollable rage. The women of Emain, fearing the destruction of the village and slaughter of its inhabitants, drop everything they’re doing and run to meet him ahead, baring their breasts to him. The sight startles Cú Chulainn greatly; he averts his eyes, and is wrestled into a barrel of cold water, and another one, until he eventually calms down. The danger once again averted, women are returning to their work.