Editing Cú Roí (section)

===The Trance of Amairgin===
Cú Roí further appears in the episode known as "The Trance of Amairgin", variants of which appear in Recension I and II of the ''Táin bó Cúailnge''.

The episode appears as ''Aislinge n-Aimirgin'' ("The trance of [[Amergin mac Eccit|Amairgin]]") in Recension I of the ''Táin''.<ref>''Táin bó Cúailnge'' (Recension I), ed. and tr. O'Rahilly, pp. 103, 216.</ref> Having followed news of Cú Chulainn's sustained success in single-handedly opposing the Connacht army, Cú Roí once again appears on the scene, this time to fight Cú Chulainn directly. However, on finding Cú Chulainn weak from the injuries which [[Ferdiad]] had recently inflicted on him, he refused to carry out his original plan. Instead he faces the giant warrior poet Amairgin, who in a trance is hurling stones at the Connacht army in [[Tailtiu]], with devastating effects. Cú Roí attacks him in kind and their stones meet in the air. They pause when on Cú Roí's request, Amairgen allows the cattle to go past Tailtiu, but seeing as the passage had become difficult, Cú Roí agrees to withdraw from the contest altogether.

The episode in the [[Book of Leinster]] (Recension II), called ''Imthúsa Chon Ruí meic Dáire'' (header) or ''Oislige Amargin'' (text),<ref>''Táin bó Cúailnge'' (Recension II), ed. and tr. O'Rahilly, pp. 109-10, 244-5.</ref> offers by and large the same story, but adds more explicit detail, notably on the point of Cú Roí's sense of honour in his encounters with Cú Chulainn and Amairgin.<ref>Hellmuth, "A Giant Among Kings and Heroes." p. 6.</ref> First, Cú Roí explains his refusal to fight Cú Chulainn not only by pointing out the inequality between a physically healthy and an injured warrior, but also by saying that a victory would not be his, seeing as it was Fer Diad who had laid low his opponent. Second, the conclusion of Cú Roí's fight with Amairgin is told from a perspective which highlights the role of honour in his motives. [[Medb]] insisted "[b]y the truth of your [Cú Roí's] valour" (''{{lang|ga|[a]r fír do gascid fritt}}'') that he should abandon the competition, obstructive as it proved to be to the progress of the expedition. Cú Roí, however, was determined to persist "till the day of doom" (''co brunni brátha'') unless Amairgin agreed to stop. (When the matter was settled and Cú Roí returned to his country, Amairgin resumed his attacks on the invading army, explaining that his agreement was with Cú Roí only.)