A banishment, a monster-filled quest, and the woman at the end of it
The Adventure of Art mac Cuinn follows the son of Conn of the Hundred Battles into one of the most extraordinary Otherworld quests in the Cycle of Kings. Art — later to become Art mac Cuinn, one of the most celebrated kings in the tradition — has to travel to the Land of Wonder to win a woman named Delbchaem and rescue her from her monstrous family. It is part love story, part hero’s quest, and thoroughly lethal.
The Banishment
The trouble began with Conn bringing a woman from the Otherworld — Bé Chuma, who had been banished from the Land of Promise for causing trouble there — to Tara as his wife. The druids warned that her presence was causing the land to fail: crops withered, cattle gave no milk. The only remedy was for Art to be banished from Tara for a year. He went.
The Quest
To end his banishment and heal the land, Art had to find and bring back Delbchaem, daughter of Morgan, who was held in a heavily guarded Otherworld realm called the Land of Wonder. The journey there was through a series of increasingly hostile landscapes — a treacherous sea, forests of poisoned trees, plains of monstrous animals. Art fought and survived each obstacle through courage and the aid of Otherworld guides.
The Monstrous Parents
Delbchaem herself was not the difficulty — she was willing to come with Art. The difficulty was her parents. Her mother Coinchend was a warrior-woman of terrible power, and her father Morgan was equally formidable. Art defeated them both, took Delbchaem, and brought her back to Ireland. Bé Chuma was expelled from Tara, the land healed, and Art’s place in the royal succession was secured.
Key facts about Adventure of Art mac Cuinn
- Irish title: Echtra Airt meic Cuinn (“The Adventure of Art son of Conn”)
- Hero: Art mac Cuinn — son of Conn of the Hundred Battles; later a celebrated High King himself
- Why banished: His father’s new wife Bé Chuma (an Otherworld exile) was causing Ireland’s land to fail
- The quest: Win and rescue Delbchaem from the Land of Wonder
- Obstacles: Poisoned sea, monstrous forests, hostile plains — all on the journey to the Otherworld realm
- Final battle: Against Delbchaem’s parents — Coinchend (warrior-woman) and Morgan
- Result: Delbchaem won; Bé Chuma expelled; the land of Ireland restored
- Cycle: Cycle of Kings
Link/cite this page
If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content.
Link will appear as The Adventure of Art: https://irishgodsandgoddesses.net - Irish Gods & Goddesses, March 22, 2026