One is struck by the almost perfunctory denouement of these tales. I think this relates partially to the fact that myths of this sort are intended to guide the mystic through crisis. When it is over, the message for the mystic is often as simple as "Okay, now go and serve."

Each of the protagonists of these tales clearly went through a psycho-spiritual crisis bearing strong resemblance to shamanic initiatory illness, or "spiritual emergency" as Grof has termed it in modern, non-shamanic contexts. The question is, did these people act as shamans?

Mis "surpassed the lovely, many-talented women of Munster during her time." (7 go raibh air mhnáibh áille ilbhéasacha na Múmhan le a linn.¹³⁴) However, we are not told that she acts in any particular way for the community. Of course, an eminent and gifted figure in the community would add to the community. If she was, as Mac Cana thinks is possible, a Queen figure, there would be a stronger argument for a service to the community as Queen. In essence, who she was, as embodiment of the Goddess for the King, marrying him to the land, would have been a very important service. However, in the story as we have it, there is no clear example of a particular service.

Cú Chulainn does use supernatural power as a warrior shaman would. In some cultures, the warrior role is by far the most important for the shaman, out weighing that of healer. There are plenty of accounts of this sort of shamanic activity amongst South American tribes.¹³⁵ We also have Druids performing this sort of service in the stories, such as Mog Roith in Forbuis Droma Damhgaire.¹³⁶

Cú Chulainn's father, the God Lugh, fights over him on behalf of Ulster while he rests.¹³⁷ Thus showing he has a supernatural ally, as shamans do.¹³⁸ He defeats the Mórrígan, and only he can heal her, thus showing he has healing powers as well.¹³⁹

However, these things all occur later. At the end of this particular tale, Fand goes back to her husband; Cú Chulainn goes off to the mountains in misery. Finally, the druids give him and Emer a potion so that they will forget about the whole incident.¹⁴⁰ There is no specific mention of transmission of gifts at the end of this tale. To find that, we have to look at the over all corpus of tales about Cú Chulainn.

Óengus is the most clearly and classically shamanic of all three. Besides his change of title, he and his mate become swans, an animal with strong supernatural associations.¹⁴¹ He and Caer sing so that all around his home go into trance, thus transmitting their experience of the other world to the community.¹⁴² He clearly fulfils the role of intermediary between this world and the other for his community.

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134 Ó Cuív, 1954, p. 332, lines 143-144, author's translation
135 Harner, 1973, pp. 140-142, 118-121
136 Sjoestedt, 1926, 110-113
137 O'Rahilly, 1976, pp. 183-184
138 Eliade, 1974, pp. 88-94
139 O'Rahilly, 1976, pp. 181-182
140 Cross and Slover, 1969, pp. 197-198
141 Ross, 1993, pp. 302-306
142 Jackson, 1971, p. 97