1. Notes

Stealing of the Giant's Cows

Gochbadun was a son of Urox, and one of the great Aurochs, bursting with vigor and health. Courageous, fierce, and strong, Gochbadun was the greatest of the aurochs. Bergilmer the giant chieftain had Gochbadun in his herd. Bergilmer’s clan occupied the lands north of the Quivin Mountains at that time, and few dared to try to settle those lands.

King Ulanin's scouts often reported that Bergilmer’s clan enjoyed the taste of men and the terrible smell of roasting man-flesh at the giant’s hearth. The king despised Bergilmer, but his advisers told him not to attack the giant chieftain, whose stead was surrounded by stout wooden walls and guarded by the two-headed dogs.

When Ulanin heard of the great bull, he swore that he would add Gochbadun to his own herds and drive Bergilmer’s clan out of the lands north of the Quivin Mountains. He rode out with his war host, with their glittering spears and mail coats to take the giant’s treasure. Many fine men rode with him, including his sons Brandig Blue-Helm and Joram the Sword, along with Harkala Never-Blink. She was in exile from the Koroltes then.

This was the route of the war host: they went east of the Wild Mountain, past Korgradus and Hareva. This was King Ulanin’s land and he was greeted with a day-feed when he needed to rest. Ulanin’s host had to fight off the raiders in the hills, and the king was shocked that his enemies had grown so bold. Then they headed east into the giant’s lands, so long denied to man.

Ulanin’s host met Bergilmer’s giants there, and many of his host died. They feared the two-headed dogs more than the giants, but Ulanin speared them from his horse Goldwing. The host marched on to Borden Hill. After the defeat of his warriors, Bergilmer the Cowardly withdrew his remaining giants inside the fort.

Ulanin laid siege to Bergilmer’s camp. Six times he assaulted the walls of the giant’s castle, and six times, he was repelled, but he never gave up. On the seventh attempt, Ulanin breached the walls and his men poured through the gap. Bergilmer the Cowardly escaped, but Ulanin took possession of the place of slaughter.

Ulanin then built a hill fort of two ditches and three banks, half a mile wide, to guard his captured herd. Red Cow Fort was tested three times.

The first came when Bergilmer returned looking for his missing bull.

The second was when King Hargart Many-trials of the Stravuli raided the Orgorvaltes because he wanted Gochbadun for his own. Jarenst Bear-club held off Hargart’s warband for three days and nights at Dangerford that time.

The third and final time was when Foul-of-the-Woods led an army of broos here. That time the fort failed; no one remained to tell of it, but the Red Broos were seen after that.

Background

The Stealing of the Giant’s Cows is a well-known Orlanthi ‘cattle raiding’ heroquest. Ulanin the Rider, Vingkot's son-in-law, and an ancestor of the Red Cow clan, stole aurochs from the herd of the giant Bergilmer. The giant chieftain Bergilmer’s stockade became Red Cow Fort.

Performing this quest successfully leads to the clan’s cattle calving the red cows. The quest is done in late Sea Season for calving early in the following Sea Season. Commonly the questers, called the Auroch Bringers, use Orlanth’s Sword Day rites to begin the quest.

Whilst much of the myth is wellknown, no clan has fully succeeded in this heroquest; the frontal assault of Bergilmer’s hill fort is too hard. The Culbrea under Hofstaring Treeleaper tried and failed.

Everyone guesses that the Red Cow must have some secret to overcoming Bergilmer because it does not appear possible for even a tribe to muster the required strength. Of course, the Red Cow only has the famous red cows born to their cattle, so most folk guess their approach does not give them the full benefit of the quest.