by Irish Myths
a desire that is as long as a year; but it is love given to an echo, the
spending of grief on a wave, a lonely fight with a shadow, that is
what my love and my desire have been to me. "
And i t is then Etain knew what was the sickness that was on
him, and it was a heavy trouble to her.
But she came to him every day to tend him, and to make ready
his food, and to pour water over his hands, and all she could do she
did for him, for it was a grief to her, he to wither away and to be
lost for her sake. And at last one day she said to him: "Rise up,
Ailell, son of a king, man of high deeds, and I will do your healing."
Then he put his arms about her, and she kissed him, and she
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said: "Come at the morning of to-morrow at the break of day to
the house outside the dun, and I will give you all your desire."
That night Ailell lay without sleep until the morning was at
hand. And at the very time he should have risen to go to her, it
was at that time his sleep settled down upon him, and he slept on
till the full light of day.
But Etain went to the house outside the dun, and she was not
long there when she saw a man coming towards her having the
appearance of Ailell, sick and tired and worn. But when he came
near and she looked closely at him, she saw it was not Ailell that
was in it. Then he went away, and after she had waited a while,
she herself went back into the dun.
And it was then Ailell awoke, and when he knew the morning
had passed by, he would sooner have had death than life, and he
fretted greatly. And Etain came in then, and he told her what had
happened him. And she said: "Come to-morrow to the same place."
But the same thing happened the next day. And when it happened on the third day, and the same man came to meet Etain, she said to him: "It is not you at all I come to meet here, and why
is it that you come to meet me? And as to him I came to meet,"
she said, "indeed it is not for gain or through lightness I bade him
come to me, but to heal him of the sickness he is lying under for
my sake. " Then the man said: "It would be more fitting for you to
come to meet me than any other one. For in the time long ago,"
he said, "I was your first husband, and your first man. " "What is
it you are saying," she said, "and who are you yourself? " "It is
easy to tell that," he said; "I am Midhir of Bri Leith. " "And what
parted us if I was your wife? " said Etain. "It was through Fuamach's sharp jealousy and through the spells of Bresal Etarlaim, the Druid, we were parted. And will you come away with me
now? " he said. But Etain said: "It is not for a man whose kindred
is unknown I will give up the High King of Ireland. " And Midhir
said: "Surely it was I myself put that great desire for you on Ailell,
and it was I hindered him from going to meet you, the way you
might keep your good name."
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107
And when she went back to Ailell's house, she found his sickness was gone from him, and his desire. And she told him all that had happened, and he said: "It has turned out well for us both: I
am well of my sickness and your good name is not lessened. "
"We give thanks to our gods for that," said Etain, "for we are well
pleased to have it so."
And just at that time Eochaid came back from his journey, and
they told him the whole story, and he was thankful to his wife for
the kindness she had showed to Ailell.
It was a good while after that, there was a great fair held at
Teamhair, and Etain was out on the green looking at the games
and the races. And she saw a rider coming towards her, but no
one could see him but herself; and when he came near she saw he
had the same appearance as the man that came and spoke with
her and her young girls the time they were out in the sea at Inver
Cechmaine. And when he came up to her he began to sing words
to her that no one could hear but herself. And it is what he said:
"O beautiful woman, wil.l you come with me to the wonderful
country that is mine? It is pleasant to be looking at the people
there, beautiful people without any blemish; their hair is of the
colour of the flag-flower, their fair body is as white as snow, the
colour of the foxglove is on every cheek. The young never grow
old there; the fields and the flowers are as pleasant to be looking
at as the blackbird's eggs; warm, sweet streams of mead and of
wine flow through that country; there is no care and no sorrow
on any person; we see others, but we ourselves are not seen.
"Though the plains of Ireland are beautiful, it is little you
would think of them after our great plain; though the ale of Ireland
is heady, the ale of the great country is still more heady. 0 beautiful
woman, if you come to my proud people it is the flesh of pigs
newly killed I will give you for food; it is ale and new milk I will
give you for drink; it is feasting you will have with me there; it is a
crown of gold you will have upon your hair, 0 beautiful woman!
"And will you come there with me, Etain?" he said. But Etain
said she would not leave Eochaid the High King. "Will you come
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if Eochaid gives you leave? " Midhir said then. "I will do that,"
said Etain.
One day, after that time, Eochaid the High King was looking
out from the palace at Teamhair, and he saw a strange man coming
across the plain. Yellow hair he had, and eyes blue and shining
like the flame of a candle, and a purple dress on him, and in his
hand a five-pronged spear and a shield having gold knobs on it.
He came up to the king, and the king bade him welcome.
"Who are you yourself?" he said; "and what are you come for, for
you are a stranger to me? " "If I am a stranger to you, you are no
stranger to me, for I have known you this long time," said the
strange man. "What is your name?" said the king. "It is nothing
very great," said he; "I am called Midhir of Bri Leith." "What is it
brings you here?" said Eochaid. "I am come to play a game of
chess with you," said the stranger. "Are you a good player?" said
the king. "A trial will tell you that," said Midhir. "The chess-board
is in the queen's house, and she is in her sleep at this time," said
Eochaid. "That is no matter," said Midhir, "for I have with me a
chess-board as good as your own." And with that he brought out
his chess-board, and it made of silver, and precious stones shining
in every comer of it. And then he brought out the chessmen, and
they made of gold, from a bag that was of shining gold threads.
"Let us play now," said Midhir. "I will not play without a
stake," said the king. "What stake shall we play for?" said Midhir.
"We can settle that after the game is over," said the king.
They played together then, and Midhir was beaten, and it is
what the king asked of him, fifty brown horses to be given to him.
And then they played the second time, and Midhir was beaten
again, and this time the king gave him for hard things to d
o: to
make a road over Moin Lamraide, and to clear Midhe of stones,
and to cover the district of Tethra with rushes, and the district of
Darbrech with trees.
So Midhir brought his people from Bri Leith to do those
things, and it is hard work they had doing them. And Eochaid
used to be out watching them, and he took notice that when the
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109
men of the Sidhe yoked their oxen, it was by the neck and
the shoulder they used to yoke them, and not by the forehead
and the head. And it was after Eochaid taught his people to yoke
them that way, he was given the name of Eochaid Airem, that is,
of the Plough.
And when all was done, Midhir came to Eochaid again, looking
thin and wasted enough with the dint of the hard work he had
been doing, and he asked Eochaid to play the third game with him.
Eochaid agreed, and it was settled as before, the stake to be settled
by the winner. It was Midhir won the game that time, and when
the king asked him what he wanted, "It is Etain, your wife, I want,"
said he. "I will not give her to you," said the king. "All I will ask
then," said Midhir, "is to put my arms about her and to kiss her
once." "You may do that," said the king, "if you will wait to the end
of a month." So Midhir agreed to that, and went away for the time.
At the end of the month he came back again, and stood in the
great hall at Teamhair, and no one had ever seen him look so
comely as he did that night. And Eochaid had all his best fighting
men gathered in the hall, and he shut all the doors of the palace
when he saw Midhir come in, for fear he would try to bring away
Etain by force.
"I am come to be paid what is due to me," said Midhir. "I have
not been thinking of it up to this time," said Eochaid, and there
was anger on him. "You promised me Etain, your wife," said Midhir. The redness of shame came on Etain when she heard that, but Midhir said: "Let there be no shame on you , Etain, for it is
through the length of a year I have been asking your love, and I
have offered you every sort of treasure and riches , and you
refused to come to me till such a time as your husband would
give you. leave. " "It is true I said that," said Etain. "I will go if
Eochaid gives me up to you . " " I will not give you up ," said
Eochaid; "I will let him do no more than put his arms about you
in this place, as was promised him." "I will do that," said Midhir.
With that he took his sword in his left hand, and he took Etain
in his right arm and kissed her. All the armed men in the house
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IRISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS
made a rush at him then, but he rose up through the roof bringing Etain with him, and when they rushed out of the house to follow him, all they could see was two swans high up in the air,
linked together by a chain of gold.
There was great anger on Eochaid then, and he went and
searched all through Ireland, but there were no tidings of them to
be had, for they were in the houses of the Sidhe.
It was to the Brugh of Angus on the Boinn they went first, and
after they had stopped there a while they went to a hill of the
Sidhe in Connacht. And there was a serving-maid with Etain at
that time, Cruachan Croderg her name was, and she said to Midhir: "Is this your own place we are in? " "It is not," said Midhir;
"my own place is nearer to the rising of the sun." She was not
well pleased to stop there when she heard that, and Midhir said to
quiet her: "It is your own name will be put on this place from this
out." And the hill was called the Hill of Cruachan from that time.
Then they went to Bri Leith; and Etain's daughter Esa came to
them there, and she brought a hundred of every sort of cattle with
her, and Midhir fostered her for seven years. And all through that
time Eochaid the High King was making a search for them.
But at last Codal of the Withered Breast took four rods of
yew and wrote Oghams on them, and through them and through
his enchantments he found out that Etain was with Midhir in
Bri Leith.
So Eochaid went there, and made an attack on the place, and
he was for nine years besieging it, and Midhir was driving him
away. And then his people began digging through the hill; and
when they were getting near to where Etain was, Midhir sent
three times twenty beautiful women, having all of them the
appearance of Etain, and he bade the king choose her out from
among them. And the first he chose was his own daughter Esa.
But then Etain called to him, and he knew her, and he brought
her home to Teamhair.
And Eochaid gave his daughter Esa her choice of a place for
herself. And she chose it, and made a rath there, that got the
THE EVER-LIVING LIVING ONES
l 1 1
name of Rath Esa. And from it she could see three notable places,
the Hill of the Sidhe in Broga, and the Hill of the Hostages in
Teamhair, and Dun Crimthain of Beinn Edair.
But there was great anger on Midhir and his people because of
their hill being attacked and dug into. And it was in revenge for
that insult they brought Conaire, High King of Ireland, that was
grandson of Eochaid and of Etain, to his death afterwards at Da
Derga's Inn.
CHAPTER VIII.
MANANNAN
Now as to Manannan the Proud, son of Lir, after he had made
places for the rest of the Tuatha de Danaan to live in, he went
away out of Ireland himself. And some said he was dead, and that
he got his death by Uillenn Faebarderg, of the Red Edge, in battle.
And it is what they said, that the battle was fought at Magh
Cuilenn, and that Manannan was buried standing on his feet, and
no sooner was he buried than a great lake burst up under his feet
in the place that was a red bog till that time. And the lake got the
name of Loch Orbson, from one of the names of Manannan. And
it was said that red Badb was glad and many women were sorry at
that battle.
But he had many places of living, and he was often heard of in
Ireland after. It was he sent a messenger to Etain, mother of
Conaire the High King, the time she was hidden in the cowherd's
house. And it was he brought up Deirdre's children in Emhain of
the Apple Trees, and it was said of that place, "a house of peace is
the hill of the Sidhe of Emhain. " And it was he taught Diarmuid
of the Fianna the use of weapons, and it was he taught Cuchulain
the use of the Gae Bulg, and some say it was he was Deirdre's
father, and that he brought Conchubar, king of Ulster, to the place
she was hidden, and he running with the appearance of a hare
before the hounds of the men of Ulster to bring them there.
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And it is what they say, that the time Conchubar had brought
the sons of Usnach to Emain Macha, and could not come at them
to kill them because of their bravery, it was to Manannan he went
for help. And Manannan said he would give him no help, for he
had told him at the time he brought Deirdre
away that she would
be the cause of the breaking up of his kingdom, and he took her
away in spite of him. But Conchubar asked him to put blindness
for a while on the sons of Usnach, or the whole army would be
destroyed with their blows. So after a while he consented to that.
And when the sons of Usnach came out again against the army of
Ulster, the blindness came on them, and it was at one another
they struck, not seeing who was near them, and it was by one
another's hands they fell. But more say Manannan had no hand in
it, and that it was Cathbad, the Druid, put a sea about them and
brought them to their death by his enchantments.
And some say Culain, the Smith, that gave his name to Cuchulain afterwards, was Manannan himself, for he had many shapes.
Anyway, before Culain came to Ulster, he was living in the
Island of the Falga, that was one of Manannan's places. And one
time before Conchubar came into the kingdom, he went to ask
advice of a Druid, and the Druid bade him to go to the Island of
Falga and to ask Culain, the smith he would find there, to make
arms for him. So Conchubar did so, and the smith promised to
make a sword and spear and shield for him.
And while he was working at them Conchubar went out one
morning early to walk on the strand, and there he saw a seawoman asleep on the shore. And he put bonds on her in her sleep, the way she would not make her escape. But when she
awoke and saw what had happened, she asked him to set her free.
"And I am Tiabhal," she said, "one of the queens of the sea. And
bid Culain," she said, "that is making your shield for you, to put
my likeness on it and my name about it. And whenever you will
go into battle with that shield the strength of your enemies will
lessen, and your own strength and the strength of your people
will increase."
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1 1 3
So Conchubar let her go, and bade the smith do as she had
told him. And when he went back to Ireland he got the victory
wherever he brought that shield.
And he sent for Culain then, and offered him a place on the
plains of Muirthemne. And whether he was or was not Manannan,
it is likely he gave Cuchulain good teaching the time he stopped
with him there after killing his great dog.
Manannan had good hounds one time, but they went hunting
