Lady Augusta Gregory

by Irish Myths

  Fome; and there was anger and not fear on his brothers, for they

  thought it no right thing he to have fallen by a man of the Fianna.

  And Tocha, the second son of the King of Lochlann, went on

  shore to avenge his brother. And he went straight into the middle

  of the Fianna, and gave his sword good feeding on their bodies,

  till they broke away before him and made no stand till Lugaidh's

  Son turned round against him. And those two fought a great fight,

  till their swords were bent and their spears crumbled away, and

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  they lost their golden shields. And at the last Lugaidh's Son made

  a stroke of his sword that cut through the foreigner's sword, and

  then he made another stroke that cut his heart in two halves. And

  he came back high and proud to the Fianna.

  Then the third son of the King of Lochlann, Mongach of the

  Sea, rose up, and all the armies rose up along with him. "Stop here,

  Men of the World," he said, "for it is not you but myself that has to

  go and ask satisfaction for the bodies of my brothers." So he went

  on shore; and it is the way he was, with a strong iron flail in his

  hand having seven balls of pure iron on it, and fifty iron chains,

  and fifty apples on every chain, and fifty deadly thorns on every

  apple. And he made a rush through the Fianna to break them up

  entirely and to tear them into strings, and they gave way before

  him. And great shame came on Fidach, son of the King of the Bretons, and he said: "Come here and praise me, Fergus of the True Lips, till I go out and fight with the foreigner." "It is easy to praise

  you, son," said Fergus, and he was praising him for a long time.

  Then the two looked at one another and used fierce, proud

  words. And then Mongach of the Sea raised his iron flail and

  made a great blow at the King of the Bretons' son. But he made a

  quick leap to one side and gave him a blow of his sword that cut

  off his two hands at the joint; and he did not stop at that, but

  made a blow at his middle that cut him into two halves. But as he

  fell, an apple of the flail with its deadly thorns went into Fidach's

  comely mouth and through his brain, and it was foot to foot those

  two fell, and lip to lip.

  And the next that came to fight on the strand was the King of

  Lochlann himself, Caisel of the Feathers. And he came to the battle having his shield on his arm; and it is the way the shield was, that was made for him by the smith of the Fomor, there were red

  flames coming from it; and if it was put under the sea itself, not

  one of its flames would stop blazing. And when he had that shield

  on his arm no man could come near him.

  And there was never such destruction done on the men of Ireland as on that day, for the flames of fire that he sent from his

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  shield went through the bodies of men till they blazed up like a

  splinter of oak that was afire hanging through the length of a year

  in the smoke of a chimney; and any one that would touch the

  man that was burning would catch fire himself. And every other

  harm that ever came into Ireland before was small beside this.

  Then Finn said: "Lift up your hands, Fianna of Ireland, and

  give three shouts of blessing to whoever will hinder this foreigner. " And the Fianna gave them three shouts; and the King of Lochlann gave a great laugh when he heard them. And Druimderg, grandson of the Head of the Fianna of Ulster, was near him, and he had with him a deadly spear, the Croderg, the Red Socketed, tha t came down from one to another of the sons of Rudraighe. And he looked at the King of Lochlann, and he could

  see ·no part of him without armour but his mouth that was

  opened wide, and he laughing at the Fianna. Then Druimderg

  made a cast with the Croderg that hit him in the open mouth, and

  he fell, and his shield fell along with its master, and its flame went

  out. And Druimderg struck the head from his body, and made

  great boasts of the things he had done.

  CHAPTER XI.

  LABRAN'S JOURNEY

  It is then Fergus of the True Lips set out again and went through

  the length of Ireland till he came to the house of Tadg, son of

  Nuada, that was grandfather to Finn.

  And there was great grief of Muime, Finn's mother, and on

  Labran of the Long Hand her brother, and on all her people ,

  when they knew the great danger he was in. And Tadg asked his

  wife who did she think would escape with their lives from the

  great fighting at the White Strand. "It is a pity the way they are

  there," said she; "for if all the living men of the world were on one

  side, Daire Donn, the King of the World, would put them all

  down; for there are no weapons in the world that will ever be

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  reddened on him. And on the night he was born, the smith of the

  Fomor made a shield and a sword, and it is in the prophecy that

  he will fall by no other arms but those. And it is to the King of the

  Country of the Fair Men he gave them to keep, and it is with him

  they are now. " "If that is so," said Tadg, "you might be able to get

  help for Finn, son of Cumhal, the only son of your daughter. And

  bid Labran Lamfada to go and ask those weapons of him," he

  said. "Do not be asking me," said she, "to go against Daire Donn

  that was brought up in my father's house. " But after they had

  talked for a while, they went out on the lawn, and they sent

  Labran looking for the weapons in the shape of a great eagle.

  And he went on from sea to sea, till at noon on the morrow he

  came to the dun of the King of the Country of the Fair Men; and he

  went in his own shape to the dun and saluted the king, and the king

  bade him welcome, and asked him to stop with him for a while.

  "There is a thing I want more than that," said Labran, "for the wife

  of a champion of the Fianna has given me her love, and I cannot get

  her without fighting for her; and it is the loan of that sword and that

  shield you have in your keeping I am come asking now," he said.

  There were seven rooms, now, in the king's house that opened

  into one another, and on the first door was one lock, and on the

  second two locks, and so on to the door of the last room that had

  seven locks; and it was in that the sword and the shield that were

  made by the smith of the Fomor were kept. And they were

  brought out and were given to Labran, and stalks of luck were put

  with them, and they were bound together with shield straps.

  Then Labran of the Long Hand went back across the seas

  again, and he reached his father's dun between the crowing of the

  cock and the full light of day; and the weakness of death came on

  him. "It is a good message you are after doing, my son," said

  Tadg, "and no one ever went that far in so short a time as yourself." "It is little profit that is to me," said Labran, "for I am not able to bring them to Finn in time for the fight to-morrow. "

  But just at that time one of Tadg's people saw Aedh, son of

  Aebinn, that was as quick as the wind over a plain till the middle

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  of every day, and after that, th
ere was no man quicker than he

  was. "You are come at a good time," said Tadg. And with that he

  gave him the sword and the shield to bring to Finn for the battle.

  So Aedh, son of Aebinn, went with the swiftness of a hare or of

  a fawn or a swallow, till at the rising of the day on the morrow he

  came to the White Strand. And just at that time Fergus of the

  True Lips was rousing up the Fianna for the great fight, and it is

  what he said: "Fianna of Ireland," he said, "if there was the length

  of seven days in one day, you would have work to fill it now; for

  there never was and there never will be done in Ireland a day's

  work like the work of to-day. "

  Then the Fianna of Ireland rose up, and they saw Aedh, son of

  Aebinn, coming towards them with his quick running, and Finn

  asked news from him. "It is from the dun of Tadg, son of Nuada, I

  am come," he said, "and it is to yourself I am sent, to ask how it is

  you did not redden your weapons yet upon the King of the World."

  "I swear by the oath of my people," said Finn, "if I do not redden

  my weapons on him, I will crush his body within his armour." "I

  have here for you, King of the Fianna," said Aedh then, "the deadly

  weapons that will bring him to his death; and it was Labran of the

  Long Hand got them for you through his Druid arts." He put them

  in Finn's hand then, and Finn took the coverings off them, and

  there rose from them flashes of fire and deadly bubbles; and not

  one of the Fianna could stay looking at them, but it put great

  courage into them to know they were with Finn. "Rise up now,"

  said Finn to Fergus of the True Lips, "and go where the King of the

  World is, and bid him to come out to the place of the great fight. "

  CHAPTER XII.

  THE GREAT FIGHT

  Then the King of the World came to the strand, and all his armies

  with him; and all that were left of the Fianna went out against

  them, and they were like thick woods meeting one another, and

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  they made great strokes, and there were swords crashing against

  bones, and bodies that were hacked, and eyes that were blinded,

  and many a mother was left without her son, and many a comely

  wife without her comrade.

  Then the creatures of the high air answered to the battle, foretelling the destruction that would be done that day; and the sea chattered of the losses, and the waves gave heavy shouts keening

  them, and the water-beasts roared to one another, and the rough

  hills creaked with the danger of the battle, and the woods trembled mourning the heroes, and the grey stones cried out at their deeds, and the wind sobbed telling them and the earth shook,

  foretelling the slaughter; and the cries of the grey armies put a

  blue cloak over the sun, and the clouds were dark; and the

  hounds and the whelps and the crows, and the witches of the valley, and the powers of the air, and the wolves of the forests, howled from every quarter and on every side of the armies, urging

  them against one another.

  It was then Conan, son of Moma, brought to mind that himself and his kindred had done great harm to the sons of Baiscne, and he had a wish to do some good thing for them on account of

  that, and he raised up his sword and did great deeds.

  And Finn was over the battle, encouraging the Fianna; and the

  King of the World was on the other side encouraging the foreigners. "Rise up now, Fergus," said Finn, "and praise Conan for me that his courage may be the greater, for it is good work he is doing

  on my enemies." So Fergus went where Conan was, and at that

  time he was heated with the dust of the fight, and he was gone

  outside to let the wind go about him.

  "It is well you remember the old quarrel between the sons of

  Moma and the sons of Baiscne, Conan," said Fergus; "and you

  would be ready to go to your own death if it would bring harm on

  the sons of Baiscne," he said. "For the love of your good name,

  Man of Poetry," said Conan, "do not be speaking against me without cause, and I will do good work on the foreigners when I get to

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  the battle again. " "By my word," said Fergus, "that would be a

  good thing for you to do. " He sang a verse of praise for him then,

  and Conan went back into the battle, and his deeds were not

  worse this time than they were before. And Fergus went back to

  where Finn was.

  "Who is best in the battle now?" said Finn. Duban, son of Cas,

  a champion of your own people," said Fergus, "for he never gives

  but the one stroke to any man, and no man escapes with his life

  from that stroke, and three times nine and eighty men have fallen

  by him up to this time." And Duban Donn, great-grandson of the

  King of Tuathmumhain, was there listening to him, and it is what

  he said: "By my oath, Fergus," he said, "all you are saying is true,

  for there is not a son of a king or of a lord is better in the battle

  than Duban, son of Cas; and I will go to my own death if I do not

  go beyond him." With that he went rushing through the battle like

  flames over a high hill that is thick with furze. Nine times he made

  a round of the battle, and he killed nine times nine in every round.

  "Who is best in the battle now?" said Finn, after a while. "It is

  Duban Donn that is after going from us," said Fergus. "For there

  has been no one ahead of him since he was in his seventh year,

  and there is no one ahead of him now. " "Rise up and praise him

  that his courage may be greater," said Finn. "It is right to praise

  him," said Fergus, "and the foreigners running before him on

  every side as they would run from a heavy drenching of the sea."

  So Fergus praised him for a while, and he went back then to Finn.

  "Who is best in the battle now?" said Finn. "It is Osgar is best

  in it now," said Fergus, "and he is fighting alone against two hundred Franks and two hundred of the men of Gairian, and the King of the Men of Gairian himself. And all these are beating at

  his shield," he said, "and not one of them has given him a wound

  but he gave him a wound back for it. " "What way is Caoilte, son

  of Ronan?" said Finn. "He is in no great strait after the red slaughter he has made," said Fergus. "Go to him them," said Finn, "and bid him to keep off a share of the foreigners from Osgar. " So

  Fergus went to him. "Caoilte," he said, "it is great danger your

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  friend Osgar is in under the blows of the foreigners, and let you

  rise up and give him some help," he said.

  Caoilte went then to the place where Osgar was, and he gave a

  straight blow of his sword at the man who was nearest him, that

  made two halves of him. Osgar raised his head then and looked at

  him. "It is likely, Caoilte," he said, "you did not dare redden your

  sword on any one till you struck down a man that was before my

  sword. And it is a shame for you," he said, "all the men of the great

  world and the Fianna of Ireland to be in the one battle, and you

  not able to make out a fight for yourself without coming to take a

  share of my share of the battle. And I give my oath," he said, "I

  would be glad to see you put down in your bed of blood
on

  account of that thing." Caoilte's mind changed when he heard that,

  and he turned again to the army of the foreigners with the redness

  of anger on his white face; and eighty fighting men fell in that rout.

  "What way is the battle now? " said Finn. "It is a pity," said

  Fergus, "there never came and there never will come any one that

  can tell the way it is now. For by my word," he said, "the tree-tops

  of the thickest forest in the whole of the western world are not

  close together than the armies are now. For the bosses of their

  shields are in one another's hands. And there is fire coming from

  the edges of their swords," he said, "and blood is raining down

  like a shower on a day of harvest; and there were never so many

  leaves tom by the wind from a great forest as there are locks of

  long golden hair, and of black curled hair, cut off by sharp

  weapons, blowing into the clouds at this time. And there is no

  person could tell one man from another, now," he said, "unless it

  might be by their voices." With that he went into the very middle

  of the fight to praise and to hearten the men of the Fianna.

  "Who is first in the battle now, Fergus? " said Finn, when he

  came back to him. "By my oath, it is no friend of your own is first

  in it," said Fergus, "for it is Daire Donn, the King of the World;

  and it is for you he is marching through the battle," he said, "and

  three times fifty of his own people were with him. But two of the

  men of your Fianna fell on them," he said, " Cairell the Battle

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  Striker, and Aelchinn of Cruachan, and made an end of them. But

  they were not able to wound the King of the World," he said, "but

  the two of them fell together by him."

  Then the King of the World came towards Finn, and there was

  no one near him but Arcallach of the Black Axe, the first that ever

  brought a wide axe into Ireland. "I give my word," said Arcallach,

  "I would never let Finn go before me into any battle." He rose up

  then and made a terrible great blow of his axe at the king, that

  went through his royal crown to the hair of his head, but that did

  not take a drop of blood out of him, for the edge of the axe turned

  and there went balls of fire over the plain from that blow. And the