Lady Augusta Gregory

by Irish Myths

  shoulders and they brought him away with them to the ford of

  the Slaine in the great plain of Leinster, where the most of the

  Fianna were at that time; and a Druid mist rose up about them

  that they could not be seen.

  And they went up on a little hill over the ford, and they saw

  before them four young men having crimson fringed cloaks and

  swords with gold hilts, and four good hunting hounds along with

  them. And the young man could not see them because of the mist,

  but Caoilte saw they were his own two sons, Colla and Faolan,

  and two other young men of the Fianna, and he could hear them

  talking together, and saying it was a year now that Finn, son of

  Cumhal, was gone from them. "And what will the Fianna of Ireland do from this out," said one of them, "without their lord and their leader? " "There is nothing for them to do," said another, "but

  to go to Teamhair and to break up there, or to find another leader

  for themselves." And there was heavy sorrow on them for the loss

  of their lord; and it was grief to Caoilte to be looking at them.

  And he and the two sons of Midhir went back then by the Lake

  of the Two Birds to Slieve-nam Ban, and they went into the hill.

  And Finn and Donn gave a great welcome to Luibra, the

  physician, and they showed him their two comrades that were

  lying in their wounds. "Those men are brothers to me," said

  Donn, "and tell me how can they be cured?" Luibra looked then

  at their wounds, and he said: "They can be cured if I get a good

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  reward." "You will get that indeed," said Caoilte; "and tell me

  now," he said, "how long will it take to cure them?" "It will take

  nine days," said Luibra. "It is a good reward you will get," said

  Caoilte, "and this is what it is, your own life to be left to you. But

  if these young men are not healed," he said, "it is my own hand

  will strike off your head. "

  And within nine days the physician had done a cure on them,

  and they were as well and as sound as before.

  And it was after that time the High King sent a messenger to

  bring the Fianna to the Feast of Teamhair. And they all gathered

  to it, men and women, boys and heroes and musicians. And Goll,

  son of Moma, was sitting at the feast beside the king. "It is a great

  loss you have had, Fianna of Ireland," said the king, "losing your

  lord and your leader, Finn, son of Cumhal. " "It is a great loss indeed," said Goll.

  "There has no greater loss fallen on Ireland since the loss of

  Lugh, son of Ethne," said the king. "What orders will you give to

  the Fianna now, king?" said Goll. "To yourself, Goll," said the king,

  "I will give the right of hunting over all Ireland till we know if the

  loss of Finn is lasting." "I will not take Finns place," said Goll, "till

  he has been wanting to us through the length of three years, and

  till no person in Ireland has any hope of seeing him again."

  Then Ailbe of the Freckled Face said to the king: "What should

  these seventeen queens belonging to Finn's household do? " "Let a

  safe, secret sunny house be given to every one of them," said the

  king; "and let her stop there and her women with her, and let provision be given to her for a month and a quarter and a year till we have knowledge if Finn is alive or dead."

  Then the king stood up, and a smooth drinking-horn in his

  hand, and he said: "It would be a good thing, men of Ireland, if

  any one among you could get us news of Finn in hills or in secret

  places, or in rivers or invers, or in any house of the Sidhe in Ireland or in Alban."

  With that Bemgal, the cow-owner from the borders of Slieve

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  Fuad, that was divider to the King of Ireland, said: "The day Finn

  came out from the north, following after a deer of the Sidhe, and

  his five comrades with him, he put a sharp spear having a shining

  head in my hand, and a hound's collar along with it, and he bade

  me to keep them till he would meet me again in the same place."

  Bemgal showed the spear and the collar then to the king and to

  Goll, and they looked at them and the king said : "It is a great loss

  to the men of Ireland the man is that owned this collar and this

  spear. And were his hounds along with him? " he said. "They

  were," said Bemgal; "Bran and Sceolan were with Finn, and Breac

  and Lainbhui with Caoilte , and Conuall and Comrith with

  Lugaidh's Son. "

  The High King called then for Fergus of the True Lips, and

  he said: "Do you know how long is Finn away from us? " "I

  know that well," said Fergus; "it is a month and a quarter and a year

  since we lost him. And indeed it is a great loss he is to the Fianna of

  Ireland," he said, "himself and the men that were with him." "It is

  a great loss indeed," said the king, "and I have no hope at all of

  finding those six that were the best men of Ireland or of Alban."

  And then he called to Cithruadh, the Druid, and he said: "It is

  much riches and many treasures Finn gave you, and tell us now is

  he living or is he dead?" "He is living," said Cithruadh then. "But

  as to where he is, I will give no news of that," he said, "for he

  himself would not like me to give news of it." There was great joy

  among them when they heard that, for everything Cithruadh had

  ever foretold had come true. "Tell us when will he come back?"

  said the king. "Before the Feast of Teamhair is over," said the

  Druid, "you will see the Leader of the Fianna drinking at it."

  And as to Finn and his men, they stopped in the House of the

  Two Birds till they had taken hostages for Donn, son of Midhir,

  from the Tuatha de Danaan. And on the last day of the Feast of

  Teamhair they came back to their people again.

  And from that time out the Fianna of Ireland had not more

  dealings with the people living in houses than they had with the

  People of the Gods of Dana.

  25 1

  CHAPTER IV:

  THE HOSPITALITY OF CUANNA'.S HOUSE

  It happened one day Finn and Oisin and Caoilte and Diarmuid

  and Lugaidh's Son went up on the top of Cairn Feargall, and their

  five hounds with them, Bran and Sceolan, Sear Dubh , Luath

  Luachar and Adhnuall. And they were not long there till they saw

  a giant coming towards them, very tall and rough and having an

  iron fork, on his back and a squealing pig between the prongs of

  the fork. And there was a beautiful eager young girl behind the

  giant, shoving him on before her. "Let some one go speak with

  those people," said Finn. So Diarmuid went towards them, but

  they turned away before he came to them. Then Finn and the rest

  rose up and went after them, but before they came to the giant

  and the girl, a dark Druid mist rose up that hid the road. And

  when the mist cleared away, Finn and the rest looked about them,

  and they saw a good light-roofed house at the edge of a ford near

  at hand. They went on to the house, and there was a green lawn

  before it, and in the lawn two wells, and on the edge of one well

  there was a rough iron vessel, and on the edge of the other a copper vessel. They w
ent into the house then, and they found there a very old white-haired man, standing to the right hand of the door,

  and the beautiful young girl they saw before, sitting near him, and

  the great rough giant beside the fire, and he boiling a pig. And on

  the other side of the fire there was an old countryman, having

  dark-grey hair and twelve eyes in his head, and his twelve eyes

  were twelve sons of battle. And there was a ram in the house having a white belly and a very black head, and a dark-blue horns and green feet. And there was a hag in the end of the house and a worn

  grey gown on her, and there was no one in the house but those.

  And the man at the door gave them a welcome, and then the

  five of them sat down on the floor of the house, and their hounds

  along with them.

  "Let great respect be shown to Finn, son of Cumhal, and to his

  people," said the man at the door. "It is the way I am," said the

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  giant, "to be asking always and getting nothing. " But for all that

  he rose up and showed respect to Finn.

  Presently there came a great thirst on Finn, and no one took

  notice of it but Caoilte, and he began complaining greatly. "Why

  are you complaining, Caoilte?" said the man at the door; "you

  have but to go out and get a drink for Finn at whichever of the

  wells you will choose. " Caoilte went out then, and he brought the

  full of the copper vessel to Finn, and Finn took a drink from it,

  and there was the taste of honey on it while he was drinking, and

  the taste of gall on it after, so that fierce windy pains and signs of

  death came on him, and his appearance changed, that he would

  hardly be known. And Caoilte made greater complaints than he

  did before on account of the way he was, till the man at the door

  bade him to go out and to bring him a drink from the other well.

  So Caoilte did that, and brought in the full of the iron vessel. And

  Finn never went through such great hardship in any battle as he

  did drinking that draught, from the bitterness of it; but no sooner

  did he drink it than his own colour and appearance came back to

  him and he was as well as before, and his people were very glad

  when they saw that.

  Then the man of the house asked was the pig ready that was in

  the cauldron. "It is ready," said the giant; "and leave the dividing

  of it to me," he said. "What way will you divide it?" said the man

  of the house. "I will give one hind quarter to Finn and his dogs,"

  said the giant, "and the other hind quarter to Finn's four comrades; and the fore quarter to myself, and the chine and the rump to the old man there by the fire and the hag in the comer; and the

  entrails to yourself and to the young girl that is beside you." "I

  give my word," said the man of the house, "you have shared it

  well. " "I give my word," said the ram, "it is a bad division to me,

  for you have forgotten my share in it. " With that he took hold of

  the quarter that was for the Fianna, and brought it into a comer

  and began to eat it. On that the four of them attacked him with

  their swords, but with all the hard strokes they gave they could

  not harm him at all, for the swords slipped from his back the

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  same as they would from a rock. "On my word it is a pity for any

  one that has the like of you for comrades," said the man with the

  twelve eyes, "and you letting a sheep bring away your food from

  you." With that he went up to the ram and took him by the feet

  and threw him out from the door that he fell on his back, and

  they saw him no more.

  It was not long after that, the hag rose up and threw her pale

  grey gown over Finn's four comrades, and they turned to four old

  men, weak and withered, their heads hanging. When Finn saw

  that there came great dread on him, and the man at the door saw

  it, and he bade him to come over to him, and to put his head in

  his breast and to sleep. Finn did that, and the hag took her covering off the four men, the way that when Finn awoke they were in their own shape again, and it is well pleased he was to see that.

  "Is there wonder on you, Finn?" said the man at the door, "at

  the ways of this house?" "I never wondered more at anything I ever

  saw," said Finn. "I will tell you the meaning of them, so," said the

  man. "As to the giant you saw first," he said, "having the squealing

  pig in the prongs of his fork, Sluggishness is his name; and the girl

  here beside me that was shoving him along is Liveliness, for liveliness pushes on sluggishness, and liveliness goes farther in the winking of an eye than the foot can travel in a year. The old man

  there beyond with the twelve bright eyes betokens the World, and

  he is stronger than any other, and he showed that when he made

  nothing of the ram. The ram you saw betokens the Desires of Men.

  The hag is Old Age, and her gown withered up your four comrades. And the two wells you drank the two draughts out of," he said, "betoken Lying and Truth; for it is sweet to people to be telling

  a lie, but it is bitter in the end. And as to myself," he said, "Cuanna

  from Innistuil is my name, and it is not here I am used to be, but I

  took a very great love for you, Finn, because of your wisdom and

  your great name, and so I put these things in your way that I

  might see you. And the hospitality of Cuanna's house to Finn will

  be the name of this story to the end of the world. And let you and

  your men come together now," he said, "and sleep till morning."

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  So they did that, and when they awoke in the morning, it is

  where they were, on the top of Cairn Feargall, and their dogs and

  their arms beside them.

  CHAPTER V.

  CAT-HEADS AND DOG-HEADS

  Nine of the Fianna set out one time , looking for a pup they

  wanted, and they searched through many places before they

  found it. All through Magh Leine they searched, and through the

  Valley of the Swords, and through the storm of Druim Cleibh, and

  it is pleasant the Plain of the Life looked after it; but not a pup

  could they find. Then they went searching through Durlass of the

  generous men, and great Teamhair and Dun Dobhran and Ceanntsaile, men and dogs searching the whole of Ireland, but not a pup could they find.

  And while they were going from place to place, and their people with them, they saw the three armies of the sons of the King of Ruadhleath coming towards them. Cat-headed one army was,

  and the one alongside of it was Dog-headed, and the men of the

  third army were White-backed.

  And then the Fianna saw them coming, Finn held up his shining spear, and light-hearted Caoilte gave out a great shout that was heard in Almhuin, and in Magh Leine, and in Teamhair, and

  in Dun Reithlein. And that shout was answered by Goll, son of

  Moma, and by Faolan, Finn's son that was with him, and by the

  Stutterers from Burren, and by the two sons of Maith Breac, and

  by Iolunn of the Sharp Edge, and by Cael of the Sharp Sword, that

  never gave his ear to tale-bearers.

  It is pleasant the sound was then of the spears and the armies

  and of the silken banners that were raised up in the gusty wind of

  the mo
rning. And as to the banners, Finn's banner, the Dealb­

  Greine, the Sun-Shape had the likeness of the sun on it; and Goll's

  banner was the Fulang Duaraidh, that was the first and last to

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  move in a battle; and Faolan's banner was the Coinneal Catha, the

  Candle of Battle; and Oisin's banner was the Donn Nimhe, the

  Dark Deadly One; and Caoilte's was the Lamh Dearg, the Red

  Hand; and Osgar's was the Sguab Gabhaidh that had a Broom of

  rowan branches on it, and the only thing asked when the fight

  was at the hottest was where that Broom was; and merry Diarmuid's banner was the Liath Loinneach, the Shining Grey; and the Craobh Fuileach, the Bloody Branch, was the banner of Lugaidh's

  Son. And as to Conan, it is a briar he had on his banner, because

  he was always for quarrels and for trouble. And it used to be said

  of him he never saw a man frown without striking him, or a door

  left open without going in through it.

  And when the Fianna had raised their banners they attacked

  the three armies; and first of all they killed the whole of the Cat­

  Heads, and then they took the Dog-Heads in hand and made an

  end of them, and of the White-Backs along with them.

  And after that they went to a little hill to the south, having a

  double dun on it, and it is there they found a hound they were

  able to get a pup from.

  And by that time they had searched through the whole of Ireland, and they did not find in the whole of it a hundred men that could match their nine.

  And as well as their banners, some of the Fianna had swords

  that had names to them, Mac an Luin, Son of the Waves, that belonged to Finn; and Ceard-nan Gallan, the Smith of the Branches, that was Oisin's; and Caoilte's Cruadh-Chosgarach , the Hard

  Destroying One; and Diarmuid's Liomhadoir, the Burnisher; and

  Osgar's Cosgarach Mhor, the Great Triumphant One.

  And it is the way they got those swords: there came one time

  to where Finn and Caoilte and some others of the Fianna were, a

  young man, very big and ugly, having but one foot and one eye;

  a cloak of black skins he had over his shoulders, and in his hand

  a blunt ploughshare that was turning to red. And he told them he

  was Lon, son of Liobhan, one of the three smiths of the King

  of Lochlann. And whether he thought to go away from the