by Irish Myths
and to every six men of them was given a chessboard, and a board
for some other game to every five, and to every ten men a little
harp, and a harp to every hundred men, and pipes that were
sharp and powerful to every nine.
Then they saw the three ravens from the north coming over
the sea, and they pitched on the great tree of power that was on
the green, and they gave three gloomy screeches, that if such a
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thing could be, would have brought the dead out of the earth or
the hair off the head of the listeners; and as it was, they took the
courage out of the whole gathering.
Then Cascorach, son of Caincenn, took a man of the chessmen
and made a cast at one of the ravens that struck his beak and his
throat, and made an end of him; and Fermaise killed the second
of them, and Caoilte the third of them in the same way.
"Let my cure be done now," said Caoilte, "for I have paid my
fee for it, and it is time. " "You have paid it indeed," said Ilbrec.
"And where is Behind, daughter of Elcmar?" he said. "I am here,"
said she.
"Bring Caoilte , son of Ronan, with you into some hidden
place," he said, "and do his cure, and let him be well served, for
he has driven every danger from the Men of Dea and from the
Sons of the Gael. And let Cascorach make music for him, and let
Fermaise, son of Eogabil, be watching him and guarding him and
attending him."
So Elcmar's daughter went to the House of Arms, and her two
sons with her, and a bed of healing was made ready for Caoilte,
and a bowl of pale gold was brought to her, and it full of water.
And she took a crystal vessel and put herbs into it, and she
bruised them and put them in the water, and gave the bowl to
Caoilte, and he drank a great drink out of it, that made him cast
up the poison of the spear that was in him. Five drinks of it he
took, and after that she gave him new milk to drink; but with the
dint of the reaching he was left without strength through the
length of three days and three nights.
"Caoilte, my life," she said to him, "in my opinion you have
got relief." "I have got it indeed," he said, "but that the weakness
of my head is troubling me." "The washing of Fiann, daughter of
Flidais, will be done for you now," she said, "and the head that
washing is done for will never be troubled with pain, or baldness,
or weakness of sight." So that cure was done to him for a while;
and the people of the hill divided themselves into three parts; the
one part of their best men and great nobles, and another of their
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265
young men, and another of their women and poets, to be visiting
him and making mirth with him as long as he would be on his
bed of healing. And everything that was best from their hunting,
it was to him they would bring it.
And one day, when Elcmar's daughter and her two sons and
Cascorach and Fermaise were with Caoilte, there was heard a
sound of music coming towards them from the waters of Ess
Ruadh, and any one would leave the music of the whole world for
that music. And they put their harps on the comers of the pillars
and went out, and there was wonder on Caoilte that they left him.
And he took notice that his strength and the strength of his hands
was not come to him yet, and he said; "It is many a rough battle
and many a hard fight I went into, and now there is not enough
strength in me so much as to go out along with the rest," and he
cried tears down.
And the others came back to him then, and he asked news of
them. "What was that sound of music we heard?" he said. "It was
Uaine out of the hill of the Sidhe, at the Wave of Cliodna in the
south," said they; "and with her the birds of the land of Promise;
and she is musician to the whole of that country. And every year
she goes to visit one of the hills of the Sidhe, and it is our tum
this time." Then the woman from the land of Promise came into
the house, and the birds came in along with her, and they pitched
on the pillars and the beams, and thirty of them came in where
Caoilte was, and began singing together. And Cascorach took his
harp, and whatever he would play, the birds would sing to it. "It is
much music I have heard," said Caoilte, "but music so good as
that I never heard before."
And after that Caoilte asked to have the healing of his thigh
done, and the daughter of Elcmar gave herself to that, and all that
was bad was sucked from the wound by her serving people till it
was healed. And Caoilte stopped on where he was for three nights
after that.
And then the people of the hill rose up and went into the
stream to swim. And Caoilte said: "What ails me now not to go
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swim, since my health has come back to me?" And with that he
went into the water. And afterwards they went back into the hill,
and there was a great feast made that night.
And Caoilte bade them farewell after that, and Cascorach, but
Fermaise stopped with them for a while. And the people of the
hill gave good gifts to Caoilte; a fringed crimson cloak of wool
from the seven sheep of the Land of Promise; and a fish-hook that
was called Aicil mac Mogha, and that could not be set in any river
or inver but it would take fish; and along with that they gave him
a drink of remembrance, and after the drink there would be no
place he ever saw, or no battle or fight he ever was in, but it
would stay in his memory. "That is a good help from kinsmen
and from friends," said Caoilte.
Then Caoilte and Cascorach went out from the hill, and the
people of it made a great lamentation after them.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE CAVE OF CRUACHAN
Caoilte was one time at Cruachan of Connacht, and Cascorach
was with him, and there he saw sitting on a heap of stones a man
with very rough grey hair, having a dark brown cloak fastened
with a pin of bronze, and a long stick of white hazel in his hand;
and there was a herd of cattle before him in a fenced field.
Caoilte asked news of him. "I am steward to the King of Ireland," said the old man, "and it is from him I hold this land. And we have great troubles on us in this district," he said. "What
troubles are those? " said Caoilte. "I have many herds of cattle," he
said, "and every year at Samhain time, a woman comes out of the
hill of the Sidhe of Cruachan and brings away nine of the best out
of every herd. And as to my name, I am Baimech, son of Carbh of
Collamair of Bregia. "
"Who was the best man that ever came out of Collamair? " said
Caoilte. "I know, and the men of Ireland and of Alban know," said
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267
he, "it was Caoilte, son of Ronan. And do you know where is that
man now?" he said. "I myself am that man and your own kinsman," said Caoilte.
When Baimech heard that, he gave him a great welcome, and
Caoilte gave him th
ree kisses. "It seems to me that to-night is
Samhain night," said Caoilte . "If that is so , it is to-night the
woman will come to rob us," said Bemech. "Let me go to-night to
the door of the hill of the Sidhe," said Cascorach. "You may do
that, and bring your arms with you," said Caoilte.
So Cascorach went then, and it was not long till he saw the
girl going past him out of the hill of Cruachan, having a beautiful
cloak of one colour about her; a gown of yellow silk tied up with
a knot between her thighs, two spears in· her hands, and she not
in dread of anything before her or after her.
Then Cascorach blew a blast against her, and put his finger
into the thong of his spear, and made a cast at the girl that went
through her, and that is the way she was made an end of by Cascorach of the Music.
And then Bemech said to Caoilte: "Caoilte," he said, "do you
know the other oppression that is on me in this place?" "What
oppression is that? " said Caoilte. "Three she-wolves that come
out of the Cave of Cruachan every year and destroy our sheep
and our wethers, and we can do nothing against them, and they
go back into the cave again. And it will be a good friend that will
rid us of them," he said. "Well, Cascorach," said Caoilte, "do you
know what are the three wolves that are robbing this man?" "I
know well," said Cascorach, "they are the three daughters of Airetach, of the last of the people of oppression of the Cave of Cruachan, and it is easier for them to do their robbery as wolves
than as women. " "And will they come near to any one?" said
Caoilte. "They will only come near to one sort," said Cascorach;
"if they see the world's men having harps for music, they will
come near to them. And how would it be for me," he said, "to go
to-morrow to the cairn beyond, and to bring my harp with me?"
So in the morning he rose up and went to the cairn and
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stopped on it, playing his harp till the coming of the mists of the
evening. And while he was there he saw the three wolves coming
towards him, and they lay down before him, listening to the
music. But Cascorach found no way to make an attack on them,
and they went back into the cave at the end of the day.
Cascorach went back then to Caoilte and told him what had
happened. "Go up to-morrow to the same place," said Caoilte,
"and say to them it would be better for them to be in the shape of
women for listening to music than in the shape of wolves. "
So on the morrow Cascorach went out to the same cairn, and
set his people about it, and the wolves came there and stretched
themselves to listen to the music. And Cascorach was saying to
them: "If you were ever women," he said, "it would be better for
you to be listening to the music as women than as wolves." And
they heard that, and they threw off the dark trailing coverings that
were about them, for they liked well the sweet music of the Sidhe.
And when Caoilte saw them there side by side, and elbow by
elbow, he made a cast of his spear, and it went through the three
women, that they were like a skein of thread drawn together on
the spear. And that is the way he made an end of the strange,
unknown three. And that place got the name of the Valley of the
Shapes of the Wolves.
CHAPTER IX.
THE WEDDING AT CEANN SLIEVE
Finn and the Fianna made a great hunting one time on the hill of
Tore that is over Loch Lein and Feara Mor. And they went on
with their hunting till they came to pleasant green Slieve Echtge,
and from that it spread over other green- topped hills , and
through thick tangled woods, and rough red-headed hills, and
over the wide plains of the country. And every chief man among
them chose the place that was to his liking, and the gap of danger
he was used to before. And the shouts they gave in the turns of
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269
the hunt were heard in the woods all around, so that they started
the deer in the wood, and sent the foxes wandering, and the little
red beasts climbing rocks, and badgers from their holes, and birds
flying, and fawns running their best. Then they let out their angry
small-headed hounds and set them hunting. And it is red the
hands of the Fianna were that day, and it is proud they were of
their hounds that were tom and wounded before evening.
It happened that day no one stopped with Finn but only Diorraing, son of Domhar. "Well, Diorraing," said Finn, "let you watch for me while I go asleep, for it is early I rose to-day, and it is
an early rising a man makes when he cannot see the shadow of
his five fingers between himself and the light of day, or know the
leaves of the hazel from the leaves of the oak." With that he fell
into a quiet sleep that lasted till the yellow light of the evening.
And the rest of the Fianna, not knowing where he was gone, gave
over the hunt.
And the time was long to Diorraing while Finn was asleep, and
he roused him and told him the Fianna must have given up the
hunt, for he could not hear a cry or a whistle from them. "The end
of day is come," said Finn then, "and we will not follow them tonight. And go now to the wood," he said, "and bring timber and dead branches for a shelter, and I will go looking for food for the
night." So Diorraing went to the wood, but he was not gone far till
he saw a fine well-lighted home of the Sidhe before him on the
edge of the wood near at hand, and he went back to Finn with the
news. "Let us go to it," said Finn, "for we ought not to be working
in this place, and people living so near at hand." They went then
to the door of the house and knocked at it, and the door-keeper
came to it. "Whose house is this?" said Diorraing. "It belongs to
Conan of Ceann Slieve," said the doorkeeper. "Tell him," said
Diorraing, "there are two of the Fianna of the Gael at the door."
The door-keeper went in then and told Conan there were two
men of the Fianna at the door. "The one of them," he said, "is
young and strong, and quiet and fair-haired, and more beautiful
than the rest of the men of the world, and he has in his hand a
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IRISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS
small-headed, white-breasted hound, having a collar of rubbed
gold and a chain of old silver. And the other of them," he said, "is
brown and ruddy and white-toothed, and he is leading a yellowspotted hound by a chain of bright bronze." "It is well you have made your report of them," said Conan, "and I know them by it;
for the man you spoke of first is Finn, son of Cumhal, Head of the
Fianna of Ireland, and Bran in his hand; and the other is Diorraing, and Sceolan in his hand. And go now quickly and let them in," he said.
Finn and Diorraing were brought in then, and they got good
attendance, and their arms were taken from them, and a grand
feast was made ready that pleased them well. And the wife of
Conan was at the one side of Finn, and his daughter, Finndealbh,
of the Fair Shape, was at his other side. And they had a great deal
of talk together, and at last, seeing her so beautiful, the colour of<
br />
gold on her curled hair, and her eyes as blue as flowers, and a soft
four-cornered cloak fastened at her breast with a silver pin, he
asked her of Conan for his wife. "Leave asking that, Finn," said
Conan, "for your own courage is not greater than the courage of
the man she is promised to. " "Who is that? " said Finn. "He is
Fatha, son of the King of Ess Ruadh," said Conan. "Your wounds
and your danger on yourself," said Diorraing; "and it would be
right," he said, " that stammering tongue that gave out those
words to be tied and to be shortened for ever, and a drink of death
to be given to you; for if the whole of the Men of Dea," he said,
"could be put into the one body, Finn would be better than them
all." "Leave off, Diorraing," said Finn, "for it is not fighting I am
here, but asking a wife, and I will get her whether the Men of Dea
think good or bad of it." "I will not be making a quarrel with you,"
said Conan, "but I put you under bonds as a true hero to answer
me everything I am going to ask you." "I will do that," said Finn.
With that Conan put questions to Finn as to his birth and his
rearing, and the deeds he had done since he came to the Fianna,
and Finn gave full answers to them all. And at last he said: "Let us
go on with this no longer, but if you have musicians with you, let
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27 1
them be brought to us now; for it is not my custom," he said, " to
be for a single night without music. " "Tell me this first," said
Conan, "who was it made the Dord Fiann, the Mutterer of the
Fianna, and when was it made?" "I will tell you the truth of that,"
said Finn; "it was made in Ireland by the three sons of Cearmait
Honey-Mouth; and nine men used to be sounding it, and since it
came to me I have fifty men sounding it." "And tell me this," said
Conan, "what is the music pleased you best of all you ever heard?"
"I will tell you that," said Finn; "the time the seven battalions of
the Fianna are gathered in the one place and raise their spearshafts over their heads, and the sharp whining of the clear, cold wind goes through them, that is very sweet to me. And when the
drinking-hall is set out in Almhuin, and the cup-bearers give out
the bright cups to the chief men of the Fianna, that is very sweet to
me; and it is sweet to me to be listening to the voice of the seagull