Lady Augusta Gregory

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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  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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  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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  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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  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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  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