Lady Augusta Gregory

by Irish Myths

  hand," said Goll, "if you were to give me the same treatment your

  father gave me, I would pay you the same way as I paid him." "It

  would be hard for you to do that," said Finn, "for there are a hundred men in my household against every man there is in your household. " "That was the same with your father," said Goll,

  "and I avenged my disgrace on him; and I would do the same on

  yourself if you earned it," he said.

  Then Cairell of the White Skin, son of Finn, said: "It is many a

  man of Finn's household you have put down, Goll ! " And Bald

  Conan when he heard that said: "I swear by my arms, Goll was

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  never without having a hundred men in his household, every one

  of them able to get the better of yourself. " "And is it to them you

  belong, crooked-speaking, bare-headed Conan?" said Cairell. "It

  is to them I belong, you black, feeble, nail-scratching, roughskinned Cairell; and I will make you know it was Finn was in the wrong," said Conan.

  With that Cairell rose up and gave a furious blow of his fISt to

  Conan, and Conan took it with no great patience, but gave him

  back a blow in his teeth, and from that they went on to worse

  blows again. And the two sons of Goll rose up to help Conan, and

  Osgar went to the help of Cairell, and it was not long till many of

  the chief men of the Fianna were fighting on the one side or the

  other, on the side of Finn or on the side of the sons of Moma.

  But then Fergus of the True Lips rose up, and the rest of the

  poets of the Fianna along with him, and they sang their songs and

  their poems to check and to quiet them. And they left off their

  fighting at the sound of the poets' songs , and they let their

  weapons fall on the floor, and the poets took them up, and made

  peace between the fighters; and they put bonds on Finn and on

  Goll to keep the peace for a while, till they could ask for a judgment from the High King of Ireland. And that was the end for that time of the little quarrel at Almhuin.

  But it broke out again, one time there was a falling out between Finn and Goll as to the dividing of a pig of the pigs of Manannan. And at Daire Tardha, the Oak Wood of Bulls, in the

  province of Connacht, there was a great fight between Finn's men

  and the sons of Morna. And the sons of Morna were worsted, and

  fifteen of their men were killed; and they made their mind up that

  from that time they would set themselves against any friends of

  Finn or of his people. And it was Conan the Bald gave them that

  advice, for he was always bitter, and a maker of quarrels and of

  mischief in every place.

  And they kept to their word, and spared no one. There was a

  yellow-haired queen that Finn loved, Berach Bree her name was,

  and she was wise and comely and worthy of any good man, and

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  she had her house full of treasures, and never refused the asking

  of any. And any one that came to her house at Samhain time

  might stay till Beltaine, and have his choice then to go or to stay.

  And the sons of Morna had fostered her, and they went where she

  was and bade her to give up Finn and she need be in no dread of

  them. But she said she would not give up her kind lover to please

  them; and she was going away from them to her ship, and Art,

  son of Morna, made a cast of his spear that went through her

  body, that she died, and her people brought her up from the

  strand and buried her.

  And as to Goll, he took a little hound that Finn thought a

  great deal of, Conbeg its name was, and he drowned it in the sea;

  and its body was brought up to shore by a wave afterwards, and it

  was buried under a little green hill by the Fianna. And Caoilte

  made a complaint over it, and he said how swift the little hound

  was after deer, or wild pigs, and how good at killing them, and

  that it was a pity it to have died, out on the cold green waves. And

  about that time, nine women of the Tuatha de Danaan came to

  meet with nine men of the Fianna, and the sons of Morna saw

  them coming and made an end of them.

  And when Caoilte met with Goll, he made a cast of his spear

  at him that struck the golden helmet off his head and a piece of

  his flesh along with it. But Goll took it very proudly, and put on

  the helmet again and took up his weapons, and called out to his

  brothers that he was no way ashamed.

  And Finn went looking for the sons of Morna in every place to

  do vengeance on them. They were doing robbery and destruction

  one time in Slieve Echtge, that got its name from Echtge, daughter of Nuada of the Silver Hand, and Finn and the Fianna were to the west, at Slieve Cairn in the district of Corcomruadh. And Finn

  was in doubt if the sons of Morna were gone southward into

  Munster or north into Connacht. So he sent Aedan and Cahal,

  two sons of the King of Ulster, and two hundred fighting men

  with them, into the beautiful pleasant province of Connacht, and

  every day they used to go looking for the sons of Morna from

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  39 1

  place to place. But after a while the three battalions of the Fianna

  that were in Corcomruadh saw the track of a troop of men, and

  they thought it to be the track of the sons of Moma; and they

  closed round them at night, and made an end of them all. But

  when the full light came on the morrow, they knew them to be

  their own people, that were with the King of Ulster's sons, and

  they gave three great heavy cries, keening the friends they had

  killed in mistake.

  And Caoilte and Oisin went to Rath Medba and brought a

  great stone and put it over the king's sons, and it was called Lia an

  lmracail, the Stone of the Mistake. And the place where Goll

  brought his men the time he parted from Finn in anger got the

  name of Druimscarha, the Parting Hill of Heroes.

  CHAPTER II.

  DEATH OF GOLL

  And at last it chanced that Goll and Cairell, son of Finn, met with

  one another, and said sharp words, and they fought in the sea

  near the strand, and Cairell got his death by Goll. And there was

  great anger and great grief on Finn, seeing his son, that was so

  strong and comely, lying dead and grey, like a blighted branch.

  And as to Goll, he went away to a cave that was in a point

  stretching out into the sea; and he thought to stop there till Finn's

  anger would have passed.

  And Osgar knew where he was, and he went to see him, that

  had been his comrade in so many battles. But Goll thought it was

  as an enemy he came, and he made a cast of his spear at him, and

  though Osgar got no wound by it, it struck his shield and crushed

  it. And Finn took notice of the way the shield was, and when he

  knew that Goll had made a cast at Osgar there was greater anger

  again on him. And he sent out his men and bade them to watch

  every path and every gap that led to the cave where Goll was, the

  way they would make an end of him.

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  And when Goll knew Finn to be watching for his life that way,

  he made no attempt to es
cape, but stopped where he was, without food, without drink, and he blinded with the sand that was blowing into his eyes.

  And his wife came to a rock where she could speak with him,

  and she called to him to come to her. "Come over to me," she

  said; "and it is a pity you to be blinded where you are, on the

  rocks of the waste sea, with no drink but the salt water, a man

  that was first in every fight. And come now to be sleeping beside

  me," she said; "and in place of the hard sea-water I will nourish

  you from my own breast, and it is I will do your healing. And the

  gold of your hair is my desire for ever," she said, "and do not stop

  withering there like an herb in the winter-time, and my heart

  black with grief within me."

  But Goll would not leave the spot where he was for all she

  could say. "It is best as it is," he said, "and I never took the advice

  of a woman east or west, and I never will take it. And 0 sweetvoiced queen," he said, "what ails you to be fretting after me; and remember now your silver and your gold, and your silks and

  stuffs, and remember the seven hounds I gave you at Cruadh

  Ceirrge, and every one of them without slackness till he has killed

  the deer. And do not be crying tears after me, queen with the white

  hands," he said; "but remember your constant lover, Aodh, the son

  of the best woman of the world, that came out from Spain asking

  for you, and that I fought at Corcar-an-Deirg; and go to him now,"

  he said, "for it is bad when a woman is in want of a good man. "

  And he lay down on the rocks, and at the end of twelve days

  he died. And his wife keened him there, and made a great lamentation for her husband that had such a great name, and that was the second best of the Fianna of Ireland.

  And when Conan heard of the death of Goll his brother, there was

  great anger on him, and he went to Garraidh, and asked him to

  go with him to Finn to ask satisfaction for Goll. "I am not willing

  to go," said Garraidh, "since we could get no satisfaction for the

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  great son of Morna." "Whether you have a mind to go or not, I

  will go," said Conan; "and I will make an end of every man I meet

  with, for the sake of yellow-haired Goll; I will have the life of

  Oisin, Finn's great son, and of Osgar and of Caoilte and of Daire

  of the Songs; I will have no forgiveness for them; we must show

  no respect for Finn, although we may die in the fight, having no

  help from Goll. And let us take that work in hand, and make no

  delay," he said; "for if Finn is there, his strength will be there,

  until we put him under his flag-stone."

  But it is not likely Garraidh went with him, and he after speaking such foolish words.

  And what happened Conan in the end is not known. But there

  is a cairn of stones on a hill of Burren, near to Corcomruadh, and

  the people of Connacht say it is there he is buried, and that there

  was a stone found there one time, having on it in the old writing:

  "Conan the swift-footed, the bare-footed." But the Munster people say it is on their own side of Burren he is buried.

  CHAPTER III.

  THE BATTLE OF GABHRA

  Now, with one thing and another, the High King of Ireland had

  got to be someway bitter against Finn and the Fianna; and one

  time that he had a gathering of his people he spoke out to them,

  and he bade them to remember all the harm that had been done

  them through the Fianna, and all their pride, and the tribute they

  asked. "And as to myself," he said, "I would sooner die fighting

  the Fianna, if I could bring them down along with me, than live

  with Ireland under them the way it is now. "

  All his people were of the same mind, and they said they

  would make no delay, but would attack the Fianna and make an

  end of them. "And we will have good days of joy and of feasting,"

  they said, "when once Almhuin is clear of them. "

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  And the High King began to make plans against Finn; and he

  sent to all the men of Ireland to come and help him. And when all

  was ready, he sent and bade Osgar to come to a feast he was making at Teamhair.

  And Osgar, that never was afraid before any enemy, set out for

  Teamhair, and three hundred of his men with him. And on the

  way they saw a woman of the Sidhe washing clothes at a river,

  and there was the colour of blood on the water where she was

  washing them. And Osgar said to her: "There is red on the clothes

  you are washing; and it is for the dead you are washing them."

  And the woman answered him, and it is what she said: "It is not

  long till the ravens will be croaking over your own head after the

  battle." "Is there any weakness in your eyes," said Osgar, "that a

  little story like that would set us crying? And do another foretelling for us now," he said, "and tell us will any man of our enemies fall by us before we ourselves are made an end of?"

  "There will nine hundred fall by yourself," she said; "and the

  High King himself will get his death-wound from you."

  Osgar and his men went on then to the king's house at Teamhair, and they got good treatment, and the feast was made ready, and they were three days at pleasure and at drinking.

  And on the last day of the drinking, the High King called out

  with a loud voice, and he asked Osgar would he make an exchange of spears with him. "Why do you ask that exchange," said Osgar, "when I myself and my spear were often with yourself in

  time of battle? And you would not ask it of me," he said, "if Finn

  and the Fianna were with me now." "I would ask it from any fighting man among you," said the king, "and for rent and tribute along with it. " "Any gold or any treasure you might ask of us, we

  would give it to you," said Osgar, "but it is not right for you to ask

  my spear." There were very high words between them then, and

  they threatened one another, and at the last the High King said: "I

  will put my spear of the seven spells out through your body. " "And

  I give my word against that," said Osgar, "I will put my spear of

  the nine spells between the meeting of your hair and your beard."

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  With that he and his men rose up and went out of Teamhair,

  and they stopped to rest beside a river, and there they heard the

  sound of a very sorrowful tune, that was like keening, played on a

  harp. And there was great anger on Osgar when he heard that,

  and he rose up and took his arms and roused his people, and they

  went on again to where Finn was. And there came after them a

  messenger from the High King, and the message he brought was

  this, that he never would pay tribute to the Fianna or bear with

  them at all from that time.

  And when Finn heard that, he sent a challenge of battle, and he

  gathered together all the Fianna that were left to him. But as to the

  sons of Morna, it was to the High King of Ireland they gathered.

  And it was at the hill of Gabhra the two armies met, and there

  were twenty men with the King of Ireland for every man that was

  with Finn.

  And it is a very hard battle was fought that day, and there were

  great deeds done on both sides; and there ne
ver was a greater battle fought in Ireland than that one.

  And as to Osgar, it would be hard to tell all he killed on that

  day; five score of the Sons of the Gael, and five score fighting men

  from the Country of Snow, and seven score of the Men of Green

  Swords that never went a step backward, and four hundred from

  the Country of the Lion, and five score of the sons of kings; and

  the shame was for the King of Ireland.

  But as to Osgar himself, that began the day so swift and so

  strong, at the last he was like leaves on a strong wind, or like

  an aspen-tree that is falling. But when he saw the High King

  near him, he made for him like a wave breaking on the strand;

  and the king saw him coming, and shook his greedy spear, and

  made a cast of it, and it went through his body and brought him

  down on his right knee, and that was the first grief of the Fianna.

  But Osgar himself was no way daunted, but he made a cast of

  his spear of the nine spells that went into the High King at the

  meeting of the hair and the beard, and gave him his death. And

  when the men nearest to the High King saw that, they put the

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  king's helmet up on a pillar, the way his people would think

  he was living yet. But Osgar saw it, and he lifted a thin bit of a

  slab-stone that was on the ground beside him, and he made a cast

  of it that broke the helmet where it was; and then he himself fell

  like a king.

  And there fell in that battle the seven sons of Caoilte, and the

  son of the King of Lochlann that had come to give them his help,

  and it would be hard to count the number of the Fianna that fell

  in that battle.

  And when it was ended, those that were left of them went

  looking for their dead. And Caoilte stooped down over his seven

  brave sons, and every living man of the Fianna stooped over his

  own dear friends. And it was a lasting grief to see all that were

  stretched in that place, but the Fianna would not have taken it to

  heart the way they did, but for being as they were, a beaten race.

  And as to Oisin, he went looking for Osgar, and it is the way

  he found him, lying stretched, and resting on his left arm and his

  broken shield beside him, and his sword in his hand yet, and his