So they took him to the King’s court, where a crowd was waiting outside the palace, and into the palace where the courtiers waited for the man who had won the horse race, the dog race and the falcon race. When the crowd heard that Iain was the man who had won the races, and that he was the man who should marry the King’s daughter, they laughed and laughed so loudly that all the windows of the palace were cracked. Inside the palace, the courtiers laughed, but when the King looked at the horse, the dog and the falcon, he turned and looked at Iain, and he was very angry indeed.
‘You’re insulting my daughter, the Princess,’ he said. ‘How dare you come to my palace in those rags, with that old horse, that mangey dog and that moulting falcon? You’re just a common swindler, and you’ll hang for this!’
The King ordered his executioner to take Iain away to the gallows and hang him. So Iain was led to the gallows, up the steps, and a noose was put round his neck.
‘Have you anything to say before you die?’ asked the executioner; for it was an old custom to ask the criminal who was about to be hanged this question.
Iain raised his arm to address the King, the Princess and the courtiers, who were all there looking at him. They were wondering what he would say before he was hanged. Just then, the Princess saw her name written under his upraised arm, ‘Daughter of the King of the Kingdom under the Waves.’
‘Stop! stop!’ cried the Princess. ‘This is the man I am destined to marry!’
The executioner was ordered to take the noose off Iain’s neck and lead him from the gallows.
Then Iain turned to the King and said:
‘Allow me to go home first, so that I may dress correctly for the court.’
The King gave his permission and Iain returned to the weaver’s house. He changed into his suit of gold and the golden shoes. Even his horse, his dog and his falcon looked like the creatures that had won the races. As for the weaver, he was already building himself a better loom and house with the gold Iain had given him.
Meanwhile, the Princess told the King, her father, how Iain had lifted the spell from her when she had been turned into a deer, and how he had faced death at the robbers’ hands, three times, for her sake, and how she had written her name under his arm while he slept. The King agreed that such a young man deserved to win her.
So, when Iain returned to the palace, the crowds outside cheered him. Inside he was given a royal welcome by the courtiers, for he looked a fine young prince in his gold clothes.
The King greeted him warmly, while the Princess took both his hands in hers. Soon after, they had a magnificent wedding, with feasting and dancing and merry music.
OSCAR AND THE GIANT
SCAR used to play shinty with his school-fellows on the seashore. By the time he was sixteen his side always won, for he had grown very big, twice as big as any lad his own age. Twice as many lads played against him as for him. At last he played alone against the rest.
One day, when they were playing shinty, they saw a boat coming in. There was a giant in it like nothing they’d seen before. All the lads were afraid of the giant and gathered round Oscar for protection.
The giant came towards them. Only his eyes could be seen, for he was covered with green scales. Every lad he struck with his enormous hand lay dead on the shore. Then he struck Oscar and made him dizzy. He could just rise, but he thought it best to lie still, for if he got up he would surely be slain.
The giant seized Oscar and put him, like a trout, on the end of a branch, with sixteen of his school-fellows on top of him. Then the giant slung the branch over his shoulder and threw it, lads and all, into his boat, with Oscar underneath.
On sailed the boat till it came to a shore, with a castle on the edge of it. The giant went inside, put down the boys, and called for his housekeeper. A fine big woman appeared at the door.
‘I’m going to rest now, goodwife,’ said the giant. ‘Cook me the biggest lad for my supper!’ Then he fell asleep.
The woman went over to the branch, and felt all the lads. Oscar was the biggest, but he caught her by the hand and begged her to let him be for the present. So she took the best of the others. This one was no sooner cooked than the giant awoke.
‘Is my supper ready?’ he roared.
‘It is,’ said the goodwife, setting the dish before him.
‘There was a bigger lad than this,’ said the giant. ‘I’ll go to sleep again, and unless you have that big lad cooked when I wake, I’ll have you instead!’
So the goodwife went to Oscar, and said:
‘I must take you now.’
‘That’s not the best thing for you,’ said he. ‘Let me live, and I’ll think of a better idea. You’re not his wife, are you?’
‘Not I. He stole me seven years ago, and I dread each day that he will kill me.’
‘Help me,’ said Oscar, ‘and I’ll help you. First put the poker in the fire, and then free me from this branch.’
The woman did this, and freed him. When the poker was red hot, Oscar took it and drove it through the green scales of the monster’s head to the ground, and the woman took the giant-monster’s sword and struck off his head. The monster was dead, the spell broken, and all the boys lifted themselves up off the branch.
When Oscar and his fifteen school-fellows left the castle, they took the woman with them, and as much of the giant’s gold and silver as they could carry. Then they found his boat and rowed back to the shore.
FINN AND THE YOUNG HERO’S CHILDREN
NE day Finn and his men were hunting on the hill. They had killed many deer and sat in the sun out of the wind. They could see everyone, but nobody could see them.
Finn saw a ship sailing straight for the haven beneath them. A young Hero leaped out of her, and pulled the ship on to the green grass. Then he climbed the hill to Finn and his men.
Finn and he greeted each other, and Finn asked where he had come from and what he wanted. He answered that he had come through the night watches and the storms of the sea, because he was losing his children, and only one man could help him. That man was Finn, King of the Feinne.
‘I’ll lay a spell on you,’ said he to Finn, ‘to be with me before you eat, drink or sleep.’
Having said this, he left them. When he reached the ship, he pushed her with his shoulder into the water. Then he leaped into her, and sailed away over the horizon.
Finn said goodbye to his men, and went down to the shore. He walked along it, and saw seven men coming to meet him.
‘What are you good at?’ Finn asked the first man.
‘I’m a good carpenter.’
‘How good are you at carpentry?’
‘With three strokes of my axe I can make a ship of the alder tree yonder.’
‘What are you good at?’ Finn asked the second man.
‘I’m a good tracker.’
‘How good are you?’
‘I can track wild duck over the nine waves within nine days.’
‘What are you good at?’ Finn asked the third man.
‘I am a good gripper.’
‘How good are you?’
‘I will not let go till my two arms part from my shoulders, or till what I hold comes with me.’
‘What are you good at?’ Finn asked the fourth man.
‘I am a good climber. I can climb a thread of silk to the stars if you tie it there.’
‘What are you good at?’ Finn asked the fifth man.
‘I am a good thief. I can steal the heron’s egg while she is watching me.’
‘What are you good at?’ Finn asked the sixth man.
‘I am a good listener. I can hear what people are saying at the end of the world.’
‘What are you good at?’ Finn asked the seventh man.
‘I am a good marksman. I can hit an egg in the sky as far away as bowstring can carry the arrow.’
The Carpenter went to the alder tree, and with three strokes of his axe the ship was ready. Finn ordered his men to push her into the water,
and they went on board.
The Tracker went to the bow. Finn told him how the Young Hero had left the haven in his ship, and Finn wanted to follow him to the place where he now was. The Tracker told him to keep the ship that way or to keep her this way. They sailed a long time without seeing land, till evening. In the gloaming they saw land ahead, and made straight for it. They leaped ashore and drew up the ship.
They walked toward a large house in the glen above the beach. As they came near it the Young Hero came to meet them.
‘Dearest of all men in the world, have you come?’ he said, and threw his arms about Finn’s neck.
In the house, after their hunger and thirst were satisfied, the Young Hero told them his story:
‘Six years ago, my wife had a baby. But a large hand came down the chimney and took the child away. Three years ago, the same thing happened. Tonight my wife is going to have another baby, and I have been told you are the only man in the world who can keep my children for me.’
Finn told his men to stretch themselves on the floor, and he would keep watch. He sat by the fire. He had an iron bar in the fire, and when his eyes began to close he pushed the bar against his palms to keep himself awake.
About midnight the baby was born, and immediately the Hand came down the chimney. Finn called the Gripper, who sprang to his feet and grasped the Hand, pulling the Giant in as far as the eyebrows. The Hand pulled the Gripper out as far as the top of his shoulders. The Gripper pulled the Hand out again, and brought it in as far as the neck. The Hand pulled the Gripper, and brought him out as far as his waist. The Gripper pulled the Hand, and brought it in as far as the two armpits. The Hand pulled the Gripper, and brought him out as far as the soles of his two feet. Then the Gripper gave a great pull on the Hand and it came out of the shoulder. When it fell on the floor the pull of seven horses was in it. But the big Giant put his other hand down the chimney, and took the child away.
They were all very sorry for the loss of the child. But Finn said:
‘We will not give in. I and my men will go after the Hand before sunrise.’
At dawn, Finn and his men launched the ship. The Tracker went to the bow, and Finn steered. The Tracker told Finn to keep her in that direction, or keep her in this direction. They sailed without seeing anything but the ocean. At sunset there was a black spot in the sea ahead. Finn thought it was too small for an island and too big for a bird, but he steered toward it. At dusk they reached it, and it was a rock. On top of it was a castle thatched with eelskins.
They landed on the rock, but the castle had neither window nor door, except on the roof, and the thatch was slippery.
‘I’ll not be long in climbing it,’ cried the Climber.
He sprang toward the castle, and in a moment was on the roof. He looked in, took note of everything he saw, and slid down where the others were waiting.
‘What did you see?’ Finn asked.
‘I saw a big Giant lying on a bed, a silk covering over him, and a satin sheet under him. An infant slept in his out-stretched hand. Two boys were playing shinty on the floor with sticks of gold and a silver ball. A very large deer-hound was lying beside the fire nursing her two pups.’
‘I don’t know how we’ll bring the children out,’ said Finn.
‘I’ll not be long fetching them out,’ said the Thief.
‘Come on to my back and I’ll take you to the door,’ said the Climber. The Thief did so, and went into the castle.
He fetched the child from the Giant’s hand, the two boys who were playing, the silk cover from over the Giant, and the satin sheet from under him. Then he fetched the sticks of gold and the silver ball, and the two pups from their mother. There was nothing else of value, so he left the Giant sleeping and came away.
They put everything into the ship and sailed away. Soon after that the Listener stood up.
‘I hear him,’ said he.
‘What do you hear?’ said Finn.
‘The Giant has just wakened,’ said the Listener, ‘and missed everything we stole. He is very angry. He’s sending the deer-hound. He’s telling her that if she won’t go he’ll go himself. It’s the hound that’s coming.’
Soon behind them they saw the hound coming. She was swimming so fast, red sparks were coming from her. They were afraid.
‘Throw out one of the pups,’ said Finn. ‘Maybe when she sees the pup drowning, she’ll go back with it.’ They threw out the pup, and she went back with it.
Soon after the Listener stood up, trembling.
‘I hear him,’ he said.
‘What do you hear?’ said Finn.
‘The Giant is sending the hound again. But she won’t go, so he’s coming himself.’
After they heard this, their eyes were always behind them. At last they saw him coming, and the ocean rose no farther than his thighs. They were terribly afraid, and didn’t know what to do. But Finn remembered his wisdom tooth, and put his finger under it. He learned that the Giant was immortal, except for a mole on the palm of his right hand.
‘If I catch one glimpse of the mole, I’ll have him,’ said the Marksman.
The Giant waded through the sea to the side of the ship. He put up his right hand to seize the top of the mast, to sink the ship. But when his hand was up, the Marksman saw the mole and shot an arrow which hit the spot, and the Giant fell dead into the sea.
They turned about, and sailed back to the castle. The Thief again stole the pup, and they took it along with the one they had. They returned to the Young Hero. In the haven they leaped ashore, and pulled the ship to dry land.
Then Finn went to the Young Hero’s house, taking with him the Young Hero’s sons and everything he and his men had taken out of the Giant’s castle.
‘What reward do you want?’ asked the Young Hero.
‘I ask for nothing but my choice of the two pups we took from the castle,’ said Finn.
The pup was Bran, and his brother, which the Young Hero kept, was the Grey Dog.
The Young Hero took Finn and his men into his house, and made a merry feast which lasted a year and a day, and if the last day was not the best, it was not the worst.
FINN AND THE GREY DOG
NE day Finn and his men were hunting on the hill. They had killed many deer, and when they were preparing to go home, they saw a tall lad coming. He greeted Finn, and Finn returned his greeting. Finn asked him where he came from and what he wanted.
‘I have come from the east and from the west, seeking a master,’ he said.
‘I need a lad,’ said Finn, ‘and if we can agree, I’ll employ you. What reward do you want at the end of a year and a day?’
‘Not much,’ said the lad, ‘only that you go with me, at the end of the year and the day, to feast at the palace of the King of Lochlan.’
Finn engaged the lad, and the lad served him faithfully to the end of a year and a day.
On the morning of the last day, the Tall Lad asked Finn if he was satisfied with him. Finn said he was perfectly satisfied.
‘Well,’ said the lad, ‘I hope I shall have my reward, and that you’ll go with me as you promised.’
‘You’ll have your reward,’ said Finn, ‘and I’ll go with you.’
‘It is the day I have to keep my promise to the lad,’ Finn told his men, ‘and I don’t know when I shall return. But if I am not back within a year and a day, let the man who is not whetting his sword be bending his bow to revenge me on the shore of Lochlan.’
When he had said this, he bade them farewell and went into his house. His Fool was sitting by the fire.
‘Are you sorry I am going away?’ Finn asked.
‘I am sorry you are going that way,’ said the Fool, weeping, ‘but I’ll give you advice if you’ll take it.’
‘Yes,’ said Finn, ‘for often the King’s wisdom comes from the Fool’s head. What is your advice?’
‘It is to take Bran’s chain in your pocket,’ said the Fool.
Finn did so, said goodbye to him and went away
. He found the Tall Lad waiting for him at the door.
‘Are you ready to go?’ asked the lad.
‘I am ready,’ said Finn. ‘Lead the way, you know the road better than I do.’
The Tall Lad set off, and Finn followed. Yet, though Finn was swift, he could not touch the Tall Lad with a stick all the way. When the Tall Lad was disappearing through a gap in the mountains, Finn would be appearing on the ridge behind him. They kept that distance between them till their journey’s end.
They entered the palace of the King of Lochlan, and Finn sat down wearily. But instead of a feast, the lords of the King of Lochlan were considering how to bring about his death.
‘Hang him!’ said one. ‘Burn him!’ said another. ‘Drown him!’ said a third. ‘Send him to Glenmore!’ said another. ‘He’ll not go far there before he’s killed by the Grey Dog. There would be no death more disgraceful, in the opinion of the Feinne, than the death of their King by a cur.’
They all clapped their hands and agreed with this suggestion.
At once they took Finn to the glen where the Grey Dog was. They had not gone far up the glen before they heard the Dog howling. When the men of Lochlan saw the Dog, they said it was time to run. So they ran and left Finn at the Dog’s mercy.
If Finn ran away, the men of Lochlan would kill him, if he stayed the Dog would kill him. He decided it would be better to be killed by the Dog than by his enemies. So he stayed.
The Grey Dog came with his mouth open and his tongue hanging to one side. Every breath from his nostrils burned everything three miles in front of him and on both sides of him. Finn was tortured by the heat, and knew he could not stand it long. If Bran’s chain was going to be of any use, now was the time to take it out. He put his hand in his pocket, and when the Dog was near him he took the chain and shook it. The Grey Dog stopped at once, and wagged his tail. He came to Finn, and licked all his wounds from head to foot, healing with his tongue what he had burned with his breath. At length, Finn put Bran’s chain round the Grey Dog’s neck and he went down the glen with the Dog on a leash.
An old man and woman, who had fed the Grey Dog, lived at the foot of the glen. The old woman was at the door, and when she saw Finn coming with the Dog she went into the house, calling to her husband.
Folk Tales of Scotland Page 14