IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

BY

Rev.

MICHAEL

P.

MAHON

THOMAS

J.

FLYNN

"
MASS.

COMPANY

BOSTON,
1919

THE

NEW

Y(

PUBLIC

LIBRARY^
AND .TIONS

$q6Q5
R 1919
L

/Sibil 2Dfastat:
Patrick J. Waters,

Ph.D.,
Censor Librorum,

Imprimatur

"" William

Cardinal

O'C'onnell,

Archbishop of Boston.

February 26,

1919.

copyright,
BY REV. M. P.

1919
MAHON

THE-PLIMPTON-PSESS NOEWOOD-MASS-TJ-S-A

MOST

RESPECTFULLY

DEDICATED

TO

Ireland's
one
of

most

fearless

and

powerful

advocates

his

eminence

flflitlliam

Cardinal

fiD'ComuIl

ARCHBISHOP

OF

BOSTON

PREFACE

THE
of
over

following chapters
during
on

appeared
1911,
Irish
as a

in

the

Pilot

1910

and

series

papers pen-name

"Ancient Gadelicus. in the

Paganism"
The
works of

the

principally
them
the
were

consulted the "Social

preparation
of Dr.

History
by

Ireland"
P. W.

and

"Irish "Irish

Names

of Places"

Joyce;
Jubain-

the

Mythological
four and

Cycle"
five the

by De
the

ville;
defunct
of

volumes Ossianic

of

long-since

Society;
Dr.

"Literary History
Hyde;
a

Ireland" of

by

Douglas
and

Keating's
number of

"History
Gaelic and the

Ireland";

great

texts

published
Texts
also

by

the

Gaelic both of into

as

League
Dublin. British Greek that
a

Irish have

Society,
been
as

Excursions and and

some

made well
will

American
Roman.

Literature,
The reader
are

into

discover in

of

the

topics
The

not

treated
to treat

very

serious
a

vein.

temptation
irresistible.

them these

in
pers pawere

light vein
were

proved going
of much

While

through

the
to

Pilot, they
many

source

pleasure

readers,

viii

PREFACE

and

we

feel
to

that

they

will

continue

to

please,
fair of When idea the

and,
of

also,
the

enlighten.
character

They
of the that them he

give
remnants

general
Gaelic

ancient the

Literature

survive.

writer that

commenced

did
into

not

quite
regular

foresee

they
of
the

would

grow

exposition System.

Ancient

Irish

Mythological

The

Author

CONTENTS

CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION. BEFORE
WERE THERE

I
CHRISTIANS IN

LAND IRE-

ST.

PATRICK'S

TIME?

CHAPTER
IDOLATRY. CROMM CROMM DUBH.
OF CRUACH.

II
KING
OF

TIGERNMAS. ON NO
DATIONS FOUN-

SPRINKLING BUILDINGS. ST.

BLOOD

EMANIA.
TIME

HUMAN

SACRIFICE

IN

PATRICK'S

CHAPTER
IDOLATRY NOT THE
WERE THE

III
NO

VERY

GENERAL.

NATIONAL NOTE.
EVE

GION. RELIWHAT

FAIRIES.

OCURRY's
NOVEMBER
"

FAIRIES?

EXCURSIONS.

FINN

MacCUMAL's

THUMB

OF

KNOWLEDGE."
.

14

CHAPTER
QUARRELS
MORTALS. AMONG THE
THE FAIRIES.

IV
RELATIONS TOM
MOORE.
...

WITH

BANSHEE.

24

CHAPTER
PALACE OF CRUACHAN. HAUNTED
OSSIAN IN

V
HARPIES. WHIT-

VIRGIL'S
GLEN. AND TIR MYSTERIOUS
NA N-OG. ST.

tier's

ANCES. DISAPPEARTHE FAIRIES

ANCIENT TAKEN

LITERATURE.
FOR

PATRICK

AND

HIS

BISHOPS

FAIRIES

28

ix

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

VI

theory. of

oriental, irish mythology.

types.

moral

ness cleanli"

shelley's
fairies,
AND puck,

queen

mab."
"

Shakespeare's
IRISH LANGUAGE

milton's

COMUS."

CHRISTIANITY.

spenser's

"faery

queen."

36

CHAPTER
TWO
CLASSES VIEWS.

VII

OF THE

GODS. BOOK

PESSIMISTIC
OF THE DUN

AND COW

OPTIMISTIC

45

CHAPTER
THE

VIII
IRELAND SCOTIA.
LANDING DECISION. POEMS OF

IRISH

CALLED CALLED

SCOTI SCOTIA

AND

DONIA CALETHE

MINOR.

MILESIANS.

AMERGIN'S

CONACLON

VERSIFICATION,

AMERGIN's

51

CHAPTER
CONFLICT DANAAN NINE THEY LAND. OF MILESIAN MAGICAL WAVES. BATTLES ART.

IX

VALOR DONN.
GREAT

AND

TUATHA

DE TIRE REFINALLY

MILESIANS
STORM.

FOUGHT

56

CHAPTER
AMERGIN.
THE

GODS.

AMERGIN HIS A

AND PRAYER. WELSH

HESIOD. DE JUPOEM.

AMERGIN'S BALNVLLLE's
AMERGIN

PHILOSOPHY.
COMMENTS.

AND

ST.

PATRICK

61

CONTENTS

xi

CHAPTER
THE FAIRIES.

XI
AND NAMED ERIU. AFTER A LIBRARY. WHY IRISH

BANBA,

FOLA

MANUSCRIPT
ETC. A

"BOOKS"
MANUSCRIPT
LITERATURE

PLACES,
LAND'S IREAN OGHAM

REALLY IN ITS

PRESERVATION,
DESTINY.

INDICATION CHARACTERS. FOLA THE AND

OF

IRELAND'S
BOOK OF SUCCESSION BE

BALLYMOTE.

BANBA, EACH,
AFTER THAT HER.

ERIU

IN SHOULD

ASK,
NAMED

ISLAND OF DONN

FATE

68

CHAPTER
amergin;
prophecy. lug putting pagan and a stories lonely its his character death games term of of to have and

XII
office, fola and practice of the

eriu's
eriu. of

banba,
taillten.
the lives christian

gods,

redactions, paganism
has

"lir's
left

daughter."
on
place names

mark

74

CHAPTER
EUHEMERISM. MEN WHO

XIII
WERE BECAME HISTORIC IRISH ALWAYS GODS. CYCLES HISTORY.

GODS AFTER HEROIC

THAT DEATH

SUCH,

AND

OLOGICAL, MYTHEASILY GILLA GREATEST

AND
IN

DISTINGUISHABLE

KEEVIN
IRISH

AND

FLANN

OF

THE SOME

MONASTERY ACCOUNT

EUHEMERIZERS. TIGERNACH

OF

THEIR

WORK.

80

CHAPTER
THE
FAIRIES. DE

XIV
MEETING ON AT BO BRUG NA

DANAAN

BOINNE.

DIGRESSION

TAIN

CUAILGNE.

xii

CONTENTS

CUCULLAIN

AND THE DAGDA.

FERDIAD. MANANNAN

CONQUEST
MAC THE OF THE LIR. BULLS ACCOUNT

OF

THE POEM FIGHT. OF

SID."
OF

KINAETH

o'HARTIGAN.
TRANSLATION

o'curry's
THAT FIGHT

86

CHAPTER
THE FAIRIES. THE AND THE DAGDA IRISH GODS.

XV
OF THE MAC FAIRY INT OC. FOOD THE DOWTH. GODS. MENTS MONUPALACES. GREEK OF

DISTRIBUTION
AND OENGUS.

MYTHOLOGICAL

LEGENDS. OF AND

IMMORTALITY
NEWGRANGE

KNOWTH,
OF

THE

CYCLOPS.

CRUACHAN

93

CHAPTER
THE

XVI
THE TAIN OF ULYSSES REGARDED LITERATURE. ACTS LIKE AS

BRUG
ONE THE

ON

THE GREAT OF

BOYNE. EPIC

OF
STORY

THE

STUDIES

POLYPHEMUS.

AN

IRISHMAN

98

CHAPTER
THE BRUG THERE. OF OF THEIR MORE CLOSELY ANCIENT THE DEAD. DESCRIBED. BURIAL ANCIENT BURIAL THE

XVII
KINGS BURIED ATION VENERTHE MEMORY AND HER

CEREMONIES. IRISH OF IRISH FOR FINOOLA

BROTHERS.

FINOOLA,

PENELOPE.

103
. .

CHAPTER
ANOTHER
FAIRY ABORIGINAL ACCOUNT PALACES. FAIRIES OF THE

XVIII
DISTRIBUTION
OF FAIRY ACCESSION OF THE

ORIGIN
OR

BELIEF. OF

GODS.

CONTENTS

xiii

THE

TUATHA
PALACES.

DE

DANAAN

TO AUTOCRAT HOLES SOME HEADFORD IN

THEIR OF THE OF THE TO

RANKS. THE

FAIRY BREAKFAST
MANANNAN.

"THE
"

TABLE BOW ROAD

ON DERG. FROM

GROUND. SHEES. TUAM.

KNOCK-MA. TUAM CATHEDRAL

109

CHAPTER
ELCMAR.
TINE MANANNAN. AND OF CLEAN CREIDNE. EITHNE.

XIX
GOIBNIU.
DANAAN PAGANISM

OENGUS.
DE IRISH

LUCHARTIFICERS. TIVELY COMPARA-

STORY

121

CHAPTER
INDIVIDUAL
OF OENGUS

XX
BRIGIT.
AILILL

GODS.
FOR

THE

DAGDA.

THE AND

LOVE MEAVE.

CAER.

NUPTIALS.

MUSIC

128

CHAPTER
DIANCECHT. AIBELL. BUANANN.
GRIAN

XXI
ANA. AINE. CLEENA.

134

CHAPTER
WAR AT FIGHT FINGER

XXII
BADB,
RATH. WITH FLED

FURIES.
BATTLE OF AND

THE
OF

MORRIGAN.
MAGH

ETC.

DEMONS BRICREND. GLINNI.

CHAMPIONS TOE NAILS

GENITI
WEAPONS

AS

140

CHAPTER
MANANNAN. MANANNAN
FAND. AND EMER. CORMAC THE MAC

XXIII
FAIRY ART

BRANCH.

148

xiv

CONTENTS

CHAPTER
THE LEPRECHAUN.
MODERN CONCEPTIONS ANCIENT

XXIV
REFERENCES
TO HE

HIM.

OF

HIM.

HOW

TREATED

OLIVER

CROMWELL

159

CHAPTER
THE OF POOKA. HIS GIVES TRICKS HIS NAME

XXV
TO PLACES. SOME

167

CHAPTER
the pooka diplomatic not always tact. to

XXVI
blame. latin st.

patrick's
and irish

greek,

"humanities."

173

CHAPTER
THREE-FOLD IRISH
IN

XXVII
OF IRISH DONN.

CLASSIFICATION
D1VI. ROMAN AED AND SNAKE RUAD
GREEK

GODS. INSTANCES

THE

AND

MYTHOLOGY. ABOUT
ST.

AQUATIC
PATRICK.

MONSTERS.

STORY

180
.

CHAPTER
THE

XXVIII
IRISH PILLAR
FAIL.

GOD,
SPEAKING OF FIRE

TERMINUS. STONES. AND WATER THE

STONES. VENERATION

LIA

189

CHAPTER
WORSHIP
THE WORSHIP. OF

XXIX
GOD BAAL. THE OATH.

FIRE.

THE

BONFIRE.
WEAPON-

ELEMENTS.
THE

ELEMENTAL
IRISH ELYSIUM.

IMMORTALITY.

METEMPSYCHOSIS.

METAMORPHOSIS

194

CONTENTS

xv

CHAPTER

XXX

TURNING

DEISIOL.

ODD

NUMBERS.

GEASA.

THE

EVIL

EYE.

THE

ORDEAL

203

CHAPTER

XXXI

MULTIPLICITY

OF

IRISH

GODS.

JULIUS

CAESAR's

GAULISH

AND

BRITISH

DRUIDS.

IRISH

DRUIDS

AND

THEIR

PRACTICES.

MAGICAL

ARTS.

DIVINA-

ATION.

KING

DATHI.

THE

DRUID

DUBHTACH.
.

210

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

CHAPTER INTRODUCTION Were there Christians

Patrick's in

Ireland

before St.

time? Cardinal

THE
he the which result
seems

glorious

St.

Patrick,"
a

says
so

Newman,
could
and

"did
not

work
a

great

that in

have

successor

it,

sanctity

learning and
on

zeal

and

charity
but the It

followed of the
one

his

death

being
he
a more

impulse
to

which

gave."
hensive compre-

impossible eulogy
on

pronounce

the

character work

and than It

enduring
that
covers tained con-

quality
whole

of in

St. this

Patrick's
one

sentence.

the

ground

and the

gives
facts.

due A

credit.
very
common

It squares
tion asser-

with literally

with Patrick left it

St. Patrick's found Ireland

Day

orators

is that
pagan

St. and

universally
In
a

universally Christian.
desire

this

beautiful

antithesis, rigorous truth

from the
to
secure 1

suffers

little violence

rhetorical

elegance.

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

St. Patrick

could have

no a

successor

in his great

life-work; but he had

more

probably predecessor;
success,

than

one.

Their
it could

however,
away

was

so

slightthat
his

not

take

anything
before

from

glory. Efforts

had

been

made

his arrival to Christianize the country, but

were

confined to
had been
sent

they localities. Palladius, particular

sent

who

by

the

same

Pope
out

who the
ceeded suc-

afterwards

St. Patrick, set

with

hope of converting the whole

in

island.

He

founding

three

little churches
have been

in the

County
to

Wicklow.

Attempts
article in the

made Father

identifythe sites of these churches.

in
an

Shearman,

ological Kilkenny Archae-

Journal with

for 1872-3, identifies these sites

Tigroney, Killeen
and
Dr. P. W.
are

Cormac

and
says

Donard

in

Wicklow,

Joyce

cations his identifiis what

says

the Most
on

"probably" correct. Rev. Archbishop Healy

"A

Here of Tuam

this matter: late Father

competent
old

local

authority,
na

the Roman

Shearman,
an

identifies Teach church

in

with

Tigroney,

the

parish
The

of Castle

MacAdam,

County

Wicklow.

building has completely disappeared; but

ancient

the

cemetery

still remains. Killeen

miles

Cell-fine
now

Shearman
an

identifies with

Cormac,
southwest

old

churchyard three

of

CHAPTER

Dunlavin;
the ravages

but,

as

might

be

expected after
of the relics

of the Danes,

all traces

have

completely disappeared. The

Arda,
in
as

third

church, Dominica
old Latin, Shearman
called

it is called in the

locates in the the

not west assent

Donard,
We

of
to

parish now the County

Shearman's

Wicklow.

do

location of the last two

we

churches, mainly because

improbable that Palladius and his associates, remaining for so short a time in mountains the country, penetratedthe Wicklow
think
so

it

far to
be

the

west.

We

think

all these

sites

should
the
town

sought for in the neighborhood of of Wicklow, where Palladius landed;

the matter is still doubtful,
as we

but

while

may

accept the suggestionsof Shearman,

any
means
na

not

by
the

certain, but Roman,

as

"probable."
for house of of the of the

Teach

Irish

Romans,
Domnach the

Cell-fine,church
arda,
or

relics,and
nach, Dom-

church

were heights,

churches which

which

Palladius

founded.

is the Gaelic for Dominica,

mean a

Sunday,
church,

was

also used in ancient Irish to

and

ard, high, is an
arda

akin adjective

to

the Latin

arduus, difficult.
Domnach where is

noteworthy

as

the
two

Sylvester and

Solinus, the

place holy

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

companions
have

of Palladius, are the

buried, and

we

it

on

authorityof Colgan, who

seventeenth

ished flour-

in
were

the

century, that

they

still held

in great veneration

there in his

time.

Palladius, disheartened,
went

gave

it all up
he

and
soon

back

to

Britain, where

died

afterwards.

Many
it

ancient Irish authorities say

for
not

charitably,and,
that justly,
was

all

we

may

ever

know,
to

destined

for him

be

the and
seems were

apostleof
troubled
to

the
career

Irish

people;
statement.
even

and

the

short

of the the
in

zealous

missionary
That before there
the

bear

out

Christians

Ireland is evident

coming of testimony

Palladius of the

from

the direct and from native

Venerable in
some

Bede,
very

allusions contained

ancient

traditions,preservedin the Lives

of St. Patrick, the

Life, which, with notably in the Tripartite single exception,perhaps of St. Fiach's
poem,

graphic biolife

is the There
who

most

ancient
a

extant

of

the

Saint.

is

even A.

legend that
%66,
was a

Cormac

MacArt, and,

died

d.

Christian; Saltair,or

curiously enough,
of which
he
was,

the
was

lost the

of Tara, psalter which

or compiler,

at least to
a

compiled under

his direction, has

led

great controversy

CHAPTER

among
was

eminent called

Gaelic
name

scholars

as

to

why
is

it
mistakably un-

by the
a

of Psalter,which

Christian

word;
its

some

ing maintaindown in from

that
pagan

the

compilation,coming
name

times, received
If the
to

Christian
were

times.
once

legend about
be settled. of this
down
to

the

compiler
be that caused

proven
at
once

be historic fact,the controversy It may the his

would moral
memory

excellence
to
come

King
us

has

through all those with a halo of Christianity around it. ages have we Regarding pre-Palladian Christianity the Chronicler also the testimony of St. Prosper, who lived at the time of the event of Aquitaine,
which
he

records.

He

tells us

Pope Celestine sent Scots, believing in Christ, to bishop." It will be remembered

431,
were

that in the year Palladius "to the be their first

that the Irish

as

called Scots

or

Scoti

even

late

as

the

fifteenth century.
to

It may

be

safe

historically
must

surmise
been

that

the number

of Christians

considerable and the prospect fairly of native subjectsfor ordination to the sacred the sending of a good, to make ministryfairly Now how did it happen that bishop necessary. in isolated littlespots, existed even Christianity, in Ireland at this early time? Roman civilizahave

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

tion and of

or so

Roman this
avenue

arms

had of
an

never

touched

Ireland,

accidental introduction

into Ireland by Christian soldiers Christianity in the Roman precluded. It must legionswas be borne
age,

in mind, however,
were

that at this remote

of Christians in largenumbers that the neighboring island of Britain, and and frequent communication much there was there between
as

the two

countries.
there
as

It is
a

even

regarded

probable that
in Britain

was

well established

Church That
ages

earlyas the third century. had been preached in Britain, Christianity

one

before, no
it Irish not

doubts.

Under

these

cumstan cir-

was

ancient

to

simply impossiblefor the have had some knowledge

or

of Christ
process

before Palladius

Patrick, and
the the

this

of elimination it from

makes Britain

theory that

they
one.

received

only
no

tenable

Notwithstanding
violence Ireland
to

all this, it does

say

serious found

truth and

to

that St. Patrick The been

pagan

left it Christian.

story
often have

of Ireland's told and

has early Christianity told the

the

well.

Learned of

writers

elucidated
Ireland
to

extension
Continent
his

from Christianity of Europe by St.

as

Columbanus

and

followers,

also

its

CHAPTER

diffusion
in

in

Scotland,
still St.

Northern

England,
the

and

even

islands of

farther

to

North
his

through
monks.

the

agency

Columbkille

and

The form

following
of ancient
A
customs

chapters paganism
feeble
still

on

Ireland's be of in

peculiar
found
the ancient lessly harm-

may

teresting in-

few

survivals found

pagan

are

Ireland,
innocent

and and however

beautifully
customs

pervading
of the
to

times pas-

present
fade
away

day.
like

They
the The in their

are

beginning
Ireland's that

twilight
traces

over

western

mountains.

of

them

remain

are

powerful

human

appeal.

CHAPTER

II

Idolatry.
Cromm No human

Cromm Dubh.

Cruach.

King

Tigernmas.
Emania. time.

Sprinkling of blood.
St. Patrick's the
most

in sacrifices

WE
ever

may

begin
form

with the

sive repul-

of
the

ancient

paganism,
were

and

ask in the

question,
Some
never

idols of
an

worshipped
say

Ireland?

writers

repute
idol.
goes

that

Irish of
is

knelt

to

But
to

the

weight
that

historic

testimony
a

show
It

this
have

merely

pleasing
if the

delusion. ancient

would
had

been

strange
this
alone

Irish

fully escaped
have in been

tion. abominain On in his the

the his

They
whole wide
we

would
world
are

this

regard.
St.

contrary

told
up

by
to

Patrick time
of

"Confessions,"
the

that

the

ing, com-

Scots, that

is the

Irish, worshipped
and
are

only

idols Life the

and

abominations;

in told

the that

Tripartite
Tara
was

of

our

Apostle,
seat

we

chief

of
and of

"idlact

ocus

druidect,"
It

that

is, of
many

idolatry
instances
of idols

druidism. the
as

also and

records tion destruc-

overthrow
a

by

him

part

of

his

life-work.

CHAPTER

II

The

most

famous
was

of these idols
on

was

Cromm

Cruach. Slecht

It

erected

the

plain of Magh
and
was rounded sur-

in the

County

of Cavan

with brass

by twelve minor gods. It was covered silver and gold and the minor gods with
or

bronze.

Cromm

Cruach
of Linster.

is mentioned

in frequently

the Book

There

is

no

fact of ancient existence.

The

history better attested than

his

he stood plain where may the plain of the plain of genuflection or mean slaughter, slecht being susceptible of either meaning, that is, indiscriminate slaughter or while it certainly profound adoration, and served as a placewhere divine honors were given
to
an

idol, it also had

served

as
a

scene

of
host

slaughter. King Tigernmas and

of his
way
or

whole

killed people were while adoring this idol

Eve.

in
on

some
a

mysterious

certain Samain

November
Cromm

Cruach

was

the

King idol
a

of

Erin

and
over

was

supposed

to exercise

kind

of The

primacy
Dinnin

all other
a

hand-made

gods.

senchus,
the Book

topographical tract, preserved

was

of Linster, tells us

that "until Patrick's

every

advent

it

the

god

of

people
with

that
"his

colonized

Ireland."
was

Cromm

Cruach

sub-gods twelve"

miraculously destroyed

10

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

by
down been

St.

Patrick.

It

could

have

been It

thrown have

like any overthrown

of

other

structure.
an
or

might

by

earthquake, like the

Colossus

Rhodes,

destroyed during

the

night of the "big wind";* but St. Patrick took of doing all this,to show forth his own way
the power In

of God. ancient
Irish
to

the

Literature, there
idol. have It
was

is

frequent reference
Cromm in Dubh

another
seems

and

he

to

been
The

next

importance to
a

Cromm

Cruach. of him. call the

people
Sunday
Cromm

have

distinct tradition
hear

It is most first
or

to interesting

them Cruim if he As
on a

in

August domnac Dubh's Sunday, as

of the Calendar.

Duib,
one

were

of the saints of fact

matter

they
to

unwittingly celebrate
of Cerman the

that

tion day the destruclooked

this

idol.
as

The

Ultonians

Kelstach

their local

deity,just as
looked
to

Connacians Dubh.
sure

and

Munsterites

Cromm
It is a

prevailed Less repulin Ireland at any time. sive universally forms of paganism were widely spread. the authority It must, however, be admitted on of the Tripartitethat the highest in the land
never thing that idolatry
*

An

anachronism, but

we

believe it excusable.

CHAPTER

II

11

knelt
that

before

idols. the

That

document who

tells

us

Leary
had

high King

Patrick Cruach.
We

offered divine

greeted St. worship to Cromm

made

have

seen

the

statement

by

serious

historians that human these time.

sacrifices were
not

offered to Patrick's in his

gods. Certainly
There is
no

in
to

St. them

reference
of

writings or in the works If this practice or any trace

Ireland
some

his

biographers.
existed in that
he
or

of it had

then, there is little doubt

of the other referred

to

have

earlyChristian writers would an it, as they all showed

in detail the abominations of the

anxiety to paganism, and glory

at many

expose

and of

by contrast Christianity.There
of evidence before St.
that

show

beauty

is, however,
at
a

least

show

centuries blood
was

Patrick's

period coming,
Dinnsays,

human

senchus,
"To him

in sacrifice. The spilt Cruach referring to Cromm kill their wretched

they would
much

piteous
pour

offspringwith
out

wailing and
Cromm ask of
and

perilto
Cruach.

their blood

around would third

horror

Milk

and
return

honey they
for
was one

of him their
the

speedilyin healthy issue.

scare

Great To him

the

of him.

noble Gaels

would

prostrate themselves.

12

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

From

the

worship of him
the

with

many

slaughters, man-

plain is
is not

called

Magh

Slecht."
any

This of the

testimony
from

taken

seriously by

great Gaelic
which

scholars,because
it is

the document,

taken, is completely

and

absolutely legendary and

of the
a

mythological
above
statement

in

its accounts
it is in such is

originof place names.

the is

And

connection
tract

found.

The
name

giving the giving the

late

of the

generally correct place,but unreliable

of the
the
a

in in

historical

reason

name.

The

Whitly Stokes, once Oxford University, found

India human
on

great Celticist of
in British

tradition
in

to

the

effect
was

that

times prehistoric

blood

sprinkledon
to

the foundations
to

which
purpose
to

great buildings were

was

be

raised. of

The

bring
This

the

boon

long

duration

the

edifice.

superstition vaded perAnd of

even

the Cormac and

a. d.

Aryan world. MacCullinan, Archbishop

whole
who the
us

Cashel the year

King of Munster,
903, tells
famous
that

died about

palace of Emania,
of

the

royal

residence

Ulster,

was

so

called because

human

blood, which
on sprinkled

is in Greek

"haima," had been

This

its foundations.

explanation,no
that the

but doubt, is far-fetched,

it shows

prevailed. superstition

CHAPTER

II

13

In found

this
in

connection
the

also of

an

interesting story
which,
on

is

Book and

Fermoy

account
we

of

its classical

scriptural analogies,
druids recommended

give
that

here.
a

Certain

Irish

boy, distinguished
be

by certain
and his
to
woman

peculiar personal
blood

characteristics,
on

killed
of
a

sprinkled
a

the

door
the

posts
of milk

Tara

remove

blight, brought
The
cow

which
on

crime
and

certain

had

corn

all
a

over

the

country.
beautiful
moment

boy
that
was

was

saved

by

wonderfully
at

had slain
you

appeared
in

the The

last

and In
in the

his
have What

stead.
the

blight ceased.
of

Homer

story
food
for

Iphigenia;

Bible, Isaac.
does

historical
as

reflection the tant disare

it not

give
so

to

find in

that,

in

all

Orient,
found
such

ancient distorted

Ireland

also, but,

traces,

indeed,
scenes

theless never-

interesting, of the
and the
was

and

incidents of East
our

mysteries
Creator
our

arising from
with

the
man.

intercourse
The

primitive
the West

cradle-land,

evidently

destination.

CHAPTER

III

Idolatry
The

not

very

general.
Who
were

No

National

religion.
ber Novem-

Fairies.
Eve

the

fairies?

excursions.

Finn

MacCumaVs

"thumb

of Knowledge."
ancient
to

THE
supremacy

Irish select

had from.
an

an

immense None of

pantheon
the

gods
like

enjoyed
Zeus
among

unquestioned
the
There

Greeks,
was

or

Jupiter
well

among

the

Romans.

no

defined

and the

connected ancient
one

system
Irish
were

of
a

religion.
very

Nevertheless

gious reli-

people.
god
way
were or

Each he and
and

worshipped prayed
he in

whatever whatever There Under

was
a

goddess
liked

chose,
wherever
not

he
no

liked.
prayer.

temples
of

much the
own

the

slavery

paganism

Irishman
taste

free

lance, following his

Under
the freedom

unquestionof the of the

ingly. Gospel

and
firmest

liberty

truth,
or

he

is

the

supporter
and

religious
staunchest
and

ecclesiastical
devotee

authority
beautiful,
But

of

harmonious let
us come

logical religious system.

14

CHAPTER

in

15

to

the

Fairies;

we

want

to

introduce
are

them.

only bringing back to your recollection a class of beings who old acquaintances of yours. likely, are, very have them or yourself, Perhaps you have seen You them. seen saw somebody who spent days in some country place or younger your
And
now,

gentle reader, we

little town what

in Ireland
a source awe

and

you

remember of

tinctly dis-

of terror, and these fairies

ous, mysterito

indefinable and what

an

were

you,

behavior. careful and

they had on your general Invisible themselves, they made you circumspect
were

influence

in
an

many

ways,

ticularl par-

if you
nervous

of

imaginative and
little knew the
or

temperament.
very

You

thought that these

of the introduction
You such them.

fairies were

object

belief and worship in Ireland before religious of

Christianity.

no yourselfknew very well there were things as fairies. You did not believe in Nevertheless a lurkingfear that perhaps were

after all they and had

all around

you

haunted the

you;

in the dusk of evening,when if,

twilight
over

almost

all faded away,

*

you

had the
on

to pass

Cnoc-an-t-sio-dain

or

go

by

Sgeac

Mor

(largetree)that stood
*

all alone
a

the top of

Pronounced

"Cnuck

teeyawn."

16

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

the
your

little lonesome-looking hill,in

efforts to brace

spite of

all

yourself,a
silence life came coward.
pace.

strange fear,

enhanced
an

by
to

the
run

awful

and prevailing,
upon you.

impulse
you
at

for your
not

But walk brave

would
your

be

You You

would
be

accustomed
but

would

and

manly,
and
out

it took

an

awful
your

effort. better

Imagination played knowledge

stood
You in

havoc

with beads
on

judgment, and
bold have

of

tion perspirabrow.
were

relief
run;

your

certainlywould
let the
you

but
you
were

you

afraid to
and

fairies know
knew

afraid;

besides

pranky littleset, fond

chase, and
than
your you your

frolicsome, a they were of a joke,and might give

would be
your
worse own

last condition
At

first.

last, in sight of
more a freely, new

door,

breathed
came

accession had
to
a

of courage safe

to

you,
run,

you
you

felt you
took

handicap
a

for the

your

made heels,

dash

for home,
in
a

rushed

in the door,

put

the

family
Whether

panic, and
that you
were

brought
"seen
or

the

immediate

conviction

had

thing." some-

there

fairies

not

you

were

glad you

were

in-doors. is the the

This

incident, which

by

no

means

all
of

imagination,illustrates
many

mental

attitude

people

towards

fairies, I

should

CHAPTER

III

17

say

even

yet, in
writers

some

remote

parts

of

the

country.
Some

speak

of the

tenacityof
ancient

ism. pagan-

No
can
on

denizens
compare

of the with

Irish

theon Pan-

the fairies in their hold

in their

the Irish

and imagination, their

or

persistency
the

in

to clinging

rightson
rather who
to

Irish soil.
are,

Who Let
note
us

were,

fairies?

begin

the

answer

this

question by the

from

Ancient word

O'Curry's "Manuscript Materials of Irish History,"where he explains the

"The word 'beanside'

Banshee:

(banshee)

'woman literally,
a or

woman

the

meant,

fairymansions' meant from the fairymansions of the hills, land of immortality. In other words it according to the ancient legendary
woman

of the

belief,a
race
on

of that
the the

Tuatha

De

Danaan

which

preceded

Milesians, and latter,were

which,
believed
an

their conquest have

by

to

retired from

this life to

enjoy

visibl in-

immortalityin
and
were

the hills, lakes,fountains

it
was

islands of Erin
to

where

reported they
From of old believed the

remain

until the last

judgment.

this state

of existence

they
at

were

to be able to reappear

pleasurein
And De

ordinary
whose

forms belief

of

men

and

women.

this ancient

regarding the

Tuatha

Danaan,

18

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

sudden
seems

disappearance from
to

our

ancient

history
modern

have

been

only

accounted the

for in this

manner,

stilllingers among in the form of the

now

people of

Ireland

superstitious reverence
good

for what

they

call the fairies or

people." immensity of the ancient Irish Pantheon, composed, as it was, of of the air, war gods and war goddesses,demons common spritesof the valley, ghosts, spectres and goblins, leprecawns, banshees, fairies of various kinds, one cannot help thinking that in constant the mortal inhabitants were danger scared into the surrounding of being crowded or It was seas. high time for St. Patrick certainly and tell these people of the one true to come
one

When

considers

the

God.

It

was

Father
a

Tom

Burke
way

who

said that

the Irish had

wonderful
unseen.

of

or realizing

visualizingthe
the admonition

This
"

brings
Let your

to

mind

of St. Paul

tion conversa-

be burden

in heaven."

Their

conversation, the

and
even

trend

of
a

their

thought

was

in

heaven,
No

though
the

mistaken

heaven.

class of divinities received such fairies. Some

De Danaan But the

widespread
that the the

worship as
retired
entire

thought

Tuatha

constituted

fairybody.

weight of authority

CHAPTER

III

19

goes

to

show

that this is not

so.

These

merely

joined forces and cast in their lot with an already organized fairy kingdom. They were absorbed not by this pre-existing body. They distinct peculiarities. retained their own They remained class in themselves. a They are often described as gods or elves who had their earth. Some of them on were dwellings tal, morothers immortal.
to

These MacLir's
to

owed

their immortality

Mannanan

ale which

they

drank

copiouslyand
ate

his swines' flesh which This

they
was an

with

relish.

particulardiet

antidote This
ale

against disease and

is not brewed have
at

decay
the been

and

death.

ent pres-

day.
ages gone

The

recipe must
Some
an

lost,
were we

by.
to

of the immense
the
women

fairies that
age.

mortal find

lived mentioned
are
men

Those Irish

in and

ancient
of

scripts manu-

ordinarystature,
themselves, and

having their troubles

troubles with
to

among
too.

"mortals"
were

They

made

love

They and mortals fought against mortals fought against them and often defeated them in spite of their immense natural and vantage acquired adin
war as

mortals

and

loved

in return.

in love.

Samain,

or

November

Eve,

must

have

been

20

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

night of
or

terror

in Ancient

Erin.

The

Ectra

Nerai,
Kuno "demons "shees
The

adventures
in the
on
are

of
Revue

Nera,

published by
that the

Meyer
of Erin Fe

appear

that

Celtiquesays night," and that

open at

always
was

Samain."
the

Fiada We do
us

what
know

made
what

fairies
was;

invisible.

not

this

but it reminds the

made

of the

Tarnkappe, often called

in the

Nebelkappe, which,
Fe

Niebelungenlied,
he donned it.
Eve. doors

Siegfriedinvisible when
Fiada
was

The The this

taken

off

on

November
their

people" threw open house and night, kept open

"good
Whole also all
over

held
out

high
of

revel.
doors chose
were more

hosts and

of

them

rushed

roamed

whithersoever

they
these the

the and

country.
malevolent
the

Many
and mortals

of hence

vicious

prudent
doors.

among

remained

within remained

Most
the

of the
or

reallygood fairies
shees. mortals
These and
were were

in

duns

favorably disposed towards

known
as

to have

treated them

ing accordhospitably, The shees

were

the humor

seized them.
or

never

deserted entirely

left

unguarded.
look
treasures.
was

But

if one
and

got
see

near

enough

he could and he

into them He
to

their be

grandeur
that

could not

quitesure

welcome

CHAPTER

III

21

inspectthem
them risk.
at

very

closely, or,
was was

in fact, to
more more was

inspect
or

all.

There

always
one

less

For, if there
the should he

thing
on,

than that
or,

another
a

fairies insisted mind his

own

it

man

business;
pry

at

least, that
however his uninvited
like himself. Finn

might
much he

not

into
want

their
to

fairs af-

might

extend

solicitude to the affairs of mortals

MacCumal
we

had

an

fairywhich
which old Irish

insert here O'

experiencewith a in the language into

Professor
text.

Cumal's

thumb

Curry translated it from an "The history of Finn Macof Knowledge," says he, "as
Irish tales,is
so
a

related in the ancient

one

very
to

wild
that

indeed; but it is
as
a

often

alluded

I may

well state certain

near

it here.

It is

shortlythis:
present
at
a

Upon
was

occasion

this

gallantwarrior
in the

hunting
of

Slievenamon
was woman

county

Tipperary; he when a spring-well strange

upon

standing
came

denly sudat

him, filled a

silver tankard afterwards

the

spring, and
away

immediately
it. Finn
to

walked

with

followed

her, unperceived, hill,when

she walked
a

until she

came

the side of the

concealed in.
Finn

door

opened suddenly and attempted to follow her

farther

but

22

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

the

door
to

was

shut

so

quicklythat
on

he

was

only
the

able thumb
that

put his hand

inside. It able to
so,
was,

the door with

post, with great thumb,

thrust
ease

was

difficulty
and

he

was

extricate the

having
bruised

done
as

he

immediately
he done
so

it,
the
he

it

into his mouth

had

to

pain. No
found

sooner

than

possessedof the giftof foreseeing This giftwas told, are future events. not, we he bruised or always present, but only when This his thumb." was chewed probably the
himself
reason

why
about

he

never

volunteered He had

any

tion informato

the

future.

always

be

asked The

for it. MacGniomarta of Finn,

a

Finn,
ancient

very

ploits youthful exlittle tract, gives or

different version
went to to

of this story. school

It says
on

that the
was

Finn

the

of Finneigeas
Finn's been
name seven

Boyne
then

study

literature.

Demne.

Finneigeas had
the salmon

years

trying to catch
It had
salmon he

of the
he

pool
"be
was

of Feic.
eat

been
and

foretold then

that

would

this

that there
The

would
salmon

nothing finally

would

not

know."

to be cooked. caught and turned over to Demne ordered not to eat a bite of Demne was strictly his it. But in the act of cooking it,he burned

CHAPTER

III

23

thumb,
ease

which
the

he

forthwith
He
at

put

in
the

his

mouth

to

pain.
who
to

reported
once

incident from declared

fish he

to

Finneigeas
Demne that

changed
is the

his

name

Finn,
"his

that

Fair,
to eat

and
the

it

was

privilege
of

and

acquire
had

the

gift

prophecy

which

himself

missed."

CHAPTER

IV

Quarrels

of

the and

fairies.
matrimonial

Irish

Mythology.
between
Man-

Friendly

relations The
Banshee.

fairies and
gan.

mortals.

Moore.

AN
quarrel
fer

illustration fairies
the had
or

of

the

quarrels
is

of

the
in

among

themselves Dinnsenchus. between

two

given
A

Rennes

serious
of

happened

parties
to

side,

fairy

men.

They
the

decided
of

fight
and

it out.
met
on

They
the

assumed

shapes
in
so

deer

plain of Moenmagh
that
on

Connaught.
the hoofs several

The

battle

ensued

was

terrific and
vast to

numbers and

slain

either
were

side

so

that

antlers

enough

left

form

large fairy mounds.

Our
course,

readers for

will

take it

this,
a

as

matter

of
Our

what
when

is,
were

fairy
pagans,

story.
believed

ancestors,
to not

they

it

be

an

historical
taken it

fact.

Otherwise and

they
their

would writers
as a

have
not

seriously,

would

have
serious

committed

it to
It is

writing
not
mere

piece

of

history.
24

im-

CHAPTER

IV

25

agination or
course,

Irish

and

history to simple.
their

exaggeration. It is not, of It is mythology, pure us.

like Ireland, antiquity,

All the great nations of have

mythological and
The

heroic,

as

well

as

historical the
war,

periods.
the

admirable, the terrible,

well
as as

as horrible, the repulsive,

love

and do

figurein
the

Irish

mythology
ancient

they

in

mythologies
to return

of

Greece

and

Rome. But
constant to the fairies.

We

find them sometimes

in
to

intercourse
but

with
more

men,

the

advantage,
of

frequently to
Fairies and

the

detriment
even

the

latter. It

mortals

intermarried.
a man or

happened
had his
was or

frequently
her leanan

that

woman

side,*or

fairyfollower,which
of

in

a reality

lover. fairy It is said

Fingin Mac
Munster side used

Luchta, who
visit him take

was

King
that Samain the

of South his
or

in the second
to

century,
every
to
see

leanan

November

Eve, and

him

fairypalaces and
such attachments.

their treasures.

Ancient
of

writers record

innumerable
In the

instances

published by Standish
*

Sylva Gadelica, Hayes O'Grady, it is

shee.

Pronounced

lanawn

26

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

recorded

that Fachna,

a or

King
yet
to

of Ulster, had told

fer side, a fairyman

even

-who friend,

him

of

that things
most
was

were

happen.
familiar kind side

By far the
of leanan
wail whose
was
was

frequent and
the
when
some

side
was

bean her

(banshee),
protege
affliction tinies des-

heard

mortal mortal

about
about

to
to

die,or when
visit the
a

family over
and kind of pagan

whose

she exerted What

a

watchful

loving care. guardian

very
or

wonderful

angel was
Irish

she;

or,

rather,is she; for

find
the

many

people

do
or

not to

courage

the

heart to say has yet

In

believe that the last banshee

disappeared.
very
recent

fact, until

times, and

we

might safelysay that even up to the present, in some there are many splendidfamilies places, who feel as if they had sustained some would mysterious loss,or injuryto their family pride, the lurking if they had to abandon definitely belief that this devoted spritestillloved them.
Tom Moore in which
"How How

introduces
he

the

banshee

in

the

melody

sings:
cried!

oft has the banshee oft has death that

untied

Bright links
Sweet

bonds

glory wove, entwined by love

CHAPTER

IV

Peace Rest

to

each
to

manly
faithful fair and

soul

that

sleepeth;
that

each
the the

eye

weepeth;

Long Sigh

may

brave

o'er

hero's

grave."

But

as

Moore's
his

special
introduction
not

reference of the Irishman.

is

to

miral Adis

Nelson

banshee

far-fetched.

Nelson

was

an

CHAPTER

Cave

or

palace

of

Cruachan.

Virgil9s

harpies.

Whittiers

"haunted Nora

glen."

pearances. Mysterious disappoem.

Hopper's

Ossian

and

Tir

na

n-og.

THERE
that,
there

are

many

people
the

who

think

outside
no

of

infernal

regions,
except
This

is

hell-gate anywhere
near

in
is in

the
a

East mistake.

River,
On of

New

York of

City.
the

the

banks

Shannon,
stood

the

County

Roscommon,
of

Ireland,
the

the
of
many

ancient
the

palace
and

Cruachan,
of

residence for

kings
centuries.

queens

Connaught

Near
many
cave
an

this

palace

was

cave

which

figures

in

ancient still there,

Togbail
of
course,

or

siege story.
and traditions
it. It

The of

is

those

ancient been hard

fights linger
to

round

would hosts this it

have
of

understand should
have

why

great
for

brave
if

soldiers

fought
had
a

cavern,

mythological
this

history
was,
28

not

made

clear

that

place

itself,

residence,

CHAPTER

29

and and

that

fairies

fought against fairies for it;

mixed frequentlybecame up in sometimes those fights, fighting on their own the fairies or to oust to dispossess responsibility other mortals.
The
cave

mortals

of Cruachan the

that age

when

in figures principally fast mythologicalcycle was shadows

to yielding

and disappearing

its dark

the dawn
The
cave

of the heroic

period.
as

is,perhaps, best remembered

the

abode
or

of the most It

malignant
was

of the

demons.

called
from

the

fairyelves hell-gate of
ber Novem-

Ireland

because the

it
most

was

it that, on

and noxious of terrifying the spectral hosts, that made that night hideous, burst forth. Copper-red birds, three-headed

Eve,

vultures

and

other

demons,

terrible to

behold,
which

issued from blasted

and

it and, with their

poisonous breath,

blighted everything with

in contact.
us

they
their their that

came

This

Virgil's Harpies,which in flight corrupted the very atmosphere with filth. To home, bring matters nearer
itself recalls the fearful and "Weird

reminds

of

cave

Gathering"

of Whittier, that

assemblage of demons,
spectres which
sound of the the

witches,
he

sorcerers as

hideous

describes

gatheringat

30

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

midnight trumpet, blood-curdling, togetherfor

"

and

coming

an

unholy purpose
wild and
haunted

in that

'Twixt

Saugus and

glenn, Naumkeag."

We

but
some

exactlywhere that glen is; surmise that the poet only picked out we definite cavern to give the picturein as so
do
not

know

his mind

"a

local habitation

and

name"

and,

without incidentally, undefined As for

intending it,to give some

bad
name.

spot
the

very

Irish

fairies,even

the

"good

themselves people" or benevolent elves made objects of terror by their propensity to steal They did this in various ways. people away. whether for a time Mysterious disappearances, for all time, were a counted as general thing acor for in this way.

Many
many

of

our

readers

will remember

also that

died in Ireland, at least people who and whom they had seen dead, did apparently, carried away to not reallydie at all,but were the nearest fairy mansion, a real fairyhaving assumed the role of corpse wake and funeral. when for
a

blind

and

to

supply a
This
a

deep and serious suspicionwas promising young person pined away.

*

The

Indian

name

for Salem.

CHAPTER

31

We relic
or

believe, however,

that

this
pagan

particular
belief has

adjunct
away.

of the The

ancient

passed
found and

tradition
person

standing, exists, notwithcarried

away

that life in the

the

thus

fairyland indescribably pleasant concluding lines

on

hence

in Nora

beautiful

little poem

the "Girl

Hopper's from Faery-

land":
"For

half my heart's in Faeryland. And half is here on earth,

half I'm

And

spoiledfor
strange
are

sorrow,

And
And And
my

half I'm feet

my

to

mirth,
slow Folk?

wild for

dancing,
are
"

neighbor'sfeet go?

Why did you take me, Why did you let me We

find the
same

Gentle
"

tradition
of 740

spun

out

into

Gaelic delightful

poem

lines
year

by Michael
1750.

Comyn
poem

of

Clare

about
na

the

The

is called "Tir

n-og," or

"The

Land
"

of

the
and hero

Youth"
tells how of the

"

that

is, of perpetual youth

Ossian, the famous

third century, wTent
of the

Irish poet and

away

willingly
to

with

"Niaru

Golden

Hair"

that

blissful land with

her

and
over

lived there in
two

happy wedlock
years;

for

hundred
to

when

finallybecoming
become
of the

anxious
or

know he

what

had

Feni

heroes

had

left,and

32

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

of particularly
Ireland all the
on

his

father

Finn,
and

he
was

came

to

milk

white
met

steed

told

by-

people he
had

and

questioned that
away

Finn

and

the Feni

passed

ages

before.

Accidentally touching
which
he had been

mother

earth, against

cautioned, the particularly fairybloom of youth left him, and he became suddenly afflicted with all the decreptitude of
his
enormous

age.

great
a

anachronism

is

solved

and

he and

is made
a

contemporary
of

of St. in the

Patrick;

semblance

foundation
to

fact,or

at

least in

poeticfancy, is given
and
at

quaint

and

beautiful
the

times "the

humorous

dialogues between
blind, old hopeless,
One of the

saint and

helpless,
reason,
was

man." if not of Tir

reasons,

the
na

only
n-og

for

the

composition
away

to

explain
"Ossianic

this

anachronism,

which

the

poems," magnificent as they are, and St. Patrick had created, by making Ossian this point of view it in dialogue. From engage contrivance. beautiful literary is a most
The

Ossianic

poems,

to

which

we

refer,are
founded
on

comparativelymodern the ancient legends and

of
The
extent
to

date, but
tales.

which

religious worship
times

was

given to the fairies in ancient

is very

well

CHAPTER

33

attested

by the fact that

-two

in modern the
names.

Ireland "shee"

seventy
as were
a

townlands

have

word

prefixor
called
to

affix to their

The "na

fairies
daoine

maite" hold
more

"good people," The propitiate them.

on

the

latter

day

of this belief
to
no
a

the than

popular fancy
to

is due

its poetry violent

It is from

philosophy. transition,however, to pass

banshee
to
a

its

belief in the

belief in

guardian angel. In St. Fiac's metrical

St. Patrick
there

life of
of
sideration. con-

is

phrase worthy
the

It refers to adorta

people

as

"tuata
or

side";
of

people adoring the "shee"

in his "Irische

fairies. Windisch

Texte," has,
adorta This
own

instead

this

reading, "tuata
for "shee." St. Patrick's

idla,"
poem

"idols" substituting
was

written author

during
was

lifetime.
In the

Its

Life Tripartite which the

runs

of

bishop of Sletty. our Apostle there is a

Patrick
went
on

passage
to

thus:

afterwards
the

fountain, i.e.,Clibech,
at

slopes of
two

Cruachan

sunrise.
the

Leary MacNeill's
Fair, and
Feidelm

daughters, Eithne
red
wont at went

the

to, the

early to the fountain as they were when they found the synod of clerics
white garments wondered and
at

well, with
before them.

their
the

books

They

34

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

appearance
were

of

the
or

clerics and

imagined they They

and
tioned ques-

"fire-side" Patrick:

phantoms.
are

"Whence

you

whither

have Are

you you

come?

Is it from The
passage

the
goes

'side'
on

(shee)?
relate

gods?"

to

the conversation

of the maidens, their

an

questions
about

having given
to
one

the Saint

excellent

opportunity
the the that
and

enlighten their enquiring minds

true

God.

How

natural

it

was

strange and

unexpected
the
to

habiliments

general
the

make-up
pagan

of

Christian

bishops caused
them for
as

maidens
a new

take

fairies. It it existed in

gives us
that

idea of this belief So

was solidly

the fifth century.

it established
years
to

it has
it

taken

fifteen hundred

eradicate As
to

completely. the etymology of

the

word

"side"

or

"shee," Dr. Todd, in his "Life of St. Patrick" whether the word is cognate says, "It is doubtful
with the Latin it
comes

'sedes,' a
from
connect

seat

or

habitation, or 'side,'a blast

the 'sedes.' the word It

whether

the

Celtic

of wind."
is not that

We the The

it with borrowed
may

Irish Latin

from it

the
from

Latin.
the

have is

borrowed

Irish. in the

"Shee" modern

rarely, if
for
a

ever,

employed
of wind.

language
a

blast
of it,

Instead, Sinean,

modification

CHAPTER

35

is
to

used.
the

The fairies

word themselves.

"shee"

originally Colgan
says,

applied
tastical "Fan-

spirits
because

are

by
seen,
as

the it

Irish
to

called

'side,'
out

they
hills

are

were,

come

of the
in

beautiful

to

infest belief

people,
that

and

hence

vulgar
certain

(common)
subterraneous

they

reside these

habitations habitations called

to

within sometimes the Irish that and "S"

hills,
hills We in "e" slender this

and

these

and

the

themselves

are

by
observe

'side." the the before "d" final

beg
word

our

readers is silent. the

has

The

"d"

show

that vowel

"i"

is "sh"

long.
sound;

an

hence

the of what

pronunciation
the
seem

"shee." of Irish words

Any by
letters their

simplification
eliminating
would make

spelling
to

be
to

unnecessary

an

attempt
difficult.

get

at

etymology

extremely

CHAPTER

VI

Universality of
theory.
Irish

the

belief
types.

in

fairies.

Plato's

Oriental

Moral

cleanliness

of

Mythology.

Shelley's

Queen

Mab.

Shakespeare's fairies;Puck.
Irish

Milton's

Comus.

language Queen.
was

and

Christianity.

Spencer's

Faery

THERE
that had

no

nation
a

of

antiquity
of demons
some

not

fairy belief
fairies and

kind. Hesiod of the and

We Plato.

find We We and

in
Peris

find find
Rome.
over

them them
The

in in

the the

Orientals.
of Greece
to

rural
had

districts their

Romans homes

Lares

preside

their

and
were

lands;
almost
Manes

and

their

Penates,
those

whose

functions
Lares.

identical
were

with

of their

Their

mostly
also the dead. lived and

the

spirits of
was

their

dead
to

and the the

or

sometimes
abode crimes

word Plato after

applied thought

of of

the
men

that

them

in

palpable
were

tangible shape;
the

these, in his
tormented
them.
36

opinion,
shades

Manes,
that

which had

the

of

those

committed

CHAPTER

VI

37

As
not

to

the

Oriental

who types of fairies, of

some

has

read

with

astonishment
a

Arabian
of smoke,
or

genie developing from

released casket
memory
a

huge column
in
a

from
some

condensation

little shrine is the

one

of

kind, and

where

whose

could
a

lose all trace half in

of the

little men,

foot and

height, appearing before

palaces, carryingbars of their shoulders,and iron,fortyfeet long, across

the court in enchanted

knocking their enemies

with The
a

far

into

the

hereafter

blow

from

one

of those had

terrible

weapons?
When with
a

Aryan
grave

world
and

its distinctive
and

pantheon.

It

was

sombre

terrible. invested

it reached

Ireland

it became It
was

poeticalfascination.
from defiled
it in the

also

cleansed, considerably,
had It became

voluptuousness that
home.
soon

its

eastern

thoroughly Irish
walls know the the

and

comprised within its

De Danaan
as

great Tuatha

race.
a

We
or

primitive fairies only

We

class

kingdom.
One

know
names

the

Tuatha

De
or

Danaan leaders.
the
parative com-

fairies by the

of their chiefs

of the most

remarkable
of

things about
is its

mythological literature
moral with
we can
a

Ireland
We

cleanliness.

sometimes

meet

primitivenessof expression with

which

hardly quarrel at

this distance

of time.

38

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

There

are

also,as
cases

shown of
or

few,
of be

very

few

a by De Jubainville, sexual crime; but instead

being laughed at

condoned,
made

as

they would
the
cause

by Homer's

gods, they are

of

relentless
wars.

strife and

sometimes

of

desolating

This
was

alone

would

show

that Irish

mythology
as

clean in itself and

owe

that

it did not,

some

claim,
saints

of

to the zeal of the purification later days, who were largely the

its

transcribers of its records.

The

unexpurgated
more

alone, and

Shakespeare of the Catholic Dryden, coneven tain than is to be impure suggestiveness

literature. times and
as
a

editions

of

found

in all of Ireland's pagan

These

productions of
times
human free
more

modern
menace

are

thousand
to

of

weak

nature;
love with

and

for

danger Shelley's

teachings of
that

and

of other
are

doctrines

naturallygo anything

this,and
in the

intrinsically
seek in vain

subversive for

of all social order, you like them

pagan

literature

of Ireland. Of

Shakespeare

and and
we

Dryden
with feel

we

speak
reverence

with for
were

profound respect their genius and

deep
that

if

they

writing in

our

times

they would, in delicate

CHAPTER

VI

39

matters,
to
our

have
more

accommodated

their
and

phraseology
moral

refined

ears

keener

sensibilities. Mention of
a

Shelleybringsto
man

mind
he
a

the

pointmen disapto

feels when It
is

first goes

read

"

Queen
in

Mab."

grand

poem,

sublime

conception, rich and

least that is who
our
a

powerful

in

expression. At
it. But
to
one

recollection of
more or

retains

less
of
a

laudable ancient

respect for the

clean
a

mythology

Ireland, it

seems

little less than

the hazy and venerable to introduce sacrilege of antiquity and make her the fairy queen prophetess of a socialism of the rankest kind, inveighing against"King" and "Priest," and in their persons, againstall constituted authority, that go to keep and against all the powers together. society Queen Mab takes with her in her airy chariot, carries even and beyond the orbits of the planetsof our solar system, to her fairypalace in the ether of inconceivable

distance, a temporarily
she indoctrinates,

disembodied

which spirit in what the

name,
we

reaching
We

climax
of

shall call of
to

bitter

denunciation
call it

institution
because

marriage.
adhere
too

by this
the

to closely

diction of the

would original

be

40

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

all the modest

more ears

offensive

to

refined ordinarily and

and

by

the

power

majesty

and

clearness

With
is

expression. almost everybody fairies, Shakespeare's

There is

of its

acquainted.
and

Ariel, the trusty, and

benevolent and

Oberon

Titania,

both

magnificentsprites. And Puck; what shall we is undoubtedly the Pooka He of him? say brought into Ireland by the Danes; but, perhaps,
the Danes This him is
our

brought
The

Pooka
we

into wish is far

England

too.

opinion,and
Irish his

they
more

had

left

there. than

pooka
brother.

ous villain-

English
in

His

chief diversion of their

consists

scaring people

out

wits, and all for the pure

of it. deviltry shall allow an Englishman, Charles Lamb, We describe the tricks of the English pooka. to sometimes "Puck," says Lamb "(or,as he was and shrewd a called, 'Robin Goodfellow') was knavish sprite, that used to play comical pranks in the neighboringvillages;sometimes skimming the getting into the dairies and milk; sometimes plunging his light and airy
form

into the
his

butter

churn, and

while

he

was

dancing
vain
cream

fantastic

shape
had

in

the
to

churn, in

the

dairy-maid

would
nor

labor

change her

into butter:

the

swains village

CHAPTER

VI

41

any

better

success;

whenever

Puck
copper,

chose the

to

play
was

his freaks
sure

in the

brewing

ale

to
a

be

spoiled. good neighbors were

ale
met to

"When

few

drink would of
was
a

some

comfortable into the bowl

together,
old

Puck

jump
roasted

of ale in the likeness

some

crab, and

when

goody

going to drink, he would bob againsther her withered chin; lips and spillthe ale over
and

after when the same old dame was presently gravely seating herself to tell her neighbors a sad and melancholy story, Puck would slipher three-leggedstool from under her, and down and then the old toppled the poor old woman, gossipswould hold their sides and laugh at her, and swear wasted merrier hour." a they never We remember
to

have
as

seen
a

Milton's

Comus
the

somewhere

referred to
and

fay

or

fairyof

Middle

Ages;

if the blind this been

old Puritan

bard

presentedto the
in life seemed
worse

world have
any

spritewhose
to

purpose
a

to

lure to who

doom

than
be

death

maidens
he
some

happened
up

to

lost in the

woods,
to

made

for the

offensive

obtrusion,

extent,
or

by

troduc inthe her

Sabrina, the real fay

benevolent

fairy of
gave

kind,

the

nymph
such

who

services to the

rescuingof

haplessmortals.

42

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

We word

find

it difficult to
was we

determine into

when the

the

"fairy" language. But

the the French.
noun

introduced
know
means

English

that

it
to

came

through

"Feer"
means

enchant, and

class of a fairy, are beings which represented as being, as a beautiful. Like general thing, extraordinarily
or

"fee"

fay

the

muses

and

graces

and is
a

there classic literature,

nymphs of ancient poetical fascination charming character

the
have but fairies been and
gested sug-

about

them, and
romance.

they lend

to medieval

One

might by
the

suppose

that

spiritsof Shakespeare might probable that they are relics of the great mythology
of

fairies of Ireland;

it is far
traces
over
or

more

the

left all

the

face which from

and

Europe by
from

the

great Celtic migration

more

started

Scythia, or
bank

remotely

Asia, on
reached

the southwest its "Ultima

of the Indus,

Thule"

in Ireland and
of which
are

in the

highlands of Scotland,
most

in both

places its to-day.

Where
as a

distinctive traditions

found

the

Irish

language
is where

is most the

prevalent
tions fairy tradi-

spoken language
exist most

clearly;and
that

ing this,notwithstandbecame
per-

the

fact that

language

CHAPTER

VI

43

meated

and
to

pervaded by
an

the

spiritof

tianity Chris-

such

extent

of

calamity

that

might
of

that in the presence be thought to be of

the
cross

the fairy origin,

sign

is at

once

made, and
invoked.
To

the sacred

names

of Jesus and

Mary

such
up
one

an

extent

was

the

Irish the

language
interests

bound
of the

with

that Christianity the interests the

became

of the
same

other;

they

were

both

subjectedto
we

common
no

and proscription;

can

say

there is

doubt

whatever Catholic

that

that

tongue,
from
the

the differentiating

Irishman
was
a

English-speaking
agency

Protestant,
the in

hands

of

powerful human Providence to help

faith in Ireland.
near

in

divine

grace

preservingthe
But
we

came

forgettingto
were

state

that

the

French and
been

"fees"

the

"fata"
are

of Low
to
or

Latin
have

of the Italian,and

supposed
"Parcae"

suggested by
Rome.
genus,
a

the The but

"Fates"
are

of ancient
the
same

Irish fairies
are
so

of largely

tively distinc-

Irish that

they form
of the

class in themselves.
as

They spoke
did, and

the Irish

language
most

the Catholics

some

and interesting

amusing stories of the peasantry in Gaelic Ireland, even now, represent the fairies as good

44

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

averse Catholics, particularly

to

swearing and
"

profanity. Why the fairytraditions, call them to superstitions among

"

we

hate
lettered un-

the

are

co-existent

and

co-extensive
is
a

with

Irish

as

spoken language
we

psychological explain here.

it
was

fact that
There

cannot

undertake
a

to

is

hardly

doubt
his

but

that

in
was

Ireland there who

Shelley got
was

Queen
and where

Mab,

for it is

she does

queen;

if there

anybody
his

not

know

Spencer got
let him remember her

notions
that

of the

"Faery Queen,"
Elizabeth,
that
in in

Queen
gave
acres

plantation of
over

Munster,
thousand

poet something
that

three

fertile
after the

province; that publication of portions

of times. of

he lived there his poem,

or

and
of

that
some
an

considerable
annual
revenue

it, he

was

given
enormous was

pension
for those Irish
an

fifty

pounds,
The

an

fact is, it

not
at

an

Fairy Queen English

His with
one;

Spencer portrayed
that
one was

all, but

Elizabeth enriches endows the Court the her her

herself. character
person

brilliant all the all the He

bellishes em-

imagination
virtues, and
charms of
the

with

ideal

fairy

queen.

of St. James

with

treasures

stolen from

fairymansions

of Ireland.

CHAPTER

VII

Fairy
Two

belief in
classes views The

ninth

and

succeeding centuries.
Pessimistic
Evils

of gods.

and

op-

timistic

of fairies.
Book

they

could

inflict.

of

the

Dun

Cow. further here

RATHER
on

than
age

dwell
and

any

middle
of

modern
we

tions concep-

the
of

fairies,

retire

again
a

into few

the
more

mists

antiquity
made
the "Book
we
,

and
to

ransack in
our

references
literature. in the In

them

ancient of

tale of the
of find
was

"Sick
Dun

Bed Cow"
"

Cuculain,"
na

the the

(Libur
"For

h-Uidre)
demoniac such
to

following :
before that the

the
and

power
was

great greatness

the

faith;
demons
and
secrets

its

the

used

corporeally tempt
to

people,
and
mortal. im-

they
such

used
as

show

them

delights
become

how it
was

they
to

might
these
name

And

phantoms
Sidhe
the of

the

ignorant
The

used

to
we

apply

the

(Shee)."

passage
some

quoted gives
in
45

from
an

Tripartite
the

Life belief

time

ago

idea fifth

fairy
This

that

prevailed

the

century.

46

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

it was what in present citation shows ninth, tenth and eleventh centuries; but idea
too
was

the the

it

gives of the "good people"

The "Sick the Bed of

is

entirely

gloomy.

Cuculain"

publishedin
in that its reference
power
as

Atlantis; and
so

O'Curry,
influenced
their moniac de-

editing it by

magazine, was
the "Shee"
same

to to

and

get the

pessimistic
21, page of Ancient

notion

of

them.

504, of his
Irish
men, women,

Appendix No. "Manuscript Materials

In
says:

History,"he
and the there
was on

"Of
or

the

fir-shee, fairy

ben-shee,

man-shee,
two

fairy
One

were,

however,
to

classes.

of these who
or

supposed
themselves

consist

of demons, of
sons

took
women,

human

bodies

men

and

by making
men,

love to the

and them

daughters of
delusive views

and
a

revealing

to

of

seduced which "The

De

mortali gloriousprospectiveiminto a fatal union by them God. Tuatha

they

were

forever lost from class consisted

second
a

of the

people said to have been devoted and the of Druidism altogetherto the practices the This Art. Black people in fact were of Erin at the coming of the Milesian possessors Colony; and having been conquered by the Milesians, and disdaining to live in subjection
Danaan,

CHAPTER

VII

47

to

more

material
own,

and

less
were

spiritual power

than have and

their

their chiefs

put

on

the

garb

of

heathen

imagined to immortality,
beautiful

for selecting

themselves

the most

situations of hills, lakes,islands, etc., throughout

the land, to have

to

built for themselves, or

in

caused of

spring

up,

splendid halls magic

eyes,

the

midst

those chosen

into which situations, veil of

around

they entered,
them
to

drawing
them had
power

hide

from

mortal
to
see

but
was

through which

they
earth.

all that

passingon
were

"These
not

immortal
to

mortals husbands and

then

believed from but in

only

take
sons

and

wives
men,

amongst
also to

the

daughters of
mutual

give and

receive
wars

assistance

their battles and It is clear that fairies to have

respectively." O' Curry thought the aboriginal

demons
in the darkest
passage
as sense

been

of the word, and

the Dun Cow
"

that the

in "Book

of

representedthem
Danaan be

such; while
to

the Tuatha

De

accession
to

the

kingdom might
considerable
The

considered

have
it.

fairy brought
induced

human

goodness with
was

pessimisticidea
Christian
the

probably
a

by
to
was

the

clergy in their zealous desire

from

detach

people

that superstition

to clinging evidently

them.

48

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

The of the

idea

of the

"shee"

given by

the

writer

Tripartiteis thoroughly bright and for supposing optimistic;there is no reason between that he ever thought of distinguishing
the
two

classes of fairies, if, indeed, he these divisions.

we

knew

anything about
The

idea, however,
to
us

have

found
whether

handed
these

down

from

antiquityis that
or

beings are
with
them

benevolent
was

otherwise, intercourse
as

regarded

boding

evil

to

mortals.
result

to Very little good has been known rather dreaded it. They from were

than loved. intended

to

And

the deference shown

or

them the

was

them, propitiate
do. make

avert

evil

they might
while

They could
around,
Achilles other
or

themselves
to

visible to

some,

remaining invisible

all others

standing
with
of the
at

just
and
was

as

Pallas
seen

Athene

talked
none

by him, while
company
saw

Greeks

in his

her

all;

just as Prospero in the "Tempest" takes precautionsnot to have his daughter Miranda him see talking with Ariel, because he knows and that she would, the sprite, she cannot see father her was talking to therefore, think
himself. It is this
sense

of the

presence

of the

fairies

CHAPTER

VII

49

and

the

thought that
that made

they might people speak of

be them

dropping eaves-

with

deference.
The in

manifold ancient
and could the
cause

evil

they could do is mentioned

as

such

documents

the

"Seanchus of Bran.
or

Mor,"

story of the
a

Voyage
the crops
to

They
cattle
any

blightof
Even

strike when in
or

cattle with
or

disease.

this

day,

human
way,

beings, by depredation or
desecrate
a

other

haunted

liss

fairy fort, and

matter

fortune get sick afterwards, their misto

is attributed
how
may

fairy vengeance,
natural
cause

no

clear be.
has

the

of

the

malady
And

impostorswho by encouraging this superprofitedfinancially stition the people. They pretended to among the "good people," themhave learned from selves,
a race

there

been

of

ways

and

means

of

counteracting the
these
as

effects of
means ever
were

fairymalignity,and
as

ways

and

weird

and

uncanny

anything

concocted
"The Book

by Shakespeare'switches. of the Dun cause Cow," so called beon

written

the hide of
year
1100.

brown

cow,

was are

compiled about the Pagan

but
and

Its contents

Christian, historical and

It
has

romantic,
also
some

romantic. principally

50

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

gloomy

pieces,
and
to

such
the have

as

the
on

history
Saint written
and

of

the

pagan

cemeteries,

elegy
been

Columbkille,

supposed
Forgail,
The his

by

Dalian

contemporary century

friend. interlined the is

now

eleventh with
a

compiler

this
then

elegy
obsolete.
Its

gloss,

explaining
itself

words

The

gloss
however,

obsolete.
poem

presence,

gives

the

great

philological
The facsimile whole

importance.

compilation
the

has

been

published

in

by
and

Royal
of

Irish
contents.

Academy
The of

with Libur
one

preface
na

description
has for the

h-Uidre books

distinction
a

being
was

of

those

which taken

battle
the

fought.
of

It

was

"forcibly"
into whose

from

men

Con"in

naught,
ransom

hands

it

had

fallen

for is

O'Doherty."
another and evidence
on

This
set
on

of books

the

high
the

value ancient

learning

by

Irish.

CHAPTER

VIII

The

Irish Caledonia
Erse in

called called

Scoti Scotia

and

Ireland

Scotia.
Irish and

Minor.

languages.
Ireland.

Landing

of

the

Milesians

Amergins
175

decision. fifth the volume of

since find

ON
phyrus,
the the
a.d.

page

of

the of

the funct dePor-

publications
Ossianic the

long
we

Society,

platonic
of the

philosopher;
fourth

Claudian, Ethicus,
who

Latin

poet

century;

Cosmographer;
466;

Saint
the

Prosper,

died
who

Orosius,
in the

Spanish
of the sixth
Bede of
as

historian,

flourished Gildas Saint and

a.d.

beginning
in the

fifth century;

Britanicus Isodore
and

century,
in the

and
;

Venerable

seventh who the

Saint

Donatus,
all

Bishop
to

Fiesoli

died Irish

840,
and

referred

calling

Scoti

Ireland Ireland
we

Scotia,
was

or

saying,

as

Ethicus
Scoti. der
even

did, that
And

inhabited from Irish

by the

know

Roden's
were

"Insel
Scots

Heiligen"
as

that the

the

called

late

as

fifteenth

century,
France
51

in several
and

cities

of

Germany,

Belgium,

Switzerland

52

IRELAND'S
"

FAIRY

LORE

where
had

Schottenkloester

"

or

Irish monasteries

been

founded, and

were

still supplied largely

And of
course we

with
know

from religious
very

Ireland. that lesser the

well the

great John
called

Duns

Scotus, and
and Marianus

lights Scotus
were

Erigena
in the

Scotus
to

so

Middle
It
to
was

Ages

their nationality. distinguish

the

about

eleventh

century, according
the
name

many

eminent
fixed for
on
a on

authorities, that Scotland,

or

became

Caledonia, which
known
as

then, and
Scotia

long time
account

after,was
of the

Minor,

predominant

influence

obtained

by

Ireland

there

through
Scotland Now Irish.

her colonies. At and the

that time the

the

Gaelic

language of
were

Gaelic
or

of Ireland
a

identical. of the

Erse,

Scotch, is
to that

dialect

And, anterior
no

time, the Scotch Gaelic has

own as

literature of

its

distinct from

the

ancient Irish literature.

The trouble from

Milesians,
in

or

originalScots, had they

Irish had been

much
ing Com-

a effecting landing in Ireland.

Spain
arts to

where

for ages, find the

they approached the magical

island

coast, to De
Danaan

of the Tuatha

in full Now
seen,

operation

prevent

their

landing.
now

the but

is made

invisible;

it is

CHAPTER

VIII

53

only

as

thin

long ridge of they

land

almost

merged; sub-

and, somehow,

impossibleto approach.
were

Finally,however,
their
B.C.

able

to

anchor in

ships at
3505.
at

the

mouth

of the river

Slaney

Ireland

the

time

Tuatha
and

De

Danaan and

governed by three kings,MacCoill, MacCecht

was

MacGreine; Eire, Fodla

their queens

were

tively respec-

and

Banba,

each
the

of whom

gave

her

name

to

Ireland; but

name,

Eire,
The

is that which other

have
romance

sticks,to the present day.

are

two

names ever

beautiful, indeed, but

to relegated

almost and

been

the fields of

poetry.

nothing from their location at the mouth of the Slaney. driven out to sea They were by a magical hear of them next storm, and we landing at Inver Skene or Kenmare Bay. They marched
north
to met

The

Milesians

accomplished little or

Drumcain,
the three

which

was

afterwards

called

Tara,
that
or

kings there and

the

demanded

they surrender
De taken
was or

of sovereignty

Ireland

fightfor it.
The
Danaan

kings pretended

to

have that

been that
war

and by surprise,
a

complained
way

not

fair and

square

of

waging
at

demanding

surrender.

They wanted

54

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

least three

days

to

consider whether
and
or

they
and wanted

would
to

give
the

up

the

island

leave raise
an

it, or
army

submit

Milesian

yoke,
in leave
one

give
the

battle; and
invaders
to

the the

interval island
sons

they

altogether.
of Miled, and

Amergin,
brehon
as

of the
of the

chief

and

bard

colony,was
from
the

appealed to
Danaan,
Danaan De

to the

and

the

of the justice appeal came As

we

claims

of the De

themselves. from the

to

are

gettingthis
to

information
poems
we

the
Books

introduction of Lecan of the

Amergin's Ballymote,

in

and

prefer
"will
own

give some
"We,"

dialogue.
son

said MacCoill,

of Cearmad,

abide

by the decision
should he

of

Amergin,
a

your

brehon, and

pronounce

false

ment judgus."
not

it is certain that So
pass
sure
were

he will be killed that

by

they
the

would injustice

unpunished.

"Pronounce Eber "I

judgment, Amergin,"
have

said

Donn,

the Milesian.

will," said Amergin, "let them

shall take?"

the

island." "What
Donn.

direction

we

said

Eber

"We

are

to

set

out

nine

waves

to

sea," said

Amergin.

CHAPTER

VIII

55

"That,"

says

the

scribe,

"was

the

first in

judgment
Ireland."

pronounced
this
means

by

the

Milesians

Amergin
eight by
a verses.

delivered

judgment
of
a

in

poem

of

By

gloss interlined
of the of

later scribe, Owen about

to

Connellan
the

Queen's
the
as

College, Cork,
century,
himself
was

middle
or

last
he

able

translate
to

rather,
this

expresses

it,
curious

interpret,

most

interesting and

relic of

antiquity.

Here

is his translation: "The

men

whom is

we

found

dwelling by right.
to
sea over

in
It

the

land,

to

them
your

possession due
to set out

is,

therefore,
green
waves;

duty
and

nine land them

if you
you to

shall
are

be
to

able
engage

to

again in spite of them,

in battle, and
you

adjudge
found
But

you

the

land
to

wherein
you

found

them
you

living.

adjudge

the

land

in which of

them

dwelling, by
you may

the

right
the

battle. which
to

although
people
them

desire
yours you

land

these show

possess,

yet
I forbid

is the

duty

justice.
you

from

injustice to
you

those
may

have
to

found obtain

in

the

land, however

desire

it."

CHAPTER

IX

Contest
art. out to

of Milesian
Bonn.
to
sea.

valor

with

Danaan
nine

magical
waves

Aranan.

Milesians
storm

Great
poems

raised. ancient

Digression
Irish
metre.

Amergins

and

Milesians,

after
Mish

several

losses, land.*

Battles

of

Slieve

and

Taillte. much
"If

THE
at
were

Milesians

were

disappointed
my

Amergin's
taken,"
matter

decision. said
be

advice
son

Donn,
decided the

the

of

Miled,
for

"the

would
power
we

by battle;
of able the
to

if it be Da

in

the

of
never

Druids shall be

Tuathe

Danaan,

regain Erin."
The

Milesians Druidical about

had

no

fear

in open

battle, but
had

against

enchantment

they
land.

givings miswas a

being

able

to

It of

contest

of

valor
power.

against the

resources

magical

illusion and "The

Book of Book

of

Ballymote"

and

the

"Great with
we an

Lecan"

give Amergin's
From the
then
56

poems,

introduction. that "The

introduction

learn Tara

Milesians

departed

from

CHAPTER

IX

57

southward
of the in the

and

arrived

at

Inver

Fele
on

(the mouth
Shannon Skena

River

Feal,
of

or

Cashin

the

County
of

Kerry) and
where
set out

Inver

(the Bay
at to

Kenmare)

their
over

ships were
nine
waves

anchor, and
sea.

they
and

"The

Druids

Files of Erin

then

chanted
such
at
a

incantations, by
storm
as

which

they

raised
was

caused of the
sea

everything
to

that

the

bottom and

be

raised to
storm

its surface,
was

by the violence
from the coast

of the

the fleet
to
sea

driven
was

far westward

and

separated."
"This is
a

Druidic

wind"

said

Donn,

the

son

of Miled. "It

is," responded Amergin, "if it does

above

not

blow

the masthead."

Whereupon
of Miled,
went
was

Aranan,
up

the youngest
mast to

of the

sons

the

ascertain while

the
in

fact, but
the act of

thrown

therefrom, and
the

he said that falling

wind

did not

prevail beyond the masthead. the pilot of Donn's He ship (Aranan) was and was the pupil of Amergin. said deceitful in our "It was soothsayers," have "not to Donn, prevented this magic
wind."

58

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

"There

was

no

deception,"repliedAmergin,
he said
as

and

standing up

follows

"

"Ailim
Ermac Motac

iat nereann,
muir sliab motac,

sreatac," etc.

The

poem

is in the

Conaclon
of each
metre

Versification,
line is the
seems

in which

the

last word
next.

first

word
been

of the

This

to

have

peculiar to ancient Ireland, and might to us to be a kind of verbal jugglery; seem easily been have justlyregarded as although it may it is highly artistic for the remote age to which
ascribed.
As
was a

matter to

of fact the
deliver his

ancient
verses we

Irish bard short

supposed
not

at very
see

notice, if

as spontaneously,

Amergin
that the "whose
whose woods

doing here.
This
poem
may
are are

of

Milesians mountains
streams

Amergin's is a regain the land

great
and
numerous;

prayer

of Erin

extensive;
whose

clear and various

abound

with
are

fruits; whose

rivers and lakes

in
we

waterfalls
are

large and
elevated and dominion

beautiful; whose

broad

and
on

widely spread; which

abounds

fountains

grounds." "May
over

gain

power

its tribes," he

CHAPTER

IX

59

continues.

"May

we

have

kings

of

our

own

rulingat Tara,"
It is remarkable

etc.

that the Milesians

them dispersed
not
was

concluded
a

that the storm

one,

that

magical
head, mastwas

because

it did
as

blow

above

the

because,

they thought, there

that

nothing
if it
were

to
a

destroy above
natural

point;

whereas fillthe

tempest, it would

surrounding air without any regard to what able it might, or might not, destroy. It is remarkis transalso that this pieceof shrewdness mitted
to
us

with

such

circumstantial
years
or

detail
more.

through a periodof perhaps 3000

The Milesian fleet
was

wrecked

along

the

of it landed in such Remnants rocky coast. widely separatedplacesas the coast of Kerry and the mouth of the Boyne. Terrific battles were fought at Sleive Mish in Kerry and at Taillte in Meath.
were

In

both

of them

the

sians Mile-

victorious. of Miled of their

the

sons

number
able to take

Although only three of and a correspondingly reduced people had landed they were
the

overthrow

Tuatha

De

Danaan

and

of the island. possession The annalists give the year

a.m.

3500

as

the
to

date

of the

first attempt

of the the
year

Milesians
3501
as

capture the

island, and

the

60

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

date
have

of
been

its

subjugation;
one

so

that

there

must

about and

year's

warfare.
the De in each in of the

MacCoill,
Danaan

MacCeacht

MacGreine,

kings
the

who

had of
his the

governed sovereignty
were

Ireland
of

rotation,

period
in

being

one

year

turn,

killed

battles;

and could the

to

what the
three send

disposition
chivalrous

more

worthy

themselves made Fola

of than the of

Milesians

have
and

queens

Eire,
into
the

Banba

them

fairy
leave?

mansions

island

they

would

not

CHAPTER

Amergin.
The
s

The

Gods.

Amergin
s

and
poems.

Hesiod.
gin Amer-

philosophy of Amergin9 poetical prayer

Jubainville's
poem.
on

landing
An

in

Ireland.

De Welsh

comments.

analogous O'Molloy
on

Scotus

Erigena.
and

Conaclon.

Amergin looking
the made
a

St. Patrick.

BEFORE
Tuatha De

into

the after

councils

of the
quered con-

Danaan,

they
and

were

by
the be

Milesians,
for
more

noticing
the with of

plans they
well
to

their

future, it will
to
are

give

little

attention
as

poems

of
very

Amergin,

associated of the

these

the

beginnings
the

Milesian

history

Ireland.
It
was on

first of This
one

May
day
of the
gave

the
was

Milesians sacred
to

began
Beltene.

their

conquest.
was

Reltene

names

of the also

god
took

of

death, the

god

who

life and

it away.

Amergin fight
Tuatha derive
was

felt

profoundly
in his

that
the four

his

people's
of

against gods
De

persons extant

the

Danaan;
their force

and and
61

poems tone

all

character

and

62

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

from that

that
matter

conviction.

He

believes with Hesiod

precedes the gods, that they are not independent of it, that science or general from the gods knowledge which may have come
may

be used

to

overthrow

them, that the great

are

phenomena
and He it
as

of visible nature

above

them,

may

also be turned

identifies science

againstthem. with its object, regards

the forces of nature but the visible manifestations. who file, is the

of which Being itself, all sensible

"Thus

and

being are
it is that

visible embodiment is not

of science in human

form,

but eagle, vulture, tree, plant, only man sword or spear." he this science by which Amergin glorifies hopes to overthrow the gods; and he identifies himself

everything to which he speaks,he speaks for When it is extended. back of all the gods. undefined some power His philosophy is regarded as pantheisticand
with

it and

with

he

speaks for
In
the
poem

God
or

in all his poems.

prayer says:
blows the sea;

he

recited

on

first

landing in Ireland, he
"I I I I
am am am am

the wind the the the

wave murmur ox

which

over

of the ocean;
of the billows;
seven

of the

combats;

CHAPTER

63

am am am am am am

the vulture upon

a

the rock;

I
I I I I

tear

of the sun;

the fairest of
a a a

plants;

wild boar in valor; salmon in the water;

lake in the

plain;

I I
I

am am am

word

of science;

the

that givesbattle; spear-point

the

God

who

creates

in the

head

the

fire (of

thought). the assembly on Who is it that enlightens

if not Who Who I?
of the moon, if not the
sun

the mountain,

th the ages telle showeth

not

I?
goes
to

the

place where
to

rest, if

I? where the waters

run

Who

direct you if not I?

can can as

clearest,
sea,

Who

bring
cause

the

fish from

its

recesses

in the

I can?
can

Who

the fish to

approach

to

the

shore,

as

I can? Who
as can

mountains change the hills,

"

or

promontories,

I can?

phrases "if not I" and "as I can," are suppliedfrom explanatoryglosses.The poet's reasoning is something like this: "God does all is all these things; they are these things; God from I might say, indistinguishable inseparable,
The

him;

they are but the manifestations action, they are identical with him,

of him
as

in

I am;

64

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

if they
to me,

are

ascribable to him
I
am

they are
one more

ascribable

because

but

external

evidence And when "The

of him." then
comes

the

the special claim, higher,

am
a

Amergin

says:

"I

word

of science."

file,"says

De

Jubainville,"is the word

who

of science, he fire of

is the God
and
as

givesto

man

the

thought;

science is not

distinct but
one,

from
the and

God and nature are as object, being of the file is mingled with
its the waves,

the winds with the

with

wild animals

and

warrior's arms."
An

analogous poem
poet Taliesin.
in the
upon

is found

in

Welsh

script manu-

of the fourteenth
to tear
a

century.

It is ascribed
says,

the

Amergin
says,

"I

am

of the sun." air."

Taliesin

"I

have
"I
am

been the
says,

tear

Amergin
The and

says,

vulture "I have

the rock."
an

Welsh
so

bard

been
says

eagle;"
am"
the

on,
man

wherever
says

Amergin
have

"I

Welsh

"I

been,"

thus

substituting the

idea

of

metamorphoses for what De styles the vigorous pantheism philosophy.

successive
If De

ville Jubainof Irish

Jubainville

had

said
we

Celtic, and
be

not

Irish, in this connection

to

would have

inclined
to

find

no

fault.

But

we

good

reason

CHAPTER

65

think

that
as

he

regards the ancient

in

Celtic pantheism
a

Irish philosophy to tainting

extent
even

very

desirable un-

early Christian Amergin that

times.
we

The

particular poem

of

have

been who

analyzing is
wrote

not

in Conaclon.

O'Molloy,
in 1677, tells

his
and

Grammatica

Latino-Hibernica
there

in Rome,
us

published it
is the most the canopy

that

Conaclon

difficult species of
of heaven.

compositionunder Amergin
and
was
was

Nevertheless, what
able to
cram

depths

of

philosophy
tion transla-

into that sententious

monotonous

metrical

style!

Mere

not
verse;

enough
it had

to to

of such

develop the meaning in the be interpreted

that

light of
could Two
one

every any

circumstance

threw,

or

throw,
of

lighton
of
in

it.

other poems

them,

In Amergin are extant. Conaclon, already noticed, iat n-Erend,"

sea,
an

and

beginning "ailim
earth and lakes. deified.
poem,

he

invokes

the

the

mountains,
invocation

woods,

rivers and
to Ireland

It is

addressed

In the other is mentioned

to
as a

not

in Conaclon, the

sea

but the earth is next first, it would the

not

referred well
to

divinity that

be

slight. He appeals to
"to the

"fish-aboundingsea,"
the

fruitful earth," "to

irruption of

GG

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

fish," "to

the the

fish under

the waves," and

we are

the

object of
from the the poems,

appeal,as

left to

gather
of aid

circumstances

and

from

the tenor

is to get all these their

forces to

his
De

people
Danaan

in

fight against the Tuatha

prayer

gods. His
overthrown.
can

is heard

and

the

gods are
Who

contemplate those appealsof Amerof our dawn at the gin, made history, very without of the "Lorica" of being reminded Saint Patrick,sung on his way to Tara; perhaps,
over
a

thousand

years

later on?
to

Amergin
from
and the

appeals

the

elements
to

for

aid.

Saint Patrick

appeals to
to

Christ
turn

protect him

elements, and
his the

all their powers

to properties

advantage.
ing figureof Amergin, stand-

How
away
to

patheticis
back

in the
are

"cloudland,"
anterior to
to
a

appealing gods,

the forces that

all the

appealingover
and

their shoulders

higherpower,
founding con-

in

the

helplessnessof heathenism
with
What visible
nature

this power
her been

and

forces and
but the

laws!

could
down

it all have

feelingaway
back hands

in the

depths
was

of his soul that One in whose

of all these

gods there
all but
common

they

were

clay!

CHAPTER

67

From

the is is

old the

Celtic transition

philosophy
to

of

Amergin,

how
The

easy
one

the the

true

philosophy!
This that
of of

suggested
was

in

other.

old would tianity. Chrisdence, Provi-

Celtic

philosophy
at
once

the

kind

yield

to

the made

"Kindly
in

Light" designs

It

was

the

preparation

for

it.

CHAPTER

XI

The

Fairies.
Irish
etc.

Banba,

Fola books

and named
a

Eriu.

Why

manuscript
A

after places, library.

an

manuscript

really

land's Ire-

literature, in its preservation,

tion indica-

of Ireland's
Book
in be

destiny.
Banba,
each that

Ogham
Fola the

characters. and Eriu

of Bally mote.
succession
ask

island

should

named

after
readers
to
or

her.

Fate be

of

Donn.

OUR
citing,
It
was

may

curious
the
we

by
old
have

this
Irish been

time

know

why

books
were

manuscripts, by
of the such old

called
habit four

peculiar
Irish
in
or

names.

the
to

writers

or

scribes
about The

state

circumstances
were

particular copying.
these stated added
any

the

books made if he

they
no

writing
in

copyist

alteration
them but

cumstanc cirin his

new

found

already merely

the
own

work
name

he
as

was

copying,
scribe that
or

compiler, with
arisen in he

circumstances
with the

had and

connection considered

compilation
of notice.

which

worthy

CHAPTER

XI

69

These the book

circumstances
was

were
or

the

place in which
of the and

written
name

compiled, the date

of the author that
to

the its compilation, occasion

or

circumstances
This
wrote

led to its
be the

being

undertaken. of those who

continued
the

custom

Gaelic

language, even
named

down

to

the time

of the Four

Masters. after the

The nals" "An-

Sometimes

compilations are
as

compilers as well
now were

after the
as

place.
the

known

the known and

"Annals
as

of Ulster"

formerly better
MacManus,"
Masters

"Annals
of

of the

Senait
Four of

the

"Annals

"are sometimes

called the "Annals

Donegal." These huge tomes 'Books' are not confined or but include a vast varietyof to any one subject, subjects, having no connection with each other at all,beyond the fact that they are bound up in one thrown great manuscript. They are togetherpromiscuously. You find a love story
or same
a

courtship,or parchment
on

voyage
a

or

vision

in the
or
a
"

with
or

pitched battle
.

treati se

medicine

astronomy
the
were

The

"

B ook

is really a When

library.
one

considers
these books

with which
and

patience and care copied and re-copied they

were

the

high appreciationin which

70

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

held, the

thought
God that

becomes

irresistible that
a

Almighty

Himself

had, by
Ireland

special dence, provinot

decreed

should

be she

entirelydivested of the internal evidence

bore
to

of the

mighty influence she

of

was

destined

wield in the civilization of the world. The

"Book

valuable Ballymote" is peculiarly as containinga grammatical tract and a key to the Ogham cypher-writing. It has also many translations and adaptations from the Greek and Roman classics, genealogies of saints and other hagiological biblical matter. and much A book-collector named O'Donnell bought it from of its last private owners, one a man named The 140 McDonough. price paid was milch cows. McDonough parted with the book
to have gretted rewillingly.Nevertheless he seems having to part with it. Either that, or the scribe thought the price too high: for he that "although the book is good, buying says book from McDonough is a purchase from a a

churl." The

Gaelic
to

text

of

this great book

which would

belongs now
make
2500

the

Royal Irish Academy

a

pages

of such

work

as

the "Annals

of the Four

Masters," large quarto.

of

"The

Book

Lecan," compiled by

member

CHAPTER

XI

71

of the famous in the

family of the MacFirbises literary

a.d.

County Sligo in
of
one

1417, is very

much

like the "Book

Ballymote"
of these

in its contents.

Nearly
a

every
copy

cludes great collections inor

of the "Libur-Gabala,"

"Book

of Invasions."
In this latter, we

find

more

detailed account

of Banba, is
now

Fola

and

Eriu, or

Eire, as

the word

Danaan

that the and De

says

the Tuatha De were spelled. These tells us Libur goddess-queens. The Milesians had to fightagainst demons; that these demons
were

the

Tuatha

Danaan.
Some

copies of this book

forces
as

represent the
the

tending con-

having fought

battle

of

Sleive Mish, in first

Kerry,
the and

on

the

occasion

of the the

landing of
at

Milesians, before
from
to

pearanc ap-

Tara

consequently
the
Tara

before island.

their

temporary

retirement

While

marching northward battle,we are told,they met

and she told them had that
come,

after this
Banba
conquer

first Queen
was

if it

to

Ireland
not

they just.
said

their

expeditionwas

"It is for that indeed

we

came," said Amergin.

me

"Then,"

Banba,

"grant

at

least

one

favor, that the island be called by my

name."

72

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

"It

shall be so," said bear her

name

Amergin.
very met

But

the island

did not
a

long; for proceeding

Fola and she it.
name

little farther,
same

they

asked

the

favor did
at

and
not

Amergin granted long enjoy

the She Eire. Central
was
a

Ireland

Fola's

either; for, Ireland, they

Usnech,

point only

of

met

the

one

of the three who

gave

them

cordial

greeting.
are

"Welcome,
from afar.

warriors," said she, "you

This island will
here
no

come

belong
the will be

to

you

for

all time, and there

as

from

to
race

farthest
so

East

is

none

better;
"It

perfect
Eber "that
our
no

yours."
the
any
owe

is not

to
sons

you,"
our

cried

Dorm,
we own

eldest of the

of Miled,

thanks, but

to

gods and

has I announce prowess." "What for you," said Eire, "you shall concern enjoy this island; it will not belong to

not

any

descendants
the island

of
be

yours."
called

She

then her

begged that
and

after

Amergin

granted the request. After the grudging reception given the warriors and Fola it might appear surprising by Banba
and
a

even

startlingto

find

Eire

giving
name

them
was

cordial welcome.

But, then, her

with
and

to

last forever,associated destinies. In

song

them

and
was

with
to

their

story it

CHAPTER

XI

73

become

one

of

the

most

beautiful
the whom

names

in

the
her the

world.

She

welcomed

Milesians she

as

own,

as

the

race

over

was

to

be

presiding
As the

divinity.
Greeks after

gloried
their
in De

in

the

name

of

Hellenes,
so

given
Milesians
taken in the

them

god,
name

Hellen,
of

the

gloried
from that

the Danaan

Eireanaig,
away

goddess

back

mythological

ages.

CHAPTER

XII

Amergin;

his Death

character

and

office; Eire's
Fola

ecy. prophLug

of Banba, of
Taillten.

and Practice

Eire.

and
a

the games
to

of putting
stories

term

the

lives

of the gods.
redactions.

Pagan
"Lir's

have

Christian

lonely
mark
on

daughter." place
names.

Paganism

has

left its

AMERGIN
was

the

eldest
or

son

of

Miled. of all

He

was

the

ollam,
as

man

learning,
and
very

as

well the
was

brehon,

or

judge
It is
or

counsellor,

to

whole also

colony.
their file

likely
He

that
was

he

druid
or

priest.
a

certainly

their

poet;
in this

kind

of
he

primeval
incited them

poet-laureate,
them
to

and

capacity

battle

by
for

his the

songs,

encouraged
of
when

by

his

appeals

favor

the

unseen

powers,
were

celebrated and

their recited dead.

of

prowess

they
them
he

victorious,

elegies
their

for

when
was

they
the

were

As

ollam,
wisdom

depositary
the
74 one

their
who

highest

and

knowledge,

preserved

CHAPTER

XII

75

their

and genealogies, each

new

to

the

old

family
in

tree

added
At
man;
were

ramification.
offices
were

first all these but in the

to

centred

one

course

of time,

rigorouslines
and
we

drawn
the

them; distinguish
each

find

that
brehon

three

great, general offices of Druid,

came

and

file

to

have

its

own

representative.Strict precautions were

to

taken
of these

prevent the interference of anyone

in the functions
next to

personages

of the others.
in age, the

Donn the

Amergin prominence given him in

was was

and, from

ancient

tales,

it is clear that he of the him

storm

the

commander-in-chief

expedition. Eire's prophecy regarding In the course of the magic true. came
he

and
on

his whole which

coast

crew

were was

lost. wrecked

The
on

sand the
name,

hills
western

his of

ship

Munster of the

still bear

his

and

the

tradition
of the

catastrophe is

vivid in the
The
most
we

minds ancient

people of that place. copies of the Libur Gabala,

back
to

that

stillhave, go
These

the

twelfth
and

tury. cen-

tell us

that

Banba,

Fola
at

Eire of of

were

killed with This

their husbands ancient

the battle

Tailltinn. Meath
name

place in

the

County

is
came

Anglicized Telltown.
from the

Its

ancient
was

goddess Taillti who

76

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

the

foster-mother
Tuatha De

of

Lug,

one

of the
In

greatest
his affection

of the

Danaan
games

gods.
and

for her, Lug had

great festivities

celebrated
of each On Mi Na

here, beginning on

the first of

August

year.

this account,

August is
or

to

this
of

Lugnasa,

the

month

day called the Lugnas;

lugnas meaning
Tailltinn, or
enormous

Lug's gathering. The aonach Fair of Taillti, always brought an

of

Erin. ancient

people together in ancient It is impossible to read much of the Irish literature without noticing the
concourse

great frequency of the

occurrence

of the

name

Lug

(Loo) or Lugaid (Looey). With regard to the death of the

it is to be observed
a

queens,

that

putting
The wanted

term

to

the

lives of in

goddess the practiceof the gods was

times.
in

three

introduced

into

Ireland

Christian

early
to

Christian

converts,

their
the

zeal,

put
out

every

thought
minds of the

of

ancient

paganism
this would and
men

of the that
to
one

of the best

people, and
ways to

they thought
be reduce and The
women.

do

the

destroy the gods to the

or

ancient level of

pantheon ordinary

Fomorians,
The is Tuatha
no

African
Danaan

pirates, were
were

gods.
and

De but

gods;

there

doubt

that all the Milesian

CHAPTER

XII

77

chiefs would
not

have

reached With
think

us

as

gods, were

it

for this process.

all respect for the

ancient
the

Christians, we
pagan
no

it

that regrettable

ancient

tales
harm.

were

They could do
be thankful
To
convert
was

that

they

were

tampered with. Perhaps we ought to spared to us at all.

pagan to

them

from

Christian tors redac-

classics

impossible.

Their

Christian

as literature, and as appreciated them the peculiar character of the ancient reflecting it rested on Irish mind, when religion; and therefore they would not, if they could, expurgate the altogether. paganism out of them tales were Besides, these pagan comparatively

clean
was

as

far

as

the moral

conduct

of their heroes

concerned.
A
very

great number
redactions. old pagan

of these The
way,

stories have

Christian

story is generally
but
new or

told in the
are or
a

added, by which
group

the hero

developments heroine,
down
to

whole

of these, is

brought
to

Saint

Patrick's

time, and

made

receive

baptism,and

then die. that Finoola, "Lir's

It is in this way

Lonely
live
at

Daughter,'' and
Aod,
least Conn nine and

her

equally ill-fated brothers,

are

Fiacra,
years,

made and

to

hundred

that

"Eithne

78

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

the with

Fair" her

after

living fifteen hundred

at

years
to

fairycompanions, is
from

last made

stray away
Children burial from

them,
Patrick

so

that

she, like the

and Christian
one

of Lir, received Saint

baptism
or some

of his

disciples. As already indicated

of the old tales
were

these

Christian
to

tions redac-

intended the

eradicate

paganism,
conform

and

to

make

tales themselves

to Christian

ideas.
traces

Paganism
remain;
Irish and

has
as

disappeared, but its is written Christianity

in the

language all over the face of the old land, in the names of places, is the ancient paganism so written there, also,indelibly. When the archaeologistgoes to explain a he will find very place name frequentlythat
his
to explanation,

be

the very The

form

of De

an

will take on intelligible, old myth or pagan fable.

Tuatha
or

Danaan,

gods

men,

left their

they not on footprints,

bed-rock

whether

were

the

sands, but on the hard shifting Irish topographicalnomenclature.

The
and

of the

Christian

redactors

of the

pagan

tales,

many

of the annalists,tell us

that the
on

gods

died.

Nevertheless

these

gods
acted

lived
as

in the

popular imagination and

the

tutelary

CHAPTER

XII

79

deities buried.
This taken

of

the

districts

in

which

they

were

superstition, seriously
suggests
a

if

indeed
to

it called

ought
a

to

be

enough
beautiful
have where The

be

tion, superstireflection.
and

Christian

Wonderful

things

happened,
the

are

always
saints
are

happening,
laid.

bodies

of whether

the

typical
had of

Irish

mind,
an

pagan
sense

or

Christian,
the fitness

always

exquisite

of

things.

CHAPTER

XIII

Euhemerism.
men

Gods

that death

were

always

such, and

who

after
and

became

gods.

logical, Mytho-

heroic in

historic

guishable cycles easily distinGilla Keevin and Irish

Irish the

history. Monastery

Flann

of

greatest

Euhemerists.

Some

account

of

their

work.

Tigernach.

AT
Greek
book
to

the

court

of
the

Cassander
of

in
the

donia, Macethird
a

in

early part
Christ,

century
writer
prove

before named that

there He

lived
wrote
were

Euhemerus.

the

ancient
to

myths
show who had

all the

genuine
gods
were

historical

facts, and

that

all, originally, men

themselves
in war,
or

guished distinto
were

in

beneficence

their

fellowmen,

and

who,
as

in

consequence,

gratefully regarded
and

gods

after

their

death,

considered writer's
of
men was

worthy
success

of divine in

honors.

This

reducing

gods

to

the

level
scholar

only partial.
that

Every

classical still

knows

the

Greek
and

mythology
that

stands

apparently intact,
80

there

is very

CHAPTER

XIII

81

little confusion One

among
never

there
to

between which

gods

and

men.

has who he

ask

is which. honors
some

But

those

received

divine

after havoc.

their death
There conduct in Greece
to

is

probably wrought certain grim humor in

Roman
tax

the

reported operating subject

all in any
as

of the

collectors
had become

after this country

Rome.

They
to

exempted
but

from

taxation
or

lands
way

belonging to
sacred

the immortal

gods
to

them;

refused

regard

immortal

gods those who

of
is

became

gods only after gods

out to

their death.
The
process
men

making
called of

the

be

ordinary
Euhemerus.

euhemerising, after
ancient Christian
of much

Many

the

writers of Ireland did very

of this kind
much

work, and
on

in this way

threw

obscurity
the

the lines of demarcation

between
human.

mythocan

logic and hardly be

One him.
The

the

heroic
a

or

They

considered

would

help to the historian. imagine they would rather confuse

euhemerists entire system
never

Irish the

tried

to

mythology. This would have been impossible,and the But they attempt unworthy of thinking men. by puncturing it injured that system a little, It here and there, thus causing confusion. explain away

of

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

seems

to

be

new

thing in

the world

to

have

mythological,heroic and historic cycles the at all in Irish history; and distinguished marked fact that these cycles now are distinctly
the is due of the
to

the work

of the great Celtic scholars It is

last seventy years. be

so.

quite natural

that this should

the Irish historian told us Formerly when some impossible story as a pieceof Irish history, laughed at him, or we thought how puerile, we fathers were to accept such stuff as our silly when the profound and now history. But discriminatingCeltist tells us the same story,
or

and

shows

us

where

it fits like in
no one

mosaic

in

one

magnificent whole, mythologicallore,we it seriously.

We stand
has
race,

grand

system
we

of take

longerlaugh;

in amazement
at
we

in the presence
on

of
as

a a

fact that distinct

last dawned

us

that

appeared
much
races

on

the

horizon
as

of all

history in
the other

very

the that

same

fashion

great

have

accomplished
destinies in

great things and

this world.

fulfilled evident

Among
case

the

great

races,

it

was

only
own

in the wise

of the

Jews

that

God,

for His

purposes,

kept the

remotest

antiquity as

clear,

CHAPTER

XIII

83

the present day. No "cloudas historically, in the divinelyinspiredhistory of the land" ancient world.

According wrought
Pantheon the
were

to

De
most

the writers who Jubainville, destruction in the Irish

Giolla

Caomghein, pronounced
and

approximately Gilla Keevin,

streach, both
age
men
or

Flann

MainiIn
any

of the eleventh

century.
work

country the erudition and

have commanded of the and of Flann

of these The
go

would

respect.

chronisms syn-

Monastery
are

back
to

to

the

remotest

ages,

referred

in

highlycommendatory language by such Usher, Ware, Lynch, better known as as brensis and eversus," OTlaherty
O'Connor. There
can

writers "CamCharles

be

no

doubt

about

the value
or

of

commendation

from

Archbishop Usher,
any
one

Father
men.

Lynch,
Charles been from
way

or,

in fact, from

of these

O'Connor
a

(of Ballyinagar) has

success was

not

always
with the

great

in his translations connected of in

some

old Irish. the

Flann

Monastery
evidence Orders.

Monasterboice,

and he

weight of

is to the effect that His

was

not
an

in Sacred excellent
to his

synchronisms
of universal

form

abridgment
own

historydown

time.

84

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

He

synchronizes

the

Kings
and

of

the

Medes,

Persians, Assyrians, Greeks

and

the

emperors,

previous rulers, of the Romans Irish Kings; and, in places, relieves

record
with
scraps

with this

the

dry

of

valuable

information

regarding the countries or the kings. Flann of the Monastery died, a.d. 1050; so says O'Curry. Douglas Hyde tells us that "the greatest scholar,
and chronologist,
to

poet of this period (Clontarf

Flann died in 1056." is very He the much
a

Norman

Invasion) is unquestionably
who

Mainistreach Giolla

Caomghein's work
Mainistreach.

like

that of Flann

wrote

great
of all
to

chronologicalpoem
time his
own

"giving
He He also died

annals world

from

the

beginning of

the

down

period."

Eastern synchronizes in 1072.

with Irish rulers.

He

is also

the translator into Gaelic the Britons, The works

a

of Nennius'

historyof
are

work

of the

eighth century.
extant;
suffered in have

of Giolla

Caomghein
of Flann
are

but from
a

the

synchronisms
and

the friction of time, and

only found

scattered

other ancient

imperfectway, bound up manuscripts. Tigernach,the

learned much annalist
use

with
most

brilliant and

of the

eleventh

century, has made

of them. of these
two
men

By

way

of

comparison

CHAPTER

XIII

85

O'Curry
Flann without earned the works
was

says:

"It

is

to

be of

observed

that and
the well

the in the

predecessor
least,
of

Tigernach;
from

derogating
that

reputation
of Flann of

annalist,
to

enough
that and

of he

remain

show

was

scholar

fully
of the

equal

learning,
merit."

historic

investigator
we are

highest
the

Again
feel

forgetting justified
in

fairies;
aside

but

we

perfectly
to

turning
account

sionally occa-

give
either In

short

of
tore

the down shall

great
their

mortals mansions.

who

built
next

up

or

our

chapter
of the

we

begin
De the

to

give

an

account

great

Tuatha

Danaan

gathering

at

the

famous

Brugh

on

Boyne.
*

In

his

"Manuscript

Materials

of

Ancient

Irish

History."

CHAPTER

XIV

The

Fairies, Boinne. Cucullain Sid." Poem The

De

Danaan
on

meeting
Tain

at

Brug
of

na

Digression
and

Bo

Cuailgne.
the

Ferdiad.

"Conquest
Manannan

Dagda.
Kinaeth

MacLir. The Bulls

of

O'Hartigan.
translation

fight. O'Currys
that

of the

account

of

fight.
their
De

AFTER
Tuatha held what
a

defeat
Danaan

at

Taillti, the
about Their
structing recon-

set

themselves.

chiefs

great

meeting
do.
was

to

determine

precisely
where

they
was

should held
a

The

place
on

the

meeting Brugh
the form

the

Brugh
at

the

Boyne. day
is

means

fairy palace;
*

the present
a

"bruighin,"
of it and

which

is

grammatical
"breen,"
parts
of

inflection
more

is

pronounced
In those

generally used.
still most for their
"

the
word

country "side,"

haunted

the by fairies,
is
very

palaces,
here

generally
the Tain

supplanted by
We Bo
may

breen." occasion
Cattle
to

take
or

notice

Cuailgne

Spoil

of

Cooley.

withstandi Not-

the
*

serio-comic
written
86

name

of this story

Often

bruighean.

CHAPTER

XIV

87

it is the greatest of the Irish result of the

steer

Epic

tales.

As brown

raid

on

Donn,

the famous
the

of

Cualgne
to

in Ulster, with

object
him
to

of

bringing him
her

Connaught
in the

to

add

the

of Queen Meave, possessions

supremacy
was

and
over

thus establish
her

wealth

husband,
no

who Ailill,
famous

proud
or

owner

of the horned

less

Finnbheannach,
of Ulster, Conor in
a

white

bull,

the

King

MacNessa,
with
war

becomes and

involved
her

protracted war
allies. This and Ferdiad

Meave

Munster

develops the
and
with
a

heroes

Cucullain

host

of

others, and
sense

astonishes
honor

the reader and

the keen

of

manly
to

chivalry in soldierly
Erin who had

the heart of anyone

courage

in ancient
a man.

the

call himself
had
no

Even for these

or a

in their

paganism
but
a

death

terrors

heroes,

breach

of chivalrous

honor
was

failure to
one

stand

by their plightedword
heaven, they dreaded.

the

thing,

under

Anyone reading Mrs. Hutton's

of this wonderful version middle
it and

English version
German

story
to

or

Windisch's

is forced
ages

the

conclusion
to

that all the Christianize

did for

chivalrywas
to

exalt

its motive it is

But,

of

course,

supernatural Christianityalone that

the

could do this.

88

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

Attached
tract

to

this serni-historic tale is

or

short

called the conquest,

the

seizure,of the
the literally
tract

"sid"; "Gabail

Int Sida," meaning

capturingof
and has
a

the

fairypalaces.

The

is

tant ex-

copy

of it in the "Book There

of Leinster"
is
a

escaped
redaction

euhemerization. of it, but

we

tian Chris-

shall first consult the

thoroughly pagan
In this version

version.
the

principal part in the

capturing and subsequent distribution of the palacesis ascribed to the Dagda who was, fairy
in the Tuatha
to

De

Danaan and

world, what
to

Zeus

was

the
name

Greeks is

Jupiter
if that written
one

the

Romans.
as

His the

interpretedby
and be

De

Jubainville

"good god,"
it would

be interpretation

correct,
modern five

"Deag-dia"
of
the four
noun

in
or

Irish; deag being

come

adjectivesthat they
name

before

the

to

which His "bad

reward There

refer.

does
as

not

imply
was

that

there him

was
as

a
a

god"
is

such, but
services

given

for great
no

done

for his

people.

certain

Manichaeism Irish.
The
among

proof of a positivepagan the ancient having prevailedamong

retained

Dagda
the

great

influence
were

even

victorious

Milesians, who

not

CHAPTER

XIV

89

entirelyable they succeeded

with
to

to

free themselves

from

certain until
peace

disabilities inflicted
in

by the making
of their
of their

De
a

Danaan,
treaty of
were

him.

By
the
the

this treaty
corn

they

enabled
to

gather
drink

fields and
cows.

get

and

milk

Both

these

foodstuffs had of the Tuatha

The
pagan

been
Da

blightedby
Danaan.

the incantations

version the
at

of the "Gabail the Na

Int Sida"
the

also makes

Dagda Brug
the

leading figure in
redactions
to

deliberations the tale

Boinne, the palace of

of the

Boyne, but

Christian

give the greater prominence

Manannan

MacLir.
The
reserve

Dagda
this the

is made famous various

numerous

distribute
or

by the pagan story to and palace to himself other underground sids

chiefs of the Tuatha
De

sidi to the

Danaan, after they and their people had decided

not to

leave Ireland

but to retire into this kind

of invisible
A
poem

immortality.
attributed
to

Kinaeth

O'Hartigan
the

of
as

the

tenth

century
this
same

represents

Dagda
before
He

occupying
Milesian dwelt

palace
of the his

even

the
had

occupation
with

country.

there

goddess-queen Boana,
river is named, and who

after whom

the famous

90

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

is

reallynothing
Here
we

more

or

less than

the

Boyne

deified.

our

again digress. We readers something about

in
our so

may

as

well tell bulls

we

the the

mentioned
may
not

references
an graceful

to

Tain.

We

have

opportunity soon

again. The reader knows very well, in advance, cannot that the bulls fought. We improve on
of it. O'Curry'sdescription In his analysisof the great story as found by him in manuscript form, and after dilating on satisfaction at having obtained possesMeave's sion and of the Donn punished her old foe, Conor "This MacNessa, O'Curry continues:
"

wild

tale, however, does

us

not

end

here; for it

gravely informs
found himself in

that

when

Donn

Cuailgne
among

strange country, and

raised such heard
a

strange herds, he
as

loud
in the

had

never

before been that

on

bellowing province
unusual
or

of

Connaught;

hearing those

sounds,

Ailill's bull, the knew that entered

Finnbheannach,
some

White-horned,
formidable that
to
soon

strange

and

foe had

his

territory;and
at

he

immediately advanced
which

full

speed
he

the

point from

they issued, where

of his noble enemy.
was

arrived in the presence "The

sight of each

other

the

signal of

CHAPTER

XIV

91

battle.

In

the

province rang darkened the sky was

threw
up

poetic language of the tale,the with the echoes of their roaring,

by

the sods of earth from

the

they
foam
men,

with

their

feet,and
hid

that flew from

women caverns

their mouths;

fainthearted

and and
most

children

themselves

in caves,
even

clefts of the warriors the

rocks; whilst
but dared
to

the the

veteran

view and

combat

from

neighboring hills
at

eminences. "The retreated into the where had Finnbheannach

towards
a

length gave
which battle than

way

and

certain pass
the

opened
the
rest

plain in

which

raged, and

sixteen

warriors

bolder

the planted themselves; but so rapid was all and the pursuit that not only were retreat these trampled to the ground, but they were buried several feet in it. The Donn Cuailgne,
at

last, coming
on

up
ran

with

his opponent,

raised

him

his horns,

off with

him, passed the

gates of Meave's
him
to
as

palace, tossing and

until at last he

shaking
him

he went,

shattered

members as pieces,dropping his disjointed he went along. "And wherever a part fellthat placeretained the it
was name

of that

joint ever

after.

And
now

thus Ath-

(we

are

told) that Ath

Luain,

92

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

lone,
Great

which

was

before its

called

Ath
name

Mor from

or

the the been

Ford,

received

present
or

Finnbheannach's

luan,

loin,

having

dropped
"The his

there. Donn in

Cuailgne,
this his of
manner

after

having
from
but all his in fled

shaken

enemy

horns,
such
a

returned

into
state at

own

country,
that He

frenzied

excitement

where everyto

his

approach.
but and hid which of
force the

faced of

directly
the baile
a

his hamlet

old

home;
fled

people

or

themselves
his

behind

huge

mass

of the
all and

rock,

madness

transformed
so

into with
brains if

shape
his

another

bull;
it
We he

that

coming
out

against
killed."

dashed

his
much

was

doubt of

very

there

is

in

the

whole
to

range

the

world's this in

literature

anything

compare

with

strenuosity.

CHAPTER

XV

The

Fairies. The
and

Distribution
and

of

the

fairy palaces.
Int

Dagda
Irish

Oengus.

Mac

Oc.

Greek

mythological legends. Food of

the

of

the

gods.
New

Immortality
and

gods.

Knowth,

grange

Dowth.

Monuments

of the

Cyclops.

Cruachan.

THE
the after
mansion

Conquest
the

of

the

Sid

tells

us

that
of

although Boyne
as

Dagda

kept the palace

was

for Sid

himself, it
Maic Int

for
or

ages

known

the

Oc,

fairy
of the

of the
Mac Int

Son Oc and

of the
was

Young.
the
was son

This

Oengus,
and

Dagda
because
were

himself

of Boand,
as

so

called self, himor

his parents

well, of

course,

as

supposed
the

to

enjoy perpetual youth

bear
his

immortality.
How

Brug

came

to

name

is

explained
distribution
was

by
of

an

ancient

legend.
was

When
on,

the
he

the
was

"sides"
at

going
of

absent.
to

He

the

home

the

god

Midir
the

receive and

an

education.

His and

father, in business,

confusion

hurry of work
him.
93

had

forgotten

all about

94

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

When
father and

Oengus returned
had
no

and

found
was

that

his

sid left for him, he

a

surprised
to

indignant. As
to

last resort

he asked

be

allowed
The
to the

remain

Dagda

night in the Brug. assented, saying that graciously

over

day, meaning of course the next day. The next day towards evening Oengus discovered that he was expected of the day and the to leave after the expiration
night he could
also add

the

night. Although the legend does not say so directly, ordered to decamp. it is clear that he was finally This he stoutlyrefused to do, claiming that as
the it

palace

was

given him
to

day and
in

night

was

thereby ceded
is made
was

all time His

father

as perpetuity, up of days and nights. evidently unprepared for this

him

logic. He
and
so

had

no

argument
the
to

to

overcome

it,
Boinne did

he

admitted allowed
name,

justice of his son's

hold

claim, and
in his
own

him which

Brug

na

the

youth delighted
indeed
was

indefinitely.
A
most

wonderful

place

this

always palace. Three trees grew there and were laden with fruit, reminding one of the gardens
of the

Hesperides, beyond the sunset for the gods golden apples grew

where of

the

ancient

CHAPTER

XV

95

Greece; Phoebus,

reminding
at the

one

also

of the

garden of

ends

of the

earth \vhere

Night

has her home

and

where

the vault of the heavens

begins.
It is remarkable

indeed

how

the Irish
trees
on

logical mythoat

legend, by placing fruit

couch of the
one

the

Dagda,
of the

at the

Brug

the

Boyne,
also

reminds

Greek

legend that
in the

placestrees
of the

at the couch

of Zeus

gardens

gods.
can we see

What

in it all but

is a distortion, of the Biblical Garden In of Eden? the

one

it as vestige, of the description

a

palace of the Boyne living and

eat; and
The

are

also three killed

a

swine,

the

other

and
cellent ex-

ready

to

alongside this
were

jar of

ale.

swine of the

the ambrosia
of ancient

and

the ale the nectar

No
one

gods

Erin.
ever

who

tasted of these viands

could

die and

than eaten no sooner they were they reproduced themselves, so that the store of provisions, apparently small, lasted indefinitely and fed an indefinite number of gods. It is clearlyseen that the pagan version of the Conquest of the Sid teaches the immortality of the gods without restriction or reservation. in later days in manuscripts of It was

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

the eleventh of other the

century and
as

in Christian of the
are

redactions
itself that
as

tales

well

as

Sid

Tuatha

De

Danaan

represented
the

dying and

receivingburial
three

at

Brug

on

the

Boyne.
There
are

remarkable and

mounds

on

the of
are

banks

of the been

Boyne

all three bear evidence

having
the

constructed. artificially

They
and

heights of Knowth,
Boinne where the the and

Newgrange
as

Dowth.

Newgrange
na

is identified

the

ancient
or

Brug
the

Euhemerists,

Christian

exterminators

of

gods, Ogma

have and

buried
all the

Dagda
This It
covers

and

Lug

great

chiefs of the Tuatha eminence

two
acres

De
is

Danaan.

unquestionably
and

artificial.
of the

contains
in
western

one

largest funeral
It is
near

chambers

Europe.
of the

the

place
Knowth

where

the

battle

Boyne
burial
De
were

was

fought. This
with
even

comb veritable Irish Cataand

was,

Dowth,

used

as

ground
raised

in the remotest thinks that

times.
mounds

Jubainville
for

all three

this purpose far the

by

some

colony
Milesians.

that antedated
This back

coming of the
Danaan

would
to

bring the date

De still.

of their construction

Tuatha

times

and

even

farther back

CHAPTER

XV

97

He

finds and

parallel instance
us

in

Greek

ogy mytholattributed

tells

that

"the

Greeks
to

their
who The

prehistoric
were

monuments

the

Cyclops

originally mythological beings."

monuments

raised of earth
or

by

the

Cyclops,
but
enormous

ever, how-

were

not

loam,
of

masses

of

unhewn be
seen

stone,
at

which in

specimens
Greece and

are

still to
in

Mycenae
in

also The
were

several

places
at

Italy.
about these that is that
on

theory
built

present

they

by

the

Pelasgians, but they

or
were

account

of their
to

grandeur
fabulous

anciently
race

attributed

the In

mythological
times

of

Cyclops.

historic

pre-Christian
were

the

high Kings
in

of

Ireland
on

buried banks of

at

Cruachan

Confor

naught
the
were

the

the

Shannon;
Christian

but
era

first four

centuries
at

of the
on

they

buried
The

the

Brug

the the

Boyne.
Milesian
race

first

high King
was

of

to

be
he

buried
very

there

Crimthan
owed

MacNair,
distinction
to

and the

probably
his wife
a

this

fact that
race

was

of the

Tuatha

De

Danaan

and

fairy.

CHAPTER

XVI

The

Brug
one

on

the
the

Boyne.

The

Tain

regarded of

as

of

great

epic

studies

literature.
acts

The
an

story of Polyphemus.
Irishman. examination of
pagan

Ulysses

like

IN
refer We
one

our

the

records

that of

throw ancient

light

on

the
we

religion
had Bo that

the
to

Irish,
to
our

have the

occasion

frequently
to state to

"Tain

Cualigne."
that

wish

belief here universal

the

story
as

is destined of the
That
treatment

receive

recognition

great
is it

epics of
to

world.
so

it

worthy
has

be

regarded,
the
hands

the of

received
and German

at

competent
no

French
The

scholars

leaves
world of

doubt.
now

whole

English-speaking
line with the

is

fast

falling into Europe

in

nations its

continental

according it

rightful

place. Henry
at

Adams

Bellows
June

in

an

oration, delivered

Harvard,

29,

1910, dilated
names

during
on

the

mencement comreason

exercises,

the

why
some

so

many

of

the

of

the of

authors medieval

of

of

the

great

masterpieces
98

CHAPTER

XVI

99

literature are

lost to

us,

and, in the
de

course

of

his remarks, said: "Chretienne

Troyes we
Sturluzon;

know, and Wolfram

Bernart

Von

Essenbach, Caedmon,
and
us

de
men

Ventadorn
who
gave

Snorri

Niebelungenlied, the Chanson de Roland, the ballads of the Cid, the Beowulf, the Tain, or the Eddie poems, we know practically nothing."
We
we

but of the

the

quote this passage

seen

because it is the first

an

have

in which

American

scholar of

the Tain where it ought to places highstanding the great epic studies of literature, be, among
and because

it is an

indication of the hold that

to

the cultivation of Celtic studies is sure in this country.

take

As
we

we

had occasion to mention

as

may

memory

well tell a story that about Polyphemus, who remarkable of them.

Cyclops, in our lingers

was
one

the

of

the most
on an

He

lived alone

island.

King of Ithaca,coming home from Ulysses, fell that island, the Siege of Troy, landed on and was into the hands of the one-eyed giant, shut up by him in his cave, with his sheep.
There

of escape, too heavy to be thrown open by

was no
means

as

the door

was

human ordinary

power.

8860.50

100

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

Ulysses discovered slept in that cave, had only one eye,

centre

that and which

Polyphemus remembering
was

himself that he

located
he

in the make

of his forehead, work of that

eye

thought
and crowd

could
out

short

his

light.
an

While
enormous

Polyphemus
found

was

snoring after
heated

meal, the wandering Greek

in the
cave,

great spithe had

it into the

and, plunging

pletely upturned eye of the giant,comdestroyed his sight. and during the night in the He darted away, great cave, eluded all the efforts of the groping Next Polyphemus to get his hands on him. morning the giant resorted to his last strategic baffle the ingenuit he thought would which move, of his wily captive.

He

threw
as

back

the

enormous

rock
one

from

the
one,

door, and,
felt of would
while But

he let the

sheep out,

by

each hit

knowing that Ulysses carefully, astute plan to escape some upon

was

the door
he

open.

only felt of the backs and necks of the sheep, not having the least idea that his prisonerwould escape under their feet. This, what happened. however, was Burying his hands deep in the wool of the and animal pracunderbody of an enormous

CHAPTER

XVI

101

dragging tically
the animal Once
as

himself

along
to

on

his

back,

as

moved,

Ulyssesmade
his
a

his escape.

outside, he took

boat, and
him in

when,

he

thought,

at

safe distance, told

yelled back
unex-

at

his former

captor and
he and

purgated language what

The
a

thought
and threw

of him.

latter,in rage
the the voice
near

disappointment, tore
it in the from. It struck

piece off

mountain
came

direction

comfortably un-

mountainous Ulysses,raising
him.

waves

that
he

nearlyswamped
would another raised
up
not

But

be

daunted.
the

He

yelled
came

again and
his way He

piece of

mountain

and

dangerous

waves

again.

kept

the

good work, nevertheless,and

time; but the kept the giant busy for some growing less and the danger for Ulysses was growing poorer, and at last he giant'saim was
had
to

put his hand

the voice
was

to

his
was

ear

in

an

effort to
as

locate

that

growing feebler
and
more

his tormentor of range. This It is

gettingmore

out

story is

to be found
us

in Homer's
De

Odyssey.
the Greek

suggested to
between

by

Jubainville's parallelisms and

the

Irish

system of mythology.
And
our

only excuse

for

givingit

here

is the

102

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

impression
we

that read strain

has that

remained there
must

with have would

would

us

since been think

been

first

it;
in

Celtic

Ulysses.
Greek,

One he

that,

like
to

cunning
away

have

glad
and But

get

quietly,
further that it of
he

taking
danger.

no

more

risks

courting
the and

no

fact

yelled
as

back

and
there

yelled
was
a

again

kept
chance

up

long
heard

as

possible
fuel
monster
to

being
of the

and

adding

fresh

the

wrath

enormous

Cyclopean
our

"

sustains,

we

believe,

contention.

CHAPTER

XVII

The

Brug
there.

more

closely described.
burial
Irish

Kings

buried
tion Venera-

Ancient

ceremonies.

of
their

the

ancient

for the
Finoola

memory

of
her

dead.

Burial

of

and

brothers.

Finoola,
ancient the

the Irish

Penelope.
of
the

THE
on

cemetery

Brugh
the miles

lies

northern
about

bank
three

of

Boyne, along
burial artificial
saucer-

and its
course.

extends
It

consists

of

about These

twenty
cover

mounds
caves or

of

various

sizes.

chambers,
stone

containing
or

shallow in

shaped
the

coffins dead

sarcophagi,
were

which

bodies

of the

deposited.
height includes Newgrange,
as

This three and

continuous distinct

ridge
of

or

the

mounds
but

Knowth cated, indithe

Dowth;
is

Newgrange,
as

already
proper,

identified

the

Brugh

famous

fairy palace.
whole

Many
much

modern of
the

writers

rob

the

place
burial
that
to

of

its poetry
De

by

calling it the
and
some

place of
this mound
103

Danaans;

say

system
now

of cemeteries called
Mill-

belonged

the

ancient

104

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

mount

in the

town

of

Drogheda, situated
these mounds

on

the southern The

are caves

bank
or

of the river.
cover

chambers

and supported by pillars,

the
are

great

stones

that form with

their sides and

various
so

roofs

ornamented
as

carvings of
of

designs such
forth.

spirals,
is
an

lozenges, circles and

absence shows Christian
not

There

ornamentation,
as

which in Christian

they were
times.

used

cemeteries

The called

field where

Newgrange
Park,
of the

stands

is

now

Broo,

or

Bro

thus

perpetuating

the ancient

name

fairypalace of Oengus
supposed that
the time
caves.

Mac-in-t-Og.
But it is not
to

be

all the

burials of
or were

kings either before

outside the

of Christ

after,took
interred

place within these

on

Many
in the be
cannot

slopesand

surrounding country. proved

It
to
a

This, however,

made bones human

certainty. who is merely the opinion of many have a deep study of the place. No human found to support the theory. The are bone does last so not long. It soon
to

crumbles skeleton mastodon

dust.

It has
elk

not
or

the power of the

of the

of the
to

Irish

geological

resist the friction of time.

CHAPTER

XVII

105

These that the

we

reflections
must
not

bring
pass

to
"

mind
the

thought
of

by
the

tenderness
pagan

regard in which
memory

ancient

Irish
sacred

held the

of their dead, and the ceremonies

the

solemnity

of

with

which

they

placed the
In
pagan

dead

body

in the grave. in many

this

as particular, was a

others, their

ritual

beautiful

preparation
because it and

for

the

Christian, not,
but because

however,
it
was

was

pagan,
statement

human;
heart since it is
was

the

that

the
a

human
truism
ago.

naturally
uttered

Christian
seventeen

has been
hundred

years

No

matter

how
a

pagan

the ancient

Irish story

is,if it tells of
are

burial, the funeral ceremonies

The reader will find:

sure

to

be

described.

fearad a cluitce "togad a lie os a leacht, ocus tomb raised over caointe," "his flagstone or was
his grave

and

his ceremonies
were

games) (literally,

of lamentation One
cannot

celebrated."

help seeingin this ancient custom something analogous to the beautiful modern of of sounding taps at the grave custom
soldier. The

"cluitce
was

caointe,"

or

tribute

of

lamentation,
human

the noblest

effort of the

poor

to give expressionto its heart, striving

on purest feelings

the solemn

occasion

of death.

106

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

It

was

the best that

human and

nature

could

do,

till the

Requiem
Cluitce

Mass

the
came

Pie and

Jesu, the
satisfied

Christian
its holiest

Caointe,

aspirations.
of the the
a name

Another

ancient of the

ceremonies
deceased
at

was

the

writing of
letters
on

in

Ogham
This

pillarstone
or a

the

grave.

Ogham
remained
a

writing
forever it
was

cipher would
sealed book found in the

probably have
were

it not

that of

key Very

to

ancient

Book

Ballymote.
often

warriors
or

fallingin battle asked

of
stones

that
over

"cairn"

heap

be

placed
from

their graves,

and, if dying far away

these

honored be

parents, requested that

should

told

they died

with

a or

name even

untarnished of suspicion

blemish, by the slightest

cowardice.
The
memory

veneration

of the

ancient

Irish for the illustrated

of their dead the is

a

is further

by

the fact that from

wreckage of ancient
in preserved,
tract

Irish

manuscripts
of the
Dun
or

there

the

"Book Na

Cow,"
the

called "Senchas

Relec,"

"History
with

of the Cemeteries."

It is concerned

the

historyof

the pagan

cemeteries
As
an

only.
a

example of

pagan

burial,christianized

CHAPTER

XVII

107

by the

redactor the

of the ancient

pagan

story, we
from the

translate

following paragraph
of Lir. and had
years,
many

story of the Children

After
the and

misfortunes
miseries

phoses metamor-

they

undergone
the

for

period

of

nine

hundred

Christian

redactor, who

bringsthem
that
were

down
were

to St. Patrick's

time, tells

us

"they
buried

baptized, and
Fiachra and

they
Conn Aod and
grave,

died
were

and

and

placed at
her

either side of Finoola, and Finoola had

over

before their and their heaven

face, as
was

ordered,
their

tombstone their

raised
names were were

Ogham

written,

and

lamentation
was

rites

performed,

and

gained for their souls."

Moore's "Lir's

Finoola, Tom
is in

ter," lonely daughIrish,Fionnghuala, meaning the fairShe

was

shouldered. and
we

the

eldest

of

the
a

four,
more

doubt

if there

is in literature

charming character, as seen in her and solicitude truly motherly

" "

self-sacrifice for her three

in their

younger
common

brothers

and

her
If

care

of them

misfortune.
the

Chateaubriand
of marital

took

Penelope for
that pagan would
have

highest type

fidelity
the
pagan

literature could
taken

advance, he certainly
known

Finoola, if he had

beautiful story, for the

highest type that

108

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

literature

actually
associated
Mannanan

did

portray,

of
womanhood. the

the

best

qualities
To
at

with

single presiding

show

over

ing gatherthe

Brug
to prove

na

Boinne assertion

and

distributing
that there

sids;

our

were

previously
De task Danaan that

existing
became

fairies,

and

that

the

Tuatha
is

associated

with

them,

still

confronts

us.

CHAPTER

XVIII

Another

account

of the distribution of fairy

Accession

of

the

fairy

palaces. fairies
Danaan Autocrat
or

Origin gods.

belief. Aboriginal of
Tuatha De "The

to their ranks.

Fairy palaces.
Table"
on

of

the

Breakfast

holes

in

the

ground.
the
to

Manannan. Knock-Ma.

Bow Road Cathedral. of

Derg. from

Some Head-

of

Shees.
Tuam.

ford

Tuam

IN
of of he have
the
was

the the

Christian

redactions

the
out

Conquest
of

Sid, the
in the

Dagda
account

is left of the

sight

altogether

distribution
is that
we

fairy palaces.
dead
two

The

implication

before

this of
the

happened.
story,
matters
on

Hence

versions
but

agreeing
of

stantiall sub-

differing in
tract

detail.
same

There and

is another

bearing
the

the of

ject, sub-

preserved
the

in

"Book
of
"

Leinster." Ulad credit

or

It

bears

strange
of

name

Mesca

Intoxication the He and

Ulster."
to

It

gives the

of

distribution divided
the

Amergin.
between

Ireland

the

conquerors

conquered.

"And
109

he,"

the

Mesca

110

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

says,

"gave the part

to the Tuatha
to

of Erin De Danaan

that

was

ground underthe other

sons

and

part

his

own

'corporeal' people, the

the De

of

Miled, after which

hills and There

Danaans

went

into

fairypalaces."
is another
with Tuatha the version

of the

same

tract

that agrees
says,

"Conquest."
De Danaan that
went

This

version

"the

into

fairy
with

palaces (sidbrugaib)so
'Side' under
There
are

they spoke
as

ground."
other

ancient

stories such

the

"Sick Bed
De Danaan

of Cuculain"
as

that represent the Tuatha

the palaces of previously visiting These

were

existinggods.
deities of
Danaan
say,

evidentlythe
the the
we

local

gods of the aboriginalinhabitants,

races

tutelary
De
to

that

preceded
which,
we

Tuatha
venture

in Ireland, and
even

antedated

what

now

know

as

the

mythologicalperiod or cycle.
We
can never

know

how

far back
this

into the

existence extends.
belief

of It

peopled Ireland
is
so as some an

fairy belief astounding thing that a

into the

going
existed in
to
come.

far back
a

past

should
so

have

harmless

until superstition and

recently
destined
ages
to

places,
as

should

seem

exist

an one

tradition interesting
of the evidences

for

It is

of the

CHAPTER

XVIII

111

tenacity of paganism and

character As the

of the
race.

conservative

of the Irish

as

for the association of the De

Danaan

with of the the

De

"Shee"
or

and

the

distinct existence

"Shee,"
Danaan

before aboriginal fairies,

we

retirement, the passages

the

have

quoted

give ample evidence.

In

story of the
with
we

Children
Bow
see

of Lir
the
sons

we

are

made De

acquainted
at

Derg,
his two

Tuatha

Danaan

King, and
the head

riding

along

of the Marcra
we

Side, or
are

fairy
own are we

cavalcade, which,

are

told,
Na

their

people. And
told that it Mac Danaan
were

in the "Senchas
was

Relec"

the Siabra that "it

was

that killed Cormac the Tuatha The

De

Art, and
that
the most
we are were

called Siabra."

Siabra

undesirable
not
were

class of the fairies. that the Tuatha with this class

But

to understand

De

Danaan

associated

all They distributed themselves among and imparted to the original deities a classes,

alone.

human would

interest, which, otherwise, they

have

never

acquired.
in

Otherwise,
heard
nearer

fact,

we

never

would least

have

of

them.

They
kind

were

at

brought

human of

ranks

by the accession to their beings, which, although regarded as

112

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

gods, fancy
The

were

nevertheless human
was

invested
and human

in

popular passions.

with

shapes
a

and one contemptible fairy, could hardly show greater disappointment at than by addressing of a boy or girl, the conduct the other as "you little sheevra." the one or of Fermoy" there is a tract In the "Book tells us that after losing two which disastrous
Siabra

battles,the Tuatha
on

De

Danaan

met

at

the

Brug

presidedat the (pronounced Bough) was meeting, that Bodb made their future destinies, over King to preside and that they retired into the palaces so often holes in the ground, mentioned, which were really
Boyne,
or

the

that

Manannan

caverns

within Manannan. Book of

mounds,

distributed

among

them

by

"The

Fermoy"
mortal

does of
course

not

call them

holes in the
be and

ground, but
else to De Danaan

they
To
the

could
Shee

nothing
Tuatha

eyes.

occupants
of
them

palaces
gems

ablaze

with

light,and
under
own

they were with glittering

were

and
and

gold.

Some
even

under
The

lakes

wells and
ways to

the

sea.

fairies had
were

of their
any

by which
of

they
with

able

endow

kind

place

preternaturalbeauty.
We do
not

associate

anything

very

desirable

CHAPTER with holes in the

XVIII

113

ground;
to

and

we

are,

as

generalthing,liable
of
are or

shrink from

the

thought
We

beings

that

appear

only

in the

dark.

holes in the ground as residences considering by them places of refuge,and are reminded the

of

following passage
Table":*
in
you
across a

from

the

"Autocrat

of the Breakfast

"Did
come

never,

walking

in

the

fields, lain,
found
as

large flat stone, which

how

had
you

nobody
it, with
were,

knows

long,just where

the grass

forming
it, close

little hedge, its

a

it

all around
you

to to

edges,
"

and

have
that

not, in obedience
you

told

it had
your

been

feeling lying there long

kind
or

of

enough, insinuated
your
as
a

stick

your

foot it she

or

under fingers

its

edge and
a

turned

over,

housewife

turns

cake, when
brown

says

to

herself, 'it's done

"What and odd

enough

by

this

time'?
an

revelation and what

a

an

seen unforemunity, com-

to unpleasant surprise

small
you

the
not

very

existence

of which

had

suspected, until the turning the old

of
*

sudden

scattering among
your

its members
stone

dismay and produced by

colorless,

over!

"Blades

grass

flattened

down,

By Oliver Wendell

Holmes.

114

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

matted

they had been bleached and ironed; hideous, crawling creatures, some of them or coleopterous horneyshelled, turtleof them wants to call them; bugs one some
"

together,as

if

but cunningly spread out and compressed softer, like

crack
tavern

Lepine
or a

watches

(Nature
you,

never
or a

loses

a a

crevice, mind

joint in
one

bedstead, but she always has

of her

live timekeepers to slide into it); flat-pattern, with their long filaments black, glossy crickets,

whips of four-horse stagecoaches; motionless, slug-like creatures, young horrible in their pulpy larvae, perhaps more in the infernal wriggle of stillness than even maturity !
stickingout
"But wholesome
and
no

like the

sooner

is the stone

turned

and this

the
pressed com-

light of day
blinded

let upon

community
which

of

creeping

things,than all of them

of
"

legs
"

and around

rush

everythingin stampede for regionpoisonedby

We
it do
not

enjoy the luxury have a good many of them some butting each other and wildly, and end in a general their way, from the underground retreats
sunshine."
scene,

quote this
of

for that
fairies but

is what
or

really is, to

disparage

the

their
to

chosen

places

residence;

merely

CHAPTER

XVIII

115

illustrate

one

of the

reasons

why

we

do

not

quite like them.

flat stone,

eating his
washed
And his who
any

that large lifting would think of lighting a cigar or dinner without having previouslyhands carefully? feel like keeping away would not
or

Who,

after

from
to

mound
at

hill,if he had
time of the

any

reason

think, that

any

night,strange
conciliate his

beings might
favor The
or

issue
on

from
him?

it to

play tricks
"Mesca
a

Ulad,"
tract, the
a

from
very
on a

which
existence whole

we

have

quoted, is
seems

of which

to

be

slander

province of

respectable people. It is a story of the meeting of the Ulster men at a feast at the palace of Emania. heated with When they became feasting, from the table and set out in a body they arose old dispute with Curoi MacDaire, to settle an King of West Munster, whose palace,Teamhair Luachra, in Kerry, they burned to the ground.
sober

and

The

Mesca

is classed among
Bow

the historical tales. made

Although
Tuatha
their chief
occupy.

Derg

was

King
to

of the

De chief the

Danaan,

Manannan

stillremained

counsellor. mansion he

He and

assigned
his

each
to

tribe

were

Many

of these

places are

stillpointed

116

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

out

as

fairy

haunts.

The

names

they
from

bear

make

it impossible to disassociate them

the

"Shee."
Some

of them

are

named

after Bow

or or

Bodb
the

himself, but

his

principal residence
seems

great Sid-Buidbe
on

to

have
near

been

situated

the

shore

of

Lough Galway.
more

Derg,

Portumna,
in the the
same

in the

County
is

Rafwee
or

county
or

nothing
as

less than under

rath

fort of Bow;

Bodb,

grammatical
Knockavo,
is

inflection gets the sound

near

of "wee."

Strabane
a

in
as

County Tyrone,
the Hill of Bodb.

explained

in

similar way

Other the

named after Bugh (Boo) places are daughter of this King, as for instance, in Roscommon,
or

Canbo,

which

is written
MacFirbis.

Ceann So

Buga,

Bugh's
the

head,

by
and

thoroughly have
on

the

"Shee"

selves impressed them-

language
any

topography
meets

of

Ireland
to

that almost
a

hill one

is liable Zion
or

be called

shee-awn, and

sometimes

Sion, and
the Mount
name

the traveller is liable to

think
may

that be
a

Sion, pointed out

from of the

to

him,

borrowed

the Hebrew. of Slane village

was

littleto the east

on

the

Boyne

is Sid under

Truim,
the

which

placed by
the

Manannan

guardianship of

God

CHAPTER

XVIII

117

Midir, but
now

the

legends connected
Neannta known
near

with

it

are

forgotten. Sid
is

Lanesborough
as

in Roscommon

now

Mullaghshee,

Fairymount.* anglicized
But

there is

mountain

five miles southwest

of Tuam,
as

called Knock-Ma,
We

which
are

some

late trans-

Hill of the Plain.

of the
or

opinion
Meave's

that

its right name

is Knock-Meave

Hill. There that is

no

legend known
who
flourished

to
as

us

which

says

Meave,
at

queen

of Coninto the

naught
show

the

time

of Christ, retired
there
are

Fairy Kingdom;
that
her

but

legends which
as

such

powerful fairies
in matters
so, he

the

Dagda
remain

sought

assistance

of great importanc had

had
to

although,to do
his funeral. She
and

alive for ages after the euhemerists

attended

the fairies were

very

much

and

very

often interested hi each

our

other

and

consequently

after her is opinion that this hill is named Besides it is the probably well founded. very tradition held by the people of the vicinity, The hill had been and they ought to know. assigned to the famous Fin vara by Manannan. The fairies are powerful there still. veiy
*

Dr. Joyce's Irish Names

of Places.

118

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

On

the northeastern there

are

slope of
thick the is

this hill, or

rather

mountain,

woods, and
sun comes

after

drizzling rain, when

summit mist.
are

out, the
a

of the mountain The

enveloped in

heavy
fairies
does

people

say

this is when

the

their "potheen," although it distilling

not

quite
the

appear

whether

the

mist

is smoke

from

concealed founded hides

distilleries or
on

whether

the

belief is not
obscures fairies
an or

the fact that its presence

the

smoke, thus
pursue

giving the
their labors

opportunity to
road from

undetected.
On the

Headford

to

Tuam,
to

when

passing by
one

this
never

steep elevation
know
what

the
of

right,
wind

would

blast

would
upon
at

bring a
him. and

host of

fairies, bearing rightdown

so particularly pale moonlight one would and could not help casting

This, of
in the

course,

is

night;

be

especially uneasy, furtive glances up the coming. they were On a dark night one
think
he would
see

mountain

side, to
be

see

if

would

not

so

apt to
not

them, but
time
to

he hear

would them.

be You

surprised at
would too,
pray,

any

good reader, and

you

pray

fervently
that

until

got
stood

past
there

that in

mountain

for ages

has

grandeur solitary

CHAPTER

XVIII

119

and

concealed

within

its

unexplored
Erin.

recesses

the hosts of the

You
pray

gods
pray

of ancient
to

would
to be

not

thern; but you them;

very

would
light moon-

kept

safe from the

and

on

night gives an
itself has thank
see

when

appearance

moonlight itself of weirdness and calm, but

a

awful, dignity to such

an

scene,

and

the

silence would could sides would the

element
stars

of terror
you you

in it,you
you

your

when

got where

the

plain all around

but

again on

both

of the road; make

uncanny

stillevery
beat

fresh breeze
renew

your

heart

faster, and

fears.
were

We take

told

by
to

young

man

who

used

to

long walks
there

the

top
the
no

of that

mountain

that, ascending it from

where
are

southwestern

side,

little or

woods, but here and

up

there

largestone
at

cairns,and pitschoked
one

with

thickets,he,
Can't
one

time, started
the

hare.

imagine
which

panic
for
a a

with

he

the haste, the despair, darted around, looking

small

stone, found
sent

it,and, in

fraction
the air

of

second,

it

whizzing through
and had the

after the

leveret fleeing

breathless
But

satisfaction
the

of

seeing him
not

dodge it.
hare
at

oh,

after-thought.
that hare
was
a

Perhaps

all,but

120

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

fairy in disguise. The

cold He
on perspiration a

thought brings out

but

the

the face of the young

never

savage.

says

devout

prayer;
next

feels entirely
he wakes
up

secure

until the
finds that this

morning when
not

and

the fairies have of the

a

stolen him.
one

From the

Olympus
and Cathedral

West

looks of

to

northeast

gets

grand
Tuam.

view Its

the

magnificent
tower

of

noble
vast

surmounted these all

the by eight pinnacles, and

over

profusion of
ornamentation it of
sense a

of other its cruciform

Not

architectural

roof, make
is it
a

beautiful

structure.

only

thing
a

beauty,
of
Deum

but

its whole

make-up
stone.

gives one
is
a

dignity and majesty. It

Laudamus in
as as

veritable well

Te

And

it

might be; commenced,

finished from in

it was,

in 1828

and

1836,

just

Ireland

had

emerged
alone

the Penal

Laws. five miles apart, each that

There in

they stand, grandeur,

there and

its
the

grandeur
in very

enhanced

by

of everything comparative insignificance

else around;

they

stand

significant Olympus
of of disciple beloved

and juxtaposition of the

remote

contrast, the pagan

the

past and
See of Saint who
was

grand
himself

Cathedral

the Ancient

Jar lath, the

Saint

Benignus,
Saint

the

of disciple

Patrick.

CHAPTER

XIX

Elcmar.
tine

Manannan. and

Oengus.
De Irish

Goibniu.

Luch-

Creidne.

Danaan

artificers.
tively compara-

Story of Eithne.
clean.

Paganism

THE
say

Christian
that the

redactions

of
the

the

"Sid"
stead in-

Brug

on

Boyne, by

of

being
to

appropriated
the

the of

Dagda,
Oengus,
soon

was

given
that

Elcmar,

foster-father

but

Oengus,
Elcmar,
since.

assisted took

by

nan, Manan-

ousted
ever

possession and

is

living there
He

is, of

course,

invisible, having
Christian The

on

the

Fe

Fiada,
is the
ate
were

which,

the

redactions swine the

insist,

gift of
also

Manannan.

gods
are

particularly his property,

with called his the
name,

and
the

always they
smith.
Just about
we

associated
was

while

ale

drank

ale

of

Goibniu,

the

exactly
cannot

how

these

two

things
The

came

clearly understand.
beverage
He
121

aration preptrusted en-

of
to

the

was

undoubtedly
a

Goibniu.

was

kind

of kitchen

122

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

god, somewhat
in the
was a

like

Hephaestus,
of the the served

who

is

tioned men-

first book

Iliad, and

who

smith
is
an

also and

gods with drink.

Goibniu"

There
"

old story called the "Fled

'

or

Feast

of Goibniu.' the is

It describes
all "ic ol"

jollification
or

at

which
There

gods
no

were

drinking.
more

evidence
drink
was

that

anything
at

substantial feast.
The

than

consumed

this
texts

beverage used

is, in

other form
means

called "lind," which modern This "leann"

or

is the ancient

of the ale.

"lionn," which
the
swine's

drink, with
the observe "feasts"

flesh, conferred

immortalityon
We
may
or

consumers.

that

although there gods

are

many

"fleds"

in ancient

Irish literature,
or

people,had Bacchanalian and Bacchus orgies. It no no be denied that they were cannot always ready not recognized for a fight; and if the hero was at the festive board by the "hero's portion" in
the ancient

Irish,whether

quantity and quality there would be trouble, right there and then, and nothing but blood
would
It
was

atone not

for the insult. that the hero

wanted
But he

better
was so

things jealous

than of his

any

of the others.
of the he

and prestige

by

his prowess

that

he had gained position was unwillingto forfeit

CHAPTER

XIX

123

any

part of the
of those
pagan

recognitionthat
accorded the

the him. of

code

of

honor The

times had
Irish served

god
the

war

and

combat,

but

there
were was

was

no

Venus
to

in their pantheon.

They
but The

sports
clean.

heart's

core,

their sport modern

word

correspondingwith Goibniu
a

is Goba,
was was

pronounced "gow,"
to

smith.

Goibniu Luchtine

smith

the Tuatha

De

Danaan;

their carpenter and

way spear

Creidne, their brazier.

would manufacture would
strokes the
spear
a

The battle modern hammer and three handle and with

these and

three

finish it out three

out
was

astonish of his head

artificers. With Goibniu the third fashioned stroke

at

it

perfect. With
the
spear

chippings Luchtine
and
at the third

fitted out

chippingit was
out

perfect,
the rivets

Creidne, the brazier,turned

equal rapidityand finish. Goibniu Then picked up the

cast

head

with

his

pinchersand
and
it stuck

it at

the

lintel of the the

once

door,
truding; pro-

there

fast, with
at

socket threw

and handle
a

Luchtine and

the

at

the head

it stuck

in the

socket,
rivets in throw

fit; and Creidne, holding the perfect

them
one,
as

his hands, cast

fast

as

he

could

them,

one

by

and

they

stuck

in the holes

124

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

made

for them

in the spear

head

and

went

fast

into the wood

of the handle. with

They
and it

did this work

was

astonishingcelerity;

largelyowing to their quickness and dexterity that the Tuatha De Danaan were able to triumph over the Fomorians the at second battle of Moytura. Before leave Brug na Boinne shall we we
take
a

last look

into

its chambers, and,

as

its
and the

fairysplendors are hidden from our view see we nothing but darkness, we shall have satisfaction of seeing the first faint ray
that Christianity
ancient
was

of

the

Christian

redactor

of its

its gloom. story lets in upon the daughter of Manannan.

lived
at

Curcog
the also

She

the

Brug.
the

Eithne

was

daughter of
continued
master

the

steward

of Elcmar.

She

to

live at been

Brug after
cede

her father's

had

obliged to
as

the

palace to
cog. Cur-

Oengus.
One

She

acted

to lady-in-waiting

day

it

was

discovered

that

she took

no

nourishment

at

all,and
health
to

as

the loss of

appetite
and

continued,
she finally
soon

her

became

impaired
Manannan

began

pine
cause

away.

discovered

the
cast

of her her

melancholy.
a

had been slight

upon

by

neighboring

CHAPTER

XIX

125

Tuatha
so
was

De

Danaan her
an

chief, and

she

resented

it

bitterlythat replacedby
that moment ale

guardian demon angel

the
sent

fled and

by
to

the true

God.

From

she ceased

partake of the
but the her
true

enchanted
life
was

and

magic swine; by
was

miraculously sustained
Soon, however, this miracle

God.

rendered made
a

unnecessary. voyage
to

Oengus
India
an

and

Manannan

that

gave

India, being a
food of the De
The
cows

brought back two cows inexhaustible supply of milk. land of righteousness, had nothing
character, that tainted the
Danaans.

and

in it of the demoniac

were

placed
Those in

at

the

disposalof
lived for calculated

Eithne.
ages to
on

She

milked

and them, herself,

events
are

their milk.

have

happened
Christ. About

the

eleventh

century
years

before

fifteen hundred
her

afterwards, Curcog, and

among

maidens,

Eithne

them,

went

to

bathe it

in the
was

Boyne.
that

When Eithne

they
was

returned with

discovered

not

them. taken

While
off the Fe

disrobing
Fiada
had
or

for the bath, she had veil of

Her invisibility.

companions
she

come be-

invisible to for the enchanted She wandered

her, and
road
the that

sought
banks

in vain

led to the

palace.
some

along

river

for

126

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

time, not knowing where

at

she was,

and

bewildered
come over

the

wonderful

change that had

had
upon
a

her.
She
was no woman.

but longera fairy,

She
came
was a

become
a

an

ordinary
door

walled
at
a

garden in which
of the house
as a

there
sat
never

house, and
clothed
seen.

the

man,

in The He

robe,
house heard

such
was

she

had and
as

before
man a

church
account

the she

priest. give
of

such

could

ceived herself,re-

her Patrick. Sometime this

same

kindly

and

brought her

to

Saint

He

instructed and afterwards

baptizedher. she was kneeling

the
a

in

little church when

near

banks

of the

Boyne,
and
no

suddenly she
she could

heard

great clamor
could
see

great lamentation
one,

outside.

She

but

the voices. distinguish

Curcog and the maidens from the Brug, seeking her, and lamenting her As they were invisible lost forever to them. as
It
was

Oengus and

to

her, she

was

invisible of
back

to

them

on

account

of

the

influence

Christianity. Nevertheless,
old memories,
some

they brought
and
some

pleasant

unpleasant.
swooned
away;
was

She

and

on

sciousness recovering con-

it disease had

discovered
her.

that We

an

incurable

fallen upon

cannot

help

CHAPTER

XIX

127

surmising
singular
for

that fact that

it

was

consumption.
is We the do
not

It Irish know been

is word

"eitinne"

phthisis

or

"decline." The disease after Patrick

to

its

etymology.
called At the

may

have

so

by
last last

the

Irish

her. himself administered

she

Saint

sacraments

her,

and
in

died little

in

his

presence.

She

was

buried had first

the received

church

of that

the

priest
was

who

her,

and

church

afterwards

called
Killine

"Cill

Eithne's

church" Such
of

easily
is the
a

anglicized synposis
of

or

Killiney.
part
the

the

concluding
of of

of

one

Christian
of

redactions the

famous Sid."

pagan

story

"Conquest

the

CHAPTER

XX

Individual

Gods.

The

Dagda.
Ailill

Brigit.
and
Meave.

The

love

of Oengus for Caer.

Music.

tials. Nup-

SO
them has
the The

far

we

have

been

discussing
We
now

the

gods

or

fairies

collectively.
individual

proceed
those

to
we

give
know

attention A

to

of
this

by

name.

great
in

deal the

of
case

been

anticipated,
Manannan and other

especially
and

of

Dagda, Dagda
the

Bodb
may

Berg.
be identified Indian
as

gods

with

deities
But
are

of

Greek,
is not

Iranian

and

mythology.
Irish within

this of

surprising, origin.
or

the
not

people
our

oriental
to

It

is

scope

develop
to say

verify
the

this

identification. and
the
case

Enough

that
have

tures deparin
to

differentiations
of

that
are

occurred had that

particular gods
the well-known
more

what fact
human
to

be

expected
that
to
as

from

stories

have

nothing
them
are

than
sure

vigilance gain
or

protect

pretty

lose

they travel.
128

CHAPTER

XX

129

points to One study of mythology clearly God, just as a study of philology points to one
A

original language.
We the

have

Dagda
supreme

already indicated the position of in the Irish pantheon. He was

ruler.
He
was

the

still

more

guished distin"mother
was

in his of the

posterity. Dana,
was name

the

gods,"

his

daughter. She
the

also

known
word

by

the

of

Brigit or Brigid. This

old Irish word

is connected
and

with

"bargh"

the Sanscrit "brih," and

conveys

the idea of power,

increase, vigor. The

under

modern
or

equivalentis "brig," which means This goddess was known energy. different names throughout the
world. There
was a

strength
entire

slightly
Celtic

Gaulish burned

or

Gaelic
Rome there

generalnamed
four
was

Brennos,
years

who

hundred
another

before

Christ; and
the
same

general, of

name,

who

Delphi,
about
a

the

innermost
years
are

sanctuary
later.
many

captured of Greece,
scholars it is

hundred
names

Their
to

supposed by
name

be

variants

of the that

Brigit; and

quite probable city founded

way
to

in

Brigantia (Braganza), the Spain by the Milesians on their

named

Ireland,was

after primarily

her.

130

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

It

was

from
seen

its towers

that of

Breogan is said
or

to

have

the "Island

Destiny"

Inisfail.
"

Glossary says of this goddess: of the female sage, or woman "This is Brigit, the goddess whom wisdom, that is Brigit, poets her protecting adored, because care was very famous." Cormac interprets great and very her name as "fieryarrow," but this is regarded sisters fanciful. Strangely enough her two as
Cormac's
bore the
same name. was

goddess of doctors and medicine, and the other the goddess of smiths ity, authorand smith-work. According to the same their father, the Dagda, "had the perfection
One of them the of the
human

science."
son or

He

was

"Mac-na all the

n-uile n-dan," the sciences.

of disciple

According to the pagan been tampered with, not

with whom
to
woman

stories that
his

have

wife

was

Boan,

he

lived at the famous stories he known

was

Brug.
married

cording Acto
a

other
was

who

by

the

three

names

of

"a Breg,Meng and Meabal, meaning respectively these names he, guile and disgrace." Whether
were

given to Boan wife, we do

to indicate that his

ceeding previousor sucnot know; but they seem not happy. married life was
or

to

some

CHAPTER

XX

131

He

himself he

was

a some

benevolent Irish

god, but
to

haps per-

married

Xanthippe
he

try
De

his
over

patience. The euhemerists say Ireland eighty years, as King

is
a

reigned

of the

Danaan.

There

story that keeps him

It
runs

alive down
:
"

to the time

of Christ.

thus

His

son

Oengus
woman

had had the

become
seen

enamored in
a

of

beautiful had
never

he

vision.
he

She had

played
heard.

music It
he

like of which
even

surpassed
was

the

"Ceol

shee"* able to A

to which

accustomed. she dwelt, he

was

Not

being
to

discover of the

where

fell sick. but

no

search

kingdom

made,
a

avail, although the search lasted

At last the

whole

year.

by the advice of

cunning physician,
of the

was Dagda "who King Ireland," was consulted.

'Shee'

of

"Why have Thereupon

of their son's "What "I know
can no

you

sent

for me?"

said he. the

cause

Boan

explained to him

malady.
I do for the lad?" said he.
more

about

that than

you

do,"

said she.

physician spoke up and as the result of his advice, Bodb, King of the Munster
*

Then

the

Ceol

music. shee-fairy

132

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

Shee, and
year

vassal
to

of

the

Dagda,

was

given

in which

find the

missing lady.
for his

brated Cele-

throughout
this

all Ireland successful

science,

king
new

or

god

was

in his search.

But
no

difficulties developed. certain

that

It

was

by lady

means

the

father

of the

would
and

give
the

her

up.

She

lived in
the that

Connaught;
aid of Ailill
to

and

Dagda had to secure Meave, joint rulers of

Ethal

Kingdom,

induce

Anubal, her father,to give her in

marriage to Oengus.
At
first the

Connaught sovereignsrefused to interfere, over saying they had no jurisdiction when tilities hosthe king of the local fairies. But mortals as finallybroke out, they joined forces with the Dagda in they were besiegingthe enchanted palace of Ethal Anubal. taken prisonersand He and sixty others were Even then in Connaught. carried to Cruachan his daughter; he would consent to give up not
" "

but
as

he

explained that
that
a on

she

had

as

much

power

he had, and
be
a

the first of November

of
a

she would
swan,

on

certain lake in the form

and

with

hundred

other maidens, fifty

similarly metamorphosed. reconciled. became The Dagda and Anubal to the lake indicated, called out Oengus went

CHAPTER

XX

133

Caer,
response,

the

name

of

the his

girl,
suit
a

and
was

received

made
was

known

and
swan

accepted.
and
in

He,
form
where

too,

changed
flew
sang to

into
the

that

they they
it

palace
sweet

on

the

Boyne,
all
up

such

music
did
not

that
wake

who for

heard
three We
was

fell

asleep

and

days.
may

remark
into

here three it

that

ancient classes There

the

Irish

music

divided
the effects

great

according
was

to

produced.
caused

the

"suantraige"
that
caused

that

sleep,
or

"goltraige"
the

lamentation
caused

grief,
and

"gean-

traige"
This

that

merriment is
of
or an

laughter.
of is the

story,
pagan

which class

example
stories,
Vision

oughly thorthe and

called

"Aislinge
has
The is been
name

Oengusso" published
of in

of

Oengus,

the

Revue

Celtique.
of the

Brigit,

daughter
in

Dagda,
Ireland

splendidly
the

perpetuated
Abbess of

Christian

in

great

Kildare.

CHAPTER

XXI

Diancecht.

Buanann. Aibell.

Ana. Grian.

Aine.

Cleena.

ONLY
of

cursory

account

can

be less

given
known.
to

the will

gods

that

are

now

It
rescue

help,
total mentioned

in

some

measure,

them
names

from
are

oblivion. and
some

The

fact
account

that of
or

their
them

given

in

inaccessible

manuscripts,
volumes,
would
like
a

equally inaccessible
mean

printed
reader

does
ever

not

that
them
or

the

average to

hear

of

attain of the

anything

complete
of
the

knowledge
ancient To Irish

religious

character

mind. the Irish what

understand
of the

rapid and people

to

thorough

version con-

Christianity
from

one

should
were

know

that To
to

was

which
their

they
terrupted unin-

converted.

understand the the

loyalty
necessary
to

Vicar

of

Christ, it is
and
stancy con-

study
which could
of

conservatism

with ideas before

as

they
have

clung

to

such

religious
nature

they
the

gleaned

from

light

Christianity illumined
134

their

CHAPTER

XXI

135

way.

This

constancy

and

conservatism

was

solid foundation
grace.

for the superstructure of divine

Our

chapters on by

the

ancient
a we

paganism would
of the

be
we

incomplete without
know
name;

mention
must

gods

but

pass

by for the

legends connected with them. present, the many of these gods was One of the best known
Diancecht,
medicine. the We

mighty physician and

have
seen

god of
also
a

that there

was

goddess of medicine, Brigit.

And in this connection
to

it will not
not

be out

of

place
about

touch

on

fact

the

cultivation

of medical

widely known knowledge by

the ancient Irish.

word for is

"Laege"
the

is the Scandinavian

physician at

"Liag"
well Teutons The

known

day, and the Irish word corresponding. It is that the early Germanic races or
present
words
of their from

borrowed
grammar

the older Celtic.

was

formed
the

when

structure
room

already they met the Celts, but, although was pretty well filled in they
and These the

language

had

here

there
loan

for
words

brick
were

from
taken

Celtic

yards.

from principally
as

from

the current

language as well civil language of politelife,

and from the

technical

government

and

war,

phraseology

136

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

of the the
came

learned and

professions. It Norwegian "Origin of

word

was

thus

that

Danish
to

for

physician

be

Celtic. really
his the

Aryans," tells us that these loan words, referring to "laege" and others, "can hardly be later than the time of the Gaulish in empire founded by Ambicatus
the sixth century before Christ."
The
a

Taylor, in

family

name

Lee

is derived
"

from

Liag,
"

physician.The Irish word for doctor," most in use at the present day, is doctur generally doctuir," a corruptionof the English word. or
" "

The The

same

inexorable
Germans

law

was

in from

operation.
the
more

ancient

borrowed

cultured

Gaels; and
Irish words

during the days language

from
the
was

of enforced

the illiteracy, borrow

some

obliged

to

English. Laege
and

stillgoes

Norway. brother Diancecht, the Irish Aesculapius, was

current

in Denmark

to

Goibniu, Creidne
Then there
was

and

Luchtine. "the
or

Buanaan,

good mother,"
Danu,
of the Danu
as

and

Ajia, identified with Dana

known
as

wise other-

Brigit,the mother
and Iuchar. As

gods
and the in of

Brian, Dana,

Iucharba she
was

worshipped
Danaine,"

in Munster

goddess of plenty. She

"Da

is commemorated "the
two paps

Chich

CHAPTER

XXI

137

Danaan,"
name

mountain

near

Killarney.
maternal

The

is

suggestiveof
was

the

nutritive

function.
Then

there

Aine, who
ruled, and
and
era,

gave

her the

name

to

Knockainy
Limerick. district second
as

hill and She

village

in

county
In
ear

still rules, that

banshee. off the

fairy queen
of
our

the of this
ear,

century

she cut

Ailill Oluim,
account

King

of Munster.

It

was

on an

he

was

called Oluim, from

one ear. same

"o,"

and

"lorn," bare; bare of

others who and banshees
was were
were

Two
queens

at

the

time and

fairy
of the

Cleena

Aibell,or

Aibinn.

Cleena

the

powerful ruler
us

fairies of South
The

Munster.

Dinnsenchus

tells

that

she

was was

foreigner from
drowned
At
are

fairyland, and
harbor in

that

she

in

Glandore

South

Cock. there the

the

spot where

the accident from

a

happened
and from
roar

cliffsrisingup
in these, is its

the

sea;

caverns

loud

melancholy
to

issues
ocean's

at

times, and

supposed

be

the

expressionof
It
was

grieffor Cleena's tragicdeath.

noticed, also, that
of these
a

often
the

this

roar

presaged
surge

death

Munster

King.
been
or

The

that

lashes

cliffs has

called

from time immemorial,

tonna

Cleena,

Cleena's

138

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

waves.

Cleena

lived

on

as

fairy
the

and

has

still a

magnificent palace

at

center

of

great pileof rocks five miles from

Aibell is the North Munster.

Mallow.

fairygoddess
Her
means name

that

presidesover
written is
sidered con-

is sometimes and

Aoibinn, which

"Happy,"
mean

by
chief
been
to to

some

to

also "Beautiful." mortals O'Briens. of

seems

Her

occupation
take
care

among

to

have

of the

Her
Brian
at
a

efforts Boru's

dissuade

certain

members

family from
were a

going

to

certain death devotedness

north
or as

Clontarf
banshee.

credit to her

palace, two generally called

but is also known
was

Her

miles

of

Killaloe, is
gray

Craglea,
as
a

the

rock,
rock. home It

Crageevil or Aibell's peculiarlysuitable

silent it
were

Although it
for her, she
was

is
in

situated

probably no a deep and

that covered left it in
a

longer there.
cut

valley,but
down,
side of

when

the woods

she is said to have

or

huff.

Tobereevil,
the

Aibell's well, still

springs from
"Grian
at

the mountain
Another

that faces her erstwhile

queen,
court

palace. bright
Irish
sun,

famous her

of the

cheeks," holds
Green Hill in

the Grian

top

of Pallas

Tipperary.
not

is the

for the

sun. sun

So, if she is
is named

named

after the

after her.

CHAPTER

XXI

139

Slieve-na-m-ban,*
feminine When beautiful think of

as

its

name

implies,

is

Olympus,
we

too.

think

of

"Cleena's with of

wave"

and
when

the
we

legend
any pagan,
one

connected
or

it;

all

these

beautiful,
with of

though
every
our

associations,
and
we

connected

mountain

hill
cannot

and

beauty-spot help

motherland,

wondering
known
as

why
Tom

"Tommy
Moore,
for

Little,"
should have

otherwise
gone
to

India his

f
own

to

look

poetical
from
a

inspiration,
thousand
richer

when

country,
thousand

fountains than

and
was

heights,
out
as

Parnassus,
in be

giving

that if

inspiration
craving
to to

inexhaustible

draughts,

noticed,
that

and God

looking
had The

for
to

consolation
so

the

genius
children. redeemed

given

many

of her
course,

Melodies,

of

him

little.
*

The
Tom

mountain Moore
of

of

the

women.

himself that
poem,

in in
a

"

Lalla

Rookh
way,

"

calls

the

topography

general

India.

CHAPTER

XXII

War

Furies.
at

The Battle

Morrigan.
of Magh
with

Badb,
Fled

etc.

mons De-

Rath.

Brier end.

Fight of champions
and
toe

genitiGlinni.

Finger

nails

as

weapons.

THERE
Irish of There be
of
not
was

were

war

furies The

in

the of

ancient
a

pantheon.

names

few
us.

these
Ana

goddesses
or

have but she

reached
must

Anan,
the there
was

not

confounded that
be
name;

with and

benevolent Macha

goddess
who
must

confounded
was

with

the

foundress
or

of Emania.
queen,
a

There
name

the much

Morrigan
in

great
and

very

evidence,

there
which all.

was

the
to

Badb,
have

pronounced
a

"Bweeve,"
name

seems

been
were

generic

for them The

They
to

all "bweeves." in
the the in and is
a

bweeve
crow

used
or

appear
over

form

of

carrion

vulture

place
terrible

where battle.
of

slaughter
And and hence

was

going

on,

as

in

all Ireland that bird

in parts still
very

Scotland
with it

Wales,

regarded sight
140

superstitious
to

horror.

The

of

brings

mind

CHAPTER

XXII

141

the dim in the

tradition of the gruesome battles

war

part played

of ancient

Erin word

by

the

thirsty bloodis

goblins. The
for
a

"bweeve"

stillused
The

in Ireland

scoldingwoman.
of
a

badb

also took the

the form
women

loathsome
were

hag, joyful when

sad.
that

of Ireland

Her made

consisted delight
them
as

in the battle carnage

widows. he would
or

One
at

shudders

to

think

of her,

the

thought
in

of the
"

witches
Manner At

in Macbeth

Meg

Merriles

Guy
in the

ing."
the battle of
a

of

Clontarf

she

appeared

the form clouds the

over

lean, nimble

hag, hovering in

the
or

ground

contending armies, hopping on perched on the swords and spearshriek

was

points of the warriors. Her of battle, and in anticipation satingherself with the blood Whitley Celtique as
sooty
left
woman,

heard
seen

her foul form of the slain. her in the

Stokes "a

describes

Revue

big-mouthed, swarthy, swift, lame, and squinting with her

of Oriell,in the
second

eye." Aed, King

a

century, had
black
and
servant.
was a so war

shield called the It

was

Dubgilla, or
of ravens,"

the

"feeder it
was

called because

hardly

ever

without
The

fury,perched on

its rim.
come

accounts

of these deities that have

142

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

down

to

us

are

very

confused. of

But

ing the followRath"*

passage

from

the "Battle

Magh

givesa good idea of their activities. Describing about in battle, this to engage Suibne, who was

seventh-centurynarrative says that "fits of him at the horrors, grimness came over giddiness and rapidityof the Gaels. Huge, horrible, in aerial phantoms rose up, so that they were cursed, commingling crowds, tormenting him; and in dense, rustling, clamorous, left-turning hordes, without ceasing; and in dismal, regular, aerial, storm-shrieking, hoveringfiendlike hosts, constantlyin motion, shriekingand howling as
.
.

they hovered
direction, to
cow

above

both

armies, in

every

youths, but champions

uproar

to

dismay cowards and soft invigorate and mightily rouse

warriors;
so

and

and

that

from

the

of the battle, the frantic

arms,

pranks
the

of the of

demons, and the clashingof

the

the sound

heavy

blows

on reverberating

heroic

spears,

and

keen

points of edges of swords, and

shields,the noble
intoxicated with

the war-like borders hero Suibne

was

of broad

filled and

tremor,

horror, panic, dismay, fickleness, steadiness, unfear, flightiness, giddiness, terror

Published

with

translation

by Dr. O'Donovan,
1842.

for the Irish

Archaeological Society in

CHAPTER

XXII

143

and

imbecility;so
a

that

there

was

not

joint
which

of
was

member
not

of him into
a

from

foot to

head

turned

confused, trembling mass

the

from

the effect of fear and

panic of dismay." by
the

"His of
a

legs trembled
storm.

as

if shaken and
power

force

His

arms

various

edged
them

weapons

fell from been

him, the
and

of his hands

having
and

weakened

relaxed around

The incapable of holding them. doors of his hearing were quickened and opened by the horrors of lunacy; the vigor of his brain, in the cavities of his head, was destroyed by the din of conflict;his speech became faltering his very soul from the giddinessof imbecility;

made

fluttered
and
root

with

hallucination, and
for the basis of fear itself.
to

with soul
was

many

various and
true

phantasms;

the

"He
a

might be compared then

to
a

salmon

in

weir, or
a

bird

caught in the close prison

person
to

of

cage.

But

the and

whom

these

horrid

phantasms
coward
was

spectres of flightand
had
never

fleeingpresented
been but been
a

themselves
or a

before

lunatic

without because

valor;
he

he

thus

confounded
and

had

cursed

by St. Ronan

denounced
he had

by

the great saints of Erin, because their guarantee

violated slain
an

(or sanctuary) and

144

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

ecclesiastical student consecrated bottomed Communion nobles the and

of their that

people over
a

the

trench,

is,

pure,

clearand the

spring,over
of

which
was

the

shrine for

placed arch-chieftains of Erin, and

the

Lord

for all

before the people in general,

commencement

of the battle."
The
a.d.

battle

of

Magh
is

Rath

took

place
which

in

637, and

the account
one

of it from

the

above

is translated

of the most
as

ancient

historical shows.
It

tales
was

we

possess,

its

language

Donmal, King fought between of Tara, and Congal Claon, King of Ulster, who had many his side. on foreigners The referred to in this tale,was ably probcurse,
an

excommunication.

This

is, of

course,

the

only reasonable

to note interesting change in Suibne as how he bringsin the

explanationof it. It is how the writer regards the

a

divine

visitation, and
Erin
as

demons

of ancient

instruments Besides classes

or

in the hands

of Providence.
were

the Bweeves, there

war

many

other
were

of species "geniti glinni" or

or

demons.

There

sprites of
Aeir,
or

the
or

valley;
female,

Bocanachs,

male, and
Demna
was

Bananachs,
demons

goblins; and
When
a

of the air.

battle

raging, they shrieked

all

CHAPTER

XXII

145

around

the

scene

of

slaughter or

howled

with

delightin their distant haunts.

At the the

"Fled of
as a

Dun Geese"
man

na

n-ged"*or "Feast
of these from
woman

of

Ford

two

demons, hell,appeared
within
to

described and
ate

and

were

received
was on

as hospitably strangers,

up

all that caused

the

tables

or

reach, and

great battle of
Some
one

quarrelthat led Moyrath or Magh Rath.

sided with
army,
on

the

the

of these demons

Cuculain
and her
men

in

of his attacks
so

Meave's

were

terrified "that
one

they dashed
spears

against the
weapons

points of
one

another's warriors

and

and

hundred
In the

dropped dead with

terror."

"Fled

Bricrend," "Feast

of Bricriu"
we

publishedin
are

his Irische Texte

a

by Windisch,
to

told that when

three

of the
or as

heroes should

as disputearose Laegaire, Conall

which

Cearnach
bit"

Cuculain
his

get the
were

right,they

"champion's sent, one by one,

a

decision of Samera,

colony of glinnithat infested a neighboringvalley. Laegaire started the fight,got the worst of it, escaped without his armor and with or arms,
to

attack

by geniti

his clothes torn

*

in tatters.
a

Published
same cover

with

translation

by

Dr.

O'Donovan.

Under

with

Magh

Rath

in 1842.

146

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

Conall

Cearnach

tried

next,

was

put

to

saved flight, shield and

with

his sword, but

the victors.

left his spear

was near

and next,

Cuculain
came

the redoubtable

champion

going
tinued con-

down,

but, incited by his charioteer, he

the

conflict,as
He
came

if determined off

to

fight

to

the

death.

victorious, but

with and
It

his clothes all torn, and

his

body

bruised

scratched
was

in many

places. fighthe
the
was ever

the most

terrible
red

in;

but

the

valley ran
before
he

with

blood
with

of the

goblins
The these
reason

got

through

them.

of the

fightswas

inflicted in peculiarinjuries that these furies fought with teeth.

to

nails and their toe nails,finger nails and

purposes

The
grow

toe

finger nails
of offence and

were

allowed

for

defence.
read in
an

We

remember
a

to have

Irish wonderor

tale, of
demon

champion, fightinga "hag"

finding his
spear
too

she-

and

short

for her

fingernails.
range

Seeing
meant
a

he

could

by fighting at accomplish nothing, and

that

long
that took

close

quarters
behind from

certain

death, he
to

refuge
three

tree,

hoping
of But

jab
oak his

at

his

assailant

either
years

side old. her

that
to

trunk,

hundred

surprise

and

dismay,

she

drove

fingernails through

CHAPTER

XXII

147

that
his

tree

with

perfect
We

ease,

driving

him with

from faction satis-

vantage
that

ground.
he

remember
out

finally
but

won

in

this

apparently
we

ignoble
remember.

contest,

how

he

did

it,

do

not

CHAPTER

XXIII

Manannan.

Fand.
Manannan

Emer. and Cormac ancient

The

Fairy Branch.

MacArt. Irish

NONE
Irishmen
remember

of

the

gods
in

can

compare

with

Manannan
and him
esteem.

popular
old

remembrance remember their

Many
than
He is

better

they
sur-

great-grandfathers.
which
it
was means

named

"MacLir,"
and

"Son

of

the

Sea";
his the

although
was

well
the
ocean,
no

known

that
at

dwelling place
surface
or

in

either
one ever

at

the

bottom,

discovered

its the of when he

son

precise location.
of Febal,
ancient
two
saw
a

Bran,
voyagers voyages,

was

one

of the famous
one

Erin.

On
two

of

these
out
on

days

and

nights
over

the

sea,

chariot
and it and

coming

the

surface
on

of

the He

waters

bearing right down enquired

answered
in the the
course

him.

hailed and

who that

was

its occupant,
was

Manannan and

he

its

occupant;
declared

of
to

the
him
seen

conversation

that

sea

was

"a from

happy
the

plain
chariot

with of two

profusion
wheels."
148

of flowers,

CHAPTER

XXIII

149

This

legend
used
to

is

beautifully and
to

somewhat St. and it

amusingly preserved in Christian

Scutin
come was over

Ireland.

go next
over

Rome The
ocean

every way
or

day
he

back

the

day.
the One

did

by walking
it like the
to

skimming
thus
on

wind.

day

while
met

his way of Cork,

the Eternal

City,he
to Ireland

St. Finbar
a

coming back
Scotinus.

in

ship. by
his

St. Scutin Latin

The
name

is somewhat

better known

good St.
him

Finbar

accosted in

Scotinus that

and

asked
way,

why
didn't
and
a

he he

travelled
go

peculiar
not

why
at

in
to

ship? Scotinus
it
was

answered
sea

said that "vast

his
a

him

the

all but

and
and them that
up
a

in

proof of picked up
to

shamrock-bearing plain," assertion, he stooped down

of flowers and threw

bunch The
sea,

Finbar.
was

latter, still maintaining

it

the

stooped down

and

picked
whether know.

salmon
the
ever

and

threw

it to Scotinus.*
was

How it
was

controversy
settled at

settled,or
do
the
not

all, we
as

and Insignificant

fabulous

little story

is, it does
in the
*

its

own

little service in the

enormous mass

illustrating,
of other

midst
Dr.

of

See

Joyce's Social History of Ireland, Chap.,

Paganism.

150

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

evidence,
Christian

how Irish

completely wrapped
mind
was

up

the
of

in

the

thought

Rome,

and

how

perseveringly and
turned toward the

faithfully
of Ireland

the face of
at

early Christian Ireland, as

was

all times,

Centre

of

Unity.
As the

for Manannan,
Irish coasts
may

any
even

one

travelling along
see

yet

his "whiteare

maned
taken

steeds." for the

Of

course,

they

apt to be
appear
on

"white-caps"
waves

that
storm.

the crests is all

a
a

of the

in the

But is dark
or

this and
man

mistake.

When the

night

storm

raging, all
the

voyager,
to

the

standing on
over see

shore, has
and

do is to look
may

out not

the

tossingsea,

although he
will
a

Manannan

himself, he
such

see

that
he

that
will wild

god is in his glory on

see

night,and
a

his

steeds

careering with
the face of the islands of the

certain

over regularity

deep.
pagan

One

of the
as

heaven

is

described

"an

isle around

which

sea-horses

glisten."
Manannan

differed

little from

the

rest

of

the

fairies in

physical construction.
when
on
a

He

had

three rolled that

legs; and, with these, along

like

land, he

wheel, and
up

with
the

such

speed
that

he

easily"caught

with

wind

CHAPTER

XXIII

151

was

ahead

of him, while the wind

never

that

was

back His in the

of

him

caught

up

with

him."

is still commemorated singular anatomy three-legged figure that is stamped Manx He

a

on

the

half -penny.
was

the Irish
we

Neptune.
suppose,

Neptune
was a

carried kind of

trident, which,

shaped exactlylike a fork,but with the prongs forming the apicesof an equilateral dispensed with the use triangle.Manannan
sceptre, not
of
a

trident, as
Cormac

he

was

built

in that
was
a

shape
Euhe-

himself.

MacCullinan

merist of the first class. In his

man.

Glossary he
describes abode of

makes
him
as

Manannan
a

mere
chant mer-

He who

celebrated and

in the Isle of Mann,

had
the

the
west

distinction of

being
the

the

best

pilot in

Europe.
be

"He

used

to know

by studying period
the bad times and
two

the

sky,"

continues

Glossary,"the
of these

which

would and

the fine weather each

weather,
would called

when Hence "God

change.
him

the Irish and

the Britons
also the

the

of

the

Sea," and
from

MacLir,
name

'Son i.e.,

of the the

Sea,' and

of Manannan

'Isle of Mann'

is

so

called."
The

"Coir

Anman,"

however,

which

is

152

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

much

later

authority, says
that gave its
name

that
to

it

was

the

Isle of Mann He
on was

Manannan.

king of this island and hence the figure

of his in

the coin. One

names was was was

Oirbsen, and
drowned suffered there. death
he

Lough
Loc

Corrib

Galway
he

anciently called
at

Oirbsen, because
like all the

Still,
the
on.

gods who
the in the

of quill-points We the
cannot

Euhemerists,
Heroic
human
was

lived

find

him

Cycle

involved

in
we

entanglements of
say

love, and

that his conduct

quite worthy
and is

of

god. his faithful wife, Fand, He repudiates

a

she, in revenge,

makes
to

love to Cuculain, who the beautiful for

a

already
Emer.

married There

and

chaste
at

is trouble

while, but
to

last Manannan and the cloud

and

becomes
that Emer
a

reconciled
over

Fand,
is

hung
was

the

happiness of
except

Cuculain
not

also

dissipated. It
romance,

unlike

many

modern

that, when

unmitigated paganism of its background is considered, it must be admitted

the

to be

much

cleaner.

Manannan

gets mixed

up

in

human

affairs Mac-

again in the Ossianic Cycle. Cormac Art, who was high king of Ireland in a.d.

266,

CHAPTER

XXIII

153

is put

down

in

the
or

Annals

of

Tigernach

as

missing on one occasion for seven months. How it happened is recorded in an old story entitled "Toruigeacht Craoibe Chormaic Mhic Airt," or "Seeking of the
Branch of Cormac tricks. that Cormac
was

having been absent

MacAirt."

It

was

one

of

Manannan's One
a

day

looking out
then
young
man

from called
in

window

of his
saw or

palace at Tara,
a

Liathdruim, he
the The "faitce"

handsome

plain adjoining the

in his hand
a

palace.
beautiful

youth
on

held which

most

branch

nine

golden appleswere
was

When beat

the branch

shaken, these
heard
were

hanging. apples
so

against each other and produced music

sweet
sorrow

strange and
all

that all who

at
once

it

forgot

pain sleep.
Cormac

and

and

lulled to

took and
went

great
out to

liking for
asked

the the

fairy
young

branch
man

and

if it

belonged

him.
man.

"It does indeed," said the young "Wilt thou sell it?" said Cormac. "I have

will," said

the

young
not

man.

"I

never

anything
is

that

I would

sell." "I will

"What

thy price?" said Cormac.

give thee anything thou thinkest right."

154

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

And

the

young

man

replied: "Thy

wife,

thy

son

and

thy daughter."
to

"I will The

give them
went

thee," said the king.

to

youth
who

over

the

Cormac,

told his

family about
branch
when

palace with the bargain.

its musical
the

They had

admired

the

and

qualities very price that was

and
at

much,

but

they heard

their expostulations paid for it,

were

lamentations the sound

very

great indeed.
from the

But

of the

chimes

golden

apples they forgot it all and went to sleep. of their contemplated departurefor The news or some Fairyland, strange country, passed over Ireland and caused universal grief, as they were music from the golden very popular.But the fairy in peaceful slumber. applesdrowned all sorrow
Soon with
the

Eithne, Cairbre
stranger.
with
The

and

Ailbhe

went

away

branch After

and
one

the
year

apples
had

remained

Cormac.
to
see

passed he longed
He
seen
or

his wife and

in which "ceo

children.
he

set

out

in the

direction
a

had

them

going. Soon
and

draoideacta"

enveloped invisibility of its him, although he was totally unaware under He fairy influence and was presence. things in his journeyings that were saw many
fog of
enchantment
to utterlyincomprehensible

him.

CHAPTER

XXIII

155

At

last he

came

to

house, which,

on

tion invita-

of the "woman

of the house," he entered.

a

She the and

took
men

him

for

distinguished stranger
a

"of

of the world," and

who
were was

called for her lord handsome handsome colors. hour

to
man.

master

tall and tall and of

many

In fact dressed

they
in

both

and The

garments
it
was
an

couple said
on

unseemly
Cormac

for travel

foot, and
The

so

invited
the
out

enjoy
on

their

until hospitality
man

morning.
and carried in
a

went

his back He threw

huge pig, and

in his hand

log.

log on the floor and divided each into four equal portions. said he to Cormac, "you take a "Now," quarter of the log and make a fire with it,and take a quarter of the pig and put it on the fire
and
true

the

pig

and

the

then
one

tell

us

story and

if the

story be
it

the meat But Cormac

will be cooked

when that
to

it is all
was

told."
not

maintained

his

place,in
come

that presence,

tell the first

story, that his host should

should would next, and be his turn. admitted
he

begin, that the lady

that the third

story

Manannan
to

his claim and

seven

proceeded

tell that

had
he

that with

them

pigs, and could feed the whole world;

of

these

156

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

for all he
eaten
was

had
to

to

do

after

one

of them

was

gather its bones

the next His

and

put them
he would
one

back
find

in the sty and

morning
was a

the

pig

entire.

story

true

and

the first quarter of the Then wife and the second that

pig was
was

cooked.

quarter
she

put

on

and

his

related that with

men

had

seven cows

white

cows

the milk
of the

of these world
The

she could
were on

fill all the

"if

they

the and

plain drinking it."

the second

story

was

true

quarter of the pig was

and
she

cooked.

"If your

stories be true," said Cormac, Manannan

upon

"thou,
wife,

indeed,
for
no

art

is your

one

the

face of the earth

possesses

those
to went
seven

treasure

but

only Manannan,
of and Manannan for he

for it

was

Tir
to

Tairngire (The Land

seek that
woman

Promise) he
got
those admitted

cows

with

her." asked

his
The

identity and
third

Cormac's
was

story.
on

quarter of the
went
on

pig
to
son

put
his

the

and fire, bartered for the

Cormac
away

relate how

he had

his wife,his

and

daughter

branch. fairy
thou

"If what

sayst be true," said Manannan,

son

"thou hundred and

art

Cormac,
battles."

of Art,

son

of Conn

of the

"Truly I am," said Cormac

of these
three

it is in search

am

now."

CHAPTER

XXIII

157

That

story

was

true

and

the

quarter of the
refused
when
were

pig
to

was

cooked.
in
a

Cormac,
of
eat

however,

eat

company

only three, and

if three

asked

if he

would

others

added, he said he would

if he liked them.
son

Thereupon his wife, brought in, and

was

and

daughter
and

were

Manannan

admitted
away

that

it

he

who

had
to
was

carried them

that

his

object was
Great

bring Cormac
the had

himself to that

house.

After

the

host

joy of Cormac. explained to

him

the

meaning of the different wonders he had seen and his wife,Eithne, and in his travels,Cormac

daughter Ailbhe sat down to the table and ate heartily.Before them which appeared instantly tablecloth on a was any kind of food they thought of or desired. in his And Manannan, putting his hand pocket, pulled out a goblet,and explainedto
his
son

Cairbre, and

his

them
that

that

if

lie

were

gobletit would
truth
were

told in the presence of break into four pieces, but

come

if the

told it would

together

whole. again,perfectly

"Let
"It

that

be

proved," said
that I took

Cormac.

shall be done," said Manannan.

woman

"This

from

thee has had me."

another

husband

since I brought her with

158

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

The

cup

went

to

pieces.
hath

"Verily
annan's
This

my

husband

lied," said

Man-

wife.
was

true

and and it.

the looked

cup
as

was

restored

to

its
ever

original self happened

to

if

nothing

had

After and his and in

affectionate

greetings with
their
up

Manannan,
and

pledges family
when

of eternal
to

friendship, Cormac
found

retired

respective couches,
themselves

they

woke

they
the

Liathdruim

with

the

musical

branch,
cup

the in

bountiful their The

tablecloth, and

sensitive

possession.
language
from in
a

which

we

find

this
text.

tale

is
De

modernized

tenth-century
a

Jubainville, who
sneers,

is not
can

cynic and

hardly
as

ever

says:

"I

hardly recognize
the of fidelity
so

ancient

the

passage

referringto
paganism

Cormac's
We
very

wife. would fact itself

or

Celtic

is not
on

chaste." the

respectfullyremark
that it cannot
an

this that

be

proven

unchaste Celtic
was

is in

quite
least

argument
Irish

that

mythology,
very
paratively com-

at

mythology,

clean.

CHAPTER

XXIV

The

Leprechaun.
Modern

Ancient

referencesto

him.

conceptions of him.
very

THERE
are

few
our

references ancient

to

the

luchrupan
there show and

in
are

literature; they
are

but

some,

and
a

enough
right
he is
to

to

that thrive

he
on

has

prescriptive
soil, and
or

exist
a

Irish medieval

that

not

creation Modern his

person
resent

of

modern

imagination.
liberties would and made
He
a

fiction

has, indeed, taken habits, which

he

with

and if his

certainly
proper
sense

dignity

as

god
not

of
to

personal security had

himself

him differs

decide from

keep
other when

in retirement. in the his absolute of and hence

a

the

gods
in

physical helplessness
mortal, "hi" is for
"a
wee

grasp

is

the

Irish
a

for little

"least"

chrupan
his
name

"corpan,"
little

body;

body."

We

find his and

name

generally spelled leprecawn,

sometimes

lurrigawn,

clooricawn,

lurrigaare

dane, luppercadane, and

all

loughryman,

which

corruptions

of

luchorpan.
159

160

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

We

find It

reference to him

in "Libur

na

H-

Uidre." tells
us

gives him
and

human

pedigree. It
Fomorians and
men ill-shaped

that

"luchrupans, and
every sort

goat-heads
were

of

descended A

from

Ham." in
now
a

colony
in
are

of

leprecawns lived Lough

Down.
an

beautiful
Dundrum

country,

under

Rury,

Bay,
as we

County
told in

Fergus
ransomed

MacLeide,
himself

ancient

tale,captured their

king.
him
as

The

little monarch with dive

a

by

presentingFergus
the he
power to

pair of
into the under

shoes
water

that gave
as

often
as

pleased and
he wished.
on

remain

the surface

long as
It is

this

incident,probably,the tradition

is founded the

that the

luchorpan
if he

is shoemaker

to

fairies; and
his freedom find
a

that

is

caught he will
where
to

buy
to

by showing
of

his captor This

seems

"crock

gold."

have
acme

been, in the minds

of

of the story tellers, the

good

luck.
not

The

leprecawn is

malicious.

But

if illother the

treated, he'll take

fairies; he'll wither
house
or

his revenge, the

corn,

like the
set

fire to

snip
This
to

the

hair

off the

head
he
one

of his tormentor.

is the
women,

punishment
whenever

generally
is found

metes

out

CHAPTER

XXIV

161

courageous

enough
Miss
a

to

bother

him.

He

is very

small; but
him calling

Hull, in her "Cuculain

Saga,"
This

"brat," is entirelywrong.
name.

is no
name

translation of his
and legitimately, of the

He
not

comes

by his
a

would
and small. make

be

true

scion

ancient

honorable

race

of

leprecawns if he wasn't
The inches

ancient tall.
He

accounts

him

about

six
very

is well A

proportioned,and
knock
on

strong for his size.

his

the head

from
never

hammer
He
one

is
has

something
been known

one

would
cut
a

forget.
two, with

to

thistle in

blow

from

his sword, but he

rarely
"

carries this.

Notwithstanding what the "Libur

says

na

h-Uidre

about

his stature,

we

are

strongly of the
more

opinion
than
we more

that

it makes
From

him
our

diminutive

he

reallyis.
we

general reading
least three inches

feel that
to his

can

add

at

height.
there
at
some we

We

believe
not

is not time

an or

that has
of

living another, thought

would
not

Irishman

him;

and
an

believe, furthermore, that

there

is not

Irishman him.
in. But

livingwho
that
even

like to
trouble

catch
comes

is where
if you

all the

And
you

did catch

him, good reader,

would

have

to

keep

your

162

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

eyes

fixed

on

him

tillyou
was

had

the money;
and
your

for,
sudden

if you

blinked, he
of sudden He
has
many

gone

hopes
"Oh,
the
ago,

wealth

would

have

vanished
men.

with him.
how

disappointedmany
times,"
of
says

Henry Giles,
seventy
years

famous

lecturer how
many

sixty or given once given

for

"oh,

times, in those
are never

golden
to

days of youth
wretched,
most

which
are

to

the most the

and

twice

blessed,have
of the

I looked
"

for that his

miniature red
"

Son

Last,

watched
of the

cap

amidst around

the green
to

grass

hill-side -sized

spied

catch

the

thumb

treasure-

knower, that I might have

to my

guineas to buy books

wealth

heart's

content,
ask

or

enough

to

go,

like Aladdin, and But

one a

for the

Caliph'sdaughter.
no

I must
ever

honestly confess that, though

more

looked

than diligently

I did for Such We have has

never

I never leprechaun, been the experienceof

met

found
many

one."
others.
we

any

one

who knew

saw

him, but

met

people
had
at

who

for certain about

or

others

who

either
a

seen

him

heard often

him, tapping away

shoe-heel. in
our

We

thought
the

of

him

ourselves

about strollings

hills and if
we

valleys of reallywould

old

Ireland, and
the
courage

wondered
to

have

grab him

if

CHAPTER

XXIV

163

we

saw

hirn.

There

is

something

so

uncanny

unearthly in chasing this elusive little would hardly consider it a being that one wealth with enormous delightful pastime, even
and in view.

There have
Giles.

is

hardly a
a

doubt
more seen secure

but that fortunate

some

people
Mr.

been

little
have

than

They
an as we

him,

made
as

effort to

captured him, the treasure, but,

In

far

know,

they

all lost.

fact, he
instance for the

has

often has

been

caught, but
than

in every
a

he

mortal

proved more who caught him.

in the
case

match

Except
ancient

of

Fergus Mac-Leide,
yet been
been in
not

in

times, he has

never

any

predicament that he has from, by the resources away

nature.

able to
own

get

of his

cunning

He
on

could

not, of

course,
some

have

thrived

Irish soil without

of his tricks

long becoming
so

known,
these.

and

it is well to caution
when he in

mortals
grasp

against
of
make
a

Sometimes
person

the

courageous

has been

known

to

the

by looking cheerful favored. and pretendingthat he is the one really He directs his delighted captor to the place of gold" is hidden, and the "crock where
best
of the

situation

164

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

in the

course

of

most

pleasant series
in
a

of questions

and and

answers,

and
way,

most

off-handed

matter-of-fact
a

offers the

unsuspecting
poor

mortal

pinch
are

of
on

snuff. the

This
money.

fellow's

thoughts
off his

all
he

guard,

takes

the

Completely snuff, to keep the

but does
not

little fellow in
his eyes when
sneezes

good humor,
it up

take But

off his has

captive while taking it.

little fellow vanishes. could

he

drawn the

into his nostrils,he

If the sneezed
on

and

thick-witted
without
prey

mortal

only
have

have

he could blinking,
come

held

to

his

and
he

into the

possessionof

millions.

But

misses his

opportunityand
no

realizes that

he

was

If

dealingwith anybody asked

the
more

fool.

our

considered
chase
we

opinionas to which profitablepursuit,

of

we

the

of

would

leprecawns or the chase decide in unhesitatingly

a

skunks,
of the

favor

latter.
of
enormous

As

matter

of has

fact, the accumulation

been, perhaps in
in this way.
an

wealth
one,

more

cases

than

started
not

Besides,

the

leprecawn is
even

American

product,
of
him has

and,

in
proven

Ireland
to

the
a

quest
very

always

be

unpromising enough
to

industry.
It is said that when
you

get

near

CHAPTER

XXIV

165

him,

you

will notice

that his face bears old age.

all the
course,

evidence he has

of his extreme the power

of
to

But, of

give it

the

appearance
to

of
so.

all the bloom Modern which

youth when
taken
the

he wishes

do

writers have

told stories about

him,

he has not

pains to contradict.

They
and

have
open

made

insinuations of intemperance

charges of impertinenceagainst him. He has been known, accordingto them, to show for loitering houses which around a predilection
were

possessed of well-stocked wine

cellars.

Oliver
came

Cromwell, with
such
a were

party of his officers,

somewhere
near

upon

house

Drogheda.
that there in the

They
were

delighted to
casks cellar had
a

discover

several

of excellent wine

cellar. for

But

that of

been

the

haunt who

centuries himself He

certain

leprecawn,
with

had

made

quite at home
what

that
and
so

ancient

family.
to
remove

knew

Cromwell

his officers would contrived

and

first make
the wine

for; and
from
the

he

casks

replaceit with
looked

salt water.
at

Cromwell fair to molars.

swore,
as

the

casks.

They
from

were

behold, and Soon, in

the
rage

saliva flowed
and

his

disappointment, he
swear.

only Cromwell

could

He

had

tasted salt water

instead of wine.

166

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

"Oh,
said
hear The
a

is that

yourself, you
"I

wonderful
am

saint?"
to

thin

little voice.

ashamed

your

saint-shipswearing."
man

great

looked

around
a

and

saw

the

diminutive

figure sitting on
his clenched

cask, his chin

his little eyes

resting on
"Fire
at

fists and

glaringdefiance.
him and

defy Satan,"

shouted

Cromwell.
"Fire "but
even

away,

Flanagan,"
put your

said the little fellow,

own

if you

red

nose

to you

the old
a

touch-hole, you'd miss

fire, and
a

now,

depredator, if it isn't body make

of
your
nose

rude how have

so

question,might
much been
a nose

bold

to

ask

the
a

painting
thousand
as

cost? world looked

I and
at

years

in the
never

fine

that

have

before. such

I
a

didn't
nose

think in this

you'd

have

the face to show

country."
Cromwell turned the his eyes toward
no

heaven

and

prayed, but
or

leprecawn had
but
an

fear of him
out
or

his prayers, would

make

told him
honest

to

get

that
man

he
out
*

and end

merciful
to

of him, and
This
scene

thus
is

put

an

his

power.*
Picturesque

adapted

from

Hall's

Ireland.

CHAPTER The Gives his

XXV

Pooka.

name

to

places. Some

of

his tricks. of than

NO
scare

apparition
more

the

terror

night inspired the He pooka.

some

is

capricious; and
we

say

he

is his

malignant; but

have
any

never

heard than
most nature

that

malignity ever
his victim
one

went
never

further

giving a
of the of his
own

forgot. And
them
not

time

would
he

imagine, from the

pranks, that
amusement

indulged in
We

for his
seen

simply.
to
as a

have

him he
make
to

referred

certainlynot
himself have
pagan

but god particularly, quite human, being able

or

as

is

to
seems

visible

invisible at
a

will, he

conquered

place for
have

himself

in the Irish

He

pantheon. is supposed to
Whether with
seem so as a

been
so or

imported by
not

the is that

Danes. associated
it would

this be
many

his

name

places in Ireland
Irish, from
own.

if the

time

memoria im-

had

pooka

of their
167

168

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

We
never names.

do
can

not

know,

and

it is those

probable that places got

of in
Hole them

we

find out, when One

those is

of

the
the

best

known

Pollaphooka, or
Wicklow. falls
cavern. over

County It is a wild chasm where the Liffey a ledge of rock into a deep pool or
there is
a

pooka's

Then in

Puckstown

near

Ar-

taine
or

the

County Dublin; and Boheraphooka, pooka's road, not far from Roscrea, in
This road has such
at
a

the

County Tipperary.
name sure

bad

that if
to

one

is

passing over
a

it

night piety

he is

be seized with
even

violent when

fit of
no

and

devotion,

if,in times
says

danger

threatens, he
If

never

his prayers

at all.

people

dreaded
as

the
as

arch-enemy they dread

in many

of man's the

salvation half

much

pooka

they would
Then

fare much
is

better

ways.

there
near

Carrigaphooka,or
On the of the

the

pooka's
great

rock,
stands

Macroom. ruin

top of this rock

castle of
a

the

ancient

family of

the

MacCarthys.
as

The

guished place is distinat to

also

the

scene

of the first attempt fact does birdmen. Daniel

the
moon

aviation, although the

be known It
was

not

seem

to

our

modern

from
out
an on

this spot that

O'Rourke
on

started

his voyage

to

the

back

of

eagle.

CHAPTER

XXV

169

All

over

the country

there also

are
as

such

names

as or

these, and
the

such

names

Ahaphooka,

pooka's ford, and Lissaphooka and rathpooka or the pooka's fort. All this goes to how show clearly and extensively the pooka the sands of time in on has left his footprints
Ireland.

Shakespeare has immortalized

and
he has makes

him

in

England
when
merry

indicated
him

his habits

and

powers
as

describe

himself

"a

night,"who "can put a girdle the earth in forty minutes," and about round whom we quoted in a former Charles Lamb, minutely. chapter,describes his tricks more to give a full account be impossible It would
wanderer of the of all the tricks of the Irish and versatility
We

pooka.
are

His villanous marvellous. translation

an

resourcefulness
with
we

shall be
an

content

giving a

of

account
a

of him

find in "Siomsa

Geimre,"
that

littlebook

beguile the Connaught.

"There
are

givingstories and long winter nights in

townlands
have its
or

games

West

few "that takes

in
a

Ireland," this
the

book
a

tells us,

not
name

hill, a valley or
from

cliff which

pooka;
that

but what

kind of being

animal

he is,few, very

few

indeed, know.

Some

poet has

said

170

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE
" " " "

m0

the

pooka
and in many

has

existed

from

the

time
many
or
a

of

the

Flood
and

that he
ways;

changes
is
an

his form
a

times

that he is
no

cat

dog

at

night, and
than in the

that

he

sooner

in that
horse.

form

shape of
catches

old white

"It is the habit

any
two
one

of the
out

pooka
late at
When

to

give a ride
He

to

he of

night.
traveller

has

ways

doing

this.
to

he is in human
on

shape, he
his back himself.

contrives

lift the

to

by
The

ride with his

only to unfortunate wayfarer begins his head down, his face to the pooka's
a

wrestlingtrick, known

back, his legsdoubled

and his shins held

over

the

pooka'sshoulders
hand of the

tightone

in each

goblin; and speed

up
over

in this way hills and

he is carried with awful

and

lakes valleys, when he

lakelets,
and

and

down

hills,and

is exhausted

and let

he thoroughly frightened, his way again. go on is when

up

is set down

other way He comes himself.

"The

he makes the

horse of

behind

unsuspecting
the latter's

wayfarer, thrusts
throws legs, him unusual

his head
up
on

between

his back, and

suddenly
human
a

assuming
butt rider
the
or

height, leaves
of

his like
a

alternative

holding
and

on

bold of

slidingdown
his bones.

taking
a

chance

breaking

As

general thing the

CHAPTER

XXV

171

death-gripand off goes he pleases, and the the pooka whithersoever greater his speed, the tighterthe grip of the
rider holds
on

with

rider

on

his

mane.

"The
way,

pooka
whom
was

does

not

always have
a

it his
man

own

though.

Once

in

while,
a

comes

along to
"There Connemara he
as came

this free ride is

once
a

joy ride
who

indeed.
to

merchant
were

came

before
on

roads

built there, and found

a

horse-back.
one

He

lodging,
for

there

were

and

twenty

welcomes

the the and

traveller,and

the

people of
near.

West let
to

He
went

fields and

of princelyhospitality known far Connaught was his horse out through the he had slept sleep. When and dressed that

enough,
himself it
and
was

he got up, ate his breakfast

for travel. earlier than

He he

knew had

by the
at

stars

first

supposed, getting
for but

he

thought it would
over

be better to be
He
went

the

journey
This

him.

looking
meet
on

his horse; but

whom

should

he
up

the

pooka!
and increased

fellow lifted him

at
a

his. back, he
soon

started out
to
a

brisk trot, which

went

gallop. He

like the

wind

hills and and fields, over through bogs, swamps about to let rivers, and was glens and across the rider down, when all of a sudden he changed

172

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

his mind of
a

and

made

a was

sudden about

dash
to

for the bank

great river and

it dawned he had his
on

leap across
a

it,

when that

the rider for the

spurs
on.

first time

powerful effort he drove these to the quick in his mysterious The latter trembled, seemingly steed. he paralyzed by the unexpected shock. When got himself together he begged of the rider to
pull
would
in
a

With

the

spikes out
down. the

of his
The
was

sides

and

that

he

let him

latter
on

complied,and

twinkle

pooka
was

the other side of

the river. "The

easy.

merchant He tried to

sorry

he

let him

go

so

coax

him

back, hoping to break

He
called
to him

him

of

some

of his

tricks.

aloud, saying he had

"

'Have

you

something nice to got those spikeson yet?

have,

tell him. returned

man.

'

the

pooka.

'I

indeed,' said
tillyou
now,

the

'If you
are.

have,' said the pooka, 'staywhere

go
near

you

I will not I
am

you

take them

off.
you

through with
time
you

you you
a

but if I catch

another

when

haven't

got the
or

spikes on,
lose
a

will learn

few

things

I'll

fall by it.'"

indifferently spelled in the Irish but always puca pooka or pooca, language, and puck in Shakespeare.
This

goblin's name

is

CHAPTER

XXVI

The

pooka

not

always

to

blame.

St.

Patrick9

diplomatic tact.

Greek, Latin

and

Irish

manities" "hu-

THE
is the An air

Irish
not to

pooka
blame

is bad for
A

enough,
half
case

but

he

the in

things point
it is

laid to

his Daniel

charge.

trip of by

O'Rourke.

excellent

description or
Maginn.

report

of

was

written
certain

William

Daniel,
alone
out

after
on a

experiences, found
island.
was

himself
to

"dissolute" and him.

How the

get

of

there

get home
An

problem
him

that
to
a

confronted Daniel's

eagle

appeared,
to

and,
"like

astonishment,
and

talked
to
some

Christian,"

offered had

fly him
of
up
was

home. but him he

Dan

misgivings,
the
to
a

accepted
home,
the left him with him

the

offer.

Instead him

bringing
moon

eagle
he

carried

to

and
even

there, saying she

as

glad
nest

get
few

had
was

robbed

her

months

before.

Dan

mystified, chagrined
He

and his

pointed. disap-

did not
he

want

to

betray

feelings
in

fully;

and

so

cursed
173

the

eagle vigorously

174

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

Irish,thinking that
him. He
but knew how the well

she

would

not

understand

that

he

had
out

robbed that it
was

the

nest,

eagle found
not

he that there he

did it, he
was,

could

understand.
on

But
moon.

left alone
a

hanging
not

to

the

Soon

door

opened;
been The

and

it creaked

and
a

grated as if it had
thousand
years.

opened before for

in

"Man
at

the He

Moon"

appeared
resented
to

and the

looked

Dan.

evidently
not
tomed accus-

intrusion.

He

was

and felt he did visitors,

He

not

know

how

to take them.

been monarch had, all his life,

surveyed,and did not know but that this Irishman designs on his might have some sovereignty. He thought to himself that an would be who would fly to the moon Irishman and adventurous enough to attempt enterprising anything. So he kicked Dan out, or rather off, the earth in and the latter proceeded towards somewhat a series of somersaults, reminding one
of all he fellow was lightning.The poor about to despair of ever reaching Ireland in when he met a flock of wild geese, flying safety, along under the generalshipof a gander from his own bog. He knew that gander well, and him and spoke to him, and the gander knew of chained

CHAPTER

XXVI

175

asked would
Dan

him

to

hang

on

to

his

leg, and

that

he

take him said

to the earth to

safe and

sound.

something
not

himself

in Irish, but

the

gander did gander

understand.

On

account

of his
that

experience with the eagle,he distrusted

very

much. "so
I

"But

there
the

was

no

help," says Dan, the leg and away

after him
as

caught
the

gander by
geese

I and
as

other

flew

fast

hops."
that
he

Soon, however, he discovered

were

the geese

flyingto Arabia; and gander

reach
to

the

drop
the

him

could
bones. If
we

earth

prevailedon some place where he without breaking his

so

remember
more

rightlyhe
adventures

fell into the

he woke
up
at

sea.

After foot
been

some

the had

of

Carrigaphooca, dreaming
on

that
a

he

tossed about
a

the crest

of

great
with

wave.

As

matter

of fact, his poor, been whole

to

disgusted,but
cold

devoted
water

wife had

soussing him
course

during the
he
went

of his the

trip.
of this

Why
haunted

sleep at
may
reasons

base

rock

anyone
were

conjecture; and enough

to account not

although there
for his wild and
to

hazardous
go

it would trip, his share

do

let the

pooka

without

of the

blame.

176

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

The

poor

pooka!
The

Even is

though good
to

he

is thoroughly him
to

unpopular, it
blame
not

have
a

things on.
have had

Irish made them

to

mistake

in

bringing him
could

with

this country. made

ever

He the

lots of fun
more

here, and
than he

acquaintance
in Denmark, the

of

people
and
a

knew

England
not

Ireland.

Besides

pooka there

is

great number
much
in

of
Irish

apparitions recorded,
books,
or

so

even

in Irish folk stories,as Tell the

in Irish the

place names.
names

traveller in Ireland

of certain
sees

he

and if,by any chance, places, through the etymology of these names,

he will be apt to tell you not"

that he
that

"

would

rather he

stay in any
he has

of them
some

night, as
to

remembers elsewhere.

business
are

transact

These
names.

apparitions
The Latin

called

by

different
was

word

"effigies"
"delb,"
a

found

by

Zeuss

glossedby the word

of the modern

the

ancient

form
a

"dealb,"
cent. evanes-

shape, a
the old

form,
na

phantom, something
or

Cillin

n-dealb,

the

littlechurch
named after

of
an

phantoms, in Tipperary, is churchyard which

is another
name
was

Fua found
in

haunted. particularly for phantom, and it is

name

incorporated in the
and in many

of Glennawoo

Fermanagh,

other

such

names.

CHAPTER

XXVI

177

Tais, pronounced thash, is also

for Tobar A

often
names

used
as

spectre, and
a' Taise
most
or

is found "The

in

such

well of the

ghost."
Dullanot

hideous haunts the dead.

class of spectre is the

ghan.
dishonor his head

He

cemeteries, but
He
may
or

does

be under

seen

carrying
arm.

in his
may

hands
meet

his

In

fact,

one

whole

troops another,

of

them,

walking along
their
heads

in

irregularformation, tossing
one

from

to

as

if in

playfulness.*
Tom

Moore,
us

somewhere
to
a

in "Lalla

Rookh,"

introduces the

somewhat

similar belief in said

to

East, where

souls

are

watch

in

at lovingvigilance

the graves

of the bodies from

which

they

have

been

released.
hard
or

Taken
where
a more

altogetherit is
ancient

to

find

country
has

paganism

mythology
in
to

left

indelible

impression than
seems

Ireland.
be
one

The

very

face of the country

great voice, speaking of its

remote

past;

and

all this,notwithstandingits grand, indestructible

and

pure

Christianity.
the
well-known
we

With

reservation
may say

that that
as

every

comparison limps,

the

Apostles "buried
*

the

synagogue

with

honor,"

Dr.

P. W.

Joyce: "Irish Names

of Places."

178

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

St. Patrick with honor

The violence
saw

buried
also. he

the

ancient

Irish

paganism
not
a

change
to

brought
and

about

was

the

feelingsof the people. They

heaven-sent nature,
as

its reasonable

they went along; and hence, humanly speaking, of the struccharacter and lasting ture the stability
our

apostlebuilt. glorious
of him,
went

The he
more

more

one

thinks
how he

and

of the

work

did, and
one

about

that work, the

is

and forcefulimpressednot only with his ability a as missionary,but also with his perfect ness tact and Christian prudence. The

great diplomat, in the best

sense

of the

word, speaks in every paragraph, and in every He was Confessions." line of his trulyanother
"

St. Paul
was

in

as personality man

in achievement.
a

He

the

very

to

face

great and

difficult

problem. He approached the people with preconceived respect, and although he destroyedtheir ancient effort to he made beliefs and pagan no practices tions. obliterate these things forever as historic tradiHe
and
to
as

allowed
a

these

"humanities"

to

live

on;

matter

of fact, is not

Europe indebted
and

the

"humanities"

of Greece

Rome

for

CHAPTER

XXVI

179

its
in

education,
its
The

and

very

largely

for

the

language

mouth? literature
is

in

which
of

ancient the

Ireland

still

lives

indeed be

literature
what Brother

purest

kind,
defines

if it

literature
to

Azarias

be. he.

"What,
"Two

then,

constitutes

literature?"

says

things:
such
as

first,

the
to

subject
our

treated

of

must

be

appeals subject
the

common

humanity;
in

second,
a

the

must

be

treated it

such

style

that

reading

of

gives

general

pleasure."

CHAPTER

XXVII

of Threefold classification
Divi. Roman Aed

Irish
Donn.

gods.

The

Irish
in
sters. mon-

Ruad
Greek

and

Instances

and Snake

mythology.

Aquatic

story about
did
the

St. Patrick

IRISH
disappearance
"shees,"
as

mythology
of into

not

begin
De

with

the

Tuatha

Danaan.
are

The

which

these

retired,
and
not

represented
residences

previously existing,
up
or

as

built

excavated
we

for their
are

special
they
the

accommodation. conversed inhabitants Some the

of

Besides,
with of

told,

"shees,"
the

that under
also

is, with
the

shees,
were

ground.
into Aed
of
at

the

Milesians
as we

adopted
case

Pantheon,
the

see

in

the
the

of

Ruad,
Emania.

father
He
was

of

Macha,
in
on

foundress

drowned
was

the

waterfall
account

Ballyshannon,
called "Eas-Aeda
now

which

that "Aed "Assaroe."

the
was

Ruaid,"
shortened the mound
but has
to

or

Ruad's He

waterfall,"
was

buried called
appearance

in

over

cataract,
a

now

Mullaghshee; only.
He
180

this

burial that

in

reigned

over

CHAPTER

XXVII

181

district
years.

as

fairyking
have
was

for the past two

thousand

And

then
who

we

the

of Donn, raised

drowned

conspicuousexample in the magic storm

to prevent De Danaan by the Tuatha the Milesians from landing. But this drowning
was

simply his

passage

to

top of Knock-fierna
fairies of the
Mac
poem

he

Olympus. From rules as king over plain.

addresses
to

the

the

great Limerick
a

Andrew
a

Curtin,
to

poet of Munster,

him,
his

shee;
evident

and
from

begging for admission great anxiety to be

his is

heard

the lines in which

bodar
tu
o

he says:
na

"Munar

trom

gut

taoide,
No
mur

bh-fuarais bas

mar

each

Doinnghill."
"

Unless thou

art

deaf from

the heavy

voice of the tide, Or unless you died like every

one

else,O fair Donn." There

was

another

poet, Doncad

Ruad

Mac

Conmara
saw

(Red Denis
Donn
was

MacNamara),
in the the
a

ever, who, how-

down born

infernal

regions.

Red
of

Denis

in Clare about In

beginning
he

the

eighteenth century.
on

serio-comic,
tells us

heroic poem

his

own

adventures

182

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

how him

Eevill,the North
down the
to

Munster where

banshee, brought

Hades,

they found
not

Conan
in

of

ancient
the

Fenians, and

Charon,

charge of
made
no

ferry-boat across
to

the

Styx. Conan
Such
an

attempt

himself. disguise been him

wore

attempt would
Denis

have

useless.
at
once

recognized
that he
his back

from ewe's

the black
was some

circumstance
fleece around
an

"an

for

clothing." This
Conan,
been

article of
that
we

clothing that
now

for

reason

had forget,

unable

to

separate himself
he

from

in this life, and

to
see

it

seems

carried it with
was

him
to

the

infernal
He

regions.
hurled
a

He

not

glad

Eevill.
at

volley of
down
to

abusive in

language

her

for her

pudence im-

bringing that poor mortal gawk that fearful place. She, however,
and
saw

appeased him
Red himself in what
Cerberus

he ferried them

across.

Denis
on

Cerberus
to

and

has

since put

record
he

show

that

Virgilwas dog.
sure

right
It
was

had

said that

about
was

that

himself
other

there,
even

enough,
of

and
were

no

dog.

Denis, and
at
no

the banshee,

frightened
There
out
was

the need

appearance

this
them

canine.
to to

of But
was

sign for
were

look

for the

dog.
who

how

they

get by?

Conan,

showing them

CHAPTER

XXVII

183

around,

solved

this

problem.
held
him

He
up

seized
in the
"

the air

dog by the
"

throat
as

and
was

such
ran

air

there in

in that

place

while

they
The

by
poet

and
was

through the gate.

interested in the

much

splendid
"

the "Clann dren chilGadelus," or representation of the original the Tuatha Gael," and even
De
to

Danaan,

had

down
sons

there.

When

he

came

Donn,

of the

of Miled, he exclaimed

to

his fair

companion:
An

"bh-feicirse Donn,

sa

lann

ar

faobhar,

Ag teilgeannCeann
ceile;"
"Do Donn

n-gabala

you

see

and

his blade,

keen-edged,

Tossing heads
Besides
no

in

heap together?

"

Aed but

Ruad that many

have
not

and

Donn,
other
names

there

can

be

doubt

of deified if the
so
eu-

Milesians

would had

reached

us,

hemerists

done

their work
Aed

well in
Donn Rome knows

depleting the belong

called
that
to

Pantheon.

Ruad

and

the class of

gods

that

ancient

"Divi."
was

Every classical scholar

in Greece drawn and Rome
a

there

sharp
who

line of demarcation

between

those

184

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

had

been
as

always gods
such

and

those

that

were

adopted
Horace
to

after their death.

us

tells

that

Romulus
the

was

admitted

the

skies in
the She

spiteof
race

oppositionof Juno,
to

who

hated

of

Aeneas

which

he

belonged.
attempt
The the

only relented after receivinga god

the
nor

promise that

neither

man

should

ever

rebuildingof Troy. Emperor Augustus in

and from is well known,

apotheosisof

the odes of Horace,

the

be be admitted to poeticalview-point must bibit ore beautiful. "Augustus purpureo very nectar," says the poet, placinghis idol among of immortality the gods, drinking the nectar with

empurpled lips; and

Divus be

before

that

he

had

said, "Praesens
"Soon
or

habebitur

Augustus shall

Augustus," considered divus," a

perors Emmore

adopted god.
It is well known that the later Roman

thought
less from

themselves

gods.

No

flagrant expression of pride, or,

more or

perhaps, of
ever

blasphemy, responsible
the mouth
the poet:
"

ceeded pro-

of

man

than

the

phrase
do

preservedby
vehis?"

"quid times, Caesarem

fear,
or

"What
have
were

do Caesar
two

you
on

why

you

fear,you
There

board." of

classes

gods then,

recog-

CHAPTER

XXVII

185

nized

by

Greece There

and
were

Rome,

the "Dei"
three

and

the in

"Divi."

really
who

classes

Ireland, including the

Tuatha
De Danaan the

aboriginal deities; the

were

associated

with

these, and
two

adopted Milesian
almost So the

gods. The
come

originalclasses have
Divine
even

to

be

regarded as one. Amergin with

Tuatha De that he invoked of the
one

profoundlyimpressed was
character
of

the

Danaan,

before their retirement,

and all the powers he
saw

the elements
or,

great god,

pan-theos, as

it,againstthem.

leaving the peopled Pantheon, to the ancient other consider things to which here Irish gave veneration, we religious may demons or bring attention to a class of monsters These were them. that harassed huge creeping
Before

thingsthat St. Patrick is said deepest depths of

of Ireland.
some

to have

cast

to the

of the lakes and

to

lakelets

They
in
years,

have

remain

there, it is

said,bound

chains, tillthe Day of Judgment.

Every
to
come

seven

to

allowed however, they were the surface, and then a clanking of other

chains the

and

strange noises

were

heard

in

not poisonous. were vicinity.These reptiles voracious, and their favorite morsel They were chieftain's daughter. was a princess or

186

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

Some

such bound

luckless
to
a

girl was
or

picked
near

out

by
spot
the

lot,and
where
water.
a

tree
was

post

the

the
The

monster

to to
as

emerge

from
to

sacrifice had

be made the

avert

greater calamity, such

"drowning"
of the
any

of the whole
was

island of Erin.
also

Rescue, however,
avoidance

possible,and

the

national

calamity,if a champion would, by

appear,

accident,
and the

who

would

have

the

courage
monster.
ever

physicalstrength to fightthe
to say,
no

Needless
The

maiden
was

was

voured. de-

champion

always
and

there.

While

he is

talking to the maiden

there is

learning
becomes
waves;

of her strange

predicament, the "sea"

a

agitated; soon

roaring of the

they
midst

are a

tossed

mountain-high, and

in

their

path is opened for the approaching

open

reptile. With
and
a

part of its
The

jaws it lands its huge neck and body on

a

head the

shore. and and the the

champion gets in beast drops back into

waters

terrific blow
sea or

the

lake,
its

become for

all
two

over

red

with

blood. but
on

It

returns

consecutive

days,

has
the

gradually growing weaker, and third day, by strategy of the champion,

been
to

is allowed
retreat

land

its whole

length,so
easy

that

its

is cut off; and

it thus fallsan

victim

CHAPTER

XXVII

187

to

his

lance

and

is

cut finally

in

small
course

bits. the and

The

maiden

is rescued;

and,
marries

of

expected happens. they

live in
may

She

the

hero

royalstate.
be taken The
as
a

This

fair

class of stories. in modern Irish

monster

sample of this is called a "piast,"

"oil" "peist,"and sometimes is suffixed (ollpheist) to bring attention to its size. The first meaning of piast extraordinary is "worm." Cormac's the ninth-century Glossary, that has reached us, identifies dictionary "piast with the Latin "bestia." Multitudes of
"

these

demons
at

are

said in old
to

stories to

have of St.
as

attempted
Patrick in

times

block

the progress

some

of his

journeyings. And
all
venomous

for the tradition that he banished

reptilesfrom
reason

Ireland, and
there
are no

that

that

is the

why
to

snakes

there, all this

monk of
in the

is due

the

of Jocelyn, a credulity
wrote
a

Furness twelfth

who

life of St. Patrick

were never

century.

There

any

snakes

in Ireland. who

Cajus

Julius Solinus,a the this middle

as an

geographer
third

flourished

about

of the

century,
air and

mentions

thing,and ascribes it to certain

in the soil.

extraordinary in the qualities

the
same

The

Venerable

Bede

mentions

thing.

188

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

If,

indeed,

there

is

anything
from

supernatural
snakes;
or

in
if the of

Ireland's fact God's about

is

exemption
due
to any

special
we can never

dispensation
be

providence,
it.

quite

sure

CHAPTER

XXVIII

The

god

Terminus.
stones.

Irish

pillar stones.
Fail.

ing Speakof

The

Lia

Veneration

fire and

water

THERE
was

god
name

in

the
was

Roman

theon pan-

whose

Terminus.

This and his

name

suggested required

his he

occupation;
should
or,

occupation
and that

that

be

singularly
other and He

strangely
he

multiplied;
be

in
one

words,
the
same

should in
a

present,
many to

at

time,
a

great
set

places.
aries boundthe
stones

was

simply
and

pillarstone
Numa

mark

frontiers. of Rome,
to

Pompilius,
that
these

second be

King

ordered and

consecrated

Jupiter

receive Terminalia
at

religious
were

veneration.

Festivals
in their
were

called

instituted sacrifices had their

honor,
to
or

and,
them.
stone

these
The

festivals,
Irish
also

offered termini

boundary enough,

gods.
as

Whether ancient farms

we

they
Rome,
do
numerous

were

numerous

in
or

to not

mark

adjacent
but

estates

quite know;
enough
189

they

were

certainly

to

mark

large divi-

190

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

sions of the

country.

In
to

Ireland
make

as

in Rome

they
each

were

calculated

people respect
was

other's property.

In

fact, this

the

idea Numa

Pompilius had

in mind.

A Terminus other
sown were men

farm guarded his worshipper's

from the

just
from

as

scare-crow crows. or

guards
In

grain
called

the

Ireland

they

clocha
stones

adrada,
that
were

stones

of adoration; that is, adoration

or times some-

the of

object of
some were

of

veneration religious served called

stones.
as

kind.

They

oracles and lowrish

in consequence

clocha
Dr.

(labrais) or
us

speaking
there is
a

Joyce

tells

that

famous
a

cloc lowrish

stillstandingat
two

Stradbally,
Waterover a

villagedistant about
This
stone

miles

from

ford.

has A
woman a

been

silent for
once was

thousand
to

years.

support her

in
two

lie she and

stone

splitin
wonder

never

appealed to it telling.The spoke again.

a

No and
and that

the Irish have

stones

such

horror in

of lies

liars. Similar
we

existed

Wales;

have
were

Giraldus

Cambrensis

for
or

they

called 'lee lawar'

is
a

authority speaking

stones.

Cloc

stone

of any

mon kind; lee,com-

to Irish and

Welsh, is a flat stone.

stone

The

Lia

Fail, or

of

Destiny, brought
De

into Ireland

by the Tuatha

Danaan,

was

CHAPTER

XXVIII

191

the most
a

remarkable
of
pure

of all these blood

stones. sat
on

When

King

Milesian

it, it

invariablyroared.
the

Keating tells us
was

that when
to

Irishman,

Fergus,
or

about

be

made

King of Scotland
in Scotland, in
a.d.

rather of the Irish

503

Colony
for
on

he

sent

to

Ireland

this stone

that

he
no

might
doubt

be

crowned

it.

Although there is
of the blood the Lia when
Fail of

of the Scotic
find
no

purity
that cheer

Fergus, we
it.

record
roar or

gave
on

its accustomed

he sat

"Gaelic
goes
on

Keating, the words of whose History of Ireland" we follow closely,

to

tell
in

us

that the

that

stone

"is

now

in

King of England is inaugurated,it having been forciblybrought of Scone; Scotland of the Abbey from out and the First Edward, King of England, brought
the chair which it with has him
so

that the

prophecy

of that

stone now,

been

verified in The First

the

king
who

we

have

namely,
Scotic

King

Charles, and
came

in his the

father, the King

race."

James

from

Keating quotes Hector

and
other

Boetius,
that

the historian of Scotland

as

authorities
stone

saying that in whatever happened to be, there also

would be in the

country
"a
man

of the of

Scotic

nation, that is,of the seed of Miled

Spain,
to

sovereignty." There

seems

192

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

be
was

an

implicationthat
in

as

this

stone 'prophetic'

England the
have

ruler

of the in

whole

Gaelic
too.

world
was

should

his throne

England
Saxum of

It

called

by Latin
out

writers the
how
some

Fatale. the

O'Curry points
Norman
to

early
to

occupants of Ireland appealed so much

Irish

the

'prophecies' in
with If any

the

endeavor

make

the Irish submit

resignationto the
was

foreignyoke.

particularcondition
was no no

'in fate' for them,

there

use

in

kicking
in

against the goad. expressingour

were

We

have

hesitation
of these

belief that many

ecies proph-

at

their

or by the English themselves have doubt we no suggestion. And

coined

that this "Lia

presence

Fail"

story,

at

least

as a

far

as

its
in of

in

England
this

is concerned, is

case

point. Ireland
Inisfail from
way,

derives
stone.

its

poetic
a

name

This, in
That in

general
Ireland
sense

is

beautiful
of

coincidence.
a

is

an

Island

Destiny
received

Christian

is

clear to any Pillar veneration

even

unbiassed

mind.
a

stones

sort

of

religious Europe
so

in many
to

placesin Continental
tenth

down

the

century,

and

did

wells of

day
to

we

In Ireland at the present springwater. have our They are holy "Holy Wells."

us

because still,

St. Patrick

or

some

of his

CHAPTER

XXVIII

193

disciples
their

baptized
for
to

people

in

them

or

consecrated
From

waters

baptismal
the of
pagan

purposes.

being
sacred
them found called

sacred
to

gods
Christians.
as

they

became Some of

the

God

the

were

even

regarded
in

deities.

St.

Patrick It

deity-well
*

Connaught.
its
waters

was

"Slan"
and in

because
It
was

imparted healing
received

health fountain
divine

safety.
pagan

veritable Fire it also

Ireland.

honors;
demon.
coffin A under

but,
druid

by

some,

was

regarded
buried
in
a

as

had
waters waters

himself

stone

the
the

of

the would

well

"Slan."

His
bones

idea cool
at

was

that and for fire make

keep
for
fire
water

his
to

it
had

impossible

get
and

them;

he

always
thing."

"adored

hated

as

an

evil

"Slan",
etc.

akin

to

Latin,

sanus

sound,

safe

and

healthy,

CHAPTER

XXIX

Worship
The

of fire.
elements. The

The

God

Baal.

The
oath.

bonfire. Weapon-

Elemental Irish

worship.

elysium.

Immortality.

Metempsychosis.

Metamorphosis
in his
on

MUIRCHIU,
tells Saint their would
same us

life
one

of

St.

Patrick,
the
throw that
at

that

occasion druids and

to

challenged
books into

the

sacred

the

water
same

he

also time

throw
to
see

his

into

the
set
seen

pool
come

the
out

which

would him

uninjured.
and

But

they
declined

had

baptizing
on

therefore
that he

the
a

challenge

the
He the

ground
then fire
was

was

water-

worshipper.
thrown

wanted but
some

both

sets

of books this that

accused

into

they

declined

also, because
he

there
fire.
one

evidence
he

worshipped
of this

In

fact

had

been

by
was

of

King

Leary's druids;
founded
on

and

the

charge

ably probSaint
pagan

the
fires such the
194

propensity
at

the
when At

showed

for

lighting
forbade

times

festivities times
in

conduct.

certain

the

year,

druids,

with

great

in-

CHAPTER

XXIX

195

cantations, lighted fires and

were

while
to

these be

fires

or

burning all extinguished.

at

other These

fires had fires

or were

covered

lightedgenerally
also made the
to

Tara, Uisneach,
divine and

Tlachtga. They
the Sunhim

received occasion

honors, and
the
means

were

of
were

honoring
offered
but these

god,
while

Baal.

Sacrifices
were

they
to

burning,
in the

sacrifices

consisted
sacred herds.

merely
him

"assigning," or

making
and

of firstlings

all flocks

Baal, promiscuously written

to

Bel, Bial
in the that
or a

and

Beal, and supposed

word

be the "Beel"
a

Hebrew would
supreme

Beelzebub, is
the

Semitic word
supreme

give

idea

of

god

demon.

Beal, the god, was

worshipped
;

by the Assyrians, Arabians, Mesopotamians others, by the Phoenicians. and, among many
The Irish notions of him that of
nonsense even
are

so

like the Phoenician,

amount

writers who

deplore the

that is written about the ancient

to

the connection the Phoenicians,

between
are
an

Irish and that

constrained

admit

the

Irish Baal the

is

immigrant from

Phoenicia.
under and

That

Irish
name,

worshipped the sun Grian, is well known;

that Baal.

its

Irish

it is not

improbable
Grian
with
to

they

confusedly identified
like

Something

this

had

happened

196

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

Baal
at

before

in his eastern

home, where
Saturn when
the and
summer

he

was

times

identified with

Jupiter.
was

On

the first day of in

May

beginning
the

ancient

Erin, the

druids, with
drove
from

great incantations, lightedgreat fires and

cattle between them
to
cure

them

disease and
the

protect them
year.

from

the of

maladies

of

coming

The

month the

May
of

is called

in Irish Beltaine, and

first

day

May

is

called in
or

districts "La Irish-speaking

'1Beltaine"

"the

day of
the
sun

the
was

feast in his

of the

fire of Baal." the

When
in

gloryin
also

heavens,
Sato
a on

mid-summer,
and

fires

were

lighted,with again
was

incantations main
or

sacrifices; and
he

at

Hallowe'en, when
much

about for

withdraw
while the from

of

his

genial

warmth

the earth, sacrificialfires burned

It is not
pagan
to
a

Irish hills. that

our

matter

of wonderment ascribed
a

forefathers the

Sun-god; for they also worshipped the moon and everything they be and conceived sublime to grand in the heavens. In the east, Baal was supposed to in nature. The principle represent the male
sort

of supremacy

festivals held
the

in his honor of pagan

or

would
Rome.

put
We

to

shame
where no-

Saturnalia
of low

read

immoral

rites

enteringinto

the

CHAPTER

XXIX

197

ritual of the pagan

Irish.

prayed for, real benefits

Mid-summer 24th of June, which and
the

They expected, and from their gods. The happened

on

fire festival

the

coincides with
custom

the feast of

St. John;
many

still flourishes in bonfire

is built
on

parts of Ireland.

that

night with "turf"

the

contributed
has

by

the whole ciently, suffi-

village. When
around it and
at
a

night
in

darkened the

the fire is lighted, and

engage

people gather

poking fun lookingfor

to

each

pleasant conversation, other, the practicaljokers

to

chance

throw,
or

or

rather

pretend
into

throw As
a

each

other's caps of fact

"cawbeens"
gossoon

it.

matter

no

places

confidence in any of his fellows,as far implicit this prank is concerned, but holds on as fully careThe to his head-dress. people attach no whatever to the bonfire. religious significance If they give the matter thought at all, any they wonder how it is that St. John happens to
be honored in this way.

enlightenment regarding
of the

In the present age of Gaelic matters, many

no

people
will not

have

learned,

doubt, that all

rite. it But
a

this is a survival

of the ancient pagan

they
chance
are

abandon

it, because

gives

for

brief

village reunion; and

it because

boys
be

delighted with

they

may

198

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

allowed
a

to remain

out

later than

usual

and

have

good time.
The
custom

carryingburning sods of turf and into the fields for throwing them away and probably has "luck" is fast dying away; taken been not seriously for centuries. The bonfire is to the Irish to-day what it is to most other peoples, merely a way of expressingjoy. All the elements, or, to be more all precise, the divinities supposed to reside in the elements, All did not were given religiousveneration. unite in worship of any element, but all one
felt that
an

of

oath taken in which of

who
some

"on

the elements," that

were

is,an
a

oath

the elements

given

as

guarantee
one

good faith, was

broke
such
an

inviolable oath
was

and
sure

that the
to meet

with

dreadful
made
an

misfortune.

King Leary
to

had

unsuccessful
He

attempt
his

levy the
he

Borromean

tribute.
men.

fell into the

som, ran-

hands

of the Leinster
swore

To and Sea

secure

by the
and
never

"Sun

Moon,
and
to
recover

Water

and

Air, Day
from

Night,

Land,"
that in

that he would
tribute

again seek
Leinster
men.

the

But

spite
that

of all this he
the self-same elements

again invaded
purpose^

their

province for
was on

and
doom

the result
of death

"the

passed a

him,"

CHAPTER

XXIX

199

"to
to
so

wit, the earth

burn him the and
sun

to

swallow
to

him

up,

the

sun

the wind and

depart from him,

we

that
had

wind

killed him, because and

are

he

violated
"no
one

them";
durst

solemnly
in those

told that

violate them

days."
The and

ancient
swore

Irish

worshipped their
and
was

weapons,

by them;
such
uncommon
an

it may

go

without

saying that
It
was

oath

executed. strictly
to

no

thing
and
was
we are

hear

sword

talk

in

those

days
It and
Dr.

tell what

had

been

achieved

by

it.

demons told in
Stokes

that
a

spoke in
Revue
to

those weapons;

manuscript,
used
were

published by

Whitley

in the

that "the reason Celtique, was speak from weapons then worshipped by human A
most

why

demons
weapons

because

beings." thing
about
a

remarkable

ancient

Ireland

is that, while
seem

it had
to

such

tremendous
no

pantheon, there
ideas

have

been

distinct
our

regarding
Such

heaven.
no

What
to

is left of

literature tells of

heaven
as

which
was,

all

might

aspire.

heaven
a

there
of

is represented

as

being
one

kind

fairies. No

dared

enter

monopoly of the it,or could enter

willingly, un-

it,unless they carried him

on

off; willingly or
if he did not

his part.

And

get

200

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE
-

into

fairyheaven
in the

there

was

no

other

for him,

assured immortality.And no and, consequently,

as we saw case

of Ossian,
to

people, thus
land of
set

carried off,were
Erin
to
on see

allowed

revisit the
if

their friends

again,but
of

they

foot
was

all its soil,

hope

returningto Elysium
of "Conn
in
a

gone.

Connla, the

son

dred of the hun-

battles,"was

carried away

boat crystal

by
and

fairymaiden,
relatives,and
son

in the presence he has

not
come

of his friends

back
the

yet.

Bran, the

of Febal, sailed among blest for hundreds

as

happy
and

islands of the it seemed

so

of years

to

him

if it

was

did the time pleasantly of Kerry, however, one the coast foolishlyleaped ashore became of the
a

only a few hours, Approaching pass.

of his and
at
panions comonce

heap

of ashes.

In the eleventh

book

Odyssey, the wandering Ulysses

of
a

shade that

of Achilles he would
on

tells the
be the

sooner

the servant

landless
among not

man

earth

than

that he chief, In the Irish either.

of the
says servant

was,

the

ghosts of
was

the dead.

Elysium

everybody
ages,

happy
out

Dian, after countless

he

comes

fairyrath of Mullaghshee
that regretfully
to
a

at Assaroe

and
be
a

would

rather than

servant

of the Fenians
among

be the

prince that

he

was

the fairies.

CHAPTER

XXIX

201

The

fairyheaven
at

is sometimes of the
sea,

referred to
or

as

being
and
every
was a

the bottom
or

under In

lakes

wells,

in

the
was

fairy mounds.
a

fact,
There

mound fairy

sort

of heaven. the

tradition, and

perhaps
situated
was

strongest and

most
was
a

beautiful of all such

vast
ocean.

traditions,that there
somewhere
in the

heaven It
was

western

visible from
the

Arran, in

the

evening. It
Griffin
are saw

phantom

city that
it any
on

Gerald Poets
more.

"in

turreted

majesty riding."
ever

the

only people who

to

see

It and

seemed if
one

ride
near

or

dance

the throw

waves;

got

enough
"fix"

to

fire into it he would been

thereby

it.

This has did

not

accomplished, but the

fixed
as

Aerial

City
be

remain
In

long
many

as

might
our

desirable.

keeping with
it is very
The

of

hopes and aspirations, by

elusive. is known
as

Irish heaven
names,

very
or

many

beautiful
of the

such Tir

Tir Na

N-Og,
Land

Land of the

Young;

Na

M-Beo,

Living; Hy Brazil, or Meala, Plain Magh

Plain of

I Bresal, Land of

of Bresal;

Honey;
of

Magh

Mon,

Sports,in
Tir Na

other

words, Happy
of

Hunting
Promise,

Grounds;
Tir
a

Sorcha, Land
Land

Lights,and
or

or Tairngire,

Prophecy
the

name

evidently suggested by

old Testa-

202

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

ment

and

found

by

Zeuss

in

eighth-century
of

glosses.
A

belief in the
may

imperfect
in This been

sort

immortality
was
was

that

be

found

Metempsychosis
sort

not

general, either.
to

of

rebirth

posed sup-

have

the
was

privilege
a

of

certain of heroin

heroes

only.
of the

Cucullain

reincarnation
De Danaan

"Lugh god;
seventh Finn
A

long arms," King

a

the of

and

Mungan,
century,
was

Dalriada,
of the

the

rebirth

great

MacCool.

species of metamorphosis

is known

to

have
way

been

practiced in Ossory.
to

It is not

in any

related
but

metempsychosis,
so

strictly so
and
as

called;
so

it is taken

seriously
forward

described
such that
one a

graphically and
wonder

put

great
would

by
he

Geraldus

Cambrensis
every

think

believed

word

of it.
at

certain
will into flocks. human

class of wolves When forms. act"

or

people changed
and

themselves their

devoured

neighbor's

sated, they resumed

This

their proper effected

very

change
and

was
was

by "draoideconvenient
at
were

magic,

times,

especially if
one

the

price

of

mutton
raw.

high

and

did not

mind

eating it

CHAPTER

XXX

Turning

Deisiol.

Odd

numbers.
The

Geasa.

The

evil eye.

ordeal.

THE
word
for

Irish

also
to

attached certain
and Deas

superstitious
to

importance
certain called

movements,
to

numbers,
geasa.

certain
is the from

junctio inIrish

right;

and

hence

turning
was

left to

right, or
and
in
as

right-hand-wise
was

called
in the

"deisiol,"
direction the

it

the
sun

same

as

turning
it
was

which

the
to

goes,

considered
move

lucky thing
direction.
was

do.
are

It told
on

was

in the

right

We the
he

that

when he

St.

Patrick

given
Armagh

land

which

built
it it.

his church times be the there

may

at

walked
to

around

three It would
to
as

right-hand-wise
absurd
to

consecrate

think

that

he

would the

yield
act, but

superstitionassociated
was

with

nothing bad
shown
are

in the

movement

he itself,

have

respect
also

for

the

ancient

custom.

We
a

told

in ancient

writings, that
on

when

horde

of British St.

pirates landed
a

the

eastern
was

coast, then

Findchua,
advised

born

soldier, who
national forces

at

Tara,

the

to

204

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

make

right-hand-wise circuit
This
as

in
an

marching
excellent

against them. strategical move,

on

proved
it
We

to

be them

brought
are

right down
the the

the

enemy's
went

flank.

told

Lady
well

Boand which the

left-hand-wise the
source

around of the

became

Boyne, and
sulted re-

sinister movement,
for disastrously

done

in contempt,

her.*
three and
seven,

The certain

odd

numbers,

had
was

but religious significance;

true

this The

ticularly par-

of the number

nine.

Tuatha
to

De
nine

Danaan
waves

persuaded
from the

the

Milesians

retire

that this shore, believing the

would

give themselves
And

advantage

over

their

during the prevalence of the yellow plague in Ireland, Colman O'Clausaige

invaders.

(O'Cloosy
Finbar's
an

or

O'Clohissy),a
waves

professor in St.
his

school in Cork, fled with from

not

pupils to believing
at

island,nine

the shore, reach

him

that

pestilencecould

that

sacred distance.
*

"The and

well burst
one

up

round
one

her, and
eye.

broke

her

thigh
terror at

bone

hand
the and
to

and

She

fled in

eastward, but
the
water

water
was

pursued
drowned.
so name as

her

till she after

arrived
that

seashore

Even form

the
or

continued which
"

flow
its

to

the river Boand

Boyne

took

from

her."

"

Dr.

P.

W.

Joyce,

Social

History of

Ireland."

CHAPTER

XXX

205

the Irish was practiceamong the imposing of injunctionsor prohibitions The called geasa. geis (gesh), which is the hands and feet. singularof geasa, tied a man, As
a

remarkable

matter

of fact

we

seldom

find

geis in the
geasa.

ancient

literature; it is almost
in bunches; and

always
was

They
no

went

there

little or
a

of

against them. protection preternatural sanction

inexorable; and
was sure

They
that
one

had
made

kind their

tyranny
his geasa

the

who
a

violated

to

meet

with
were

fortune great mis-

of
under
geasa

some

kind.

Men

often

placed

favor by people asking for some and appealing to them in some such phrase as under this: "I place you heavy geasa which true break"; and then no champion would would follow a list of things which the champion must,
or

must

not, do tillhe grants the request.

was

If the request

in any

way

justor

reasonable
to

it

was

considered

highly dishonorable

refuse

it, irrespective altogether of the

that Sometimes
The
ever,

consequences geasa.

might follow the breaking of the

these geasa
were

very

sensible restrictions.

when
Most

forbidden was King of Emania alone, to attack a wild boar in his

men

den.

would

refrain

from

this kind
geasa,

of

sport,

even

without

being under

206

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

unless
power,

indeed

armed with the highthey were rifles that could not be had rapid-firing
times.

in those ancient

Some

of the geasa It
was

were

penal
to

and

oppressive laws.
Ireland
at to

forbidden

the

King of

let the sun-rise catch

No
reasons can

him be

lying in
them.

his bed
some

Tara.

assigned for

geasa.

We
are

do not clear

stand under-

Some

of them

enough
of

as

of the strictest obligation. statutory prohibitions On the

day
at

of the

celebration
one

King

Leary's festival
dared
The

Tara,

no

in the
was

vicinity

lighta
dread of

fire till Leary's fire

at sitting

burning. table with thirteen, at

same
or

the

present day, is of the

nature

as

the

terror

inspired by
no

the

geish
"

geasa.

One
other.

is superstition The but

more

foolish than
"

the

etymology of
it is used
so

the word

literature

that

it

geish is unknown; ancient abundantly in our is impossible not know to

what

from the precisely Another

was

context

it means. Ireland

object of
evil eye;
in remote

terror
even

in ancient
to

the

and

this

day it
to

is

supposed,
certain
or

parts of the country, that

a
or

people have injurea person

This would Of

strange power

blight
the

thing by
a some

glance of

eye.

make

wonderful

cal psychologi-

study.

course,

definite attitude of

CHAPTER

XXX

207

mind

must

go
not
can

with
seem

the

baleful

glance;
with

and the

yet it does
"evil

that the person

always prevent the evil that is ever from its glance, a willing comes or party to act independentlyof to it. The eye seems is This superstition the volition of its owner. other peoples. to the Irish with many common eye"
In fact, it is
now
a

tradition

rather

than

It dates probably from "Balor of superstition. herothe Evil Eye," the Tuatha De Danaan god. Through a chink in the door he had his father's druids while watched surreptitiously witches, engaged, like Shakespeare's they were A whiff of the poisonous in concocting sorcery.
steam

from

the cauldron

struck him
eye

in the eye.
own ertions. ex-

He

never

again opened that

He
never

by his
four

could. and

It took

men,

two

on

each

side of him But

on

using powerfulhooks,
the eye
one was

to

raise the lid. wretch

when

open,

the poor rested

an was

whom A

ray

of its

light
its

doomed. drawn
up

glance from it enfeebled

and made Balor had
its lid raised

army

in battle array
But

defeat inevitable.
once

too

often. of

At the

the second

battle of his

Moy-

tura,

Lug

long

arms,

grandson,
its evil ball

watched

for its

opening, and

before

influence could reach him, he let flya hard

208

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

from and

his

sling and
himself

it went "Evil

through Eye"
among
was

eye,

brain forever

all, and

Balor's

closed and Erin's dead. How

a man

counted

the

hosts of

did
was

they find lying,or

any

out

in ancient Erin
or

whether
was

whether,
that
he

not, he
accused
many to

guilty of
It of
was

crime

was were common

of? kinds
most

by the ordeal. they

had
nations. and from

There
were

ordeals; and

ancient
her
own,

Ireland she

had
some

some

ordeals
that

of
she

others

borrowed ordeal
was

other

nations. twelve

Altogether the
different ways
in

in practised

Ireland.

We

are

told that

Cormac

Art, in his

parliament at Tara, arranged and

twelve. them It would One
or

promulgated
If
a

be

waste

of time to describe
man

all.

two

will do.
one

had

to prove

his innocence

of the ways
over a

of

doing
If

it was
iron. he
were

to pass

his tongue

pieceof
burn
not

red hot

If he

were

guiltyit would
even

him.

innocent, the fire would effect,nor

Another Collar."

produce
put
on

its natural his

dry
was

up

the saliva in
to

mouth.

way

"Morann's
it

If the witness would

told choke

lie,
him

pressed on
and

his throat, and time

in

if he lost any

taking back
out

what the

he had truth.

said

coming right

with

CHAPTER

XXX'

209

What

pity
truth

that

collar

was

lost. also

Guilt mined deter-

or

innocence,

or

falsehood

were

by

"Crannchur,"
a

which,
of lots. another
"

as

the

name

implies,
or

was

casting
of

The

"Coirefir"
test.

"Cauldron Windisch with his

not

truth"
in

was

This,
was

as

tells

us

his and it.

Irische the If he

Texte,"
person

filled

boiling
hand him.

water, into

accused innocent

plunged
it did

were

burn

CHAPTER

XXXI

Multiplicity of
Gaulish
their

Irish

gods.
druids.

Julius Irish
arts.

Caesar*
druids and

and

Irish

practices.
Dathi. old in The

Magical
Druid

Divination.

King

Dubbtach. did
not

THE
say

Romans the

surpass

the
of
to

Irish

number and it is

and safe
was

variety
enough
not

their that

gods,
had
no

they
in the

god which pantheon.

but

sented repre-

Irish in

The

Roman
were

gods

fitted

well

Rome;
were

they

eigners for-

there.

They

simply

naturalized. from Greece. that

one

They
The would is
no

were

borrowed

principally
so

Irish

gods fitted

well

in Ireland
on

think doubt in

they
that

had
a

grown
vast

the of

soil. them

There
were

number

brought
may
must

by

the

earliest of
not

colonists;

but that

we

say,

without

fear

exaggeration,
only before
the the dawn

this dawn fable.

have

happened
even

the of

of

history, but imported days,

before
like

These of

gods,
became

Angle-Normans
Irish than the

later

"more

Irish

themselves."
210

CHAPTER

XXXI

211

The

sacred

people of the ancient

These
stood

Irish them

were

the the

Druids.

between

and

gods. They could

or

influence

the fairies for

to

good

evil and
any

had

the

power

protect
was

people from disposed.

The sacred tells had the
us no men

deity or
the
name

demon

that

evil-

Irish gave

of druids
Julius

to

the

of all other nations.

Caesar

that the Germanic distinctly

druids; but
book

he

describes Gallic

at

peoples length,in
the

sixth

of his
he

War,
the that

great
us

druidic system the druids and

found

in Gaul.
were

He

tells

knights

people

of

highest rank
were

in that

country;

the druids

thoroughly organized,having one of their all the others; that they number over presiding had all to do with the sacrifices or public functions of religion; and that to be interdicted by
them from these functions
were was

the worst
and

form
tutors.

of ostracism.

They

teachers

counsellors to the great, settlers of They were disputes for all,and administrators of justice. in They offered human sacrifices;sometimes whole that hecatombs. the system
came

He

concludes from

by

stating
that

Britain, and
He

people who
to

wanted
to

to

study it thoroughlywent
do
so.

that

country

says

nothing

212

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

about

the

Irish

druids. but

He

probably
have

knew been

nothing about
accustomed it to Gauls the and
to

them;
take

writers

his

and description Unlike

apply
ancient

Irish the

druids.

the

ancient

British, the Irish have

their native of the Irish

records druids
are a

from is
very

these

records

knowledge drawn. Unfortunately imperfect; and it is

our

which

impossibleto get
druid. But
we were

clear-cut idea of the know for certain that

Irish the

do
not

Irish druids
not not

all to

organized; that they had do with the sacrifices; that they did
all the
or spells no

pronounce

prepare

all the sacrifices

as

charms;
and did

that
not

they
teach

offered

human

general metempsychosis
did. With
these

their Gaulish Caesar's well. word

"

brothers

tions, excepvery

There "druid"

would fit them description a was popular belief that

was an

the

derived

from

the

Greek

drys,"meaning

oak, and that therefore the

druids

worshipped the oak and performed their functions within the recesses of beautiful religious
oak
groves.

But

there is

no

foundation

for

this.

It is certain that the Irish druids did not oak for tree;
the

worship the
veneration

but

they had
the

kind
and

of the

yew,

hazel of yew

quicken

tree.

They

used wands

in their

CHAPTER

XXXI

"13

incantations the

and

scared

away

the

fairies

by

quicken tree.
druid
was

The

not

tied down
to any

to

any

ticular par-

god

or

gods, or

form of particular
was

worship
Irishman.

or

sacrifice;neither

any

other

Although

all revered

the
own

druidical

character, everyone
kind of ancient

selected his hence the

particular

paganism, and
Irish is better than

of the religion

paganism
The
man

by
was

expressed by the word druidism, as it is often

wizard and learned

called. incorrectly Irish druid rather

own a
a

than
person

in his

anything else. He combined the office of historian, poet,

and
even

prophet, brehon
the
as course

physician; but
offices The
were

in

of time distinct of

these
men.

filled by
were

many
men

druids
were

the

sole

learning. They

also

great

magicians. The Irish word for magic is still druidism, means "druideact," which literally

showing that druidism and magic were by our fathers as identical things.
could could could down direct raise
not
a

regarded
The

druids

the
storm

course on

of

the
or

wind.
sea,

They they bring

land

at

but

always quell it. They

of fire
drive
a or

could

showers could

blood

from

the clouds.

They

person

insane

by flinging

214

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

"magic wisp" in his face. It is a remarkable thing that St. Patrick, in his famous "lorica,"
sung
on

his way

to

Tara, asks for the divine

protectionagainst "the
smiths and of druids."

spells of
These
women

women,
were

of the

pythonesses, or
later
he
on

druidesses, whom
in
one

St. Patrick
canons,

mentions

of his

where

warns

Christian Certain times

so

Kings against consulting

continued far into

them.

princes had
to

Christian
so

be influenced
we

by the druids;
chief

much
to

that
a

find

one

asking

druid
army

put

"protecting fence"
was

around battle.

his This self-

when

he

marching
to

to

fence, of

course,

had

be

invisible and

merely a spell pronounced by the druid while walking or running around the The druids pronounced malign incantations army. bodies of fighting that enervated whole men. They administered draughts that made Cucullain people forget grief or joy. When fell in love with the fairyFand, and his wife Emer naturallygot jealous, they gave drinks to
moving.
It
was

the

hero

and

to

his wife

that

made

him

get for-

his infatuation druid

was

and

also

"fait"

jealousy. The (LatinVates) or prophet.

of the
stars

her her

He and

foretold

things by observation

clouds, by artificialrites and

by studying

CHAPTER

XXXI

215

which can operation of natural causes, hardly be called prophecy. But natural causes occult that were quite clear to the druid were the
to
we

others.
are

In the Irish translation

that

of Nennius

told

the

Irish

druids
to

druidism,
poems, way

sorcery,

how idolatry,
to forecast the

"taught write bright

the of birds
out
or

and

how

future from voices

find

people sneezed,
other
omens,

from
how

the
to

and

and

when

there would

be

good

or

bad
any

days for entering on

croaking of
wren wren reason were was
was

the

raven

and
very

lucky The enterprises." the chirpingof the

weather,
The

considered considered

ominous.

little

very

wise; and
na-n

for that
or,

called "draoi the birds."

the

ean,"
read the
as was

"the of of

druid

of

We
or

nowhere entrails

divination

by

blood

such victims offered in sacrifice, in ancient Rome.

to

practised
the stars;
to

There
or

are

very

few references

astrology proper,
there
are

divination

by

but

very

many

references

reading

of the

clouds.

When

Dathi, the high king of

to

Ireland, asked
in "fate"

his druid
as
a a

find out

what

was

for him

king,the
hill and

druid

betook there
men

himself to the top of

all

remained
of the

night reading "the

clouds

of
he

Erin."

Approaching

Dathi

next

morning

216

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

saluted Scotland.
said
art

him

as

king

of

Erin

and
to

Alban,
my

or

"Whence

the addition

title?"

the

king; "Why
to

Alban?"
a

"Because

thou

destined

make

conquering expedition
Gaul," said the druid.
to

into Albain, Britain and Dathi started

out

forthwith

fulfill the

prophecy.
There
was

also
was

"roth
used

ramach"

or

"rowing
of divination.
"

wheel"

which

for purposes in the

"

There which
Rotarum
says
or

is that

passage

Coir Anman

"Mogh

Ruith"

signifies Magus by

wizard

of the wheels, for it is

wheels

make his to (the wizard) used "taisceladh druidecta," or magical observation.

he

Very
The

littleis known future

was

about
read

this wheel. the

frequently in

palms
this

of the hands
was

and

tips of the fingers;and

done
been
are

had These

absurd rites generally after some through and sacrifices offered. gone that survive the superstitious practices
"

in the modern
in and

pishogue

"

which
as

is as

well known

England and pishogues are

Scotland
as

in Ireland.

Spells

widely spread, in fact, as

curious of the most humanity itself. One in the ancient Irish writings spellsmentioned the "glam dichenn" was or pronounced curse, by one leg, with one one "standing on eye

CHAPTER

XXXI

217

closed

and

one

arm

extended."

Glam

is interpre

in Cormac's
or

Glossary as
of

"Clamour"
were

"outcry/'
in

The
a

words loud
to

malediction
The
or

pronounced coming into

way,

voice.
oust

Fomorians
conquer

Ireland

the this

Parthelonians, presented themselves

for
some

in

certain and malign purpose; in to historians, unable interpret the words

which
them
arm

the posture is described,have

as

represented
one

monsters
one

only possessed
A
on

of

leg,one
posture
of

and

eye.

party of druids tried the

St. Caillin.
The

"Glam

dichenn"

they assumed
their towards

seemed

entirely unworthy They

He,
fours.

august
him

character.
on

proceeded
however,

all

them and changed them out into straightened standing stone pillars. Before mention leaving the druids we may held and the the respect in which they were in the halls of Kings. influence they wielded The latter undertook without no great enterprise careful to see that consultingthem; and were
their children and
were

educated

by them. King

Fedelma

Eithne,
at

the

daughters of
and

Leary,

boarded
druid

Cruachan, in Connaught, with the

who

taught them;
his

St. Columbkille

himself

began

education

under

druidic

218

IRELAND'S

FAIRY

LORE

teacher.
was

The

Mesca

Ulad

informs

us

that

it

for any of the Ultonians prohibition, geish, to speak before their King, at their assemblies Concobar, had spoken, and that it was geish And on one for him to speak before his druid. Concobar had stood up to speak, occasion when it occurred
to

him

that

his druid

had

not

yet

spoken,
the

so

he

remained

standing in silence till

he and preted inter-

druid
as a

uttered

something which
he could
go
on

sign that

speak.
ceived con-

As

Christianityapproached
a

the

druids and
means

terror

of the

Christians
as
a

of the of

Christians'

God;

and,

feeble

the influence offsetting

of the

Christian

priests,

and the they affected the wearing of a tonsure of a gentilebaptism. By this administration latter

they

had

hoped

to

dedicate
the

the
pagan
was

rising

generation more
We read that

to effectively

gods.
born

when
to

Conall

Cearnach

"the
sang
over

druids the the

came

baptize the child impossible to

of any that

and

they

heathen child."
of

baptism (Baithis Geintlide)

It is
a

account

for the presence

them the in

baptism theory
and

kind among

except
idea from

on

the

they borrowed
to
use

Christians

wanted

it

oppositionto Christianity.
Nine

druids, dressed

in robes

of immaculate

CHAPTER

XXXI

219

white,
outer

which

was

the tried
at

color

of time

their
to

ordinary waylay
thing
St.
is

garment,
and these kill

one

Patrick that his have

him.

The
not

astounding
succeed
in

men

did

hampering They
must

progress
seen

more

than

they

did.

their

power

departing spread.
the
new

forever

as

the

light
of

of

Christianity
embraced

Many,
faith;

very

many

them,

and

it made

is

significant
St. the Patrick

thing
at

that

the

first Court

convert

by

Leary's

was

Dubbtach,

king's
*

Arch-druid.*

See
on

Dr.

P.

W.

Joyce's

Social

History

of

Ireland,

chapter

Paganism.