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There was a
king over Eirinn once, who was named King Cruachan, and he had a son who
was called Connal MacRigh Cruachan. The mother of Connal died, and his
father married another woman. She was for finishing Connal, so that the
kingdom might belong to her own posterity. He had a foster mother, and it
was in the house of his foster mother that he made his home. He and his
eldest brother were right fond of each other; and the mother was vexed
because Connal was so fond of her big son. There was a bishop in the
place, and he died; and he desired that his gold and silver should be
placed along with him in the grave. Connal was at the bishop's burying,
and he saw a great bag of gold being placed at the bishop's head, and a
bag of silver at his feet, in the grave. Connal said to his five foster
brothers, that they would go in search of the bishop's gold; and when they
reached the grave, Connal asked them which they would rather; go down into
the grave, or hold up the flagstone. They said that they would hold up the
flag. Connal went down; and whatever the squealing was that they heard,
they let go the flag and they took to their soles home. Here he was, in
the grave on top of the bishop. When the five of foster brothers reached
the house, their mother was somewhat more sorrowful for Connal than she
would have been for the five. At the end of seven mornings, there went a
company of young lads to take the gold out of the bishop's grave, and when
they reached the grave they threw the flag to the side of the further
wall; Connal stirred below, and when he stirred they went, and they left
each arm and dress they had. Connal arose, and he took with him the gold,
and arms and dress, and he reached his foster mother with them. They were
all merry and lighthearted as long as the gold and silver lasted.
There was a
great giant near the place, who had a great deal of gold and silver in the
foot of a rock; and he was promising a bag of gold to any being that would
go down in a creel. Many were lost in this way; when the giant would let
them down, and they would fill the creel, the giant would not let down the
creel more till they died in the hole.
On a day of
days, Connal met with the giant, and he promised him a bag of gold, for
that he should go down in the hole to fill a creel with the gold. Connal
went down, and the giant was letting him down with a rope; Connal filled
the giant's creel with the gold, but the giant did not let down the creel
to fetch Connal, and Connal was in the cave amongst the dead men and the
gold.
When it beat
the giant to get another man who would go down in the hole, he sent his
own son down into the hole, and the sword of light in his lap, so that he
might see before him.
When the
young giant reached the ground of the cave, and when ,Cormal saw him he
caught the sword of light, and he took off the head of the young giant.
Then Connal
put gold in the bottom of the creel, and he put gold over him; and then he
hid in the midst of the creel, and he gave a pull at the rope. The giant
drew the creel, and when he did not see his son, he threw the creel over
the top of his head. Connal leaped out of the creel, and the black back of
the giant's head (being) towards him, he laid a swift hand on the sword of
light, and he took the head off the giant. Then he betook himself to his
foster mother's house with the creel of gold and the giant's sword of
light.
After this,
he went one day to hunt on Sliamh na leirge. He was going forwards till he
went into a great cave. He saw, at the upper part of the cave, a fine fair
woman, who was thrusting the flesh stake at a big lump of a baby; and
every thrust she would give the spit, the babe would give a laugh, and she
would begin to weep. Connal spoke, and he said, - "Woman, what ails thee
at the child without reason;," "Oh," said she, "since thou art an able man
thyself, kill the baby and set it on this stake, till I roast it for the
giant." He caught hold of the baby, and he put a plaid that he had on
about the babe, and he hid the baby at the side of the cave.
There were a
great many dead bodies at the side of the cave, and he set one of them on
the stake, and the woman was roasting it.
Then was
heard under ground trembling and thunder coming, and he would rather that
he was out. Here he sprang in the place of the corpse that was at the
fire, in the very midst of the bodies, The giant came, and he asked, "Was
the roast ready?" He began to eat, and he said, "Fiu fau hoagrich; it's no
wonder that thy own flesh is tough; it is tough on thy brat."
When the
giant had eaten that one, he went to count the bodies; and the way he had
of counting them was, to catch hold of them by the two smalls of the leg,
and to toss them past the top of his head; and he counted them back and
forwards thus three or four times; and as he found Connal somewhat
heavier, and that he was soft and fat, he took that slice out of him from
the back of his head to his groin. He roasted this at the fire, and he ate
it, and then he fell asleep. Connal winked to the woman to set the flesh
stake in the fire. She did this, and when the spit grew white after it was
red, he thrust the spit through the giant's heart, and the giant was dead.
Then Connal
went and he set the woman on her path homewards, and then he went home
himself. His stepmother sent him and her own son to steal the whitefaced
horse from the King of Italy, "Eadailt;" and they went together to steal
the whitefaced horse, and every time they would lay hand on him, the
whitefaced horse would let out an ialt (neigh?). A "company" came
out, and they were caught. The binding of the three smalls was laid on
them straitly and painfully. "Thou big red man," said the king, "wert thou
ever in so hard a case as that?" "A little tightening for me, and a
loosening for my comrade, and I will tell thee that," said Connal.
The Queen of
the Eadailt was beholding Connal.
Then Connal
said:
"Seven morns
so sadly mine,
As I dwelt on the bishop's top,
That visit was longest for me,
Though I was the strongest myself.
At the end of the seventh morn
An opening grave was seen,
And I would be up before
The one that was soonest down.
They thought I was a dead man,
As I rose from the mould of earth;
At the first of the harsh bursting
They left their arms and their dresses.
I gave the leap of the nimble one,
As I was naked and bare.
'Twas sad for me, a vagabond,
To enjoy the bishop's gold."
"Tighten
well, and right well," said the king; "it was not in one good place that
he ever was; great is the ill he has done." Then he was tightened somewhat
tighter, and somewhat tighter; and the king said, "Thou great red man,
wert thou ever in a harder case than that?" "Tighten myself, and let a
little slack with this one beside me, and I will tell thee that."
They did
that. "I was," said he,
"Nine morns
in the cave of gold;
My meat was the body of bones,
Sinews of feet and hands.
At the end of the ninth morn
A descending creel was seen;
Then I caught hold on the creel,
And laid gold above and below;
I made my hiding within the creel;
I took with me the glaive of light,
The luckiest turn that I did."
They gave him
the next tightening, and the king asked him, "Wert thou ever in case, or
extremity, as hard as that?" "A little tightening for myself, and a slack
for my comrade, and I will tell thee that."
They did
this.
"On a day on
Sliabh na leirge,
As I went into a cave,
I saw a smooth, fair, mother eyed wife,
Thrusting the stake for the flesh
At a young unreasoning child.
'Then,' said I, 'What causes thy grief, oh wife,
At that unreasoning child?’
'Though he's tender and comely,' said she,
'Set this baby at the fire.'
Then I caught hold on the boy,
And wrapped my 'maundal' around;
Then I brought up the great big corpse
That was up in the front of the heap;
Then I heard, Turstar, Tarstar, and Turaraich,
The very earth mingling together;
But when it was his to be fallen
Into the soundest of sleep,
There fell, by myself, the forest fiend;
I drew back the stake of the roast,
And I thrust it into his maw."
There was the
Queen, and she was listening to each thing that Connal suffered and said;
and when she heard this, she sprang and cut each binding that was on
Connal and on his comrade: and she said, "I am the woman that was there;"
and to the king, "thou art the son that was yonder."
Connal
married the king's daughter, and together they rode the whitefaced horse
home; and there I left them.
From HECTOR
URQUHART, June 27, 1859. Recited by KENNETH MACLENNAN of Turnaig, Pool
Ewe, Ross-shire, aged 70, who learned it from an old man when he was a
boy. |
