The High Deeds of Finn and other Bardic Romances of Ancient Ireland

of the Chi

uld fight, or love, or sleep, or forget all earthly things, as they who touched the strings might will him to do. In later times the Danaans had to dispute the sovranty of Ireland with another race, the Children of Miled, whom men call the Milesians, and after much fighting they were vanquished. Then, by their sorceries and enchantments, when they could not prevail against the invaders, they made themselves invisib

r this purpose, and found that five of the greatest lords all desired the sovranty of Erin. These five were Bóv the Red, and Ilbrech of Assaroe, and Lir from the Hill of the White Field, which is on Slieve Fuad in Armagh; and Midir the Proud, who dwelt at Slieve Callary in Longford; and Angus of Brugh na Boyna, which is now Newgrange on the riv

Danaan lords would have pursued Lir, to burn his palace and inflict punishment and wounding on himself for refusing obedience and fealty to him whom the assembly had chosen to reign ove

ights she died. Sorely did Lir grieve for this, and he fell into a great dejection of spirit, for his wife was very

tter name in Erin; one of these he might take to wife." And the lords of the Danaans heard what he said, and answered that it was true and well bethought. So messengers were sent to Lir, to say that if he were willing to yield the sovranty to Bóv the Red, he might make alliance with him and wed one of his foste

, for the renewal of amity and concord; and his people were welco

three maidens

ouch with the Danaan Queen, and Bóv the Red b

t the eldest is first in consideration and honour,

asing," said Lir, and the pair were wedded the same night. Lir abode for fourteen days in the palace

onnuala of the Fair Shoulder, and the son's name was Hugh. And again she bore him two sons, Fiachra and Conn; and at their birth she di

nted her with keening and with weeping. Bóv the Red said, "We grieve for this maiden on account of the good man we gave her to, and fo

o wife Aoife, the fair and wise, and brought her to his own home. And Aoife held the children of Lir and of her siste

hen to their own home again. All of the People of Dana who came visiting and feasting to Lir had joy and delight in the children, for their beauty and gent

f a year, meditating a black and evil deed. At last she said that a journey from home might recover her, and she bade her chariot be yoked and set out, taking with her the four children. Fionnuala was sorely unwil

pray ye, the four children of Lir, who have taken the love of their father from me, and ye may ask of me what reward ye will." "Not s

urneyed on westward till they came to the shores of Loch Derryvaragh, and there they made a halt and the horses were outspanned. Aoife bade the children bathe an

ke with you, c

water-fowl

d of you ne'e

e to your frie

is thy deed, Aoife, to destroy us thus without a cause, and think not that thou shalt escape punish

uth be mated with the man of the North. Three hundred years shall ye be upon the waters of Derryvaragh, and three hundred upon the Strait

ll keep your human speech, and ye shall sing a sad music such as no music in the world can equal, and ye shall have your reason and your huma

! Ye with the stammering

nurture in the

know the bu

d years upo

of Lir sh

ctories shall

at I shall h

ave deserved

the palace of Bóv the Red. Here she and her folk were welcomed and entertained, an

ee not, and he fears that if he sends his children to th

; and he sent messengers privily northwards to the Hill of the White Field. "For what have ye come?" asked Lir. "Even to bring your children to Bóv th

south-westward, until he reached the shores of Loch Derryvaragh. But as he passed by that water, Fionnuala saw the train of horsemen and chariots, and s

"Is it possible to put your own forms upon you again?" "It is not possible," said Fionnuala, "for all the men on earth could not release us until the woman of the South be mated with the man of the North." Then Lir and his people cried aloud in grief and lamentation, and Lir entreated the swans to come on land and abide with him since they had their human reason and speech. But Fi

uld they move nor speak till morning, for all the high sorrows of the world

e," said Lir, "it was not I that would not bring them; but Aoife there, your own foster-child and their mother's sister, put upon them the forms of four snow

y will be worse, Aoife, for you than for them, for they shall be released in the end of time, but thy punishment shall be for ever." Then

ampment and the s

of Erinn and stay awhile to listen to the swans and depart again to their homes; and most of all came their own friends and fellow-pupils from the Hill of the White Field. No such music as theirs, say the historians of ancient times, ever was heard in Erinn, for foes who heard it were a

n, and they loved their home on Loch Derryvaragh, and feared the angry waves of the cold northern sea. But early next day they came to the lough-side to speak with Bóv the Red and with their father, and to bid them farewell, and Fionnuala sang to them her last lament. Then the four swans rose in

th and south, stretched a wide coast far as the eye could see, beset with black rocks and great precipices, and by it ran fiercely the salt, bitter

brothers, we may be driven apart from each other; let us therefore appoint a meeting-place where we may come together agai

from the sky, and lightning was all the light they had. The swans were driven apart by the violence of the storm, and when at last the wind fe

e to be y

re frozen

he tempest sha

ly Hugh par

oved ones

r the shelter

and I ever

dead ris

iachra, whe

s my fa

eforth bear

r this disas

is head drooping and feathers drenched and disarrayed. Joyfully did the sister welcome him; and ere long, behold, Fiachra also approaching them, cold and wet and faint, an

ound shelter from the gale. Fionnuala put him under her breast, and Conn under her right wing and Fiachra under her left, and covered them wholly wit

n the coast of Alba and another upon the coast of Erinn, but the waters they might not leave. At length there ca

is thi

d of th

kness of

pness of

ave they la

my sof

s beatin

Hugh an

has doo

e four

to this

s this

wans were gathered together upon the Seal Rock. The waters froze into ice around them, and each of them became frozen in his place, so that their feet and feathers clung to t

e, for we cannot endure the salt water, yet we may not be away from it; and if

e are full

to cover

to our te

ugh rocks

to us w

d her mag

us out to

ful, snow-w

is the fro

by red ro

t our fath

f the salt

and a sing

the cold ro

cks, cruel

l of keenin

arp and bitter to them, but they could not escape it nor shelter themselves from it

e know who yon riders are, children of Lir?" asked Fionnuala. "We know not," said they, "but it is like they are some party of the People of Dana." Then they moved to the margin of the land, and the company they had

r and the swans inquired concerning their father Li

the White Field, where they are holding the Festival of the Age of Youth.[11] They are happy and gay and have no weariness or t

tale of our lives

rejoiced to hear that they were living, "for," said they, "the children shall obtain relief in the end of time.

that among those of mortal MEN whose dwellings bordered on the bay was a young man of gentle blood, by name Evric, who having heard the singing of the swans came down to speak with them, and became their friend. After

ney until they reached the Hill of the White Field, and thus it was that they found the place: namely, desolate and thorny before them, with nought but green mounds where once were the palaces and homes of their kin, and forests of nettles growing over them, and never a house nor a hearth. And the four drew closely together and lamented aloud at that sight, for they knew that old times and things had passed away in Erinn

one, and spent his life in preaching to the folk and in prayer. The first night he came to the island the swans heard the sound of his bell ringing at matins on the following morn, and they leaped in terror, and the three brethren left Fionnuala and fled away. Fionnuala cried to them, "What a

re performed. "Let us chant our music now," said Fionnuala. So they began, and chanted

he children of Lir. "Praised be God for that," said Mochaovóg. "Surely it is for your sakes that I have come to this island

haovóg caused a good craftsman to make chains of silver for the swans, and put one chain between Fionnuala and Hugh and another between C

e tale of the swans and of their singing, and she prayed the king that he would obtain them for her, for she longed to possess them. But Lairgnen would not ask them of Mochaovóg. Then Deoca set out homeward again, and vowed that s

ged them away to the place where Deoca was; and Mochaovóg followed them. But when they came to Deoca and she had laid her hands upon the birds, behold, their covering of feathers fell off and in their pla

s, know that also to us it is a grief. Do thou make our grave when we are dead, and place Conn at my right side and Fiachra at my

they were buried even as Fionnuala had said. And over their tomb a stone was raised, and their names and lineage g

, and grieved after them so