Irish Fairy Tales

girl was as sweet and as fresh as an opening rosebud, and her voice was as musical as the whisper of a stream in the woods in the hot days of summer. The little hut, made of branches wo

t and their feet towards the fire were two sleeping-couches––one of plain woodwork, in which slept the old woman; the other was Finola's. It was of bog-oak, polished as a looking-glass, and on i

ouse to be seen, nor a tree, nor a flower, nor sign of any living thing. From morning till night, nor hum of bee, nor song of bird, nor voice of man, nor any sound fell on Finola's ear. When the storm was in the air the great waves thundered on the shore beyond th

d woman and Finola. Although he couldn't speak to her, Finola was always glad to see the dwarf and his old horse, and she used to give them cake 3 made with her own white hands. As for t

away; but as he was leaving he caught a glimpse of Finola at the door of the hut, and saw that she was crying. This sight made him so very miserable that he could think of nothing else b

n hill, was a little man not half as big as himself, dressed

lcome, anyhow. Get off your horse and come in with me, that I may touc

n. After walking three or four steps they were in a splendid room, as bright as day. Diamonds sparkled in the roof as stars sparkle in the sky when the night is without a cloud. The roof rested on golden pillars, and between the pillars were silver lamps, but thei

le man through a hole in the

fairy, "and I will ring

the little brass bell, and in came a lit

backwards, and in a minute he returned, carrying a little black wand with a red berry at the top of

ck him once on the right shoulder 5 and once on the left shoulder

ced at hearing the sound of his own

ll, at all?" said

e, before we have any talk let us have some

they had eaten the snails he brought in a dormouse, and when they had eaten the dormouse he brought in two wrens, and when they had eaten the wrens he b

r the 'Foggy Dew?

aid the

it to you; but we mus

dwarf said it was the sweetest song he had ever heard, and th

who I am?" s

said th

d you who i

," said

are you

don't know," said the dwarf,

what you know a

ir tricks before him. I followed the jugglers to look on, and when the play was over the king called me to him, and asked me who I was and where I came from. I was dumb then, and couldn't answer; but even if I could speak I could not tell him what he wanted to know, for I remember not

th the little princess," said

hed twice as much a

d now tell me, truly, do you love the princess, and what would you

my life," sa

he advised him to banish her to the lonely moor, and she said she would fling a spell of enchantment over it, and that until the spell was broken Finola could not leave the moor. And the sorceress also promised that she would send an old woman to watch over the princess by night and by day, so that no h

the dwarf, "can you tell me w

on yourself whether you will get back your memory of who and what you were before the day you entered the

said t

it will

said the dwarf; "but tell me

reak the spell if you have

, and where are th

hey are there for the man who is bold enough to seek them. If you are the man who will bring them back to the lonely moor you will only have to strike the shield three times with t

ce," said the dwarf,

ou," said the fairy, "w

" said t

uard it; but woe betide you if you attempt to cross without paying the price, for if you do the angry water-steeds will rend you and your horse to pieces. And when you come to the Mystic Lake you must wait until the waters are as red as wine, and then swi

price?" sai

h," said the fairy; "but now g

ger as he ascended, and the dwarf soon found 10 that what he took for a hill was a great mountain. After travelling all the day, toiling up by steep cra

rced by a single star, dropped upon the sea. The old horse, worn out by his long and painful journey,

shore, he saw the swimming and prancing steeds. Sometimes their heads and manes only were visible, and sometimes, rearing, they rose half out of the water, and, striking it with their hoofs, churned it into foam, and tossed the white spray to the skies. As they approached nearer and nearer their snortings became more 11 terrible, and their nostrils shot forth clouds of vapour. The dwarf trembled at the sight and sound,

he price?" said he, nod

e listening water-steeds sno

the price?" said the l

enched the dwarf to the skin, and sent a cold shiver to hi

to pay the price?" asked the fairy, as he fl

he little princess in the lonely moor, and h

am rea

r, and snorting with rage, struck t

and as he ran his fingers across his lyre, th

price?" ask

dwarf could say a word, the fairy scooped out the

of the little princess. Then the fairy sat down on a rock at the edge of the s

before, became perfectly still. They had no longer any motion of their

he led the dwarf's horse

oldly for the island. The sleeping water-steeds drifted helplessly against him, and in a short

he air with fragrance, and brought him to the summit of the green hills that girdled and looked down on the Mystic Lake. Here the horse stopped of his own

ill as

ght as lif

e pleasant grass. Hour after hour passed, but no change came over the face o

and, starting up, he looked at the lake, but its wa

he dwarf knew it was one of the Cormorants of the Western Seas. As it descended slowly, he saw that it held in one of its claws a branch of a tree larger than a full-grown oak, and laden with clusters of ripe red berries. It alighted at some distance from the dwarf, and, after resting for a time, i

came up from the west and settled down beside him. They also ate the be

completed their task, he rose slowly from the hill and sailed out over the lake, and dropping down on the waters, dived beneath them. In a moment he cam

like specks in the sky, the dwarf mounted

ged in, when he heard a fierce screaming in the air, and before he

drew back

ping down, they flew close to the water, coveri

dropped headlong, like three rocks, on the lake, crashing it

the three Cormorants of the Western Seas would pick the flesh off his bones. He knew not what to do, and was about t

eady to pay the price? The spear and shield are on the opposite bank,

nola's name the dwar

m ready––win or die.

nd as soon as said he scooped out

dwarf almost fa

r right hand, and I will lead him to the water. Plunge in, and fear not. I gave you back your speech.

the horse to the

d good luck go with

o ascend, and as he came near the surface of the water the dwarf thought he saw a glimmering light, and when he rose above th

e was bestride a noble steed, and as the steed swam to the bank the dwa

and on the top of the hill was a silver shield, bright as th

ning towards the shield, he sa

he knew he was Conal, one of the Knights of the Red Branch, and he remembered now that the spell

t he swam back over the lake, and nowhere could he see the black Cormorants of the Western Seas, but three white swans fl

and on, and it was not long until he was bounding over the enchanted moor. Wherever his hoofs stru

ld with the haft and three times with the blade of his spear. At the last

r, he turned towards the north, to the palace of the Red Branch Knights, and as they rode on beneath the leaf