Scotland's Storybook: stories in English (1.1 - Education Scotland

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The old man handed the fleece to Bride, and then he held out his other hand and gave her a small bunch of flowers. ‘Take these snowdrops,’ he said, ‘and if Beira is angry with you give them to her and she will forget her rage. When she asks you where you got them, say that they are growing between the fir trees, and that the cress is growing by the side of the stream and the grass is putting up new shoots in the meadows.’ Bride returned to Beira’s castle with the fleece and the flowers. When she saw Beira she handed her the fleece, saying, ‘Here is your brown fleece, which I have washed as white as snow.’ Beira said nothing, for she could not take here eyes off the bunch of snowdrops that Bride held in her hand. ‘Where did you find those?’ Beira demanded. ‘Why, I found them growing between the fir trees; the cress is growing by the sides of the streams and the grass is putting up new shoots in the meadow.’ ‘This is evil news that you bring me,’ said Beira, who looked visibly shaken. Beira called her hags to her and they set off in a great fury to blight the flowers with their frosty grip and to cast blizzards of snow over the land like a deadly blanket. The ocean was whipped up like a cauldron of boiling water, and huge snowflakes mixed with the white foam to blind the mariner and cast ships onto the rocks. The shepherd lay down and died with his flock as the blizzard raged through the land, destroying all in its path. But Bride smiled, for she knew that Beira, the Winter Queen, was losing her power and that summer would set her free. Beira had a son called Angus-the-Ever-Young, a fair youth, handsome and gentle, unlike the many headed giants who were also Beira’s offspring. He was called Ever-Young because the years never touched him, nor age lined his face. He lived in the Green Isle, the Land of Youth as it is also called, that lay out west in the Atlantic Ocean. There he passed the winter, waiting until the time came when his strength would grow and he would rule the land in place of his mother. Beira knew that Angus was destined to fall in love with Bride when he saw her, so she had seized the girl in order to keep her as a prisoner and to prevent her from ever having the chance to meet with her true love. But Angus saw her in his dreams. He saw her beauty and her kindness, and his heart yearned for her. When he woke he went to the King of the Green Isle and asked for his advice. ‘Last night,’ said Angus, ‘I dreamed that I saw a beautiful maiden who sat weeping by a stream. I asked an old man with a grey beard who stood near her why she was crying. He said that she was a prisoner of Beira, and that she was treated with cruelty and that was why she wept. I would give anything to set her free.’ 22
The King of the Green Isle said, ‘The maiden you saw was Princess Bride, and when you rule as the King of the Summer then she will be your queen. Your mother, Beira, knows this and is trying to keep the maiden from you because she knows that if you marry Bride then her own power will be weakened.’ ‘I long to free her,’ said Angus, ‘and will leave in search of her now, although it is still the wolf-month (February). I will borrow three days from August and weave a spell over the land and sea so that they are calm and I will ride out on my white steed in search of Bride.’ And so Angus borrowed three days from August and stilled the sea and then he rode to Scotland on his white steed to search for Bride. He never rested, but searched for Bride all of those borrowed days of summer, but he didn’t find her. Bride also saw him in her dreams as he searched for her to set her free, and her heart swelled with joy and love for this handsome young man. When she thought of him the warm tears would flow from her eyes and drop onto the ground, and up would spring a violet; each one as blue as her eyes. When the three days drew to an end Beira blasted Angus with such a furious gale of icy wind that it blew him right back to the Green Isle. But he returned, time after time, until one day he saw Bride sitting in a clearing in a forest, surrounded by violets and the soft delicate beauty of the yellow primroses. He took her in his arms and said, ‘My lady, I saw you in my dreams weeping bitter tears of sorrow.’ ‘And I saw you in my dreams,’ said Bride, ‘riding over mountains and through glens on your white steed in search of me.’ And from that moment the earth seemed warmer under their feet, and the birds sang for joy from the branches of the trees. And as the two young lovers looked on in wonder, the Queen of the Fairies came to them with her handmaidens and she cast her wand over Bride and she was transformed into her summer glory. She radiated beauty, like the sun through a break in the clods, and her long golden-brown hair that hung down to her waist was decorated with snowdrops, violets, daisies and primroses; her ragged dress was now a snow-white gown that shimmered with inlays of silver and on her breast there shone a clear crystal. They went with the Queen of the Fairies to her hall where they were married and a great feast was held. Wherever Beira’s hags had frozen the water, Bride’s touch turned it once more into flowing streams and lakes. When Beira heard that Angus had found Bride and that they were married she flew into a rage and gathered together all of her strength. She mounted her black steed, and with her eight hags riding on their shaggy goats, they set off for the hall of the Queen of the Fairies. When the Fairies saw Beira amidst the black clouds that bore down on them they fled in terror to their underground home and shut tight the door. Angus took Bride up behind him on his white steed and 23
Page 2 and 3: Scotland’s Storybook A magical co
Page 4 and 5: FIONN MAC CUMHAIL AND THE SALMON OF
Page 6 and 7: said to contain all the knowledge o
Page 8 and 9: ‘Then what is it; the answer to t
Page 10 and 11: The mist parted and there before hi
Page 12 and 13: with a huge emerald in the centre o
Page 14 and 15: what had happened to Fionn and the
Page 16 and 17: As the party rode through the fores
Page 18 and 19: eautiful woman walking over the sur
Page 20 and 21: ANGUS AND BRIDE Beira was old, as o
Page 24 and 25: ode west, back to the Green Isle wh
Page 26 and 27: people to the new religion as had d
Page 28 and 29: Scotland and imprisoned in a castle
Page 30 and 31: that this must be the Blessed Virgi
Page 32 and 33: Thomas used his gift of prophesy to
Page 34 and 35: sadness that would engulf their lan
Page 36 and 37: prophesy that foretold death and ru
Page 38 and 39: e careful of how he acted until his
Page 40 and 41: Without looking up she replied: ‘
Page 42 and 43: ‘Why Willie, my dear,’ said his
Page 44 and 45: ‘What was that?’ he asked his w
Page 46 and 47: So, Rashie Coat went back to the ki
Page 48 and 49: again. When she got home the fairy
Page 50 and 51: problems about saying yes. They wer
Page 52 and 53: her knee and she wept bitter tears
Page 54 and 55: mouth up under her right ear and sh
Page 56 and 57: the branches of the trees as they t
Page 58 and 59: him; it was the greedy laird. He ga
Page 60 and 61: THE SELKIE HUNTER The Pentland Firt
Page 62 and 63: speed. The hunter held on tight to
Page 64 and 65: disappeared, and he was once more t
Page 66 and 67: who eventually arrived to offer the
Page 68 and 69: that the king was to fight the Stoo
Page 70 and 71: As soon as the guard heard this he
Page 72 and 73:
MALLIE AND THE TROW Mallie and her
Page 74 and 75:
The next morning the trow said his
Page 76 and 77:
The Little Brown Calf There was onc
Page 78 and 79:
sound outside. She went to the wind
Page 80 and 81:
upset at having lost sight of her,
Page 82 and 83:
in the black kitchen.” The prince
Page 84 and 85:
The Salmon of Knowledge Fionn MacCu
Page 86 and 87:
MacCodram and his Seal-Wife Many ye
Page 88 and 89:
Although the fisherman was sorry fo
show all

Scotland's Storybook: stories in English (1.1 - Education Scotland

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?