Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

102 Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race“It chanced that Eochaid Airemm, the King of Tara,arose upon a certain fair day in the time of summer; andhe ascended the high ground of Tara 96 to behold the plainof Breg; beautiful was the colour of that plain, and therewas upon it excellent blossom glowing with all hues that areknown. And as the aforesaid Eochy looked about and aroundhim, he saw a young strange warrior upon the high ground athis side. The tunic that the warrior wore was purple in colour,his hair was of a golden yellow, and of such length that itreached to the edge of his shoulders. The eyes of the youngwarrior were lustrous and grey; in the one hand he held a finepointed spear, in the other a shield with a white central boss,and with gems of gold upon it. And Eochaid held his peace,for he knew that none such had been in Tara on the nightbefore, and the gate that led into the Liss had not at that timebeen thrown open.” 97[125]Lir and ManananLir, as Mr. O'Grady remarks, “appears in two distinct forms.In the first he is a vast, impersonal presence commensurate withthe sea; in fact, the Greek Oceanus. In the second, he is a separateperson dwelling invisibly on Slieve Fuad,” in Co. Armagh. Wehear little of him in Irish legend, where the attributes of thesea-god are mostly conferred on his son, Mananan.This deity is one of the most popular in Irish mythology. Hewas lord of the sea, beyond or under which the Land of Youthor Islands of the Dead were supposed to lie; he therefore wasthe guide of man to this country. He was master of tricks andillusions, and owned all kinds of magical possessions—the boatnamed Ocean-sweeper, which obeyed the thought of those who96 The name Tara is derived from an oblique case of the nominative Teamhair,meaning “the place of the wide prospect.” It is now a broad grassy hill, inCo. Meath, covered with earthworks representing the sites of the ancient royalbuildings, which can all be clearly located from ancient descriptions.97 A.H. Leahy, “Heroic Romances,” i. 27.