Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

234 Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race[273]his horse's hoofs. But strange sights sometimes appeared tothem in the mist, for towers and palace gateways loomed up anddisappeared, and once a hornless doe bounded by them chased bya white hound with one red ear; and again they saw a young maidride by on a brown steed, bearing a golden apple in her hand, andclose behind her followed a young horseman on a white steed, apurple cloak floating at his back and a gold-hilted sword in hishand. And Oisīn would have asked the princess who and whatthese apparitions were, but Niam bade him ask nothing nor seemto notice any phantom they might see until they were come tothe Land of Youth.Oisīn's ReturnThe story goes on to tell how Oisīn met with various adventuresin the Land of Youth, including the rescue of an imprisonedprincess from a Fomorian giant. But at last, after what seemedto him a sojourn of three weeks in the Land of Youth, he wassatiated with delights of every kind, and longed to visit his nativeland again and to see his old comrades. He promised to returnwhen he had done so, and Niam gave him the white fairy steedthat had borne him across the sea to Fairyland, but charged himthat when he had reached the Land of Erin again he must neveralight from its back nor touch the soil of the earthly world withhis foot, or the way of return to the Land of Youth would bebarred to him for ever. Oisīn then set forth, and once morecrossed the mystic ocean, finding himself at last on the westernshores of Ireland. Here he made at once for the Hill of Allen,where the dūn of Finn was wont to be, but marvelled, as hetraversed the woods, that he met no sign of the Fian hunters andat the small size of the folk whom he saw tilling the ground.At length, coming from the forest path into the great clearingwhere the Hill of Allen was wont to rise, broad and green,with its rampart enclosing many white-walled dwellings, and thegreat hall towering high in the midst, he saw but grassy moundsovergrown with rank weeds and whin bushes, and among them