Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

CHAPTER VI: TALES OF THE OSSIANIC CYCLE 247bejewelled, her fair, curling golden hair broke out in seven scoretresses, and Finn cried: “Great gods whom we adore, a hugemarvel Cormac and Ethné and the women of the Fianna wouldesteem it to see Vivionn, the blooming daughter of Treon.” Themaiden explained that she had been betrothed against her willto a suitor named Æda, son of a neighbouring king; and thathearing from a fisherman, who had been blown to her shores,of the power and nobleness of Finn, she had come to seek hisprotection. While she was speaking, suddenly the Fianna wereaware of another giant form close at hand. It was a young man,smooth-featured and of surpassing beauty, who bore a red shieldand a huge spear. Without a word he drew near, and before thewondering Fianna could accost him he thrust his spear throughthe body of the maiden and passed away. Finn, enraged at thisviolation of his protection, called on his chiefs to pursue and slaythe murderer. Keelta and others chased him to the sea-shore,and followed him into the surf, but he strode out to sea, and wasmet by a great galley which bore him away to unknown regions.Returning, discomfited, to Finn, they found the girl dying. She [288]distributed her gold and jewels among them, and the Fiannaburied her under a great mound, and raised a pillar stone overher with her name in Ogham letters, in the place since called theRidge of the Dead Woman.In this tale we have, besides the element of mystery, that ofbeauty. It is an association of frequent occurrence in this periodof Celtic literature; and to this, perhaps, is due the fact thatalthough these tales seem to come from nowhither and to leadnowhither, but move in a dream-world where there is no chasebut seems to end in Fairyland and no combat that has any relationto earthly needs or objects, where all realities are apt to dissolvein a magic light and to change their shapes like morning mist, yetthey linger in the memory with that haunting charm which hasfor many centuries kept them alive by the fireside of the Gaelicpeasant.