Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

270 Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race[314][315]The Island of the Great BirdsThis was a terraced island, with trees all round it, and greatbirds sitting on the trees. Maeldūn landed first alone, andcarefully searched the island for any evil thing, but finding none,the rest followed him, and killed and ate many of the birds,bringing others on board their boat.The Island of the Fierce BeastA great sandy island was this, and on it a beast like a horse,but with clawed feet like a hound's. He flew at them to devourthem, but they put off in time, and were pelted by the beast withpebbles from the shore as they rowed away.The Island of the Giant HorsesA great, flat island, which it fell by lot to Germān and Diuranto explore first. They found a vast green racecourse, on whichwere the marks of horses' hoofs, each as big as the sail of a ship,and the shells of nuts of monstrous size were lying about, andmuch plunder. So they were afraid, and took ship hastily again,and from the sea they saw a horse-race in progress and heardthe shouting of a great multitude cheering on the white horseor the brown, and saw the giant horses running swifter than thewind. 195 So they rowed away with all their might, thinking theyhad come upon an assembly of demons.The Island of the Stone DoorA full week passed, and then they found a great, high islandwith a house standing on the shore. A door with a valve of stoneopened into the sea, and through it the sea-waves kept hurlingsalmon into the house. Maeldūn and his party entered, and foundthe house empty of folk, but a great bed lay ready for the chief towhom it belonged, and a bed for each three of his company, and195 Horse-racing was a particular delight to the ancient Irish, and is mentionedin a ninth-century poem in praise of May as one of the attractions of that month.The name of the month of May given in an ancient Gaulish calendar means“the month of horse-racing.”