Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

Irish Magic, and TuatJia dc Danaaus. icQ
LaidJie. A hag, " ugly and bald, uncouth and loathcsome
to behold," the subject of some previous transformation,
seeks deliverance from her enchanted condition by some
one marrying her ;
Avhen " she suddenly passed into another
form, she assumed a form of wondrous beauty."
Some enchanters assumed the appearance of giants.
The Fenians of old dared not hunt in a certain cjuartcr
from fear of one of these monsters. Cam has been thus
described in the story of Diarniiiid— " whom neither
weapon wounds, nor water drowns, so great is his magic.
He has but one eye only, in the fair middle of his black
forehead, and there is a thick collar of iron round that
giant's body, and he is fated not to die until there be
struck upon him three strokes of the iron club that he has.
He sleeps in the top of that Quicken tree by night, and he
remains at its foot by day to watch it." The berries of
that tree had the exhilarating quality of wine, and he who
tasted them, though he were one hundred years old, would
renew the strength of thirty years.
The Fate of the CJiildrcn of Tuireanii, in an Irish MS.,
gave a curious narrative of Tuath days and magic. It was
published by the "Society for the Preservation of the Irish
Language." The sons had to pay heavy eric, or damages, on
account of a murder. One failed, and died of his wounds.
Lugh got helped by Brian the Druid against the Fomorians,
who were then cruelly oppressing the Tuaths, exacting an
ounce of gold from each, under penalty of cutting their
noses off. Druidical spells were freely used by Lu-h, the
hero of the story.
The eric in question required the three sons to procure the
three apples from the garden of the Hesperides,— the skin of
the pig, belonging to the King of Greece, which could cure
diseases and wounds,—two magic horses from the Kmg^of
Sicily,—seven pigs from the King of the Golden Pillars, &c.