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198 Gaelic Society of Inuerness.
blood did this, Tciura the palace (?) fell ; and if one of royal blood
gave the right judgment, it rose again. Temra fell ; but on
Fionn giving the judgment rightly, Temra was restored again.
He was at once recognised, and again pursued. The king then
hunted every place in Erin for him, and at last found him as
steward with the king of Colla. Colla and Fionn rose together
against Cairbrt;, and slew him, and so
mony and kingdom.
Fionn recovered his patri-
Besides Fionn's powers in knowing
events, he was also a great medicine man.
present and past
He possessed the
magic cup, a drink from which could heal any wound, unless
from a poisoned weapon. The Dord Fionn was again a kind of
wail or music raised when Fionn was in distress.
ever they heard it, came to his help.
:
The leading heroes among the Feine were
His men, when-
Fionn himself.
Gaul Mac Morna, leader of the Clann Morna. He served
under Fionn, but as Goll had killed Fionn's father, they
had no great love for each other. Yet Fionn's praise
of Goll is one of the best of the ballads ; more especially
as showing us what characteristics pleased best the Feine,
or rather the Gaelic people.
Ossian, son of Fionn, the renowned hero-poet.
Oscar, his son, the bravest of the Feine,
and kmd-hearted.
youthful, handsome,
Diarmad O'Duinn, the handsomest of the Feine, the darling
of the women, " the Adonis of Fenian mythology, whose
slaughter by a wild boar is one of the most widely
heads :
—
scattered myths of the Ossianic Cycle." Re had a
beauty spot— " ball-seirc "—which if any woman saw,
she fell in love with him at once.
Caoilte MacRonan, Finn's nephew ; he was the swiftest of
the Feine. They had ;dways to keep a speiteach (1) on
his foot, for otlierwise he would go too fast for the rest.
Fergus Finu-vel, son of Fionn, a poet, warrior, and adviser.
Conan INlaol, the Thersites or fool of the Feine. He is the
best narked character of the whole. He was largebodied,
gluttonous, and most cowardly. Everybody has
a fling at Conan, and he at them.
The story of the Feine may be considered under the following
(1) Foreign Messengers.
(2) Distressed people, especially women.
—