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The Heroic and Ossianic Literature. 199
(3) Foreign combatants and invaders.
(4) Enchantments—by far the largest chiss.
(5) Fights with beasts.
(G) Battles and internal strifes.
(7) Ossiau after the Feine.
Messi'ngcrs from Lochlinn play an important part in the bal-
lads. They are calleil '' athachs"; there is one eye in the midtlle
of their forehead, and one hand which conies from the bi'east,
and they have one foot. It may be noted that the god Odin himself
a|ij)ears in the Noz'se tales in an almost equally monstrous form.
The " athach," on one occasion, invited Fionn and his men to
Lochlinn ; the king's daughter was much in love with Fionn,
Before they set sail, they provided themselves with daggers, besides
their other arms. They went ; their arms were piled in an
outhouse, but their daggers they secretly kept. At the feast, they
were so arranged that one of Fionn's men was between two Lochlinners.
Lochlinn'skingbeganaskingtheheroes uncomfortable questions—who
slew this son and that son of his. Each hero answered
as the case was. Finally, there was a rush to arms, but the
Feine with the secret daggers slew their men. The Feine escaped
safely home, taking " nighean Lochlinn " with them. This story
is the foundation of the episode of Agandecca in Macphez-son's
Fingal, Book III.
The Muileartach is a sort of female counterpart to the
" athach." She is Manus' foster-mother, and she came to fight the
Feine ; and they had a tough job conquering her. She seems to
be a jiersonification of the Atlantic sea.
An " athach" appears also another day:
•• Chunncas tighiiui o'n mhagh
An t-oglach mor is e aii' aon chois,
Le chochal dubh ciar dubh craicionn,
Le cheann-bheirt lachduinn is i ruadh-mheirg."
They asked his name. He told them he was Lun Mac Liobhain,
smith to the king of Lochlinn, and he put them under geasa to
follow him to his smithy.
" Ciod am ball am beil do Oheardach 1
Na'm fearrda sinne g'a faicsinn ?'
" Faiceadh sibhse sin ma dh' fhaodas,
Ach ma dh' fhaodas mise, chan f haic sibh."
They set after him, and Daorghlas kept pace with him, and when,
ou reaching the smithy, one of the smiths asked, in reference to
—