Celtic Fairy Tales (11 page)

"Honour bright!" says King O'Toole, holding out his fist.

"Honour bright!" says St. Kavin, back agin, "it's a bargain. Come
here!" says he to the poor old goose—"come here, you unfortunate
ould cripple, and it's I that'll make you the sporting bird." With
that, my dear, he took up the goose by the two wings—"Criss o' my
cross an you," says he, markin' her to grace with the blessed sign
at the same minute—and throwing her up in the air, "whew," says he,
jist givin' her a blast to help her; and with that, my jewel, she
took to her heels, flyin' like one o' the eagles themselves, and
cutting as many capers as a swallow before a shower of rain.

Well, my dear, it was a beautiful sight to see the king standing
with his mouth open, looking at his poor old goose flying as light
as a lark, and better than ever she was: and when she lit at his
feet, patted her on the head, and "
Ma vourneen
," says he,
"but you are the
darlint
o' the world."

"And what do you say to me," says 'Saint Kavin, "for making her the
like?"

"By Jabers," says the king, "I say nothing beats the art o' man,
barring the bees."

"And do you say no more nor that?" says Saint Kavin.

"And that I'm beholden to you," says the king.

"But will you gi'e me all the ground the goose flew over?" says
Saint Kavin.

"I will," says King O'Toole, "and you're welcome to it," says he,
"though it's the last acre I have to give."

"But you'll keep your word true?" says the saint.

"As true as the sun," says the king.

"It's well for you, King O'Toole, that you said that word," says he;
"for if you didn't say that word, the devil the bit o' your goose
would ever fly agin."

When the king was as good as his word, Saint Kavin was pleased with
him, and then it was that he made himself known to the king. "And,"
says he, "King O'Toole, you're a decent man, for I only came here to
try you. You don't know me," says he, "because I'm disguised."

"Musha! then," says the king, "who are you?"

"I'm Saint Kavin," said the saint, blessing himself.

"Oh, queen of heaven!" says the king, making the sign of the cross
between his eyes, and falling down on his knees before the saint;
"is it the great Saint Kavin," says he, "that I've been discoursing
all this time without knowing it," says he, "all as one as if he was
a lump of a
gossoon
?—and so you're a saint?" says the king.

"I am," says Saint Kavin.

"By Jabers, I thought I was only talking to a dacent boy," says the
king.

"Well, you know the difference now," says the saint. "I'm Saint
Kavin," says he, "the greatest of all the saints.".

And so the king had his goose as good as new, to divert him as long
as he lived: and the saint supported him after he came into his
property, as I told you, until the day of his death—and that was
soon after; for the poor goose thought he was catching a trout one
Friday; but, my jewel, it was a mistake he made—and instead of a
trout, it was a thieving horse-eel; and instead of the goose killing
a trout for the king's supper—by dad, the eel killed the king's
goose—and small blame to him; but he didn't ate her, because he
darn't ate what Saint Kavin had laid his blessed hands on.

Shortly after the birth of Kilhuch, the son of King Kilyth, his
mother died. Before her death she charged the king that he should
not take a wife again until he saw a briar with two blossoms upon
her grave, and the king sent every morning to see if anything were
growing thereon. After many years the briar appeared, and he took to
wife the widow of King Doged. She foretold to her stepson, Kilhuch,
that it was his destiny to marry a maiden named Olwen, or none
other, and he, at his father's bidding, went to the court of his
cousin, King Arthur, to ask as a boon the hand of the maiden. He
rode upon a grey steed with shell-formed hoofs, having a bridle of
linked gold, and a saddle also of gold. In his hand were two spears
of silver, well-tempered, headed with steel, of an edge to wound the
wind and cause blood to flow, and swifter than the fall of the dew-
drop from the blade of reed grass upon the earth when the dew of
June is at its heaviest. A gold-hilted sword was on his thigh, and
the blade was of gold, having inlaid upon it a cross of the hue of
the lightning of heaven. Two brindled, white-breasted greyhounds,
with strong collars of rubies, sported round him, and his courser
cast up four sods with its four hoofs like four swallows about his
head. Upon the steed was a four-cornered cloth of purple, and an
apple of gold was at each corner. Precious gold was upon the
stirrups and shoes, and the blade of grass bent not beneath them, so
light was the courser's tread as he went towards the gate of King
Arthur's palace.

Arthur received him with great ceremony, and asked him to remain at
the palace; but the youth replied that he came not to consume meat
and drink, but to ask a boon of the king.

Then said Arthur, "Since thou wilt not remain here, chieftain, thou
shalt receive the boon, whatsoever thy tongue may name, as far as
the wind dries and the rain moistens, and the sun revolves, and the
sea encircles, and the earth extends, save only my ships and my
mantle, my sword, my lance, my shield, my dagger, and Guinevere my
wife."

So Kilhuch craved of him the hand of Olwen, the daughter of
Yspathaden Penkawr, and also asked the favour and aid of all
Arthur's court.

Then said Arthur, "O chieftain, I have never heard of the maiden of
whom thou speakest, nor of her kindred, but I will gladly send
messengers in search of her."

And the youth said, "I will willingly grant from this night to that
at the end of the year to do so."

Then Arthur sent messengers to every land within his dominions to
seek for the maiden; and at the end of the year Arthur's messengers
returned without having gained any knowledge or information
concerning Olwen more than on the first day.

Then said Kilhuch, "Every one has received his boon, and I yet lack
mine. I will depart and bear away thy honour with me."

Then said Kay, "Rash chieftain! dost thou reproach Arthur? Go with
us, and we will not part until thou dost either confess that the
maiden exists not in the world, or until we obtain her."

Thereupon Kay rose up.

Kay had this peculiarity, that his breath lasted nine nights and
nine days under water, and he could exist nine nights and nine days
without sleep. A wound from Kay's sword no physician could heal.
Very subtle was Kay. When it pleased him he could render himself as
tall as the highest tree in the forest. And he had another
peculiarity—so great was the heat of his nature, that, when it
rained hardest, whatever he carried remained dry for a handbreadth
above and a handbreadth below his hand; and when his companions were
coldest, it was to them as fuel with which to light their fire.

And Arthur called Bedwyr, who never shrank from any enterprise upon
which Kay was bound. None was equal to him in swiftness throughout
this island except Arthur and Drych Ail Kibthar. And although he was
one-handed, three warriors could not shed blood faster than he on
the field of battle. Another property he had; his lance would
produce a wound equal to those of nine opposing lances.

And Arthur called to Kynthelig the guide. "Go thou upon this
expedition with the Chieftain." For as good a guide was he in a land
which he had never seen as he was in his own.

He called Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, because he knew all tongues.

He called Gwalchmai, the son of Gwyar, because he never returned
home without achieving the adventure of which he went in quest. He
was the best of footmen and the best of knights. He was nephew to
Arthur, the son of his sister, and his cousin.

And Arthur called Menw, the son of Teirgwaeth, in order that if they
went into a savage country, he might cast a charm and an illusion
over them, so that none might see them whilst they could see every
one.

They journeyed on till they came to a vast open plain, wherein they
saw a great castle, which was the fairest in the world. But so far
away was it that at night it seemed no nearer, and they scarcely
reached it on the third day. When they came before the castle they
beheld a vast flock of sheep, boundless and without end. They told
their errand to the herdsman, who endeavoured to dissuade them,
since none who had come thither on that quest had returned alive.
They gave to him a gold ring, which he conveyed to his wife, telling
her who the visitors were.

On the approach of the latter, she ran out with joy to greet them,
and sought to throw her arms about their necks. But Kay, snatching a
billet out of the pile, placed the log between her two hands, and
she squeezed it so that it became a twisted coil.

"O woman," said Kay, "if thou hadst squeezed me thus, none could
ever again have set their affections on me. Evil love were this."

They entered the house, and after meat she told them that the maiden
Olwen came there every Saturday to wash. They pledged their faith
that they would not harm her, and a message was sent to her. So
Olwen came, clothed in a robe of flame-coloured silk, and with a
collar of ruddy gold, in which were emeralds and rubies, about her
neck. More golden was her hair than the flower of the broom, and her
skin was whiter than the foam of the wave, and fairer were her hands
and her fingers than the blossoms of the wood anemone amidst the
spray of the meadow fountain. Brighter were her glances than those
of a falcon; her bosom was more snowy than the breast of the white
swan, her cheek redder than the reddest roses. Whoso beheld was
filled with her love. Four white trefoils sprang up wherever she
trod, and therefore was she called Olwen.

Then Kilhuch, sitting beside her on a bench, told her his love, and
she said that he would win her as his bride if he granted whatever
her father asked.

Accordingly they went up to the castle and laid their request before
him.

"Raise up the forks beneath my two eyebrows which have fallen over
my eyes," said Yspathaden Penkawr, "that I may see the fashion of my
son-in-law."

They did so, and he promised, them an answer on the morrow. But as
they were going forth, Yspathaden seized one of the three poisoned
darts that lay beside him and threw it back after them.

And Bedwyr caught it and flung it back, wounding Yspathaden in the
knee.

Then said he, "A cursed ungentle son-in-law, truly. I shall ever
walk the worse for his rudeness. This poisoned iron pains me like
the bite of a gad-fly. Cursed be the smith who forged it, and the
anvil whereon it was wrought."

The knights rested in the house of Custennin the herdsman, but the
next day at dawn they returned to the castle and renewed their
request.

Yspathaden said it was necessary that he should consult Olwen's four
great-grandmothers and her four great-grand-sires.

The knights again withdrew, and as they were going he took the
second dart and cast it after them.

But Menw caught it and flung it back, piercing Yspathaden's breast
with it, so that it came out at the small of his back.

"A cursed ungentle son-in-law, truly," says he, "the hard iron pains
me like the bite of a horse-leech. Cursed be the hearth whereon it
was heated! Henceforth whenever I go up a hill, I shall have a scant
in my breath and a pain in my chest."

On the third day the knights returned once more to the palace, and
Yspathaden took the third dart and cast it at them.

But Kilhuch caught it and threw it vigorously, and wounded him
through the eyeball, so that the dart came out at the back of his
head.

"A cursed ungentle son-in-law, truly. As long as I remain alive my
eyesight will be the worse. Whenever I go against the wind my eyes
will water, and peradventure my head will burn, and I shall have a
giddiness every new moon. Cursed be the fire in which it was forged.
Like the bite of a mad dog is the stroke of this poisoned iron."

And they went to meat.

Said Yspathaden Penkawr, "Is it thou that seekest my daughter?"

"It is I," answered Kilhuch.

"I must have thy pledge that thou wilt not do towards me otherwise
than is just, and when I have gotten that which I shall name, my
daughter thou shalt have."

"I promise thee that willingly," said Kilhuch, "name what thou
wilt."

"I will do so," said he.

"Throughout the world there is not a comb or scissors with which I
can arrange my hair, on, account of its rankness, except the comb
and scissors that are between the two ears of Turch Truith, the son
of Prince Tared. He will not give them of his own free will, and
thou wilt not be able to compel him."

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest think
that it will not be easy."

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. It
will not be possible to hunt Turch Truith without Drudwyn the whelp
of Greid, the son of Eri, and know that throughout the world there
is not a huntsman who can hunt with this dog, except Mabon the son
of Modron. He was taken from his mother when three nights old, and
it is not known where he now is, nor whether he is living or dead."

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest think
that it will not be easy."

"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get.
Thou wilt not get Mabon, for it is not known where he is, unless
thou find Eidoel, his kinsman in blood, the son of Aer. For it would
be useless to seek for him. He is his cousin."

"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest think
that it will not be easy. Horses shall I have, and chivalry; and my
lord and kinsman Arthur will obtain for me all these things. And I
shall gain thy daughter, and thou shalt lose thy life."