The Tale of Vivionn the Giantess
One day Finn and Goll, Keelta and Oscar, and others of the Fianna,
were resting after the hunt on a certain hill now called the Ridge of
the Dead Woman, and their meal was being got ready, when a girl of the
kin of the giants came striding up and sat down among them. "Didst
thou ever see a woman so tall?" asked Finn of Goll. "By my troth,"
said Goll, "never have I or any other seen a woman so big." She took
her hand out of her bosom and on her long slender fingers there were
three gold rings each as thick as an ox's yoke. "Let us question her,"
said Goll, and Finn said, "If we stood up, perchance she might hear
us."
So they all rose to their feet, but the giantess, on that, rose up
too. "Maiden," said Finn, "if thou have aught to say to us or to hear
from us, sit down and lean thine elbow on the hill-side." So she lay
down and Finn bade her say whence she came and what was her will with
them. "Out of the World Oversea where the sun sets am I come," she
said, "to seek thy protection, O mighty Finn." "And what is thy name?"
"My name is Vivionn of the Fair Hair, and my father Treon is called
King of the Land of Lasses, for he has but three sons and nine and
seven score daughters, and near him is a King who hath one daughter
and eight score sons. To one of these, Æda, was I given in marriage
sorely against my will. Three times now have I fled from him. And this
time it was fishermen whom the wind blew to us from off this land who
told us of a mighty lord here, named Finn, son of Cumhal, who would
let none be wronged or oppressed, but he would be their friend and
champion. And if thou be he, to thee am I come." Then she laid her
hand in Finn's, and he bade her do the same with Goll mac Morna, who
was second in the Fian leadership, and she did so.
Then the maiden took from her head a jewelled golden helmet, and
immediately her hair flowed out in seven score tresses, fair, curly
and golden, at the abundance of which all stood amazed; and Finn said,
"By the Immortals that we adore, but King Cormac and the poetess Ethne
and the fair women-folk of the Fianna would deem it a marvel to see
this girl. Tell us now, maiden, what portion wilt thou have of meat
and drink? will that of a hundred of us suffice thee?" The girl then
saw Cnu, the dwarf harper of Finn, who had just been playing to them,
and she said, "Whatever thou givest to yon little man that bears the
harp, be it much or little, the same, O Finn, will suffice for me."
Then she begged a drink from them, and Finn called his gillie,
Saltran, and bade him fetch the full of a certain great goblet with
water from the ford; now this goblet was of wood, and it held as much
as nine of the Fianna could drink. The maiden poured some of the water
into her right hand and drank three sips of it, and scattered the rest
over the Fianna, and she and they burst out laughing. Finn said, "On
thy conscience, girl, what ailed thee not to drink out of the goblet?"
"Never," she replied, "have I drunk out of any vessel but there was a
rim of gold to it, or at least of silver."
And now Keelta looking up perceived a tall youth coming swiftly
towards them, who, when he approached, seemed even bigger than was the
maiden. He wore a rough hairy cape over his shoulder and beneath that
a green cloak fastened by a golden brooch; his tunic was of royal
satin, and he bore a red shield slung over his shoulders, and a spear
with a shaft as thick as a man's leg was in his hand; a gold-hilted
sword hung by his side. And his face, which was smooth-shaven, was
comelier than that of any of the sons of men.
When he came near, seeing among the Fians a stir of alarm at this
apparition, Finn said, "Keep every one of you his place, let neither
warrior nor gillie address him. Know any of you this champion?" "I
know him," said the maiden; "that is even he to escape from whom I am
come to thee, O Finn." And she sat down between Finn and Goll. But the
stranger drew near, and spake never a word, but before any one could
tell what he would be at he thrust fiercely and suddenly with his
spear at the girl, and the shaft stood out a hand's breadth at her
back. And she fell gasping, but the young man drew his weapon out and
passed rapidly through the crowd and away.
[Illustration: "They ran him by hill and plain"]
Then Finn cried, red with wrath, "Ye have seen! Avenge this wicked
deed, or none of you aspire to Fianship again." And the whole company
sprang to their feet and gave chase to that murderer, save only Finn
and Goll, who stayed by the dying maiden. And they ran him by hill and
plain to the great Bay of Tralee and down to the Tribute Point, where
the traders from oversea were wont to pay their dues, and there he set
his face to the West and took the water. By this time four of the
Fianna had outstripped the rest, namely, Keelta, and Dermot, and Glas,
and Oscar, son of Oisín. Of these Keelta was first, and just as the
giant was mid-leg in the waves he hurled his spear and it severed the
thong of the giant's shield so that it fell off in the water. And as
the giant paused, Keelta seized his spear and tore it from him. But
the giant waded on, and soon the Fians were floundering in deep water
while the huge form, thigh deep, was seen striding towards the setting
sun. And a great ship seemed to draw near, and it received him, and
then departed into the light, but the Fians returned in the grey
evening, bearing the spear and the great shield to Finn. There they
found the maiden at point of death, and they laid the weapons before
her. "Goodly indeed are these arms," she said, "for that is the
Thunder Spear of the King Oversea and the shield is the Red Branch
Shield," for it was covered with red arabesques. Then she bestowed her
bracelets on Finn's three harpers, the dwarf Cnu, and Blanit his wife,
and the harper Daira. And she bade Finn care for her burial, that it
should be done becomingly, "for under thy honour and protection I got
my death, and it was to thee I came into Ireland." So they buried her
and lamented her, and made a great far-seen mound over her grave,
which is called the Ridge of the Dead Woman, and set up a pillar stone
upon it with her name and lineage carved in Ogham-crave.[23]
[23] Ogham-craobh = "branching Ogham," so called because the
letters resembled the branching of twigs from a stem. The Ogham
alphabet was in use in Ireland in pre-Christian times, and many
sepulchral inscriptions in it still remain.