OTHER SAGAS OF THE RED BRANCH
Another saga belonging to this cycle affords so curious a picture of
pagan customs that it is worth while to give here some extracts from
it. This is the story of Mac Dáthó's Pig and Hound, which is contained
in the Book of Leinster, a MS. copied about the year 1150. It was first
published without a translation by Windisch in his "Irische Texte,"
from the Book of Leinster copy collated with two others. It has since
been translated by Kuno Meyer from a fifteenth-century vellum.[1] The
story runs as follows.
Mac Dáthó was a famous landholder in Leinster, and he possessed a hound
so extraordinarily strong and swift that it could run round Leinster
in a day. All Ireland was full of the fame of that hound, and every
one desired to have it. It struck Mève and Oilioll, king and queen of
Connacht, to send an embassy to Mac Dáthó to ask him for his hound, at
the same time that the notion came to Conor, king of Ulster, that he
also would like to possess it. Two embassies reach Mac Dáthó's house
at the same time, the one from Connacht and the other from Ulster, and
both ask for the hound for their respective masters. Mac Dáthó's house
was one of those open hostelries[2] of which there were five at that
time in Ireland.
"Seven doors," says the saga, "there were in each hostelry, seven
roads through it, and seven fireplaces therein. Seven caldrons in the
seven fireplaces. An ox and a salted pig would go into each of these
caldrons, and the man that came along the road would (_i.e._, any
traveller who passed the way was entitled to) thrust the flesh fork
into the caldron, and whatever he brought up with the first thrust,
that he would eat, and if nothing were brought up with the first
thrust there was no other for him."
The messengers are brought before Mac Dáthó to his bed, and questioned
as to the cause of their coming.
"'To ask for the hound are we come,' said the messengers of Connacht,
'from Oilioll and from Mève, and in exchange for it there shall be
given three score hundred milch cows at once, and a chariot with the
two horses that are best in Connacht under it, and as much again at
the end of the year besides all that.'
"'We, too, have come to ask for it,' said the messengers of Ulster,
'and Conor is no worse a friend than Oilioll and Mève, and the same
amount shall be given from the north (_i.e._, from the Ultonians) and
be added to, and there will be good friendship from it continually.'
"Mac Dáthó fell into a great silence, and was three days and nights
without sleeping, nor could he eat food for the greatness of his
trouble, but was moving about from one side to another. It was then
his wife addressed him and said, 'Long is the fast in which thou art,'
said she; 'there is plenty of food by thee, though thou dost not eat
it.'
"And then she said--
"'Sleeplessness was brought
To Mac Dáthó into his house.
There was something on which he deliberated
Though he speaks to none.[3]
He turns away from me to the wall,
The Hero of the Féne of fierce valour,
His prudent wife observes
That her mate is without sleep.'"
A dialogue in verse follows. The wife advises her husband to promise
the hound to both sets of messengers. In his perplexity he weakly
decides to do this. After the messengers had stayed with him for
three nights and days, feasting, he called to him first the envoys of
Connacht and said to them--
"'I was in great doubt and perplexity, and this is what is grown out
of it, that I have given the hound to Oilioll and Mève, and let them
come for it splendidly and proudly, with as many warriors and nobles
as they can get, and they shall have drink and food and many gifts
besides, and shall take the hound and be welcome.'
"He also went with the messengers of Ulster and said to them, 'After
much doubting I have given the hound to Conor, and let him and the
flower of the province come for it proudly, and they shall have many
other gifts and you shall be welcome.' But for one and the same day he
made his tryst with them all."
Accordingly on the appointed day the warriors and men of each province
arrive at his hostelry in great state and pomp.
"He himself went to meet them and bade them welcome. ''Tis welcome ye
are, O warriors,' said he, 'come within into the close.'
"Then they went over, and into the hostelry; one half of the house for
the men of Connacht and the other half for the men of Ulster. That
house was not a small one. Seven doors in it and fifty beds between
(every) two doors. Those were not faces of friends at a feast, the
people who were in that house, for many of them had injured other.
For three hundred years before the birth of Christ there had been war
between them.[4]
"'Let the pig be killed for them,' said Mac Dáthó."
This celebrated pig had been fed for seven years on the milk of three
score milch cows, and it was so huge that it took sixty men to draw it
when slain. Its tail alone was a load for nine men.
"'The pig is good,'" said Conor, king of Ulster.
"'It is good,'" said Oilioll, king of Connacht.
Then there arose a difficulty about the dividing of the pig. As in
the case of the "heroes' bit" the best warrior was to divide it. King
Oilioll asked King Conor what they should do about it, when suddenly
the mischievous, ill-minded Bricriu spoke from a chamber overhead and
asked, "How should it be divided except by a contest of arms seeing
that all the valorous warriors of Connacht were there."
"'Let it be so,' said Oilioll.
"'We like it well,' said Conor, 'for we have lads in the house who
have many a time gone round the border.'
"'There will be need of thy lads to-night, O Conor,' said a famous
old warrior from Cruachna Conalath in the west. 'The roads of Luachra
Dedad have often had their backs turned to them (as they fled). Many,
too, the fat beeves they left with me.'
"''Twas a fat beef thou leftest with me,' said Munremar mac Gerrcind,
'even thine own brother, Cruithne mac Ruaidlinde from Cruachna
Conalath of Connacht.'
"'He was no better,' said Lewy mac Conroi, 'than Irloth, son of
Fergus, son of Leite, who was left dead by Echbél, son of Dedad, at
Tara Luachra.'
"'What sort of man do ye think,' said Celtchair mac Uthechair, 'was
Conganchnes, son of (that same) Dedad, who was slain by myself, and me
to strike the head off him?'
"Each of them brought up his exploits in the face of the other, till
at last it came to one man who beat every one, even Cet mac Mágach of
Connacht.[5]
"He raised his prowess over the host, and took his knife in his hand,
and sat down by the pig. 'Now let there be found,' said he, 'among the
men of Ireland one man to abide contest with me, or let me divide the
pig.'
"There was not at that time found a warrior of Ulster to stand up to
him, and great silence fell upon them.
"'Stop that for me, O Laeghaire [Leary],' said Conor, [King of Ulster,
_i.e._, 'Delay, if you can, Cet's dividing the pig'].
"Said Leary, 'It shall not be--Cet to divide the pig before the face
of us all!'
"'Wait a little, Leary,' said Cet, 'that thou mayest speak with me.
For it is a custom with you men of Ulster that every youth among you
who takes arms makes us his first goal.[6] Thou, too, didst come to
the border, and thus leftest charioteer and chariot and horses with
me, and thou didst then escape with a lance through thee. Thou shalt
not get at the pig in that manner!'
"Leary sat down upon his couch.
"'It shall not be,' said a tall, fair warrior of Ulster, coming out of
his chamber above, 'that Cet divide the pig.'
"'Who is this?' said Cet.
"'A better warrior than thou,' say all, 'even Angus, son of Hand-wail
of Ulster.'
"'Why is his father called Hand-wail?' said Cet.
"'We know not indeed,' say all.
"'But I know,' said Cet; 'once I went eastward (_i.e._, crossed the
border into Ulster), an alarm-cry is raised around me, and Hand-wail
came up with me, like every one else. He makes a cast of a large lance
at me. I make a cast at him with the same lance, which struck off his
hand, so that it was (_i.e._, fell) on the field before him. What
brings the son of that man to stand up to me?' said Cet.
"Then Angus goes to his couch.
"'Still keep up the contest,' said Cet, 'or let me divide the pig.'
"'It is not right that thou divide it, O Cet,' said another tall, fair
warrior of Ulster.
"'Who is this?' said Cet.
"'Owen Mór, son of Durthacht,' say all, 'king of Fernmag.'[7]
"'I have seen him before,' said Cet.
"'Where hast thou seen me,' said Owen.
"'In front of thine own house when I took a drove of cattle from thee;
the alarm cry was raised in the land around me, and thou didst meet
me and didst cast a spear at me, so that it stood out of my shield. I
cast the same spear at thee, which passed through thy head and struck
thine eye out of thy head, and the men of Ireland see thee with one
eye ever since.'
"He sat down in his seat after that.
"'Still keep up the contest, men of Ulster,' said Cet, 'or let me
divide the pig.'
"'Thou shalt not divide it,' said Munremar, son of Gerrcend.
"'Is that Munremar?' said Cet.
"'It is he,' say the men of Ireland.
"'It was I who last cleaned my hands in thee, O Munremar,' said Cet;
'it is not three days yet since out of thine own land I carried off
three warriors' heads from thee, together with the head of thy first
son.'
"Munremar sat down on his seat.
"'Still the contest,' said Cet,' or I shall divide the pig.'
"'Verily thou shalt have it,' said a tall, grey, very terrible warrior
of the men of Ulster.
"'Who is this?' said Cet.
"'That is Celtchair, son of Uithechar,' say all.
"'Wait a little, Celtchair,' said Cet, 'unless thou comest to strike
me. I came, O Celtchair, to the front of thy house. The alarm was
raised around me. Every one went after me. Thou comest like every
one else, and going into a gap before me didst throw a spear at me.
I threw another spear at thee, which went through thy loins, nor has
either son or daughter been born to thee since."
"After that Celtchair sat down on his seat.
"'Still the contest,' said Cet, 'or I shall divide the pig.'
"'Thou shalt have it,' said Mend, son of Sword-heel.
"'Who is this?' said Cet.
"'Mend,' say all.
"'What! deem you,' said Cet, 'that the sons of churls with nicknames
should come to contend with me? for it was I was the priest,[8] who
christened thy father by that name, since it is I that cut off his
heel, so that he carried but one heel away with him. What should bring
the son of that man to contend with me?'
"Mend sat down in his seat.
"'Still the contest,' said Cet, 'or I shall divide the pig.'
"'Thou shalt have it,' said Cumscraidh, the stammerer of Macha, son of
Conor.
"'Who is this?'
"'That is Cumscraidh,' say all.
"He is the makings of a king, so far as his figure goes....
"'Well,' said Cet, 'thou madest thy first raid on us. We met on the
border. Thou didst leave a third of thy people with me, and camest
away with a spear through thy throat, so that no word comes rightly
over thy lips, since the sinews of thy throat were wounded, so that
Cumscraidh, the stammerer of Macha, is thy name ever since.'
"In that way he laid disgrace and a blow on the whole province.
"While he made ready with the pig and had his knife in his hand, they
see Conall _Ceârnach_ [the Victorious], coming towards them into the
house. He sprang on to the floor of the house. The men of Ulster gave
him great welcome. 'Twas then [King] Conor threw his helmet from his
head and shook himself [for joy] in his own place. 'We are glad,' said
Conall, 'that our portion is ready for us, and who divides for you?'
said Conall.
"One man of the men of Ireland has obtained by contest the dividing of
it, to wit, Cet mac Mágach.
"'Is that true, Cet?' said Conall, 'art thou dividing the pig?'"
There follows here an obscure dialogue in verse between the warriors.
"'Get up from the pig, Cet,' said Conall.
"'What brings thee to it?' said Cet.
"'Truly [for you] to seek contest from me,' said Conall, 'and I shall
give you contest; I swear what my people swear since I [first] took
spear and weapons, I have never been a day without having slain a
Connachtman, nor a night without plundering, nor have I ever slept
without the head of a Connachtman under my knee.'
"'It is true,' said Cet, 'thou art even a better warrior than I, but
if Anluan mac Mágach [my brother] were in the house,' said Cet, 'he
would match thee contest for contest, and it is a pity that he is not
in the house this night.'
"'Aye, is he, though,' said Conall, taking the head of Anluan from his
belt and throwing it at Cet's chest, so that a gush of blood broke
over his lips. After that Conall sat down by the pig and Cet went from
it.
"'Now let them come to the contest,' said Conall.
"Truly there was not then found among the men of Connacht a warrior
to stand up to him in contest, for they were loath to be slain on the
spot. The men of Ulster made a cover around him with their shields,
for there was an evil custom in the house, the people of one side
throwing stones at the other side. Then Conall proceeded to divide
the pig, and he took the end of the tail in his mouth until he had
finished dividing the pig."
The men of Connacht, as might be expected, were not pleased with their
share. The rest of the piece recounts the battle that ensued both in
the hostelry, whence "seven streams of blood burst through its seven
doors," and outside in the close or _liss_ after the hosts had burst
through the doors, the death of the hound, the flight of Oilioll and
Mève into Connacht, and the curious adventures of their charioteer.
* * * * *
The Conception of Cuchulain,[9] the Conception of Conor,[10] the
Wooing of Emer,[11] the Death of Conlaoch,[12] the Siege of Howth,[13]
the Intoxication of the Ultonians,[14] Bricriu's Banquet,[15] Emer's
Jealousy and Cuchulain's Pining,[16] the Battle of Rosnaree,[17]
Bricriu's Feast and the Exile of the Sons of Dael Dermuit,[18] Macha's
Curse on the Ultonians,[19] the Death of King Conor,[20] the Wooing of
Ferb,[21] the Cattle Spoil of Dartaid, the Cattle Spoil of Flidais, the
Cattle Spoil of Regamon, the Táin bé Aingen, the Táin Bo Regamna,[22]
the Conception of the two Swineherds[23] the Deaths of Oilioll
(King of Connacht) and Conall Cearnach,[24] the Demoniac Chariot of
Cuchulain,[25] the Cattle Spoil of Fraich,[26] are some of the most
available of the many remaining sagas belonging to this cycle.
[1] "Hibernica Minora," p. 57, from Rawlinson B. 512, in the Bodleian
Library. I have followed his excellent translation nearly verbatim.
[2] In Old Irish, Bruiden; in modern, Bruidhean (Bree-an).
[3]
"Tucad turbaid chotulta / do Mac Dáthó co a thech.
Ros bói ni no chomairled / cen co labradar fri nech."
[4] But especially since Fergus mac Róigh or Roy had deserted Ulster
and gone over to Connacht on the death of Déirdre.
[5] He is well known in the Ultonian saga. Keating describes him in
his history as a "mighty warrior of the Connachtmen, and a fierce wolf
of evil to the men of Ulster." It was he who gave King Conor the wound
of which, after nine years, he died. He was eventually slain by Conall
Cearnach as he was returning in a heavy fall of snow from a plundering
excursion in Ulster, carrying three heads with him. See O'Mahony's
Keating, p. 274, and Conall Cearnach was taken up for dead and brought
away by the Connacht men after the fight, but recovered. This evidently
formed the plot of another saga now I think lost.
[6] This is what Cuchulain also does the day he assumes arms for the
first time. The story of his doings on that day and his foray into
Connacht as recited by Fergus to Oilioll and Mève forms one of the most
interesting episodes of the Táin Bo Chuailgne. Every young Ultonian on
assuming arms made a raid into Connacht.
[7] It was he who, in the oldest version of the Déirdre saga, slew
Naoise, and it was to him Conor made Déirdre over at the end of a year.
See above p. 317.
[8] This phrase, introduced by a Christian reciter or copyist, need not
in the least take away from the genuine pagan character of the whole.
[9] Windisch's "Irische Texte," Erste Serie, 134, and D'Arbois de
Jubainville's "L'Épopée Celtique en Irlande," p. 22.
[10] D'Arbois de Jubainville's "Épopée Celtique," p. 3.
[11] Translated by Kuno Meyer in "Revue Celtique," vol. xi., and "The
Archæological Review," vol. i., and Jubainville's "Épopée Celtique," p.
39.
[12] A poem published by Miss Brooke in her "Reliques of Irish Poetry,"
p. 393 of the 2nd Edition of 1816. There are fragmentary versions of
it in the Edinburgh MSS. 65 and 62, published in Cameron's "Reliquiæ
Celticæ," vol. i. pp. 112 and 161, and in the Sage Pope Collection from
the recitation of a peasant about a hundred years ago, p. 393. The
oldest form of the story is in the Yellow Book of Lecan, and it has
been studied in Jubainville's "Épopée Celtique," p. 52.
[13] Edited and translated by Stokes in the "Revue Celtique," vol.
viii. p. 49.
[14] Translated by Hennessy for Royal Irish Academy, Todd Lecture, Ser.
I.
[15] The text published by Windisch, "Irische Texte," I. p. 235, and
translated by Jubainville in "Épopée Celtique," p. 81.
[16] The text published by Windisch, "Irische Texte," I. p. 197, and by
O'Curry in "Atlantis," vol. i. p. 362, with translation, and by Gilbert
and O'Looney in "Facsimiles of National MSS. of Ireland." Translated
into French by MM. Dottin, and Jubainville in "Épopée Celtique en
Irlande," p. 174.
[17] Translated and edited by Rev. Edward Hogan, S.J., for the Royal
Irish Academy, Todd, Lecture Series, vol. iv.
[18] The text edited by Windisch, "Irische Texte," Serie II., i. Heft,
p. 164, and translated by M. Maurice Grammont, in Jubainville's "Épopée
Celtique en Irlande," p. 150.
[19] Translated and edited by Windisch, "Dans les comptes rendus de la
classe de philosophie et d'histoire de l'Académie royale des sciences
de Saxe," says M. d'Arbois de Jubainville, who gives a translation from
Windisch's text at p. 320 of his "Épopée Celtique."
[20] Edited and translated by O'Curry in Lectures on the MS. Mat. p.
637, and again by D'Arbois de Jubainville.
[21] Edited and translated by Windisch in "Irische Texte," Dritte
Serie, Heft II., p. 445.
[22] These are short introductory stories to the Táin Bo Chuailgne;
they have been edited and translated by Windisch in "Irische Texte,"
Zweite Serie, Heft II., p. 185-255.
[23] Edited and translated by Windisch, "Irische Texte," Dritte Serie,
Heft I., p. 230, and translated into English by Alfred Nutt, in his
"Voyage of Bran," vol. ii. p. 58.
[24] Translated and edited by Kuno Meyer in the "Zeitschrift für
Celtische Philologie," I Band, Heft I., p. 102.
[25] Edited by O'Beirne Crowe in the "Journal of the Royal Historical
and Archæological Association of Ireland," Jan., 1870.
[26] Edited by O'Beirne Crowe in "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," 1871.