This is the story of Finn and the ghosts of Fenian Cycle.
Finn and the ghosts
Round as a robin's egg, both eyes, black as (death) and faster than a hare. The lower part of his teeth was gray like the trunk of holly, their tips were yellow like gold. He had bald, skinny legs, black pointed heels. It had every limb and every article black as coal of fire, from the top to the sole.
The giant greeted them and led their horse into the stable. He closed the door of his house before them with iron chains. “Welcome, o Finn!” » said the giant, “it has been a long time since you visited (here) and no one has been able to heal you”. The three (Finn, Ossin and Cailte) sat down on the diaper bench and the giant gave them something to wash. He lit a fire for them with elderwood and they were almost suffocated with smoke.
Then the people of the house rose from the corners and turned toward the fire. The people who appeared were truly detestable. There was a hideous old woman there, black as smoke, with three heads, one for complaining, one for laughing and one for sleeping. On the other side there was a headless man with one eye on his chest. “Make music for the warrior-king,” said the giant, “we have no snack for strangers; let the people of the house get up and make a little music until their meal is ready.” “Well,” replied the old woman, “this will be done.”
Then nine human bodies rose from the corner beside Finn and nine heads appeared on the other side on the house bench. Then they uttered nine shrill, harsh, horrible, truly frightful cries, while, on the other side, the old woman, the giant and the trunk answered them. The discordant music they made could have torn the hair from men's heads, and awakened the dead from the ground, and made the faint of heart faint. The melody of the trunk, however, was the most terrible and hideous of all. They came close to breaking the heads of those who listened to the cries they uttered. “Listen a little! » said the giant, “until the meal is ready for the king”. Finally, they fell silent.
The giant stood up and killed Finn's horse, skinned it and cut it up immediately. Cailte prepares to attack the giant. " Be quiet ! " said Finn, "we are glad that he spares us ourselves; because the horse doesn’t matter.” People took up the same drone again. “It was right to give you a good omen (?),” said the giant, “the music that was being played was charming.”
The giant made fifty spits of young rowan wood and arranged them around the fire and put the horse's head on them. Far from waiting for the meat to be sufficiently roasted, he presented it raw to Finn. “Keep your food to yourself, O giant,” said Finn, “we are not accustomed to eat such a thing. It doesn’t matter that we are once without a meal.” “Your visit to us is wicked,” replied the giant, “to refuse our food to distress us, that is what strangers before you have not done to us. I give my word,” he added, “this refusal will cause you harm before your departure! »
Then, suddenly everyone left. Immediately the fire stopped burning; Finn alone was forced into a corner to be shaken and beaten (by the ghosts). As the others didn't separate from Finn, they were in this situation all night, screaming. Finally, they fell and remained weak in complete failure. So they were like corpses until the morning.
When they got up the day after falling asleep, they saw neither house nor people in the flat countryside around them. Finn awoke to find his horse tied to the rope (like a rope?) without blemish or blemish or damage. They then held a council to find out who would have done this outrage to them. Finn sang a teinm laida and put his thumb on his learning tooth, then the thing was revealed to him. “Truly,” said he, “the three ghosts of Hibar-glend (the valley of the yews) have fallen upon us; They are the ones who have committed this outrage on us to take revenge on us for their broad-snouted sister Cuillend whom we killed.”
Then, they left for Fanttur and for Etrachtaighe, and arrived at the place where the Fians were, they told them their adventures and their races.
Finn and the Fians were coming on their tour into the south country, when a discord arose between Finn and Ronan, son of Aed, son of Imchad, son of Laigsech Greathead, son of Conall Cernach. Quarrels broke out between them and Ronan was killed by Finn. Ronan left an excellent son, named Aed. He waged war on Finn to take revenge on his father. A hundred heroes of the Fians of Find perished by Aed around the three Fiannic chiefs to atone for the death of his father. After this the Battle of Maistiu is fought between Aed and Finn, and Aed loses it. Then, Aed challenges Finn and the Fians to single combat and he kills the five Fiannic leaders Fiachae, Aedan, Cu-Laghean, Led and Nechtain by his valor in single combat. No one dared to oppose him among the Fians, until he came to Finn.
Finn stood up to fight Aed. “No,” said Cailte, “I will go for you(?).” “No,” replied Finn, “you will not be able to support the fight of this well-equipped warrior; every man who was slain by his singular valor was a match for a hundred.” “No,” said Cailte, “I will oppose him, but truly,” said he, “be sure that he will perish through me, though I perish through him.” Cailte went to the place of the fight where Aed was. Each of them addressed the other. “I grant you conditions,” said Cailte, “before we begin the fight.” “What conditions? » replied Aed. “Compensation for the death of your father,” replied Cailte, “and forgiveness for any harm you have done to the Fians.” “I accept,” Aed said. He engaged with Cailte and they both went to where Finn was. Everyone was surprised to see Aed agreeing with Cailte. He was then given full compensation for his father's death and from then on he was peacefully in Finn's procession. Aed was alternately in the sid, that is to say the fairy dwelling, where he had been nourished, and among Finn's Fians. This is why he was called Ferdoman. (Ferdoman, Fer-da-doman, that is to say a man between two domans or dwellings). Aed Rind subsequently obtained land, namely the countryside of the country of Echo Rond, that is to say Soghon today.
Masc, daughter of Maigen, was the wife of Aed and bore him two children, a son named Enan and a daughter named Celg. Now, Aed had a prediction, that if his daughter were to marry, it would be her premature death. This is why he refused every man who asked him to marry his daughter. He challenged him to fight so that he would lose his life.
Then Ossin, son of Finn, fell very in love with the girl, but he did not dare ask her father. He persuaded Conan Honeymouth, son of Dagda, to ask Aed for the girl, because he had no wife and such a wife was worthy of him. Then, Conan asked for the girl. “No,” replied Aed, “(I will not give it to you,) if you do not take it by the sword.” “By no means,” said Conan, “you have your daughter in your power; Do whatever you want with it ".
Ossin repressed his passion, the love of the girl, for a year; but he persuaded Conan to ask for her again, for he hoped that if the two heroes fought, they would die together and that the woman would fall for him - which indeed happened. Then Conan became angry with Ossin and blamed him greatly. “It would be more just,” replied Ossin, “to be angry with Aed for having refused his daughter and provoking a warrior like you to single combat.” Then, Conan became furious with Aed and challenged him to single combat, if he did not want to give him his daughter.
They both went to the place where Finn was, to the House of Caba the farmer (namely, near Raith-Caba), to Granairiut Sinda (i.e. Magh-in-cairn today ). Finn had a daughter by Caba, named Bairend, (in marriage), from whom Cluain-Bairend is named. Finn then came with them to Snam-da-én to watch the duel. His tent was then pitched at Gardiat (that is to say Cros-greancha today), but he could not grant them an equal fight.
Snam-dâ-én (the swimming of the two birds), at the place of the ford of this name, took its name from Nar, son of Fiach, son of Conall the Victorious, who resided in the province of Connacht. Esti the warrior was his wife, but she had a lover, Bude, son of Daire, of Cruachain Dubthire. Now, Budi and his foster brother Luan, son of Lugair, son of Lugaid, visited Esti in the form of two birds and they sang to his people a languorous melody which made them fall asleep. Then, as soon as everyone had fallen asleep, they would come in their own forms and Budi would sleep with Esti.
Nar asked his druid where these birds came from in Esti. The druid replied that they were Bude and Luan in the form of two birds. Then they came the next day to the river and swam across it. Esti went to meet them. Nar came behind her and shot at the birds and killed them with one shot. There was still so much life in Luan that he was able to go along the river to Athluain (Athlone) where he expired. This is why the ford of Athlone was named after him. Esti went to Magh-Esten and died there, and it is from her that the field is named Magh-Esten. Nar finally died of his wife's grief near Moin-tire-Nair. That is why the poet said: “It is from this that Athlone was named, and Snam-da-én at the same time, and Moin-tire-Nair (prodigious destiny!) and Magh-Esten aforesaid. »
Finn had a vision that night: he saw a massacre of men Irish on the hill to the right, but he saw neither battle nor order of battle arrayed there. Then he saw a flame of fire descending from heaven to the earth. Finally, he saw a crowd there in unknown costumes ***. Then Finn awoke from sleep and told his dream to his druids, Morna Mungairit and Ercoil Sainarma. Then he put his thumb on his learning tooth and sang a teinm laida, and the thing was discovered to him. “Truly,” he said, “the son of Life will come hither, with whom Ireland will be full.” Finn then spoke in these terms, predicting the arrival of Saint Ciaran, son of the carpenter: “ Cain kill daidleuch mac-saoir co aibda ar cach aine grene, ”Etc.
