The Exile of the Sons of Usnech

This is the story of the exile of the sons of Usnech, of the red branch of the mythology Irish.

Exile of the Sons of Usnech

Why did the sons of Usnech go into exile? It's not difficult.

The Ulates were to be drunk at Fedelmid's, son of Dall, Conor's storyteller. Fedelmid's wife, moreover, was there to serve the company, and she was fat. The horns and the shares circulated around and the gaiety of intoxication manifested itself. When it was time to go to bed, the woman went to her bed. As she walked through the house, the child in her womb cried out, so that they could hear her throughout the yard. At this cry, all the people threw themselves on each other and piled up head to head in the house. Then Sencha son of Ailill called out to them: “Don't move,” he said; bring the woman to us so that we know where this noise is coming from. So the woman was brought to them. Her husband Fédelmid says

What a violent noise rumbles
and storm in your roaring bosom?
noise that came to the ears?
between your two strongly swollen sides,
great fear it produces;
my heart is cruelly hurt.

So, we sent him to Cathba, because he was a scholar:

Let Cathba with a beautiful face hear!
O great prince's tiara, magnificent, grown up
by druid charms.

Fine words are not mine,
the brilliance of science,
because the woman does not know
what is in her bosom,
which cried out in the hollow of her breast.

So Cathba said:

In the hollow of your breast
cried a woman with blond curls,
with stunning blue gray eyes;
foxglove are its dark purple cheeks.
To the color of snow we compare <
the treasure of his flawless teeth;
her lips are bright as scarlet;
woman for whom there will be many murders
among the Ulate warriors.
In your bosom growls and cries
a woman with beautiful long hair;
for her heroes will fight;
a number of great kings will ask for it; <
she will be driven west with large troops
secretly outside the province of Conor.
Her lips will be scarlet,
around his pearl teeth;
great queens will be jealous
of her flawless sovereign beauty.

Then Cathba put her hand on the woman's breast and, under her hand, the child stirred. In truth, he said, it is a girl who is there, her name will be Deirdré and there will be harm because of her. The girl was then born and Cathba said:

Deirdré, you will destroy a lot;
although you have a beautiful face of illustrious whiteness.
The Ulates will suffer in your time,
O noble daughter of Fedelmid!

Misfortune will come later,
because of you, oh brilliant woman;
it is in your time that will take place, listen,
the exile of the three great sons of Usnech.

It is in your time that an act of violence
will be accomplished in Emain;

we will regret a long time after not having any more
the protection of Roeg's great son.

It is through you, o woman, that will happen
Fergus' exile from Ulster;
and a fact that we will cry about,
the murder of Fiachna, son of Conor.

It is your fault, o woman, that will happen

the murder of Gerreé, son of Illadan,

and a fact of no less importance,

the massacre of Eogan, son of Durthacht.

You will do a hateful, violent act,
out of resentment against the great king of Ulates;
wherever your grave is
there will be a famous story, O Deirdré!
O Deirdré!

 "Let the girl be killed! said the young warriors.

- No, Conor said. Bring her to me tomorrow, said Conor, and raise her according to my orders, and she will be the woman who lives with me. " 

The Ulates dared not contradict him. So was done. She was raised with Conor and became the prettiest girl there was. Ireland. It was in a separate castle that she was brought up, so that no man of Ulster would see her until she slept with Conor, and no one was allowed into the house except her nurse and Leborcham. who could not be attacked, because she was a witch.

Once, the girl's guardian was skinning a calf on the snow, outside, in winter, to serve it, when he saw a crow drinking the blood on the snow. Then she said to Leborcham: "The only man I would like would be the one who had these three colors on him: hair like crow, cheek like blood and body like snow.

- Dignity and happiness to you! said Leborcham; he is not far from you, he is in the house near you: it is Nôisé, son of Usnech.

'I won't be well,' she said, 'until I have seen him. " 

This time, Nôisé was alone on the wall of the rampart of Emain singing. The voice of the sons of Usnech was harmonious. Any cow and any animal that heard it gave two-thirds more milk. Anyone who heard it felt a sense of peace and joy. Their skill at arms was great. The whole province of Ulster might have gathered around them in one place, if they had all three leaned against each other, it would not have won the victory over them, because of the superiority of and their defense. They were as fast as chasing game and killed deer on the run.

As Nôise was outside all alone, Deirdre escaped and walked past him, but he did not recognize her.

 She is beautiful, he said, the heifer passing by.

'Big heifers are needed,' she said, 'where there are no bulls.

'You have the provincial bull with you,' he said, 'the king of Ulster.

- I would like to choose between you two, she said, and I would like to have a young little bull like you.

- No, he said.

Immediately she rushes on him and takes him by both ears. Here are two ears of shame and mockery, she said, if you don't take me with you.

"Get away from me, woman," he said.

- I will be yours, ”she said.

Immediately he made his voice heard. When the Ulates heard the voice, each pounced on the other.

The sons of Usnech came out to detain their brother. " What's wrong ? they said; the Ulates must not kill each other for your fault! So he told them what had happened to him.

 It will turn out badly, said the young men. Either way, you will not be exposed to shame as long as we are alive. We will go with her to another country. There is no king in Ireland who does not welcome us. They took advice. They left that night; they had three fifty warriors, three fifty women, three fifty dogs, three fifty servants and Deirdre with them.

They spent a long time in service around, but they were often tried to be put to death among the kings of Ireland, by the malice and cunning of Conor, from Esruaid in the south west to Benn Étair in the northeast. , and in the opposite direction. However, the Ulates drove them out Scotland and they settled in a desert. When the mountain game failed them, they attacked the cattle of the men of Scotland. So these came one day to exterminate them, but the sons of Usnech went to find the king of Scotland, who took them into his service and in whose pay they placed themselves. They built their houses on the prairie; it was for the girl that they had made the houses, so that no one would see her, lest they should be killed because of her.

So once, the king's steward came early one morning to make a tour of their house, and he saw the couple asleep. He then went to awaken the king.

 We haven't found a worthy woman so far, he said. With Nôise son of Usnech there is a worthy wife of the king of the West. Let Nôisé be killed on the hour and let the woman sleep with you! said the steward.

'No,' said the king, 'but go and pay him my love every day, secretly. So was done. But whatever the steward said to her, she immediately told her husband at night. As he could not get anything, he ordered the sons of Usnech to go on dangerous battles and difficult expeditions, to be killed there. But they came out safe and sound from all battles, and these attempts were unsuccessful for them.

The men of Scotland, on the advice of the steward, gathered to kill them. She told it to Nôisé. Get out of here, she said, because if you don't go tonight, you will be killed tomorrow. They set out that night and went to an island in the sea.

This was told to the Ulates. It is unfortunate, O Conor, said the Ulates, that the sons of Usnech fall in enemy country by the fault of a bad wife. It would be better if they were accompanied and killed and come to their country, than to succumb to enemies.

"Let them come, then," said Conor, "and let sureties meet them!" We bring them this news.

 "Willingly," they said, "we will go and have Fergus, Dubthach and Cormac son of Conor come and bail us out! They came and they took each other's hands as soon as they disembarked.

They discussed whether Fergus would be invited to drink beer on Conor's advice, for Usnech's sons had said they would not take any food in Ireland until they had eaten at Conor's. So Fiacha son of Fergus went with them, while Fergus and Dubthach remained and the sons of Usnech came to the meadow of Emain. This is also where Eogan, son of Durthacht, king of Fernmag, came to make his peace with Conor, for he had been estranged with him for a long time. It was he who was charged with killing Usnech's sons, and Conor's soldiers accompanied him to prevent them from reaching the king.

The sons of Usnech were standing in the middle of the meadow and the women seated on the wall of Emain. Eogan arrived, examining the meadow, but Fergus' son stood beside Noise. Eogan greeted him with a penetrating blow of a large javelin, which crossed his back. Immediately Fergus' son sprang up, put both hands on Noise, and put him under him, so that he was on top of him. And so it was that Noise was smitten, through Fergus' son. Then they killed across the meadow, so that no one escaped the points of javelins or the edges of swords, and Deirdre was brought before Conor, his hands tied behind his back.

This was then told to Fergus, Dubthach, and Cormac.

They arrived and immediately performed great exploits: Dubthach killed Mané son of Conor, and Fiachna son of Fedelm daughter of Conor; Fergus killed Pied-Fort, son of Pied-Large, and his brother. Conor took offense and a fight ensued between them for a whole day; three hundred Ulates succumbed to it. Dubthach killed the Ulster daughters, and before morning Fergus burned Emain. Then they went to Ailill and Mève, because they knew that this couple would welcome them. Thirty hundreds, such was the number of these exiles; until the end of sixteen years, they never ceased to cause the Ulates complaint and terror, but every night they cried and trembled.

She was with Conor for a year, and during that time her mouth was never seen smiling; she neither ate nor slept her fill, and she did not lift her head from her knees. When the jugglers were brought to her, this is what she said:

However beautiful the heroes may be in your eyes
walking towards Emain;
more nobly walked towards their house
the three heroic sons of Usnech.

Nôisé, with a mead of beautiful hazelnuts;
I washed it near the fire;
Ardan, with an exquisite stag or pig;
Audlé with a bundle on his big back.

However sweet the exquisite mead may be to you,
that the son of Ness the fighter drinks,
I had previously on the shore
abundant and sweeter food.

When the noble Noise had arranged
meat to be cooked on wood, noble table
all food was a thousand times sweeter
provided by Usnech's son.

However harmonious for you each month
flautists and horn players,
here is what I confess today
I heard much more harmonious music.

Harmonious are for King Conor
flautists and horn players;
more harmonious is for me
the voice of the sons of Usnech.

Sound of wave, the voice of Nôisé
was a harmony to be listened to always;
Ardam's midrange voice was good,
and Andlé's loud voice, out of his hut.

Of Noise they made the tomb;
sad was the protection;
those by whom he was raised
distributed the poison brew from which he died.

Dear Berthân, pretty countryside
rich in men though mountainous,
it's sad that i don't get up today
to wait for Usnech's son.

Dear firm, fair mind, <
dear warrior, tall, modest;
after crossing the wood of Fâl,
dear early morning maintenance.

Dear blue eye loved by women,
hard on enemies;
after the tour of the forest, our meeting,
dear voice out loud through the darkness of the woods.

I do not sleep anymore;
my nails are no longer purple;
joy no longer comes to my vigil,
since the sons of Usnech no longer come.

I do not sleep
half the night, in my bed;
my spirit is launched among the multitudes,
besides that I neither eat nor laugh.

Of joy today I do not have a moment;
in the assembly of Emain where the nobles go;
no peace, no pleasure, no rest,
neither big house, nor beautiful adornment.

Some beautiful ...

When Conor was trying to calm her down she would say

0 Conor, what do you want?
You have caused me sorrow and tears;
as for me, as long as I stay alive,
your love for me will not be very great.

The one who was for me the most beautiful under the sky,
and the one who was so dear,
you took it away from me; it's a great pity,
that I do not see it until my death.

Gone (sadness for me)
the form in which the sons of Usnech appear,
jet black mound on a white body,
who will be well known in the crowd of women.

Two purple cheeks more beautiful than a meadow,
red lips, black eyelashes like a beetle,
pearl colored teeth,
like the noble shade of snow.

He was well known to me, his light clothes,
among the warriors of Scotland;
her beautiful purple cloak for the assembly,
with its red gold border.

Her satin tunic, a great treasure
where had been a hundred hands, a sweet number;
to embroider it, (it is obvious),
[there were] fifty ounces of brass.

A sword with a golden hilt in his hand;
two gray javelins at the terrible point;
a shield with a yellow gold border,
- and on him a silver bump.

Handsome Fergus has done us great harm
by making us cross the sea;
he sold his honor for beer,
his deeds have collapsed.

If on the plain were
the Ulates in the presence of Conor,
I would give them all, without a doubt,
for the face of Nôisé son of Usnech.

Don't break my heart today;
soon I will wait for my untimely grave,
Sorrow is stronger than the sea,
do you know, O Conor?

O Conor ...

 Who do you hate the most of those you see? said Conor.

- You, of course, she said, and Eogan son of Durthacht.

"You'll be with Eogan for a year," said Conor.

He handed it over to Eogan. The next day, they went to the assembly of Tara. She was in the tank behind Eogan. She had promised herself that she would not see two spouses on earth at the same time.

 Well, O Deirdre, said Conor, you have the eye of a sheep between two rams, between me and Eogan. " 

There was a large boulder in front of her. She threw herself down, her head against the block, so that she broke her head there and died.

This is the Exile of the Sons of Usnech, the Exile of Fergus, and the murder of the Sons of Usnech and Deirdre.