Here is the story of the king of the black desert. When O'Conchubhair was king of Ireland, he lived in Râth-Cruachâin, he had an only son, but this one, when he was big, became savage and the king could not correct him, for his son had his will to him for all kinds of things.
The king of the black desert
One morning, once, he went out:
Her dog on her heels
On his fist his hawk
And mounted on his beautiful black horse,
and he went before him, singing a song to himself, until he came to the height of a great bush which grew on the side of the valley. A grizzled old man was seated at the foot of the bush, and said to him:
- Son of the king, if you can play as well as you can sing a tune, I would like to play with you.
The king's son thought he was dealing with a somewhat crazy old man; he went down, threw the bridle on a branch, and sat down beside the grizzled old man. He drew out a pack of cards and asked:
- Do you know how to play cards?
"I know it," said the king's son.
- What are we going to play? said the grizzled old man.
"Anything you want," said the king's son.
- Very well; if I win, you will have to do for me whatever I ask you to do, and if you win, I will have to do for you whatever you ask of me, said the grizzled old man.
"That's fine with me," said the king's son.
They played a game, and the king's son beat the grizzled old man, so he said:
- What do you want me to do for you, son of the king?
- I won't ask you to do anything for me, said the king's son, I don't think you are able to do much.
- It doesn't matter, said the old man, you have to ask me to do something, I have never lost a pledge that I could not pay.
As I said, the king's son thought he was dealing with a somewhat crazy old man and to satisfy him, he said to him:
- Take his head off my mother-in-law and put a goat's head on her for the duration of a week.
"I will do that for you," said the grizzled old man.
The king's son rode on his horse,
Her dog on her heels
On his fist his hawk
And mounted on his beautiful black horse,
and he walked to another place, not thinking about the grizzled old man until he got home. He found a lot of laughter and sorrow in the castle, the servants told him that a wizard had entered the room where the queen was and that he had put a goat's head instead of her head.
- By my hand, that's an astonishing thing, said the king's son, if I had been at home, I would have cut off his head with my sword.
The king was in great sorrow; he sent for a wise adviser and asked him if he knew how this had happened to the queen.
- In truth, I cannot tell you, he said, it is magic.
The king's son did not let it be seen that he knew the cause, but the next morning he went out,
Her dog on her heels
On his fist his hawk
And mounted on his beautiful black horse,
he did not pull on the reins until he had come to the height of the great bush on the side of the hill. The grizzled old man was sitting there under the bush, and he said:
- King's son, are you going to play a game today?
The king's son came down and said:
- That is.
Thereupon he threw the bridle on a branch and sat down beside the old man; the latter drew the deck of cards and asked the king's son if he had what he had won yesterday.
"I have it exactly," said the king's son.
"We are going to play the same pledge today," said the grizzled old man.
"That's fine with me," said the king's son. They played, and the king's son won.
- What do you want me to do for you this time? said the grizzled old man.
The king's son reflected and said to himself: "I am going to give him something difficult to do this time", then he said:
- Behind my father's castle there is a pasture field of seven acres; let it be filled with cows tomorrow morning without two of the same color, size or age.
"It will be done," said the grizzled old man.
The king's son set off, mounted on his horse,
Her dog on her heels
On his fist his hawk,
and went to his house. The king was grieved about the queen, there were doctors from all over Ireland, but they could not do her any good.
In the morning, the next day, the king's shepherd came out early and saw the pasture field behind. The castle, full of cows without there being two of the same color, the same age or the same size. He entered and related this wonder to the king.
"Go hunt them," said the king.
The herdsman took some men and went with them to hunt the cows, but he had no sooner driven them to one side than they came back to the other. The herdsman came back to the king and told him that all the men Ireland could not chase the cows that were in the pasture field.
"They are enchanted cows," said the king.
When the king's son saw the cows, he said to himself: "Today I'm going to play another game with the grizzled old man." "
He went out that morning,
Her dog on her heels
On his fist his hawk
And mounted on his beautiful black horse,
he did not pull on the bridle until he came to the height of the great bush on the side of the valley.
The grizzled old man was there before him and asked him if he was going to play a game of cards.
- Very well, said the king's son, but you know very well that I can beat you at the card game.
"Let's play another game," said the grizzled old man; have you ever played ball?
'I certainly played there,' said the king's son, 'but I think you're too old to play ball and, on top of that, we don't have a place here to play.
"If you agree to play, I'll find a place," said the grizzled old man.
"I agree to it," said the king's son.
"Follow me," said the grizzled old man.
The king's son followed him through the valley until they came to a beautiful green hill, then he pulled out a magic wand, spoke words the king's son didn't understand and after a while the hill opened; they both entered and they went through lots of beautiful rooms until they came to a garden; there were all kinds of things in this garden, each more beautiful than the next, and at the end of the garden there was a place to play ball; they threw a silver coin in the air to find out which of them would be the first to play; it was the grizzled old man. So they began and the old man did not stop until he had won the game. The king's son did not know what to do, finally he asked the old man what he would like him to do for him.
- I reign over the black desert, you will have to find me and my home, within a year and a day, or else it is I who will find you and you will lose your life.
Then he led the young man out, down the same path he had taken to enter, the green hill closed in on them and the grizzled old man disappeared from sight. The king's son set off, mounted on his horse,
Her dog on her heels
On his fist his hawk,
and full of sadness. That evening, the king noticed that his young son was sad and upset and when the latter had gone to bed, the king and all the people who were in the castle heard him heave deep sighs and delirium.
The king was grieved that the queen had the head of a goat, but it was seven times more so when his son told him of the adventure which had befallen him, from the beginning to the end. He sent for the wise counselor and asked him if he knew where the king of the black desert was staying.
- I certainly do not know, said the latter, but as sure as the cat has a tail, if the young heir does not find this wizard, he will lose his life.
There was much sorrow in the king's castle that day, the queen had a goat's head and the king's son was going to go in search of the wizard without knowing if he would ever return. At the end of a week the queen lost her goat's head and resumed her own head; when she heard how the goat's head came to her, she was very angry with the king's son and said:
- May he never come back, dead or alive.
In the morning, one Monday, he said goodbye to his father and his parents, his travel bag was strapped to his back and he left,
Her dog on her heels
On his fist his hawk
And mounted on his beautiful black horse,
he traveled that day until the sun had set behind the hill and dark night had fallen, not knowing where he would find shelter. He noticed a large wood on the left hand and he went in that direction as fast as he could, hoping to spend the night in the shade of the trees; he sat down at the foot of a large oak tree, he was opening his travel bag to take food and drink, when he saw a great eagle coming to him.
- Do not be afraid of me, son of the king, you are the son of O Conchubhair, king of Ireland; I am a friend, and if you give me your horse to provide food for four little ones that I have and who are hungry, I will carry you further than your horse would carry you, and it is possible that I will put you on the trace of the one you are looking for.
'You can take my horse, and gladly,' said the king's son, 'although I am sorry to part with him.
- That's good, I'll be there tomorrow morning at sunrise.
So he opened his big beak, he grabbed the horse, squeezed its two sides together, took flight and took off out of sight. The king's son ate and drank his content, put his travel bag under his head and did not take long to fall asleep; he did not wake up until the eagle arrived and said to him:
- It's time for us to go, we have a long road ahead of us, grab your bag and jump on my back.
- But unfortunately! said the latter, I will have to separate myself from my dog and my hawk.
- Don't worry, said the eagle, they'll be here before you when you come back.
So he jumped onto his back, the eagle took flight and off they went in the air. The eagle took him through hills and valleys, a great sea and woods, so that he thought he was at the end of the world; When the sun went down behind the hills, the eagle landed in the middle of a great desert and said to him:
- Follow the path to the right, it will lead you to a friend's house, I must go back and feed my little ones.
He followed the path, it was not long in arriving at the house and he entered. A grizzled old man was seated in a corner; he stood up and said:
- A hundred thousand welcome to you, son of a king, who come from Râth Cruachâin de Connacht.
"I don't know you," said the king's son.
- I knew your grandfather, said the grizzled old man, sit down, it is probable that you are thirsty and hungry.
"I am not exempt from it," said the king's son.
The old man clapped his two hands together, and there came two servants who put on the table ox, mutton, pork and some bread before the king's son, and the old man said to him:
- Eat and drink your content: it is possible that you will not find such an opportunity for a long time.
He ate and drank as much as he wanted and offered his thanks. So the old man said:
– You go in search of the King of the Black Desert; go to sleep now and i will go through my books to see if I can find the home of that king for you.
Then he clapped his hands, and a servant came and said to him:
- Take the king's son to his room.
He led him to a nice bedroom and it wasn't long before he fell asleep. In the morning, the next day, the old man came and said:
- Get up, you have a long road ahead of you; you're going to have to cover five hundred miles before noon.
"I won't be able to do it," said the king's son.
- If you are a good rider, I will give you a horse that will take you this route.
"I will do as you tell me," said the king's son.
The old man gave him plenty of food and drink and when he was satisfied he gave him a little white bidet and said:
- Leave the bidet on its neck, and when it stops, look up and you will see three swans as white as snow. They are the three daughters of the king of the black desert: one of the swans will have a little green towel in its beak, it is the youngest of the daughters and there is no other living being than that can lead you to the house of the king of the black desert.
When the bidet stops, you will be near a lake, the three swans will land on the edge of this lake and turn into three young women and they will enter the lake swimming and dancing. Keep your eyes on the little green towel and when you see the young women in the lake, go, take the towel and don't part with it; go and hide under a tree and when the young women come out two of them will turn into swans and go up in the air, then the youngest girl will say, "I'll do anything for whoever brings me my towel . Appear, then, and say that you only need one thing, is for her to lead you to her father's house and tell him that you are the son of a king and that you are coming. of a powerful country.
The king's son did exactly what the old man had told him and when he had given the napkin to the daughter of the king of the black desert, he said to her:
- I am the son of O Conchubhair, king of Connacht, lead me to your father, I have been looking for him for a long time.
- Wouldn't you prefer that I do something else for you? she says.
"I don't need anything else," said the latter.
- If I show you the house, won't you be happy? she says.
"I will be," said the latter.
- Now, she said, on your soul, don't tell my father that it was I who brought you to his house and I will be a good friend to you, and pretend, she said, to have great magical power.
- I'll do as you say, said the latter.
So she turned into a swan and said:
- Jump on my back, put your hands on my neck and give me a hard hug.
He did so, she flapped his wings and off he went through hills and valleys, across sea and mountains, until he came to a great land, as the sun was going to set. So she said to him:
- Do you see the big house over there? This is my father's house; be well; whenever you're in danger I'll be by your side, then she left.
The king's son came home and what did he see sitting on a golden throne? The grizzled old man who had played cards and balls with him.
'I see, son of a king,' said the latter, 'that you found me before a year and a day; how many have you left home?
- Today morning, as I got out of bed, I saw a rainbow, I jumped on it, I got on it and I let myself slide down here.
- By my hand, it is a beautiful trick that you made there, said the old king.
"I could do a lot more wonderful than that if I wanted to," said the king's son.
- I have three things to make you do, said the old king, if you can do them, you will have to choose a wife among my three daughters, and if you cannot do them, you will lose your life as lost many young people before you.
Then he said:
- There is only food and drink in my house once a week and we had it today morning.
'I don't care,' said the king's son, 'I can fast for a month if I have to.
- It is probable that you can also go without sleep, said the old king.
"I certainly can," said the king's son.
- So you will have a hard bed tonight, said the old king, come with me and let me show it to you.
So he led him outside and he showed him a big forked tree and said to him:
- Get up there, sleep in the fork and be ready for the sunrise.
He climbed into the pitchfork, but as soon as the old king was asleep, the young girl came, took him to a beautiful room and kept him there until the old king was about to get up, she brought him back into the fork of the tree. At sunrise the old king came to him and said:
- Get up now and come with me to show you what you have to do today.
He led the king's son to the shore of a lake, he showed him an old castle and said to him:
- Throw all the castle stones into the lake and have it done by you before the sun goes down tonight, then he left.
The king's son set to work, but the stones were squeezed so hard against each other that he could not remove a single stone and he could have worked until today without removing a stone from the castle. He sat down to think about what to do and not much time had passed, when the old king's daughter came to him and said:
- What is the cause of your grief?
He told her the cause of his grief.
"Don't let this upset you, I'll do it," she said.
So she gave him bread, beef and wine, she drew a magic wand, knocked on the old castle, and after a while all the stones were at the bottom of the lake.
- Now, she said, don't tell my father that I did your work.
When the sun went down in the evening the old king came and said:
- I see you did your work for the day.
- Yes, said the king's son, I can do anything.
The old king thought that the king's son had great magical power and said to him:
- Here is your work for tomorrow: it is to remove the stones from the lake and to rebuild the castle as it was before.
He led the king's son home and said to him:
- Go sleep where you were last night.
When the old king had gone to sleep, the young girl came, conducted him to her room, and kept him there until the old king was about to get up in the morning; then she put it back in the fork of the tree. At sunrise the old king came and said:
- It's time to get back to work.
'I'm in no hurry at all,' said the king's son, 'since I know that I can do exactly my work for the day.
He then went to the lake, but he could not see a stone, the water was so black. He sat down on a rock, and Fionnghuala (White Shoulder), that was the name of the old king's daughter, was not long in arriving and said:
- What do you have to do today?
He told her and she said:
- Do not be upset, I can do this work for you.
So she gave him bread, beef, mutton and wine, then she drew the magic wand, she hit the lake water with it and after a while the old castle was rebuilt as it was the day before. Then she said to him:
- On your soul, do not tell my father that I did the work for you or that you know me at all.
On the evening of that day the old king came and said:
- I see you did the work of the day.
'Yes,' said the king's son, 'that is easy work to do.
So the old king thought that the king's son had magical power greater than his and he said:
- You only have one thing left to do.
He then brought him home, and put him to sleep on the fork of the tree; but Fionnghuala arrived, carried it to her room, and in the morning she put it back on the tree.
At sunrise the old king came to him and said to him:
- Come with me to show you the work of the day.
He led the king's son to a great valley, showed him a fountain, and said to him:
- My grandmother lost a ring in that fountain, find it for me before the sun goes down tonight.
Now the fountain was a hundred feet deep and twenty feet around and it was full of water and the hell host was guarding the ring. When the old king was gone, Fionnghuala arrived and asked:
- What do you have to do today?
He told her, and she said:
- It is difficult, this work, but I will do my best to save your life.
Then she gave him an ox, bread, and wine; she turned into a dip and she went down into the fountain. It was not long until from the fountain he saw smoke coming out and lightning and a sound like a great thunderclap, and anyone who heard that sound would have thought that the underworld army was fighting. After some time the smoke cleared, the lightning and thunder ceased, and Fionnghuala returned with the ring; she handed the ring to the king's son and said:
- I won the battle, your life is saved; look, my little finger on my right hand is broken, but it may be lucky that it was broken. When my father comes, don't give him the ring but threaten him very hard, he will then take you to choose your wife, and this is how you will make your choice; we will be, my sisters and I, in a room; there will be a hole in the door and we will pass all our hands out like a bunch; you will put your hand through the hole, and the hand which you will have seized when my father opens the door will be the hand of the one you will have for a wife. You can recognize me by my broken little finger.
- I can, and you are the love of my heart, Fionnghuala!
On the evening of that day the old king came and asked.
- Did you find my grandmother's ring?
- Truly I found him, said the king's son, the army of hell was defending him, but I beat them and I will beat them seven times as many. Don't you know that I am a Connacien?
"Give me the ring," said the old king.
- In truth, I will not give it to you, said the latter, I fought hard to have it, but give me my wife, I must go.
The old king let him in and said:
- My three daughters are in the room next to you, the hand of each of them is extended, and the one you will hold when I open the door will be your wife's.
The king's son put his hand through the hole in the door and picked out the hand whose little finger was broken and held it tight until the old king opened the door to the chamber.
- Here is my wife, said the king's son, now give me your daughter's dowry.
- She has no dowry to receive, except a little brown horse to take you home and never come back, dead or alive, forever.
The king's son and Fionnghuala set off, mounted on the little brown horse, and it wasn't long before they reached the wood where the king's son had left his dog and his falcon. These were there before him, as well as his beautiful black horse. He then sent the little horse bun back, he made Fionnghuala mount his horse, he jumped there himself and
Her dog on her heels
On his fist his hawk,
he did not stop until he reached Râth-Cruachâin. He was very well received there and they did not take long to get married, he and Fionnghuala; they had a long happy life, but it is hardly if any remains of the old castle of Râth-Cruachâin can be found today in Connaught.
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