This is the story of Tuan Mac Cairell from the mythological cycle Irish.
Tuan Mac Cairell
1. When Finnen de Moville came with the Gospels in Ireland, in the territory of the men of Ulster, he came where there resided a rich warrior, who did not invite them to him in his fortress, but left them to fast outside until Sunday. The warrior's faith was not good. Finnen said to his disciples: “There will come to you a good man, who will comfort you, and who will tell you the history of Ireland from its first settlement until now. »
2. Then early the next morning a venerable monk came to them who welcomed them. “Come with me to my hermitage,” he said, “it is more suitable for you. » They went with him, and they celebrated the rites of the Lord's day, both with psalms and with preaching and offerings. Whereupon Finnen asked him to say his name. He said to them: “I am men of Ulster. I am Tuan, son of Cairell, son of Muredach Redneck. I have taken this hermitage, in which you stand, from the hereditary land of my father. Tuan, son of Starn, son of Sera, son of Partholon's brother, this was first my name of old. »
3. Then Finnen asked him about the events in Ireland, namely, what had taken place there since the time of Partholon, son of Sera. And Finnen said they would not eat with him until he had told them the stories of Ireland. Tuan said to Finnen, “It is difficult for us not to meditate on the Word of God that you have just proclaimed to us. » But Finnen said: “Permission is granted to tell us your own adventures and the history of Ireland now. »
4. “Five times indeed,” he said, “Ireland was taken after the Flood, and it was not taken after the Flood until 312 years had passed. Then Partholon, son of Sera, took it. He had gone on a trip with twenty-four couples. The ingenuity of each person was not greater than that of the others. They settled in Ireland until there were 5,000 of their race. Between two Sundays, an illness struck them, so that they all died, except for one man. Because there is no massacre without someone escaping to tell the story. I am that man,” he said.
5. “So I went from hill to hill and from cliff to cliff, keeping myself from wolves for twenty-two4 years during which Ireland was empty. Finally old age came upon me, and I went over cliffs and wastelands, and I moved with difficulty, and I had special shelters for me.
6. “Then Nemed, son of Agnoman, my father's brother, invaded Ireland, and I saw them from the cliffs and avoided them. And I was shaggy, clawed, withered, gray, naked, miserable, unhappy. Then, one night, as I was sleeping, I saw myself taking the form of a deer. Under this appearance I was, young and with a happy heart. It was then that I said these words: "
Without strength today is the son of Senba,
He was devoid of vigor,
Without beautiful fame with its renewed strength.
Senba's son is old.
These men from the east
With their spears that give bravery,
I don't have the strength in my feet or hands
To avoid them.
Starin, fearsome is the man,
I fear Scemel with the white shield,
Andind will not save me, although he is good and just,
If it was Beoin, ***
Although Beothach would leave me alive,
Cacher's brutal struggle is hard,
Britan acquires valor by his spears,
Fergus has a fit of fury.
They come to me, O sweet Lord,
The descendants of Nemed, son of Agnoman,
Energetically they lie waiting for my blood,
To give me my first injury.
So grew on my head
Two antlers with three score points,
So that I'm rude and gray in shape
After that my time is gone from weakness.
7. “After this, during the time that I was in the form of a deer, I was master of the herds of Ireland, and wherever I went there was a great herd of deer with me. This is how I spent my life during the time of Nemed and his descendants. When Nemed came with his fleet to Ireland, their number was thirty-four ships, thirty per ship, and the sea led them astray for a year and a half on the Caspian Sea, and they were submerged and died of hunger and thirst, except four couples in the company of Nemed. Subsequently, his race increased and had offspring until there were 4030 pairs. However, they all died.
8. “Then at last old age came upon me, and I fled from men and wolves. Once, as I was in front of my cave – I still remember it – I knew that I was passing from one form into another. Then I passed into the form of a wild boar. That's when I say:
A wild boar I am today among the herds,
I am a mighty lord with great triumphs,
He put me in wonderful pain,
The King of all, in many forms.
The morning I was in Dun Bré,
Fighting against old wise men
Beautiful was my troop across the water,
A magnificent army followed us.
Mine, they were fast
Among the armies in vengeance,
They would have thrown my spears alternately
On Fál's warriors on either side.
When we were in our assembly
Deciding the judgments of Partholon,
Sweet to all was what I said
These were the words of the real openness.
Pleasant was my brilliant judgment
Among the women of beauty,
Majestic was my sparkling chariot,
Sweet was my song through a dark road.
Fast were my steps without wandering
In battles from the outset,
Beautiful was my face one day
Although today I am a boar.
9. “In this form,” he said, “I was truly young and cheerful in spirit. And I was king of all the boar troops of Ireland, and I always paid visits to my home when I came to this country of Ulster in the days of my old age and decrepitude; for in this same place I passed in all these forms. Therefore I always visited this place to wait for revival.
10. “Upon this Semion, the son of Stariath, took possession of this island. From him descend the Fir Domnann, and the Fir Bolg, and the Galuin; and these inhabited this island at the time when they sojourned in Ireland. Then old age came upon me, and my spirit was sad, and I was unable to do all that I used to do before, but I was alone in dark caves and in remote cliffs.
11. “Then I went to my own dwelling. I remembered all the forms I had taken before. I fasted for three days as I always did. I had no strength left. Whereupon I took the form of a great falcon. Then my spirit rejoices again. I could do anything. I was impatient and vigorous. I would have flown across Ireland; I would have discovered anything. That's when I say:
A falcon today, a wild boar yesterday,
***. wonderful inconsistency!
More dear to me every day
God, the friend who gave me form.
Many descendants of Nemed
Without obedience ***. to the real king,
Reduced today is the race of Sera;
I don't know what is the cause.
Among herds of wild boars I was,
Although today I am among the birds;
I know what will happen to it:
I will always be in another form.
Wonderfully arranged my beloved God
From me and the children of Nemed;
They at the will of the demon of God,
While, for me, God is my help.
12. “Beothach, son of Iarbonel the prophet, captured this island at the expense of those who occupied it. It is from him that the Tuatha Dé and Andé come, whose origin the scholars do not know, but it seems probable to them that they came from the heavens, taking into account their intelligence and the excellence of their knowledge.
13. “Then I was a long time in the form of a falcon, so that I survived all those races which invaded Ireland. However, Mil's sons took this island from the Tuatha Dé Danann by force. Then I was in the form of the hawk that I had been, and I was in the hollow of a tree near a river.
14. “There I fasted for three days and three nights, then sleep fell upon me, and I passed straight away into the form of a river salmon. So God put me in the river so that I was there. Once more I felt happy and vigorous and well nourished, and my swimming was good, and I regularly escaped dangers and nets—namely, from the hands of fishermen, from the claws of hawks, and from fishing spears— so much so that all the scars that everyone left are still on me.
15. “Once, however, when God, my help, judged the time to be come, when the beasts were pursuing me, and every fisherman in every watering hole knew me, the fisherman of Cairell, the king of this land, grabbed me and carried me to Cairell's wife who wanted fish. I remember it well; the man put me on a grill and browned me. And the queen wanted me and ate me whole, so that I was in her womb. I still remember the time I was in his womb, and what everyone said to him in the house, and what was done in Ireland at that time. I also remember the moment when the word came to me, as it comes to every man, and I knew everything that had been done in Ireland. And I was a prophet; and a name was given to me — namely, Tuan, son of Cairell. It was then that Patrick came to bring the faith to Ireland. Then I was of a great age; and I was baptized, and, all alone, I believed in the King of all things by his rudiments.'
16. Then they celebrated mass and went to the refectory, Finnen with his disciples and Tuan, after he had told them these stories. And there they remained for a week talking together. Every story and every genealogy that there is in Ireland has its origin from Tuan, son of Cairell. He had conversed with Patrick before them, and told him everything; and he had conversed with Colum Cille, and prophesied to him in the presence of the people of the country. And Finnen offered to stay with him, but he could not get her agreement. “Your house will be famous until the last judgment,” said Tuan.
