Celts -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Great Britain; Folklore -- Great Britain; Tales -- Great Britain
"I took my brother's advice, and prepared a ship to set off with. I set
off alone, and embraced the ocean. I was overtaken by a great mist, and
I came upon an island, and there was a large number of ships at anchor
near it; I went in amongst them, and went ashore. I saw there a big, big
woman reaping rushes; and when she would raise her head she would throw
her right breast over her shoulder and when she would bend it would fall
down between her legs. I came once behind her, and caught the breast
with my mouth, and said to her, 'You are yourself witness, woman, that I
am the foster-son of your right breast.' 'I perceive that, great hero,'
said the old woman, 'but my advice to you is to leave this island as
fast as you can.' 'Why?' said I. 'There is a big giant in the cave up
there,' said she, 'and every one of the ships that you see he has taken
in from the ocean with his breath, and he has killed and eaten the men.
He is asleep at present, and when he wakens he will have you in a
similar manner. A large iron door and an oak door are on the cave. When
the giant draws in his breath the doors open, and when he emits his
breath the doors shut; and they are shut as fast as though seven small
bars, and seven large bars, and seven locks were on them. So fast are
they that seven crowbars could not force them open.' I said to the old
woman, 'Is there any way of destroying him?' 'I'll tell you,' said she,
'how it can be done. He has a weapon above the door that is called the
short spear: and if you succeed in taking off his head with the first
blow it will be well; but if you do not, the case will be worse than it
was at first.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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