Celts -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Great Britain; Folklore -- Great Britain; Tales -- Great Britain
"We then set off, and came to where my ship was, went on board of it,
and sailed home. When we were passing a place where a great battle was
going on, I asked the King of the Red Shield what battle it was, and the
cause of it. 'Don't you know at all?' said the King of the Red Shield.
'I do not,' said I. The King of the Red Shield said, 'That is the battle
for the daughter of the King of the Great Universe, the most beautiful
woman in the world; and whoever wins her by his heroism shall get her in
marriage. Do you see yonder castle?' 'I do,' said I. 'She is on the top
of that castle, and sees from it the hero that wins her,' said the King
of the Red Shield. I requested to be put on shore, that I might win her
by my swiftness and strength. They put me on shore; and I got a sight
of her on the top of the castle. Having measured two feet behind me and
a foot before me, I sprang on the end of my spear and on my tiptoes, and
reached the top of the castle; and I caught the daughter of the King of
the Universe in my arms and flung her over the castle. I was with her
and intercepted her before she reached the ground, and I took her away
on my shoulder, and set off to the shore as fast as I could, and
delivered her to the King of the Red Shield to be put on board the ship.
'Am I not the best warrior that ever sought you?' said I. 'You can jump
well' said she, 'but I have not seen any of your prowess.' I turned back
to meet the warriors, and attacked them with the short spear, and did
not leave a head on a neck of any of them. I then returned, and called
to the King of the Red Shield to come in to the shore for me. Pretending
not to hear me, he set the sails in order to return home with the
daughter of the King of the Great Universe, and marry her. I measured
two feet behind me and a foot before me, and sprang on the end of my
spear and on my tiptoes and got on board the ship. I then said to the
King of the Red Shield, 'What were you going to do? Why did you not wait
for me?' 'Oh!' said the king, 'I was only making the ship ready and
setting the sails to her before going on shore for you. Do you know what
I am thinking of?' 'I do not,' said I. 'It is,' said the King, 'that I
will return home with the daughter of the King of the Great Universe,
and that you shall go home with your mother and sister.' 'That is not to
be the way of it,' said I. 'She whom I have won by my prowess neither
you nor any other shall get.'
"The king had a red shield, and if he should get it on, no weapon could
make an impression on him. He began to put on the red shield, and I
struck him with the short spear in the middle of his body, and cut him
in two, and threw him overboard. I then struck the son, and swept his
head off, and threw him overboard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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