Celts -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Great Britain; Folklore -- Great Britain; Tales -- Great Britain
"When I arose on the following day I saw another ship making straight
for the place where I was; and a big, strong hero came out of it, and
hauled it up alongside of our ships; and if it did not surpass them it
was not a whit inferior to them. 'What impertinent fellow are you that
has dared to haul up your ship alongside of our ships?' said I. 'I am,'
said he, 'the Son of the Wet Mantle, going to seek the daughter of the
King of the Universe for Mac Connachar, son of the King of Lochlann.' 'I
am your father, and this is your brother: it is well that you have
come,' said I. We passed the night together in the hut, my two sons and
I.
"When I rose next day I saw another ship coming, and making straight for
the place where I was. A big, strong champion sprang out of it, and
hauled it up alongside of our ships; and if it was not higher than they,
it was not lower. I went down where he was, and said to him, 'What
impertinent fellow are you that has dared to haul up your ship alongside
of our ships?' 'I am the Son of the Wet Mantle,' said he, 'going to seek
the daughter of the King of the Universe for Mac Connachar, son of the
King of Lochlann.' 'Have you any token in proof of that?' said I. 'I
have,' said he: 'here is a ring that my mother gave me at my father's
request.' I took hold of the ring, and saw my name on it: and the matter
was beyond doubt. I said to him, 'I am your father, and here are two
half-brothers of yours. We are now stronger for going in quest of the
daughter of the King of the Universe. Four piles are stronger than three
piles.' We spent that night cheerily and comfortably together in the
hut.
"On the morrow we met a soothsayer, and he spoke to us: 'You are going
in quest of the daughter of the King of the Universe. I will tell you
where she is: she is with the Son of the Blackbird.'
"Machkan-na-skaya-jayrika then went and called for combat with a hundred
fully trained heroes, or the sending out to him of the daughter of the
King of the Universe. The hundred went out; and he and they began on
each other, and he killed every one of them. The Son of the Wet Mantle
called for combat with another hundred, or the sending out of the
daughter of the King of the Universe. He killed that hundred with the
short spear. The Son of Secret called for combat with another hundred,
or the daughter of the King of the Universe. He killed every one of
these with the short spear. I then went out to the field, and sounded a
challenge on the shield, and made the town tremble. The Son of the
Blackbird had not a man to send out: he had to come out himself; and he
and I began on each other, and I drew the short spear, and swept his
head off. I then went into the castle, and took out the daughter of the
King of the Universe. It was thus that it fared with me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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