Folklore -- Ireland -- Juvenile literature; Folklore -- Wales -- Juvenile literature
"Where have ye lived not to know that?" cried the shepherd.
"Everyone in the world ought to know that this is the Castle of
Thornogre Thistlehair, Chief of the Giants."
"And who art thou?" they asked.
"I am Constantine, the brother of Thorn ogre Thistlehair," replied
the man, with an angry look. "A fine brother indeed has he been to
me! He has taken from me all my lands and possessions, and now I am
obliged to earn a living by feeding his sheep."
Then he asked them why they came, and when they replied that they
were seeking for Olwen, daughter of Thornogre Thistlehair, he sadly
shook his head.
"Alas!" he said, "no one ever tried to find her and returned from
this place alive. Go back at once, lest ye all perish also."
"That will we never do!" cried Kilhugh; and the Champions echoed his
words.
Then Constantine inquired who Kilhugh was, and when he heard, he
cried out that he was his own nephew, and begged that he and his
comrades would spend a night at his house, and to this they readily
agreed. And as a mark of affection Kilhugh gave his uncle a golden
ring; but it was much too small for the giant, who put it forthwith
into the finger of one of the gloves which hung from his belt as a
sign of his rank as chieftain. Then he signalled to his dog, who
immediately began to drive the sheep towards home.
When they reached the house the giant entered first, and gave his
wife his gloves to hold. She soon pulled out the ring, and at once
began to question him about it; so he told her that their nephew
Kilhugh, with six comrades, was even then dismounting at the door.
Then the shepherd's wife was glad, and ran forth with hands
outstretched to clasp him in her arms; but so big and strong was she
that, as Kai quickly saw, no knight could survive her embrace. So as
she threw her arms round Kilhugh's neck, he snatched up a log of
firewood, and pushed it into her arms instead of the young prince;
and when she unloosed it, it was twisted out of all shape. It was
somewhat to their relief, therefore, when she took them into the
house without further embracing, and set them down to supper. This
was a very frugal meal, and served with great simplicity, for
Thornogre had not left his brother so much as a silver goblet or a
single chair in his barren hall.
When they had supped, the shepherd's wife asked Kai and Uriel to stay
behind after the rest had gone out to the courtyard, and, taking them
to the chimney-corner, she opened a great stone box. As she lifted
the lid, to their amazement a beautiful boy with golden, curly hair
rose up from within.
"Pity indeed," exclaimed Uriel, "to keep so handsome a child shut up
here. What hath he done?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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