The Gobaun Saor had to make a journey to look at trees that were growing
in the forest, and the King’s Son guarded his anvil. And at night a Fua
came out of the river and flung great stones, striving to drive him away
from the anvil. He ran down to the river bank to drive it away, but the
creature caught him in its long arms and tried to drown him in the deep
water. The King of Ireland’s Son was near his death, but he broke away
from the Fua, and when the creature caught him again, he dragged it up
the bank and held it against a tree. “I will give you the mastery of
all arts because you have mastered me,” said the Fua. “I do not want the
mastery of arts, but maybe you can tell me where to find the Sword
of Light.” “You want to know that--do you?” said the Fua, and then it
twisted from him and went into the river.
The Fua came the next night and flung stones as before, and the King’s
Son wrestled with it in the very middle of the river, and held him
so that he could not get to the other bank. “I will give you heaps of
wealth because you have mastered me,” said the creature with the big
eyes and the long arms. “Not wealth, but the knowledge of where to
come on the Sword of Light is what I want from you,” said the King of
Ireland’s Son. But the Fua twisted from him and ran away again.
The next night the Fua came again, and the King’s Son wrestled with him
in the middle of the river and followed him up the other bank, and held
him against a tree. “I will give you the craft that will make you
the greatest of Kings, because you have mastered me.” “Not craft, but
knowledge of where the Sword of Light is, I want from you,” said the
King’s Son. “Only one of the People of Light can tell you that,” said
the Fua. It became a small, empty sort of creature and lay on the ground
like a shadow.
The Gobaun Saor came back to his forge and his anvil. “You have guarded
my anvil for me,” he said, “and I will tell you where to go for the
Sword of Light. It is in the Palace of the Ancient Ones under the Lake.
You have an enchanted steed that can go to that Lake. I shall turn his
head, and he shall go straight to it. When you come to the edge of the
Lake pull the branches of the Fountain Tree and give the Slight Red
Steed the leaves to eat. Mount now and go.”
The King of Ireland’s Son mounted the Slight Red Steed and went
traveling again.
II
From all its branches, high and low, water was falling in little
streams. This was the Fountain Tree indeed. He did not dismount, the
King of Ireland’s Son, but pulled the branches and he gave them to the
Slight Red Steed to eat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account