The Mythology of the British Islands: An Introduction to Celtic Myth, Legend, Poetry, and RomanceSquire, Charles
General
The Mythology of the British Islands: An Introduction to Celtic Myth, Legend, Poetry, and Romance
Squire, Charles
Celts -- Folklore; Mythology, Celtic
Lugh told this to Bress. But he also said: “You shall have your life in
return for a much less service to us than that.”
“What is it?” asked Bress.
“Tell us when we ought to plough, when we ought to sow, and when we
ought to harvest.”
Bress replied: “You should plough on a Tuesday, sow on a Tuesday, and
harvest on a Tuesday.”
And this lying maxim (says the story) saved Bress’s life.
Lugh, the Dagda, and Ogma still pursued the Fomors, who had carried off
in their flight the Dagda’s harp. They followed them into the submarine
palace where Bress and Elathan lived, and there they saw the harp
hanging on the wall. This harp of the Dagda’s would not play without its
owner’s leave. The Dagda sang to it:
“Come, oak of the two cries!
Come, hand of fourfold music!
Come, summer! Come, winter!
Voice of harps, bellows[139], and flutes!”
For the Dagda’s harp had these two names; it was called “Oak of the two
cries” and “Hand of fourfold music”.
It leaped down from the wall, killing nine of the Fomors as it passed,
and came into the Dagda’s hand. The Dagda played to the Fomors the three
tunes known to all clever harpists—the weeping-tune, the laughing-tune,
and the sleeping-tune. While he played the weeping-tune, they were bowed
with weeping; while he played the laughing-tune, they rocked with
laughter; and when he played the sleeping-tune, they all fell asleep.
And while they slept, Lugh, the Dagda, and Ogma got away safely.
Next, the Dagda brought the black-maned heifer which he had, by the
advice of Angus son of the Young, obtained from Bress. The wisdom of
Angus had been shown in this advice, for it was this very heifer that
the cattle of the people of the goddess Danu were accustomed to follow,
whenever it lowed. Now, when it lowed, all the cattle which the Fomors
had taken away from the Tuatha Dé Danann came back again.
Yet the power of the Fomors was not wholly broken. Four of them still
carried on a desultory warfare by spoiling the corn, fruit, and milk of
their conquerors. But the Morrígú and Badb and Mider and Angus pursued
them, and drove them out of Ireland for ever.[140]
Last of all, the Morrígú and Badb went up on to the summits of all the
high mountains of Ireland, and proclaimed the victory. All the lesser
gods who had not been in the battle came round and heard the news. And
Badb sang a song which began:
“Peace mounts to the heavens,
The heavens descend to earth,
Earth lies under the heavens,
Everyone is strong ...”,
but the rest of it has been lost and forgotten.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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