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037 - Giants - The Giant's Stairs · Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

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  Speaker 1: Section number thirty six of Faery and Folk Tales of
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  Speaker 1: the Irish Peasantry. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
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  Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
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  Speaker 1: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Kyle B.
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  Speaker 1: Jones Kyle B. Jones vo dot com. Ferry and Folktales
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  Speaker 1: the Irish Peasantry, edited and selected by W. B. Yeats,
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  Speaker 1: Section number thirty six Giants. When the pagan gods of Ireland,
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  Speaker 1: the two off de Donjan, robbed of worship and offerings,
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  Speaker 1: grew smaller and smaller in the popular imagination until they
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  Speaker 1: turned into the fairies. The pagan heroes grew bigger and bigger,
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  Speaker 1: until they turned into giants. The Giants Stairs t crofton Croker,
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  Speaker 1: on the road between Passage and Cork, there is an
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  Speaker 1: old mansion called Ronan's Court. It may be easily known
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  Speaker 1: from the stack of chimneys and the gable ends which
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  Speaker 1: are to be seen. Look at it which way you will.
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  Speaker 1: Here it was that Maurice Ronan and his wife Margaret
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  Speaker 1: Gould kept house, and may be learned to this day
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  Speaker 1: from the great old chimney piece on which has carved
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  Speaker 1: their arms. They were a mighty worthy couple, and had
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  Speaker 1: but one son, who was called Philip, after no less
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  Speaker 1: a person than the King of Spain. Immediately on his
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  Speaker 1: smelling the cold air of this world, the child sneezed,
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  Speaker 1: which was naturally betaken for a good sign of his
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  Speaker 1: having a clear head, And the subsequent rapidity of his
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  Speaker 1: learning was truly amazing. From the very day a palmer
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  Speaker 1: was put into his hands, he tore out the a
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  Speaker 1: d see page and destroyed it as a thing quite
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  Speaker 1: beneath his notice. No wonder then that both father and
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  Speaker 1: mother were proud of their heir, who gave such indisputable
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  Speaker 1: proof of genius, or as they called it in that
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  Speaker 1: part of the world, genis. One morning, however, Master Film,
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  Speaker 1: who was then just seven years old, was missing, and
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  Speaker 1: Noah could tell what had become of him. Servants were
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  Speaker 1: sitting in all directions to seek him, on horseback and
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  Speaker 1: on foot, but they returned without any tidings of the boy,
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  Speaker 1: whose disappearance altogether was most unaccountable. A large reward was offered,
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  Speaker 1: but it produced them no intelligence, and years rolled away
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  Speaker 1: without mister and missus Ronang having obtained any satisfatory account
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  Speaker 1: of the fate of their lost child. There lived at
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  Speaker 1: this time near Carngeln one Robert Kelly, a blacksmith by
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  Speaker 1: tr He was what termed a handyman, and the abilities
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  Speaker 1: were held in much estimation by the lads and the
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  Speaker 1: lasses of the neighborhood. For independent of shoeing horses, which
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  Speaker 1: he did a great perfection in making plow irons, he
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  Speaker 1: interpreted dreams to the young women sung Arthur o' bradley
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  Speaker 1: at their weddings, and was such a good natured fellow
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  Speaker 1: at a christening that he was gossip to half the
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  Speaker 1: country round. Now it happened that Robin had a dream himself,
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  Speaker 1: and young Philip Ronien appeared to him in it at
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  Speaker 1: the dead hour of the night. Robin thought he saw
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  Speaker 1: the boy mounted upon a beautiful white horse, and then
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  Speaker 1: he told him how he was made a page to
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  Speaker 1: the giant Mahon mac Mahon, who had carried him off,
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  Speaker 1: and who held his court in the hard heart of
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  Speaker 1: the rock. The seven years my time of service are
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  Speaker 1: clean out, Robin said he. And if you release me
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  Speaker 1: this night, I will be making of you forever after.
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  Speaker 1: How will I know, said Robin, cunning enough, even in
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  Speaker 1: his sleep but this is all a dream. Take that,
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  Speaker 1: said the boy for a token, and at the word,
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  Speaker 1: the white horse struck out with one of his hind
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  Speaker 1: legs and gave poor Robin such a kick in the
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  Speaker 1: forehead that, thinking he was a dead man, he roared
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  Speaker 1: as loud as he could after his brains, and woke up,
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  Speaker 1: calling a thousand murders. He found himself in bed, but
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  Speaker 1: he had the mark of the blow, the regular pred
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  Speaker 1: of a horseshoe upon his forehead, as red as blood.
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  Speaker 1: And Robin Kelly, who never before found himself puzzled at
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  Speaker 1: the dream of any other person, did not know what
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  Speaker 1: to think of his own. Robin was well acquainted with
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  Speaker 1: the giant stairs, as indeed who is not that knows
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  Speaker 1: the harbor. They consist of great masses of rock, which
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  Speaker 1: piled one above another, rise like a flight of steps
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  Speaker 1: from very deep water against the bold cliff of carrying
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  Speaker 1: a mahn. Nor were they badly suited for stairs to
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  Speaker 1: those who have legs of sufficient length to stride over
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  Speaker 1: a moderate sized house, or to enable them to clear
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  Speaker 1: the space of a mile in a hop step and
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  Speaker 1: jump both these feats. The giant MacMahon was said to
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  Speaker 1: have performed in the day as of Finnian glory, and
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  Speaker 1: the common tradition of the country places dwelling within the cliff,
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  Speaker 1: up whose side the stairs led. Such was the impression
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  Speaker 1: which the dream made on Robin that he determined to
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  Speaker 1: put its truth to the test. It occurred to him, however,
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  Speaker 1: before setting out on this adventure, that a plow iron
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  Speaker 1: may be no bad companion, as from experience he knew
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  Speaker 1: was an excellent knocked down argument, having on more occasions
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  Speaker 1: than one subtle of disagreement. Very quietly, so putting one
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  Speaker 1: on his shoulder, off he marched in the cool of
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  Speaker 1: the evening the glone a twowk the Hawk's glen Tonkstown,
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  Speaker 1: Here an old gossip of his Tom Clancy by name lived, who,
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  Speaker 1: on hearing Robin's dream, promised him the use of his skiff,
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  Speaker 1: and moreover offered to assist in rowing it to the
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  Speaker 1: giant stairs. After his supper, which was of the best,
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  Speaker 1: they embarked. It was a beautiful still night, and the
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  Speaker 1: little boat glided swiftly along the regular dip of the oars.
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  Speaker 1: The distant song of the sailor, and sometimes the voice
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  Speaker 1: of a bleeded traveler at the ferry of carrying below
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  Speaker 1: alone broke the quietness of the land and the sea
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  Speaker 1: and sky. The tide was in their favor, and in
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  Speaker 1: a few minutes Robin and his gossip rested on their
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  Speaker 1: oars under the dark shadow of the giant stairs. Robin
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  Speaker 1: looked anxiously for the entrance of the Giant's palace, which
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  Speaker 1: it was said to be found by any one seeking
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  Speaker 1: it at midnight. But no such entrance could he see.
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  Speaker 1: His impatience had hurried him there before that time, and
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  Speaker 1: after waiting a considerable space in a state of suspense
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  Speaker 1: not to be described, Robin, with pure vexation, could not
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  Speaker 1: help exclaiming to his companion, tis a pair of fools.
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  Speaker 1: We are, Tom Clancy, for coming here at all on
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  Speaker 1: the strength of a dream. And who's doing is that?
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  Speaker 1: Said Tom? But you're wrong. At the moment he spoke,
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  Speaker 1: they perceived a faint glimmering of light to proceed from
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  Speaker 1: the cliff, which gradually increased until the porch, being enough
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  Speaker 1: for a king's palace, unfolded itself almost on a level
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  Speaker 1: with the water. They pulled the skiff directly towards the opening,
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  Speaker 1: and Robin Kelly, seizing his plow arm boldly entered with
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  Speaker 1: a strong hand and a stout heart. Wild and strange
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  Speaker 1: was that entrance, the whole of which appeared formed of
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  Speaker 1: grim and grotesque faces, blending so strangely each with the
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  Speaker 1: other that it was impossible to find any The chin
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  Speaker 1: of one, for the nose of another would appear to
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  Speaker 1: be a fixed and stern eye. It dwelt upon changed
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  Speaker 1: to a gaping mouth, and the lines the lofty forehead
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  Speaker 1: grew into a majestic and flowing beard. The more Robin
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  Speaker 1: allowed himself to contemplate the forms around him, the more
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  Speaker 1: terrific they became, and the stony expression on the crowd
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  Speaker 1: of faces assumed a savage ferocity as his imagination and
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  Speaker 1: converted feature to her feature into a different shape and character.
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  Speaker 1: Losing the twilight in which these indefinite forms were visible,
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  Speaker 1: he advanced through a dark and devious passage, whilst a
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  Speaker 1: deep and rumbling noise sounded, as if the rock was
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  Speaker 1: about to close upon him and swallow him up live
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  Speaker 1: forever now. Indeed, poor Robin felt afraid, Robin Robin, He said,
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  Speaker 1: if you were a fool for coming here, what in
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  Speaker 1: the name of fortune are you now? But as before
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  Speaker 1: he had scared farcely spoken, when he saw a small
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  Speaker 1: light twinkling through the darkness of the distance, like a
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  Speaker 1: star of the midnight sky. To retreat was out of
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  Speaker 1: the question, for so many turnings and windings around the
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  Speaker 1: passage that he considered he had but little chance of
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  Speaker 1: making his way back. He therefore proceeded towards the bit
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  Speaker 1: of light, and came at last into a spacious chamber,
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  Speaker 1: from the roof of which hung the solitary lamp that
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  Speaker 1: had guided him Emerging for such profound gloom, the single
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  Speaker 1: lamp afforded rob an abundant light to discover several gigantic
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  Speaker 1: figures seated around a massive stone table, as if in
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  Speaker 1: serious deliberation. But no word disturbed the breathless silence which prevailed.
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  Speaker 1: At the head of the table sat Mahon mac mahon himself,
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  Speaker 1: whose majestic beard had taken root and in the course
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  Speaker 1: of ages, grown into the stone slab. He was the
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  Speaker 1: first to proceed. Robin an In, instantly starting up, drew
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  Speaker 1: his long beard from out of the huge piece of rock.
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  Speaker 1: In such haste was so sudden a jerk that it
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  Speaker 1: was shattered into a thousand pieces. What seek you he
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  Speaker 1: demanded a voice of thunder. I come, answered Robin, with
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  Speaker 1: as much boldness as he could put on, for his
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  Speaker 1: heart was almost fainting with him. I come, said he
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  Speaker 1: to claim Philip Ronan, whose time of service is out
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  Speaker 1: this night, and who sent you here, said the Giant.
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  Speaker 1: Twas my own accord that I came, said Robin. Then
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  Speaker 1: you must single him out from among my pages, said
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  Speaker 1: the Giant. And if you fix it on the wrong one,
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  Speaker 1: your life is forfeit. Follow me. He led Robin into
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  Speaker 1: a hall of vast extent and filled with lights, along
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  Speaker 1: either side of which were rows of beautiful chies, all
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  Speaker 1: apparently seven years old, and none beyond that age, dressed
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  Speaker 1: in green, and everyone exactly dressed alike. Here, said Mahon.
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  Speaker 1: You are free to take Philip ronyed if you will,
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  Speaker 1: but remember I give you but one choice. Robin was
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  Speaker 1: sadly perplexed, for there were hundreds upon hundreds of children,
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  Speaker 1: and he had no very clear recollition of the boy
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  Speaker 1: he sought. But he walked on the hall by the
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  Speaker 1: side of Mahone as if nothing was the matter, although
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  Speaker 1: his great iron dress clanked fearfully at every step, sounded
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  Speaker 1: louder than Robin's own sledge, battering on his anvil. They
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  Speaker 1: had nearly reached the end without speaking, when Robin, seeing
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  Speaker 1: that the only means he had was to make friends
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  Speaker 1: with the giant, determined to try what effect a few
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  Speaker 1: soft words might have. Tis a fine wholesome appearance the
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  Speaker 1: poor children carry, remarked Robin. Although they have been here
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  Speaker 1: so long, shut out from the fresh air and the
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  Speaker 1: blessed light of heaven, tis tenderly your honor must have
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  Speaker 1: reared them. Aye, said the giant. That is true for you.
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  Speaker 1: So give me your hand, for you are, I believe,
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  Speaker 1: a very honest fellow for a blacksmith. Robin at first looked,
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  Speaker 1: did not much light the huge size of the hand,
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  Speaker 1: and therefore presented his plow iron, which the giants, seizing,
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  Speaker 1: twisted in his grap round and round again, as if
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  Speaker 1: it had been a potato stalk. On seeing this, all
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  Speaker 1: the children set up a shout of laughter. In the
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  Speaker 1: midst of the mirth, Robin thought he heard his name called,
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  Speaker 1: and all ear and eye he put his hand on
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  Speaker 1: the boy whom he fancied has spoken, crying out at
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  Speaker 1: the same time, let me live or die, for but
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  Speaker 1: this is young phil Ronan. It is Philip Rounan. Happy,
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  Speaker 1: Philip Rounan, said his young companions, and in an instant
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  Speaker 1: the hall became dark. Crashing noises were heard, and all
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  Speaker 1: was in strange confusion. But Robin held fast his prize
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  Speaker 1: and found himself lying in the gray dawn of the
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  Speaker 1: morning at the head of the giant stairs, with the
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  Speaker 1: boy clasped in his arms. Robin had plenty of gossips
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  Speaker 1: to spread the story of his wonderful adventure passage Monkstown,
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  Speaker 1: carrying Gelene, the whole barony of Karen Couturi rung with it.
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  Speaker 1: Are you quite sure, Robin, is young philliw run me
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  Speaker 1: in you have brought back with you? Was the regular question,
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  Speaker 1: For although the boy had been seven years away, his
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  Speaker 1: appearance now was just the same as on the day
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  Speaker 1: he was missed. He had neither grown taller nor older
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  Speaker 1: in look, and he spoke of things which had happened
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  Speaker 1: before he was carried off, as one awakened from sleep,
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  Speaker 1: or as if they had occurred yesterday. Am I sure? Well?
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  Speaker 1: That's a queer question, was Robin's reply, Seeing the boy
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  Speaker 1: as the blue eye of his mother, and the foxy
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  Speaker 1: here the father to say nothing of the perty reward
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  Speaker 1: on the right side of his nose. However, Robin Kelly
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  Speaker 1: may have been questioned, the worthy couple of Ronyan's court
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  Speaker 1: doubted not that he was delivered of their child. The
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  Speaker 1: power of the giant mac mahon and the reward they
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  Speaker 1: bestowed on him equaled their gratitude. Philip Ronyan lived to
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  Speaker 1: be an old man, and he was remarkable to the
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  Speaker 1: day of his death for his skill on working brass
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  Speaker 1: and iron, which is believed he had learned during his
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  Speaker 1: seven years apprenticeship to the giant Mahone mac mahon. End
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  Speaker 1: of section number thirty six, recording by Kyle B. Jones