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018 - The Sea Maiden · Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales

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  Speaker 1: Section seventeen of Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales edited by Joseph Jacobs, Section seventeen,
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  Speaker 1: The Sea Maiden. There was once a poor old fisherman,
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  Speaker 1: and one year he was not getting much fish. On
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  Speaker 1: a day of days while he was fishing, there rose
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  Speaker 1: a sea maiden at the side of his boat, and
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  Speaker 1: she asked him, are you getting much fish? The old
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  Speaker 1: man answered and said not I What reward would you
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  Speaker 1: give me for sending plenty of fish to you? Ah,
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  Speaker 1: said the old man, I have not much to spare.
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  Speaker 1: Will you give me the first son you have? Said she.
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  Speaker 1: I would give you that were I to have a son,
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  Speaker 1: said he. Then go home and remember me when your
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  Speaker 1: son is twenty years of age, and you yourself will
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  Speaker 1: get plenty of fish. After this, everything happened as the
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  Speaker 1: sea maiden said, and he himself got plenty of fish.
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  Speaker 1: But when the end of the twenty years was nearing,
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  Speaker 1: the old man was growing more and more sorrowful and
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  Speaker 1: heavy hearted, while he counted each day as it came.
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  Speaker 1: He had rest neither day nor night. The son asked
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  Speaker 1: his father one day, is anyone troubling you? The old
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  Speaker 1: man said, some one is, but that's not to do
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  Speaker 1: with you or any one else. The lad said, I
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  Speaker 1: must know what it is. His father told him at
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  Speaker 1: last how the matter was with him and the sea maiden.
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  Speaker 1: Let not that put you in any trouble, said the son.
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  Speaker 1: I will not oppose you. You shall not. You shall
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  Speaker 1: not go, my son, though I never get fish any more,
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  Speaker 1: If you will not let me go with you, go
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  Speaker 1: to the smithy and let the smith make me a
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  Speaker 1: great strong sword, and I will go seek my fortune.
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  Speaker 1: His father went to the smithy, and the smith made
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  Speaker 1: a doughty sword for him. His father came home with
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  Speaker 1: the sword. The lad grasped it and gave it a
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  Speaker 1: shake or two, and it flew into a hundred splinters.
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  Speaker 1: He asked his father to go to the smithy and
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  Speaker 1: get him another sword, in which there should be twice
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  Speaker 1: as much weight. And so his father did, and so
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  Speaker 1: likewise it happened. To the next sword. It broke in
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  Speaker 1: two halves. Back went the old man to the smithy
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  Speaker 1: and the smith made a great sword, its like he
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  Speaker 1: never made before. There's thy sword for thee, said the smith.
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  Speaker 1: And the fists must be good that plays this blade.
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  Speaker 1: The old man gave the sword to his son. He
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  Speaker 1: gave it a shake or two. This will do, said he.
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  Speaker 1: It's high time now to travel on my way. On
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  Speaker 1: the next morning, he put a saddle on a black
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  Speaker 1: horse that his father had, and he took the world
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  Speaker 1: for his pillow. When he went on a bit, he
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  Speaker 1: fell in with the carcass of a sheep beside the road,
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  Speaker 1: and there were a great black dog, a falcon, and
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  Speaker 1: an otter, and they were quarreling over the spoil. So
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  Speaker 1: they asked him to divide it for them. He came
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  Speaker 1: down off the horse, and he divided the carcass amongst
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  Speaker 1: the three three shares to the dog, two shares to
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  Speaker 1: the otter, and a share to the falcon. For this,
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  Speaker 1: said the dog. If swiftness of foot or sharpness of
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  Speaker 1: tooth will give thee aid, mind me and I will
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  Speaker 1: be at thy side, said the otter. If the swimming
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  Speaker 1: of foot on the ground of a pool will loose thee,
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  Speaker 1: mind me and I will be at thy side, said
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  Speaker 1: the falcon. If hardship comes upon thee, where swiftness of
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  Speaker 1: wing or crook of claw will do good, mind me,
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  Speaker 1: and I will be at thy side. On this he
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  Speaker 1: went onward till he reached a king's house, and he
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  Speaker 1: took service to be a herd, and his wages were
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  Speaker 1: to be according to the milk of the cattle. He
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  Speaker 1: went away with the cattle, and the grazing was but
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  Speaker 1: bare in the evening when he took them home, they
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  Speaker 1: had not much milk. The place was so bare, and
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  Speaker 1: his meat and drink was but spare that night. On
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  Speaker 1: the next day he he went on further with them,
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  Speaker 1: and at last he came to a place exceedingly grassy,
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  Speaker 1: in a green glen of which he never saw the like.
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  Speaker 1: But about the time when he should drive the cattle homewards,
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  Speaker 1: who should he see coming but a great giant with
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  Speaker 1: a sword in his hand. Hi ho ho garasch, says
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  Speaker 1: the giant. Those cattle are mine, they are on my land.
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  Speaker 1: And a dead man art thou I say not? That
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  Speaker 1: says the herd. There is no knowing, But that may
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  Speaker 1: be easier to say than to do. He drew the great, clean,
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  Speaker 1: sweeping sword, and he neared the giant, the herd drew
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  Speaker 1: back his sword, and the head was off the giant
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  Speaker 1: in a twinkling. He leaped on the black horse, and
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  Speaker 1: he went to look for the giant's house. In went
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  Speaker 1: the herd, and that's the place where there was money
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  Speaker 1: in plenty, and dresses of each kind in the wardrobe,
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  Speaker 1: with gold and silver, and each thing finer than the other.
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  Speaker 1: At the mouth of night, he took himself to the
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  Speaker 1: king's house. But he took not a thing from the
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  Speaker 1: giant's house. And when the cattle were milked this night
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  Speaker 1: there was milk. He got good feeding this night, meat
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  Speaker 1: and drink without stint, and the king was hugely pleased
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  Speaker 1: that he had caught such a herd. He went on
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  Speaker 1: for a time in this way, but at last the
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  Speaker 1: glen grew bare of grass, and the grazing was not
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  Speaker 1: so good. So he thought he would go a little
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  Speaker 1: further forward in on the giant's land, and he sees
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  Speaker 1: a great park of grass. He returned for the cattle,
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  Speaker 1: and he put them into the park. They were but
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  Speaker 1: a short time grazing in the park, when a great
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  Speaker 1: wild giant came full of rage and madness. Hai Ha hogreitch,
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  Speaker 1: said the giant. It is a drink of thy blood
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  Speaker 1: that will quench my thirst this night. There is no knowing,
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  Speaker 1: said the herd. But that's easier to say than to do.
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  Speaker 1: And at each other went the men. There was shaking
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  Speaker 1: of blades at length, and at last it seemed as
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  Speaker 1: if the giant would get the victory over the herd.
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  Speaker 1: Then he called on the dog, and with one spring,
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  Speaker 1: the black dog caught the giant by the neck, and
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  Speaker 1: swiftly the herd struck off his head. He went home
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  Speaker 1: very tired this night, but it's a wonder if the
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  Speaker 1: king's cattle had not milk. The whole family was delighted
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  Speaker 1: that they had got such a herd. Next day he
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  Speaker 1: betakes himself to the castle. When he reached the door,
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  Speaker 1: a little flattering Carlin met him standing in the door.
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  Speaker 1: All hail and good luck to thee Fisher's son. Tis
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  Speaker 1: I myself am pleased to see THEE. Great is the
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  Speaker 1: honor for this kingdom, for thy like to be come
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  Speaker 1: into it. Thy coming in is fame for this little Bothy.
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  Speaker 1: Go in first honor to the gentles. Go on and
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  Speaker 1: take breath in before me, thou crone, I like not flattery.
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  Speaker 1: Out of doors, go in, and let's hear thy speech.
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  Speaker 1: In went the crone, and when her back was to him,
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  Speaker 1: he drew his sword and whips her head off, But
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  Speaker 1: the sword flew out of his hand, and swift the
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  Speaker 1: crone gripped her head with both hands and puts it
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  Speaker 1: on her neck as it was before. The dog sprang
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  Speaker 1: on the crone, and she struck the generous dog with
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  Speaker 1: the club of magic, and there he lay. But the
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  Speaker 1: herd struggled for a hold of the club of magic,
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  Speaker 1: and with one blow on the top of the head,
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  Speaker 1: she was on earth. In the twinkling of an eye.
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  Speaker 1: He went forward up a little, and there was spoil,
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  Speaker 1: gold and silver, and each thing more precious than another
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  Speaker 1: in the crone's castle. He went back to the king's house,
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  Speaker 1: and there was rejoicing. He followed herding in this way
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  Speaker 1: for a time. But one night after he came home,
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  Speaker 1: instead of getting all hail and good luck from the
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  Speaker 1: dairy maid, all were at crying in woe. He asked
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  Speaker 1: what cause of woe there was that night. The dairy
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  Speaker 1: maid said, there is a great beast with three heads
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  Speaker 1: in the lock, and it must get some one every year,
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  Speaker 1: and the lot had come this year on the king's daughter.
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  Speaker 1: And at midday tomorrow she is to meet the ladly
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  Speaker 1: beast at the upper end of the loch. But there
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  Speaker 1: is a great suitor yonder who is going to rescue her.
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  Speaker 1: What suitor is that, said the herd. Oh, he is
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  Speaker 1: the great general of arms, said the dairy maid. And
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  Speaker 1: and when he kills the beast, he will marry the
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  Speaker 1: king's daughter. For the king has said that he who
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  Speaker 1: could save his daughter should get her to marry. But
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  Speaker 1: on the morrow, when the time grew near, the king's
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  Speaker 1: daughter and this hero of arms went to give a
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  Speaker 1: meeting to the beast, and they reached the black rock
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  Speaker 1: at the upper end of the lock. They were but
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  Speaker 1: a short time there when the beast stirred in the
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  Speaker 1: midst of the lock. But when the general saw this
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  Speaker 1: terror of a beast with three heads, he took fright,
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  Speaker 1: and he slunk away, and he hid himself. And the
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  Speaker 1: king's daughter was under fear and under trembling, with no
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  Speaker 1: one at all to save her. Suddenly she sees a doughty,
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  Speaker 1: handsome youth riding a black horse, and coming where she was.
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  Speaker 1: He was marvelously arrayed and full armed, and his black
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  Speaker 1: dog moved after him. There is gloom on your face, girl,
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  Speaker 1: said the youth. What do you hear? Oh, that's no matter,
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  Speaker 1: said the King's daughter. It's not long I'll be here
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  Speaker 1: at all events. I say not that said he. A
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  Speaker 1: champion fled as likely as you, and not long since,
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  Speaker 1: said she. He is a champion who stands the war,
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  Speaker 1: said the youth. And to meet the beast. He went
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  Speaker 1: with his sword and his dog. But there was a
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  Speaker 1: spluttering and splashing between himself and the beast. The dog
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  Speaker 1: kept doing all he might, and the king's daughter was
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  Speaker 1: palsied by fear of the noise of the beast. One
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  Speaker 1: of them would now be under and now above. But
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  Speaker 1: at last he cut one of the heads off it.
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  Speaker 1: It gave one roar, and the son of Earth echo
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  Speaker 1: of the rocks called to its screech, and it drove
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  Speaker 1: the lock in spin drift from end to end, and
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  Speaker 1: in a twinkling it went out of sight. Good luck
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  Speaker 1: and victory follow you, lad, said the King's daughter. I
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  Speaker 1: am safe for one night, but the beast will come
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  Speaker 1: again and again until the other two heads come off it.
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  Speaker 1: He caught the beast's head and he drew a knot
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  Speaker 1: through it, and he told her to bring it with
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  Speaker 1: her there tomorrow. She gave him a gold ring and
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  Speaker 1: went home with the head on her shoulder, and the
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  Speaker 1: herd betook himself to the cows. But she had not
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  Speaker 1: gone far when this great general saw her, and he
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  Speaker 1: said to her, I will kill you if you do
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  Speaker 1: not say twas I took the head off the beast. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: says she tis, I will say it. Who else took
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  Speaker 1: the head off the beast but you. They reached the
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  Speaker 1: King's house, and the head was on the general's shoulder.
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  Speaker 1: But here was rejoicing that she should come home alive
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  Speaker 1: and whole, and this great captain with the beast's head
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  Speaker 1: full of blood in hand. On the morrow they went away,
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  Speaker 1: and there was no question at all but that this
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  Speaker 1: hero would save the king's daughter. They reached the same place,
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  Speaker 1: and they were not long there when the fearful ladly
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  Speaker 1: beast stirred in the midst of the loch, and the
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  Speaker 1: hero slunk away as he did on yesterday. But it
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  Speaker 1: was not long after this when the man of the
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  Speaker 1: black horse came with another dress. On no matter, she
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  Speaker 1: knew that it was the very same lad, it is,
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  Speaker 1: I am pleased to see you, said she. I am
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  Speaker 1: in hopes you will handle your great sword to day
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  Speaker 1: as you did yesterday. Come up and take breath. But
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  Speaker 1: they were not long there when they saw the beast
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  Speaker 1: steaming in the midst of the lock. At once he
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  Speaker 1: went to meet the beast, but there was klooperstyke and
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  Speaker 1: clapperstitch spluttering, splashing, raving and roaring on the beast. They
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  Speaker 1: kept at it thus for a long time, and about
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  Speaker 1: the mouth of the night he cut another head off
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  Speaker 1: the beast. He put it on the knot and gave
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  Speaker 1: it to her. She gave him one of her earrings,
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  Speaker 1: and he leaped on the black horse, and he betook
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  Speaker 1: himself to the herding. The king's daughter went home with
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  Speaker 1: the heads. The general met her and took the heads
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  Speaker 1: from her, And he said to her that she must
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  Speaker 1: tell that it was he who took the head off
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  Speaker 1: the beast this time. Also who else took the head
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  Speaker 1: off the beast? But you, said she They reached the
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  Speaker 1: king's house with the heads. Then there was joy and
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  Speaker 1: gladness about the same time. On the morrow the two
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  Speaker 1: went away. The officer hid himself, as he usually did,
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  Speaker 1: the king's daughter betook herself to the bank of the loch.
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  Speaker 1: The hero of the black Horse came, and if roaring
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  Speaker 1: and raving were on the beast on the days that
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  Speaker 1: were past this day, it was horrible, but no matter.
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  Speaker 1: He took the third head off the beast and drew
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  Speaker 1: it through the knot and gave it to her. She
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  Speaker 1: gave him her other earring, and then she went home
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  Speaker 1: with the heads. When they reached the king's house, all
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  Speaker 1: were full of smiles, and the general was to marry
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  Speaker 1: the king's daughter the next day. The wedding was going on,
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  Speaker 1: and every one about the castle longing till the priest
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  Speaker 1: should come. But when the priest came, she would marry
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  Speaker 1: only the one who could take the heads off the
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  Speaker 1: knot without cutting it. Who should take the heads off
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  Speaker 1: the knot? But the man that put the heads on,
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  Speaker 1: said the king. The general tried them, but he could
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  Speaker 1: not loose them. And at last there was no one
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  Speaker 1: about the house but had tried to take the heads
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  Speaker 1: off the knot, but they could not. The king asked
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  Speaker 1: if there were any one else about the house that
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  Speaker 1: would try to take the heads off the knot. They
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  Speaker 1: said that the herd had not tried them yet. Word
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  Speaker 1: went for the herd, and he was not long throwing
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  Speaker 1: them h hisather and thither. But stop a bit, my lad,
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  Speaker 1: said the king's daughter. The man that took the heads
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  Speaker 1: off the beast, he has my ring and my two
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  Speaker 1: ear rings. The herd put his hand in his pocket,
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  Speaker 1: and he threw them on the board. Thou art, my man,
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  Speaker 1: said the king's daughter. The king was not so pleased
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  Speaker 1: when he saw that it was a herd who was
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  Speaker 1: to marry his daughter, but he ordered that he should
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  Speaker 1: be put in a better dress. But his daughter spoke,
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  Speaker 1: and she said that he had a dress as fine
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  Speaker 1: as any that was ever in his castle. And thus
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  Speaker 1: it happened. The herd put on the giant's golden dress,
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  Speaker 1: and they married that same day. They were now married,
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  Speaker 1: and everything went on well but one day, and it
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  Speaker 1: was the namesake of the day when his father had
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  Speaker 1: promised him to the sea maiden. They were sauntering by
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  Speaker 1: the side of the loch, and lo and behold she
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  Speaker 1: came and took him away to the loch without leave
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  Speaker 1: or asking. The king's daughter was now mournful, tearful, blind,
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  Speaker 1: sorrowful for her married man. She was always with her
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  Speaker 1: eye on the lock. An old soothsayer met her, and
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  Speaker 1: she told how it had befallen her married mate. Then
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  Speaker 1: he told her the thing to do to save her mate,
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  Speaker 1: and that she did. She took her harp to the
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  Speaker 1: sea shore and sat and played, and the sea maiden
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  Speaker 1: came up to listen, For sea maidens are fonder of
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  Speaker 1: music than all other creatures. But when the wife saw
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  Speaker 1: the sea maiden, she stopped. The sea maiden said play on,
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  Speaker 1: but the princess said, no, not till I see my
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  Speaker 1: man again. So the sea maiden put up his head
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  Speaker 1: out of the lock. Then the princess played again and
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  Speaker 1: stopped till the sea maiden put him up to the waists.
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  Speaker 1: Then the princess played and stopped again, and this time
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  Speaker 1: the sea put him all out of the lock. And
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  Speaker 1: he called on the falcon and became one and flew
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  Speaker 1: on shore. But the sea maiden took the princess his wife.
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  Speaker 1: Sorrowful was each one that was in the town on
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  Speaker 1: this night. Her man was mournful, tearful, wandering down and
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  Speaker 1: up about the banks of the loch by day and night.
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  Speaker 1: The old soothsayer met him. The soothsayer told him that
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  Speaker 1: there was no way of killing the sea Maiden, but
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  Speaker 1: the one way, and this is it. In the island
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  Speaker 1: that is in the midst of the loch is the
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  Speaker 1: white footed Hind, of the slenderest legs and the swiftest step.
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  Speaker 1: And though she be caught, there will spring a hoodie
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  Speaker 1: out of her. And though the hoodie should be caught,
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  Speaker 1: there will spring a trout out of her. But there
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  Speaker 1: is an egg in the mouth of the trout, and
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  Speaker 1: the soul of the sea Maiden is in the egg.
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  Speaker 1: And if the egg breaks, she is dead. Now there
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  Speaker 1: was no way of getting to this island, for the
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  Speaker 1: sea Maiden would sink each boat and raft that would
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  Speaker 1: go on the lock. He thought he would try to
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  Speaker 1: leap the strait with the black horse, and even so
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  Speaker 1: he did. The black horse leaped the strait. He saw
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  Speaker 1: the hind, and he let the black dog after her.
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  Speaker 1: But when he was on one side of the island,
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  Speaker 1: the Hind would be on the other side. Oh, would
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  Speaker 1: the black dog of the carcass of flesh were here.
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  Speaker 1: No sooner spoke he the word, than the grateful dog
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  Speaker 1: was at his side, And after the Hind he went,
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  Speaker 1: and they were not long in bringing her to earth.
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  Speaker 1: But he no sooner caught her than a hoodie sprang
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  Speaker 1: out of her. Would that the falcon, gray, of sharpest
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  Speaker 1: eye and swiftest wing were here. No sooner said he this,
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  Speaker 1: than the falcon was after the hoodie. And she was
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  Speaker 1: not long putting her to earth. And as the hoodie
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  Speaker 1: fell on the bank of the loch, out of her
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  Speaker 1: jumps the trout, Oh that thou wert by me, Now
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  Speaker 1: o otter, No sooner said than the otter was at
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  Speaker 1: his side, and out on the lock. She leaped and
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: brings the trout from the midst of the loch. But
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: no sooner was the otter on shore with the trout
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: than the egg came from his mouth. He sprang and
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: put his foot on it. Twas then the sea maiden appeared,
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: and she said, break not the egg, and you shall
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: get all you ask. Deliver to me my wife. In
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: the wink of an eye, she was by his side.
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: When he got hold of her hand in both his hands.
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: He let his foot down on the egg, and the
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: sea maiden died. End of section seventeen