The tale of the Unnamed servant of Murchadh Mac Brian
here's the translation of the story I posted yesterday.
There were three men in the country of Chinn a Choire in Ireland, they were Murchadh Mac Brian, and Donnachadh Mac Brian, and Brian Boru, their father. They got an invitation to go to dinner at a place that they called the Plain of the Fist. They took with them 60 knives, and 60 bridles (srian - bridle; sreang - charm against the evil eye), and 60 white horses with red ears (fairy horses?).
They sat at the feast but no sooner had they sat at the feast that they saw the gruagach, the sorceror of Cnoc Seanain of Ireland go by.
Then out went Murchadh, then out went Donnachadh, and then out went Brian Boru, their father after them.
It wasn't long after they went out when they saw a large young man coming toward them. Brian Boru hailed him in the old way with the binding spell of peace, his words eloquent, melodious and calm (am briathran fisniche, foisniche, fìle, mìle, ciùin an seanachas - the words ?, peaceable, eloquent, sweet and calm the old/traditional way). He answered in better words, and if they were not better, then they were of no less value.
"What man are you?" asked Brian Boru.
"I'm a good servant wanting a master."
"All the powers of the world against you beast. Do you wish to hang and the appearance of blood about your eyes? It would be long before I would hire you at your size."
"I don't care anyway; perhaps Murchadh would hire me." He went to Murchadh, and Murchadh hailed him in the old way with the binding spell of peace, his words eloquent, melodious and calm. He answered in better words, and if they were not better, then they were of no less value.
"What man are you?" said Murchadh.
"I am a good servant wanting a master," he said.
"What pay would you be wanting?"
"Two thirds of your counsel (company?) until we come from chasing the gruagach, and one to be your own."
"If you get that," said Murchadh, "no man got it before, and no man will get it after you; but certainly if you would not honour it you would not ask it."
When they had agreed, he rushed off after the gruagach, but he wasn't gone long when he returned.
"All the powers of the world against you," said Brian Boru, "do you wish to be hung with the appearance of blood about your eyes? I knew that he was without a servant at the beginning of the day, the man who hired you, and if he had taken my advice, he wouldn't have hired you."
"I can't do a good job today until the buttons come off my big coat."
They got a tailor yonder, but it wasn't in the tailor's power to take the buttons off the great coat. He (the servant) took a pair of scissors out of the rim of small hat, and he took the buttons off his great coat in a minute. He rushed off after the gruagach again, but he wasn't gone long when he returned.
"All the powers of the world against you," said Brian Boru, "do you wish to be hung with the appearance of blood about your eyes? I knew that he was without a servant at the beginning of the day, the man who hired you, and if he had taken my advice, he wouldn't have hired you."
"I can't do a good job today until the buttons come on my big coat again. Or if the ladies of the town see me, every one of them will be after me."
They got a tailor, but scissors would not cut a bit nor the needle sew a stitch. He (the servant) himself took scissors adn needle from the rim of his small hat, and he put the buttons on his great coat again. He rushed off again after the gruagach, but he wasn't gone long when he returned.
"All the powers of the world against you," said Brian Boru, "do you wish to be hung with the appearance of blood about your eyes? I knew that he was without a servant at the beginning of the day, the man who hired you, and if he had taken my advice, he wouldn't have hired you."
"I can't do a good job today until the thorn comes out of my foot."
They got a doctor yonder, but it wasn't in the power of the doctor to remove the thorn from his foot. He himself took out a small iron from the rim of his small hat, he took the thorn from his foot, and that thorn was a foot longer than his shank.
"Oh my goodness!" said Brian Boru, "That is a wondrous matter, that thorn is longer than the shank!"
"Many things," he said, "are more wondrous than that; there is good stretching at the ends of the joints and bones."
He took a little rush after than but he wasn't gone long when he returned and he had a wild duck, roasted on teh fire, without a bit burned or raw on it, and it was enough to satify every one within.
"This is the best work you've done so far," said Brian Boru.
"I will not do a good job today until I get a little wink of sleep."
They went behind Knock Seanain of Ireland, behind the wind, out of the sun where they could see every on and no one could see them. He slept then and when he woke, there was the gruagach of Knock Seanain on the top of the hill.
He rose and he struck his hand on his ear, and he put his head on back to front.
"All the powers of the world against you," said Brian Boru. "Do you want to hang with the appearance of blood about your eyes? Put the head to right on the gruagach."
"If my master wants that of me, I will do it, but unless he asks than I won't do it for you today."
"There you have her," said Murchadh. "Do what you want."
He struck him with his fist and he knocked his brains out.
Some comments
- the word "gruagach" can mean maiden (which is how J.F. Campbell translated it) but it can also mean sorceror, chieftain or brownie - and, in fact, I usually read it as a sorceror of one of the Faerie courts. It makes less than no sense to me that three great warriors would want to murder a maiden, or that it would take a giant so long to capture one. (strictly speaking, he never did catch the gruagach in a race, but from ambush).
- the big servant (Gilmore) sounds like one of the fey, perhaps a giant given Brian Boru's reaction to him.
- there is an adjective used to describe the words of greeting given to Gilmore by Brian Boru and Murchadh Mac Brian - fisniche. There is a word that might fit which means "prophecy, divination" - I am assuming that upon meeting such a fearsome being, the two would seek to ensure that he would be friendly toward them and not inimical. But I don't understand why Brian is so insulting there-after.
- I'm wondering if the gruagach cast spells or charms to hinder the race - that the great coat would bind Gilmore so that he couldn't run; that women seeing Gilmore's "nakedness" would be compelled to chase after him; that he would be lamed by a thorn
I get the impression of Gilmore that he was very large and strong, fleet of foot and attractive in face and form. I also wonder why in a story named for Murchadh Mac Brian, so much attention is paid to an anonymous character and to another. My thought is that Gilmore asked as payment that two thirds of the people with Murchadh would help him in the chase, including Brian Boru, and that Murchadh would take the remaining third with himself.
the most puzzling thing to me is ... why why why does Brian Boru keep saying "All the powers of the earth against thee, do you wish to hang with the seeming of blood about your eyes?" Is this some indication of a war Brian is carrying out against the Otherfolk?
There were three men in the country of Chinn a Choire in Ireland, they were Murchadh Mac Brian, and Donnachadh Mac Brian, and Brian Boru, their father. They got an invitation to go to dinner at a place that they called the Plain of the Fist. They took with them 60 knives, and 60 bridles (srian - bridle; sreang - charm against the evil eye), and 60 white horses with red ears (fairy horses?).
They sat at the feast but no sooner had they sat at the feast that they saw the gruagach, the sorceror of Cnoc Seanain of Ireland go by.
Then out went Murchadh, then out went Donnachadh, and then out went Brian Boru, their father after them.
It wasn't long after they went out when they saw a large young man coming toward them. Brian Boru hailed him in the old way with the binding spell of peace, his words eloquent, melodious and calm (am briathran fisniche, foisniche, fìle, mìle, ciùin an seanachas - the words ?, peaceable, eloquent, sweet and calm the old/traditional way). He answered in better words, and if they were not better, then they were of no less value.
"What man are you?" asked Brian Boru.
"I'm a good servant wanting a master."
"All the powers of the world against you beast. Do you wish to hang and the appearance of blood about your eyes? It would be long before I would hire you at your size."
"I don't care anyway; perhaps Murchadh would hire me." He went to Murchadh, and Murchadh hailed him in the old way with the binding spell of peace, his words eloquent, melodious and calm. He answered in better words, and if they were not better, then they were of no less value.
"What man are you?" said Murchadh.
"I am a good servant wanting a master," he said.
"What pay would you be wanting?"
"Two thirds of your counsel (company?) until we come from chasing the gruagach, and one to be your own."
"If you get that," said Murchadh, "no man got it before, and no man will get it after you; but certainly if you would not honour it you would not ask it."
When they had agreed, he rushed off after the gruagach, but he wasn't gone long when he returned.
"All the powers of the world against you," said Brian Boru, "do you wish to be hung with the appearance of blood about your eyes? I knew that he was without a servant at the beginning of the day, the man who hired you, and if he had taken my advice, he wouldn't have hired you."
"I can't do a good job today until the buttons come off my big coat."
They got a tailor yonder, but it wasn't in the tailor's power to take the buttons off the great coat. He (the servant) took a pair of scissors out of the rim of small hat, and he took the buttons off his great coat in a minute. He rushed off after the gruagach again, but he wasn't gone long when he returned.
"All the powers of the world against you," said Brian Boru, "do you wish to be hung with the appearance of blood about your eyes? I knew that he was without a servant at the beginning of the day, the man who hired you, and if he had taken my advice, he wouldn't have hired you."
"I can't do a good job today until the buttons come on my big coat again. Or if the ladies of the town see me, every one of them will be after me."
They got a tailor, but scissors would not cut a bit nor the needle sew a stitch. He (the servant) himself took scissors adn needle from the rim of his small hat, and he put the buttons on his great coat again. He rushed off again after the gruagach, but he wasn't gone long when he returned.
"All the powers of the world against you," said Brian Boru, "do you wish to be hung with the appearance of blood about your eyes? I knew that he was without a servant at the beginning of the day, the man who hired you, and if he had taken my advice, he wouldn't have hired you."
"I can't do a good job today until the thorn comes out of my foot."
They got a doctor yonder, but it wasn't in the power of the doctor to remove the thorn from his foot. He himself took out a small iron from the rim of his small hat, he took the thorn from his foot, and that thorn was a foot longer than his shank.
"Oh my goodness!" said Brian Boru, "That is a wondrous matter, that thorn is longer than the shank!"
"Many things," he said, "are more wondrous than that; there is good stretching at the ends of the joints and bones."
He took a little rush after than but he wasn't gone long when he returned and he had a wild duck, roasted on teh fire, without a bit burned or raw on it, and it was enough to satify every one within.
"This is the best work you've done so far," said Brian Boru.
"I will not do a good job today until I get a little wink of sleep."
They went behind Knock Seanain of Ireland, behind the wind, out of the sun where they could see every on and no one could see them. He slept then and when he woke, there was the gruagach of Knock Seanain on the top of the hill.
He rose and he struck his hand on his ear, and he put his head on back to front.
"All the powers of the world against you," said Brian Boru. "Do you want to hang with the appearance of blood about your eyes? Put the head to right on the gruagach."
"If my master wants that of me, I will do it, but unless he asks than I won't do it for you today."
"There you have her," said Murchadh. "Do what you want."
He struck him with his fist and he knocked his brains out.
Some comments
- the word "gruagach" can mean maiden (which is how J.F. Campbell translated it) but it can also mean sorceror, chieftain or brownie - and, in fact, I usually read it as a sorceror of one of the Faerie courts. It makes less than no sense to me that three great warriors would want to murder a maiden, or that it would take a giant so long to capture one. (strictly speaking, he never did catch the gruagach in a race, but from ambush).
- the big servant (Gilmore) sounds like one of the fey, perhaps a giant given Brian Boru's reaction to him.
- there is an adjective used to describe the words of greeting given to Gilmore by Brian Boru and Murchadh Mac Brian - fisniche. There is a word that might fit which means "prophecy, divination" - I am assuming that upon meeting such a fearsome being, the two would seek to ensure that he would be friendly toward them and not inimical. But I don't understand why Brian is so insulting there-after.
- I'm wondering if the gruagach cast spells or charms to hinder the race - that the great coat would bind Gilmore so that he couldn't run; that women seeing Gilmore's "nakedness" would be compelled to chase after him; that he would be lamed by a thorn
I get the impression of Gilmore that he was very large and strong, fleet of foot and attractive in face and form. I also wonder why in a story named for Murchadh Mac Brian, so much attention is paid to an anonymous character and to another. My thought is that Gilmore asked as payment that two thirds of the people with Murchadh would help him in the chase, including Brian Boru, and that Murchadh would take the remaining third with himself.
the most puzzling thing to me is ... why why why does Brian Boru keep saying "All the powers of the earth against thee, do you wish to hang with the seeming of blood about your eyes?" Is this some indication of a war Brian is carrying out against the Otherfolk?