Gods and Fighting Men

the fine from the sons of Tuireann th

he Evil Eye, along with them; and Bres, and Indech, son of De Domnann, a king of the Fomor, and Elat

mor, and to delay them till such time as t

four times twenty gallons of new milk, and the same of meal and fat, and they put in goats and sheep and pigs along with that, and boiled all together, and then they poured it all out into a great hole in the ground. And they called h

nd a quarter of lard a bit would be. "If the broth tastes as well as the bits taste, this is good food," he said. And he went on putting the full of the

breast and short behind, and on his feet brogues of horse hide, with the hair outside, and in his hand a wheeled fork it would take eight men to carry, so that the track he left after him was deep enough for the boundary ditch of a province. And on his way he saw the Battle-Crow, the Morrigu, washing herself in the river Un

ids, and smiths, and physicians, and law-makers, and c

omor, until their tops will be rolling on the ground. And the twelve chief mountains of Ireland will bring you their help," he said, "and will fight for you: Slieve Leag and Denda

ch, Loch Orbsen, Loch Righ, Loch Mescdhae, Loch Cuan, Loch Laeig, Loch Echach, Loch Febail, Loch Decket, Loch Riach, Mor-Loch. And we will go," they said, "to the twelve chief rivers of Ireland: the Buas, the Boinn, the Banna, the Nem, the Laoi, the Sionnan, the Muaid, the Sli

e Fomor, and I will take from them two-thirds of their bravery and their strength, and I will put sickness on their bodies, and on the bodies of their horses. But as to the men o

asy to say that," they said. "We will put enchantment on the trees and the stones and the sods of the ea

them at sunrise, and the wind from the north, and I on a hill-top and my back to a thorn-tree, and a stone and a thorn in my hand. A

or every sword that is broken and for every spear that is lost from its shaft, I will put a new one in its place. And no spear-point that will be made by my h

men in the battle?" "It is not hard to tell that," said Credne, "rivets for their spears

"what will you do?" "I will give them all they w

ry man that will be wounded there, unless his head is struck off, or his brain or his

ll do, I will do them all with only myself." "It is you are the

strength in them, so that each one had t

ne another till they came to the plain of Magh Tuireadh. That now was not the same Ma

er battle to us," said Bres to Indech, son of De Domnann. "I give my word," said Indech, "it

the battle, because of the loss his death would be to th

ces went into the battle, but only the common

uch of their own weapons as were broken or blunted in the fight lay there as they were, and such of their own men as were killed showed no sign of life on the

ing spells over the well and to be putting herbs in it; and the men that were wounded to death in the battle would be brought to the well and put into it as dead men, and they would come o

e the shaft by three cuts, and the third cut was a finish, and would set it in the ring of the spear. And when the spear-heads were stuck in the side of the forge, he would throw the shaft and the rings the way they wo

find out how these things were done. It was Ruadan, son of Bres and of Brigit daughter of the Dagda they sent, for

Goibniu the Smith was the man that hindered them most. And t

And then he asked rivets of Credne, and a shaft of the carpenter, and all was given to hi

u pulled it out and made a cast of it at Ruadan, that it went through him and he died; and Bres, his father,

he Fomor and bade each man of them bring a stone of the stones of Drinnes and throw them into the well of Slane

t was heavy news to him, and that jealousy came on him. And it is what he did, there was a spear-shaft in his hand when he heard the story, Ne

ting man of them was without good armour to his skin, and a helmet on his head, a broad spear in his right hand, a heavy sword in his belt, a stro

hey went on to the battle; and Midhir was with them, and Bodb Dearg and Diancecht

Silver Hand, their King, and Macha, daughter of Emmass, fell by Balor, King of the Fomor. And Cass-mail fell by

ening the men of Ireland to fight well, the way they would not be in bonds any longer. For it was better for them, he said, to die protecting their own country than to live under bonds and und

white skin of young fighting men. And the dashing of spear against shield, and sword against sword, and the shouting of the fighters, and the whistling of casting spears and the rattling of scabbards was like ha

talking to me." Then they raised Balor's eyelid, but Lugh made a cast of his red spear at him, that brought the eye out through the back of his head, so that it was towards his own army it fell, and thr

was not able to help him. And then the Morrigu came into the battle, and she was heartening the Tuatha de Danaan to fight the battle well; and, as she had promised the Dagda,

nd he said: "It is better for you to spare my life than to kill me. And if you spare me now," he said, "the cows of Ireland will never go dry." "I will ask an advice about that from our wise men," said Lugh. So he t

" But Maeltine said: "The spring is for ploughing and sowing, and the beginning of summer for t

ke an excuse for sparing him, Lugh said: "Tell us what is the be

the field on a Tuesday, and their reaping on a Tuesday," said Br

took it from its sheath and cleaned it. And when the sword was taken out of the sheath,

house, and in it they found Bres and his father Elathan, and there was the harp hanging on the wall. And it was in that harp the Dagda had bound the music, so that

ome winter, from the mouth of harps and bags and pipes." Then the harp spr

r women and children laughed; and then he played the sleepy tune, and all the hosts fell asleep. And through that sleep the three went away through the Fomor that would have been glad to harm them. And when all was over, the Dagda broug

ll of flowers, and a great desire came on him to reach to that plain, and he went on till he came to it, and there he died. And when his grave was made there, a lake burst out over it and over the whole plain, and it was given the name of Loch Cé. And there were but four men of t

ctory to the hosts and to the royal heights of Ireland and to its chief rivers and its invers, and it is what

we number the stars of the sky, or flakes of snow, or the dew on the grass, or

the Men of Dea then, and it

that built the Fort of the Hostages in Teamhair, to clear away the wood of Cuan, the way there could be a gathering of the people around her grave. So he

nd he ordered fires to be kindled, and keening to be made, and games and sports to be held in the summer

Magh Tuireadh, and he gave her in marriage to Tadg, son of Nuada. And the children that were born to th