Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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The Fate of the Children of Tuirenn A Story from the mythology of the Celtic People Into the council strode Lugh demanding a hearing of all present. Oh, King! What would you demand of those who had murdered your father? ' ' ' 1 should command them to be torn limb from limb ' All present confirmed the king ' s statement and Lugh, looking earnestly at Brian, Tuchar and Tucharba, the sons of Tuirenn, said ' The murderers themselves agree, but I demand only a blood fine. Tuchar and Tucharba were anxious to admit their guilt, but Brian fearing that Lugh might change his mind said, ' ' We shall pay your blood ' fine even though we did not kill your father, in order that there may be peace. ' Then hear the blood fine. Three apples, a pig ' skin, a spear, two horses and a chariot, seven pigs, a hound ' whelp, a cooking spit and three shouts on a hill top. Will you pledge yourselves to this? If it is too great, I will remit a part. The sons of Tuirenn, thankful to find that their lives were not in jeopardy, pledged themselves to do as Lugh asked. Then Lugh said, Now hearken! The apples must be brought from the Garden of the Hesperides; they are the si2;e of a small baby ' s head and of the colour of burnished gold. They have the power of healing and when thrown they find out the object of attack, kill it and then return to the hand that threw them. The pigskin is the pigskin of Tuis, King of Greece. It has a power of healing and if dipped into a stream, that stream for the space of nine days flows with wine. The spear is the poisoned spear of Pisear King of Persia. It is irresistible in battle and it is so fiery that it must be kept under water so that it destroy not the place where it is. The two horses and chariot are those of Dobhar, ' King of Sicily. The horses are the swiftest in the world and they run over land and water h ' -; ' Tsio. re e ivj, with equal ease, while the chariot is the finest ever p«Ar to ft-Mxrv made. The seven pigs are the pigs of EasaP of the Golden Pillars. They can be killed and yet on the next day they are alive again; besides any man who has eaten of them cannot be touched by disease. The hound ' whelp is that of the King of Tornadhe . She is called Failinis; every wild animal she sees she immediately catches. The cooking ' spit must be brought from the women of the Island of Fianchiuve which is at the bottom of the sea between Erin and Alba. The three shouts, I have demanded, must be given on the hill called Cnoe Miodhchaoin . Miodhchaoin and his sons do not allow shouting on that hill. So now you know the nature of the blood fine you have promised to pay me. The sons of Tuirenn set out, sailing in a magical coracle to the Hesperides. They they transformed themselves into hawks and flew to the Garden. When they had plucked the apples from the bough, the daughters of the King of the Isles turned themselves into ospreys and pursued Pronunciation: Pezar. - Asal. - ' Troda. Fincara ' ' Midhena. [30]

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Spring has come, whispers Robin, Flowers awake, oh, can ' t you see, That the great red jolly sun Says, Awake and joyous be. Flowers lift your coloured faces. Wake and see the snowflakes run; They ' re afraid, for don ' t you see. Spring has come, Spring has come. Spring has come, whispers Robin, Birds awake, sing and fly. Sing a song of joy and Springtime For don ' t you hear that joyous cry? Bluebird, show us your bright plumage. Lark, herald that the day has come. Let us all unite in chorus : Spring has come, Spring has come. Verse: Janet Cameron, Form IL Drawing: Ethel Renouf, Form IL [2H

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the three hawks. On reaching the shore the hawks became swans and in this form they regained their coracle where once more they resumed human form. From there they sailed to Greece, where, disguised as bards, they came into the king ' s presence and were stationed with other bards apart from the crowd of courtiers in their long robes. When their turn came they sang songs in praise of him, mentioning his pigskin. The kmg did not realize the meaning of this and, when Brian asked for it as a reward for his song, refused to give it him but said that he should have as much gold as would fill the pigskin three times and that he should have it measured out to him immediately in the public hall. The gold was just going to be measured when Brian and his brothers seizied the pigskin and, before the bewildered Greeks had time to realize what was happening, were hewing their way to the shore and safety. Their next task was more difficult. The King of Persia was angry with them for presuming to ask for his spear as a reward for their songs in his praises and would have had them killed but Brian, remembering the power of his apples took one and threw it at the king, dashing his brains out. Then followed a mighty battle in which the sons of Tuirenn came off as victors and the Persians were forced to give back the spear. On arriving in Sicily the three brothers thought that it would be unwise to pretend to be bards again so they hired themselves to Dobhar as mercenary soldiers. After six weeks when there had been no sign of the chariot and horses, the sons of Tuirenn went to Dobhar and said that as he did not trust them enough to shew them his greatest treasures, they would leave him. But Dobhar protested that if they had asked they might have seen them long ago, and at once he had the horses and chariots brought out, driving them himself. Brian leaped into the chariot as it passed, killing Dobhar with Pisear ' s spear, then when his brothers were in the chariot he drove off like the wind. The seven pigs were easily gained. When Easal of the Golden Pillars heard who they were he gave them the pigs and went with them to try to persuade the King of Tornadhe to give up the hound ' whelp, Failinis. He had a reasonable hope that he might have some influence over the king, as the latter was his son ' in ' law, but his pleading was in vain. Brian, Tochar, and Tocharba fought for one day against the warriors of Tornadhe and finally defeated them. On the next search only Brian went. He put on his water- dress, as the chronicles call it, which must have been some sort of crude diver ' s suit as he is described as wearing a transparency of glass on his head. After wandering for fourteen days on the bot ' tom of the ocean he at last found the Island of Fianchiuve, where the sea maidens were so astonished at his daring and strength that they gave him the cooking spit without question and then sent him back to his brothers in safety. As they were returning Lugh cast a spell over them, making them forget the last of their tasks. He did this because he wanted to get the things they had fought for, because if they took them to Cnoe Miodhchaoin, Miodhchaoin might keep them. Then Lugh went away arranging that the spoils might be left with the king un- til he returned. . When the sons of Tuirenn had given up the spoils to the king, Lugh returned and reminded them of the last part of their promise. Sorrowfully they went to complete the number of their tasks. But Miodhchaoin was waiting for them and on seeing them he went out to fight them and was killed. Then Core, Conn and Aedh rushed out to avenge their father ' s death and though they were killed Brian, Tochar and Tocharba were mortally wounded. The chronicles say that they were wounded so sorely that a bird might have flown through them from side to side. Leaning on each other they contrived to stand upright and give three feeble shouts, then slowly and painfully they made their way back to the coracle which bore them to their father. Him they sent to Lugh to beg him to lend them the magic pigskin to heal their wounds. But [31]