How Ian Direach Got
the Blue Falcon
Long ago a king and
queen ruled over the islands of the west, and they had one son, whom they loved
dearly. The boy grew up to be tall and strong and handsome, and he could run
and shoot, and swim and dive better than any lad of his own age in the country.
Besides, he knew how to sail about, and sing songs to the harp, and during the
winter evenings, when everyone was gathered round the huge hall fire shaping
bows or weaving cloth, Ian Direach would tell them tales of the deeds of his
fathers.
So the time slipped
by till Ian was almost a man, as they reckoned men in those days, and then his
mother the queen died. There was great mourning throughout all the isles, and
the boy and his father mourned her bitterly also; but before the new year came
the king had married another wife, and seemed to have forgotten his old one.
Only Ian remembered.
On a morning when
the leaves were yellow in the trees of the glen, Ian slung his bow over his
shoulder, and filling his quiver with arrows, went on to the hill in search of
game. But not a bird was to be seen anywhere, till at length a blue falcon flew
past him, and raising his bow he took aim at her. His eye was straight and his
hand steady, but the falcon's flight was swift, and he only shot a feather from
her wing. As the sun was now low over the sea he put the feather in his game
bag, and set out homewards.
'Have you brought me
much game to-day?' asked his stepmother as he entered the hall.
'Nought save this,'
he answered, handing her the feather of the blue falcon, which she held by the
tip and gazed at silently. Then she turned to Ian and said:
'I am setting it on
you as crosses and as spells, and as the fall of the year! That you may always
be cold, and wet and dirty, and that your shoes may ever have pools in them,
till you bring me hither the blue falcon on which that feather grew.'
'If it is spells you
are laying I can lay them too,' answered Ian Direach; 'and you shall stand with
one foot on the great house and another on the castle, till I come back again,
and your face shall be to the wind, from wheresoever it shall blow.' Then he
went away to seek the bird, as his stepmother bade him; and, looking homewards
from the hill, he saw the queen standing with one foot on the great house, and
the other on the castle, and her face turned towards whatever tempest should
blow.
On he journeyed,
over hills, and through rivers till he reached a wide plain, and never a
glimpse did he catch of the falcon. Darker and darker it grew, and the small
birds were seeking their nests, and at length Ian Direach could see no more,
and he lay down under some bushes and sleep came to him. And in his dream a
soft nose touched him, and a warm body curled up beside him, and a low voice
whispered to him:
'Fortune is against
you, Ian Direach; I have but the cheek and the hoof of a sheep to give you, and
with these you must be content.' With that Ian Direach awoke, and beheld Gille
Mairtean the fox.
Between them they
kindled a fire, and ate their supper. Then Gille Mairtean the fox bade Ian
Direach lie down as before, and sleep till morning. And in the morning, when he
awoke, Gille Mairtean said:
'The falcon that you
seek is in the keeping of the Giant of the Five Heads, and the Five Necks, and
the Five Humps. I will show you the way to his house, and I counsel you to do
his bidding, nimbly and cheerfully, and, above all, to treat his birds kindly,
for in this manner he may give you his falcon to feed and care for. And when
this happens, wait till the giant is out of his house; then throw a cloth over
the falcon and bear her away with you. Only see that not one of her feathers
touches anything within the house, or evil will befall you.'
'I thank you for
your counsel,' spake Ian Direach, 'and I will be careful to follow it.' Then he
took the path to the giant's house.
'Who is there?'
cried the giant, as someone knocked loudly on the door of his house.
'One who seeks work
as a servant,' answered Ian Direach.
'And what can you
do?' asked the giant again.
'I can feed birds
and tend pigs; I can feed and milk a cow, and also goats and sheep, if you have
any of these,' replied Ian Direach.
'Then enter, for I
have great need of such a one,' said the giant.
So Ian Direach
entered, and tended so well and carefully all the birds and beasts, that the
giant was better satisfied than ever he had been, and at length he thought that
he might even be trusted to feed the falcon. And the heart of Ian was glad, and
he tended the blue falcon till his fathers shone like the sky, and the giant
was well pleased; and one day he said to him:
'For long my
brothers on the other side of the mountain have besought me to visit them, but
never could I go for fear of my falcon. Now I think I can leave her with you
for one day, and before nightfall I shall be back again.'
Scarcely was the
giant out of sight next morning when Ian Direach seized the falcon, and
throwing a cloth over her head hastened with her to the door. But the rays of
the sun pierced through the thickness of the cloth, and as they passed the
doorpost she gave a spring, and the tip of one of her feathers touched the
post, which gave a scream, and brought the giant back in three strides. Ian
Direach trembled as he saw him; but the giant only said:
'If you wish for my
falcon you must first bring me the White Sword of Light that is in the house of
the Big Women of Dhiurradh.'
'And where do they
live?' asked Ian. But the giant answered:
'Ah, that is for you
to discover.' And Ian dared say no more, and hastened down to the waste. There,
as he hoped, he met his friend Gille Mairtean the fox, who bade him eat his
supper and lie down to sleep. And when he had wakened next morning the fox said
to him:
'Let us go down to
the shore of the sea.' And to the shore of the sea they went. And after they
had reached the shore, and beheld the sea stretching before them, and the isle
of Dhiurradh in the midst of it, the soul of Ian sank, and he turned to Gille
Mairtean and asked why he had brought him thither, for the giant, when he had
sent him, had known full well that without a boat he could never find the Big
Women.
'Do not be cast
down,' answered the fox, 'it is quite easy! I will change myself into a boat,
and you shall go on board me, and I will carry you over the sea to the Seven
Big Women of Dhiurradh. Tell them that you are skilled in brightening silver
and gold, and in the end they will take you as servant, and if you are careful
to please them they will give you the White Sword of Light to make bright and
shining. But when you seek to steal it, take heed that its sheath touches
nothing inside the house, or ill will befall you.'
So Ian Direach did
all things as the fox had told him, and the Seven Big Women of Dhiurradh took
him for their servant, and for six weeks he worked so hard that his seven mistresses
said to each other: 'Never has a servant had the skill to make all bright and
shining like this one. Let us give him the White Sword of Light to polish like
the rest.'
Then they brought
forth the White Sword of Light from the iron closet where it hung, and bade him
rub it till he could see his face in the shining blade; and he did so. But one
day, when the Seven Big Women were out of the way, he bethought him that the moment
had come for him to carry off the sword, and, replacing it in its sheath, he
hoisted it on his shoulder. But just as he was passing through the door the tip
of the sheath touched it, and the door gave a loud shriek. And the Big Women
heard it, and came running back, and took the sword from him, and said:
'If it is our sword
you want, you must first bring us the bay colt of the King of Erin.'
Humbled and ashamed,
Ian Direach left the house, and sat by the side of the sea, and soon Gille
Mairtean the fox came to him.
'Plainly I see that
you have taken no heed to my words, Ian Direach,' spoke the fox. 'But eat
first, and yet once more will I help you.'
At these words the
heart returned again to Ian Direach, and he gathered sticks and made a fire and
ate with Gille Mairtean the fox, and slept on the sand. At dawn next morning
Gille Mairtean said to Ian Direach:
'I will change
myself into a ship, and will bear you across the seas to Erin, to the land
where dwells the king. And you shall offer yourself to serve in his stable, and
to tend his horses, till at length so well content is he, that he gives you the
bay colt to wash and brush. But when you run away with her see that nought
except the soles of her hoofs touch anything within the palace gates, or it
will go ill with you.'
After he had thus
counselled Ian Direach, the fox changed himself into a ship, and set sail for
Erin. And the king of that country gave into Ian Direach's hands the care of
his horses, and never before did their skins shine so brightly or was their
pace so swift. And the king was well pleased, and at the end of a month he sent
for Ian and said to him:
'You have given me
faithful service, and now I will entrust you with the most precious thing that
my kingdom holds.' And when he had spoken, he led Ian Direach to the stable
where stood the bay colt. And Ian rubbed her and fed her, and galloped with her
all round the country, till he could leave one wind behind him and catch the
other which was in front.
'I am going away to
hunt,' said the king one morning while he was watching Ian tend the bay colt in
her stable. 'The deer have come down from the hill, and it is time for me to
give them chase.' Then he went away; and when he was no longer in sight, Ian
Direach led the bay colt out of the stable, and sprang on her back. But as they
rode through the gate, which stood between the palace and the outer world, the
colt swished her tail against the post, which shrieked loudly. In a moment the
king came running up, and he seized the colt's bridle.
'If you want my bay
colt, you must first bring me the daughter of the king of the Franks.'
With slow steps went
Ian Direach down to the shore where Gille Mairtean the fox awaited him.
'Plainly I see that
you have not done as I bid you, nor will you ever do it,' spoke Gille Mairtean
the fox; 'but I will help you yet again. for a third time I will change myself
into a ship, and we will sail to France.'
And to France they
sailed, and, as he was the ship, the Gille Mairtean sailed where he would, and
ran himself into the cleft of a rock, high on to the land. Then, he commanded
Ian Direach to go up to the king's palace, saying that he had been wrecked,
that his ship was made fast in a rock, and that none had been saved but himself
only.
Ian Direach listened
to the words of the fox, and he told a tale so pitiful, that the king and
queen, and the princess their daughter, all came out to hear it. And when they
had heard, nought would please them except to go down to the shore and visit
the ship, which by now was floating, for the tide was up. Torn and battered was
she, as if she had passed through many dangers, yet music of a wondrous
sweetness poured forth from within.
'Bring hither a
boat,' cried the princess, 'that I may go and see for myself the harp that
gives forth such music.' And a boat was brought, and Ian Direach stepped in to
row it to the side of the ship.
To the further side
he rowed, so that none could see, and when he helped the princess on board he
gave a push to the boat, so that she could not get back to it again. And the
music sounded always sweeter, though they could never see whence it came, and
sought it from one part of the vessel to another. When at last they reached the
deck and looked around them, nought of land could they see, or anything save
the rushing waters.
The princess stood
silent, and her face grew grim. At last she said:
'An ill trick have
you played me! What is this that you have done, and whither are we going?'
'It is a queen you
will be,' answered Ian Direach, 'for the king of Erin has sent me for you, and
in return he will give me his bay colt, that I may take him to the Seven Big
Women of Dhiurradh, in exchange for the White Sword of Light. This I must carry
to the giant of the Five Heads and Five Necks and Five Humps, and, in place of
it, he will bestow on me the blue falcon, which I have promised my stepmother,
so that she may free me from the spell which she has laid on me.'
'I would rather be
wife to you,' answered the princess.
By-and-by the ship
sailed into a harbour on the coast of Erin, and cast anchor there. And Gille
Mairtean the fox bade Ian Direach tell the princess that she must bide yet a
while in a cave amongst the rocks, for they had business on land, and after a
while they would return to her. Then they took a boat and rowed up to some
rocks, and as they touched the land Gille Mairtean changed himself into a fair
woman, who laughed, and said to Ian Direach, 'I will give the king a fine
wife.'
Now the king of Erin
had been hunting on the hill, and when he saw a strange ship sailing towards
the harbour, he guessed that it might be Ian Direach, and left his hunting, and
ran down to the hill to the stable. Hastily he led the bay colt from his stall,
and put the golden saddle on her back, and the silver bridle over his head, and
with the colt's bridle in his hand, he hurried to meet the princess.
'I have brought you
the king of France's daughter,' said Ian Direach. And the king of Erin looked
at the maiden, and was well pleased, not knowing that it was Gille Mairtean the
fox. And he bowed low, and besought her to do him the honour to enter the palace;
and Gille Mairtean, as he went in, turned to look back at Ian Direach, and
laughed.
In the great hall
the king paused and pointed to an iron chest which stood in a corner.
'In that chest is
the crown that has waited for you for many years,' he said, 'and at last you
have come for it.' And he stooped down to unlock the box.
In an instant Gille
Mairtean the fox had sprung on his back, and gave him such a bite that he fell
down unconscious. Quickly the fox took his own shape again, and galloped away
to the sea shore, where Ian Direach and the princess and the bay colt awaited
him.
'I will become a
ship,' cried Gille Mairtean, 'and you shall go on board me.' And so he did, and
Ian Direach let the bay colt into the ship and the princess went after them,
and they set sail for Dhiurradh. The wind was behind them, and very soon they
saw the rocks of Dhiurradh in front. Then spoke Gille Mairtean the fox:
'Let the bay colt
and the king's daughter hide in these rocks, and I will change myself into the
colt, and go with you to the house of the Seven Big Women.'
Joy filed the hearts
of the Big Women when they beheld the bay colt led up to their door by Ian
Direach. And the youngest of them fetched the White Sword of Light, and gave it
into the hands of Ian Direach, who took off the golden saddle and the silver
bridle, and went down the hill with the sword to the place where the princess
and the real colt awaited him.
'Now we shall have
the ride that we have longed for!' cried the Seven Big Women; and they saddled
and bridled the colt, and the eldest one got upon the saddle. Then the second
sister sat on the back of the first, and the third on the back of the second, and
so on for the whole seven. And when they were all seated, the eldest struck her
side with a whip and the colt bounded forward. Over the moors she flew, and
round and round the mountains, and still the Big Women clung to her and snorted
with pleasure. At last she leapt high in the air, and came down on top of
Monadh the high hill, where the crag is. And she rested her fore feet on the
crag, and threw up her hind legs, and the Seven Big Women fell over the crag,
and were dead when they reached the bottom. And the colt laughed, and became a
fox again and galloped away to the sea shore, where Ian Direach, and the
princess and the real colt and the White Sword of Light were awaiting him.
'I will make myself
into a ship,' said Gille Mairtean the fox, 'and will carry you and the
princess, and the bay colt and the White Sword of Light, back to the land.' And
when the shore was reached, Gille Mairtean the fox took back his own shape, and
spoke to Ian Direach in this wise:
'Let the princess
and the White Sword of Light, and the bay colt, remain among the rocks, and I
will change myself into the likeness of the White Sword of Light, and you shall
bear me to the giant, and, instead, he will give you the blue falcon.' And Ian
Direach did as the fox bade him, and set out for the giant's castle. From afar
the giant beheld the blaze of the White Sword of Light, and his heart rejoiced;
and he took the blue falcon and put it in a basket, and gave it to Ian Direach,
who bore it swiftly away to the place where the princess, and the bay colt, and
the real Sword of Light were awaiting him.
So well content was
the giant to possess the sword he had coveted for many a year, that he began at
once to whirl it through the air, and to cut and slash with it. For a little
while Gille Mairtean let the giant play with him in this manner; then he turned
in the giant's hand, and cut through the Five Necks, so that the Five Heads
rolled on the ground. Afterwards he went back to Ian Direach and said to him:
'Saddle the colt
with the golden saddle, and bridle her with the silver bridle, and sling the
basket with the falcon over your shoulders, and hold the White Sword of Light
with its back against your nose. Then mount the colt, and let the princess
mount behind you, and ride thus to your father's palace. But see that the back
of the sword is ever against your nose, else when your stepmother beholds you,
she will change you into a dry faggot. If, however, you do as I bid you, she
will become herself a bundle of sticks.'
Ian Direach
hearkened to the words of Gille Mairtean, and his stepmother fell as a bundle
of sticks before him; and he set fire to her, and was free from her spells for
ever. After that he married the princess, who was the best wife in all the
islands of the West. Henceforth he was safe from harm, for had he not the bay
colt who could leave one wind behind her and catch the other wind, and the blue
falcon to bring him game to eat, and the White Sword of Light to pierce through
his foes?
And Ian Direach knew
that all this he owed to Gille Mairtean the fox, and he made a compact with him
that he might choose any beast out of his herds, whenever hunger seized him,
and that henceforth no arrow should be let fly at him or at any of his race.
But Gille Mairtean the fox would take no reward for the help he had given to
Ian Direach, only his friendship. Thus all things prospered with Ian Direach
till he died.
[From Tales of the
West Highlands.]
0 Comments
If you have any Misunderstanding Please let me know