The Sea-maiden

: Celtic Folk And Fairy Tales

There was once a poor old fisherman, and one year he was not getting

much fish. On a day of days, while he was fishing, there rose a

sea-maiden at the side of his boat, and she asked him, "Are you

getting much fish?" The old man answered and said, "Not I." "What

reward would you give me for sending plenty of fish to you?" "Ach!"

said the old man, "I have not much to spare." "Will you give me the

first son you have?" sa d she. "I would give ye that, were I to have a

son," said he. "Then go home, and remember me when your son is twenty

years of age, and you yourself will get plenty of fish after this."

Everything happened as the sea-maiden said, and he himself got plenty

of fish; but when the end of the twenty years was nearing, the old man

was growing more and more sorrowful and heavy-hearted, while he

counted each day as it came.



He had rest neither day nor night. The son asked his father one day,

"Is any one troubling you?" The old man said, "Some one is, but that's

nought to do with you nor any one else." The lad said, "I must know

what it is." His father told him at last how the matter was with him

and the sea-maiden. "Let not that put you in any trouble," said the

son; "I will not oppose you." "You shall not; you shall not go, my

son, though I never get fish any more." "If you will not let me go

with you, go to the smithy, and let the smith make me a great strong

sword, and I will go seek my fortune."



His father went to the smithy, and the smith made a doughty sword for

him. His father came home with the sword. The lad grasped it and gave

it a shake or two, and it flew into a hundred splinters. He asked his

father to go to the smithy and get him another sword in which there

should be twice as much weight; and so his father did, and so likewise

it happened to the next sword--it broke in two halves. Back went the

old man to the smithy; and the smith made a great sword, its like he

never made before. "There's thy sword for thee," said the smith, "and

the fist must be good that plays this blade." The old man gave the

sword to his son; he gave it a shake or two. "This will do," said he;

"it's high time now to travel on my way."



On the next morning he put a saddle on a black horse that his father

had, and he took the world for his pillow. When he went on a bit, he

fell in with the carcass of a sheep beside the road. And there were a

great black dog, a falcon, and an otter, and they were quarrelling

over the spoil. So they asked him to divide it for them. He came down

off the horse and he divided the carcass amongst the three. Three

shares to the dog, two shares to the otter, and a share to the falcon.

"For this," said the dog, "if swiftness of foot or sharpness of tooth

will give thee aid, mind me, and I will be at thy side." Said the

otter, "If the swimming of foot on the ground of a pool will loose

thee, mind me, and I will be at thy side." Said the falcon, "If

hardship comes on thee, where swiftness of wing or crook of claw will

do good, mind me, and I will be at thy side."



On this he went onward till he reached a king's house, and he took

service to be a herd, and his wages were to be according to the milk

of the cattle. He went away with the cattle, and the grazing was but

bare. In the evening when he took them home they had not much milk,

the place was so bare, and his meat and drink was but spare that

night.



On the next day he went on further with them; and at last he came to a

place exceedingly grassy, in a green glen, of which he never saw the

like.



But about the time when he should drive the cattle homewards, who

should he see coming but a great giant with a sword in his hand? "HI!

HO!! HO-GARACH!!!" says the giant. "Those cattle are mine; they are on

my land, and a dead man art thou." "I say not that," says the herd;

"there is no knowing, but that may be easier to say than to do."



He drew the great clean-sweeping sword, and he neared the giant. The

herd drew back his sword, and the head was off the giant in a

twinkling. He leaped on the black horse, and he went to look for the

giant's house. In went the herd, and that's the place where there was

money in plenty, and dresses of each kind in the wardrobe with gold

and silver, and each thing finer than the other. At the mouth of night

he took himself to the king's house, but he took not a thing from the

giant's house. And when the cattle were milked this night there was

milk. He got good feeding this night, meat and drink without stint,

and the king was hugely pleased that he had caught such a herd. He

went on for a time in this way, but at last the glen grew bare of

grass, and the grazing was not so good.



So he thought he would go a little further forward in on the giant's

land; and he sees a great park of grass. He returned for the cattle,

and he put them into the park.



They were but a short time grazing in the park when a great wild giant

came full of rage and madness. "HI! HAW!! HOGARAICH!!!" said the

giant. "It is a drink of thy blood that will quench my thirst this

night." "There is no knowing," said the herd, "but that's easier to

say than to do." And at each other went the men. There was shaking

of blades! At length and at last it seemed as if the giant would get

the victory over the herd. Then he called on the dog, and with one

spring the black dog caught the giant by the neck, and swiftly the

herd struck off his head.



He went home very tired this night, but it's a wonder if the king's

cattle had not milk. The whole family was delighted that they had got

such a herd.



Next day he betakes himself to the castle. When he reached the door, a

little flattering carlin met him standing in the door. "All hail and

good luck to thee, fisher's son; 'tis I myself am pleased to see thee;

great is the honour for this kingdom, for thy like to be come into

it--thy coming in is fame for this little bothy; go in first; honour

to the gentles; go on, and take breath."



"In before me, thou crone; I like not flattery out of doors; go in and

let's hear thy speech." In went the crone, and when her back was to

him he drew his sword and whips her head off; but the sword flew out

of his hand. And swift the crone gripped her head with both hands, and

puts it on her neck as it was before. The dog sprang on the crone, and

she struck the generous dog with the club of magic; and there he lay.

But the herd struggled for a hold of the club of magic, and with one

blow on the top of the head she was on earth in the twinkling of an

eye. He went forward, up a little, and there was spoil! Gold and

silver, and each thing more precious than another, in the crone's

castle. He went back to the king's house, and there was rejoicing.



He followed herding in this way for a time; but one night after he

came home, instead of getting "All hail" and "good luck" from the

dairymaid, all were at crying and woe.



He asked what cause of woe there was that night. The dairymaid said,

"There is a great beast with three heads in the loch, and it must get

some one every year, and the lot had come this year on the king's

daughter, and at midday to-morrow she is to meet the Laidly Beast at

the upper end of the loch, but there is a great suitor yonder who is

going to rescue her."



"What suitor is that?" said the herd. "Oh, he is a great General of

arms," said the dairymaid, "and when he kills the beast, he will marry

the king's daughter, for the king has said that he who could save his

daughter should get her to marry."






But on the morrow, when the time grew near, the king's daughter and

this hero of arms went to give a meeting to the beast, and they

reached the black rock, at the upper end of the loch. They were but a

short time there when the beast stirred in the midst of the loch; but

when the General saw this terror of a beast with three heads, he took

fright, and he slunk away, and he hid himself. And the king's

daughter was under fear and under trembling, with no one at all to

save her. Suddenly she sees a doughty handsome youth, riding a black

horse, and coming where she was. He was marvellously arrayed and full

armed, and his black dog moved after him. "There is gloom on your

face, girl," said the youth; "what do you here?"



"Oh! that's no matter," said the king's daughter. "It's not long I'll

be here at all events."



--"I say not that," said he.



"A champion fled as likely as you, and not long since," said she.



"He is a champion who stands the war," said the youth. And to meet the

beast he went with his sword and his dog. But there was a spluttering

and a splashing between himself and the beast! The dog kept doing all

he might, and the king's daughter was palsied by fear of the noise of

the beast! One of them would now be under, and now above. But at last

he cut one of the heads off it. It gave one roar, and the son of

earth, echo of the rocks, called to its screech, and it drove the loch

in spindrift from end to end, and in a twinkling it went out of sight.



"Good luck and victory follow you, lad!" said the king's daughter. "I

am safe for one night, but the beast will come again and again, until

the other two heads come off it." He caught the beast's head, and he

drew a knot through it, and he told her to bring it with her there

to-morrow. She gave him a gold ring, and went home with the head on

her shoulder, and the herd betook himself to the cows. But she had

not gone far when this great General saw her, and he said to her, "I

will kill you if you do not say 'twas I took the head off the beast."

"Oh!" says she, "'tis I will say it; who else took the head off the

beast but you!" They reached the king's house, and the head was on the

General's shoulder. But here was rejoicing, that she should come home

alive and whole, and this great captain with the beast's head full of

blood in hand. On the morrow they went away, and there was no question

at all but that this hero would save the king's daughter.



They reached the same place, and they were not long there when the

fearful Laidly Beast stirred in the midst of the loch, and the hero

slunk away as he did on yesterday, but it was not long after this when

the man of the black horse came, with another dress on. No matter; she

knew that it was the very same lad. "It is I am pleased to see you,"

said she. "I am in hopes you will handle your great sword to-day as

you did yesterday. Come up and take breath." But they were not long

there when they saw the beast steaming in the midst of the loch.



At once he went to meet the beast, but there was Cloopersteich and

Claperstich, spluttering, splashing, raving, and roaring on the beast!

They kept at it thus for a long time, and about the mouth of the night

he cut another head off the beast. He put it on the knot and gave it

to her. She gave him one of her earrings, and he leaped on the black

horse, and he betook himself to the herding. The king's daughter went

home with the heads. The General met her, and took the heads from her,

and he said to her that she must tell that it was he who took the head

off the beast this time also. "Who else took the head off the beast

but you?" said she. They reached the king's house with the heads. Then

there was joy and gladness.






About the same time on the morrow, the two went away. The officer hid

himself as he usually did. The king's daughter betook herself to the

bank of the loch. The hero of the black horse came, and if roaring and

raving were on the beast on the days that were passed, this day it was

horrible. But no matter, he took the third head off the beast, and

drew it through the knot, and gave it to her. She gave him her other

earring, and then she went home with the heads. When they reached the

king's house, all were full of smiles, and the General was to marry

the king's daughter the next day. The wedding was going on, and every

one about the castle longing till the priest should come. But when the

priest came, she would marry only the one who could take the heads off

the knot without cutting it. "Who should take the heads off the knot

but the man that put the heads on?" said the king.



The General tried them, but he could not loose them, and at last there

was no one about the house but had tried to take the heads off the

knot, but they could not. The king asked if there were any one else

about the house that would try to take the heads off the knot. They

said that the herd had not tried them yet. Word went for the herd; and

he was not long throwing them hither and thither. "But stop a bit, my

lad," said the king's daughter; "the man that took the heads off the

beast, he has my ring and my two earrings." The herd put his hand in

his pocket, and he threw them on the board. "Thou art my man," said

the king's daughter. The king was not so pleased when he saw that it

was a herd who was to marry his daughter, but he ordered that he

should be put in a better dress; but his daughter spoke, and she said

that he had a dress as fine as any that ever was in his castle; and

thus it happened. The herd put on the giant's golden dress, and they

married that same day.



They were now married, and everything went on well. But one day, and

it was the namesake of the day when his father had promised him to the

sea-maiden, they were sauntering by the side of the loch, and lo and

behold! she came and took him away to the loch without leave or

asking. The king's daughter was now mournful, tearful, blind-sorrowful

for her married man; she was always with her eye on the loch. An old

soothsayer met her, and she told how it had befallen her married mate.

Then he told her the thing to do to save her mate, and that she did.



She took her harp to the sea-shore, and sat and played; and the

sea-maiden came up to listen, for sea-maidens are fonder of music than

all other creatures. But when the wife saw the sea-maiden she stopped.

The sea-maiden said, "Play on!" but the princess said, "No, not till I

see my man again." So the sea-maiden put up his head out of the loch.

Then the princess played again, and stopped till the sea-maiden put

him up to the waist. Then the princess played and stopped again, and

this time the sea-maiden put him all out of the loch, and he called on

the falcon and became one and flew on shore. But the sea-maiden took

the princess, his wife.



Sorrowful was each one that was in the town on this night. Her man was

mournful, tearful, wandering down and up about the banks of the loch,

by day and night. The old soothsayer met him. The soothsayer told him

that there was no way of killing the sea-maiden but the one way, and

this is it--"In the island that is in the midst of the loch is the

white-footed hind of the slenderest legs and the swiftest step, and

though she be caught, there will spring a hoodie out of her, and

though the hoodie should be caught, there will spring a trout out of

her, but there is an egg in the mouth of the trout, and the soul of

the sea-maiden is in the egg and if the egg breaks she is dead."



Now, there was no way of getting to this island, for the sea-maiden

would sink each boat and raft that would go on the loch. He thought he

would try to leap the strait with the black horse, and even so he did.

The black horse leaped the strait. He saw the hind, and he let the

black dog after her, but when he was on one side of the island, the

hind would be on the other side. "Oh! would the black dog of the

carcass of flesh were here!" No sooner spoke he the word than the

grateful dog was at his side; and after the hind he went, and they

were not long in bringing her to earth. But he no sooner caught her

than a hoodie sprang out of her. "Would that the falcon grey, of

sharpest eye and swiftest wing were here!" No sooner said he this than

the falcon was after the hoodie, and she was not long putting her to

earth; and as the hoodie fell on the bank of the loch, out of her

jumps the trout. "Oh! that thou wert by me now, oh otter!" No sooner

said than the otter was at his side, and out on the loch she leaped,

and brings the trout from the midst of the loch; but no sooner was the

otter on shore with the trout than the egg came from his mouth; He

sprang and he put his foot on it. 'Twas then the sea-maiden appeared,

and she said, "Break not the egg, and you shall get all you ask."

"Deliver to me my wife!" In the wink of an eye she was by his side.

When he got hold of her hand in both his hands, he let his foot down

on the egg and the sea-maiden died.