Gods and Fighting Men eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 602 pages of information about Gods and Fighting Men.

Gods and Fighting Men eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 602 pages of information about Gods and Fighting Men.

“This land that is now under darkness, it is for it we are asking; let our chief men, let their learned wives, ask that we may come to the noble woman, great Eriu.”

After he had said this, the wind went down and the sea was quiet again on the moment.

And those that were left of the sons of Miled and of the Sons of the Gael landed then at Inver Sceine.

And Amergin was the first to put his foot on land, and when he stood on the shore of Ireland, it is what he said: 

    “I am the wind on the sea;
     I am the wave of the sea;
     I am the bull of seven battles;
     I am the eagle on the rock;
     I am a flash from the sun;
     I am the most beautiful of plants;
     I am a strong wild boar;
     I am a salmon in the water;
     I am a lake in the plain;
     I am the word of knowledge;
     I am the head of the spear in battle;
     I am the god that puts fire in the head;
     Who spreads light in the gathering on the hills? 
     Who can tell the ages of the moon? 
     Who can tell the place where the sun rests?”

CHAPTER II.  THE BATTLE OF TAILLTIN

And three days after the landing of the Gael, they were attacked by Eriu, wife of Mac Greine, Son of the Sun, and she having a good share of men with her.  And they fought a hard battle, and many were killed on both sides.  And this was the first battle fought between the Sons of the Gael and the Men of Dea for the kingship of Ireland.

It was in that battle Fais, wife of Un, was killed in a valley at the foot of the mountain, and it was called after her, the Valley of Fais.  And Scota, wife of Miled, got her death in the battle, and she was buried in a valley on the north side of the mountain near the sea.  But the Sons of the Gael lost no more than three hundred men, and they beat back the Men of Dea and killed a thousand of them.  And Eriu was beaten back to Tailltin, and as many of her men as she could hold together; and when she came there she told the people how she had been worsted in the battle, and the best of her men had got their death.  But the Gael stopped on the battle-field, and buried their dead, and they gave a great burial to two of their Druids, Aer and Eithis, that were killed in the fight.

And after they had rested for a while, they went on to Inver Colpa in Leinster, and Heremon and his men joined them there.  And then they sent messengers to the three kings of Ireland, the three sons of Cermait Honey-Mouth, and bade them to come out and fight a battle that would settle the ownership of the country once for all.

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Gods and Fighting Men from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.