Witness list
- L: Yellow Book of Lecan
- B: Book of Ballymote
How King Niall of the Nine Hostages was slain
The following version of the Orgain Néill Noígíallaig or The Slaying of Niall of the Nine Hostages is here published and translated for the first time from the Bodleian MS. Rawlinson B 502, 47a1–47a2. Other versions representing a slightly different redaction of the same tale are to be found in the Yellow Book of Lecan, p. 126b (L), and in the Book of Ballymote, p. 134b (B). I quote their variants wherever they throw light on our text.
According to the Annals, Niall, the eponymus of the Húi Néill, was King of Ireland from A.D. 379–405. It is probable that the account given in our tale of his expedition to Alba contains a reminiscence of Irish invasions of Great Britain at the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century. O'Donovan, indeed (AFM p. 127, note 2) has no hesitation in identifying Niall with the Irish leader against whose attacks Stilicho had to defend himself; and perhaps the statement of the Annals that Niall was slain “oc muir n-Icht”, “by the sea of Wight,” i.e. the English Channel, is based upon fact. Similarly, the antiquary Cinaed úa Artacáin, who died in 975, says in his poem on the grave of Niall: ‘Niall mac Echach assa lecht / luid fa shecht clar trethan tricc, / roreraig comarbus Cuind / co ngáet ós muing mara Icht. Niall, son of Eochu, whose is this grave, went seven times across the swift sea, / He ruled Conn's heritage until he was slain upon the crest of the sea of Wight.’ (Book of Leinster, p. 154a)
p.85None of the three versions of our tale retains this old tradition; they are based on a number of different traditions in which later conditions are reflected. It is true, the mention of Roman hostages may perhaps be traced to an original account in which Niall's conflicts with the Romans in Britain were described, but in Britain itself our versions substitute the Saxons for the Romans. Similarly, the curious reference to the Picts — “among the bards of the Pictfolk,” paragraph 1.9. — may contain a reminiscence of the time when the Irish were the allies of the Picts in their raids against Romans and Britons. But all three versions contain startling anachronisms. Thus, the Rawlinson version makes the exiled Echu proceed to Erc, son of Munremor, in Scotland. This was the ancestor of the Dalriadic kings of Scotland, who according to the Annals died in A. D. 474. In the Book of Ballymote his son Loarn, the Loernus of Adamnan, the eponymus of the Lornes, takes his place, while in the Yellow Book the anachronism is still greater, for it substitutes Gabran, the son of Domongart, who died in A. D. 560.
With regard to Niall's epithet “of the Nine Hostages,” it is interesting to observe that the account given in the body of the tale does not tally with that of the verse quoted, which latter is no doubt the older and in all probability the true one.
Though the Rawlinson version is hardly earlier than the eleventh century, the poem on Niall's death with which it ends may be safely ascribed to the beginning of the ninth, as I have shown in the Festschrift für Whitley Stokes, p. 2, where the whole poem is edited from the fuller copy in the Yellow Book.
unknown
Edited by Kuno Meyer
Orgain Néill Noígiallaig
47ra1 p.85[1] Orcguin Nēill Noīgīallaig maic Echach Muigmedóin do láim Echach maic Ēnnai Censelaig, dīa focheird saigit fair a dūnud Saxan etir barddu Cruthentūaithe hic Carn Fiell.
p.86[2] Fecht n-aill doluid Echu mac Ēnna ō thig Nēill fodes dīa thīr. Addella leis techt 1 do thig filed Nēill do chuingid biid. Ba sē-sede Laidcenn mac Baircheda 2 prīṁfili Nēill. Adcuitecht in gilla im ōegedacht lasin filid.
[3] Doluid andess afrithissi intī sin Eochu, co roort dūnud 3 ind filed ⁊ co romarb a ōenmac .i. Leat mac Laidcind. Blīadan lān dond filid īarum oc sinnad 4 ⁊ oc ainmed Lagen ⁊ 'coa n-urgairiu co nā roāsair fē ná h-arbur lethu 5 ná duille co cenn ̇mbliadna.
[4] Documlai īarum Nīall co Laigniu ar slūagud ⁊ asbert nā ragad ūaidib hi cēin bad bēo nō co tubarta 6 dō Echuid i ngill 7 ⁊ hi ngīallacht. 8 Ocus ba sed sōn ba hēcen. Co tucad sē co hĀth Fadat hi Fothartaib Fea for brū Slāine, 9 conda-farcbad 10 ar chind Nēill ⁊ slabrad 'moa brāgit ⁊ eithre na slabraidi 11 trīa choirthi toll. Atnagat 12 nói do chauradaib ina dochum dia marbad. “Fē ōn immorro!”, ar Eochu. “Is olcc amein!”. La sodain focheird chor de co rōemid in tslabrad i n-dē. Ethaid 13 in luirg n-īairn ro bæ triasin slabraid ⁊ gaibthi 'na n-agid. 'Mussimber 14 tra forthu in luirg, co torchratar a nōnbur. Soidit 15 ind ̇fir rīam asin 16 taulaig. Imsōat 17 Lagin ina ndīaid. Focherdat a n-ār, co torchratar.
[5] Luid Nīall īar sin atherruch fodes co roacht Innsi Fāil. “Do-bērthar slān di 18 Laignib”, ar Laidcenn, “⁊ tōet Eochu co mofaiccedar 19 dūn 'moann 20 abaind se, co tomlachtar 21 bō 22 nammā”. “A dēnam”, ar Eochu. Gataiteir 23 a airm ō Eochaid. Feccaid in fili for mī̇focclad Lagen ⁊ Eochada, co rosdīlegad 24 rīam. In tan bæ coa mī̇focclad, dolēicce in gilla aurchor don liic caurad ro bæ inna chris dō, co tarla hi laind a ētain, co mbæ in chloch hi cobraid a chlocind, conidromarb de intī Laidcenn. 25 Is dē rochet in rann: 26
p.87
[6] Doluid Nīall īar n-indriud Lagen dia chrích 28 ⁊ rodlomad Eochu a Hērind hi cēin nobeth Nīall i flaithius. Luid Nīall 29 conidroacht rīam co tech Heircc maic Echach Muinremuir. 30
[7] Luid dano Nīall do saigid 31 rīge co Letha 32 ⁊ co hEtail conid aire asrubrad Nōigīallach de .i. cōic gēill Hērenn ⁊ gīall Alban ⁊ gīall Saxan ⁊ gīall Bretan ⁊ gīall Franc. Inde dicitur:
- Mac Echach, ard n-orddan
Nīall nār, nūall as gargam,
gabais rīge rēmenn
Hērenn ocus Alban.- Ethais gīall cach cōicid
fō thīr nĒrenn ardda.
tuc fri rēir cen terbba
cethri gēill a hAlba.- Conid dē bæ dō-som
hi toraib fīan frithach
fri rīad na rīg rathach
Nīall Nōigiallach nithach.
[8] Ō rāncatar tra Slēibi Elpa, aba mōr ar a cind .i. Liguir Slēbi hElpa. Atrōiset Luiguir co ndesetar impi. A mbātar ann co faccatar ōenōcclach cuccu. Bratt corccra cōicdīabuil 33 imme. Dí sleig cōicrinna ina lāmaib. Cūarscīath bilech co mbūaile ōir fair. Colgc ̇ndēt for a chris. A folt hi snīm dar a aiss. “Fochen don læch nādgēnamar!” 34 “Is ed doroachtmar”, ol sē. “Cid 'moa tōracht?”, ar Nīall. “Dot acallaim 35 ō Rōmānchaib”, ar sē. “Ocus al-lā sa hi cinn cōicthigeis doticfat a ngēill. Messe lat hi frithgille co tīsat”.
[9] Atberat araile is co tech Eircc 36 maic Echach Muinremuir 37 rīg Alban ro dálait 38 a ngēill ⁊ is ann ro marbad som etar barddu Cruithentūaithe 39 ic forcmaise a deilbe dōib. Nó comtis ingena Frȧnc no thothlaiged a deilb di forcmaisiu. 40
[10] Dothæt didu Hercc a dochum n-airechta. 41 “Rag-sa lat”, ar Eochu, “do deicsin mo brāthar inna rīgsuidiu ar bēlaib fer ̇ndomuin”. Ō rāncatar, “Is ē suut”, ar Ercc. 42 Ro bæ {⬌} 43 glenn eturru. Nostrochlann 44 saigit asind ̇fidbaicc 45 cen fis do Ercc, co torchair do oenaurchur. La sodain doslēcat Frainc 46 fōna Gōedelu p.88 co ragbatar 47 fir Alban leō ar connalbus. 48 47rb Co tudchatar co Hērind ⁊ coland a rīg leō. Et ro mebdatar secht catha rīana gnūis īarna ēcaib.
[11] Torna ēcess do Chīarrugu Lūachra, is hē ro alt 49 Nīall. Ō ro chūala immorra tasc a daltai do marbad, is ann atbert a chomalta .i. Tuirn mac Tornæ:
(.i. Cairenn Casdub ingen Sacheill Bailb di Saxanaib a māthair-seom Nēill.) Asbert a muimme:
- In tan no thēigmis do dāil
la mac nEchach Muigmedáin,
buididir bad sobairge
folt bid for cind maic Cairne.
- A deōit gela, a beōil deirg,
nād con-tursaig fō choṁfeirg,
a delb amail thēthein tra
tairced Hērind ōclachda.- Dath a grūaidi in cach mī
dīamtar cōire cosmailsi,
sīan, crū læig (līth cen on),
foirccle caille cētamun.- Amail ēisce, amail grēin,
amail tenndāil taitnem Nēill,
amail draic di thuind cen tāir
Nīall mac Echach Muigmedāin.- Is ceōl sīrectach in se
gol cach cind la Cīarraige,
cummaid chumaid forn 'nar taig
do dīth Nēill hūi Muiredaig.- Ba mōr subai, ba mōr sāim
bith hi cōemthecht do daltāin,
ic mac Echach nirb ardis
do dāil in tan no thēigmis.
[12] Atberat som immorro 50 is ed ruc Torna cumaid 51 Nēill. 52 La Laigniu immorro 53 dorochair in fer sa. 54 Inde dicitur:
Aided Nēill maic Echach ⁊ Laidcind maic Baircheda do lāim Echach maic Ēnnæ Censelaig in sin.
Finit. Amen.
Document details
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Title statement
Title (uniform): Orgain Néill Noígiallaig
Title (translation, English Translation): The Slaying of Niall of the Nine Hostages
Author: unknown
Editor: Kuno Meyer
Responsibility statement
Electronic edition compiled by: Beatrix Färber and Fangzhe Terek Qiu
Funded by: University College, Cork, School of History
Edition statement
1. First draft.
Extent: 2612 words
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Publisher: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a Department of History project at University College, Cork
Address: College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt
Date: 2014
Distributor: CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.
CELT document ID: G302003
Availability: Available with prior consent of the CELT programme for purposes of academic research and teaching only.
Source description
Manuscript Sources
- Oxford, Bodleian Library, Rawlinson B 502, 47a1–47a2.
- Dublin, Trinity College Library, H 2.16, Yellow Book of Lecan, p. 126b. For details see MS , T. K. Abbott and E. J. Gwynn (eds.), Catalogue of the Irish manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin (Dublin 1921). See also Robert Atkinson (ed.), The Yellow Book of Lecan: a collection of pieces (prose and verse) in the Irish language, in part compiled at the end of the fourteenth century (Collotype facsimile with introduction, analysis of contents, and index) (Dublin 1896).
- Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, Book of Ballymote, MS 536, 449–485 (olim 23 P 12, Book of Ballymote) 134b. For details see Kathleen Mulchrone (ed.), Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Royal Irish Academy, fasc. 13. See also Robert Atkinson (ed.), The Book of Ballymote, a collection of pieces, prose and verse, in the Irish language in part compiled in the fifteenth century, published from the original manuscript, by the Royal Irish Academy with an Introduction, Analysis of contents and Index (Dublin 1887).
Editions, translations and literature
- Kuno Meyer, Festschrift für Whitley Stokes zum siebzigsten Geburtstage am 28. Februar 1900 (...) (Leipzig: Harrassowitz 1900); poem edited from YBL. (Available online at CELT in file G100053).
- Kuno Meyer, reprint of above poem with English translation, Gaelic Journal 10 (1900) 578.
- Kuno Meyer, Aided Néill Nóigiallaig [from Stowe MS C. I. 2], Archiv für Celtische Lexikographie 3 (1907), A Medley of Irish texts 13, 323–324. (Available online at CELT in file G302021).
The edition used in the digital edition
‘Stories and songs from Irish manuscripts, V: Orgain Néill Noígiallaig’. In: Otia Merseiana 2. Ed. by Kuno Meyer. 84–92: 84–88.
You can add this reference to your bibliographic database by copying or downloading the following:
@article{G302003,
editor = {Kuno Meyer},
title = {Stories and songs from Irish manuscripts, V: Orgain Néill Noígiallaig},
journal = {Otia Merseiana},
volume = {2},
address = {London},
publisher = {Th. Wohlleben},
date = {1900–1901},
note = {84–92: 84–88}
}
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Project description: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
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Profile description
Creation: 800–1100 (poem 9th century; prose later)
Language usage
- The text is in Old Irish. (ga)
- The Introduction is in English. (en)
- A few formulaic words are in Latin. (la)
Keywords: prose; medieval; Kings Cycle; Slaying
Revision description
(Most recent first)
- 2014-09-08: Item added to bibliographic details. (ed. Beatrix Färber)
- 2014-07-23: Header created, German introduction added, proofed (1), and encoded; whole file and footnotes proofed (3); file parsed; SGML and HTML files created. (ed. Beatrix Färber)
- 2014-07: Corrections and footnotes added, expansions tagged. (ed. Fangzhe Terek Qiu)
- 2014-02-21: Encoding updated and converted to XML. (ed. Beatrix Färber)
- 1996-07-23: File proofed (1, 2); some structural markup added. (ed. Students of the CURIA Project)
- 1996: File scanned. (data capture Students of the CURIA Project)