Find and the Phantoms
The text of the following poem is taken from the Book of Leinster, a ms. of about the middle of the twelfth century, preserved in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, and recently reproduced in lithographic facsimile. The poem begins p. 206b and ends on the first line of p. 207b. It contains in fifty-four quatrains 216 heptasyllabic lines. I know of no other copy. A free metrical version by the late Dr Anster was published in the Dublin University Magazine, vol. 39, where it is entitled the Rath of Badammar, and the poem is noticed in O'Curry's Lectures on the Ms. Materials of Irish History, p. 305.
The teller of the tale introduces himself as Guaire the Blind. But it soon appears that this is a new name for Oisin (Ossian), the famous son of Find mac Cumaill, whose return to earth, after dwelling 300 years in the Tír na n-Óg, is told so well in a poem printed in the Transactions of the Ossianic Society, vol. 4, pp. 234–278, and whose blindness is mentioned in the same book, p. 8. The story now published is not devoid of imagination, and, from the literary point of view, the description of the quartette shrieked by the three-headed hag, the trunk with its solitary eye, the nine headless bodies and the nine bodiless heads has a certain amount of ghastly effectiveness. Moreover, it illustrates various superstitions, manners and customs. Consider the spear with a spell of venom (l. 35), the spits of rowan-tree (l. 158), the sunrise dispersing evil phantoms 1 (ll. 187–192), the cooking of horseflesh (ll. 157–164), barter (l. 23), and horseracing (ll. 13–20). The poem, lastly, throws some light on the topography of Kerry (see lines 69–89): it contains some words and forms of philological interest, which are mentioned in the notes; and it illustrátes the metrical rules recently investigated by professors Windisch and Thurneysen.
Whitley Stokes.
2 April 1886.
unknown
Edited by Whitley Stokes
Whole text
- p.290 206b
- Oenach indiu luid in rí,
Oenach Life cona li,
aebind do cech-oen téit and,
ni hinund is Guaire dall. - Ní Guaire dall gairthea dím
lá lodmar fo gairm in ríg
co tech Fiachu fairged gail,
cosin ráith os Badammair. - Oenach Clochair romór Find
is fianna Fail is cech dind;
ramorsat Mumnig din maig
ocus Fiachu mac Eogain. - Tucait eich na fían rofess
is eich Mumnech 'sin morthres,
rofhersat tri graffne glana
for faichthe maic Maireda. - Ech dub re Díl mac Dá-chrech
bái in cach cluchi rofer 2 ,
cusin carraic uas Loch Gair
ruc trí lanbuada ind oenaig. - Cuinchis Fiachu in n-ech iarsain
ar in ríg, ara shenathair,
gellais cét dó do cech crud
dia tabairt i tuarastul. - Roráid in drúi and iarsain
aithesc maith ra mac Eogain: —
"ber mo bennacht, ber inn-ech
ocus tidnaic rit aenech." p.292 - "Ashiút duitsiu int-ech dub dian",
ar Fiachu ri flaith na fían,
"ashiut mo charpat co mblaid
is ashiút ech dot araid." - Asiút claideb is gell cét,
asiut sciath a tirib Gréc,
asiut sleg co mbricht neme,
ocus m'idnu airgdide. - Asiút tri coin, caem a ndath,
Feirne is Derchaem is Dualath,
con a-muincib óir buidi
co slabradaib findruini. - Mad ferr duit na beith cen ní,
a maic Cumaill, a ardrí,
na digis can ascid ass,
a fhlaith na fían firamnas!" - Atraacht Find suas arsain:
buidech é do mac Eogain:
bendachais cach da cheli:
ba curata a coméirge. - Iarsain luid Find roínn ar sét
lodsam leis tri fichit cét
co Cachér, co Clúain da loch,
lodsam uile assinn oenoch. - Trí lá is tri aidche ba leith
bámmar uile i tig Cachir,
cen esbaid lenna na bíd
ar na sluagaib 'mán ardrig. - Coica falach tucad dó,
cóica ech is cóica bó,
dorat Find fiach a lenna
do Chachiur mac Cairella. p.294 - Luid Find for Luachair iarsain
cosin traig ac Berramain:
anais Find co fiannaib Fáil
os or in locha lindbáin. - Luid Find d'imlúad a eich duib
forsin tráig oc Berramuin,
misse ocus Cailte tri báis
raithmít ris ra bothogáis. - Immar atchondairc in rí,
búalid a ech co Tráig Lí,
Tráig Lí col-Leirgg Daim Glaiss,
dar Fraechmag is dar Findnais. - Dar Mag da Éo, dar Móin Cend,
co Sen-ibar, dar Sen-glend,
co hInber Flesci finni,
co colomnaib Crohinni. - Dar Sruth Muinne, dar Moin Cét,
dar Inber Lemna, ní bréc,
otá Lemain co Loch Léin,
etir réid ocus amréid. - Cid sinni nirsar malla,
ropsat lúatha ar lémmenna,
fer úan da chlí, fer da deis,
ni fhil fiad arna bermís. - Lam ri Fleisc sech Fhid in Chairn,
sech Mungairit meic Scáil Bailb,
nocho ragaib Find ra ech
cosin cnocc diarb ainm Bairnech. p.296 - Mar rochuammar 'sin cnocc
sinni ba toisciu 'cá thocht,
cid sinni ba taisciu and
ech in ríg nirbo romall. - "Adaig-seo dered din ló,"
ar Find féin, ní himmargó:
triar tancammar ille
táeit róinn d'iarraid fhianbothe. - D'éccain radéch úad in rí
forsin carraic da láim chlí,
co facca in tech cona thein
issin glind ararmhbélaib. - Atrubairt Find flaith na fian:
"assiut tech nach fhacca riam:
a Chailti, ni chuala thech
isin glind-sea cid am eolach." - "Is ferrdúin dula dia fhiss 207a
atá mór neich 'narn anfis:
is firt féli, is ferr cach ní,
a maic Cumaill, a airdri!" - Dochuammar ar triar 'sin tech,
terus aidche rab aithrech,
dia fríth gol is gréch is gáir,
is munter díscir dígair. - Aithech líath fora lár thair
gebid arn-eich co-escaid,
dúnaid comlaid a thaige
de baccanaib íarnaide. - "Is mochen, a Fhind co mblaid"
ar int-aithech co harnaid:
"fota co tanac ille,
a maic Cumaill Almaine!" p.298 - Suidmít ar in cholbu chrúaid,
doní ar n-ósaic ri óenuair,
láid connud truimm fora thein.
súail naron-much don dethaig. - Bái callech isin taig mór,
trí cind for a caelmuneol,
fer can chend 'sin leith aile,
oenshúil asa ucht-saide. - "Denaid airfitiud don ríg!"
ar int-athrech cen imshním,
"érgid, a lucht atá istig,
canaid ceol don rigfhennid!" - Ergit nói colla assin chúil,
assin leith ba nessu dúin,
is nói cind issin leith aile
forsin cholbo iarnaide. - Tócbait nói ngrécha garba,
nir chuibde ciar chomlabra:
frecraid in challech fósech,
ocus frecraid in méidech. - Ciarbo rogarb céol cach fhir
ba gairbe céol in médig;
ca céol díb narbo dúla
acht céol fhir na oenshúla? - In ceol sain rocanad dúin
dodúsechad marbu a húir ;
súail na robriss cnáma ar cind,
nírbe in cocetul ceolbind. p.300 - Gebid int-aithech úain sair,
tócbaid fair in túaig connaid,
bualaid cohathlam ar n-ech,
fennaid, coscraid can fuirech. - "Bí tost, a Cháilti mar tái!"
ar Find fein cen immargái,
"maith lind dia ndama duin féin
damsa ocus duitsiu is d'Ossín. - Coica bera ara mbái rind
tuc leis do beraib cáirthind,
tuc ága ar cach mbir fosech
is rachoraig fon tellach. - Nochor 'bruthi bir díb sein
in tráth tucait ón tenid,
tuc leis i fiadnaisi Find
féoil om ar beraib ea[e]rthind. - "Beir lett, a athig, do bíad,
uair ní duadus biad om riam:
ni chathiub ondiu co bráth
arái beith ean bíad oentráth." - "Mas aire thanac 'nar tech
d'obba ar mhbíd", ar int-athech,
is derb doragaim rib féin,
A Chailti, a Fhind, a Ossín! - Iarsein roergemmar súas,
gabmait ar claidbe cocrúas,
gebid cach cend araile,
ropo mana dorngaile. - Muchthair in tene bái thís,
nar' léir a lassar no grís,
timmaircther cúl dorcha dub
orn artriúr in-oen inud. p.302 - Inuair dobímmis cind ar chind
cia nar cobrad acht mád Find,
ropsar marba, mór in mod,
meni beth Find a oenor. - Bammar cind ar chind istaig
fat na haidche co matain,
co roshollsig grian in tech
im thrath eirgi arnabarach. - Innuair doérig in grian
tuittid cach fer sair is síar
tuitiid nél i cend cach fhir
com-bái marb arin lathir. - Garit robammar 'nar tám,
ergimmít súas, is sind slán:
celtair orn in tech iar sain,
celtair cech nech din muntir. - Is amlaid atracht Find Fáil,
ocus a ech féin 'na láim,
slán uile etir chend iss choiss
bái cach anim 'na écmais. - Lodsam coscíth anfand ass,
tucsam aichne arar neolass,
lodmar ciarbo chían iarsain
cosin traig ic Berramair. - Roiarfaiged dín scela,
ni bái dúin dluig a shéna:
"fuarammar", ar Find, "diar fecht
imned ar arn-óigidecht." - Isiat sin dorala rind,
na tri fuatha a hIbarglind,
do digail fhoirn a sethar, 207b
diarb' aínm Cullend craeslethan. p.304 - Lodsamar ar cuaird selgga
morthirachell insi Elgga,
sirmís mór sliab is mór mag,
mór n-amreid is mór n-oenach.
Document details
The TEI Header
File description
Title statement
Title (uniform): Find and the Phantoms
Title (firstline, Irish): Oenach indiu luid in rí
Author: unknown
Editor: Whitley Stokes
Responsibility statement
Electronic edition compiled by: Beatrix Färber
Funded by: School of History, University College, Cork
Edition statement
1. First draft.
Extent: 2478 words
Publication statement
Publisher: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork
Address: College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt
Date: 2016
Distributor: CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.
CELT document ID: G402361
Availability: Available with prior consent of the CELT programme for purposes of academic research and teaching only.
Source description
Manuscript Source
- Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS 1339 (H 2.18, Book of Leinster). 206b–207b.
Editions and Translations
- Ludwig Christian Stern (ed), 'Le manuscrit Irlandais de Leide', Revue Celtique 13 (1892) 1–31, 274 (prose version).
- Lady Augusta Gregory, Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha De Danaan and of the Fianna of Ireland. arranged and put into English by Lady Gregory; with a preface by W.B. Yeats. (London and New York 1904).
- Marieke van Kranenburg, An edition of the three known versions of "Finn and the phantoms" with translation and textual notes. MA thesis. July 2008. Celtic Studies. University of Utrecht. (Available online.)
Secondary literature
- Joseph Falaky Nagy, 'Shamanic Aspects of the "Bruidhean" Tale', History of Religions, 20:4 (May 1981) 302–322.
- Pádraig A. Breatnach, 'Irish Narrative Poetry after 1200 A.D.', Studia Hibernica 22/23 (1982/1983) 7–20.
- James MacKillop, Celtic Myth in English Literature (Syracuse 1986).
- Sharon J. Arbuthnot and Geraldine Parsons (eds.) The Gaelic Finn Tradition (Dublin 2012).
- For more bibliographic information, see http://vanhamel.nl/codecs/Oenach_indiu_luid_in_r%C3%AD.
The edition used in the digital edition
‘Find and the Phantoms’ (1886). In: Revue Celtique 7. Ed. by Whitley Stokes, pp. 289–307.
You can add this reference to your bibliographic database by copying or downloading the following:
@article{G402361,
editor = {Whitley Stokes},
title = {Find and the Phantoms},
journal = {Revue Celtique},
number = {7},
address = {Paris },
publisher = {F. Vieweg },
date = {1886},
pages = {289–307}
}
Encoding description
Project description: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
Sampling declarations
The present text represents pages 289–307 of the published edition, including introduction. The English translation is available in a separate file, T402361.
Editorial declarations
Correction: Text has been proof-read twice.
Normalization: The electronic text represents the edited text. Editorial expansions are marked ex Words have been segmented in line with CELT practice. Lention by point in the letters f/s is rendered fh/sh. The editor's corrections are taken from his footnotes and marked corr sic="" resp="WS", with the erroneous form retained in the 'sic' attribute. Footnotes are marked note type="auth" and numbered. Manuscript foliation is marked.
Quotation: Direct speech is tagged ".
Hyphenation: Hyphenation was introduced. When a hyphenated word (hard or soft) crosses a page-break, the page-break is marked after the completion of the hyphenated word. Soft hyphens are silently removed.
Segmentation: div0=the poem. Stanzas are numbered; page-breaks are marked pb n="".
Interpretation: Names are not tagged, nor are terms for cultural and social roles.
Profile description
Creation: By Irish scribes in monastic scriptoria, based on older materials. 1150–1190
Language usage
- The text is in Middle Irish. (ga)
- English occurs in the translated title. (en)
Keywords: poetry; Finn cycle; medieval; phantoms
Revision description
(Most recent first)
- 2016-03-15: SGML and HTML files created. (ed. Beatrix Färber)
- 2016-02-09: File captured, proofread (1,2); encoded; header created; file parsed and validated. (ed. Beatrix Färber)