ANCIENT EGYPT THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
NOTES TO BOOK 6
[1] [Rev. 1:20. 'The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.']
[2] [Planisphere of Denderah. See plate.]
[3] [Rit. ch. 110.]
[4] [Chabas, 'Magic Papyrus,' RP, 10, 135.]
[5] [Ibid.]
[6] [Maspero, Dawn of Civilisation, p. 128, note. 4. 'This was what the Egyptians called the upli/lings of Shu (Book of the Dead, Naville's edition, pl. xxiii., ch. xvii., parts 20, 27; cf. Maspero, Etudes de Mythologie et d'Archeologie Egyptiennes, vol. i. pp. 337-310). The event first took place at Hermopolis, and certain legends added that in order to get high enough the god had been obliged to make use of a staircase or mound situate in this city, and which was famous throughout Egypt (Book of the Dead, N'aville's edition, pl. xxiii. ch. xvii. 11. 4, 5.']
[7] [Source.]
[8] [Rit. ch. 17.]
[9] [Rit. ch. 54.]
[10] [Maspero. Dawn of Civilisation, p. 631, note 1. Eng. tr. 'In Rawlinson (K, 4870, recto, 1. 28, Cun. Ins. W. As. vol. iv. pl. 5) mention is made of a king (lugal) of the Lamassi and of other kinds of genii, and particularly of Anu, king of the Seven sons of the Earth.']
[11] [Birch, 'Inscription of Chnumhetep,' RP, 12, 65. See 71, line 96.]
[12] [Rig-Veda, 82, 2.]
[13] [Siouffi, La Religion des Soubbas.]
[14] [King, Gnostic Remains, pl. h, 5.]
[15] [Rit. ch. 17.]
[17] [Rit. ch. 110.]
[18] [PSBA, 23, parts 4 and 5.]
[19] [Ibid.]
[20] [Text from Memphis, i.e., the Stele of Shabaka in PSBA, 23, parts 4 and 5.]
[21] [Rit. ch. 110.]
[22] [Rit. ch. 123.]
[24] [Drummond, Œdipus Judaicus, pl. 3.]
[25] [Satow, Pure Shinto, p. 67; Chamberlain, Kojiki, p. 19. Wrong p. no. Unable to trace.]
[26] [Rit. ch. 110.]
[27] [Rit. ch. 72.]
[28] [Lockyer, Dawn of Astronomy, p. 152.]
[29] [Hieroglyphica, bk. 1. 40. 'When they denote government, or a judge, they place close against the dog a ROYAL ROBE, the undress garment: because like the dog, who, as I said before, gazes intently on the images of the gods, so likewise the minister, being in the more ancient times a judge also, used to see the king naked, and on this account they add the royal garment.']
[30] [Rit. ch. 71.]
[31] [Edkins, Religion in China, p.
109-10. 'At the period when its intellectual light has been at the highest
point, the most extravagant additions have been made to its legendary mythology.
At times when the arts and literature were most prosperous, superstition
increased its proportions along with them, and spread amongst the population a
multitude of absurd fancies, wild in their origin, and mischievous in their
effects.
I met, on one occasion, a schoolmaster from the neighbourhood of Chapoo. He
asked if I had any books to give away on astronomy and geography. Such works are
eagerly desired by all members of the literary class. They feel a high respect
for the knowledge Western men have on these subjects, the result of the
information given them by the early Roman Catholic missionaries on these
sciences. The inquiry was put to him Who is the Lord of heaven and earth? He
replied that he knew none but the pole-star, called in the Chinese language
Teen-hwang-ta-te the great imperial ruler of heaven. It was stated to him that
it was a matter very much to be regretted that he should hold such views as this
of the Supreme Being. When he was reminded of passages in the Confucian classics
which speak of God as the ruler of heaven, independent of the visible creation,
he admitted that he might be wrong.']
[32] [Legge, Chinese Classics, vol. 3., pt. 1, p. 34.]
[33] [CR, 4, I94.]
[34] [Douglas,
Confucianism and Taouism, pp. 82-7. 'The worship of spirits, however,
takes the shape. rather of respectful recognition of their existence than of
devotional address to a godhead. They have no power of themselves to influence
the fates of men, and even in some cases men are placed as lords over them, but
reverence or want of reverence to them is rewarded or punished by Heaven.
Sometimes, however, as in the prayer quoted above, they act as intercessors
between man and Shang-te, and in this way occupy a parallel position to the
saints of the Roman calendar. But the highest object of worship among the
ancient Chinese was Shang-te, who approached nearer to the idea of the Hebrew
God than any of their divinities. Heaven was high and great, but Shang-te ruled
both heaven -and earth. It was by his favour that sovereigns ruled and nations
prospered, and it was at his decree that thrones were upset and kingdoms Avere
brought to nought. As an earthly sovereign rules over a kingdom, so Shang-te
lords it over the azure heaven!
The worship of Shang-te is the most ancient, as well as the most sacred form of
Chinese worship. During the reign of Hwang-te (2697 B.C.) a temple was erected
to his honour, and a century later music was added to the rites performed at his
altar. When the sovereign worshipped before him, he wore a fur dress and a
crown, and offered up on a round hillock a first-born male as a whole burnt
sacrifice. It was to him that prayer was made in all great emergencies, and in
the eyes of the Emperor and people he appeared as a personal God, directing
their ways, supporting them in their difficulties, and chastising them for their
faults. When T'ang the founder of the Shang dynasty (1766 B.C.), overthrew the
iniquitous Kee, the last ruler of the Hea dynasty, he defended himself from the
charge of rebellion by making a proclamation, in which he said, "The sovereign
of Hea was an offender, and as I fear Shang-te I dare not but punish him." Again
speaking to his people he said, "The good in you I will not dare to conceal, and
for the evil in me I will not dare to forgive myself; I will examine these
things in harmony with the mind of Shang-te." T'ang's belief in the personal
interference of Shang-te in the affairs of man is plainly stated when he says,
"The ways of Shang-te are not invariable; he showers down blessings on the good,
and pours down miseries on the evil."
But as time went on the distinctive belief in the personality of Shang-te became
obscured, and he was degraded from his supremacy to the level of the impersonal
heaven. In fact, later commentators affirm that Shang-te is Heaven, Azure
Heaven, the Greatest Deity in the Purple Obscure Palace, the most honoured one
of Heaven, all of which titles give but a very imperfect idea of the position he
held in the sight of Yaou and of Shun and of the ancient Sages.
Unfortunately on this point also Confucius departed from the higher faith of his
ancestors, and by sanctioning the worship of spirits, and omitting all mention
of Shang-te, he reduced that deity to his position of one among the host of
heaven. Once only does he speak of Shang-te, and then it was only to state the
fact that "by the ceremonies of the sacrifices to heaven and earth the kings Wan
and Woo served Shang-te, and by the ceremonies of the ancestral temple they
sacrificed to their ancestors." This remark shows that Confucius perceived that
the various religious rites practised by the ancients had for their object the
worship of the one God, but he allowed this knowledge to remain sterile. He
deduced nothing from it either to spiritualize his teachings or to elevate his
practice. The example of the earthly course run by the ancient Sages was
sufficient in his own case to lead him into the same paths of virtue, and he
committed the mistake of supposing that the same cause would produce a like
effect in all men.
Starting with the belief that all men are born equally good, there is more
excuse for the adopting of such a doctrine by Confucius than can be advanced for
many later philosophers who have practically held the same view. But even he
admitted that the temptations of the world and the flesh were apt to sully the
original purity of man, and his experiences at the different courts he visited
should have taught him that, headlong passions, vicious habits, and weak wills!
need some stronger corrective than the contemplation of the virtue of Yaou and
the purity of Shun.
In spite, however, of the silence of Confucius on the subject of Shang-te, his
worship has been maintained, not perhaps in its original purity, but with marks
of reverence which place its object on the highest pinnacle of the Chinese
Pantheon. At the present day the Imperial worship of Shang-te on the round
hillock to the south of the city of Peking is surrounded with all the solemnity
of which such an occasion is capable. "The altar is a beautiful
marble structure, ascended by 27 steps, and ornamented by circular balustrades
on each of its three terraces. On it is raised a magnificent triple-roofed
circular structure, 99 feet in height, which constitutes" the most conspicuous
object in the tout ensemble. . .
These structures are deeply enshrined in a thick cypress grove reminding the
visitor of the custom which formerly prevailed among the heathen nations of the
Old Testament, and of the solemn shade which surrounded some celebrated temples
of ancient Greece. On the day before the sacrifices the Emperor proceeds to the
Hall of Fasting, on the west side of the south altar. Here he spends the night
in watching and meditation, after first inspecting- the offerings. The tablets
to the Supreme Ruler of Heaven (i.e. Shang-te), and to the Emperor's ancestors,
are preserved in the chapel at the back of each altar. There are no images. Both
these chapels are circular, and tiled with blue glazed porcelain ... The south
altar the most important of all Chinese religious structures, , has the
following dimensions. It consists of a triple circular terrace, 210 ft. wide at
the base, 150 in the middle, and 90 at the top. In these notice the multiples of
three =3 x 3 = 9, 3x5 = 1 5, 3 X 7 = 21. The heights of the three terraces,
upper, middle, and lower," are 572 feet, 6 '23 feet, and 5 feet respectively. At
the time of sacrificing, the tablets to Heaven and to the Emperor's ancestors
are placed on the top; they are 2 feet 5 inches long and 5 inches wide. The
title is in gilt letters; that of Heaven faces the south, and those of the
ancestors east and west. The Emperor, with his immediate suite, kneels in front
of the tablet to Shang-te, and faces the north. The platform is laid with marble
stones, forming nine concentric circles; the inner circle consists of nine
stones, cut so as to fit with close edges round the central stone, which is a
perfect circle. Here the Emperor kneels, and is surrounded first by the circles
of the terraces and their enclosing walls, and then by the circle of the
horizon. He thus seems to himself and his court to be in the centre of the
universe, and, turning to the north, assuming the attitude of a subject, he
acknowledges in prayer and by his position that he is inferior to Heaven, and to
Heaven alone. Round him on the pavement are the nine circles of as many heavens,
consisting of nine stones, then eighteen, then twenty-seven, and so on in
successive multiples of nine till the square of nine, the favourite number of
Chinese philosophy, is reached in the outermost circle of eighty-one stones. ...
As might be expected, careful distinctions are made in the sacrifices. The
animals ordinarily used for food by the ancient.']
[35] [De Groot, Fêtes d' Emoui, vol. 1, pp. 77, 80.]
[36] [Birch, 'Dream of Thothmes IV,' 12, 43. Or Mallet, 'Stele of Thotmes IV,' RPNS, 2, 45.]
[37] [Stern, 'The Foundation of the Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis,' RP, 12, 51. See pp. 53, 54.]
[38] [See figure of Horus, p. 317.]
[39] [Wilkinson. Title unknown.]
[40] [Stern, 'The Foundation of the Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis,' RP, 12, 51. See p. 53.]
[41] [Chabas, 'Magic Papyrus,' RP, 10, 135. See p. 6, lines 3 and 4.]
[42] [Birch, 'Inscription of Darius,' RP, 8, 140. See lines 27, 28.]
[43] [Rit. ch. 38, 1.]
[44] [Rit. ch. 62, 2.]
[45] [Rit. ch. 62, 2.]
[46] [Rit. ch. 78, 22, 24.]
[47] [Source.]
[48] [Mallet, 'Stele of Thotmes IV,' RPNS, 2, 45. See p. 55.]
[49] [Rit. ch. 64. Renouf's tr.]
[50] [Maspero, Pyramid Texts, Teta, 319.]
[51] [PSBA, vol. 15, pt. 8, p. 385.]
[52] [Ibid.]
[53] [Mallet, 'Stele of Thotmes IV,' RPNS, 2, 45.]
[54] [Rit. ch. 83.]
[55] [Pub. London, 1901. See bibliography.]
[56] [Drummond, pl. 13.]
[57] [Rit. ch. 18.]
[58] [Stern, 'The Foundation of the Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis,' RP, 12, 51. See p. 53.]
[59] [Evans, The Mycenaean Tree and Pillar Cult, fig. 65.]
[61] [Evans, ibid., figs. 44 and 45.]
[62] [Schiaparelli, Piramidi Egiziane, plates.]
[63] [First published in French as La migration des symboles, Paris, 1891. Translated into English and published in 1894.]
[64] [The illustrations given
here are based on the French edition. The numbers of the figs. differ slightly:
Fig. 58 = ? (Unable to identify correct illustration).
Fig. H, p1. 4.
Fig. 35 = 32.
Fig. 65 = 57.
Fig. A, p1. 4.
Tree between two winged unicorns = unable to determine which one here Massey
is referring to, but see pl. 4.
Fig. B, p1. 4.
Fig. D, p1. 4.
Fig. 67 = 96 (The vase is
actually from Citium not Curium).
Fig. 71 = 113.
Fig.
110 = 92.]
[65] [Evans, The Mycenaean Tree and Pillar Cult, fig. 41.]
[67] [Ibid., figs. 13 and 14.]
[68] [Ibid., fig. 42, A and B. Ritual, vignette, ch. 18.]
[72] [Ibid., figs. 12, 13, 54.]
[80] [Eph.
2:14-15. 'For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the
middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained
in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.']
[81] [Lundy, Monumental Christianity, fig. 76.]
[82] [Ibid.]
[83] [Goblet,
Migration of Symbols. I give the French of the orig. ed. p. 168: 'Il
existe a Rome un autel de la Palmyrene, qui offre sur une de ses faces I'image
d'un dieu solaire et sur Pautre un cypres pyramidal, dont le feuillage livre
passage a un enfant portant un belier sur les epaules.*
* Memoires de I'Academie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, t.
XX, pl. I, fig. 2.']
[84] [Rit. ch. 109.]
[85] [Source.]
[86] [Source.]
[87] [Cited by Lockyer,
Dawn of Astronomy, p. 284. 'I quote from Krall another inscription
common to Edfu and Esne, which seems to have astronomical significance.
"1. Phamenoth. Festival of the suspension of the sky by Ptah, by the side of the
god Harschaf, the master of Heracleopolis Magna (Al). Festival of Ptah. Feast of
the suspension of the sky (Es).
"Under the 1st Phamenoth, Plutarch, de Iside et Osiride, c. 43, li,
notices the [Gr.]. These are festivals connected with the celebration of the
Winter Solstice, and the filling of the Uza-eye on the 30th Menchir. Perhaps the
old year, which the Egyptians introduced into the Nile valley at the time of
their immigration, and which had only 360 days, commenced with the Winter
Solstice. Thus we should have in the 'festival of the suspension of the sky,' by
the ancient god Ptah venerated as creator of the world a remnant of the time
when the Winter Solstice marked the beginning of the year, and also the
creation."
The reconstruction of the calendar naturally enhanced the importance of the
month Pachons; this comes out very clearly from the inscriptions translated by
Brugsch. On this point Krall remarks:
"It is, therefore, quite right that the month Pachons, which took the of the old
Thoth by the decree of Tanis, should play a prominent part in the
feast-calendars of the days of the Ptolemies, and the first period of the Empire
in general, but especially in the Edfu calendar, which refers to the Ta-tiiti-
year. The first five days of Pachons are dedicated in our calendar to the
celebration of the subjection of the enemies by Horus; we at once remember the
above-mentioned (p. 7) record of Edfu of the nature of a mythological calendar,
describing the advent of the Nile flood. On the 6th of Pachons remember the
great importance of the sixes in the Ptoleniaean records the solstice is then
celebrated. The Uza-eye is then filled, a mythical act which we have in another
place referred to the celebration of the solstice, and 'everything is performed
which is ordained' in the book 'on the Divine Birth.'"']
[88] [Blake, Astronomical Myths, pp. 266-7.]
[89] [Rit. ch. 17. Renouf's tr.]
[90] [Rit. ch. 64.]
[91] [Book of the Dead, ch. 15, note 7.]
[92] [Rit. ch. 17. Renouf's tr.]
[93] [John 5:29. 'And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.']
[94] [Rit. ch. 108.]
[95] [Birch or Budge.]
[96] [Source.]
[97] [Kingsborough, vol. 1, pt. 3, p. 10, fig. 218.]
[98] [TASJ, 7, 431.]
[99] [Chinese Recorder, vol. 4, p. 95.]
[100] [Lenormant, Chaldean Magic and Sorcery, Eng. tr., pp. 151-52. 'Above the earth extended the sky (ana) spangled with its fixed stars (mul), and revolving round the mountain of the East (Charsak Kurra), the column which joined the heavens and the earth, and served as an axis to the celestial vault. The culminating point of the heavens, the zenith (nuzku), was not this axis or pole; on the contrary, it was situated immediately above the country of Accadia, and was regarded as the centre of the inhabited lands, whilst the mountain which acted as a pivot to the starry heavens was to the north-east of this country, extended the land of Aralli, which was very rich in gold, and was inhabited by the gods and blessed spirits.']
[101] [Epic of Gilgamesh.]
[102] [Source.]
[103] [West,
Pahlavi Texts, vol. 1, pp. 22, 36. 'Of Mount Alburs is declared, that
around the world and Mount Terak which is the middle of the world, the
revolution of the sun is like a moat around the world; it turns back in a
circuit owing to the enclosure (var) of Mount Alburs around Terak.'
'A'aka'-i-Daitik ('the judicial peak') is that of the middle of the world, the
height of a hundred men, on which the Ainvar bridge stands; and they take
account of the soul at that place.']
[104] [Rit. ch. 25.]
[105] [Medum, pp. 17, 21. 'Ranefer's
body lay hitched up against the west wall, on its left side, head north, facing
east; the head had been broken off by the violators, but carefully replaced,
with a stone under it to support it in position.'
'Of the 13, 12 lay on the left side, with the head N., and the face E., and the
knees were usually bent at right angles to the body; though bent up close, so
that the knee was only 6 inches from the vertebra.']
[106] [Rit. ch. 26. Renouf's tr.]
[107] [Renouf, 'Inscription Hatshu,' RP, 12, 132; Budge, 2, Papyrus of Ani, pl. ?]
[108] [Chamberlain, Kojiki, p. 19. Again, Massey errs here. Wrong page no. Unable to trace.]
[109] [Ibid., p. 23. Massey errs here. The name of the island is Iki, not Ski. 'Next they gave birth to the Island of Iki, another name for which is Heaven's One-Pillar.']
[110] [Histories, bk. 2. 44. 'In the wish to get the best
information that I could on these matters, I made a voyage to Tyre in Phoenicia,
hearing there was a temple of Hercules at that place, very highly venerated. I
visited the temple, and found it richly adorned with a number of offerings,
among which were two pillars, one of pure gold, the other of emerald, shining
with great brilliancy at night. In a conversation which I held with the priests,
I inquired how long their temple had been built, and found by their answer that
they, too, differed from the Greeks. They said that the temple was built at the
same time that the city was founded, and that the foundation of the city took
place two thousand three hundred years ago. In Tyre I remarked another temple
where the same god was worshipped as the Thasian Hercules. So I went on to
Thasos, where I found a temple of Hercules which had been built by the
Phoenicians who colonised that island when they sailed in search of Europa. Even
this was five generations earlier than the time when Hercules, son of Amphitryon,
was born in Greece. These researches show plainly that there is an ancient god
Hercules; and my own opinion is, that those Greeks act most wisely who build and
maintain two temples of Hercules, in the one of which the Hercules worshipped is
known by the name of Olympian, and has sacrifice offered to him as an immortal,
while in the other the honours paid are such as are due to a hero.' Tr.
Rawlinson.
'I moreover, desiring to know something certain of these matters so far
as might be, made a voyage also to Tyre of Phoenicia, hearing that in that place
there was a holy temple of Heracles; and I saw that it was richly furnished with
many votive offerings besides, and especially there were in it two pillars, the
one of pure gold and the other of an emerald stone of such size as to shine by
night: and having come to speech with the priests of the god, I asked them how
long time it was since their temple had been set up: and these also I found to
be at variance with the Hellenes, for they said that at the same time when Tyre
was founded, the temple of the god also had been set up, and that it was a
period of two thousand three hundred years since their people began to dwell at
Tyre. I saw also at Tyre another temple of Heracles, with the surname Thasian;
and I came to Thasos also and there I found a temple of Heracles set up by the
Phoenicians, who had sailed out to seek for Europa and had colonised Thasos; and
these things happened full five generations of men before Heracles the son of
Amphitryon was born in Hellas. So then my inquiries show clearly that Heracles
is an ancient god, and those of the Hellenes seem to me to act most rightly who
have two temples of Heracles set up, and who sacrifice to the one as an immortal
god and with the title Olympian, and make offerings of the dead to the other as
a hero.' Tr. Macauley.]
[111] [Source.]
[112] [Chabas, 'Magic Papyrus,' RP, 10, 135. See 152.]
[113] [Rit. ch. 134.]
[114] [Rit. ch. Renouf's tr.]
[115] [Wilson, Rig-veda Sanhitá a
collection of ancient Hindu hymns, vol. 3, pp. 143, 144. 'This sun, not far
removed, and unobstructed, whether (looking) downwards or looking upwards, is
harmed by no one: what is the power by which he travels? who has (truly) beheld
him who, as the collective pillar of heaven, sustains the sky?'
'This sun, not far removed and unobstructed, whether looking downwards or
looking upwards, is harmed by no one: what is the power by which he travels? who
has (truly) beheld him who, as the collective pillar of heaven, sustains the
sky.']
[116] [The Night of the Gods. No p. or vol. no. given.]
[117] [Rit. ch. 15.]
[118] [Turner, Samoa, p. 294. Unable to trace.]
[119] [Ibid., pp. 258-9.
'They were, however, little more than alive, and this semi-conscious
state continued until they reached the hades of Pulotu, where there was a
bathing-place called Vaiola, or "The water of life." Whenever they bathed here
all became lively and bright and vigorous. Infirmity of every kind fled away,
and even the aged became young again.
It was supposed that in these lower regions there were heavens, earth and sea,
fruits and flowers, planting, fishing and cooking, marrying and giving in
marriage—all very much as in the world from which they had gone. Their new
bodies, however, were singularly volatile, could ascend at night, become
luminous sparks or vapour, revisit their former homes and retire again at early
dawn to the bush or to the Pulotu hades. These visits were dreaded, as they were
supposed to be errands of destruction to the living, especially to any with whom
the departed had reason to be angry. By means of presents and penitential
confession all injurers were anxious to part on good terms with the dying whom
they had ill-used. In one place there was a hadean town called Nonoa, or
Bound, where all the spirits were dumb, and could only "beat their breasts,"
expressive of their love to one another.']
[120] [Maspero, Dawn of Civilization, Eng. tr., p. 197. 'This was somewhere in the immediate neighbourhood of Abydos, and was reached through a narrow gorge or "cleft" in the Libyan range, whose "mouth" opened in front of the temple of Osiris Khontamentit, a little to the north-west of the city.' See illustration. See also AE 2:656.]
[121] [Chabas, 'Magic Papyrus,' RP, 10, 135. See p. 5.]
[122] [Williams, Fiji and the Fijians, vol. 1, p. 239.]
[123] [Howitt, 'On Australian Medicine-men,' JAI.]
[124] [Gill, Myths and Songs,
p. 160. 'At Samoa, a spirit leaving the dead body at the most easterly island of
that group would be compelled to traverse the entire series of islands, passing
the channels between at given points, ere it could descend to the subterranean
spirit-world at the most westerly point of Savai'i.
However, the standard and esoteric z teaching of the priests was that the souls
of the dying leave the body ere breath is quite extinct, and travel to the edge
of the cliff at Araia (= hindered, or sent back) near the marae of Kongo, and
facing the west.']
[125] [Ibid., pp. 64-66. 'This
wonderful lad had noticed that his father, Manuahifare, mysteriously disappeared
at dawn of every day; and in an equally mysterious way came back again to their
dwelling at night He resolved to discover this secret, which seemed to him the
more strange as, being the favourite, he slept by the side of Manuahifare, and
yet never knew when or how he disappeared. One night he lay awake until his
father unfastened his girdle in order to sleep. Very cautiously did Maui, the
Younger, take up one end and place it under himself, without attracting his
father's notice. Early next morning, this precocious son was roused from his
slumbers by the girdle being pulled from under him. This was just as he desired; he lay perfectly still, to see what would become of Manuahifare. The
unsuspecting parent went, as he was wont, to the main pillar of his dwelling,
and said
O pillar I open, open up,
That Manuahifare may enter and descend to nether- world (Avaiki).
The pillar immediately opened, and Manuahifare descended.
That same day the four children of Manuahifare went back to their old game of
hide-and-seek. This time Maui the Younger told his brothers and sister to go
outside the house, whilst he should look out for some place to hide in. As soon
as they were out of sight, he went up to the post through which his father had
disappeared, and pronounced the magic words he had overheard. To his great joy
the obedient post opened up, and Maui boldly
descended to the nether regions. Manuahifare was greatly surprised to see his
son down there; but after saluting (literally, "smelling") him, quietly
proceeded with his work.
Maui the Third went on an exploring tour through these unknown subterranean
regions, the entrance to which he had luckily discovered. Amongst other
wonderful things, he fell in with a blind old woman bending over a fire where
her food was being cooked. In her hand she held a pair of tongs (i.e. a green
cocoa-nut midrib, split open). Every now and then she carefully took up a live
coal, and placed it on one side, supposing it to be food, whilst the real food
was left to burn to cinder in the fire 1 Maui inquired her name, and, to his
surprise, found it was Inaporari, or Ina-the-Blind, his own grandmother. The
clever grandson heartily pitied the condition of the poor old creature, but
would not reveal his own name. Close to where he stood watching the futile
cooking of Ina-the-Blind grew four nono trees (morindo citrifolia). Taking up a
stick, he gently struck the nearest of the four trees. Ina-the-Blind angrily
said, "Who is that meddling with the nono belonging to Maui the Elder?" The bold
visitor to nether-world then walked up to the next tree and tapped it gently.
Again the ire of Ina-the-Blind was excited, and she shouted, "Who is this
meddling with the nono of Maui the
Second ? " The audacious boy struck a third tree, and found it belonged to his
sister Inaika. He now exultingly tapped the fourth and last nono tree, and heard
his old grandmother ask, "Who is this meddling with the nono of Maui the Third?"
"I am Maui the Third? said the visitor. "Then," said she, " you are my grandson,
and this is your own tree."
Now when Maui first looked at his own nono tree, it was entirely destitute of
leaves and fruit ; but after Ina-the-Blind had spoken to him, he again looked
and was surprised to see it covered with glossy leaves and fine apples, though
not ripe. Maui climbed up into the tree, and plucked one of the apples. Biting
off a piece of it, he stepped up to his grandmother and threw it into one of her
blind eyes. The pain was excruciating, but sight was at once restored to the eye
which had so long been blind. Maui plucked another apple, and biting off a piece
of it, threw it into the other eye of his grandmother and lo! sight was restored
to it also. Ina-the-Blind was delighted to see again, and, in gratitude, said to
her grandson, "All above, and all below"(= all on earth and all in spirit-land)
"are subject to thee, and to thee only."
Ina, once called the-Blind, now instructed Maui in all things found within her
territory; that as there were four species of nono, so there are four varieties
of cocoa-nuts and four of taro in Avaiki, Le, one for each child of Manuahifare,
Maui asked Ina, "Who is lord of fire?" She replied, "Thy grandfather
Tangaroa-tui-mata," (or Tangaroa-of-the-tattooed-face) "Where is he?" inquired
Maui. "Yonder," rejoined his grand-mother; "but do not go to him. He is a
terribly irritable fellow: you will surely perish." But as Maui persisted, the
grateful goddess Ina said, "There are two roads to his dwelling. One of these is
the path of death; whoever unwittingly approaches the Great Tangaroa by this
path, dies. The other is the "common," or "safe (noa) road." Maui disdained to
choose the path of safety. Knowing his own prowess, he boldly trod the path of
death.
Tangaroa-of-the-tattooed-face, seeing Maui advancing, raised his right hand to
kill him that hand which as yet had never failed to destroy its victim. But
Maui, nothing daunted, lifted his right hand. At this Tangaroa, not liking the
aspect of Maui, raised his right foot, for the purpose of kicking to death the
luckless intruder. But Maui was prepared to do the same to the lord of fire with
his right foot Astounded at this piece of audacity, Tangaroa demanded his name.
The visitor replied, "I am Maui the Younger." The god now knew it to be his own
grandson. "What did you come for?" "To get fire, "was the response of Maui.'']
[126] [Dennys, Folk-lore of China,
p. 134. 'The idea of self-sacrifice to ensure some public good has ever been
popular in China, and ages before the heroic Roman Youth leaped his horse into
the earthquake chasm for the sake of his countrymen, Chinese patriots are
recorded as having exhibited a similarly noble spirit. An instance of this was
afforded by a tea-merchant at Hang-chow who some hundred and fifty years ago
cast himself into the river Tsien-tang as a sacrifice to the spirit of the dykes
which were constantly being washed away. Numerous instances of similar devotion
appear in Chinese annals, each being of course the basis of a legend more or
less accurate in its adherence to facts.
The cave of Kwang-siu-f 'oo in Kiang-si is the reputed scene of a legend or
household tale recalling a portion of the well-known "Ali Baba and the Forty
Thieves." There was in the neighbourhood a poor herdsman named Chang, his sole
surviving relative being a grandmother with whom he lived. One day, happening to
pass near the cave in question, he overheard some one using the following words:
Shih mun kai, Kwai ku hsien sheng lai. "Stone door open; Mr. Kwei Ku is coming."
Upon this the door of the cave opened, and the speaker entered. Having remained
there for some time he came out and saying "Stone door close; Mr. Kwei Ku is
going," the door again closed and the visitor departed. Chang's curiosity was
naturally excited, and having several times heard the formula repeated he waited
one day until the genie (for such he was) had taken his departure and essayed to
obtain an entrance. To his great delight the door yielded, and having gone
inside he found himself in a romantic grotto of immense extent. Nothing however
in the shape of treasure met his eye, so having fully explored the place he
returned to the door, which shut at his bidding, and went home. Upon telling his
grandmother of his adventure she expressed a strong wish to see the wonderful
cavern; and thither they accordingly went together next day. Wandering about in
admiration of the scenery they became separated, and Chang at length, supposing
that his grandmother had left, passed out of the door and ordered it to shut.
Reaching home he found, to his dismay, that she had not yet arrived. She must of
course have been locked up in the cave, so back he sped and before long was
using the magic sentence to obtain access. But alas ! the talisman had failed,
and poor Chang fell into an agony of apprehension as he reflected that his
grandmother would either be starved to death or killed by the enraged genie.']
[127] [Callaway, Nursery Tales, pp. 140-42.]
[128] [Turner, Nineteen Years in Polynesia, p. 252.]
[129] [Ralston, Russian Folk-tales,
p. 102. 'Long time did he ride; at last he came to a mountain a tremendously
high mountain, and so steep that it was utterly impossible to get up it.
Presently his brothers came that way. They all greeted each other, and rode on
together, till they came to an iron rock l a hundred and fifty poods in weight,
and on it was this inscription, ' Whosoever will fling this rock against the
mountain, to him will a way be opened.' The two elder brothers were unable to
lift the rock, but Prince Ivan at the first try flung it against the mountain
and immediately there appeared a ladder leading up the mountain side.
Prince Ivan dismounted, let some drops of blood run from his little finger into
a glass, gave it to his brothers, and said:
'If the blood in this glass turns black, tarry here no longer: that will mean
that I am about to die.' Then he took leave of them and went his way.
He mounted the hill. What did not he see there ? All sorts of trees were there,
all sorts of fruits, all sorts of birds! Long did Prince Ivan walk on; at last
he came to a house, a huge house! In it lived a king's daughter who had been
carried off by Koshchei the Deathless. Prince Ivan walked round the enclosure,
but could not see any doors. The king's daughter saw there was some one there,
came on to the balcony, and called out to him, 'See, there is a chink in the
enclosure; touch it with your little finger, and it will become a door.'']
[130] [Rit., ch. 64. Renouf's tr. See also Lefebure, 'Book of Hades,' RP, 10 & 12.]
[131] [Mason, JAS, pt. 2, pp. 233-4, 'Karens,']
[132] [Lefebure, 'The Book of Hades,' RP, 10, 79. See p. 81.]
[133] [Source.]
[134] [Rit. ch. 17. Renouf's tr.]
[135] [Rit. ch. 15, Renouf's tr.]
[136] [Rit. ch. 3. Renouf's tr.]
[137] [From Baring-Gould,
Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, pp. 260-4. 'But perhaps the most
remarkable account of the terrestrial Paradise ever furnished, is that of the "Eireks
Saga Vidforla," an Icelandic narrative of the fourteenth century, giving the
adventures of a certain Norwegian, named Eirek, who had vowed, whilst a heathen,
that he would explore the fabulous Deathless Land of pagan Scandinavian
mythology. The romance is possibly a Christian recension of an ancient heathen
myth; and Paradise has taken the place in it of Glaesisvellir.
According to the majority of the MSS. the story purports to be nothing more than
a religious novel; but one audacious copyist has ventured to assert that it is
all fact, and that the details are taken down from the lips of those who heard
them from Eirek himself. The account is briefly this:
Eirek was a son of Thrand, king of Drontheim, and having taken upon him a vow to
explore the Deathless Land, he went to Denmark, where he picked up a friend of
the same name as himself. They then went to Constantinople, and called upon the
Emperor, who held a long conversation with them, which is duly reported,
relative to the truths of Christianity and the site of the Deathless Land,
which, he assures them, is nothing more nor less
than Paradise.
"The world," said the monarch, who had not forgotten his geography since he left
school, "is precisely 180,000 stages round (about 1,000,000 English miles), and
it is not propped up on posts not a bit! it is supported by the power of God;
and the distance between earth and heaven is 100,045 miles (another MS. reads
9382 miles the difference is immaterial); and round about the earth is a big sea
called Ocean." "And what's to the south of the earth?" asked Eirek. "Oh! there
is the end of the world, and that is India." "And pray where am I to find the
Deathless Land?" "Paradise, I suppose you mean, lies slightly east of India."
Having obtained this information, the two Eireks started, furnished with letters
from the Greek Emperor.
They traversed Syria, and took ship probably at Balsora; then, reaching India,
they proceeded on their journey on horseback, till they came to a dense forest,
the gloom of which was so great, through the interlacing of the boughs, that
even by day the stars could be observed twinkling, as though they were seen from
the bottom of a well.
On emerging from the forest, the two Eireks came upon a strait, separating them
from a beautiful land, which was unmistakably Paradise; and the Danish Eirek,
intent on displaying his Scriptural knowledge, pronounced the strait to be the
river Pison. This was crossed by a stone bridge guarded by a dragon.
The Danish Eirek, deterred by the prospect of an encounter with this monster,
refused to advance, and even endeavoured to persuade his friend to give up the
attempt to enter Paradise as hopeless, after that they had come within sight of
the favoured land. But the Norseman deliberately walked, sword in hand, into the
maw of the dragon, and next moment, to his infinite surprise and delight, found
himself liberated from the gloom of the monster's interior, and safely placed in
Paradise.
"The land was most beautiful, and the grass as gorgeous as purple; it was
studded with flowers, and was traversed by honey rills. The land war extensive
and level, so that there was not to be seen mountain or hill, and the sun shone
cloudless without night and darkness; the calm of the ait was great, and there
was but a feeble murmur of wind, and that which there was, breathed redolent
with the odour of blossoms." After a short walk, Eirek observed what certainly
must have been a remarkable object, namely, a tower or steeple self-suspended in
the air, without any support whatever, though access might be had to it by means
of a slender ladder. By this Eirek ascended into a loft of the tower, and found
there an excellent cold collation prepared for him. After having partaken of
this he went to sleep, and in vision beheld and conversed with his guardian
angel, who promised to conduct him back to his fatherland, but to come for him
again, and fetch him away from it for ever at the expiration of the tenth year
after his return to Drontheim.
Eirek then retraced his steps to India, unmolested by the dragon, which did not
affect any surprise at having to disgorge him, and, indeed, which seems to have
been, notwithstanding his looks, but a harmless and passive dragon.
After a tedious journey of seven years, Eirek reached his native land, where he
related his adventures, to the confusion of the heathen, and to the delight and
edification of the faithful. "And in the tenth year, and at break of day, as
Eirek went to prayer, God's Spirit caught him away, and he was never seen again
in this world: so here ends all we have to say of him."' See note 139
below.]
[138] [Rit. ch. 7.]
[139] [See note 137 above. See also Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. 1, p. 340. 'With even more distinctness of mythical meaning, the man-devouring monster is introduced in the Scandinavian Eireks-Saga. Eirek, journeying toward Paradise, comes to a stone bridge guarded by a dragon, and entering into its maw, finds that he has arrived in the world of bliss.' Eireks Saga, 3, 4, in 'Flateyjarbok,' vol. i., Christiania, 1859 in Baring-Gould, Myths of the Middle Ages, p. 238.]
[140] [Budge, Pyramid Texts.]
[141] [Rit. ch. 17.]
[142] [Rit. ch. 44.]
[143] [Rit. ch. 58.]
[144] [Rit. ch. 68.]
[145] [Rit. ch. 102.]
[146] [Vignettes to Ritual.]
[147] [Rit. ch. 98.]
[148] [Turner, Samoa, p. 257. 'There is a stone at the west end of Upolu called "the leaping-stone," from which spirits in their course leaped into the sea, swam to Manono, leaped from a stone on that island again, crossed to Savaii, and went overland to the Fafā at Falealupo, as the entrance to their hades was called.']
[149] [Bosman, in Pinkerton's Voyages, vol. 16, p. 401; Rit. ch. 44.]
[150] [Rit. ch. 86.]
[151] [Hieroglyphic Dictionary, p. 547.]
[152] [Odyssey, bk. 10, 114-144. 'Both were begotten of Helios, who gives light to all men, and their mother was Perse, daughter of Oceanus.']
[153] [Mayers' Manual, p. 98.]
[154] [Rit. ch, 14.]
[155] [Rit., ch. 109. Renouf's tr.]
[156] [Rit. ch. 98. Renouf's tr.]
[157] [Rit. ch. 17.]
[158] [Chabas, 'The Stele of Beka,' RP, 10, 5. See p. 7.]
[159] [Rit., ch. 133.]
[160] [Birch, 'Egyptian Magical Text,' RP, 6, 113. See 118, p. 6.]
[161] [Brugsch, Egypt under the Pharaohs, Eng. tr. in one vol., p. 130. 'In the year 22 of the reign of King Aahmes, his Majesty gave the order to open the rock-chambers anew, and to cut out thence the best white stone (limestone) of the hill country, (called) An, for the houses of the gods, whose existence is for endless years, for the house of the divine Ptah in Memphis, for Amen, the gracious god in Thebes, ... and for all other monuments, that his Majesty caused to be executed. The stone was drawn by bullocks, which were brought thither and given over to the foreign people of the Fenekh.']
[162] [Maspero, Dawn of Civilization, Eng. tr., p. 383. 'A spur of the latter, projecting in a straight line towards the Nile, as far as the village of Troiu, is nothing but a mass of the finest and whitest limestone.']
[163] [Rit. chs. 42 and 106.]
[164] [Rit. ch. 26. Renouf's tr.]
[165] [Edkins, Religion in China, p. 151, 2nd. ed. 'The paradise inhabited by the first person in the Taouist trinity is called the metropolis of the pearl mountain, and its entrance, in imitation of the usual Oriental style in speaking of the abode of royalty, is "the golden door."']
[166] [Source.]
[167] [Rev. 14:8. 'And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.']
[168] [Rit. ch. 97. Renouf's tr.]
[169] [Rit. ch. 106. Renouf's tr.]
[170] [Dumichen, Temple Inschriften, vol. 1, pl. 97.]
[171] [1 Kings 6:7. 'And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.']
[172] [Taplin, Native Races of South Australia, p. 36.]
[173] [Histories, bk. 2.127. 'Cheops reigned, the Egyptians
said, fifty years, and was succeeded at his demise by Chephren, his brother.
Chephren imitated the conduct of his predecessor and, like him, built a pyramid,
which did not, however, equal the dimensions of his brother's. Of this I am
certain, for I measured them both myself. It has no subterraneous apartments,
nor any canal from the Nile to supply it with water, as the other pyramid has.
In that, the Nile water, introduced through an artificial duct, surrounds an
island, where the body of Cheops is said to lie. Chephren built his pyramid
close to the great pyramid of Cheops, and of the same dimensions, except that he
lowered the height forty feet. For the basement he employed the many-coloured
stone of Ethiopia. These two pyramids stand both on the same hill, an elevation
not far short of a hundred feet in height. The reign of Chephren lasted
fifty-six years.' Tr. Rawlinson.
'This Cheops, the Egyptians said, reigned fifty years; and after he was
dead his brother Chephren succeeded to the kingdom. This king followed the same
manner as the other, both in all the rest and also in that he made a pyramid,
not indeed attaining to the measurements of that which was built by the former
(this I know, having myself also measured it), and moreover there are no
underground chambers beneath nor does a channel come from the Nile flowing to
this one as to the other, in which the water coming through a conduit built for
it flows round an island within, where they say that Cheops himself is laid: but
for a basement he built the first course of Ethiopian stone of divers colours;
and this pyramid he made forty feet lower than the other as regards size,
building it close to the great pyramid. These stand both upon the same hill,
which is about a hundred feet high. And Chephren they said reigned fifty and six
years.' Tr. Macauley.]
[174] [A Relation of a Journey Begun in An. Dom. 1610.]
[175] [Histories, bk. 2.153. 'When Psammetichus had thus become
sole monarch of Egypt, he built the southern gateway of the temple of Vulcan in
Memphis, and also a court for Apis, in which Apis is kept whenever he makes his
appearance in Egypt. This court is opposite the gateway of Psammetichus, and is
surrounded with a colonnade and adorned with a multitude of figures. Instead of
pillars, the colonnade rests upon colossal statues, twelve cubits in height. The
Greek name for Apis is Epaphus.' Tr. Rawlinson.
'Having thus got power over all Egypt, Psammetichos made for Hephaistos that
gateway of the temple at Memphis which is turned towards the South Wind; and he
built a court for Apis, in which Apis is kept when he appears, opposite to the
gateway of the temple, surrounded all with pillars and covered with figures; and
instead of columns there stand to support the roof of the court colossal statues
twelve cubits high. Now Apis is in the tongue of the Hellenes Epaphos.' Tr.
Macauley.]
[176] [Ibid., bk. 2. 147. 'In what follows I have the
authority, not of the Egyptians only, but of others also who agree with them. I
shall speak likewise in part from my own observation. When the Egyptians
regained their liberty after the reign of the priest of Vulcan, unable to
continue any while without a king, they divided Egypt into twelve districts, and
set twelve kings over them. These twelve kings, united together by
intermarriages, ruled Egypt in peace, having entered into engagements with one
another not to depose any of their number, nor to aim at any aggrandisement of
one above the rest, but to dwell together in perfect amity. Now the reason why
they made these stipulations, and guarded with care against their infraction,
was, because at the very first establishment of the twelve kingdoms, an oracle
had declared. "That he among them who should pour in Vulcan's temple a libation
from cup of bronze, would become monarch of the whole land of Egypt." Now the
twelve held their meetings at all the temples.' Tr. Rawlinson.
'But I will now recount that which other nations also tell, and the
Egyptians in agreement with the others, of that which happened in this land: and
there will be added to this also something of that which I have myself seen.
Being set free after the reign of the priest of Hephaistos, the Egyptians, since
they could not live any time without a king, set up over them twelve kings,
having divided all Egypt into twelve parts. These made intermarriages with one
another and reigned, making agreement that they would not put down one another
by force, nor seek to get an advantage over one another, but would live in
perfect friendship: and the reason why they made these agreements, guarding them
very strongly from violation, was this, namely that an oracle had been given to
them at first when they began to exercise their rule, that he of them who should
pour a libation with a bronze cup in the temple of Hephaistos, should be king of
all Egypt (for they used to assemble together in all the temples).' Tr.
Macauley.]
[177] [Ibid., bk. 2. 148. 'To bind themselves yet more
closely together, it seemed good to them to leave a common monument. In
pursuance of this resolution they made the Labyrinth which lies a little above
Lake Mæris, in the neighbourhood of the place called the city of Crocodiles. I
visited this place, and found it to surpass description; for if all the walls
and other great works of the Greeks could be put together in one, they would not
equal, either for labour or expense, this Labyrinth; and yet the temple of
Ephesus is a building worthy of note, I and so is the temple of Samos. The
pyramids likewise surpass description, and are severally equal to a number of
the greatest works of the Greeks, but the Labyrinth surpasses the pyramids. It
has twelve courts, all of them roofed, with gates exactly opposite one another,
six looking to the north, and six to the south. A single wall surrounds the
entire building. There are two different sorts of chambers throughout-half under
ground, half above ground, the latter built upon the former; the whole number of
these chambers is three thousand, fifteen hundred of each kind. The upper
chambers I myself passed through and saw, and what I say concerning them is from
my own observation; of the underground chambers I can only speak from report:
for the keepers. of the building could not be got to show them, since they
contained (as they said) the sepulchres of the kings who built the Labyrinth,
and also those of the sacred crocodiles. Thus it is from hearsay only that I can
speak of the lower chambers. The upper chambers, however, I saw with my own
eyes, and found them to excel all other human productions; for the passages
through the houses, and the varied windings of the paths across the courts,
excited in me infinite admiration, as I passed from the courts into chambers,
and from the chambers into colonnades, and from the colonnades into fresh
houses, and again from these in to courts unseen before. The roof was throughout
of stone, like the walls; and the walls were carved all over with figures; every
court was surrounded with a colonnade, which was built of white stones,
exquisitely fitted together. At the corner of the Labyrinth stands a pyramid,
forty fathoms high, with large figures engraved on it; which is entered by a
subterranean passage.' Tr. Rawlinson.
'Moreover they resolved to join all together and leave a memorial of
themselves; and having so resolved they caused to be made a labyrinth, situated
a little above the lake of Moiris and nearly opposite to that which is called
the City of Crocodiles. This I saw myself, and I found it greater than words can
say. For if one should put together and reckon up all the buildings and all the
great works produced by the Hellenes, they would prove to be inferior in labour
and expense to this labyrinth, though it is true that both the temple at Ephesos
and that at Samos are works worthy of note. The pyramids also were greater than
words can say, and each one of them is equal to many works of the Hellenes,
great as they may be; but the labyrinth surpasses even the pyramids. It has
twelve courts covered in, with gates facing one another, six upon the North side
and six upon the South, joining on one to another, and the same wall surrounds
them all outside; and there are in it two kinds of chambers, the one kind below
the ground and the other above upon these, three thousand in number, of each
kind fifteen hundred. The upper set of chambers we ourselves saw, going through
them, and we tell of them having looked upon them with our own eyes; but the
chambers under ground we heard about only; for the Egyptians who had charge of
them were not willing on any account to show them, saying that here were the
sepulchres of the kings who had first built this labyrinth and of the sacred
crocodiles. Accordingly we speak of the chambers below by what we received from
hearsay, while those above we saw ourselves and found them to be works of more
than human greatness. For the passages through the chambers, and the goings this
way and that way through the courts, which were admirably adorned, afforded
endless matter for marvel, as we went through from a court to the chambers
beyond it, and from the chambers to colonnades, and from the colonnades to other
rooms, and then from the chambers again to other courts. Over the whole of these
is a roof made of stone like the walls; and the walls are covered with figures
carved upon them, each court being surrounded with pillars of white stone fitted
together most perfectly; and at the end of the labyrinth, by the corner of it,
there is a pyramid of forty fathoms, upon which large figures are carved, and to
this there is a way made under ground.' Tr. Macauley.]
[178] [BB, Planisphere.]
[179] [Source.]
[180] [Joyce,
Old Celtic
Romances, 'Pursuit of the Gilla Dacker,' ch. 4. 'CHAPTER IV. DERMAT O'DYNA,
IN QUEST OF THE GILLA DACKER, ENCOUNTERS THE WIZARD-CHAMPION AT THE WELL.
WHEN now they had been silent for a time, Fergus Finnvel, the poet, arose and
said―
"My friends, we have here amongst us one who has been fostered and taught from
the child to the man, by Mannanan MacLir in Fairyland, and by Angus, 1 the
wisest of the Dedannans, at Bruga of the Boyne. He has been carefully trained by
both in everything a warrior should learn, and in much
druidical lore besides ; so that he is skilled beyond us all in manly arts and
champion-feats. But now it seems that all his arts and accomplishments go for
nought, seeing that he is unable to make use of them just at the time that we
stand most in need of them. On the top of that rock, doubtless, the Gilla Dacker
lives, and there he holds Conan and the others in bondage ; and surely this
hero, who now sits idly with us here in our ship, should be able to climb up the
face of that cliff, and bring us back tidings of our dear friends and
companions."
When Dermat O'Dyna heard this speech, his cheek grew red with shame, and he made
this reply―
"It is of me you have spoken these words, Fergus. Your reproaches are just; and
though the task is hard, I will attempt to follow the track of the Gilla
Dacker, and find out some tidings of our friends."
So saying, Dermat arose, and girded on his armour, and put on his glittering
helmet. He hung his sword at his left hip ; and he took his two long, deadly
spears, one in each hand, namely, the Crannboi and the Ga-derg; and the
battle-fury of a warrior descended on him, so that he looked a dreadful foe to
meet in single combat.
Then, leaning on the handles of his spears, after the manner of skilful
champions, he leaped with a light, airy bound on the nearest shelf of rock. And
using his spears and his hands, he climbed from ledge to ledge, while his
companions watched him anxiously from below; till, after much toil, he measured
the soles of his two feet on the green sod at the top of the rock. And when,
recovering breath, he turned round and looked at his companions in the ship far
below, he started back with amazement and dread at the dizzy height.
He now looked inland, and saw a beautiful country spread out before him : a
lovely, flowery plain straight in front, bordered with pleasant hills, and
shaded with groves of many kinds of trees. It was enough to banish all care and
sadness from one's heart to view this country, and to listen to the warbling of
the birds, the humming of the bees among the flowers, the rustling of the wind
through the trees, and the pleasant voices of the streams and waterfalls.
Making no delay, Dermat set out to walk across the plain. He had not been long
walking when he saw, right before him, a great tree laden with fruit,
overtopping all the other trees of the plain. It was surrounded at a little
distance by a circle of pillar-stones; and one stone, taller than the others,
stood in the centre near the tree. Beside this pillar-stone was a spring well,
with a large, round pool as clear as crystal; and the water bubbled up in the
centre, and flowed away towards the middle of the plain in a slender stream.
Dermat was glad when he saw the well; for he was hot and thirsty after climbing
up the cliff. He stooped down to take a drink; but before his lips touched the
water, he heard the heavy tread of a body of warriors, and the loud clank of
arms, as if a whole host were coming straight down on him. He sprang to his feet
and looked round; but the noise ceased in an instant, and he could see nothing.
After a little while he stooped again to drink ; and again, before he had wet
his lips, he heard the very same sounds, nearer and louder than before. A
second time he leaped to his feet; and still he saw no one. He knew not what to
think of this; and as he stood wondering and perplexed, he happened to cast his
eyes on the tall pillar-stone that stood on the brink of the well; and he saw on
its top a large, beautiful drinking-horn, chased with gold and
enamelled with precious stones.
"Now surely," said Dermat, "I have been doing wrong; it is, no doubt, one of the
virtues of this well, that it will not let any one drink of its waters except
from the drinking-horn."
So he took down the horn, dipped it into the well, and drank without hindrance,
till he had slaked his thirst.
Scarcely had he taken the horn from his lips, when he saw a tall wizard-champion
coming towards him from the east, clad in a complete suit of mail, and fully
armed with shield and helmet, sword and spear. A beautiful scarlet mantle hung
over his armour, fastened at his throat by a golden brooch; and a broad circlet
of sparkling gold was bended in front across his forehead, to confine his yellow
hair, and keep it from being blown about by the wind.
As he came nearer, he increased his pace, moving with great strides; and Dermat
now observed that he looked very wrathful. He offered no greeting, and showed
not the least courtesy; but addressed Dermat in a rough, angry voice―
"Surely, Dermat O'Dyna, Erin of the green plains should be wide enough for you;
and it contains abundance of clear, sweet water in its crystal springs and green
bordered streams, from which you might have drunk your fill. But you have come
into my island without my leave, and you have taken my drinking-horn, and have
drunk from my well; and this spot you shall never leave till you have given me
satisfaction for the insult."
So spoke the wizard-champion, and instantly advanced on Dermat with fury in his
eyes. But Dermat was not the man to be terrified by any hero or wizard-champion
alive. He met the foe half-way; and now, foot to foot, and knee to knee, and
face to face, they began a fight, watchful and wary at first, but soon hot and
vengeful, till their shields and helmets could scarce withstand their strong
thrusts and blows. Like two enraged lions fighting to the death, or two strong
serpents intertwined in deadly strife, or two great opposing billows thundering
against each other on the ocean border; such was the strength and fury and
determination of the combat of these two heroes.
And so they fought through the long day, till evening came, and it began to be
dusk; when suddenly the wizard-champion sprang outside the range of Dermat's
sword, and leaping up with a great bound, he alighted in the very centre of the
well. Down he went through it, and disappeared in a moment before Dermat's eyes,
as if the well had swallowed him up. Dermat stood on the brink, leaning on his
spear, amazed and perplexed, looking after him in the water; but whether the
hero had meant to drown himself, or that he had played some wizard trick, Dermat
knew not.
He sat down to rest, full of vexation that the wizard-champion should have got
off so easily. And what chafed him still more was that the Feni knew nought of
what had happened, and that when he returned, he could tell them nothing of the
strange hero; neither had he the least token or trophy to show them after his
long fight.
Then he began to think what was best to be done; and he made up his mind to stay
near the well all night, with the hope of finding out something further about
the wizard-champion on the morrow.
He walked towards the nearest point of a great forest that stretched from the
mountain down to the plain on his left; and as he came near, a herd of speckled
deer ran by among the trees. He put his finger into the silken loop of his
spear, and, throwing it with an unerring cast, brought down the nearest of the
herd.
Then, having lighted a fire under a tree, he skinned the deer and fixed it on
long hazel spits to roast, having first, however, gone to the well, and brought
away the drinking-horn full of water. And he sat beside the roasting deer to
turn it and tend the fire, waiting impatiently for his meal; for he was hungry
and tired after the toil of the day.
When the deer was cooked, he ate till he was satisfied, and drank the clear
water of the well from the drinking-horn; after which he lay down under the
shade of the tree, beside the fire, and slept a sound sleep till morning.
Night passed away and the sun rose, bringing morning with its abundant light.
Dermat started up, refreshed after his long sleep, and, repairing to the forest,
he slew another deer, and fixed it on hazel spits to roast at the fire as
before. For Dermat had this custom, that he would never eat of any food left
from a former meal.
And after he had eaten of the deer's flesh and drunk from the horn, he went
towards the well. But though his visit was early, he found the wizard-champion
there before him, standing beside the pillar-stone, fully armed as before, and
looking now more wrathful than ever. Dermat was much surprised; but before he
had time to speak the wizard-champion addressed him―
"Dermat O'Dyna, you have now put the cap on all your evil deeds. It was not
enough that you took my drinking-horn and drank from my well: you have done much
worse than this, for you have hunted on my grounds, and have killed some of my
speckled deer. Surely there are many hunting-grounds in Erin of the green
plains, with plenty of deer in them; and you need not have come^hither to commit
these robberies on me. But now for a certainty you shall not go from this spot
till I have taken revenge for all these misdeeds."
And again the two champions attacked each other, and fought during the long day,
from morning till evening. And when the dusk began to fall, the wizard-champion
leaped into the well, and disappeared down through it, even as he had done the
day before.
The selfsame thing happened on the third day. And each day, morning and evening,
Dermat killed a deer, and ate of its flesh, and drank of the water of the well
from the drinking-horn.
On the fourth morning, Dermat found the wizard-champion standing as usual by the
pillar-stone near the well. And as each morning he looked more angry than on the
morning before, so now he scowled in a way that would have terrified any one but
Dermat O'Dyna.
And they fought during the day till the dusk of evening. But now Dermat watched
his foe narrowly; and when he saw him about to spring into the well, he closed
on him and threw his arms round him. The wizard-champion struggled to free
himself, moving all the time nearer and nearer to the brink; but Dermat held on,
till at last both fell into the well. Down they went, clinging to each other,
Dermat and the wizard-champion; down, down, deeper and deeper they went; and
Dermat tried to look round, but nothing could he see save darkness and dim
shadows. At length there was a glimmer of light; then the bright day burst
suddenly upon them; and presently they came to the solid ground, gently and
without the least shock.']
[181] [Percy,
Reliquess of
Ancient Poetry, vol. 3, pp. 244-51, London, 1858 ed. 'THE DRAGON OF WANTLEY.
This humorous song (as a former editor a has well observed) is to old metrical
romances and ballads of chivalry, what Don Quixote is to prose narratives of
that kind: a lively satire on their extravagant fictions. But although the
satire is thus general, the subject of this ballad is local and peculiar; so
that many of the finest strokes of humour are lost for want of our knowing the
minute circumstances to which they allude. Many of them can hardly now be
recovered, although we have been fortunate enough to learn the general subject
to which the satire referred, and shall detail the information, with which we
have been favoured, in a separate memoir at the end of the poem.
In handling his subject, the author has brought in most of the common incidents
which occur in Romance. The description of the dragon 1 his out rages the people
flying to the knight for succour his care in chusing his armour his being drest
for fight by a young damsel and most of the circumstances of the battle and
victory (allowing for the burlesque turn given to them) are what occur in every
book of chivalry, whether in prose or verse.
If any one piece, more than other, is more particularly levelled at, it seems to
be the old rhyming legend of sir Bevis. There a Dragon is attacked from a Well
in a manner not very remote from this of the ballad:
There was a well, so have I wynne,
And Bevis stumbled ryght therein.
Than was he glad without fayle,
And rested a whyle for his avayle;
And dranke of that water his fyll;
And than he lepte out, with good wyll,
And with Morglay his brande
He assayled the dragon, I understande:
On the dragon he smote so faste,
Where that he hit the scales braste:
The dragon then faynted sore,
And cast a galon and more
Out of his mouthe of venim strong,
And on syr Bevis he it flong:
It was venymous y-wis.
This seems to be meant by the Dragon of Wantley's stink, ver. 110. As the
politic knight's creeping out, and attacking the dragon, c. seems evidently
to allude to the following:
Bevis blessed himselfe, and forth yode,
And lepte out with haste full good;
And Bevis unto the dragon gone is;
And the dragon also to Bevis.
Longe, and harde was that fyght
Betwene the dragon, and that knyght:
But ever whan syr Bevis was hurt sore,
He went to the well, and washed him there;
He was as hole as any man,
Ever freshe as whan he began.
The dragon sawe it might not avayle
Besyde the well to hold batayle;
He thought he would, wyth some wyle
Out of that place Bevis begyle;
He woulde have flowen then awaye,
But Bevis lepte after with good Morglaye,
And hyt him under the wynge,
As he was in his flyenge, &c.
Sign, M.jv. L.j. &c.
After all, perhaps the writer of this ballad was acquainted with the above
incidents only through the medium of Spenser, who has assumed most of them in
his Faery Queen. At least some particulars in the description of the
Dragon, &c. seem evidently borrowed from the latter. See Book I. Canto 11, where
the Dragon's ' two wynges like sayls huge long tayl with stings his cruel
rending clawes and yron teeth his breath of smothering smoke and sulphur ' and
the duration of the fight for upwards of two days, bear a great resemblance to
passages in the following ballad; though it must be confessed that these
particulars are common to all old writers of Romance.
Although this ballad must have been written early in the seventeenth century, we
have met with none but such as were comparatively modern copies. It is here
printed from one in Roman letter, in the Pepys Collection, collated with such
others as could be procured.
OLD stories tell, how Hercules
A Dragon slew at Lerna,
With seven heads, and fourteen eyes,
To see and well discern-a:
But he had a club, this dragon to drub,
Or he had ne'er done it, I warrant ye:
But More of More-Hall, with nothing at all,
He slew the dragon of Wantley.
This dragon had two furious wings,
Each one upon each shoulder;
With a sting in his tayl, as long as a flayl,
Which made him bolder and bolder.
He had long claws, and in his jaws
Four and forty teeth of iron;
With a hide as tough, as any buff,
Which did him round environ.
Have you not heard how the Trojan horse
Held seventy men in his belly?
This dragon was not quite so big,
But very near, I'll tell ye.
Devoured he poor children three,
That could not with him grapple;
And at one sup he eat them up,
As one would eat an apple.
All sorts of cattle this dragon did eat.
Some say he ate up trees,
And that the forests sure he would
Devour up by degrees:
For houses and churches were to him geese and turkies;
He ate all, and left none behind, so
But some stones, dear Jack, that he could not crack,
Which on the hills you will find.
In Yorkshire, near fair Rotherham,
The place I know it well;
Some two or three miles, or thereabouts,
I vow I cannot tell;
But there is a hedge, just on the hill edge,
And Matthew's house hard by it;
there and then was this dragon's den,
You could not chuse but spy it.
Some say, this dragon was a witch;
Some say, he was a devil,
For from his nose a smoke arose,
And with it burning snivel;
Which he cast off, when he did cough,
In a well that he did stand by;
Which made it look, just like a brook
Running with burning brandy.
Hard by a furious knight there dwelt,
Of whom all towns did ring; so
For he could wrestle, play at quarter-staff, kick, cuff and huff,
Call son of a whore, do any kind of thing:
By the tail and the main, with his hands twain
He swung a horse till he was dead;
And that which is stranger, he for very anger
Eat him all up but his head.
These children, as I told, being eat;
Men, women, girls and boys,
Sighing and sobbing, came to his lodging;
And made a hideous noise:
O save us all, More of More-Hall,
Thou peerless knight of these woods;
Do but slay this dragon, who won't leave us a rag on,
We'll give thee all our goods
'Tut, tut,' quoth he, 'no goods I want;
But I want, I want, in sooth,
A fair maid of sixteen, that 's brisk, and keen,
With smiles about the mouth;
Hair black as sloe, skin white as snow,
With blushes her cheeks adorning;
To anoynt me o'er night, ere I go to fight,
And to dress me in the morning.'
This being done he did engage
To hew the dragon down,
But first he went, new armour to
Bespeak at Sheffield town;
With spikes all about, not within but without,
Of steel so sharp and strong;
Both behind and before, arms, legs, and all o'er
Some five or six inches long. so
Had you but seen him in this dress,
How fierce he look'd, and how big,
You would have thought him for to be
Some Egyptian porcupig :
He frighted all, cats, dogs, and all,
Each cow, each horse, and each hog:
For fear they did flee, for they took him to be
Some strange outlandish hedge-hog.
To see this fight, all people then
Got up on trees and houses,
On churches some, and chimneys too;
But these put on their trowses,
Not to spoil their hose. As soon as he rose,
To make him strong and mighty,
He drank by the tale, six pots of ale,
And a quart of aqua-vitae.
It is not strength that always wins,
For wit doth strength excell;
Which made our cunning champion
Creep down into a well;
Where he did think, this dragon would drink,
And so he did in truth;
And as he stoop'd low, he rose up and cry'd, 'boh!
And hit him in the mouth.
'Oh,' quoth the dragon, 'pox take thee, come out,
Thou disturb'st me in my drink:
And then he turn'd, and s ... at him;
Good lack how he did stink!
'Beshrew thy soul, thy body's foul,
Thy dung smells not like balsam; no
Thou son of a whore, thou stink'st so sore,
Siire thy diet is unwholsome.'
Our politick knight, on the other side,
Crept out upon the brink,
And gave the dragon such a douse, us
He knew not what to think:
'By cock,' quoth he, 'say you so: do you see?'
And then at him he let fly
With hand and with foot, and so they went to 't;
And the word it was, 'Hey boys, hey!'
'Your words,' quoth the dragon, 'I don't understand:'
Then to it they fell at all,
Like two wild boars so fierce, if I may,
Compare great things with small.
Two days and a night, with this dragon did fight
Our champion on the ground;
Tho' their strength it was great, their skill it was neat,
They never had one wound,
At length the hard earth began to quake,
The dragon gave him a knock,
Which made him to reel, and straitway he thought,
To lift him as high as a rock,
And thence let him fall. But More of More-Hall,
Like a valiant son of Mars,
As he came like a lout, so he turn'd him about,
And hit him a kick on the a ...
'Oh,' quoth the dragon, with a deep sigh,
And turn'd six times together,
Sobbing and tearing, cursing and swearing
Out of his throat of leather;
'More of More-Hall! thou rascal!
Would I had seen thee never;
With the thing at thy foot, thou hast pricked my a gut,
And I 'm quite undone for ever.
Murder, Murder/ the dragon cry'd,
'Alack, alack, for grief;
Had you but mist that place, you could
Have done me no mischief.'
Then his head he shaked, trembled and quaked,
And down he laid and cry'd;
First on one knee, then on back tumbled he,
So groan'd, kickt, s . . ., and dy'd.
A description of the supposed scene of the foregoing ballad, which was
communicated to the Editor in 1767, is here given in the words of the relater:
'In Yorkshire, 6 miles from Rotherham, is a village, called Wortley, the seat of
the late Wortley Montague, Esq; About a mile from this village is a lodge, named Warncliff Lodge, but vulgarly called Wantley: here lies the scene of the song.
I was there above forty years ago: and it being a woody rocky place, my friend
made me clamber over rocks and stones, not telling me to what end, till I came
to a sort of a cave; then asked my opinion of the place, and pointing to one
end, says, 'Here lay the Dragon killed by Moor of Moor-hall: here lay his head ;
here lay his tail; and the stones we came over on the hill, are those he could
not crack; and yon white house you see half a mile off, is Moor-hall.' I had
dined at the lodge, and knew the man's name was Matthew, who was a keeper to Mr.
Wortley, and, as he endeavoured to persuade me, was the same Matthew mentioned
in the song. In the house is the picture of the Dragon and Moor of Moor- Hall,
and near it a Well, 'which,' says he, 'is the well described in the ballad.'
Since the former editions of this humorous old song were printed, the following
Key to the Satire hath been communicated by Godfrey Bosville, Esq. of Thorp,
near Malton, in Yorkshire; who, in the most obliging manner, gave full
permission to subjoin it to the poem.
Warncliffe Lodge, and Warncliffe Wood (vulgarly pronounced Wantley), are in the
parish of Penniston, in Yorkshire. The rectory of Penniston was part of the
dissolved monastery of St. Stephen's, Westminster; and was granted to the Duke
of Norfolk's family: who therewith endowed an hospital, which he built at
Sheffield, for women. The trustees let the impropriation of the great tithes of
Penniston to the Wortley family, who got a great deal by it, and wanted to get
still more: for Mr. Nicholas Wortley attempted to take the tithes in kind, but
Mr. Francis Bosville opposed him, and there was a decree in favour of the Modus
in 37th Eliz. The vicarage of Penniston did not go along with the rectory, but
with the copyhold rents, arid was part of a large purchase made by Ralph
Bosville, Esq. from Qu. Elizabeth, in the 2d year of her reign : and that part
he sold in 12th Eliz. to his elder brother Godfrey, the father of Francis; who
left it, with the rest of his estate, to his wife, for her life, and then to
Ralph, 3d son of his uncle Ralph. The widow married Lyonel Rowlestone, lived
eighteen years, and survived Ralph.
This premised, the ballad apparently relates to the law-suit carried on
concerning this claim of Tithes made by the Wortley family. 'Houses and
Churches, were to him Geese and Turkeys:' which are titheable things, the Dragon
chose to live on. Sir Francis Wortley, the son of Nicholas, at tempted again to
take the tithes in kind; but the parishioners subscribed an agreement to defend
their Modus. And at the head of the agreement was Lyonel Rowlestone, who is
supposed to be one of the Stones, dear Jack, which the Dragon could not crack.'
The agreement is still preserved in a large sheet of parchment, dated 1st of
James I, and is full of names and seals, which might be meant by the coat of
armour, 'with spikes all about, both within and without.' More of More-hall was
either the attorney, or counsellor, who conducted the suit. He is not distinctly
remembered, but More-hall is still extant at the very bottom of Wantley [Warncliff]
Wood, and lies so low, that it might be said to be in a Well: as the Dragon's
den [Warncliff Lodge] was at the top of the wood, with Matthew's house hard by
it.' The Keepers belonging to the Wortley family were named, for many
generations, Matthew Northall: the last of them left this lodge, within memory,
to be Keeper to the Duke of Norfolk. The present owner of More-hall still
attends Mr. Bosville's Manor-Court at Oxspring, and pays a Rose a year. 'More of
More-hall, with nothing at all, slew the Dragon of Wantley.' He gave him,
instead of tithes, so small a Modus, that it was in effect nothing at all, and
was slaying him with a vengeance. ' The poor children three,' &c. cannot surely
mean the three sisters of Francis Bosville, who would have been co-heiresses had
he made no will? The late Mr. Bosville had a contest with the descendants of two
of them, the late Sir Geo. Saville's father, and Mr. Copley, about the
presentation to Penniston, they supposing Francis had not the power to give this
part of the estate from the heirs at law; but it was decided against them. The
Dragon (Sir Francis Wortley) succeeded better with his cousin Wordesworth, the
freehold Lord of the manor (for it is the copyhold manor that belongs to Mr
Bosville) having persuaded him not to join the refractory parishioners, under a
promise that he would let him his tithes cheap: and now the estates of Wortley
and Wordesworth are the only lands that pay tithes in the parish.
N.B. The 'two days and a night' mentioned in ver. 125 as the duration of the
combat, was probably that of the trial at law.
A legend current in the Wortley family states the 'dragon to have been a
formidable drinker, drunk dead by the chieftain of the opposite moors.' Ellis
thinks it was a wolf or some other fierce animal hunted down by More of
More-hall. ED.']
[182] [Rit. ch. 7.]
[183] [Naville, Todtenbuchs, vol. 1, kap. 7, vignette.]
[184] [Mabinogion. 'THE LADY
OF THE FOUNTAIN
KING ARTHUR was at Caerlleon upon Usk; and one day he sat in his chamber; and
with him were Owain the son of Urien, and Kynon the son of Clydno, and Kai the
son of Kyner; and Gwenhwyvar and her hand-maidens at needlework by the window.
And if it should be said that there was a porter at Arthur's palace, there was
none. Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr was there, acting as porter, to welcome guests and
strangers, and to receive them with honour, and to inform them of the manners
and customs of the Court ; and to direct those who came to the Hall or to the
presence-chamber, and those who came to take up their lodging.
In the centre of the chamber King Arthur sat upon a seat of green rushes, over
which was spread a covering of flame-coloured satin, and a cushion of red satin
was under his elbow.
Then Arthur spoke, "If I thought you would not disparage me," said he, "I
would sleep while I wait for my repast; and you can entertain one another with
relating tales, and can obtain a flagon of mead and some meat from Kai." And the
King went to sleep. And Kynon the son of Clydno asked Kai for that which Arther
had promised them. "I, too, will have the good tale which he promised to me,"
said Kai. "Nay," answered Kynon, "fairer will it be for thee to fulfill
Arthur's behest, in the first place, and then we will tell thee the best tale
that we know." So Kai went to the kitchen and to the mead-cellar, and returned
bearing a flagon of mead and a golden goblet, and a handful of skewers, upon
which were broiled collops of meat. Then they ate the collops and began to drink
the mead. "Now," said Kai, "it is time for you to give me my story." "Kynon,"
said Owain, "do thou pay to Kai the tale that is his due." "Truly," said Kynon,
"thou are older, and art a better teller of tales, and hast seen more
marvellous things than I; do thou therefore pay Kai his tale." "Begin
thyself," quoth Owain, "with the best that thou knowest" "I will do so,"
answered Kynon.
"I was the only son of my mother and father, and I was exceedingly aspiring,
and my daring was very great. I thought there was no enterprise in the world too
mighty for me, and after I had achieved all the adventures that were in my own
country, I equipped myself, and set forth to journey through deserts and distant
regions. And at length it chanced that I came to the fairest valley in the
world, wherein were trees of equal growth ; and a river ran through the valley,
and a path was by the side of the river. And I followed the path until mid-day,
and continued my journey along the remainder of the valley until the evening;
and at the extremity of a plain I came to a large and lustrous Castle, at the
foot of which was a torrent. And I approached the Castle, and there I beheld two
youths with yellow curling hair, each with a frontlet of gold upon his head, and
clad in a garment of yellow satin, and they had gold clasps upon their insteps.
In the hand of each of them was an ivory bow, strung with the sinews of the stag; and their arrows had shafts of the bone of the whale, and were winged with
peacock's feathers; the shafts also had golden heads. And they had daggers with
blades of gold, and with hilts of the bone of the whale. And they were shooting
their daggers.
"And a little way from them I saw a man in the prime of life, with his beard
newly shorn, clad in a robe and a mantle of yellow satin; and round the top of
his mantle was a band of gold lace. On his feet were shoes of variegated
leather, fastened by two bosses of gold. When I saw him, I went towards him and
saluted him, and such was his courtesy that he no sooner received my greeting
than he returned it. And he went with me towards the Castle. Now there were no
dwellers in the Castle except those who were in one hall. And there I saw
four-and-twenty damsels, embroidering satin at a window. And this I tell thee,
Kai, that the least fair of them was fairer than the fairest maid thou hast ever
beheld in the Island of Britain, and the least lovely of them was more lovely
than Gwenhwyvar, the wife of Arthur, when she has appeared loveliest at the
Offering, on the day of the Nativity, or at the feast of Easter. They rose up at
my coming, and six of them took my horse, and divested me of my armour; and six
others took my arms, and washed them in a vessel until they were perfectly
bright. And the third six spread cloths upon the tables and prepared meat. And
the fourth six took off my soiled garments, and placed others upon me ; namely,
an under-vest and a doublet of fine linen, and a robe, and a surcoat, and a
mantle of yellow satin with a broad gold band upon the mantle. And they placed
cushions both beneath and around me, with coverings of red linen; and I sat
down. Now the six maidens who had taken my horse, unharnessed him, as well as if
they had been the best squires in the Island of Britain. Then, behold, they
brought bowls of silver wherein was water to wash, and towels of linen, some
green and some white; and I washed. And in a little while the man sat down to
the table. And I sat next to him, and below me sat all the maidens, except those
who waited on us. And the table was of silver, and the cloths upon the table
were of linen; and no vessel was served upon the table that was not either of
gold or of silver, or of buffalo-horn. And our meat was brought to us. And
verily, Kai, I saw there every sort of meat and every sort of liquor that I have
ever seen elsewhere; but the meat and the liquor were better served there than
I have ever seen them in any other place.
"Until the repast was half over, neither the man nor any one of the damsels
spoke a single word to me; but when the man perceived that it would be more
agreeable to me to converse than to eat any more, he began to inquire of me who
I was. I said I was glad to find that there was some one who would discourse
with me, and that it was not considered so great a crime at that Court for
people to hold converse together. 'Chieftain,' said the man, 'we would have
talked to thee sooner, but we feared to disturb thee during thy repast; now,
however, we will discourse.' Then I told the man who I was, and what was the
cause of my journey; and said that I was seeking whether any one was superior
to me, or whether I could gain the mastery over all The man looked upon me, and
he smiled and said, 'If I did not fear to distress thee too much, I would show
thee that which thou seekest.' Upon this I became anxious and sorrowful, and
when the man perceived it, he said, 'If thou wouldest rather that I should show
thee thy disadvantage than thine advantage, I will do so. Sleep here to-night,
and in the morning arise early, and take the road upwards through the valley
until thou reachest the wood through which thou earnest hither. A little way
within the wood thou wilt meet with a road branching off to the right, by which
thou must proceed, until thou comest to a large sheltered glade with a mound in
the centre. And thou wilt see a black man of great stature on the top of the
mound. He is not smaller in size than two of the men of this world. He has but
one foot; and one eye in the middle of his forehead. And he has a club of iron,
and it is certain that there are no two men in the world who would not find
their burden in that club. And he is not a comely man, but on the contrary he is
exceedingly ill-favoured; and he is the woodward of that wood. And thou wilt see
a thousand wild animals grazing around him. Inquire of him the way out of the
glade, and he will reply to thee briefly, and will point out the road by which
thou shalt find that which thou art in quest of.'
And long seemed that night to me. And the next morning I arose and equipped
myself, and mounted my horse, and proceeded straight through the valley to the
wood; and I followed the cross-road which the man had pointed out to me, till
at length I arrived at the glade. And there was I three times more astonished at
the number of wild animals that I beheld, than the man had said I should be. And
the black man was there, sitting upon the top of the mound. Huge of stature as
the man had told me that he was, I found him to exceed by far the description he
had given me of him. As for the
iron club which the man had told me was a burden for two men, I am certain, Kai,
that it would be a heavy weight for four warriors to lift; and this was in the
black man's hand. And he only spoke to me in answer to my questions. Then I
asked him what power he held over those animals. 'I will show thee, little man,'
said he. And he took his club in his hand, and with it he struck a stag a great
blow so that he brayed vehemently, and at his braying the animals came together,
as numerous as the stars in the sky, so that it was difficult for me to find
room in the glade to stand among them. There were serpents, and dragons, and
divers sorts of animals. And he looked at them, and bade them go and feed; and
they bowed their heads, and did him homage as vassals to their lord.
"Then the black man said to me, 'Seest thou now, little man, what power I hold
over these animals?' Then I inquired of him the way, and he became very rough
in his manner to me; however, he asked me whither I would go ? And when I told
him who I was and what I sought, he directed me. 'Take,' said he, 'that path
that leads towards the head of the glade, and ascend the wooded steep until thou comest to its summit; and there thou wilt find an open space like to a large
valley, and in the midst of it a tall tree, whose branches are greener than the
greenest pine-trees. Under this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the
fountain a marble slab, and on the marble slab a silver bowl, attached by a
chain of silver, so that it may not be carried away. Take the bowl and throw a
bowlful of water upon the slab, and thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so
that thou wilt think that heaven and earth are trembling with its fury. With the
thunder there will come a shower so severe that it will be scarce possible for
thee to endure it and live. And the shower will be of hailstones; and after the
shower, the weather will become fair, but every leaf that was upon the tree will
have been carried away by the shower. Then a flight of birds will come and
alight upon the tree; and in thine own country thou didst never hear a strain
so sweet as that which they will sing. And at the moment thou art most delighted
with the song of the birds, thou wilt hear a murmuring and complaining coming
towards thee along the valley. And thou wilt see a knight upon a coal-black
horse, clothed in black velvet, and with a pennon of black linen upon his lance; and he will ride unto thee to encounter thee with the utmost speed. If thou fleest from him he will overtake thee, and if thou abidest there, as sure as
thou art a mounted knight, he will leave thee on foot. And if thou dost not find
trouble in that adventure, thou needest not seek it during the rest of thy
life.'
"So I journeyed on, until I reached the summit of the steep, and there I found
everything as the black man had described it to me. And I went up to the tree,
and beneath it I saw the fountain, and by its side the marble slab, and the
silver bowl fastened by the chain. Then I took the bowl, and cast a bowlful of
water upon the slab; and thereupon, behold, the thunder came, much more violent
than the black man had led me to expect; and after the thunder came the shower; and of a truth I tell thee, Kai, that there is neither man nor beast that can
endure that shower and live. For not one of those hailstones would be stopped,
either by the flesh or by the skin, until it had reached the bone. I turned my
horse's flank towards the shower, and placed the beak of my shield over his head
and neck, while I held the upper part of it over my own head. And thus I
withstood the shower. When I looked on the tree there was not a single leaf upon
it, and then the sky became clear, and with that, behold the birds lighted upon
the tree, and sang. And truly, Kai, I never heard any melody equal to that,
either before or since. And when I was most charmed with listening to the birds,
lo, a murmuring voice was heard through the valley, approaching me and saying,
'Oh, Knight, what has brought thee hither? What evil have I done to thee, that
thou shouldst act towards me and my possessions as thou hast this day? Dost thou
not know that the shower to-day has left in my dominions neither man nor beast
alive that was exposed to it?' And thereupon, behold, a Knight on a black
horse appeared, clothed in jet-black velvet, and with a tabard of black linen
about him. And we charged each other, and, as the onset was furious, it was not
long before I was overthrown. Then the Knight passed the shaft of his lance
through the bridle rein of my horse, and rode off with the two horses, leaving
me where I was. And he did not even bestow so much notice upon me as to imprison
me, nor did he despoil me of my arms. So I returned along the road by which I
had come. And when I reached the glade where the black man was, I confess to
thee, Kai, it is a marvel that I did not melt down into a liquid pool, through
the shame that I felt at the black man's derision. And that night I came to the
same castle where I had spent the night preceding. And I was more agreeably
entertained that night than I had been the night before; and I was better
feasted, and I conversed freely with the inmates of the castle, and none of them
alluded to my expedition to the fountain, neither did I mention it to any; and
I remained there that night. When I arose on the morrow, I found, ready saddled,
a dark bay palfrey, with nostrils as red as scarlet; and after putting on my
armour, and leaving there my blessing, I returned to my own Court. And that
horse I still possess, and he is in the stable yonder. And I declare that I
would not part with him for the best palfrey in the Island of Britain.
"Now of a truth, Kai, no man ever before confessed to an adventure so much to
his own discredit, and verily it seems strange to me, that neither before nor
since have I heard of any person besides myself who knew of this adventure, and
that the subject of it should exist within King Arthur's dominions, without any
other person lighting upon it."
"Now," quoth Owain, "would it not be well to go and endeavour to discover that
place?"
"By the hand of my friend," said Kai, "often dost thou utter that with thy
tongue which thou wouldst not make good with thy deeds."
"In very truth," said Gwenhwyvar, "it were better thou wert hanged, Kai, than
to use such uncourteous speech towards a man like Owain."
"By the hand of my friend, good Lady," said Kai, "thy praise of Owain is not
greater than mine."
With that Arthur awoke, and asked if he had not been sleeping a little.
"Yes, Lord," answered Owain, "thou hast slept awhile."
"Is it time for us to go to meat?"
"It is, Lord," said Owain.
Then the horn for washing was sounded, and the King and all his household sat
down to eat. And when the meal was ended, Owain withdrew to his lodging, and
made ready his horse and his arms.
On the morrow, with the dawn of day, he put on his armour, and mounted his
charger, and travelled through distant lands and over desert mountains. And at
length he arrived at the valley which Kynon had described to him; and he was
certain that it was the same that he sought And journeying along the valley by
the side of the river, he followed its course till he came to the plain and
within sight of the Castle. When he approached the Castle, he saw the youths
shooting their daggers in the place where Kynon had seen them, and the yellow
man, to whom the Castle belonged, standing hard by. And no sooner had Owain
saluted the yellow man than he was saluted by him in return.
And he went forward towards the Castle, and there he saw the chamber, and when
he had entered the chamber he beheld the maidens working at satin embroidery, in
chairs of gold. And their beauty and their comeliness seemed to Owain far
greater than Kynon had represented to him. And they rose to wait upon Owain, as
they had done to Kynon, and the meal which they set before him gave more
satisfaction to Owain than it had done to Kynon.
About the middle of the repast, the yellow man asked Owain the object of his
journey. And Owain made it known to him, and said, "I am in quest of the Knight
who guards the fountain." Upon this the yellow man smiled, and said that he was
as loth to point out that adventure to Owain as he had been to Kynon. However,
he described the whole to Owain, and they retired to rest.
The next morning Owain found his horse made ready for him by the damsels, and he
set forward and came to the glade where the black man was. And the stature of
the black man seemed more wonderful to Owain than it had done to Kynon, and
Owain asked of him his road, and he showed it to him. And Owain followed the
road, as Kynon had done, till he came to the green tree; and he beheld the
fountain, and the slab beside the fountain, with the bowl upon it. And Owain
took the bowl, and threw a bowlful of water upon the slab. And, lo, the thunder
was heard, and after the thunder came the shower, much more violent than Kynon
had described, and after the shower the sky became bright. And when Owain looked
at the tree, there was not one leaf upon it. And immediately the birds came, and
settled upon the tree, and sang. And when their song was most pleasing to Owain,
he beheld a Knight coming towards him through the valley, and he prepared to
receive him; and encountered him violently. Having broken both their lances,
they drew their swords, and fought blade to blade. Then Owain struck the Knight
a blow through his helmet, head-piece and visor, and through the skin, and the
flesh, and the bone, until it wounded the very brain. Then the black Knight felt
that he had received a mortal wound, upon which he turned his horse's head, and
fled. And Owain pursued him, and followed close upon him, although he was not
near enough to strike him with his sword. Thereupon Owain descried a vast and
resplendent Castle. And they came to the Castle gate. And the black Knight was
allowed to enter, and the portcullis was let fall upon Owain; and it struck his
horse behind the saddle, and cut him in two, and carried away the rowels of the
spurs that were upon Owain's heels. And the portcullis descended to the floor.
And the rowels of the spurs and part of the horse were without, and Owain with
the other part of the horse remained between the two gates, and the inner gate
was closed, so that Owain could not go thence ; and Owain was in a perplexing
situation. And while he was in this state, he could see through an aperture in
the gate, a street facing him, with a row of houses on each side. And he beheld
a maiden, with yellow curling hair, and a frontlet of gold upon her head; and
she was clad in a dress of yellow satin, and on her feet were shoes of
variegated leather. And she approached. the gate, and desired that it should be
opened. "Heaven knows, Lady," said Owain, "it is no more possible for me to
open to thee from hence, than it is for thee to set me free." "Truly," said the
damsel, "it is very sad that thou canst not be released, and every woman ought
to succour thee, for I never saw one more faithful in the service of ladies than
thou. As a friend thou art the most sincere, and as a lover the most devoted.
Therefore," quoth she, "whatever is in my power to do for thy release, I will
do it. Take this ring and put it on thy finger, with the stone inside thy hand;
and close thy hand upon the stone. And as long as thou concealest it, it will
conceal thee. When they have consulted together, they will come forth to fetch
thee, in order to put thee to death; and they will be much grieved that they
cannot find thee. And I will await thee on the horseblock yonder; and thou wilt
be able to see me, though I cannot see thee; therefore come and place thy hand
upon my shoulder, that I may know that thou art near me. And by the way that I
go hence, do thou accompany me."
Then she went away from Owain, and he did all that the maiden had told him. And
the people of the Castle came to seek Owain, to put him to death, and when they
found nothing but the half of his horse, they were sorely grieved.
And Owain vanished from among them, and went to the maiden, and placed his hand
upon her shoulder; whereupon she set off, and Owain followed her, until they
came to the door of a large and beautiful chamber, and the maiden opened it, and
they went in, and closed the door. And Owain looked around the chamber, and
behold there was not even a single nail in it that was not painted with gorgeous
colours; and there was not a single panel that had not sundry images in gold
portrayed upon it.
The maiden kindled a fire, and took water in a silver bowl, and put a towel of
white linen on her shoulder, and gave Owain water to wash. Then she placed
before him a silver table, inlaid with gold; upon which was a cloth of yellow
linen; and she brought him food. And of a truth, Owain had never seen any kind
of meat that was not there in abundance, but it was better cooked there than he
had ever found it in any other place. Nor did he ever see so excellent a display
of meat and drink, as there. And there was not one vessel from which he was
served, that was not of gold or of silver. And Owain ate and drank, until late
in the afternoon, when lo, they heard a mighty clamour in the Castle; and Owain
asked the maiden what that outcry was. "They are administering extreme
unction," said she, "to the Nobleman who owns the Castle." And Owain went to
sleep.
The couch which the maiden had prepared for him was meet for Arthur himself; it
was of scarlet, and fur, and satin, and sendal, and fine linen. In the middle of
the night they heard a woful outcry. "What outcry again is this?" said Owain. "The Nobleman who owned the Castle is now dead," said the maiden. And a little
after daybreak, they heard an exceeding loud clamour and wailing. And Owain
asked the maiden what was the cause of it. "They are bearing to the church the
body of the Nobleman who owned the Castle."
And Owain rose up, and clothed himself, and opened a window of the chamber, and
looked towards the Castle; and he could see neither the bounds, nor the extent
of the hosts that filled the streets. And they were fully armed; and a vast
number of women were with them, both on horseback and on foot; and all the
ecclesiastics in the city, singing. And it seemed to Owain that the sky
resounded with the vehemence of their cries, and with the noise of the trumpets,
and with the singing of the ecclesiastics. In the midst of the throng, he beheld
the bier, over which was a veil of white linen; and wax tapers were burning
beside and around it, and none that supported the bier was lower in rank than a
powerful Baron.
Never did Owain see an assemblage so gorgeous with satin, and silk, and sendal.
And following the train, he beheld a lady with yellow hair falling over her
shoulders, and stained with blood; and about her a dress of yellow satin, which
was torn. Upon her feet were shoes of variegated leather. And it was a marvel
that the ends of her fingers were not bruised, from the violence with which she
smote her hands together. Truly she would have
been the fairest lady Owain ever saw, had she been in her usual guise. And her
cry was louder than the shout of the men, or the clamour of the trumpets. No
sooner had he beheld the lady, than he became inflamed with her love, so that it
took entire possession of him.
Then he inquired of the maiden who the lady was. "Heaven knows," replied the
maiden, "she may be said to be the fairest, and the most chaste, and the most
liberal, and the wisest, and the most noble of women. And she is my mistress;
and she is called the Countess of the Fountain, the wife of him whom thou didst
slay yesterday." "Verily," said Owain, "she is the woman that I love best." "Verily," said the maiden, "she shall also love thee not a little."
And with that the maid arose, and kindled a fire, and filled a pot with water,
and placed it to warm; and she brought a towel of white linen, and placed it
around Owain's neck; and she took a goblet of ivory, and a silver basin, and
filled them with warm water, wherewith she washed Owain's head. Then she opened
a wooden casket, and drew forth a razor, whose haft was of ivory, and upon which
were two rivets of gold. And she shaved his beard, and she dried his head, and
his throat, with the towel. Then, she rose up from before Owain, and brought him
to eat. And truly Owain had never so good a meal, nor was he ever so well
served.
When he had finished his repast, the maiden arranged his couch. "Come here,"
said she, "and sleep, and I will go and woo for thee." And Owain went to sleep,
and the maiden shut the door of the chamber after her, and went towards the
Castle. When she came there, she found nothing but mourning, and sorrow; and the
Countess in her chamber could not bear the sight of any one through grief. Luned
came and saluted her, but the Countess answered her not. And the maiden bent
down towards her, and said, "What aileth thee, that thou answerest no one to-day?" "Luned," said the Countess, "what change hath befallen thee, that thou
hast not come to visit me in my grief? It was wrong in thee, and I having made
thee rich; it was wrong in thee that thou didst not come to see me in my
distress. That was wrong in thee." "Truly," said Luned, "I thought thy good
sense was greater than I find it to be. Is it well for thee to mourn after that
good man, or for anything else, that thou canst not have?" "I declare to
heaven," said the Countess, "that in the whole world there is not a man equal
to him." "Not so," said Luned, "for an ugly man would be as good as, or better
than he." "I declare to heaven," said the Countess, "that were it not
repugnant to me to cause to be put to death one whom I have brought up, I would
have thee executed, for making such a comparison to me. As it is, I will banish
thee." "I am glad," said Luned, "that thou hast no other cause to do so, than
that I would have been of service to thee where thou didst not know what was to
thine advantage. And henceforth evil betide whichever of us shall make the first
advance towards reconciliation to the other; whether I should seek an invitation
from thee, or thou of thine own accord shouldst send to invite me."
With that Luned went forth: and the Countess arose and followed her to the door
of the chamber, and began coughing loudly. And when Luned looked back, the
Countess beckoned to her; and she returned to the Countess. "In truth," said
the Countess, "evil is thy disposition; but if thou knowest what is to my
advantage, declare it to me." "I will do so," quoth she.
"Thou knowest that except by warfare and arms it is impossible for thee to
preserve thy possessions; delay not, therefore, to seek some one who can defend
them." "And how can I do that?" said the Countess. "I will tell thee," said Luned. "Unless thou canst defend the fountain, thou canst not maintain thy
dominions; and no one can defend the fountain, except it be a knight of Arthur's
household; and I will go to Arthur's Court, and ill betide me, if I return
thence without a warrior who can guard the fountain as well as, or even better
than, he who defended it formerly." "That will be hard
to perform," said the Countess. "Go, however, and make proof of that which thou
hast promised."
Luned set out, under the pretence of going to Arthur's Court; but she went back
to the chamber where she had left Owain; and she tarried there with him as long
as it might have taken her to have travelled to the Court of King Arthur. And at
the end of that time, she apparelled herself and went to visit the Countess. And
the Countess was much rejoiced when she saw her, and inquired what news she
brought from the Court. "I bring thee the best of news," said Luned, "for I
have compassed the object of my mission. When wilt thou, that I should present
to thee the chieftain who has come with me hither?" "Bring him here to visit
me to-morrow, at mid-day," said the Countess, "and I will cause the town to be
assembled by that time."
And Luned returned home. And the next day, at noon, Owain arrayed himself in a
coat, and a surcoat, and a mantle of yellow satin, upon which was a broad band
of gold lace; and on his feet were high shoes of variegated leather, which were
fastened by golden clasps, in the form of lions. And they proceeded to the
chamber of the Countess,
Right glad was the Countess of their coming, and she gazed steadfastly upon
Owain, and said, "Luned, this knight has not the look of a traveller." "What
harm is there in that, lady?" said Luned. "I am certain," said the Countess,
"that no other man than this chased the soul from the body of my lord." "So
much the better for thee, lady," said Luned, "for had he not been stronger than
thy lord he could not have deprived him of life. There is no remedy for that
which is past, be it as it may." "Go back to thine abode," said the Countess,
"and I will take counsel."
The next day the Countess caused all her subjects to assemble, and showed them
that her earldom was left defenceless, and that it could not be protected but
with horse and arms, and military skill. "Therefore," said she, "this is what I
offer for your choice: either let one of you take me, or give your consent for
me to take a husband from elsewhere to defend my dominions."
So they came to the determination that it was better that she should have
permission to marry some one from elsewhere; and, thereupon, she sent for the
bishops and archbishops to celebrate her nuptials with Owain. And the men of the
earldom did Owain homage.
And Owain defended the Fountain with lance and sword. And this is the manner in
which he defended it: Whensoever a knight came there he overthrew him, and sold
him for his full worth, and what he thus gained he divided among his barons and
his knights; and no man in the whole world could be more beloved than he was by
his subjects. And it was thus for the space of three years.
It befell that as Gwalchmai went forth one day with King Arthur, he perceived
him to be very sad and sorrowful. And Gwalchmai was much grieved to see Arthur
in this state; and he questioned him, saying, "Oh, my lord! what has befallen
thee?" "In sooth, Gwalchmai," said Arthur, "I am grieved concerning Owain, whom
I have lost these three years, and I shall certainly die if the fourth year
passes without my seeing him. Now I am sure, that it is through the tale which
Kynon the son of Clydno related, that I have lost Owain." "There is no need for
thee," said Gwalchmai, "to summon to arms thy whole dominions on this account,
for thou thyself and the men of thy household will be able to avenge Owain, if
he be slain; or to set him free, if he be in prison; and, if alive, to bring
him back with thee." And it was settled according to what Gwalchmai had said.
Then Arthur and the men of his household prepared to go and seek Owain, and
their number was three thousand, besides their attendants. And Kynon the son of
Clydno acted as their guide. And Arthur came to the Castle where Kynon had been
before, and when he came there the youths were shooting in the same place, and
the yellow man was standing hard by. When the yellow man saw Arthur he greeted
him, and invited him to the Castle; and Arthur accepted his invitation, and
they entered the Castle together. And great as was the number of his retinue,
their presence was scarcely observed in the Castle, so vast was its extent. And
the maidens rose up to wait on them, and the service of the maidens appeared to
them all to excel any attendance they had ever met with; and even the pages who
had charge of the horses were no worse served, that night, than Arthur himself
would have been in his own palace.
The next morning Arthur set out thence, with Kynon for his guide, and came to
the place where the black man was. And the stature of the black man was more
surprising to Arthur than it had been represented to him. And they came to the
top of the wooded steep, and traversed the valley till they reached the green
tree, where they saw the fountain, and the bowl, and the slab. And upon that,
Kai came to Arthur and spoke to him. "My lord," said he, "I know the meaning
of all this, and my request is, that thou wilt permit me to throw the water on
the slab, and to receive the first adventure
that may befal