A Bride and a Hero

A Bride and a Hero (1)

  The Irish used to believe in a faraway land called Tir na n-Og, the Land of Youth where time went much more lowly , and people stayed younger.

  Every seven years in Tir na n-Og a race was held and all the strongest men took part.
  It began in front of the royal palace and finished at a hilltop two miles away.

  A chair was placed on the summit, and the fast runner to sit on it became King of Tir na n-Og for the next seven years.

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アイルランドの古い物語です。

A Bride and a Hero

A Bride and a Hero (2)

  There was once a King of  Tir na n-Og who was worried that he would lose his Kingdom in the next race, so he sent for his chief Druid.

  " How long shall I win the race and rule this land before another beats me to the chair ? " he asked.

  " Have no fear, " replied the druid.
  " Only your own son-in-law could win teh race and take the crown. "

  The King of Tir na n-Og had an unmarried daughter, Niamh. 
  So the King decided that to keep his Kingdom he would make his daughter so ugly that no man would marry her.

  Borrowing his druid's staff, he struck the girl and pig's head appeared on her shoulders.

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A Bride and a Hero (3)

A Bride and a Hero (3)

  The druid was very sorry that he had told the King to beware his son-in-law.
  he went to Niamh to talk to her.

  " Shall I always be like this ? " Niamh asked.

  " Yes, " replied the druid.
  " You will always look like this unless you go to Ireland and marry one of the son of Fin. "

  So Niamh set out for Ireland, hoping to meet one of Fin's sons, and persuade him to marry her.

  After a while she saw a handsome young man called Oisin, and she was overjoyed when she found out that his father was Fin himself.

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A Bride and a Hero (4)

A Bride and a Hero(4)

  

  One day Oisin was out hunting and killed more game than ever before.

  At the end of the days his men were exhausted and hungry, and could carry mind of the game home with theme so Oisin was left with his three dogs and great pile of carcasses．

 When the men had gone, Niamh stood by him while he looked at the game.

  The young man said, " I shall be sorry to leave behind some of the meat I have killed today. "

  " Tie some of the game in a bundle. I will help you carry it, " said  Niamh.

   And off they walked togather.

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A Bride and a Hero (5)

A Bride and a Hero (5)

  When they had talked for a while, Oisin knew Niamh was a fine, caring young woman, and that she would be attractive too, if she did not have a pig's head on her shoulders.

  Niamh explained that the only way to get back her own head was to come to Ireland marry one of the sons of Fin.

  Oisin smiled, " Then you shall not have a pig's head for long, " he said.

  So Niamh married Oisin, son of Fin.

  As soon as the ceremony was over, the pig's head vnished, and Niamh's beautiful face returned.
  When he saw Niamh in her new beauty, Oisin loved her deeply.

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A Bride and a Hero (6)

A Bride and a Hero (6)

  After a while  Niamh longed to return to the land of Tir na n-Og, and when she told Oisin of her wish, he was keen to go there with her.
  He knew it was the land where people never grow old.

 When Niamh returned there was great celebration ー everyone thought that the princess was lost for ever ー and the King lived happily with his daughter and son-in-law.

  But soon it was the time for the seven-years race to find who should be King.

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A Bride and a Hero (7)

A Bride and a Hero (7)

  The King and Oisin gathered for the race with all the likely men in the Kingdom.

  Before anyone else was half way up the hill, Oisin was sitting in the seat at the top.

  It was Oisin's right to be King of Tir a n-Og.

  Oisin ruled the land of Youth for many years and he marveled that hekept his youth.

  But Oisin missed his Irish homeland and longed to go back for a visit.

  Niamh warned him, " It will be very dangerous for you if you return to Ireland. Return to your native soil and you will become a blind old man and you will nevr come back home to me. "

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A Bride and a Hero (8)

A Bride and a Hero (8)

  Oisin could not believe that this would happen.

  " How long do you think you have lived with me in Tir na n-Og ? " she asked.

  " About three years, " replied Oisin.

  " But they are like three hundred in Ireland. "

  Niamh could not change Oisin's mind.
  So Niamh decided to help him.
  " Ride to Ireland and do not dismount, " she said.
  " You will only lose your youth if you put your own foot on Irish soil. If you leave the saddle, the steed will come back to Tir na n-Og and you will be left, old and blind, in Ireland.

  With this warning ringing in his ears, Oisin set off for his homeland on his beautiful white horse.

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A Bride and a Hero (9)

A Bride and a hero (9)

  It was a rainy and windy, but Oisin was happy to be homeonce more.

  He asked the girl where he might find the house of Fin and his family.

  But the girl looked at him with a puzzled expression/
  " I know of no such people, " she said.

  No one seemed to know who he was talking about ー which was  odd, since Fin and his men had been among the most famous in Ireland.

  Finaly Oisin asked an old man if he knew the whereabouts of Fin.

  " My old grandfather talked of Fin and his warriors, " said the old man.
  " They lived in these parts about three hundred years ago. "

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A Bride and a Hero (11)

A Bride and a Hero (11)

  Six of them were tugging away at the stone, but they could not shift it, let alone lift it up into the cart that stood waiting nearby.

  Oisin stopped to help them and learned over to pick up the stone, but Oisin lost his balance.

  He reached out to stop himself falling and part stirrup broke. The hero tumbled off his horse and landed on the floor.

  Niamh's warning ran through his mind.
  As he picked himself up he knew they were true ; he was old, stiff, and blind.

  Niamh's horse trotted away, and Oisin realized that he would never return to Niamh.

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A Bride and a Hero (10)

A Bride and a Hero (10)

  So Oisin's family were dead.
 
  Oisin could still not believe it.

  Fin's fortress was in ruins and he began tobelieve that what the old man said was true, and that three years in the Land of Youth really were the same as three hundred mortal years.

  Oisin decided to tell the High king of Ireland of his adventure.

  On his way, he came across a group of men who were trying to lift a stone.

  Fin had noticed that the men seemed weak and feeble compared with those in Tia na n-Og, and these men were no exception.

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お詫び
The Young King of the Balck Isles (25)、確かに今朝打ちまして予約公開したのですが、理由不明で記事ごと消えてしまいましたので、明日より(25)以降を再開いたします。申し訳ありません。

A Bride and a Hero (11)

A Bride and a Hero (11)

  Saint patrick lived nearby, and heard of what had happend.

  Soon Oisin was brought to Patrick, who gave him a room in his own house, and asked his cook to bring him food every day.

  Oisin told Patrick his adventures, with his father Fin and his band of worrriors, as well as his adventures in the land of youth.

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A bride and a Hero (12)

A bride and a Hero (12)

  Although he was old and blind, Oisin had a little of his old strength, and sometimes, if Patrick prayed devoutly, Oisin would regain enough energy to help the Saint build his church.

  And he helped rid Patrick of a monster that came to destroy the building before it was finished.

  But Oisin's strength never lasted long.

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突然ですが、この物語は、次回(13)で終了します。
途中にあった少し変なエピソードをカットしたため、短くなりました。

A bride and a hero (13 完)

A bride and a Hero (13)

  After a while he would be a weak old man again and it was all he could do to eat the food brought to him by patrick's cook.

  And so, old and blind, Oisin lived out the last of his days, with only his memories of Tir na n-Og to console him.

(13/13 完)