'*"' Among those mortally wounded was their brave leader Prince Mur- chadh, who, after the battle, made a confession of his sins, and
received
the
Holy Sacrament.
Holy Sacrament.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
, p.
382.
"' Called Cainnech Mor, in 4lrin4La
LochxiC^, vol. i. , pp. 12, 13.
'"The former alliance of the Albans and
I'olychroni- con," Ranulphi Higden Monachi Cestren sis ; together with the English Translation ofJohn Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century. Eilited by Churchill Babington, B. L). , &c. , vol. i. , lib. i. , cap. xxxvii. , pp. 382 to 395. London, 1865,
SaIUmMi,
The chieftain, who fell at Clontarf, was the first person ever called O'Heidhin.
chap, cxviii. , pp. 208 to 21 1.
3" The Anndt* Locha C^, after enumera-
ting, by name, many of the foregoing names of Irish chiefs, adds, "etalii multi nobiles. "
—Vol. i. ,pp. 12, 13.
*»See "Chronicle of Ireland," p. 184. "See those accounts, contained in the Annal-iof Innisfallen, under the year 1014, as also, in the Annals of Ulster and of the Four Masters.
40J . < This event happened in the Orkneys, that Hareck thought ne saw Earl Sigurd, and some men with him. Then Hareck took his horse and rode to meet the Earl. Men saw that they met and rode under a brae, but they were never seen again, and not a scrap was ever found of Hareck.
" Earl Gilli in the Southern Isles dreamed that a man came to him and said his name was Hostfinn, and told him he was come from Ireland.
" The Earl thought he asked him for —tid-
ings thence, and then he sang this song:
" I have been where warriors
High in Erin sang the sword. Boss to boss met many bucklers, Steel rung sharp on rattling helm ; I call tell of all their struggle ; Sigurd fell in flight of speai-s ;
Brian fell, but kept his kingdom Ere he lost on« drop of blood. "
"< See Roderick
wrestled,
the Hibernians is treated of, in "
et seq. 8vo.
^ See Tie CoSATih jAeohel
446 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
are sufficient to remove any supposition of victory having been obtained by the Northmen. *°3 Those dreadful portents, rehited by them, assure us of the calamities they endured, with their disastrous defeat/"^ The misfortunes of the fated field have lelt their impress on those traditions, the reflex of wild and weird superstitions, which regard the Northman's belief in magic practices, and preternatural agency, as depicted for us, by many of their old chroni- clers/"' In the Norse tongue, this account is yet to be found, and Thormo- dus Torfaeus,''"' has drawn it from a remote source ; as also in Bartholinus,''"' the same statement has been preserved. We are told, that at Suinefell in Ice- land, blood came on the priest's stole on Good Fridaj', so that he had to put it off. •°' Not the least distinguished was Sigurd, Jarl of Orkney, who fell in the battle of Clontarf, while bravely commanding his division,^°9 and his
death is said to have been accompanied by certain wild visions. The Fatal Sisters appeared on the field at Clontarf and were busied among the heaps of slain. <'° Tiiese were seen weaving the web of destiny, for those destined to fallintliatengagement. OnthisGoodFriday,Uarrud,orDaurrud,anative of Caithness, saw at a distance a number of persons on horseback,4" riding full speed towards a hill, which they seemed to enter. *'^ Others say, they went into a bower, with a window slit in it. *"' These were the Valkyriar, or female divinities, who were the servants of Odin or Woden. Their name signifies Chusers of the slain. They were mounted on swift horses, with drawn swords in their hands ; while, in the throng of battle, they selected such as were destined for slaughter, and conducted them to Valhalla.
Curiosity led Daurrud to follow them. 4'4 Looking through an opening in the rocks, or bower, he saw twelve gigantic female figures. They were em- ployed about a loom /'s and, as they wove, they sung a decadful song. If we
"
Those two, Flosi and the Earl, talked much of this dream. A week nfter, Hrafn the Red came thitfier, and told them all the tidings of Brian's battle, the fall of the King and of Earl Sigurd, and iJrodir and all the Vikings.
"What," said p-losi, "hast thou to tell me of my men? " " They all fell there,'' says Hrafn, but thy biutlier-in-law Thor- stein took peace from Kerthialliid, and is now with him. ''—George Webbe Dasent's "Story of Burnt Njal," vol. ii. , chap, clvi. .
PP- 342, 343-
"'^ See "
Nials-Saga," cap. clviii. , pp.
620 to 023.
404 "At Thvattwater, the priest thought
he saw on Good a of the Friday long deep
tione incunditateque" plenum, maxima lec- toris aiiimum vohiptate facile perfinidens. " Auctore Olao Magno Gotho Aichiepiscopo Vpsalensi Suetiae et Golhise Primate, lib. hi. , cap. x. De fatalibus sororibus et Nymphis, pp. no, in. Romse, m. d. l. v. , fol.
*<* In"The Oreadc. s,"published atHafniae, A. I). 1679, fol. , a wail over the defeat of the Islemen rs heard,
<°' See Lil). iii. , cap. i. , p. 6l7,"4to.
sea hard by the altar, and then he saw many awful sights, and—it was long ere he could sing the prayers. " George Webbe Dasent's "Story of Burnt Njal," vol. ii. , chap, clvi. , p. 342.
and Pre-historic Annals of Scotland," Part
iv. , chap, vi. , p. 589.
405 See " Historia de Gentibvs Septen- trionalibvs, earvmqve diversis s. atibvs, con- ditionibvs, moribvs, ritibvs, svper^titionibv. s,
folk riding together.
*'" See " Potms " of Thomas Gray, vol. i. ,
Ode viii. , p. 78.
''3 See George Webbe Dasent's " Story
of Burnt Njal,'^ vol. ii. ,'chap. clvi. , p. 338. "'See the "Nials-Saga," or "Vita
disciplinis, exerchiis, regimine, victu, l,eilis, structuris, insirumentis ac mineris metalli- cis ei rebus mirabilibus, necnon universis pene aiiimalibus in Septentrioiie degentibus, eorumque natura Opvs vt varivm, plvrimar- vmqve rcrum congniiione refertvm, atque cvni exemplis exiernis, tum expre^sis rerum internarura picturis illustratum, ita delecta-
Nialis,'cap. clviii. PugnaBrianiana.
-"s" Men's heads were the weights, but men's entrails were the warp ana weft, a sword was the . shuttle, and the reels were
•">* " See George Webbe Dasent's
Story of Burnt Njal,' vol. 'ii. ,'chap. clvi. , p. 342.
*°' A noble Ode, borrowed from a Norse
has been the Poet comjiosed, by
original,
Gray, and this commemoration of Sigurd's fate is contained in "The Fatal Sisters. "
*"• See Daniel
"'
Wilson's Arcliasology
*"
( ine account there were twelve [has it,
— Webbe
arrows. " George Dasent's "Stoiy
of Burnt Njal, vol. ii. , chap, clvi. , p. 338.
April 33. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 447
are to believe the authority of the Sagas,*'' their song is still preserved, in the originalNorsetongueandmeasure. •'' Daurrudheardtheweirdstrainstheysang, andhelearntthembyheart. *"* WhentheFatalSistershadfinishedtheirweb, theytoreitintotwelvepieces. Eachtookherportion: sixgallopedtothenorth, and as many to the south. •"9 Their song has been translated into Latin,*'" in the Nials-Saga,*'" with notes illustrating it. Later still, that Norse song has been metrically rendered, by one of the masters of English verse ;*" how-
Iron sleet of arrowy shower Hurtles in the darkened air.
Glittering lances are the loom, Where the dusky warp we strain,
Weaving many a soldier's doom, Orkney's woe, and Randver's bane.
See thegriesly texture grow ! ('Tis of human entrails made).
And the weights, that play below,
"' The original of this, according to
: Thomas Gray, begins —
"" Vitt er orpit fyrir valfalli," &c.
"
The Latin version begins
" Late diffanditur. "
This account is drawn, we are told Ex
:
Orcadibus Thormond Torfaei.
*' The foUowin;:, according to another
version, is the opening verse : "Vitt er erpinn
—
Each a
gasping
warrior's head.
Fyrit valfalli Riss reidi sky Rienir blodi
Nu er fyr geirum Grar uppkominn Vefr verpiodar Perer vinur fulla, Raudum vefti Randversk bla. "
Burnt we have translated into Njal,"
" Shafts for shuttles, dipt in gore.
Shoot the trembling cords along. Sword, that once a monarch bore, Keep the tissue close and strong.
" Mista, black terrific maid,
Sangrida and Hilda, see, Joy the wayward work to aid : 'Tis the woof of victory,
"Eretheruddysunbeset.
Pikes must shiver, javelins sing. Blade with clattering buckler meet
Hauberk crash and helmet rmg.
—Rev.
Johnstone's " Celto-Scandic*,' p. 124.
James
«'« In George Webbe Dasent's "Story of
tnglish "TheWoofofWar. " Seevol. ii. , chap,
" thecrimsonwebof (Weave
dvi. , pp. 338 to 341.
*'' See " Puems " of Thomas
war).
Ode viii. , p. 79.
*"Th—is is one version of the
opening
verse :
"
Ampla constituta sunt Strajjis anteludia
Vela texori jugi. Sanguinem nubes pluit. Pila nunc pnesagiens Leucophcea toUitur
Tela militantium
Haecce complices replent Qvam rubro subtemine Lividoque, prselii. "
\ —Rev.
CeJto-Scandicae," &c. , p. 124.
"
Pent within its bleak
Soon their ample sway shall stretch
O'er the plenty of the plain.
Low the dauntless Earl is laid.
Gored with many a g. iping wound, Fate demands a nobler head ;
Soon a king shall bite the ground,
James Johnstone's
Antiquitates
domain.
*" See cap. clviii. , pp. 606 to 620.
*"ThePuet,ThomasGray. Thisproduc- tion, known as "The Fatal Sisters," appears among his Poem? , with the Latin version, from which it h. is been translated, forming an Appendix. See vol. i. . Ode viii , pp. 75 to 8 V The following is the English version of Gray : —
" Now the storm begin? to lower, (Haste, the loom of hell prepare),
"
— :
;
Antiquitates
vol. Gray, i. ,
Let us go, and let us fly,
Wliere our Iriends the conflict share,
Where they triumph, where they die.
" As the paths of fate we tread,
Wadiiig through this ensanguined field,
Gondula, and Geira, spread
O'er the youthful king your shield,
" We the reins to
Ours to kill, and ours to spare :
Spite of danger he shall live, (Weave the crimson web of war),
" They whom once the desert-beach
" Long his loss shall Eirin weep, Ne'er again his likeness see ;
Long her strains in sorrow steep Strains of immortality !
slaughter give.
448 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
ever, this version is by no means literal. A like event to what befel Daurrud happened, it is stated, to Brand Gneisti's son, in the Faroe Isles. <°3
The body of tlie glorious monarch Bryan was found on the field ofClontarf,'«'4 when victory had unmistakably declared for the Irish. ^^s There, too, num- bers of the wounded were discovered to be still living; and for these, sledges and biers were made, to carry them with less pain, from that place of slaugh- ter.
'*"' Among those mortally wounded was their brave leader Prince Mur- chadh, who, after the battle, made a confession of his sins, and received the
Holy Sacrament. +^7 He lived on, however, to the next morning. This was a
happy consummation of his glorious life, and one well becoming a religious prince, whose career in arms was a brilliant one, such as the ambitious might envy, but whose bed of earthly victory was hallowed with a still brighter pros- pect of never-fading glory. After the battle was over,*^^ the Irish took King Bryan's body and laid it out. The king's head, we are told, had grown fast to the trunk. 1^9
The deceased hero immediately took his place in history, national and
foreign,'i3° after the sanguinary encounter at Clontarf, which m compliment to him has been designated," Brian's battle,"'*^' even as called in the Sagas. Such
a sore defeat prevented any general northern combination, for the subsequent invasion of Ireland ; since gloom and mourning spread over almost every
homestead throughout Scandinavia, while many an adventurous colonist, who joined in the Irish expedition, never returned to relate the story of that signal disaster. 432 The sanguinary character and duration of this great battle were such, as to render it unusual in those times. 433 The day after, on Holy Saturday, the surviving Irish returned to visit the scene of that dreadful con- test, and they buried there every one of their slain, whom they were able to recognise. ''3* As well in the Danish and Northmen Sagas, as in the chroni-
" Horror covers all the heath, Clouds of carnage blot ;he sun.
Sisters, weave the web of cleatli ; Sisters, cease ; tlit work is done.
" Hail the task, and hail the hands !
*'3 Thus closed the glorious career of a sovereign, whose "hand was bent on war, but whose heart was for the peace of Erin. " Richard Ryan's "Biographia Hibernica," vol. ii. , p. 116.
*"" See Coga'oh Saeroheb Tie 5Alt4ibli, chap, cxix. , pp. 210, 211.
*'' According to the Dublin copy of the Annals of Innisfallen, in Kev. Dr. ©'Conor's "Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 66.
*" See "Nials-Saga," cap. clviii. , p.
"
Songs of joy . ^nd triumph sing 1 Joy to the victorious bands ;
Triumph to the younger king.
Mortal, thou that hear'st the tale, Learn the tenor of our song.
Scotland through each winding vale Far and wide the notes prolong.
" Sisters, hence with spurs of speed : Eachhenhundering falchion wield ;
Each bestride her sable steed, Hurry, hurry to the field ! "
of Burnt Njal," vol. ii. , chap, clvi,, p. 338. "" See Thomas D'Arcy M'Gee's "Popu- lar History of Ireland," vol. i. . Book ii. ,
chap, vi. , p. 102.
*3' See "Vita Nialis," where it is desig-
nated, at cap. clviii. , Pugna Brianina, pp.
623.
"Round Sitric'skeel Ne'er wave shall whiten mote—nor
<" WebbeDasent's " See George
of
601 to "'
Story Burnt Njal," vol. ii. ,chap. clvi. , p. 342.
*'*
Her monar—c—h slain
the —
Anrud's sail
the wise
Swell to the
—"
breeze. "
,
Boroimhe has fallen
laughing
pride OfErin's sons
!
—
Clontarf,"
ii. ,
p. 35. "
"—SadErinweeps
the great, good,
I
fallen is the
Her sword
is cast
Re- rum Hiliernicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. ,
Annales Ininfalenses, p. 66.
•3'See Coga-oh JaeoheL -Re 5Al. U(ilbli,
chap, cxix. , pp. 210, 211.
*35 Ademai of St. Cibard, a monk of An-
away.
Dimmed is her shield, and bowed to
earth her crest !
The fairest star of chivalry is set 1"
—"Clontarf,"a Poem, Book ii. , p. 36.
604.
^"^ See George Webbe Dasent's
" Story
a Poem, Book
*» See Rev. Dr. Charles O'Conor's
April 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 449
cle of the Isles ; and in those of England, Scotland, Wales, and of the Conti- nent, this great defeat of the foreigners was recorded. One chronicler, •35 and a contemporaryjO* rnakes the battle of Clontarf last for three whole days ; however, this statemen^ does not agree with other and more authentic ac- counts, for, it was confined to a decisive engagement of several hours' duration, yet ending on the day it commenced. It is even said, that then and there, all the Northmen were killed. «7 Moreover, we find added, that crowds of their women and children were drowned in the sea. 'tss
TheageofBryanBoroimhahasbeenvariouslyestimated; accordingtosome accounts, he had reached his eighty-eighth +39 year, while others again make him only seventy-three •<° years old, at the time of his death. He is said to have reigned thirty-eight years, as king over Munster, and to have been twelve years, in the chief sovereignty ofErinn. +'t' Like Leonidas-'-'^ and Epaminondas,'^*^ he fell, combating in his country's cause, and grasping victory even in death. ^t* On the fall of Bryan, his bard Mac Liag composed a celebrated Elegy, which has been rendered into English verse, by one of our celebrated Irish poets. 't'ts Another elegiac composition, with Irish text and English transla- tion,''** known as Kincora, or Mac Liag's Lament, the original being assigned to A. D. 1015, has been published. <^7 Two other admirable pieces, with Irish texts, and having the English headings, Mac Liag mournfully remembers Bryan and his Nobles,**' and Mac Liag in exile remembers Brian,<<9 ha—ve been rendered into English, by Rev. William Hamilton Drummond, D. D. an Irish poet, and distinguished for his varied talents.
During the fierce engagement at Clontarf, that strong detachment, under the command of Donchadh, had been otherwise occupied. After their great victory had been achieved, the men of Munster collected together and en- camped on the green of Ath Cliath,''5° where they remained for two days and twonights,awaitingDonchadh'sarrival. Histroopswerethelastleviesofthe Dalcassians, who brought with them a great spoil from Leinster; for, it seems, that some delay had been necessary, in bringing up all the Irish Monarch's reserves. <5' At length, at the hour of Vespers, and on Easter Sunday night, Donnchadharrived,drivingbeforehimagreatpreyofcattle. 'S^ Thus,having plundered Leinster, he reached Kilmainham, but too late for sharing in the dangers and glory of that memorable day. «s3 There, he met with his brother Teige, and Kian the son of Molloy, with all who survived that battle, both sound and wounded. <s4 Grateful for their kindly services,
gouleme, has such an account. He was born in 988, and he lived to the year 1031. There is a good notice of his Life and Works in "Histoire Liler. iire de la France," tome vii. , sect. I, 2, pp. 300 to 308.
"' See M. le d'Hoeffer's " Nouvelle Bio-
graphie Generale dcpuis les Temps les plus recul^s jusqu' a nous Jours," tome i. , cols.
cum muneribus donavit. " —Ibid.
<" According to tlic writer of Co^atjVi jAetilieL ne JdllAibh, chap, cxvi. , pp. 204, 205. —This authority has been followed, by many if not by most—of our annalists and biographers. See Richard Ryan's "Bio- graphia Hibernica," vol. i. , p. 116.
*"' This is the age assigned to him, in the Annals of Ulster.
276, 277.
" •' "
*", Consertum est ergo praelium per tri-
See Dr. Jeffrey Keating's General History of Ireland," part ii. , p. 482.
"'See an account of him, in George Grote's" History of Greece," vol. iii. , part ii. , chap. xl. . pp. 423to442.
*" For the vaiiuus events of his career, see ibid. , vol. vii. , part ii. , chap. Ixxvii. to Ixxx. , pp. 7210314.
*" See James Stuart's "Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123.
^'s gee "Poems" of James Clarence f i
duum incessa—nter, et Normannorum nullus ""
vivus evasit. Ademari Historiarum," HI). iii. The chronology of this battle, in his chronicle, seems to be set down at A. D. 1016. SeePertz's " Monumenta Germanise Histo- rica," tomus iv. , p. 140.
<* " Uxores eorum cum parvulis sese cnnctse in mare precipites suffoc. irunt. Qui vivi capti sunt, feris ad laniandum proiecti sunt. Unum ex captivis rex vivere, quia Christianum captivum fuisse cognovit, et
Vol. IV. —No. 8.
45° LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
and in obedience to his father's dying request, Donagh sent jewels and offer-
ings, to the Gomharb and subordinate clergy of St. Patrick ;<S5 while, in the
fifty-first year of his age, that prince succeeded his father, «' but as we are told, he did not rule over the fourth part of Ireland/'?
According to the provisions of his will. ^s^ the King of Ireland had resolved, that his body should be conveyed to Armagh, after his death. His son Donnchadh religiously fulfilled this bequeathed obligation, and all the other bequests made, and so secured the blessing of his illustrious father. «9 Soon as the monks at Swords heard of the order for interment, theycamedirectlytothecamp. Thefirststageofthismournfulandsolemn procession was northwards from Clontarf, and the clergy of Swords, with
^^>WKVs,\^'k^-
Medieval Archiepiscopal Palace, Monastic remains, and Round Tower, at Swords, County of Dublin.
religious rites and ceremonies, brought the remains of this renowned, heroic and religious monarch, together with those of his son Murchadh, to their abbey,<*° where the coffins were deposited for that night. Here are still to
Mangan. NewYorkedition,1859,8vo. In
O,wherearetheDalcassiansofthe golden swords ?
And where are the warriors Brian led on ?
Where, O Kinkora?
" And where is Murrough, the descend- ant of kings ;
the Irish is the
Anthology," at pp. 382 to 384,
" following,
: intituled " Kinkora " —
" O, where, Kinkora ! is Brian the Great ?
And where is the beauty that once was thine?
O, where are the princes and nobles that sate
At the feast in thy halls, and drank
the red wine
Where, O Kinkora ?
" O, where Kinkora 1 are thy valorous lords?
O, whither, thou Hospitable ! are they gone ?
—f a hundred—
Who set but slight store by jewels
!
and
rings
The defeater o
the dar-
ingly brave
—
Who swam down the torrent and
laughed at its wave ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
" And where is Donagh, King Brian's worthy son ?
April 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 4SI
be seen, many fine ecclesiastical and mediaeval remains. '**' Thence, the next
morning, the clergy of Daraliag, or Duleek, with similar marks of respect, had the bodies conducted, to the church of St. Kiaran ; and there, too, they were received by the monks, who bore the coffins to their religious establishment.
"
with my grief !
Left me, Kinkora !
And where are the chiefs mth whom Brian went forth,
The never vanquished sons of Erin the brave.
The great King of Onaght, renowned for his worth,
And the hosts of Baskinn from the western wave ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
And where Conaing, the beautiful chief?
To give me at the banquet, the first
bright cup !
Ah ! why did he heap on me honour
like this?
"' Called Cainnech Mor, in 4lrin4La
LochxiC^, vol. i. , pp. 12, 13.
'"The former alliance of the Albans and
I'olychroni- con," Ranulphi Higden Monachi Cestren sis ; together with the English Translation ofJohn Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century. Eilited by Churchill Babington, B. L). , &c. , vol. i. , lib. i. , cap. xxxvii. , pp. 382 to 395. London, 1865,
SaIUmMi,
The chieftain, who fell at Clontarf, was the first person ever called O'Heidhin.
chap, cxviii. , pp. 208 to 21 1.
3" The Anndt* Locha C^, after enumera-
ting, by name, many of the foregoing names of Irish chiefs, adds, "etalii multi nobiles. "
—Vol. i. ,pp. 12, 13.
*»See "Chronicle of Ireland," p. 184. "See those accounts, contained in the Annal-iof Innisfallen, under the year 1014, as also, in the Annals of Ulster and of the Four Masters.
40J . < This event happened in the Orkneys, that Hareck thought ne saw Earl Sigurd, and some men with him. Then Hareck took his horse and rode to meet the Earl. Men saw that they met and rode under a brae, but they were never seen again, and not a scrap was ever found of Hareck.
" Earl Gilli in the Southern Isles dreamed that a man came to him and said his name was Hostfinn, and told him he was come from Ireland.
" The Earl thought he asked him for —tid-
ings thence, and then he sang this song:
" I have been where warriors
High in Erin sang the sword. Boss to boss met many bucklers, Steel rung sharp on rattling helm ; I call tell of all their struggle ; Sigurd fell in flight of speai-s ;
Brian fell, but kept his kingdom Ere he lost on« drop of blood. "
"< See Roderick
wrestled,
the Hibernians is treated of, in "
et seq. 8vo.
^ See Tie CoSATih jAeohel
446 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
are sufficient to remove any supposition of victory having been obtained by the Northmen. *°3 Those dreadful portents, rehited by them, assure us of the calamities they endured, with their disastrous defeat/"^ The misfortunes of the fated field have lelt their impress on those traditions, the reflex of wild and weird superstitions, which regard the Northman's belief in magic practices, and preternatural agency, as depicted for us, by many of their old chroni- clers/"' In the Norse tongue, this account is yet to be found, and Thormo- dus Torfaeus,''"' has drawn it from a remote source ; as also in Bartholinus,''"' the same statement has been preserved. We are told, that at Suinefell in Ice- land, blood came on the priest's stole on Good Fridaj', so that he had to put it off. •°' Not the least distinguished was Sigurd, Jarl of Orkney, who fell in the battle of Clontarf, while bravely commanding his division,^°9 and his
death is said to have been accompanied by certain wild visions. The Fatal Sisters appeared on the field at Clontarf and were busied among the heaps of slain. <'° Tiiese were seen weaving the web of destiny, for those destined to fallintliatengagement. OnthisGoodFriday,Uarrud,orDaurrud,anative of Caithness, saw at a distance a number of persons on horseback,4" riding full speed towards a hill, which they seemed to enter. *'^ Others say, they went into a bower, with a window slit in it. *"' These were the Valkyriar, or female divinities, who were the servants of Odin or Woden. Their name signifies Chusers of the slain. They were mounted on swift horses, with drawn swords in their hands ; while, in the throng of battle, they selected such as were destined for slaughter, and conducted them to Valhalla.
Curiosity led Daurrud to follow them. 4'4 Looking through an opening in the rocks, or bower, he saw twelve gigantic female figures. They were em- ployed about a loom /'s and, as they wove, they sung a decadful song. If we
"
Those two, Flosi and the Earl, talked much of this dream. A week nfter, Hrafn the Red came thitfier, and told them all the tidings of Brian's battle, the fall of the King and of Earl Sigurd, and iJrodir and all the Vikings.
"What," said p-losi, "hast thou to tell me of my men? " " They all fell there,'' says Hrafn, but thy biutlier-in-law Thor- stein took peace from Kerthialliid, and is now with him. ''—George Webbe Dasent's "Story of Burnt Njal," vol. ii. , chap, clvi. .
PP- 342, 343-
"'^ See "
Nials-Saga," cap. clviii. , pp.
620 to 023.
404 "At Thvattwater, the priest thought
he saw on Good a of the Friday long deep
tione incunditateque" plenum, maxima lec- toris aiiimum vohiptate facile perfinidens. " Auctore Olao Magno Gotho Aichiepiscopo Vpsalensi Suetiae et Golhise Primate, lib. hi. , cap. x. De fatalibus sororibus et Nymphis, pp. no, in. Romse, m. d. l. v. , fol.
*<* In"The Oreadc. s,"published atHafniae, A. I). 1679, fol. , a wail over the defeat of the Islemen rs heard,
<°' See Lil). iii. , cap. i. , p. 6l7,"4to.
sea hard by the altar, and then he saw many awful sights, and—it was long ere he could sing the prayers. " George Webbe Dasent's "Story of Burnt Njal," vol. ii. , chap, clvi. , p. 342.
and Pre-historic Annals of Scotland," Part
iv. , chap, vi. , p. 589.
405 See " Historia de Gentibvs Septen- trionalibvs, earvmqve diversis s. atibvs, con- ditionibvs, moribvs, ritibvs, svper^titionibv. s,
folk riding together.
*'" See " Potms " of Thomas Gray, vol. i. ,
Ode viii. , p. 78.
''3 See George Webbe Dasent's " Story
of Burnt Njal,'^ vol. ii. ,'chap. clvi. , p. 338. "'See the "Nials-Saga," or "Vita
disciplinis, exerchiis, regimine, victu, l,eilis, structuris, insirumentis ac mineris metalli- cis ei rebus mirabilibus, necnon universis pene aiiimalibus in Septentrioiie degentibus, eorumque natura Opvs vt varivm, plvrimar- vmqve rcrum congniiione refertvm, atque cvni exemplis exiernis, tum expre^sis rerum internarura picturis illustratum, ita delecta-
Nialis,'cap. clviii. PugnaBrianiana.
-"s" Men's heads were the weights, but men's entrails were the warp ana weft, a sword was the . shuttle, and the reels were
•">* " See George Webbe Dasent's
Story of Burnt Njal,' vol. 'ii. ,'chap. clvi. , p. 342.
*°' A noble Ode, borrowed from a Norse
has been the Poet comjiosed, by
original,
Gray, and this commemoration of Sigurd's fate is contained in "The Fatal Sisters. "
*"• See Daniel
"'
Wilson's Arcliasology
*"
( ine account there were twelve [has it,
— Webbe
arrows. " George Dasent's "Stoiy
of Burnt Njal, vol. ii. , chap, clvi. , p. 338.
April 33. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 447
are to believe the authority of the Sagas,*'' their song is still preserved, in the originalNorsetongueandmeasure. •'' Daurrudheardtheweirdstrainstheysang, andhelearntthembyheart. *"* WhentheFatalSistershadfinishedtheirweb, theytoreitintotwelvepieces. Eachtookherportion: sixgallopedtothenorth, and as many to the south. •"9 Their song has been translated into Latin,*'" in the Nials-Saga,*'" with notes illustrating it. Later still, that Norse song has been metrically rendered, by one of the masters of English verse ;*" how-
Iron sleet of arrowy shower Hurtles in the darkened air.
Glittering lances are the loom, Where the dusky warp we strain,
Weaving many a soldier's doom, Orkney's woe, and Randver's bane.
See thegriesly texture grow ! ('Tis of human entrails made).
And the weights, that play below,
"' The original of this, according to
: Thomas Gray, begins —
"" Vitt er orpit fyrir valfalli," &c.
"
The Latin version begins
" Late diffanditur. "
This account is drawn, we are told Ex
:
Orcadibus Thormond Torfaei.
*' The foUowin;:, according to another
version, is the opening verse : "Vitt er erpinn
—
Each a
gasping
warrior's head.
Fyrit valfalli Riss reidi sky Rienir blodi
Nu er fyr geirum Grar uppkominn Vefr verpiodar Perer vinur fulla, Raudum vefti Randversk bla. "
Burnt we have translated into Njal,"
" Shafts for shuttles, dipt in gore.
Shoot the trembling cords along. Sword, that once a monarch bore, Keep the tissue close and strong.
" Mista, black terrific maid,
Sangrida and Hilda, see, Joy the wayward work to aid : 'Tis the woof of victory,
"Eretheruddysunbeset.
Pikes must shiver, javelins sing. Blade with clattering buckler meet
Hauberk crash and helmet rmg.
—Rev.
Johnstone's " Celto-Scandic*,' p. 124.
James
«'« In George Webbe Dasent's "Story of
tnglish "TheWoofofWar. " Seevol. ii. , chap,
" thecrimsonwebof (Weave
dvi. , pp. 338 to 341.
*'' See " Puems " of Thomas
war).
Ode viii. , p. 79.
*"Th—is is one version of the
opening
verse :
"
Ampla constituta sunt Strajjis anteludia
Vela texori jugi. Sanguinem nubes pluit. Pila nunc pnesagiens Leucophcea toUitur
Tela militantium
Haecce complices replent Qvam rubro subtemine Lividoque, prselii. "
\ —Rev.
CeJto-Scandicae," &c. , p. 124.
"
Pent within its bleak
Soon their ample sway shall stretch
O'er the plenty of the plain.
Low the dauntless Earl is laid.
Gored with many a g. iping wound, Fate demands a nobler head ;
Soon a king shall bite the ground,
James Johnstone's
Antiquitates
domain.
*" See cap. clviii. , pp. 606 to 620.
*"ThePuet,ThomasGray. Thisproduc- tion, known as "The Fatal Sisters," appears among his Poem? , with the Latin version, from which it h. is been translated, forming an Appendix. See vol. i. . Ode viii , pp. 75 to 8 V The following is the English version of Gray : —
" Now the storm begin? to lower, (Haste, the loom of hell prepare),
"
— :
;
Antiquitates
vol. Gray, i. ,
Let us go, and let us fly,
Wliere our Iriends the conflict share,
Where they triumph, where they die.
" As the paths of fate we tread,
Wadiiig through this ensanguined field,
Gondula, and Geira, spread
O'er the youthful king your shield,
" We the reins to
Ours to kill, and ours to spare :
Spite of danger he shall live, (Weave the crimson web of war),
" They whom once the desert-beach
" Long his loss shall Eirin weep, Ne'er again his likeness see ;
Long her strains in sorrow steep Strains of immortality !
slaughter give.
448 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
ever, this version is by no means literal. A like event to what befel Daurrud happened, it is stated, to Brand Gneisti's son, in the Faroe Isles. <°3
The body of tlie glorious monarch Bryan was found on the field ofClontarf,'«'4 when victory had unmistakably declared for the Irish. ^^s There, too, num- bers of the wounded were discovered to be still living; and for these, sledges and biers were made, to carry them with less pain, from that place of slaugh- ter.
'*"' Among those mortally wounded was their brave leader Prince Mur- chadh, who, after the battle, made a confession of his sins, and received the
Holy Sacrament. +^7 He lived on, however, to the next morning. This was a
happy consummation of his glorious life, and one well becoming a religious prince, whose career in arms was a brilliant one, such as the ambitious might envy, but whose bed of earthly victory was hallowed with a still brighter pros- pect of never-fading glory. After the battle was over,*^^ the Irish took King Bryan's body and laid it out. The king's head, we are told, had grown fast to the trunk. 1^9
The deceased hero immediately took his place in history, national and
foreign,'i3° after the sanguinary encounter at Clontarf, which m compliment to him has been designated," Brian's battle,"'*^' even as called in the Sagas. Such
a sore defeat prevented any general northern combination, for the subsequent invasion of Ireland ; since gloom and mourning spread over almost every
homestead throughout Scandinavia, while many an adventurous colonist, who joined in the Irish expedition, never returned to relate the story of that signal disaster. 432 The sanguinary character and duration of this great battle were such, as to render it unusual in those times. 433 The day after, on Holy Saturday, the surviving Irish returned to visit the scene of that dreadful con- test, and they buried there every one of their slain, whom they were able to recognise. ''3* As well in the Danish and Northmen Sagas, as in the chroni-
" Horror covers all the heath, Clouds of carnage blot ;he sun.
Sisters, weave the web of cleatli ; Sisters, cease ; tlit work is done.
" Hail the task, and hail the hands !
*'3 Thus closed the glorious career of a sovereign, whose "hand was bent on war, but whose heart was for the peace of Erin. " Richard Ryan's "Biographia Hibernica," vol. ii. , p. 116.
*"" See Coga'oh Saeroheb Tie 5Alt4ibli, chap, cxix. , pp. 210, 211.
*'' According to the Dublin copy of the Annals of Innisfallen, in Kev. Dr. ©'Conor's "Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 66.
*" See "Nials-Saga," cap. clviii. , p.
"
Songs of joy . ^nd triumph sing 1 Joy to the victorious bands ;
Triumph to the younger king.
Mortal, thou that hear'st the tale, Learn the tenor of our song.
Scotland through each winding vale Far and wide the notes prolong.
" Sisters, hence with spurs of speed : Eachhenhundering falchion wield ;
Each bestride her sable steed, Hurry, hurry to the field ! "
of Burnt Njal," vol. ii. , chap, clvi,, p. 338. "" See Thomas D'Arcy M'Gee's "Popu- lar History of Ireland," vol. i. . Book ii. ,
chap, vi. , p. 102.
*3' See "Vita Nialis," where it is desig-
nated, at cap. clviii. , Pugna Brianina, pp.
623.
"Round Sitric'skeel Ne'er wave shall whiten mote—nor
<" WebbeDasent's " See George
of
601 to "'
Story Burnt Njal," vol. ii. ,chap. clvi. , p. 342.
*'*
Her monar—c—h slain
the —
Anrud's sail
the wise
Swell to the
—"
breeze. "
,
Boroimhe has fallen
laughing
pride OfErin's sons
!
—
Clontarf,"
ii. ,
p. 35. "
"—SadErinweeps
the great, good,
I
fallen is the
Her sword
is cast
Re- rum Hiliernicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. ,
Annales Ininfalenses, p. 66.
•3'See Coga-oh JaeoheL -Re 5Al. U(ilbli,
chap, cxix. , pp. 210, 211.
*35 Ademai of St. Cibard, a monk of An-
away.
Dimmed is her shield, and bowed to
earth her crest !
The fairest star of chivalry is set 1"
—"Clontarf,"a Poem, Book ii. , p. 36.
604.
^"^ See George Webbe Dasent's
" Story
a Poem, Book
*» See Rev. Dr. Charles O'Conor's
April 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 449
cle of the Isles ; and in those of England, Scotland, Wales, and of the Conti- nent, this great defeat of the foreigners was recorded. One chronicler, •35 and a contemporaryjO* rnakes the battle of Clontarf last for three whole days ; however, this statemen^ does not agree with other and more authentic ac- counts, for, it was confined to a decisive engagement of several hours' duration, yet ending on the day it commenced. It is even said, that then and there, all the Northmen were killed. «7 Moreover, we find added, that crowds of their women and children were drowned in the sea. 'tss
TheageofBryanBoroimhahasbeenvariouslyestimated; accordingtosome accounts, he had reached his eighty-eighth +39 year, while others again make him only seventy-three •<° years old, at the time of his death. He is said to have reigned thirty-eight years, as king over Munster, and to have been twelve years, in the chief sovereignty ofErinn. +'t' Like Leonidas-'-'^ and Epaminondas,'^*^ he fell, combating in his country's cause, and grasping victory even in death. ^t* On the fall of Bryan, his bard Mac Liag composed a celebrated Elegy, which has been rendered into English verse, by one of our celebrated Irish poets. 't'ts Another elegiac composition, with Irish text and English transla- tion,''** known as Kincora, or Mac Liag's Lament, the original being assigned to A. D. 1015, has been published. <^7 Two other admirable pieces, with Irish texts, and having the English headings, Mac Liag mournfully remembers Bryan and his Nobles,**' and Mac Liag in exile remembers Brian,<<9 ha—ve been rendered into English, by Rev. William Hamilton Drummond, D. D. an Irish poet, and distinguished for his varied talents.
During the fierce engagement at Clontarf, that strong detachment, under the command of Donchadh, had been otherwise occupied. After their great victory had been achieved, the men of Munster collected together and en- camped on the green of Ath Cliath,''5° where they remained for two days and twonights,awaitingDonchadh'sarrival. Histroopswerethelastleviesofthe Dalcassians, who brought with them a great spoil from Leinster; for, it seems, that some delay had been necessary, in bringing up all the Irish Monarch's reserves. <5' At length, at the hour of Vespers, and on Easter Sunday night, Donnchadharrived,drivingbeforehimagreatpreyofcattle. 'S^ Thus,having plundered Leinster, he reached Kilmainham, but too late for sharing in the dangers and glory of that memorable day. «s3 There, he met with his brother Teige, and Kian the son of Molloy, with all who survived that battle, both sound and wounded. <s4 Grateful for their kindly services,
gouleme, has such an account. He was born in 988, and he lived to the year 1031. There is a good notice of his Life and Works in "Histoire Liler. iire de la France," tome vii. , sect. I, 2, pp. 300 to 308.
"' See M. le d'Hoeffer's " Nouvelle Bio-
graphie Generale dcpuis les Temps les plus recul^s jusqu' a nous Jours," tome i. , cols.
cum muneribus donavit. " —Ibid.
<" According to tlic writer of Co^atjVi jAetilieL ne JdllAibh, chap, cxvi. , pp. 204, 205. —This authority has been followed, by many if not by most—of our annalists and biographers. See Richard Ryan's "Bio- graphia Hibernica," vol. i. , p. 116.
*"' This is the age assigned to him, in the Annals of Ulster.
276, 277.
" •' "
*", Consertum est ergo praelium per tri-
See Dr. Jeffrey Keating's General History of Ireland," part ii. , p. 482.
"'See an account of him, in George Grote's" History of Greece," vol. iii. , part ii. , chap. xl. . pp. 423to442.
*" For the vaiiuus events of his career, see ibid. , vol. vii. , part ii. , chap. Ixxvii. to Ixxx. , pp. 7210314.
*" See James Stuart's "Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123.
^'s gee "Poems" of James Clarence f i
duum incessa—nter, et Normannorum nullus ""
vivus evasit. Ademari Historiarum," HI). iii. The chronology of this battle, in his chronicle, seems to be set down at A. D. 1016. SeePertz's " Monumenta Germanise Histo- rica," tomus iv. , p. 140.
<* " Uxores eorum cum parvulis sese cnnctse in mare precipites suffoc. irunt. Qui vivi capti sunt, feris ad laniandum proiecti sunt. Unum ex captivis rex vivere, quia Christianum captivum fuisse cognovit, et
Vol. IV. —No. 8.
45° LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
and in obedience to his father's dying request, Donagh sent jewels and offer-
ings, to the Gomharb and subordinate clergy of St. Patrick ;<S5 while, in the
fifty-first year of his age, that prince succeeded his father, «' but as we are told, he did not rule over the fourth part of Ireland/'?
According to the provisions of his will. ^s^ the King of Ireland had resolved, that his body should be conveyed to Armagh, after his death. His son Donnchadh religiously fulfilled this bequeathed obligation, and all the other bequests made, and so secured the blessing of his illustrious father. «9 Soon as the monks at Swords heard of the order for interment, theycamedirectlytothecamp. Thefirststageofthismournfulandsolemn procession was northwards from Clontarf, and the clergy of Swords, with
^^>WKVs,\^'k^-
Medieval Archiepiscopal Palace, Monastic remains, and Round Tower, at Swords, County of Dublin.
religious rites and ceremonies, brought the remains of this renowned, heroic and religious monarch, together with those of his son Murchadh, to their abbey,<*° where the coffins were deposited for that night. Here are still to
Mangan. NewYorkedition,1859,8vo. In
O,wherearetheDalcassiansofthe golden swords ?
And where are the warriors Brian led on ?
Where, O Kinkora?
" And where is Murrough, the descend- ant of kings ;
the Irish is the
Anthology," at pp. 382 to 384,
" following,
: intituled " Kinkora " —
" O, where, Kinkora ! is Brian the Great ?
And where is the beauty that once was thine?
O, where are the princes and nobles that sate
At the feast in thy halls, and drank
the red wine
Where, O Kinkora ?
" O, where Kinkora 1 are thy valorous lords?
O, whither, thou Hospitable ! are they gone ?
—f a hundred—
Who set but slight store by jewels
!
and
rings
The defeater o
the dar-
ingly brave
—
Who swam down the torrent and
laughed at its wave ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
" And where is Donagh, King Brian's worthy son ?
April 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 4SI
be seen, many fine ecclesiastical and mediaeval remains. '**' Thence, the next
morning, the clergy of Daraliag, or Duleek, with similar marks of respect, had the bodies conducted, to the church of St. Kiaran ; and there, too, they were received by the monks, who bore the coffins to their religious establishment.
"
with my grief !
Left me, Kinkora !
And where are the chiefs mth whom Brian went forth,
The never vanquished sons of Erin the brave.
The great King of Onaght, renowned for his worth,
And the hosts of Baskinn from the western wave ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
And where Conaing, the beautiful chief?
To give me at the banquet, the first
bright cup !
Ah ! why did he heap on me honour
like this?
