Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 18, 1907.djvu/186

154 waves at the bottom of the sea, the idea of separation by water being essential in most of the tales. Later, when the gods who ruled this mystic realm were conceived of as fallen from their high estate as Lords of the Sky, and were relegated to the sídh dwellings underground, and, connected in men's minds with the tumuli or ancient burial-places, the idea changed somewhat.

But everywhere, as in Welsh legend, we find the same description of this land as one of unfailing brightness, of inexhaustible joys, where death, disease, and want are alike unknown, and where no man notices the lapse of time. I do not intend to summarise these tales to-night; this has been done for the Pagan tales, or those most entirely Pagan, by Mr. Nutt in his Voyage of Bran, and for the Christian voyage tales by Zimmer in his studies on the Brendan Legend. They are, fortunately, by this time pretty well known.

A couple of typical instances will suffice. In Laegh's description of the palace in Magh Mell, as he himself had seen it, he says:

There is a door toward the west In the place where the sun goes down, A stud of pale horses with brilliant manes; Another, purple brown; At the door towards the east I saw Three shining purple trees, From which a flock of birds calls down Gently to the youths of the royal dun. There is at the fortress' door a tree. Pleasant the music that comes therefrom, A tree of silver; against it the sun Shines like unto gold in splendour. Three hundred men by each noble tree Of various fruits, are nourished. There is a well in the princely dwelling,