Page:Origin and Growth of Religion (Rhys).djvu/111

Rh his queen. Some years elapsed when, owing to court intrigues of uncertain details, Branwen was, for no fault of hers, disgraced and driven from the king to the kitchen, where she was badly used. At length she contrived to send word to her brother, who at once resolved to make an expedition to Ireland to avenge her wrongs. But instead of sailing across as the others did, Brân had to wade through the intervening waters, as no ship had ever been built of a size to receive this colossal king on board. As he approached the Irish shore, the swineherds of Erinn hastened to Matholwch's court with the strange story that they had seen a forest on the sea, and near it a great mountain with its spur flanked by two lakes: they added that both forest and mountain were in motion towards the land. Nobody could explain this until Branwen was summoned, and she told them that the trees were the masts of her countrymen's vessels, that the mountain they had seen must be her brother wading through shallow water, and that the mountain spur with the two lakes were his nose and eyes: she opined that his countenance betokened anger towards Erinn. Matholwch and his hosts hastened to place a river between them and the invaders. When the latter reached the stream, they found the bridge over it gone and the current impassable, until Brân laid himself across its bed and hurdles were placed on his body, so that his men passed over safely. He then got up and received ambassadors with offers of peace from Matholwch, which were rejected. But reconciliation was effected with Brân by the Irish paying him the compliment of building a house large enough for him, which was a novelty to him, as he had never before been able to enter a house. He had, however, a brother who