"Heed not her words, my son," cried Fionn. "Well I know that if you follow her to the land she speaks of—a land where a hundred years seem no longer than a day—we shall never see you again."
"Come with me, Oisin," Niav repeated. "Whatever you wish for you will find in my country; every delightful thing you can imagine will be yours. In all the world there is no other country like mine. There you will feel neither cold nor the storms of winter; old age and sorrow will never touch you, but unending youth and joyousness shall be your portion. My father will encircle your head with a crown of light, which will safeguard you through the darkest night and the brightest day, and bring you through any storm of battle or danger that may threaten you. Never before has he given that crown to any man, though many have sought it. He will give you a strong shield also, and the spear that could pierce it is not yet forged; a sword, too, shall be yours, which has never failed to bring death to any enemy it has touched.
"You will get hounds as swift and beautiful
