The European Sky -God. 31
afterwards ride home on his own horse]]. Finn and the Fianna then sailed back to Erin, where much to their amusement and amazement Avarta and his fifteen, hideous horse and all, joined them at Knockainy, and on a sudden vanished into thin air. [[The Gilla, having returned with the Fianna in their ship, recrossed the sea on an invisible horse]]. [Finn married Taise at Almhain in Leinster.]
Prof. A. C. L. Brown,^ commenting on this singular recital, points out that in all probability the Knight of Valour, who (though Dermat would not recognise him) had served Finn for a year and a day, was none other than the Gilla Backer, who had agreed to serve Finn for a year ; and that consequently it was this Knight of Valour who alone could reveal the true name and nature of the Gilla Backer.- That revelation was to the effect that the Gilla Backer was one form of Avartach mac Allchaid loldathach, 'Avarta, son of Allchad of the Many- coloured Raiment,' who had a mansion in the realm of Manannan. In short, the Gilla Backer = the Knight of Valour = Avarta, a confessed shape-shifter. Prof. Brown^ further observes that this Avartach mac Allchaid lolda- thach appears among the Tuatha Be Banann in The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne^ as AbJiortach mac an lol-dathaigh, ' Abhortach, the son of the Many-coloured one,' along with Ilbhreac mac Mhanandin, ' The variously-spotted one, son of Manannan,' and suggests that this connexion with Manannan warrants us in referring the epithets loldathach and Ilbhreac to shape-shifting, or change of colour and form. Lastly, Prof. Brown^ writes: 'It would be natural to suppose that some connection must exist
^A. C. L. Brown Iwain p. 107 f.
2 This conclusion might be further supported by the folk-tale (J. Curtin op. cit. p. 522), in which the Knight of Valour says to Dyeermud : ' I am the man . . . that will find out the Hard Gilla for you. That Gilla is the best swordsman and champion in this land, and the greatest enchanter . . . He is a good friend of mine. '
^A. C. L, Brown Iwain p. 106 n. i.
- Transactions of the Ossianic Society for iSjj iii. 1 17 ff.
^A. C. L. Brown hvain p. 108 n. i.
