Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 4, 1893.djvu/492

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484
The Edinburgh Dinnshenchas.

its earthy side upwards, and when he uttered truth it would put its grassy side upwards. That sod is still on the mountain, and 'tis on it the single grain fell from St. Patrick's nag. Wherefore sages honour it because of preserving the truth.

Or it may be from the fót (sod) which was put upon Cenn Berridi to be carried; for the Ulaid had promised the realm to the one man who should carry (King) Conor's corpse from Magh Lamraide to Emain without laying it down. So Cenn Berridi took it up and reached Sliab Fuait, and on Sliab Fuait he put his sole to the ground. For that reason the Ulaid declared that he should not be king. He told them to put upon him a sod as broad as his sole. This was done, and he got to Emain, but there he (straightway) died. Whence is (the proverb), "Cenn Berride's Kingdom."

Fuat, son of dear hardy Bilè,
Grandson of rough, ever-victorious Breogan,
The man of the burden brought hither on a road
A sod whereon truth was put.

Also in BB. 404 a 31; Lec. 514 a; and R. 119 b 2, where the name of the island is given as Inis Magdena, or Moagdeda, id est mór, óg, diada, "great, perfect, divine"; and where the mountain's name is also derived from that of Fuat. See also Silva Gadelica, ii, 521.

H. adds the story of Cenn Berridhe. See as to this LL. 124 a 32-37, and O'Mahony's Keating, p. 273.

Emain, now the Navan Fort, near Armagh. Sliab Fuait, a mountain near Newtown Hamilton, in the county of Armagh.

Other ancient Irish ordeals are described in Irische Texte, 3. Serie, i Heft, pp. 185 et seq.

The story of the grain of wheat is told in the Tripartite Life, Rolls ed., p. 240.




[65. Lia Lindgadain.]—Lia Lindghadain, cid dia ta?

Li[ngadan Labar, issé no chosced slú]agh Erenn i flaith Find meic Findtain, (Symbol missingsymbol characters) ni lamtha labhrad leis for muir na for tír gan íarfaighidh do son, ar is e robo sluag-rechtaire fer nErenn. Rolabrasdar ( fecht n-and fria di chulaidh asin carraig [in] mac alla a gotha. Imsai[1] fris anall do dhighail a gotha fair. Dan-arraidh barr[2] na murthuinde (Symbol missingsymbol characters) ran-esart frisin carraig, conidh romarbh fodiadh.[3] is and bai ceand a shæghail. Unde dictum est:

Linga labor, fear go mblaid,
robai i n-aimsir Fhindtain.
rofæn in[fh]airrgi go foll
ria thæbh chairrgi gan chomhlaind.

Lia Lingadain, whence is it?

Lingadan the Arrogant, 'tis he that used to control the host of Erin in the reign of Find, son of Finntan, and no one durst


  1. MS. imrai.
  2. MS. danearraidh bara.
  3. MS. fodiagh.