Émhic an bhradáin agus Ómhic an bhradáin - Pádraig Ó hArachtáin


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Transcript

Bhí beirt bhan ann fadó agus bhíodar 'na gcónaí i dteannta a chéile in aon tigh amháin. Aon oíche amháin nuair a bhíodar ag dul a chodladh do chuimhníodar ná raibh aon uisce glan istigh acu i gcomhair na hoíche agus dúradar lena chéile go mb'fhearra dhóibh dul á iarraidh. Thógadar bucaod an duine agus chuadar ag iarraidh an uisce. Agus do thógadar bucaod an duine don uisce ón dtobar. Agus nuair a thánadar isteach leis is amhlaidh a bhí bradán[1] istigh ins gach aon bhucaod acu. Bheireadar ar na bradáin agus mharaíodar iad. Chuireadar a(r) beiriú iad agus (dh')itheadar iad.

(...) An oíche chéanna do saolaíodh mac an duine dhóibh agus is iad na hainmneacha do ghlaodar orthu ná Émhic an Bhradáin agus Ómhic an Bhradáin. D'fhás na leanaí suas 'na bhfearaibh agus do fuair a máthaireacha bás. Agus is é (an) ghnó do bhíodh acu gach aon lá ná fiach. Do bhí (feighle fuinte) ag gach éinne acu.

Aon lá amháin chuaigh Émhic amach ag fiach agus nuair a bhí sé ag teacht abhaile tháinig an ceo air agus ní fhéadfadh sé an tigh a fháil. Do bhí sé ag dul amú agus ag siúl roimis agus chonac... chonaic sé solas. Dhein sé fé dhéin an tsolais agus do bhí sé istigh i gcoill. Do bhí tigh ann. Chuaigh sé isteach sa tigh agus ní raibh éinne istigh roimis. Do shuigh sé síos agus do bhí ana-ocras air agus ní fhéadfadh sé aon ní a fháil le n-ithe. I gcionn tamaill do tháinig trí bhanbh isteach agus do shíneadar iad féin i lár an tí. Dúirt sé leis féin go mb'fhearra dhó ceann acu a mharú agus é a ithe dhó féin. Do dhein. Agus nuair a bhí sé marbh aige dúirt sé leis féin go n-íosfadh sé é sin go léir agus go mb'fhearra dhó na trí cinn acu a mharú. Do dhein agus do chuir sé ag beiriú iad. Nuair a bhíodar geall leis beirithe do tháinig cailín beag isteach agus do shuigh sí in aice na tine. Do bhí sí ag fás agus ag fás i gcónaí gur dhein seanabhean chríonna chaite dhi. Nuair a bhí an fheoil beirithe do thóg sé ón dtine é agus do chuir sé ar an mbord é. Do bhí sé ag ithe agus do thug sé blúire dhe don tseanabhean agus do thóg sí uaidh é. Agus bhí sé ag féachaint uirthi féach a raibh sí á ithe. Agus is amhlaidh a bhíodh sí ag cur a fiacla anso agus an ansúd air. Agus nuair a dh'fhéach sé arís uirthi bhíodh sé ite aici. Do bhíodar go léir ag ithe go raibh na muca ite acu.

Ansan do sheasaimh sí suas agus dúirt sí leis, "Tánn tú go láidir anois agus an raghfá ag iomrascáil liom?"

"Raghad," ar seisean. Sheasaimh sé suas.

"Ceangail na gadhair sin," ar sise.

"Níl aon ní agam do cheanglódh iad," ar seisean.

Do strac sí dhá ribe dá (...) agus thug sí dhó iad. "Ceangail leis sin iad," ar (sí sin).

Do cheangail sé na gadhair. Do bheireadar ar a chéile agus ba ghearr go dtug sí an talamh dó. Do bhí sí á thachtadh agus do ghlaoigh sé ar na gadhair, "Cabhair! Cabhair, a chonairt!" ar seisean.

"Fáisc! Fáisc, a ribe!" arsa an tseanabhean. D'fháisc an ribe agus do thacht sí na gadhair.

Do mhairibh sí é agus do thóg sí léi amach é agus do chuir... do chuir sí amuigh é in aice an chlaí.

Translation

Long ago there were two women and they were living together in the one house. One night when they were going to sleep they remembered that they didn't have any clean water for the night and they said to each other that they had better go and get some. They took a bucket each and they went to get water. And they took a bucket of water each from the well. And when they came in there was a salmon in each of the buckets. They caught the salmon and killed them. They set them to boil and they ate them.

(...) The same night they gave birth to a son each and the names they gave them were Émhic an Bhradáin and Ómhic an Bhradáin ('É-son of the Salmon' and 'Ó-son of the Salmon'). The children grew up into men and their mothers died. And they used to spend every day hunting. Each of them had a (...).

One day Émhic went out hunting and when he was coming home fog surrounded him and he couldn't find the house. He was going astray and walking on and he saw... he saw a light. He headed towards the light and he was in a forest. There was a house there. He went into the house and there was no one inside before him. He sat down and he was very hungry and he couldn't find anything to eat. After a while three piglets came in and they lay down in the middle of the house. He told himself he had better kill one and eat it. He did. And when he had killed it he told himself he would eat all of it and that he had better kill all three of them. He did and he set them to boil. When they were nearly boiled a small girl came in and she sat down beside the fire. She was growing and growing all the time until she turned into an ancient worn old woman. When the meat was boiled he took it from the fire and put it on the table. He was eating and he gave some to the old woman and she accepted it from him. And he was looking at her to see if she was eating it. And she was biting it here and there. And when he looked at her again she would have eaten it. They were all eating until they had eaten the pigs.

Then she stood up and she said to him, "You are strong now and would you wrestle with me?"

"I will," he said. He stood up.

"Tie those dogs," she said.

"I have nothing to tie them with," he said.

She tore two hairs from her (...) and gave them to him. "Tie them with this," said (she).

He tied the dogs. They caught hold of each other and it wasn't long before she had him on the ground. She was choking him and he called the dogs, "Help! Help, dogs!" he said.

"Tighten! Tighten, hair!" said the old woman. The hair tightened and she choked the dogs.

She killed him and she brought him out and she buried him... she buried him outside by the wall.

Footnotes

Leg. burdán? (Back)

Commentary

This appears to be the beginning of an international folktale, ATU 303 The twins or blood-brothers. It usually concerns a woman who eats magical fish, and gives birth to twins. In some versions, as the brothers grow up, they acquire magical animal helpers. One of the brothers sets out one day with his animal helpers, and falls into the power of a witch, who turns him to stone. The second brother is alerted to his prediciment due to some supernatural omen, and rescues him. There are many more details to the narrative, but it is impossible to speculate as to what version may have been known to the storyteller, as this example is incomplete. Oral versions are also often told in combination with a number of other folktales, and are commonly introduced by ATU 567 The magic bird-heart. The story is extremely popular throughout the world, and is well known in Eurasia, north and east Africa, and throughout the Americas. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). It is also a very popular story in Ireland, with examples known from all over the country. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968).

An international folk motif included in this version is T511.5.1 Conception from eating fish. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8). A similar motif has been present in Ireland since the medieval period, for example in the story of Tuán mac Caraill, who was conceived when his mother ate a salmon. See Louis H. Gray, George Foot Moore and John A. Mac Culloch, The mythology of all races (13 vols, Boston, 1916-32), vol. 3, ed. J.A. Mac Culloch, Celtic ... (Boston, 1918), 207. An analysis of Irish versions of the folktale that outlines the common motifs, including the binding of animals with hair from the witch's head, can be found in Reidar Th. Christiansen, 'Towards a printed list of Irish fairytales II', Béaloideas 8:1 (1938), 97-105: 103. A version of the tale entitled 'É Mhic an Bhradáin agus Ó Mhic an Bhradáin', was recorded from the storytelling of Conchubhar Ó Deasmhumhna from county Cork. See Fiachra Éilgeach (ed.), Scéalta triúir (Dublin, 1919), 16. A version also entitled 'É Mhic agus Ó Mhic an Bhradáin' by Doegen informant Amhlaoibh Ó Loingsigh appears in Seán Ó Cróinín (ed.), Scéalaíocht Amhlaoibh Í Luínse (Dublin, 1971), 11-17.

Title in English: Émhic of the salmon and Ómhic of the salmon
Digital version published by: Doegen Records Web Project, Royal Irish Academy

Description of the Recording:

Speaker: Pádraig Ó hArachtáin from Co. Cork
Person who made the recording: Wilhelm Doegen
Organizer and administrator of the recording scheme: The Royal Irish Academy
In collaboration with: Lautabteilung, Preußische Staatsbibliothek (now Lautarchiv, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Recorded on 12-09-1928 at 17:25:00 in Convent of Mercy, Killarney (office). Recorded on 12-09-1928 at 17:25:00 in Convent of Mercy, Killarney (office).
Archive recording (ID LA_1081d1, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal Irish Academy) is 04:17 minutes long. Archive recording (ID LA_1081d1, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal Irish Academy) is 04:17 minutes long.
User recording (ID LA_1081d1, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal Irish Academy) is 04:14 minutes long. User recording (ID LA_1081d1, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal Irish Academy) is 04:14 minutes long.