Transcript

Bhuel, bhí fear ann agus bhí a athair le bás. Agus chuir an t-athair d'fhiachadh a ghoil thart trí huaire fá ard glas a bhí thuas os cionn an toighe. Agus chuaigh sé thart an chéad uair (...) (chas fear dó). "Beidh geám[1] a'inn ar na cárdaí." arsa seisean.

"Beidh geám a'inn ar na cárdaí?"

"Beidh," arsa seisean.

Thoisigh siad. Chuir sé... Chuir an Crooked-legged Gentleman, chuir sé an geám air. Chuaigh sé an darna lá amach ar aist[2] agus chuaigh sé thart fán ard agus bhí geám eile acu. Ar seisean, "Nach b'fhearr domh stad a imirt chárdaí," arsa seisean leis, "ná cuirfidh sé seo (...) ar deireadh."

Char fhan sé ar chor ar bith. Chuaigh sé an tríthú lá amach agus chuir an fear eile geám ar an Chrooked-legged Gentleman. "Anois," arsa seisean, "bhéarfaidh tú an Sword of Life and the Life of Man ionsormsa. Bhéarfaidh mé lá agus bliain duid é a thabhairt ar ais ionsorm."

Agus tháinig sé chun toighe agus shuigh sé ar chathaoir. Agus bhris sé trí ráilí insa chathaoir leis an osna a lig sé as na[3] chuala sé go gcaithfeadh sé a ghoil a dh'iarraidh an Sword of Life agus the Life of Man. "Anois," ar (sí), "sin mo mhuintirsa," arsa sise. "Agus má fhaghann sé an Sword of Life is an Life of Man..." arsa an bhean. "Sin mo mhuintirsa a bhfuil sin aige. Má fhaghann sé sin tiocfaidh sé agus muirfidh[4] sé... muirfidh sé thusa leis an Sword of Life agus muirfidh sé mo mhuintirsa fosta."

D'imigh sé ansin is d'fhan sé go rabh fá cheithre lá den aimsir a bheith suas. D'imigh sé ansin is bhí beathach lúthmhar aige. Chuir sé a mharcaíocht ar an bheathach agus thiomáin sé leis go rabh sé ansin. Na chuaigh sé isteach a fhad leis an gheafta a bhí ann scairt sé an Sword of Life agus an Life of Man a thabhairt amach ionsair. Dúirt siad go dtabharfadh. Chaith siad an claíomh ar an bheathach agus chaith siad píosa den earball de. (Tharraing sé) síos an beathach (...) (ar an léim).

An darna lá, thug muintir na mná beathach dó a bhí nas[5] lúthmhaire ná é. Agus chuaigh sé isteach agus thug siad iarraidh air le scairt (ar an) Sword of Life agus an Life of a Man agus chaith siad an t-earball, iomlán an earbaill, den bheathach. Agus an... ar an tríthú lá fuaigh sé isteach agus fuair sé an Sword of Life agus an Life of Man le tabhairt 'na bhaile ionsair an fhear (siúd). Thug sé 'na bhaile é. "Anois," arsa siadsan, "an bhfuil a fhios a'd goidé a dhéanfas tú?"

"Goidé?"

"Iarr an claíomh sin eile air. Na bhéarfas tú dó é abair nach bhfaca tú ariamh an scríbhneoireacht sin atá ar an chos aige, más fada a shiúlann tú agus é a thabhairt duid más é a thoil é."

Chuaigh sé ar a dhá ghlúin is d'iarr sé (...) orthu an claíomh sin a thabhairt dó go bhfeicfeadh sé é. Fuair sé... Dúirt siad go dtabharfadh. (Comh luath is) a fuair sé an claíomh chaith sé an ceann den fhear seo.

Agus sin end (...) anois.

Translation

Well, there was a man and his father was dying. And the father made him go three times around a green hillock that was above the house. And he went around that first time (...) met a man (?). "We'll have a game of cards," he said.

"We'll have a game of cards?"

"Yes," he said.

They started... He put... The Crooked-legged Gentleman won the game from him. He went out the next day again, and he went to the hillock and they had another game. Said he, "Shouldn't I stop playing cards," he said to him, "or this will put (...) in the end."

He didn't stay put at all. He went out the third day and the other man took the game from the Crooked-legged Gentleman. "Now," he said, "you will bring the Sword of Life and the Life of Man to me. I will give you a day and a year to bring it back to me."

And he came home and sat on a chair. And he broke three rails on the chair with the sigh he let out when he heard that he would have to go seeking the Sword of Life and the Life of Man. "Now," she(?) said, "they are my people," she said. "And if he gets the Sword of Life and the Life of Man..." said the woman. "They are my people who have it. If he gets it he will come and he will kill you with the Sword of Life and he will kill my people too."

He went then and he waited until within four days of the time being up. He went then and he had a fast horse. He rode the horse and he drove on until he was there. When he went in as far as the gate that was there he called for the Sword of Life and the Life of Man to be brought out to him. They said that they would bring it out. They threw the sword at the horse and they cut a piece of the tail off of it. It pulled down (?) the horse (...).

The next day, the wife's people gave him a faster horse. And he went in and he called for the Sword of Life and the Life of Man and they cut the tail, the entire tail, off the horse. And on the third day he went in and he got the Sword of Life and the Life of Man to bring home to the man. He brought it home. "Now," they said, "do you know what you should do?"

"What?

"Ask for that other sword. When you give it to him say that you have never seen that writing on the handle, even though you have travelled far, and to give it you please."

He went on his two knees and he asked (...) to give him that sword so that he could see it. He got... They said that they would. As soon as he got the sword he cut the head off this man.

And that's the end now.

Footnotes

Commentary

This appears to be a version of a folktale that is primarily found in Ireland, and is sometimes known as The quest for the sword of light. It does not appear in Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen's The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968), nor does it seem to feature in Hans Jorg Uther's The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). It was, however, given its own designated catalogue number, 305A, in the Catalogue of French folktales in North America. See Luc Lacourcière, 'The analytical catalogue of French folktales in North America', Laurentian University Review 8:2 (1976), 123-8. These American versions seem to be based on French originals, which were in turn likely based on Irish and Scottish Gaelic examples. See Richard Mercer Dorson, Folktales around the world (Chicago, 1975), 456. The balance of evidence suggests, therefore, that this is originally an Irish folktale. The story appears to be relatively well known in the country, particularly in the west. A full description of Irish versions of the tale can be found in Edmund Curtis, 'Mac Rí Chruacháin', Béaloideas 2:1 (1929), 35-46. Some motifs included in this story are H942 Tasks assigned as payment of gambling loss, M1219.1 Quest assigned as payment for gambling loss and H1337 Quest for sword of light.

This story is transcribed also in Róise Ní Bhaoill, Ulster Gaelic voices: bailiúchán Doegen 1931 (Belfast, 2010), 178-82. Other published examples include Tomás Ó Ceoinín, 'Gruagach Locha Fuair', Béaloideas 4:3 (1934), 321-30: 330; Tomás Ó Cillín, 'Fios bhás an an-sgealaidhe agus an claidheamh solais', Béaloideas 4:2 (1933), 155-63, and Domhnall Ó Ceocháin, 'An claidheamh soluis agus fios-fátha-'n-aoin-scéil', Béaloideas 3:3 (1928), 276-82.