Mythology
The Fairy Folk
They arrive by magic steed at midnight, and the wife decides it would be better to break in, eat the porridge as promised, and leave immediately. The porridge pot is too large, and the king falls in, and when Fergus's servants find him, with his wife lamenting, they take him to the king, who is amazed by the appearance of yet another wee creature ( with wife as well), and although he is hospitable he refuses to let them go. The wee folk arive in a multitude and ask for thier king's release, but Fergus refuses, so the wee folk visit the country with plagues, snip off the ears of corn, let the calves suck the cows dry, defile the wells, etc., but the king remains unconvinced. They therefore change their stance, and in the role as earth gods they promis Fergus that the plains before the palace will be think with corn every year without sowing or ploughing. Eventually Fergus relents, if the wee folk let him have the cauldron which can never be emptied, the harp that plays itself, and the magic shoes enabling the wearer to go on, in , or over water. However the wee folk, probably feeling that in all they have not got out of it too well, have not finished with Fergus yet. Fergus has a habit of expolring lakes and rivers, but on one expedition he encounters the hidious sea monster, the Muirdris, which occupies one of the lakes. Fergus escapes, but the shock twists his face in a ghastly fashion, and as a blemished king cannot hold office the queen and nobles hide all the mirrors. One day he strikes one of his servants with a switch for negligence, ans she tells him that it would be better to avenge himself on the sea monster than " do brave deeds on women ", and that his face is awry. He obtains a mirror, sees that the servant is right, and goes out wearing his magic shoes to slay the sea monster, which he does, and as he slices off the head his face returns to normal. He throws the head of the monster onto dry land, and sinks, presumably to drown, though it was such a good and relatively coherant story that probably the many story tellers resurected him for future adventures.
Conan ma Morna, Conan the Bald also fell foul to the fairy folk. Conan the Bald is not to be confused with Conan mac Lia, who was Finn's successor with the Fiana, and who served him faithfully for thirty years. But name confusions are commonplace in the genre..
Conan was not only bald, but big, unwieldy, gross, with a bitter and scurrilous tongue.
He was also unutterably greedy. One day while out hunting they came across a stately building, white walled, with coloured thatch, and they entered it to seek hospitality. There was no one in, but they found a marvellous hall hung with silk and with pillars of cedar wood. On a table was set forth a meal of boar flesh and venison, with a yew vat full of red wine, and cups of silver and gold.
They gorged themselves, until one of their number suddenly noticed that the tapestried walls were changing to rough wooden beams, and the ceiling to sooty thatch, and the room was shrinking and by the time they reached the door - all except Conan who was still eating and drinking - the door was no bigger than the opening of a fox earth.
They realised it was the work of the fairy folk. Some of them got out, Conan was stuck to his chair with lime, and two of his companions, seeing his dilemma, tugged at him, leaving most of his clothes and his skin sticking to the chair. They looked around and saw the skin of a black sheep, which they clapped on his back. And there it remained forever. There does not seem to be a reason why Conan should be singled out, except that he was obnoxious. Mythology is not necessarily devoid of moral judgements...