o

"Of old unhappy, far-off things
And battles long ago."

FOOTNOTES:

[506] See Joyce, _OCR_ 447.

[507] Montelius, _Les Temps Prehistoriques_, 57, 151; Reinach, _RC_ xxi.
8.

[508] The popular versions of this early part of the saga differ much in
detail, but follow the main outlines in much the same way. See Curtin,
_HTI_ 204; Campbell, _LF_ 33 f.; _WHT_ iii. 348.

[509] In a widespread group of tales supernatural knowledge is obtained
by eating part of some animal, usually a certain snake. In many of these
tales the food is eaten by another person than he who obtained it, as in
the case of Fionn. Cf. the Welsh story of Gwion, p. 116, and the
Scandinavian of Sigurd, and other parallels in Miss Cox, _Cinderella_,
496; Frazer, _Arch. Rev._ i. 172 f. The story is thus a folk-tale
formula applied to Fionn, doubtless because it harmonised with Celtic or
pre-Celtic totemistic ideas. But it is based on ancient ideas regarding
the supernatural knowledge possessed by reptiles or fish, and among
American Indians, Maoris, Solomon Islanders, and others there are
figured representations of a man holding such an animal, its tongue
being attached to his tongue. He is a _shaman_, and American Indians
believe that his inspiration comes from the tongue of a mysterious river
otter, caught by him. See Dall, _Bureau of Ethnol._ 3rd report; and Miss
Buckland, _Jour. Anth. Inst._ xxii. 29.

[510] _TOS_ iv.; O'Curry, _MS. Mat._ 396; Joyce, _OCR_ 194, 339.

[511] For ballad versions see Campbell, _LF_ 198.

[512] Numerous ballad versions are given in Campbell _LF_ 152 f. The
tale is localised in various parts of Ireland and the Highlands, many
dolmens in Ireland being known as Diarmaid and Grainne's beds.

[513] For an account differing from this annalistic version, see _ZCP_
i. 465.

[514] O'Grady, ii. 102. This, on the whole, agrees with the Highland
ballad version, _LF_ 198.

[515] _IT_ iv.; O'Grady, _Silva Gad._ text and translation.

CHAPTER IX.

GODS AND MEN.

Though man usually makes his gods in his own image, they are unlike as
well as like him. Intermediate between them and man are ideal heroes
whose parentage is partly divine, and who may themselves have been gods.
One mark of the Celtic gods is their great stature. No house could
contain Bran, and certain divine people of Elysium who appeared to Fionn
had rings "as thick as a three-ox goad."[516] Even the Fians are giants,
and the skull of one of