e). The visits of mortals to
the Irish Elysium form the subject of three romances which we must now
examine. The whole question has been exhaustively dealt with by Kuno
Meyer and Alfred Nutt in the _Voyage of Bran_ (London, 1895-1897).
Condla Caem, son of Conn Cetchathach, was one day seated by his father
on the hill of Usnech, when he saw a lady in strange attire approaching
invisible to all but himself. She describes herself, as coming from the
"land of the living," a place of eternal delight, and invites the prince
to return with her. Conn invokes the assistance of his druid to drive
away the strange visitor, who in parting throws an apple to Condla. The
young man partakes of no food save his apple, which does not diminish,
and he is consumed with longing. At the end of a month the fairy-maiden
again makes her appearance. Condla can hold out no longer. He jumps into
the damsel's skiff of glass. They sail away and were seen no more. This
is the _Imram_ or Adventure of Condla Caem, the oldest text of which is
found in LU. A similar story is entitled _Imram Brain maic Febail_,
contained in YBL. and Rawlinson B 512 (the end also occurs in LU.), only
with this difference that Bran, with twenty-seven companions, puts to
sea to discover _tir na mban_ (the land of maidens). After spending some
time there, one of his comrades is seized with home-sickness. They
return, and the home-sick man, on being set ashore, immediately turns to
dust. A later story preserved in BB., YBL. and the Book of Fermoy, tells
of the visit of Cormac, grandson of Conn Cetchathach, to Tir Tairngiri.
These themes are also worked into tales belonging to the Ossianic cycle,
and Finn and Ossian in later times become the typical warriors who
achieve the quest of the Land of Youth. The romances we have just
mentioned are almost entirely pagan in character, but a kindred class of
story shows us how the old ideas were transformed under the influence of
Christianity. A typical instance is _Imram curaig Maelduin_, contained
in YBL. and in part in LU. Maelduin constructs a boat and sets out on a
voyage with a large company to discover the murderer of his father. This
forms the framework of the story. Numerous islands in the ocean are
visited, each containing some great marvel. _Imram ua Corra_ (Book of
Fermoy) and _Imram Snedgusa ocus Mac Riagla_ (YBL.) contain the same
plan, but in this case the voyage is undertaken as an expiation for
crime. In the 11th century