The Raid for the Cattle of Regamon
The
Yellow Book of Lecan
IN the time of Ailill and Medb, a glorious warrior and
holder of land dwelt in the land of Connaught, and his name
was Regamon. He had many herds of cattle, all of them fair
and well-shaped: he had also seven daughters with him. Now
the seven sons of Ailill and Medb loved these (daughters):
namely the seven Maine, these were Maine Morgor (Maine with
great filial love), Maine Mingar (Maine with less filial
love), Maine Aithremail (Maine like his father), Maine
Mathremail (Maine like his mother), Maine Milbel (Maine
with the mouth of honey),[1]
Maine
Moepert (Maine too great to be described), Maine
Condageb-uile (Maine who combined all qualities): now this
one had the form both of father and mother, and had all the
glory that belonged to both parents.
The seven daughters of Regamon were the three Dunann, and
the four Dunlaith;[2]
from the
names of these is the estuary of Dunann in western
Connaught, and the Ford of Dunlaith in Breffny.
Now at a certain time, Ailill and Medb and Fergus held
counsel together. "Some one from us," said Ailill, "should
go to Regamon, that a present of cattle may be brought to
us from him; to meet the need that there is on us for
feeding the men of Ireland, when the kine are raided from
Cualgne." "I know," said Medb, "who would be good to go
thither, if we ask it of them; even the Maine; on account
of their love for the daughters."
His sons were called to Ailill, and he spoke with them.
"Grateful is he, and a better journey does he go," said
Maev, "who goes for the sake of his filial love." "Truly it
shall be that it is owing to filial love that we go," said
Mani Morgor. "But the reward should (also) for this be the
better," said Mani Mingar; "it stands ill with our heroism,
ill with our strength.
It is like going from a house into the fields, (going) into
the domains or the land of foes. Too tenderly have we been
brought up; none hath let us learn of wars; moreover the
warriors are valiant towards whom we go!"
They took leave of Ailill and Medb, and betook themselves
to the quest, They set out, seven times twenty heroes was
the number, till they were in the south of Connaught, in
the neighbourhood of the domain of
Corcomroe[3]
in the
land of Ninnus, near to the burg. "Some of you," said Mani
Morgor, "should go to find out how to enter into the burg;
and to test the love of maidens." Mani Mingar, with two
others, went until he came upon three of the maidens at the
water-springs, and at once he and his comrades drew their
swords against them. "Give life for life!" said the maiden.
"Grant to me then my three full words!" said Mani Mingar.
"Whatever thy tongue sets forth shall be done," said the
maiden, "only let it not be cows,[4]
for
these have we no power to give thee." "For these indeed,"
said Mani, "is all that now we do."[5]
"Who art thou?" said she: "Mani Mingar, son of Ailill and
Medb," said he: "Welcome then," she said, "but what hath
brought with you here?" "To take with us cattle and
maidens," he said: "'Tis right," she said, "to take these
together; (but) I fear that what has been demanded will not
be granted, the men are valiant to whom you have come."
"Let your entreaties be our aid!" he said. "We would
desire," she said, "that it should be after that counsel
hath been taken that we obey you."
"What is your number?" said she: "Seven times twenty
heroes," he said, "are with us." "Remain here," she said,
"that we may speak with the other maidens": "We shall
assist you," said the maidens, "as well as we can."
They went from them, and came to the other maidens, and
they said to them: "Young heroes from the lands of
Connaught are come to you, your own true loves, the seven
sons of Ailill and Medb." "Wherefore are they come?" "To
take back with them cattle and wives." "That would we
gladly have, if only we could; (but) I fear that the
warriors will hinder them or drive them away," said she.
"Go ye out, that ye may speak with the man." "We will speak
with him," they said. The seven maidens went to the well,
and they greeted Mani. "Come ye away," he said, "and bring
your cattle with you. That will be a good deed. We shall
assist you with our honour and our protection, O ye
daughters of Regamon," said he.[6]
The
maidens drove together their cows and their swine, and
their sheep, so that none observed them; and they secretly
passed on till they came to the camp of their comrades. The
maidens greeted the sons of Ailill and Medb, and they
remained there standing together. "The herd must be divided
in two parts," said Mani Merger, "also the host must
divide, for it is too great to travel by the one way; and
we shall meet again at Ath Briuin (the Ford of Briuin)." So
it was done.
King Regamon was not there on that day. He was in the
domain of Corco Baiscinn,[7]
to hold
a conference with the Firbolgs. His people raised a cry
behind him, message was brought to Regamon, and he went in
pursuit with his army. The whole of the pursuing host
overtook Mani Morgor, and brought defeat upon him.
"We all," said Mani, "must go to one place, and some of you
shall be sent to the cattle to summon the young men hither,
and the maidens shall drive the cattle over the ford to
Cruachan, and shall give Ailill and Medb tidings of the
plight in which we are here." The maidens went to Cruachan,
and told all the tale. "Thy sons are at Ath Briuin in
distress, and have said that help should be brought to
them." The men of Connaught with Ailill, and Medb, and
Fergus, and the banished men of Ulster went to Ath Briuin
to help their people.
The sons of Ailill had for the moment made hurdles of
white-thorn and black-thorn in the gut[8]
of the
ford, as defence against Regamon and his people, so that
they were unable to pass through the ford ere Ailill and
his army came; so thence cometh the name Ath Cliath
Medraidi[9]
(the
Hurdle Ford of Medraide), in the country of Little Bethra
in the northern part of the O'Fiachrach Aidne between
Connaught and Corcomroe. There they met together with all
their hosts.
A treaty was then made between them on account of the fair
young men who had carried off the cattle, and on account of
the fair maidens who had gone with them, by whose means the
herd escaped. Restitution of the herd was awarded to
Regamon, and the maidens abode with the sons of Ailill and
Medb; and seven times twenty milch-cows were given up, as a
dowry for the maidens, and for the maintenance of the men
of Ireland on the occasion of the assembly for the Tain bo
Cualnge; so that this tale is called the Tain bo Regamon,
and it is a prelude to the tale of the Tain bo Cualnge.
Finit, amen.
LEAHY'S
NOTES
1.
The name
of Maine Annai, making an eighth son, is given in Y.B.L.,
but not in the Egerton MS.
2.
So
Egerton, which Windisch follows here; the reading of Y.B.L.
is Dunmed for the daughters, and Dumed for the
corresponding ford.
3.
Properly
"Coremodruad," the descendants of Modh Ruadh, third son of
Fergus by Maev; now Corcomroe in County Clare.
4.
"Only
let it not be cows" is in the Egerton MS. alone.
5.
"That we
do" is Egerton MS. (cich indingnem), Y.B.L. has "cechi
m-bem."
6.
Windisch
conjectures this instead of "said the warriors," which is
in the text of Y.B.L.
7.
In the
south-west of Clare.
8.
Literally
"mouth."
9.
Ath
Cliath oc Medraige, now Maaree, in Ballycourty parish, Co.
Galway (Stokes, Bodleian Dinnshenchus, 26). It may be
mentioned that in the Dinnshenchus, the cattle are said to
have been taken "from Dartaid, the daughter of Regamon in
Munster," thus confusing the Raids of Regamon and Dartaid,
which may account for O'Curry's incorrect statement in the
preface to Leabhar na h-Uidhri, p. xv.
SOURCES
Heroic
Romances of Ireland, Volume II ed. and
trans. A.H. Leahy. London: David Nutt, 1906.