This is why the Fenians were close to starvation. They lived off the deer they hunted, but they were unable to hunt because of witchcraft. They were so hungry that they held their bellies on seven oak pins. But their women became fatter and fatter while the men starved to death. Every day they went to the hill and did not get anything from the hunt. Finn didn’t know what it was that women got that helped them get fat—it couldn’t be the little that men were able to give them. One day, Finn left a Fenian named Harry in the house to watch the women and find out what they were getting.
When the Fenians left, Harry saw the women wash themselves and go ashore to collect shells. Each of them
returned from there with a hem of shells; and when they had cooked the shellfish and eaten them, they buried the shells for fear that the Fenians would notice them. Seeing this, Harry went into the house, lay down and fell asleep. He usually snored terribly when he slept. The women heard snoring in the house, looked and saw him sleeping on the floor. They realized that they had been betrayed; they had no choice but to kill Harry, because if he had told the other Fenians that women go to the shore for shells, the men would have emptied the shore in two days, and the women would have had nothing left.
The women entered the house. Harry had long hair; They made nine braids out of them and put nine hairpins, one hairpin on each braid, nailing them to the floor. And then they all came out and started shouting around the house. Harry jumped up and left his hair and skin pinned to the floor; he came out bald and bloody, without hair or skin on his head. He did not know what to do with the women, and ran after them until he drove everyone into the house. When they turned out
inside, he locked the door and set the house on fire above their heads. He knew that death would certainly await him when the other Fenians came home and found the burnt women; and he thought that he had better run away. Then it happened that snow began to fall, and Harry began to back away from the house until he reached the shore; there he found a cave and buried himself in it. When the Fenians came home from the hill, they found only bare ruins and burnt women in front of them. They saw footprints leading towards the house, but none leading away from the house. Finn swore by the edge of his sword, Mac aLuin, that he would never rest until he had beheaded the man who had done this. He told the Fenians to follow the tracks and see where they led. They followed the tracks until they found Harry in a cave on the shore; then they brought him to Finn.
Poor Harry told Finn what had happened to him and everything he had done. "Well," said Finn, "you have done to them only what they deserved. If I had not sworn by the edge of my sword that I would not rest until I had beheaded the man who did it with MacaLuin, I would not have put you to death; but now you must die."
“Then,” said Harry, “you must give me the death I choose,” “You can have that,” said Finn.
“This is the death I choose,” said Harry, “let my head be cut off on your thigh by Mac aLuin, who will be held by my son Eod.” Harry had a son named Eod; There was no one among the Fenians more valiant than he.
When Finn heard that Harry wanted to be beheaded at his hip, he was afraid that he would lose his leg, because his sword could not make an incomplete cut: it had to cut what was in front of it, otherwise it would lose its magical power and become no better than any other sword. But I had to keep my word. So he took seven oak beams, seven old hides, and seven layers of hard peat; Harry's head was placed on his thigh, and on top of it were seven beams, seven skins, and seven layers of peat. They brought Eodh, Harry's son, gave him the sword Mac aLuin and told him to "cut it down." Ehud did not know what was below, he swung his sword and cut seven
beams, seven skins and seven layers of hard peat and cut off his father's head; and the sword stopped, touching Finn's thigh.
When Eod saw his father's head fall, he picked up his sword, turned to Finn and asked: “On whom shall I take my father's death out?” “Go,” said Finn, “and take it out on the high tide that comes upon the shore.”
Ehud went, took an oar, got into the boat and kept out the high tide for three tides after that. Then he got tired, put the oar under his arm and fell asleep; and the tide came in and drowned him while he slept.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru