Once upon a time there was a High King of the Milesian race in Ireland named Eochy Airem, whose power and splendour were very great, and all the sub-Kings, namely, Conor of Ulster, and Mesgedra of Leinster, and Curoi of Munster, and Ailill and Maev of Connacht, were obedient to him.  But he was without a wife; and for this reason the sub-Kings and Princes of Ireland would not come to his festivals at Tara, “for,” said they, “there is no noble in Ireland who is a wifeless man, and a King is no king without a queen.”  And they would not bring their own wives to Tara without a queen there to welcome them, nor would they come themselves and leave their womenfolk at home.

So Eochy bade search be made through all the boundaries of Ireland for a maiden meet to be wife of the High King.  And in time his messengers came back and said that they had found in Ulster, by the Bay of Cichmany, the fairest and most accomplished maiden in Ireland, and her name was Etain, daughter of Etar, lord of the territory called Echrad.  So Eochy, when he had heard their report, went forth to woo the maiden.

When he drew near his journey’s end he passed by a certain spring of pure water where it chanced that Etain and her maids had come down that she might wash her hair.  She held in her hand a comb of silver inlaid with gold, and before her was a bason of silver chased with figures of birds, and around the rim of it red carbuncles were set.  Her mantle was purple with a fringe of silver, and it was fastened with a broad golden brooch.  She wore also a tunic of green silk, stiff with embroidery of gold that glittered in the sun.  Her hair before she loosed it was done in two mighty tresses, yellow like the flower of the waterflag, each tress being plaited in four strands, and at the end of each strand a little golden ball.  When she laid aside her mantle her arms came through the armholes of her tunic, white as the snow of a single night, and her cheeks were ruddy as the foxglove.  Even and small were her teeth, as if a shower of pearls had fallen in her mouth.  Her eyes were hyacinth-blue, her lips scarlet as the rowan-berry, her shoulders round and white, her fingers were long and her nails smooth and pink.  Her feet also were slim, and white as sea-foam.  The radiance of the moon was in her face, pride in her brows, the light of wooing in her eyes.  Of her it was said that there was no beauty among women compared with Etain’s beauty, no sweetness compared with the sweetness of Etain.

When the King saw her his heart burned with love for her, and when he had speech with her he besought her to be his bride.  And she consented to that, and said, “Many have wooed me, O King, but I would none of them, for since I was a little child I have loved thee, for the high tales that I heard of thee and of thy glory.”  And Eochy said, “Thine alone will I be if thou wilt have me.”  So the King paid a great bride-price for her, and bore her away to Tara, and there they were wedded, and