[FN#14] Pronounced Fraych.

[FN#15] Pronounced Eeda.

[FN#16] The Fairies.

[FN#17] Pronounced with the sound of “owned.”

Fraech had twelve of white-eared fairy-cattle,
’Twas his mother those cattle who gave: 
For eight years in his home he dwelt wifeless,
And the state of his household was brave;
Fifty princes, whose age, and whose rearing,
And whose forms were as his, with him played;
And his glory filled Alba and Erin
Till it came to the ears of a maid: 
For Maev and Ailill’s[FN#18] lovely child,
Fair Findabar, ’twas said,
By tales of Fraech to love beguiled,
With Fraech in love would wed.

[FN#18] Pronounced Al-ill.

After this going to a dialogue with the maiden occurred to him; he discussed that matter with his people.

“Let there be a message then sent to thy mother’s sister, so that a portion of wondrous robing and of gifts from the Side (fairy folk) be given thee from her.”  He goes accordingly to the sister, that is to Boand, till he was in Mag Breg, and he carried away fifty dark-blue cloaks, and each of them was like the back of a black chafer,[FN#19] and four black-grey, rings on each cloak, and a brooch of red gold on each cloak, and pale white tunics with loop-animals of gold around them.  And fifty silver shields with edges, and a candle of a king’s-house in the hand of them (the men), and fifty studs of findruine[FN#20] on each of them (the lances), fifty knobs of thoroughly burned gold on each of them; points (i.e. butt-ends) of carbuncle under them beneath, and their point of precious stones.  They used to light the night as if they were the sun’s rays.

[FN#19] The Book of Leinster gives “fifty blue cloaks, each like findruine of art.”

[FN#20] Pronounced “find-roony,” the unknown “white-bronze” metal.

And there were fifty gold-hilted swords with them, and a soft-grey mare under the seat of each man, and bits of gold to them; a plate of silver with a little bell of gold around the neck of each horse.  Fifty caparisons[FN#21] of purple with threads of silver out of them, with buckles of gold and silver and with head-animals (i.e. spiral ornaments).  Fifty whips of findruine, with a golden hook on the end of each of them.  And seven chase-hounds in chains of silver, and an apple of gold between each of them.  Greaves of bronze about them, by no means was there any colour which was not on the hounds.

[FN#21] The word for caparisons is “acrann,” the usual word for a shoe.  It is suggested that here it may be a caparison of leather:  “shoes” seem out of place here.  See Irische Texts, iii.

Seven trumpeters with them with golden and silver trumpets with many coloured garments, with golden fairy-yellow heads of hair, with shining tunics.  There were three jesters before them with silver diadems under gilding.  Shields with engraved emblems (or marks of distinction) with each of them; with crested staves, with ribs of bronze (copper-bronze) along their sides.  Three harp-players with a king’s appearance about each of them opposite to these.[FN#22] They depart for Cruachan with that appearance on them.