By Lady Gregory
DRAMA
Seven Short Plays
Folk-History Plays, 2 vols.
New Comedies
The Image
The Golden Apple
Our Irish Theatre. A Chapter of Autobiography
IRISH FOLK LORE AND LEGEND
Visions and Beliefs, 2 vols.
Cuchulain of Muirthemne
Gods and Fighting Men
Saints and Wonders
Poets and Dreamers
The Kiltartan Poetry Book
VISIONS AND BELIEFS INTHE WEST OF IRELANDCOLLECTED AND ARRANGED BYLADY GREGORY: WITH TWO ESSAYSAND NOTES BY W. B. YEATS
"There's no doubt at all but that there's the samesort of things in other countries; but you hearmore about them in these parts because the Irishdo be more familiar in talking of them."
FIRST SERIES
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
The Knickerbocker Press
1920
Copyright, 1920
by
LADY GREGORY
The Knickerbocker Press, New York
PREFACE
The Sidhe cannot make themselves visible toall. They are shape-changers; they can growsmall or grow large, they can take what shape theychoose; they appear as men or women wearingclothes of many colours, of today or of some oldforgotten fashion, or they are seen as bird or beast,or as a barrel or a flock of wool. They go by us in acloud of dust; they are as many as the blades ofgrass. They are everywhere; their home is in theforths, the lisses, the ancient round grass-grownmounds. There are thorn-bushes they gather nearand protect; if they have a mind for a house likeour own they will build it up in a moment. Theywill remake a stone castle, battered by Cromwell'smen, if it takes their fancy, filling it with noise andlights. Their own country is Tir-nan-Og—theCountry of the Young. It is under the ground orunder the sea, or it may not be far from any of us.As to their food, they will use common things leftfor them on the hearth or outside the threshold,cold potatoes it may be, or a cup of water or ofmilk. But for their feasts they choose the best ofall sorts, taking it from the solid world, leavingsome worthless likeness in its place; when they[Pg iv]rob the potatoes from the ridges the diggers findbut rottenness and decay; they take the strengthfrom the meat in the pot, so that when put on theplates it does not nourish. They will not touchsalt; there is danger to them in it. They will goto good cellars to bring away the wine.
Fighting is heard among them, and music thatis more beautiful than any of this world; they areseen dancing on the rocks; they are often seenplaying at the hurling, hitting balls towards thegoal. In each one of their households there is aqueen, and she has more power than the rest; butthe greatest power belongs to their fool, the Foolof the Forth, Amadan-na-Briona. He is theirstrongest, the most wicked, the most deadly;there is no cure for any one he has struck.
When they are friendly t