Blair Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 3

39^ WEST HIGHLAND TALES.
to take his counsel. Fionn and Osgar, Goll and
Oisean, foiu- ' postaichean' of the Feinne, the high hxw
people, Luchd ladh."
This woiild seem to explain how three generations
fill such a large space in Celtic popular tradition. If
the names of the original warriors became the names
of offices or officers they may have been Celtic gods
at first and commanders of Irish, Scotch Scandinavian,
and British Feinne afterwards, in the third century
and in the tweKth. There were many Osgars at the
battle of Gaura, and Fionn, who is killed in one cen-
tury, is all alive in the next.
" Fionn was not a king over land, he was but a
chief over the men."
" Was there any other name said to him but Eigli
na Feinne, king of the Fane ?"
" There was not."
" It is Conan who was the weakest man that was
in the Fheinn, because they used to keep liim maol
(cropped). He had but the strength of a man, but if
the hair should get leave to grow there was the strength
of a man in him for every hair that was in his head ;
but he was so cross that if the hair should grow he
would kill them aU. He was so short-tempered
(athghoirid) that he used to be always fightmg with
them."
So all accounts agree ; and Kai, Arthur's attendant,
was of the same disposition.
" Wlien Goll would be in great rage the one eye
would come ' dorn gulban ' out, and the other eye would
go 'dorn gulban' in. I think myself that his appear-
ance would not be beautiful then."
Neither narrator, scribe, nor translator knows what
"dorn gulban" means, but Conall Gulban struck dorn
a fist on a man, and knocked his eve out on his cheek.