Ossian Collection > Morison's edition of the Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

NOTES ON TEMORA. 759
« Claon-mal, crooked tye-hro'w. From the retired life of
this perfon, it appears, thst he was of the Druids ; ivhicb
fuppofition is not, at all, invalidated by the appellation of
king of harps., here beftowed on him ; for all agree that the
bards were of the number of the Druids originally.
f Son-mor, tall bandfome man. He was the father of
Borbar-duthal, chief of Atha, and grandfather to Cathmor
himfelf.
s C\mn-cr, man of the Jifld. This chief was killed in biat«
tie by Cormac Mac-Conar, king of Ireland, the father of
Rofcrana, the firft wife of Fingal. The ftory is alluded t»
in other poems.
h Suil-alluin, beautiful eye^ the wife of Son-mor.
i To avoid multiplying notes, I fhall give here the figni-
fication of the names of the ftars engraved on the fhidd,
Cean-mathon, head of the bear, Col-derna, flant and fharp
I beam. Ul-oicho, ruler of night. Cathlin, beam of the ivave^
i Reu-durath, flar of the twilight. Berthin, fire of the hill.
! Tonthena, meteor of the qva-ves. Thefe etymologies, ex-
cepting that of Cean-mathon, are pretty exadt. Of it I am
not fo certain ; for it is not very probable, that the Fir-bolg
had diftinguiflied a conftellation, fo very early as tlie days
C3f Larthon, by the name of the bear.
" To travel on the nuinds, a. poetical enprefiion for
felling.
' Larthon is compounded of Lear^ fea, and thon, wave.
This name was given to the chief of the firil colony of the
Fir-bolg, who fettled in Ireland, on account of his know*
ledge in navigation. A part of an old pc^m is (till extant,
concerning this hero. The author of itj probably, took
the hint from the epifode in this book, relating to the firft
difcovery of Ireland b^ L:irthcn. It abounds with thofe
romantic