Ossian Collection > Temora, an ancient epic poem, in eight books

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M O R
fhook, at once, from rocking Druman-ard, when fplrits heave the
earth in their wrath ; fo fell blue-fhielded Rothmar.
Near are the fteps of Culminj the youth came, burfting into
tears. Wrathful he cut the wind, ere yet he mixed his ftrokes
with Fillan. He had firft bent the bow with Rothmar, at the rock
of his own blue ftreams. There they had marked the place of
the roe, as the fun-beam flew over the fern. — Why, fon of Cul-
allin, doft thou rufli on that beam * of light : it is a fire that con-
fumes. — Youth of Strutha retire. Your fathers were not equal,
in the glittering ftrife of the field.
The mother of Culmin remains in the hallj flie looks forth on
blue-rolling Strutha. A whirlwind rifes, on the ftream, dark-eddy-
ing round the ghoft of her fon. His dogs "j- are howling in their
place :
in Orkney, and the iflands of Shetland,
which retain, to this day, the name of
Lst/a or Loden. They feem to have dif-
fered materially, in their conftru£lion,
from thofe Druidical monuments which re-
main in Britain, and the weftern ides.
The places of worfhip among the Scandi-
navians were originally rude and unadorned.
In after age% when they opened a commu-
nication with other nations, they adopted
their manners, and built temples. That
at Upfal, in Sweden, was amazingly rich
and magnificent. Haquin, of Norway, built
one, near Drontheim, little inferior to the
former; and it went always under the name
of Loden. AlaHet, introduclim a fhijloire
dc Damtmarc,
* The poet, metaphorically, calls Fillan
a beam of light. Culmin, mentioned
here, was the fon of Clonmar, chief of
Strutha, by the beautiful Cul-allin. She
was io remarkable for the beauty of her
perfon, that fhe is introduced, frequently,
in the fimilies and allufions of antient po-
etry. Mar Cbulaluin Strutha nan ftan -y
is a line of OHian in another poem ; /. e.
Lovely as Cul-allin of Strutha of thejiorrm,
t Dogs were thought to be fenfible of
the death of their mafler, let it happen at
ever fo great a diftance. It was alfo the
opinion of the times, that the arms which
warriors left at home became bloody, when
they themfelves fell in battle. It was from
thofe figns that Cul-allin is fuppofed to