Ossian Collection > Waifs and strays of Celtic tradition > Volume 4

Antiquity of Fenian Stories.
"Siol Cholla is Chuinn thu,
Mo mhire bhog bhinn thu,
Mo mhire bhog,
Mo ghlun a thog,
Mar bhi an losgadh th' air do chois,
Gu'n togarnaid leinn thu."
This lullaby attracts attention not only by its weird and
beautiful music, resembling the wild night-wind about
the house or in neighbouring trees, but also by its
allusion to the race of Coll and Conn, which are not
commonly to be met with ; in fact, till a person becomes
acquainted with the heroes of Ossian's time, he will be
unable well to understand these allusions. At one time
the tales of the Fian heroes were common all over the
Highlands, but are now only to be fallen in with in
some localities. The fairy lullaby is here given to illus-
trate the antiquity and prevalence of the stories which
are collected in this volume. With greater facilities of
making one's self acquainted with different parts of the
Highlands, it is very likely that a good many more of
the same kind might be fallen in with. The writer can
only say that he has endeavoured to make the best of
such material as he has met with, and that it is here
given without addition, subtraction, or alteration of any
kind. There are many questions of interest as to
the date, antiquity, and origin of these stories and
poems, but they have been avoided, and it is as free to
the reader to form his opinion as it is to the writer.
Tales of this kind are denominated, in popular lore,
" Tales of Fionn, Son of Cumhal, and the Fian Host"
{Naigheachdan air Fiojui MacCnniJiail agus Feachd na
Feinne), and the matter to which they refer was so much
the subject of talk that it became a saying, that if the
Fians were twenty-four hours without anyone men-
tioning them they would rise again. They are lying, it
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