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Mac an rìgh a' pòsadh An Tè Bheauty bho Rìoghachd nam Fear M...

Date March 1970
Track ID 9681
Part 1
Part 2

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1970.39.B2+40.A1

Original Tape ID

SA1970.039

Summary

King's son marries An Tè Bheauty from Rìoghachd nam Fear Mòra.

The king had one son who was young when the queen died and he remarried. He had three sons from the second marriage and his first son was badly neglected. There was a tree in the king's garden which bore much fruit and was very profitable. One morning, all the fruit was destroyed. The same happened the next year. The king sent the eldest of his second wife's sons to guard the tree the following year. He heard a terrible noise in the night and fled, and the tree was ruined the next day. The two younger sons stood guard the next two years but the same happened. The firstborn son offered to stand guard the following year and asked his father for a sword. When the noise came, he struck with the sword and in the morning, only part of the tree was damaged and feathers were lying about.

The second wife's eldest son asked for a boat to go in search of this bird. He never returned and his brothers followed. None came back and the firstborn asked for a boat. While it was being rigged a man was asked if he could come with him. The king's son made him captain and he found a crew. They sailed to Rìoghachd nam Fear Mòra. The captain told him the bird was in the king's palace, along with a wonderful mare and his beautiful daughter, called An Tè Bheauty. The king's son got work as a groom at the palace. He tried to take the bird, but was caught. On the captain's advice, he said he was trying to bring the mare, the bird and the princess together, thinking it would be the most beautiful sight on earth. The king agreed and the boy was appointed to escort them as they paraded the town each night. One night he took them to his ship and made off with them all.

He came across his half-brothers' boats at an island he was passing. They were still hunting for the bird. One bribed his captain and they all sailed home, leaving the firstborn stranded on the island. The eldest of the brothers wished to marry An Tè Bheauty but she wished to wait a year in case her original captor came. He was rescued by boat shortly before the year was up and got to his father's house just before the wedding. He and An Tè Bheauty married and went back to Rìoghachd nam Fear Mòra, taking the mare and the bird with them.

Language

Gaelic

Genre

Story

Collection

SoSS

Classification

AT550

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good