Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
The destruction of Da Derga's Hostel (Author: [unknown])

section 130

The Room of the Three Manx Giants.

‘There I beheld a room with a trio in it. Three men mighty, manly, overbearing, which see no one abiding at their three hideous crooked aspects. A fearful view because of the terror of them. A
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dress of rough hair covers them, so that their bodies
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of their savage eyes through a
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of cow's hair, without garments enwrapping down to the right heels. With three manes, equine, awful, majestic, down to their sides. Fierce heroes who wield against foeman hard-smiting swords. A blow they give with three iron flails having seven chains triple-twisted, three-edged70, with seven iron knobs at the end of every chain: each of them as heavy as an ingot of ten smeltings(?). Three big brown men. Dark equine backmanes on them, which reach their two heels. Two good thirds of an oxhide in the girdle round each one's waist, and each quadrangular clasp

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that closes it as thick as a man's thigh. The raiment that is round them is the dress that grows through them.71 Tresses of their back-manes were spread, and a long staff of iron, as long and thick as an outer yoke was in each man's hand, and an iron chain out of the end of every club, and at the end of every chain an iron pestle as long and thick as a middle yoke. They stand in their sadness in the house, and enough is the horror of their aspect. There is no one in the house that would not be avoiding them. Liken thou that, O Fer rogain!’

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