Part 53 of The Irish ordeals, Cormac's adventure in the Land of Promise, and the decision as to Cormac's sword

Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

The Irish ordeals, Cormac's adventure in the Land of Promise, and the decision as to Cormac's sword (Author: Unknown)

section 52

Then they carve the pig, and his portion is placed before Cormac. ‘I never eat a meal,’ says Cormac, ‘without fifty in my company.’ The warrior sang a burden to him and put him asleep. After this he awoke and saw the fifty warriors, and his son and his wife and his daughter, along with him. Thereupon his spirit was strengthened. Then ale and food were dealt out to them, and they became happy and joyous. A cup of gold was placed in the warrior's hand. Cormac was marvelling at the cup, for the number of the forms upon it and the strangeness of its workmanship. ‘There is somewhat in it still more strange,’ says the warrior. ‘Let three words of falsehood be spoken under it, and it will break into three:

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Then let three true declarations be under it, and it unites (?) again as it was before.’ The warrior says under it three words of falsehood, and it breaks into three. ‘It is better to utter truth there,’ says the warrior, ‘for sake of restoring the cup. I make my declaration, O Cormac,’ saith he, ‘that until today neither thy wife nor thy daughter has seen the face of a man since they were taken from thee out of Tara, and that thy son has not seen a woman's face.’ The cup thereby became whole.