Caoránach
A STORY FROM THE FENIAN CYCLE
In ancient times, many of Ireland’s lakes and rivers were inhabited by a type of sea serpent known as an oilliphéist (ULL a faysht), which means “giant worm.” The Irish tell countless stories of these creatures, as they were quite common before Saint Patrick banished all the snakes from the Emerald Isle. Among the oldest of these accounts is the tale of Caoránach (CURR un aah), the mother of all worm demons.
The legend of Caoránach takes place near a lonely lake in the uplands of County Donegal, called Lough Derg (lokh DEHR ug). The name means “Red Lake,” which alludes to the reddish color of its waters. But it was not always so called. According to tradition, it’s original name was Lough Finn, or “Fair Lake.”
At one time, there was a malicious old witch in Ireland called the Finger Hag, because she had on each hand but one bony finger, blackened and bent. Yet her powers were many, and very strong. Her son was a giant named Fathach (FAH hah), and together they spent their days making baleful poisons, into which Fathach dipped the arrows he used to hunt the children they ate for their supper.
The people called out for relief, and the King of Ireland resolved to rid the country of the old Hag. He consulted with his druids, and asked for their advice. They told the king she could only be destroyed with a silver arrow, shot by one of the noble knights of the Fianna. And so, the king summoned Finn macCual, the mighty chief of the Fianna, and assigned him to the challenge.
Finn macCual set out with a band of Fianna warriors to find the Finger Hag and put an end to her. They found her in the southern province of Munster, gathering herbs for her toxic potions. Fathach saw them coming. He took up his mother, threw her over his shoulder and ran away as fast as he could. But before they were able to escape altogether, Finn macCual let fly the silver arrow, which hit its mark, striking the Hag in the heart.
Fathach did not know his mother had been killed, and he continued to carry her north through the thick forest all the way to Donegal before he stopped to take a breath. When he saw that his mother was dead, he placed her lifeless body on the ground near the shore of Lough Finn, and ran off.
Several years later, a band of the Fianna were hunting deer in the forested hills of Donegal when they came upon the bones of the Finger Hag. As they stood looking at the bones, a mischievous leprechaun (LEP reh KAWN) appeared before them. He warned them sternly not to break the Finger Hag’s thigh bone, for concealed inside it was an evil worm which, if it could escape and find water to drink, might destroy the entire world.
There was present on that day a certain young trooper of lower rank named Conan, who let his pride get the best of him. Resentful of the dwarf’s warning, Conan paid no heed and brashly stepped on the thigh bone, snapping it in two. As the leprechaun had predicted, out from within the bone crawled a long, hairy worm, which Conan took up with the tip of his spear and hurled into the lake, shouting, “There is water for you!”
The words had scarcely left Conan’s lips when out of the lake rushed a voracious, serpentine monster with an enormous, fanged mouth. The terrified Fianna hunters were fortunate to escape with their lives, and the terrible beast proceeded to ravage the countryside, devouring people and livestock by the hundreds.
The creature’s name was Caoránach, and she could suck men and cattle into her gaping maw from as far as 200 feet away. Each year she gave birth to worm demons who infested the ponds and streams of Ireland. Her hunger was insatiable, and so widespread were her devastations that the people entered a treaty with her to provide tribute of 1000 cattle per day, in exchange for their lives.
But even that agreement became unsustainable, as in time nearly all the cattle of Ulster had been destroyed. So the people began to blame Conan of the Fianna for their troubles, and to threaten him in their misfortune. Despite the arrogance of his youth, as a member of the Fianna, Conan was honor bound to right his wrongs, and he resolved to make amends.
The following day, sword in hand, Conan went to the place where the cattle were left for Caoránach, and allowed her to swallow him. Once inside her belly, he proceeded to cut his way out with his sword, even as the heat of her entrails burned away his hair. When he had escaped Caoránach’s bowels, he cut off her head and threw it onto the shore.
The blood flowing from the defeated oilliphéist caused the waters of Lough Finn to become red, which is why it is now called Lough Derg. The monster’s bones became the great stones that lie in the water near the shore of Stáisiún Island. In time, Saint Patrick came and drove out all of Caoránach’s demonic children. And ever after, the boisterous young soldier who started it all was known to song and story as Conan Maol (moyl), which means “Conan the Bald.”
The legend of Caoránach takes place near a lonely lake in the uplands of County Donegal, called Lough Derg (lokh DEHR ug). The name means “Red Lake,” which alludes to the reddish color of its waters. But it was not always so called. According to tradition, it’s original name was Lough Finn, or “Fair Lake.”
At one time, there was a malicious old witch in Ireland called the Finger Hag, because she had on each hand but one bony finger, blackened and bent. Yet her powers were many, and very strong. Her son was a giant named Fathach (FAH hah), and together they spent their days making baleful poisons, into which Fathach dipped the arrows he used to hunt the children they ate for their supper.
The people called out for relief, and the King of Ireland resolved to rid the country of the old Hag. He consulted with his druids, and asked for their advice. They told the king she could only be destroyed with a silver arrow, shot by one of the noble knights of the Fianna. And so, the king summoned Finn macCual, the mighty chief of the Fianna, and assigned him to the challenge.
Finn macCual set out with a band of Fianna warriors to find the Finger Hag and put an end to her. They found her in the southern province of Munster, gathering herbs for her toxic potions. Fathach saw them coming. He took up his mother, threw her over his shoulder and ran away as fast as he could. But before they were able to escape altogether, Finn macCual let fly the silver arrow, which hit its mark, striking the Hag in the heart.
Fathach did not know his mother had been killed, and he continued to carry her north through the thick forest all the way to Donegal before he stopped to take a breath. When he saw that his mother was dead, he placed her lifeless body on the ground near the shore of Lough Finn, and ran off.
Several years later, a band of the Fianna were hunting deer in the forested hills of Donegal when they came upon the bones of the Finger Hag. As they stood looking at the bones, a mischievous leprechaun (LEP reh KAWN) appeared before them. He warned them sternly not to break the Finger Hag’s thigh bone, for concealed inside it was an evil worm which, if it could escape and find water to drink, might destroy the entire world.
There was present on that day a certain young trooper of lower rank named Conan, who let his pride get the best of him. Resentful of the dwarf’s warning, Conan paid no heed and brashly stepped on the thigh bone, snapping it in two. As the leprechaun had predicted, out from within the bone crawled a long, hairy worm, which Conan took up with the tip of his spear and hurled into the lake, shouting, “There is water for you!”
The words had scarcely left Conan’s lips when out of the lake rushed a voracious, serpentine monster with an enormous, fanged mouth. The terrified Fianna hunters were fortunate to escape with their lives, and the terrible beast proceeded to ravage the countryside, devouring people and livestock by the hundreds.
The creature’s name was Caoránach, and she could suck men and cattle into her gaping maw from as far as 200 feet away. Each year she gave birth to worm demons who infested the ponds and streams of Ireland. Her hunger was insatiable, and so widespread were her devastations that the people entered a treaty with her to provide tribute of 1000 cattle per day, in exchange for their lives.
But even that agreement became unsustainable, as in time nearly all the cattle of Ulster had been destroyed. So the people began to blame Conan of the Fianna for their troubles, and to threaten him in their misfortune. Despite the arrogance of his youth, as a member of the Fianna, Conan was honor bound to right his wrongs, and he resolved to make amends.
The following day, sword in hand, Conan went to the place where the cattle were left for Caoránach, and allowed her to swallow him. Once inside her belly, he proceeded to cut his way out with his sword, even as the heat of her entrails burned away his hair. When he had escaped Caoránach’s bowels, he cut off her head and threw it onto the shore.
The blood flowing from the defeated oilliphéist caused the waters of Lough Finn to become red, which is why it is now called Lough Derg. The monster’s bones became the great stones that lie in the water near the shore of Stáisiún Island. In time, Saint Patrick came and drove out all of Caoránach’s demonic children. And ever after, the boisterous young soldier who started it all was known to song and story as Conan Maol (moyl), which means “Conan the Bald.”
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