Spiders is an independent video game developer in France who specializes in Action and RPG games. If you've never heard of them before, don't feel too bad. Faery: Legends of Avalon happens to be the developer's first venture onto the PS3, and also my first experience with their games as well. As an independently developed title, many features that modern gamers take for granted aren't included, such as voice acting or a grand scale symphony soundtrack. This fact doesn't detract from the game overall. It does have a mind numbing effect though if you're not the type who enjoys reading the dialog as opposed to listening to it. There are quite a few typographical errors that may bother some gamers as well.Anyone who has even the smallest experience with turn-based RPGs is going to be able to rip right through the game with very little trouble. The battles are very simple even at the later levels, where it becomes more of an issue of item and crowd control than an actual battle. Players who exploit DOT (Damage Over Time) spells are really going to excel in this area.To try and compensate for the battle system, Faery utilizes a couple of different tactics to try and keep the battles more balanced. The first: certain spells or attacks require action points in order to perform a given move. You start out with one point and will quickly move to the maximum amount of three. The second tactic: higher spells and moves require you to wait for a set number of rounds before they can be performed. I was very happy to find there is no level grinding involved. The leveling system flows quite nicely and you never feel as if you're underpowered in a fight. Unfortunately there isn't any real big challenge here either. I was hoping I would have an intense final battle, but was disappointed that the last "boss" fell rather quickly under the right circumstances.Controlling your character is actually very easy. All you have to do is point yourself in the direction you wish to go with the right analog stick, and the left analog stick controls your movement. If you wish to race to your next destination, pressing L3 will make you fly a bit faster. This control scheme would have been excellent to pair up with the Move controller, but alas this was not an option. The character customization is surprisingly deep for such a small game than I would have imagined. While not as extensive as big budget RPGs, there are still enough options to satisfy most gamers' needs. You only get to choose between a male elf and female fairy, though -- it would have been really cool to be able to select other races within the faery realm.After leveling up you will receive a skill point that you can use to further customize your fae. The variety ranges from markings (tattoos) to stingers and antennas. Each group has a variety of choices with which to satisfy your whims. For instance, you can choose between dragon fly wings or even butterfly wings to have on your back, both of which offer different pros and cons over the other. You also have a limited selection of gear that you can choose from. Each piece of a set offers a stat which helps to boost your abilities. Equipping all five pieces of a set will double the stat boost. There is really no need to hunt all of these pieces down as the battles are so easy you will be hard pressed to make the effort.
Serial Number Faery Legends Of Avalon.rarl
Return to the table of contents.
The Sleeping Heroes in MątwyPolandIt is said that many years ago in the vicinity of the village of Mątwy a terrible battle with the Tartars took place in which all the warriors were killed except for their leader. According to legend these warriors are now resting in a deep sleep beneath the church. Their leader is keeping watch over them. In earlier times the cavern in which they are resting was not very deep beneath the earth. Thus once a girl happened to discover the entrance. She went inside and became very frightend when she saw the warriors. The leader told her to fear not, but warned her not to touch the bell hanging in the entrance. The girl disobeyed him and carelessly touched the bell. It began to ring, and the sound of the bell woke the warriors from their sleep. They took up their weapons. The angry leader then sunk himself and his army so deep into the earth that they were never again found. However, if enemies ever threaten the land he himself will awaken them from their sleep and lead them to glorious victories. Source: Otto Knoop, "Die schlafenden Helden in Montwy [Mątwy]," Sagen und Erzählungen aus der Provinz Posen (Posen [Poznań]: Historische Gesellschaft für die Provinz Posen, 1893), p. 64. Return to the table of contents. The Sleeping WarriorsEngland/WalesA Welshman walking over London Bridge, with a neat hazel staff in hishand, was accosted by an Englishman, who asked him whence he came."I am from my own country," answered the Welshman, in a churlish tone."Do not take it amiss, my friend," said the Englishman; "if you will onlyanswer my questions, and take my advice, it will be of greater benefit toyou than you imagine. That stick in your hand grew on a spot under whichare hid vast treasures of gold and silver; and if you remember the place,and can conduct me to it, I will put you in possession of thosetreasures."The Welshman soon understood that the stranger was what he called acunning man, or conjurer, and for some time hesitated, not willing to gowith him among devils, from whom this magician must have derived hisknowledge; but he was at length persuaded to accompany him into Wales; andgoing to Craig-y-Dinas, the Welshman pointed out the spot whence he hadcut the stick. It was from the stock or root of a large old hazel: thisthey dug up, and under it found a broad flat stone. This was found toclose up the entrance into a very large cavern, down into which they bothwent. In the middle of the passage hung a bell, and the conjurerearnestly cautioned the Welshman not not touch it. They reached the lowerpart of the cave, which was very wide, and there saw many thousands ofwarriors lying down fast asleep in a large circle, their heads outwards,every one clad in bright armour, with their swords, shields, and otherweapons lying by them, ready to be laid hold on in an instant, wheneverthe bell should ring and awake them. All the arms were so highly polishedand bright, that they illumined the cavern, as with the light of tenthousand flames of fire. They saw amongst the warriors one greatlydistinguished from the rest by his arms, shield, battle-axe, and a crownof gold set with the most precious stones, lying by his side.In the midst of this circle of warriors they saw two very large heaps, oneof gold, the other of silver. The magician told the Welshman that hemight take as much as he could carry away of either the one or the other,but that he was not to take from both the heaps. The Welshman loadedhimself with gold: the conjurer took none, saying that he did not want it,that gold was of no use but to those who wanted knowledge, and that hiscontempt of gold had enabled him to acquire that superior knowledge andwisdom which he possessed. In their way out he cautioned the Welshmanagain not to touch the bell, but if unfortunately he should do so, itmight be of the most fatal consequence to him as one or more of thewarriors would awake, lift up his head, and ask if it was day. "Should this happen," said the cunning man, "you must, without hesitation,answer No, sleep thou on; on hearing which he will again lay downhis head and sleep."In their way up, however, the Welshman, overloaded with gold, was not ableto pass the bell without touching it -- it rang -- one of the warriorsraised up his head, and asked, "Is it day?""No," answered the Welshman promptly, "it is not, sleep thou on;" so theygot out of the cave, laid down the stone over its entrance, and replacedthe hazel tree.The cunning man, before he parted from his companion, advised him to beeconomical in the use of his treasure; observing that he had, withprudence, enough for life: but that if by unforeseen accidents he shouldbe again reduced to poverty, he might repair to the cave for more;repeating the caution, not to touch the bell if possible, but if heshould, to give the proper answer, that it was not day, as promptlyas possible. He also told him that the distinguished person they had seenwas Arthur, and the others his warriors; and they lay there asleep withtheir arms ready at hand for the dawn of that day when the Black Eagle and the Golden Eagle should go to war, the loud clamor ofwhich would make the earth tremble so much, that the bell would ringloudly, and the warriors awake, take up their arms, and destroy all theenemies of the Cymry, who afterwards should repossess the Island ofBritain, re-establish their own king and government at Caerlleon, and begoverned with justice, and blessed with peace so long as the worldendures.The time came when the Welshman's treasure was all spent: he went to thecave, and as before over-loaded himself. In his way out he touched thebell -- it rang -- a warrior lifted up his head, asking if it was day, but the Welshman, who had covetously overloaded himself, being quite out ofbreath with labouring under his burden, and withal struck with terror, wasnot able to give the necessary answer; whereupon some of the warriors gotup, took the gold away from him and beat him dreadfully. They afterwardsthrew him out, and drew the stone after them over the mouth of the cave.The Welshman never recovered the effects of that beating, but remainedalmost a cripple as long as he lived, and very poor. He often returnedwith some of his friends to Craig-y-Dinas; but they could never afterwardsfind the spot, though they dug over, seemingly, every inch of the hill. He lived in this cripled and poor condition very long, a warning to all, of the evils which result from a want of knowledge and prudence, teaching not to be covetous, not to neglect good advice, and never to trust that they can, without danger, give way to their own wishes, except one: the wish to be good. Source: Elijah Waring, ed., Recollections and Anecdotes of Edward Williams (London: Charles Gilpin, 1850), pp. 95-98. Waring titles this piece "A Popular Tale in Glamorgan, by Iolo Morganwg [Edward Williams, the Bard of Glamorgan]." Link to another version of the above legend: William Elliot Griffis, "King Arthur's Cave," Welsh Fairy Tales (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1921), no. 16, pp. 133-42. Return to the table of contents.Sleeping WarriorsWalesVarious legends of Sleeping Warriors appear in Welsh folklore, in which the dragon is displaced by a shadowy army of slumbering heroes, lying about in a circle, with their swords and shields by their sides, guarding great heaps of gold and silver. Now they are Owen Lawgoch and his men, who lie in their enchanted sleep in a cavern on the northern side of Mynydd Mawr, in Carmarthenshire; again they are Arthur and his warriors, asleep in a secret ogof under Craig-y-Ddinas, waiting for a day when the Briton and the Saxon shall go to war, when the noise of the struggle will awaken them, and they will reconquer the island, reduce London to dust, and re-establish their king at Caerleon, in Monmouthshire. Source: Wirt Sikes, British Goblins: Welsh Folk-Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends, and Traditions, 2nd edition (London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington, 1880), p. 392. Return to the table of contents.The Cave of the Young Men of SnowdoniaWalesCountless as were the warriors of Arthur in the cave of Craig y Dinas, there is yet another army of them sleeping in Snowdonia.Their resting-place is in the steep cliff which is on the left-hand side near the top of Llyn Llydaw. This is how it was discovered. A sheep fell down to a shelf in this precipice, and the Cwm Dyli shepherd, who was a famous climber, with infinite trouble made his way to the spot to rescue the animal. To his astonishment he found there an opening into the rock, only partially hidden by loose stones and turf. He cleared these away, and saw a vast cave stretching into the bowels of the mountain. There was a bright light within; he looked in and saw a host of warriors without number, all asleep, with white hazel wands in their hands. He watched for a long time to see if they would show any signs of waking, but none stirred. Seeing that they were so fast asleep, he felt a great desire to enter the cave and explore it. But as he was squeezing in he struck his head against a bell suspended just above the entrance inside. It rang so that every corner of the immense cavern rang again. All the warriors woke up, and, springing to their feet, gave forth a terrific shout. This so frightened the shepherd that he made off as quickly as he could, and nearly broke his neck on his way down the face of the precipice. From that time he never enjoyed a day's health, and he died before his time. Nobody has since dared as much as to approach the mouth of the Cave of the Young Men of Snowdonia.Source: W. Jenkyn Thomas, The Welsh Fairy Book (London: T. Risher Unwin, [1907], pp. 140-41. Link to an electronic text provided by Sacred-Texts: W. Jenkyn Thomas, The Welsh Fairy Book (New York: F. A. Stokes, [1908]), pp. 140-41. Return to the table of contents.The Hunter and His HoundsEnglandUnder a grassy swell, which a stranger may know by its being surrounded with a wooden railing, on the outside of Brinkburn Priory, tradition affirms there is a subterraneous passage, of which the entrance remains as yet a secret, leading to an apartment to which access is in like manner denied; and as these visionary dwellings are invariably provided with occupants, it is asserted that a hunter who had in some way offended one of the priors was along with his hounds, by the aid of enchantment, condemned to perpetual slumber in that mysterious abode. Only once was an unenthralled mortal favored with a sight of the place and of those who are there entombed alive. A shepherd, with his dog attending him, was one day listlessly sauntering on this verdant mound, when he felt the ground stirring beneath him, and springing aside he discovered a flat door, where door had never before been seen by man -- yea, that door opening upwards of its own accord on the very spot where he had been standing. Actuated by curiosity he descended a number of steps which appeared beneath him, and on reaching the bottom found himself in a gloomy passage of great extent. Groping along this warily, he at last encountered a door, which opening readily, he along with the dog was suddenly admitted into an apartment illumined so brilliantly that the full light of day seemed to shine there. This abrupt transition from darkness to light for some minutes deprived him of the power of observing objects correctly, but gradually recovering he beheld enough to strike him with astonishment, for on one side at a table, with his head resting on his hand, slept one in the garb of a hunter, while at some distance another figure reclined on the floor with his head lying back, and around him lay many a noble hound, ready as ever to all appearance to renew that fatal chase which consigned them all to the chamber of enchantment. On the table lay a horn and a sword, which, seeing all was quiet, the shepherd stepped forward to examine, and taking up the horn first applied it to his lips to sound it; but the hunter, on whom he kept a watch, showed symptoms of awaking whenever he made the attempt, which alarming him he replaced it, and the figure started no longer. Reassured, he lifts the sword, half draws it, and now both men became restless and made some angry movements, and the hounds began to hustle about, while his own dog, as if agitated by the same uneasiness, slunk towards the door. Alive to the increased commotion and hearing a noise behind him very like the creaking of hinges, he suddenly turned round and found to his dismay that the door was moving to. Without waiting a moment he rushed through the half-closed entrance followed by his dog. He had not fled ton paces when, shaking the vault with the crash, the door shut behind him, and a terrible voice assailed his ears pouring maledictions on him for his temerity. The fugitives traversed the passage at full speed, and gladly hailed the light streaming in at the aperture above. The shepherd quickly ascended the steps, but before he got out the cover had nearly closed. He succeeded, and that was all, in escaping perhaps a worse fate than those victims of monkish thraldom which he had just left; but his poor dog was not so fortunate, for it had just raised its foreparts to come up when the door fastened on it and nipped it through!Source: The Denham Tracts. A collection of folklore by Michael Aislabie Denham and reprinted from the original tracts and pamphlets printed by Mr. Denham between 1846 and 1859, edited by Dr. James Hardy. Vol. 2 (London: The Folklore Society, London, 1895), pp. 125-27.Return to the table of contents.The Passing of ArthurEnglandSo I have told you of the Passing of Arthur, which in all the other histories of those things is told as I have told it. But of that which happened thereafter there are many distinct and separate histories. But that history which hath been accepted of old by the people of England is this: That King Arthur did not die, but that he was taken by Queen Morgana le Fay and by those two other queens to Avalon, and that there he was salved so that he did not die. And that history saith that he lives there yet, and that some day he shall come back to Britain as he promised to do, and that when he thus shall come there, there shall likewise come continual peace and plenty and joy and happiness as he promised. And touching Avalon there is this to say -- that it is the dwelling-place of Queen Morgana le Fay, and that it is a strange and wonderful island that floats forever upon the sea to the westward. And many people declare that they have beheld that land, but always from a distance. For sometimes they call it Fata Morgana, and sometimes they call it Avalon. But always when they see it it is to behold high towers and glittering pinnacles reaching into the sky; and it is to behold the embowerment of trees, both of forest trees and of shade trees; and it is to behold hill and vale of that mysterious country more beautiful than are the hills and vales of the dark and gloomy earth. For Avalon is sometimes called the Vale of Avalon and sometimes it is called Avalon the Beautiful. There in that pleasant country is no snow and no ice; neither is there the scorching heats and droughts of summer, but all forever and for aye is the tepid warmth of vernal springtime. And the people of Avalon are always happy, for never do they weep and never do they bear enmity to one another, but all live in peace and tranquillity watching their flocks, which are as white as snow, and their herds, whose breath smelleth of wild thyme and parsley. There, people believe, yet liveth King Arthur, and he is not dead nor is he yet awake, but ever he lyeth sleeping as in peace. But it is believed by many that the time shall come when he will awake again. Then he will return once more to this earth, and all shall be peace and concord amongst men. And many believe that this time is now nigh at hand. For less and less is there war within the world, and more and more is there peace and concord and good will amongst men. Wherefore, let every man live at peace with other men, and wish them well and do them well, and then will King Arthur awake from his sleep. Then will his dreadful wound be healed and then will he return unto his own again. Of such was the passing of Arthur. Source (books.google.com): Howard Pyle, The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1913), pp. 245-46. Source (Internet Archive): Howard Pyle, The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910), pp. 245-46. Return to the table of contents. Some Say That King Arthur Is Not DeadEnglandSome men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place; and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross. I will not say it shall be so, but rather I will say: here in this world he changed his life. But many men say that there is written upon his tomb this verse: Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus.[Here lies Arthur, the once and future king.]Source (books.google.com): Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, vol. 4 (London: J. M. Dent and Company, 1905), book 21, chapter 7, p. 287. Source (Internet Archive): Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, vol. 4 (London: J. M. Dent and Company, 1898), book 21, chapter 7, p. 287. Return to the table of contents. King Arthur at SewingshieldsEnglandSewingshields lies between the Roman Wall and the military road, near thetwenty-eighth milestone from Newcastle, and at the western extremity ofWarden Parish. Of Sewingshields Castle, Mr. Hodgson informs us that inhis time a square, low, lumpy mass of ruins, overgrown with nettles, stillremained. "Its site is on the end of a dry ridge and overlooked from thesouth by the basaltic cliffs, along the brow of which the Roman Wall wasbuilt. There are also some traces of trenches near it." [Hodgson'sHistory of Northumberland, part ii, vol. iii. (Note in original)]This is the castle referred to by Sir Walter Scott in the sixth canto ofHarold the Dauntless as the "castle of the seven shields." Inreference to its present condition Dr. Bruce remarks:... No towers are seenOn the wild heath, but those that Fancy builds.And save a fosse that tracks the moor with green,Is nought remains to tell of what may there have been. [Wallet-Book of the Roman Wall, p. 109. (Note in original. This book is Denham's source of the legend that follows.)]It stood in the center of the only patch of ground in "the moss," which isnow subjected to the plow. The walls have been uprooted and the vaultsremoved, but the following tradition relating to it will not readilyperish:Immemorial tradition has asserted that King Arthur, his queen Guinevere,his court of lords and ladies, and his hounds, were enchanted in some caveof the crags, or in a hall below the Castle of Sewingshields, and wouldcontinue entranced there till someone should first blow a bugle-horn thatlay on a table near the entrance of the hall, and then, with "the sword ofthe stone," cut a garter also placed there beside it. But none had everheard where the entrance to this enchanted hall was till the farmer atSewingshields, about fifty years since, was sitting knitting on the ruinsof the castle and his clew fell and ran downwards through a rush of briarsand nettles, as he supposed, into a deep subterranean passage. Full in the faith that the entrance into King Arthur's hall was now discovered, hecleared the briary portal of its weeds and rubbish, and, entering avaulted passage, followed, in his darkling way, the thread of his clew.The floor was infested with toads and lizards; and the dark wings of bats,disturbed by his unhallowed intrusion, flitted fearfully around him. Atlength his sinking courage was strengthened by a dim, distant light, whichas he advanced grew gradually brighter, till at once he entered a vast andvaulted hall, in the center of which a fire without fuel, from a broadcrevice in the floor, blazed with a high and lambent flame that showed allthe carved walls and fretted roof, and the monarch and his queen and courtreposing around in a theater of thrones and costly couches. On the floor, beyond the fire, lay the faithful and deep-toned pack of thirty couple of hounds; and on a table before it the spell-dispelling horn, sword and garter. The shepherd reverently but firmly grasped the sword, and as he drew it leisurely from its rusty scabbard the eyes of the monarch, and his courtiers began to open, and they rose till they sat upright. He cut the garter; and as the sword was being slowly sheathed the spell assumed its ancient power, and they all gradually sank to rest; but not before the monarch had lifted up his eyes and hands and exclaimed:O woe betide that evil dayOn which the witless wight was born,Who drew the sword -- the garter cut,But never blew the bugle-horn.Of this favorite tradition the most remarkable variation is respecting theplace where the farmer descended. Some say that after the king'sdenunciation, terror brought on a loss of memory, and he was unable togive any correct account of his adventure or the place where it occurred.But all agree that Mrs. Spearman, the wife of another and more recentoccupier of the estate, had a dream in which she saw a rich hoard oftreasure among the ruins of the castle, and that for many days togethershe stood over workmen employed in searching for it, but without success.Source: The Denham Tracts. A collection of folklore by Michael Aislabie Denham and reprinted from the original tracts and pamphlets printed by Mr. Denham between 1846 and 1859, edited by Dr. James Hardy. Vol. 2 (London: The Folklore Society, London, 1895), pp. 125-27.Return to the table of contents. King Arthur in Freebrough HillEngland1.The scenery to the north of Castleton is wild, but not so picturesque as that to the south. A walk of five miles across the moor conducts to a remarkable circular elevation, Freebrough Hill, within which, it is asserted, King Arthur and his knights lie. 2.Freebrough Hill (five miles south of Castleton) is a remarkable circular elevation, like a gigantic tumulus. An almost extinct piece of folk-lore asserts that Arthur and his knights lie within the hill, like the great Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in the vaults of Kifhäuser [Kyffhäuser], ready to start forth in their appointed season. Source (1): Horne's Guide to Whitby, 5th edition (Horne and Son, 1897), p. 80. Source (2): Eliza Gutch, County Folk-Lore, vol. 2: Examples of Printed Folk-Lore Concerning the North Riding of Yorkshire, York, and the Ainsty (London: Published for the Folk-Lore Society by David Nutt, 1901), p. 1. Return to the table of contents. Richmond CastleEnglandOn the south side of the river [Swale, near Richmond], is the remarkable circular hill called the Round Howe, near a large natural cave called Arthur's Oven. And hereupon comes to mind a Richmond legend, parallel with various other stories told of King Arthur in the north. A person walking round Richmond castle, was arrested by a "man," who took him into a strange vault beneath the fortress, where a multitude of people were lying on the ground, as if in a deep slumber. In this chamber a horn and a sword were presented to him, for the usual purpose of releasing the sleepers of other days from their long listnessness. But when he drew the sword half out of its sheath, a stir among them all terrified him to such a degree, that he let the blade fall back to its place and an indignant voice instantly cried: Potter, Potter Thompson! If thou had either drawn The sword or blown that horn, Thou'd been the luckiest man That ever [yet] was born. The tradition adds, that no opportunity of breaking the enchantment will again be afforded before a definite time has elapsed. Source: Eliza Gutch, County Folk-Lore, vol. 2: Examples of Printed Folk-Lore Concerning the North Riding of Yorkshire, York, and the Ainsty (London: Published for the Folk-Lore Society by David Nutt, 1901), pp 406-407. Return to the table of contents. Gutch's source: W. Hylton Longstaffe, Richmondshire: Its Ancient Lords and Edifices (London: George Bell, 1852), pp. 115-16. The Wizard of Alderley Edge England Connected with Alderley Edge there is a curious tradition which preserves a very ancient fragment of mythological belief, and is, therefore, worthy of notice. The legend of the wizard of Alderley Edge first appeared in print in the Manchester Mail of 1805, by a correspondent who obtained it from the narration of a servant of the Stanleys, whose proper name was Thomas Broadhurst, but who was better known as "Old Daddy." According to this veteran the tradition says that once upon a time a farmer from Mobberley, mounted on a milk-white horse, was crossing the Edge on his way to Macclesfield to sell the animal. He had reached a spot known as the Thieves' Hole, and, as he slowly rode along thinking of the profitable bargain which he hoped to make, was startled by the sudden appearance of an old man, tall and strangely clad in a deep flowing garment. The old man ordered him to stop, told him that he knew the errand upon which the rider was bent, and offered a sum of money for the horse. The farmer, however, refused the offer, not thinking it sufficient. "Go, then, to Macclesfield," said the old man, "but mark my words, you will not sell the horse. Should you find my words come true, meet me this evening, and I will buy your horse." The farmer laughed at such a prophecy, and went on his way. To his great surprise, and greater disappointment, nobody would buy, though all admired his beautiful horse. He was, therefore, compelled to return. On approaching the Edge he saw the old man again. Checking his horse's pace, he began to consider how far it might be prudent to deal with a perfect stranger in so lonely a place. However, while he was considering what to do, the old man commanded him, "Follow me!" Silently the old man led him by the Seven Firs, the Golden Stone, by Stormy Point, and Saddle Boll. Just as the farmer was beginning to think he had gone far enough he fancied that he heard a horse neighing underground. Again he heard it. Stretching forth his arm the old man touched a rock with a wand, and immediately the farmer saw a ponderous pair of iron gates, which, with a sound like thunder, flew open. The horse reared bolt upright, and the terrified farmer fell on his knees praying that his life might be spared. "Fear nothing," spoke the Wizard, "and behold a sight which no mortal eye has ever looked upon." They went into the cave. In a long succession of caverns the farmer saw a countless number of men and horses, the latter milk-white, and all fast asleep. In the innermost cavern heaps of treasure were piled up on the ground. From these glittering heaps the old man bade the farmer take the price he desired for his horse, and thus addressed him, "You see these men and horses; the number was not complete. Your horse was wanted to make it complete. Remember my words, there will come a day when these men and these horses, awakening from their enchanted slumber, will descend into the plain, decide the fate of a great battle, and save their country. This shall be when George the son of George shall reign. Go home in safety. Leave your horse with me. No harm will befall you; but henceforward no mortal eye will ever look upon the iron gates. Begone!" The farmer lost no time in obeying. He heard the iron gates close with the same fearful sounds with which they were opened, and made the best of his way to Mobberley. Source: William E. A. Axon, Cheshire Gleanings (Manchester: Tubbs, Brook, and Chrystal, 1884), pp. 56-58. Axon continues this chapter (pp. 58-68) with a discussion of additional legends of this type. Return to the table of contents. Then There Are Yet Men in the Isle of ManIsle of ManCastle Rushen has long been famous for its subterranean passages, andthere are individuals amongst the islanders who still firmly believe thatthey lead to a beautiful country underground, inhabited by giants.Amongst the many tales they relate is one, that, several attempts beingmade to explore the passages, which in general proved unsuccessful, anumber of daring fellows agreed to attempt the enterprise in company.Having armed themselves with staves, etc., etc., and procuring torches,they descended. After proceeding a little way, they found an old man, ofgreat size, with a long beard, and blind, sitting on a rock as if fixedthere. He, hearing them approach, enquired of them as to the state of theisland, and at last asked one to put forth his hand, on which one of themgave him a plowshare which he had, when the old giant squeezed the irontogether with the greatest ease, explaining at the same time: "Then thereare yet men in the Isle of Man."Source: James Hardy, ed., The Denham Tracts. A collection of folklore by Michael Aislabie Denham and reprinted from the original tracts and pamphlets printed by Mr. Denham between 1846 and 1859, vol. 1 (London: The Folklore Society, 1892), pp. 197-98. Return to the table of contents.The Enchantment of Gearoidh IarlaIrelandIn old times in Ireland there was a great man of the Fitzgeralds. Thename on him was Gerald, but the Irish, that always had a great liking forthe family, called him Gearoidh Iarla (Earl Gerald). 2ff7e9595c
Комментарии