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THE
AUTHOR Raelene
Taylor was born in Sydney Australia and moved to the Gold Coast Queensland in
1984. Her career has been quite diverse, from secretarial work to running her
own dining club. She was elected as District Governor for Toastmasters
International for 1995‑6 and has been a tutor for T.A.F.E, as well as
running her own public speaking classes. Several
overseas trips and study courses have broadened her experience particularly in
communicating with people. Her
love of reading and escaping into the world of mythology, (particularly Irish as
she has Irish ancestry) led to her taking an undergraduate study in Myth, Ritual
and the Sacred. It was her desire to introduce children to this magical world of
Irish Mythology that prompted writing these novels. Raelene has four children and a large extended family. She has written many poems as well as many short stories for children. In Search of the Cauldron of Plenty is the first in a series of four adventure novels based on Irish mythology for children. Introduction
An
Irish Myth
Far,
far back at the very beginning of time, people believed in magic.
They practised magic. Their
lives were full of magical things that happened every day. Their world was
mysterious and full of superstitions. Life
was a fantasy and people had all kinds of super- natural powers.
In
Ireland in those days, which was then called Eire, there lived a special Ring
Lord tribe. They were known as The Tuatha de Dannan. They were a peaceful tribe
and their High Ring Lord, King Nuada, was a great leader.
Everyone was happy. But
another tribe had come to their land. They
were the Fir Bolg tribe. Their King was called Echaid – known as Echaid the
Proud. This tribe liked war and
they were jealous of all that The Tuatha de Dannan had! Dagda was the Tuatha de Dannan tribe’s spiritual leader. He was also the guardian of a very special Cauldron. It was called the Great Cauldron of Plenty. While ever they had this Cauldron, they would never want for anything. This Cauldron sat on the altar in the sacred place they called Tara. The
Cauldron of Plenty was large. It was made of gold, and was beautiful beyond
words. On the outside it had a
design of the horned god Cernunnos. It
showed long antlers on his head. Cernunnos
was the ruler god of all the animals, and a symbol of plenty. Now
Dagda also had magical weapons, given to him by the land of his father. He kept
them safe for his people, so his tribe would always do well. These
three magical weapons were also kept at Tara with the Great Cauldron of Plenty.
The first was The Stone of Destiny. This was no ordinary stone.
Anyone who wanted to be King had to stand on the Magical Stone of
Destiny. If it uttered a great
shriek, then it proved that he had earned the right to be King. The last time
the stone gave its shriek was when Nuada became King. The
second magical weapon was known as the great and deadly Sword of Nuada.
No one escaped death if cut by its razor shape blade. The
third magical weapon was the strong and powerful Spear of Lugh. It had magical
powers, but would only obey its master Lugh. Now
The Fir Bolg tribe wanted The Great Cauldron of Plenty!
A fierce battle ensued. It
lasted four days and the Fir Bolg tribe won!
They took the Cauldron of Plenty, and the Stone, the Sword and the Spear.
King
Nuada was forced to flee with his people from their beloved Eire. They escaped
across the sea to a place nearby called Strathclyde, now known as Scotland. Now
the Tuatha de Dannan people were not happy in Strathclyde.
It seemed grey, bleak and uninviting to them.
They especially missed their long rolling green hills.
They wanted to go back to their home at Meath in Eire. They wanted to get
back their Cauldron of Plenty, the Stone, the Sword and the Spear! Chapter
1
Fionn
Meets The Green Man
“I’ll
get back the Cauldron of Plenty, so my people can be happy again.”
Fionn, who was just in his teens, made this vow to himself. He
was looking up at the most magnificent high grey mountains in Strathclyde, when
he lost his footing and fell. Over and over he rolled down the mountain, until a
huge log stopped his fall. Lucky,
because just below was a great ravine! He
would never have survived had he fallen over the edge. At first he was stunned,
and then he just sat there thinking about how much life had changed for him and
his people. Fionn,
which meant ‘with the fair hair’ was very strong. He was a popular boy with
his friends, and seemed much older than his years. He stood up slowly,
made sure he had no broken bones, sighed and looked around him. He could
hear some music in the distance, the sound of a harp being played. He listened
carefully, and thought he could hear words coming from the music. “Hark
the music heard by the brave – Fionn,
search nearby and find a cave!” ‘That’s
strange,’ thought Fionn. But he
followed the sound of the music until he saw the entrance to a cave.
It was difficult to see at first, because the entrance was almost fully
covered over with bushes and brambles.
Fionn approached the cave, then he saw a strange little man sitting near
the entrance. He was dressed in
green, with a long white beard. Fionn
could hardly tell him apart from all the bushes. “Did
you call my name?” “I
did,” the Green Man replied. “How
do you know my name?” “Oh,
I have the ‘sight’,” replied the Green Man.
The
‘sight’ meant that he could see into the future. “I
knew you’d come this way one day. Come inside my cave and have a drink, you
must be thirsty.” Fionn
was grateful for the drink. The
fall had given him a fright. “Tell
me about your people.” And
so Fionn told him all about the battle in Eire with the Fir Bolg tribe, and how
his people had to flee their country. He
told him how the Fir Bolg now had their Cauldron of Plenty, the Stone, the Sword
and the Spear. Then he told him how his people were getting restless and
fighting among themselves. “Well,
what do you want to do about it?” “We
want to go back and fight, we’re going to get back what belongs to us!” “You
will have to be very clever,” warned the Green Man. “You will have to train
hard and learn magic. The Fir Bolg
people are very good fighters.” “Can
you help us?” “I
can only show you so much, the rest is up to you. Come with me now down to the
river. We will catch a salmon for
our dinner.” Fionn
thought this was a strange thing to do. He thought the Green Man was going to
tell him how to fight the Fir Bolg. They walked outside again. The Green Man
made his way through the bushes nearby. As
he did so, a narrow track opened up for him, and Fionn followed closely behind.
The track wove its way through the undergrowth.
Thick vines twisted and tangled themselves around the trees and bushes.
When Fionn looked behind him, the track had closed again and could not be
seen. Fionn had never seen such
strange looking forms and shapes that the bushes made.
It was getting late in the afternoon by now, and the fading light cast
long shadows across the trees. It
made him feel very eerie and uneasy. Soon
they came to a clearing, where a cool rippling stream flowed lazily on its way
to the river. In no time at all, the Green Man had caught a beautiful salmon for
their dinner. Fionn was suddenly hungry and followed the man back through the
undergrowth to the cave. He
couldn’t believe how the man ever found his way, as there were no visible
tracks or pathways that he could see. The
Green Man started a small fire and cooked the salmon. The delicious smell of the
salmon cooking was too much for Fionn. He greedily picked up a piece and ate it.
As he did so he burnt his fingers on the hot, freshly cooked fish.
Quickly he put his thumb to his mouth to ease the pain. “Ah,
ha! That’s what I thought you’d do. You are eating the Salmon of
Knowledge,” said the man, “and
now whenever you need it, you will be able to solve problems. As well as that,
whenever you put your thumb to your mouth, you will be able to see into the
future. I have given you the gift
of ‘sight’! “These
are my special gifts to you,” he went on. “Keep them to yourself, and use
these gifts wisely and with care. Should
you tell anyone about these gifts, you will lose your power.
I see you in the future as a great Ring Lord of your people.
Go now and remember to tell no one of our meeting, or of the special
gifts that I have given you.” Fionn
was amazed! He could hardly believe
what was happening to him. He
didn’t feel any different, but he thanked the Green Man and set off for home.
But which way was home? Fionn found
that he was completely lost. He had
fallen so far that he couldn’t recognise anything.
He looked back to ask the Green Man how to get home, but the cave and the
Green Man were gone. They were
nowhere to be seen. All Fionn
could see were trees and bushes.
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