Free Irish Folk Tales by Henry Glassie Page A

blow with that sword, it will go to the sand though it were iron were before it.” Then he gave him the rusty sword.
    The son of the king of Ireland, the gunman, the earman, the footman,the blowman, and the man who broke stones with the side of his thigh, went forward after that, until evening came, and the end of the day, until the horse was going under the shade of the docking, and the docking would not wait for him. The March wind that was behind them would not overtake them, and they would overtake the wind of March that was before them, and they were that night in the eastern world, where was the lady.
    The lady asked the king of Ireland’s son what it was he wanted, and he said that he was looking for herself as wife.
    “You must get me,” said she, “if you loose my geasa off me.”
    He got lodging with all his servants in the castle that evening, and in the night she came and said to him: “Here is a scissors for you, and unless you have that scissors for me tomorrow morning, the head will be struck off you.”
    She placed a pin of slumber under his head, and he fell into his sleep, and as soon as he did, she came and took the scissors from him and left him there. She gave the scissors to the King of Poison, and she desired the king to have the scissors for her in the morning. Then she went away. When she was gone the King of Poison fell into his sleep. And when he was in his sleep the short green man came, and the old slippers on him, and the cap on his head, and the rusty sword in his hand, and wherever it was the king had left the scissors out of his hand, he found it. He gave it to the king of Ireland’s son, and when she came in the morning, she asked: “Son of the king of Ireland, have you the scissors?”
    “I have,” said he.
    There were three scores of skulls of the people that went to look for her set on spikes round about the castle, and she thought that she would have his head on a spike along with them.
    On the night of the next day she came and gave him a comb, and said to him unless he had that comb for her next morning when she would come, that the head should be struck off him. She placed a pin of slumber under his head, and he fell into his sleep as he fell the night before, and she stole the comb with her. She gave the comb to the King of Poison, and said to him not to lose the comb as he lost the scissors. The short green man came with the old slippers on his feet, the old cap on his head, and the rusty sword in his hand. And the king did not see him until he came behind him and took away the comb with him.
    When the king of Ireland’s son rose up the next morning he began crying for the comb, which was gone from him. “Don’t mind that,” said the short green man; “I have it.” When she came he gave her the comb, and there was wonder on her.
    She came the third night, and said to the son of the king of Ireland to have for her the head of him who was combed with that comb, on themorrow morning. “Now,” said she, “there was no fear of you until this night, but if you lose it this time, your head is gone.”
    The pin of slumber was under his head, and he fell into his sleep. She came and stole the comb from him. She gave it to the King of Poison, and she said to him that he could not lose it unless the head should be struck off himself. The King of Poison took the comb with him, and he put it into a rock of stone and three score of locks on it, and the king sat down himself outside of the locks all, at the door of the rock, guarding it. The short green man came, and the slippers and the cap on him, and the rusty sword in his hand, and he struck a stroke on the stone rock and he opened it up, and he struck the second stroke on the King of Poison, and he struck the head off him. He brought back with him then the comb to the king’s son, and he found him awake, and weeping after the comb. “There is your comb for you,” said he. “She will come this now, and she will ask you