Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

word, Saint Kavin was pleased with
him, and then it was that he made himself known to the king. "And,"
says he, "King O'Toole, you're a decent man, for I only came here to
try you. You don't know me," says he, "because I'm disguised."
    "Musha! then," says the king, "who are you?"
    "I'm Saint Kavin," said the saint, blessing himself.
    "Oh, queen of heaven!" says the king, making the sign of the cross
between his eyes, and falling down on his knees before the saint;
"is it the great Saint Kavin," says he, "that I've been discoursing
all this time without knowing it," says he, "all as one as if he was
a lump of a
gossoon
?—and so you're a saint?" says the king.
    "I am," says Saint Kavin.
    "By Jabers, I thought I was only talking to a dacent boy," says the
king.
    "Well, you know the difference now," says the saint. "I'm Saint
Kavin," says he, "the greatest of all the saints.".
    And so the king had his goose as good as new, to divert him as long
as he lived: and the saint supported him after he came into his
property, as I told you, until the day of his death—and that was
soon after; for the poor goose thought he was catching a trout one
Friday; but, my jewel, it was a mistake he made—and instead of a
trout, it was a thieving horse-eel; and instead of the goose killing
a trout for the king's supper—by dad, the eel killed the king's
goose—and small blame to him; but he didn't ate her, because he
darn't ate what Saint Kavin had laid his blessed hands on.

The Wooing of Olwen
*
    Shortly after the birth of Kilhuch, the son of King Kilyth, his
mother died. Before her death she charged the king that he should
not take a wife again until he saw a briar with two blossoms upon
her grave, and the king sent every morning to see if anything were
growing thereon. After many years the briar appeared, and he took to
wife the widow of King Doged. She foretold to her stepson, Kilhuch,
that it was his destiny to marry a maiden named Olwen, or none
other, and he, at his father's bidding, went to the court of his
cousin, King Arthur, to ask as a boon the hand of the maiden. He
rode upon a grey steed with shell-formed hoofs, having a bridle of
linked gold, and a saddle also of gold. In his hand were two spears
of silver, well-tempered, headed with steel, of an edge to wound the
wind and cause blood to flow, and swifter than the fall of the dew-
drop from the blade of reed grass upon the earth when the dew of
June is at its heaviest. A gold-hilted sword was on his thigh, and
the blade was of gold, having inlaid upon it a cross of the hue of
the lightning of heaven. Two brindled, white-breasted greyhounds,
with strong collars of rubies, sported round him, and his courser
cast up four sods with its four hoofs like four swallows about his
head. Upon the steed was a four-cornered cloth of purple, and an
apple of gold was at each corner. Precious gold was upon the
stirrups and shoes, and the blade of grass bent not beneath them, so
light was the courser's tread as he went towards the gate of King
Arthur's palace.
    Arthur received him with great ceremony, and asked him to remain at
the palace; but the youth replied that he came not to consume meat
and drink, but to ask a boon of the king.
    Then said Arthur, "Since thou wilt not remain here, chieftain, thou
shalt receive the boon, whatsoever thy tongue may name, as far as
the wind dries and the rain moistens, and the sun revolves, and the
sea encircles, and the earth extends, save only my ships and my
mantle, my sword, my lance, my shield, my dagger, and Guinevere my
wife."
    So Kilhuch craved of him the hand of Olwen, the daughter of
Yspathaden Penkawr, and also asked the favour and aid of all
Arthur's court.
    Then said Arthur, "O chieftain, I have never heard of the maiden of
whom thou speakest, nor of her kindred, but I will gladly send
messengers in search of her."
    And the youth said, "I will willingly grant from this night to that
at the end of the year to do so."
    Then Arthur sent messengers to