Reading Notes: Celtic Tales (Part B)

I would have to say I enjoyed the second set of Celtic stories as much or more than the first. Again, these stories often carried the message of having good character. A lot of characters have their characters tested, for the saints and other mystical creatures favor those who do good even when no one is watching.

King O'Toole and His Goose

• a good king who greatly enjoyed being able to go out into nature and hunt
• he becomes stricken with the ailments of old age and can no longer hunt so he buys a goose to occasionally hunt for him and keep him distracted because he was sad that he could no longer hunt
• the goose grows old and can no longer hunt either so the king becomes even more upset
• St. Kavin disguised as an ordinary man finds the king at the lake and tells him he can fix his goose
• the king agrees to offer him all of the land the goose can fly over if he is made well
• St. Kavin fixes the goose and the king stays true to his word
• the king and his goose live happily, until the goose dies of his own mistake and the king passes away from old age

The Chapel of St. Kevin.

Beth Gellert

• Prince Llewelyn had a special greyhound named Gellert who was gentle with kids and fierce on hunting trips
• one day Gellert didn't come when his master called so the Prince went hunting without him
• when he returns he sees Gellert waiting at the gate covered with blood
• the Prince runs up to the nursery to see blood everywhere
• he assumed Gellert had killed his heir while he was off hunting
• in his rage the Prince stabbed and killed Gellert only to notice afterwards the dead carcass of a wolf in the nursery
• Gellert had stayed behind to protect his child and had killed the wolf trying to take away his son
• Gellert could not be brought back to life so he was buried on a spot outside the castle walls that was in view of a great mountain and decorated heavily
• I would rather create an ending where Prince Llewelyn goes on a quest to revive Gellert
• maybe Gellert remains in the castle a guardian spirit who stays by the Prince's heir, guarding him as he grows up
• he could eventually become St. Kavin's dog so that I could draw a relationship between the Gellert and Goose stories

Bibliography

Celtic Fairy Tales unit found here

Beth Gellert --- here

King O'Tool and His Goose --- here

Image Information --- St. Kevin's Chapel in Ireland. Found on wikimedia.