Peadaran Ón Aigéan Liath
Peadaran Ón Aigéan Liath, or Peadaran Agus Sab haro Sych, is the body of traditional folktales relating to the establishment of the Principality of Sabersycha and the conquest of Grausur. The tales are seen as reliable yet embellished recounts of historical events.
Summary
The tale is comprised of three sagas:
Eburio the Wise, the eldest brother, pondered the riddle for a day and a night, and as dawn broke he presented his answers one after another. Beaten, the hags allowed the group to continue towards the forest.
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called off the attempt and returned to this father and brothers; Stríbheatha refused.
When they exited the cave, only twelve wolves, and Stríbheatha, remained; each wolf carried one of the behir's legs, and Stríbheatha carried with him the creature's pelt.
Colcamin wandered east on his own, promising to bring the head of the man-eating king. On the fourteenth day of his journey, he started pondering the futility of his endeavor; though he already vanquished two tribes, he was still a long way to that of the king. By twilight, as he made camp for the night, a horse with two tails approached him; intrigued, he carefully laid his hand on the horse's mane, and was overwhelmed with renewed vigor.
The moment he sat on the horse's back, the horse immediately burst into a full gallop; they rode for a night and a day, and as twilight came again, Colcamin was at the king's stomping ground. Slowely but steadily he carved his way to the very heart of the land, striking down any man-eater that he encountered, until two days later, just as twilight began, his blade met the king's neck. The horse showed itself again, and carried Colcamin back to Peadaran's camp, where he presented the man-eating king's monstrous head.
- Conquest of Sabersycha (~100-7 BB)
- Establishment of the Principality (7- ~150 BB)
- Establishment of the Diarchy(~150-248 BB)
Conquest of Sabersycha
From beyond the Sea
Peadaran and his seven sons arrive from "beyond the sea" with Peadaran wielding Sleagh Pheadair. He uses the spear to gain the assistance of Nereids, which guide them through the rough waters and ensure their safe voyage. The group lands in Inis Aber, then an insignificant island, and start scouting the land before them.Seven Sons
- Eburio the Wise
- Fuaráin the Patient
- Tasgilla the Elusive
- Lugaid the Red Haired
- Fedelmid the Fair
- Stríbheatha the Loyal
- Colcamin the Unyielding
Conquering the Swamp
After landing on Grausur, Peadaran and his sons learn of a black dragon named Sgiadubh that hides in the swamp; after they fail to find the dragon's lair, his son, Fuaráin the Patient, lays an elaborate trap for the Cŵn Menas, walking alone in the land in order to grab their attention. When they gather around him, he springs the trap and binds the pack with magical collars that bind them to his will. They then use them to track Sgiadubh, find him within his lair, and slay him; they dragon's bones are crushed and mixed in the mortar that was used to build Ísealcathair Keep. In the west, the group encounters an unnamed monster described as a "glimmering horror of gold and marshlights"; they fight it, yet fail to inflict any injury or damage. That night, Tasgilla the Elusive leaves the camp on his own; he travels to the monster's bog, and taunts it into attacking him; when it does, it discovers that that was merely an illusion of Tasgilla, who mocks it from another direction. This repeats numerous times, until eventually Tasgilla causes the furious monster to hurt itself while trying to kill him. Upon the monster's death, it shatters into thousands of malevolent lights, creating the will-o-wisps of Grausur; and numerous pots of gold, which made the party rich enough to hire workers and soldiers and allowed the future principality to flourish. As they advanced southwards, three hags blocked their path. Though the sons bested them in combat, they kept reappearing; the hags conditioned their passage with solving three riddles."Men make my fruits poisonous
I spread rumors like I spread fire
Who am I?"
"I breath but I die in air
If I study, there's no teacher
Who am I?"
"My coils shy from springs
I scale, but never mountains
Who am I?"
Grapevine, Fish, Snake
Conquering the Forest
However, when they attempted to march into the forest, the thicket proved to be too dense to traverse; wherever they went, it was as if the bushes, trees, and stones converged into an impassable wall. As the group pondered what to do, Fedelmid the Fair removed his weapons, and declared he shall return in three days; without explaining, he entered the woods. Inside, he saw scintillating lights of otherworldly colors; he drank from rivers of pure water, who tasted sweeter than nectar; and then, he heard a song, sung by a voice so beautiful he had to search for whoever sang it. In a hidden grove, he met a Nymph, dancing and singing without company or clothes; Fedelmid averted his gaze, but could not resist the urge to join her song with his own; he then felt a gentle hand lifting his head, and heard the voice telling him to undress and join her. When Fedelmid exited the woods, he did so with a promise for safe passage; in return, he would marry the nymph, named Finiúin, and dedicate his life for the land and its spirits, creating the first druidic circles of Grausur. Finiúin tasked Fedelmid, and his brothers and father, with cleansing a corrupted forest to the south. It was in great pain, and the wickedness of past events had turned the land foul; the sun would not reach the earth, dark shadows stalked the trees, and no animals but dreadful ravens dwelled there. Every tree they tried to cut down would grow overnight, every diverted stream would dry out, as evil treants stalked the grove and hinder their every attempt. Despite the risk of angering the spirits they just recently pleased, in their desperation, they decided that Lugaid the Red Haired should incinerate the grove. The flames raged, and a mighty battle ensued, with Lugaid burning the trees as the rest fought its defenders. After seven days and seven nights, the fire suddenly stopped burning; from the ashes, flowers, wheat, barley and fruit-bearing trees bloomed; out of the forest stepped out a Dryad; from the fields, an Orad manifested; they both spoke in unison: "you are worthy indeed of our blessings, you, the lover of our sister, and your brothers and your father. We have long waited for those who can better the land.".Conquering the Highlands
With only the highlands and the eastern shores remaining, Peadaran sought to control the strategically important highlands to the south. To the east, a tribe of monstrous man-eaters ruled the land; to the west, a white behir made the plateau its domain. By this time most brothers were exhausted, and Peadaran himself considered to stop the conquest; however, the two youngest sons were still virile and sought to secure themselves a land of their own.The sixth son, Stríbheatha, sought to slay the behir; however, while the creature's presence was evident, where it made its lair was completely unknown. Fuaráin agreed to help the tracking attempt, and went together with his brother and the Cŵn Menas to search the plateau. After a tenday has passed, Fuaráin
Tell me, oh brother, what can the wolves find that the hounds couldn't?"
Stríbheatha, known for his stubbornness, desperately looked for another way. He gathered a wolfpack, and went as one of them to sniff out the behir. After six days, they found the entrance to an extensive cave network with charred markings around it, matching the charring made by lightning.
Tell me, oh brother, what can seven brothers do that their father can't?
Bane of Kings
As they ventured east, the group reached a mighty and dense forest. Despite the blessings they received from the dryads, they failed to reach its center. Seeking the source of this magical intervention, they reached a strange rock formation by the forest's outskirts which pulsated with strange primal energy. The deeper they went, they noticed that the sun's illumantion grows ever deemer; the sounds of the forest became muffled, as if the animals tried to sneak around a sleeping creature; the rustling of leaves and branches halted, as if the wind itself feared to anger... something. Peadaran climbed atop a boulder, and claimed the land as part of his kingdom; and then, a voice reverberated from all around them:You stand on my rock, in my forest; I am the Lord of Danneddraig; I am the Vanquisher of Shaihil; I am the Breaker of Mountains; I am the Great Wyrm of Grausur, and Grausur shall have no king!A massive serpentine figure emerged from the woods, the trees themselves warping and twisting to make way for its horns. Its glowing red-yellow eyes gazed at Peadaran, and a its maw opened wide; in an instant, a stream of vile mist spewed forth, burning Peadaran and claiming his life; the seven sons grabbed his corpse and fled.
Establishment of the Principality
The First Prince
The seven sons retreat to their lands, nominating Eburio as their prince. Peadaran's burial site isn't mentioned.The Second Prince
Fuaráin is nominated as prince, Inis Aber is sanctified.The Third Prince
Son of Tasgilla is nominated as prince, trade routes are established.The Fourth Prince
Son of Lugaid is nominated as prince, Adhmadoíte is turned into farmlands.Establishment of the Diarchy
The Fifth Prince
Grandson of Fedelmid is nominated as prince, negotiates with the Grey Elves of east Grausur, and they study druidism together.The Sixth Prince
Grandson of Stríbheatha is nominated as prince, and his son is murdered in east Grausur.The Seventh Prince
Grandson of Colcamin is nominated as prince, and invades east Grausur after years of tension of small scale violence.The Twin City
The Diarchy is established by two belligerent twins who gather the clans behind them, and fend off the Sabersychan army.
Table of Contents
Date of Setting
100 BB to 250 AB
Related Ethnicities
Related Locations
Related Organizations
Related Items
Historical Basis
The historical validity of the stories is highly debated; though the seven sons of Peadaran most definitely existed as they are mentioned by name in other contemporary writings, no external sources mention Peadaran himself. Additionally, some parts are considered to be an exaggeration of factual events, such as a man being able to seduce a nymph, or the mentioning of a white behir. While the tales describe Peraserasia being established by "belligerent twins", while the Peraserasian account of the events states their reluctance to ascend to the thrones. Furthermore, virtually every historical evidence, other descriptions of events, and the third saga itself point to the Colcamin prince being the aggressor, or at the very least being the invader.In Litrature
The Ballad of Finiúin and Fedelmid is a folk ballad that was written in 803 AB by the bard Ruiseart MacRuiseart that tells of the love story between Fedelmid the Fair and The Nymph of Teordach, as he claims was told to him by Finiúin herself in the weeks before her death. Regardless of the authenticity of this claim or the accuracy of the ballad, its masterful rhyming schemes and captivating plot caused a resurging interest in the original tale it was inspired by.In Art
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