One day Beira gave the princess a brown fleece and said, "You must wash this in a running stream until it is pure white."
Bride took the fleece and went outside the castle. She began to wash it in a pool below a waterfall. All day long she labored at the work, but to no purpose. She found it impossible to wash the brown color out of the wool.
When evening came on, Beira scolded the girl and said, " You are a useless hussy. the fleece is as brown as when I gave it to you."
"All day long I have washed the evil tidings you bring me!" Said Bride.
Berea Cried, "Begone from my sight!!!!!!!!"
Bride turnes away, but not in sorrow. She felt in her heart that the winter would soon pass, and Beira's reign would soon end.
Meanwhile Beira summoned her eight hag servants and spoke to them. "Ride to North; ride to South; ride to East; ride to West, and I will ride forth also. Smite the world with frost and tempest so that no flower may bloom and no grass blade survive. I am waging war against all growth!!!!"
Whence spoke thus, the eight hags mounted on the backs of shaggy goats and rode forth to do her bidding. Beira went forth also, grasping in her right hand a black, magic hammer. On that night a great tempest lashed the ocean to a fury and brought terror to ever corner of the land.
Now the reason why Beira kept Bride a prisoner was because her fairest and dearest son, Angus, the ever young, had fallen in love with her. He was called the ever young because age never came near him and all winter long he lived in on the island of the west which is also known as the isle of youth.
When Angus first woke he spoke to the king of the green Isle. Last night I dreamed a dream and saw a beautiful princess whom I love. Tears fell from her eyes and I spoke to a old man who stood near her. I asked the old man 'Why does she weep?' The old man answered, 'She weeps because she is held captive by Beira who treats Her with much cruelty.' I looked again at the princess and said, 'Fain would I set her free.' Then I awoke. Tell Me O King who is the princess and where shall I find her?"
"The Fair Princess whom you saw is Bride, and in the days when you will be King of Summer, she will be your Queen. Of this you mother , Queen Beira, has full knowledge, and it is her wish to keep you away from Bride so that her own Reign will be prolonged. Tarry here O Angus until the followers begins to grow and then you shall set free the beautiful Bride," The King answered.
Said Angus, "Fain would I go forth at once to search for Her."
"The wolf-month (February) has now come ," the King said . "Uncertain is the temper of the wolf."
Said Angus, " I shall cast a spell on the sea and a spell on the land and borrow for February three days from August."
He did as he said he would. He borrowed three days from August, and the ocean slumbered peacefully while the sun shone brightly over mountain and glen. Then Angus mounted his white steed and rode east ward to Scotland over the isles over The Minch and reached the Grapains. He was clad in raiment of shining gold and from his shoulders hung his royal robe of Crimson.
An aged bard looked eastward, and when he beheld fair Angus he lifted up his Harp and sang a song of welcome and the birds of the forest sang with him.
Up and down the land Angus went , but he could not find Bride
anywhere. The Fair princess beheld him in a dream, however, and knew that he
longed to set her free, When she awoke she shed tears of joy, and on the
place where Her tears fell sprang violets, and they were as blue as her eyes
Beira was angry when she came to know that Angus was searching for Bride, and on the third evening of his visit She raised a great Tempest which drove him back to the Green Isle. But he returned again and again and at length he discovered the castle in which the Princess was kept a prisoner.
Then Came the day when Angus met Bride in a Forrest near the castle. The violet were in bloom and soft yellow primroses opened their eyes of wonder to gaze on the prince and princess. When they spoke one to another the birds raised their sweet voices in song and the Sun Shone big and bright. Said Angus "Beautiful princess I beheld you in a Dream weeping with tears of sorrow"
Then Bride Said "Mighty Prince. I Beheld you in a Dream riding over bend and though Glens and Beauty and power." Said Angus ;"I have come to rescue you from queen Beira, who has kept you captive all winter long." Bride Said : " To me this is a day of Great joy." Said Angus: " It will be a day of Great joy to all mankind ever after this."
That is why the first day of Spring the day on which Angus found the Princess, it is called Brides day.
Through the forest came a fair company of Fairy ladies who hailed Bride as Queen and bade welcome to Angus. then The Fairy queen waved her hand and Bride was transformed. As swiftly as the bright sun springs out from behind a dark cloud shedding Beauty all round so swiftly did clothing did Bride appear in new splendor Instead of ragged clothing she wore a white robe adorned with spangles of shinning silver. Over her heart gleamed a Star that gleamed as bright a the joy that Angus had brought Her. This Gem is called the Guiding star of Bride. Her Golden Brown hair which hug around to her waistline gleaming curls was decked with fair spring flowers-snowdrops and daises and prim roses and violets blue were her eyes and her face had the redness and the whiteness of the wild rose of peerless beauty and tender grace. In her right hand she carried a white wand entwined with golden corn stocks and in her left a golden horn which is called " a horn of plenty"
The linnet was the first forest bird that hailed Bride in her Beauty, and the Fairy queen said " Ever after this you shall be called the Bird of Bride" On the Sea shore the first bird that chirped with joy was the oyster catcher." And he was made the page of Bride.
Then the Fairy Queen led Angus and Bride her Green roofed underground palace in the midst of the forest. As they went forward they came to a river of ice. Bride put her fingers on the ice and the ice hag shrieked and fled!
A great feast was held in the place of the Fairy queen, and it was the Marriage feast of Bride, for Angus and she were wed. The Fairies Danced and sang with joys, and all the world moved and danced with them, this was how the first Festival of Bride came to be. Spring has come the Shepherds cried: and the y drove their flocks on the moor, where they counted and blessed.
"Spring as come," cried the Raven, and flew off to find moss for nest The rook heard and followed her. And the wild duck rose from amidst the reeds crying "Spring has come!!!"
Bride came forth from the Fairy palace with Angus and waved her hand while Angus repeated magic spells. Then Greater Growth was given to the grass, and all the world hailed Angus and Bride as King and Queen Although they were not beheld by mankind, yet their presence was everywhere felt through out Scotland.
Beira was angered when she found out that Angus found Bride. She seized her hammer and smote the ground unceasingly until it was frozen hard as iron. No herb or blade of Grass could grow....terrible was her wrath when she beheld the grass growing again. She knew well that Angus and Bride were married. Her Authority would pass away. It was her desire to keep the throne as long as possible.
"Angus is Married, hail to Angus! ' they sang.
Her Hags mounted their Shaggy goats and rode forth to do her bidding. Beira mounted a black steed and set forth out. She rode fast she rode hard. Black clouds swept over the sky as she rode on until at length she came to the forrest in which the fairy queen had her dwelling. All the Shide fled in terror into their green mound and the doors were shut.
Angus looked up and beheld Beira drawing nigh he leapt up on the back on his white steed and lifted his young bride into the saddle in front of him and fled. Angus rode westward over the ravine on the island Tiree, and Beiras Black Steed jumped across while pursuing the steed of Angus.
The hoofs of the black Steed made a gash on the rocks to this day the ravine is called "the horses leap".
Angus escaped to the Green isle of the west and there passed happy days with Bride. But he longed to return to Scotland and reign again as the King of summer. Again and again he crossed the sea and each time he reached the the land of glens and bends the sun broke forth in brightness and the birds sang to welcome him.
Beira raised storm after storm to drive him away. First she called on the wind named " the whistle", which blew high and shrill and bought down rapid showers of cold hail stones. It lasted for three days, which blew high and shrill, and brought down bitterness throughout the length and breadth of Scotland, Sheep and lambs were killed on the moors, and horse and cows perished also.
Angus fled but he returned soon again, The next wind that Beiraraised to prolong her winter reign was the sharp billed wind which is called "Gabon" it was lasted nine days and all the land was pierced by it, Angus returned and She raised the eddy wind which is called the "sweeper". Its whirling gusts tore branches from trees bright flowers from stalks. All the time it blew Beira kept beating the ground with her hammer to keep the grass from growing. But her efforts were in vain. Beira turned away, wearied by her efforts the sun sprang forth in splendor . The small modest prim roses opened their petals in the sunshine looking forth from cozy nooks that the wind called the sweeper was unable to reach. Angus fled but he return again.
Beira was not yet however with out hope. Her efforts had brought disaster to mankind. Weeks of leanness came on food became scarce. The fisherman were unable to venture to the sea on account of the tempests and could get no fish. In the nighttime Beira and her hags entered the dwellings of mankind and stole always their stores of food. It was Indeed, a sorrowful time.
Angus was moved with pity for mankind, and tried to fight the Hags of Beira. But the Fierce Queen raised the "Gales of Complaint" to keep him away. And they raged in fury until the first week of March. Horse and cattle died for want of food, Because the wind blew down stacks of fodder and scattered them over locks and the ocean.
Angus however waged a fierce struggle against the hag's at length he drove them away to the north.
Beira was greatly alarmed, and she made her last great effort to subdue the forces of spring, she waved her magic hammer and smote the clouds with it. Northward she rode and gathered her servants together saying " all of you ride southward and Scatter our enemies before us."
Out of the bleak dark north they rode in a single pack with them came the great black Tempest. It seemed then as if winter had returned in full strength But even Beira and hags would have to rest. On a dusky eve they crouched on the side of a bare mountain ,and when they did a sudden calm fell over the land and the sea. 'Ha! ha! laughed the wild duck who hated the hag "ha! ha! I am still alive, and so are my six ducklings".
"have patience," ansewerd the hag. "I am not done yet"!
That night she borrowed three days from winter three days which had not bee used for Angus, when he had borrowed three days from August. Three sprits of the borrowed days were tempest sprits and came towards Beira mounted on Black wild hogs. She spoke to them saying, "long have you been bound! Now I set you at liberty."
One after another on each of the tree days , the sprits went forth riding the black hogs. They brought snow hail and fierce blasts of wind. Snow whitened moors filled the furrows of plowed land rivers rose in flood and great trees were shattered and up rooted.
The duck was killed and so were her ducklings, sheep cattle perished and many Humans were killed on land and drowned at sea.
The days on which this these things happened are called '"three hog days".
Beira's reign was now drawing to a close. She found herself unable to combat any longer against the power of the new life that was rising in every vein of the land . The weakness of extreme old age crept up on her. And longed once again to drink of the waters of the well of the Youth.
When. on a Bright March morning, she beheld Angus riding over the hills on his steed Scattering Her Hag servants before him, she fled away in despair. Ere she went and threw her magic hammer beneath a holly tree and that the reason why no grass grows under holly trees.
Beira's black Steed went northward. As it leapt over loch Etive it left the marks of its hoofs on the rocky side of the mountain and they are called " the horse shoes". She did not reign up her steed until she reached the island of Skye where she found the rest on the summit of the "old wives ben". (Ben-e-Cailich) at Broadford. There she sat gazing steadfastly across the sea waiting until day and night are equal length. All that equal day she wept tears of sorrow for her lost power and when night came she went westward over the sea to the green island. At dawn of that day that she drank the waters of youth.
On that day which is equal length with the night, Angus came to Scotland with Bride and they were hailed as king and queen of the unseen beings. They rode from south to north in the morning and east and west in the afternoon and evening. A gentile wind went with them blowing towards the north from the dawn till midday and towards the south from midday till sunset.
It was on that day that Bride dipped her fair white hands in the high river and lochs which still retained ice. When she did the ice hag fell into a deep sleep which she could not awaken from until summer was over and past . The grass grew quickly after Angus began to reign as king. Seeds were sown, and the people called on Bride to grant them good Harvest.
Ere long the whole land was beautiful with spring flowers of ever
hue.
Angus had a harp of gold with silver strings, and when he played on it
youths and maidens followed the sound of the music throughout the woods.
Bards sang his Praises and told that he kissed lovers, and that hovered
round their heads and sang sweet songs of love, and whispered. memories
dear. It was thus that one Bard sang of him,