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Extracts From the Leabhar Glaodhach, the Book of Tears, being
the History of the Seal of Calum and the fall of the Sidhe.

At the end of Time, on the last Day of the Universe, the Great
Enemy sat alone and smiled his serpentine smile. Wearing his
satisfaction like a crown, he gazed across an Infinite night,
watching as each bruised and battered Galaxy flickered like a
candle flame and died.

Thus another cycle was brought to a crashing close, another
cycle dominated and tortured and fashioned in his own image,
another cycle in an unbroken chain of cycles in which his Will
had reigned unchallenged - and this, thought the Great Enemy,
was Good.

A final distant cluster of sad stars sighed and went out, and
the Enemy leaned back on his ebony throne and closed his eyes.

***

And from the darkness spoke a voice, saying: "Master Worm, Thou
Art Bound."

Slowly, then, did the seated figure open his dark, hooded eyes,
to see before him a tall and slender man-shape, clutching a
bundle in his arms. "And What" said the Enemy, "Art Thou?" "We
are Sidhe. We are the last Guard; We bring thee thy Chains..."
and the tall Sidhe thrust the bundle towards the throne.

The Great Enemy gasped as a pain travelled along his spine up-
wards to his serpents head; a vast, all-encompassing pain that
filled his being and he recoiled to press his agony against the
back of the seat. "Show Me" he hissed. The Sidhe removed an ob-
ject from the bundle and held it high. It flashed and sparkled
like a giant star; forbidding the eyes to look upon it direct-
ly.

"Behold, Calum's Seal" said the Sidhe. "Long did he toil fashi-
oning this Thing in places hidden from thee and now his Seal
binds Thee..." The Enemy slid down in his throne and curled
himself into a tight frozen ball, imprisoned by the brilliance
of the Seal.

In the remaining seconds before the birth of the next cycle,
the Sidhe spoke his last words to the bound Enemy. "Know this,
Master Worm, while this Seal is intact, Thou art Chained, and
know also that

Calum's gift will never be unguarded nor allowed to gather dust
in some dark niche nor left to the devices of thy servants,
this at the peril of the souls of our race and so do the Sidhe
make Oath..."

And so did a new Cycle begin...

***

The Sidhe took the Seal of Calum and hid it deep in an ancient
fastness, far beyond the ken of Mortal and Immortal alike.

And in a far distant place, the Great Enemy writhed in helpless
pain on his black throne, leaving a new Universe to pursue a
happier course.

Great were the civilisations that arose in that golden Cycle
and great were their works and the Sidhe were cherished by all
creatures. But, in time, the vigilance of the Sidhe lessened
and the servants of the Enemy crept once again into the green
fields and tall towers.

And there came a day when Carnival was in the air and the Sidhe
went abroad to look fondly on the celebrations. While their at-
tention was away from the fortress of the Seal, a thing of the
Enemy slid silently inside and seized Calum's gift.

In that moment, the Great Enemy and the Sidhe became aware of
this act; the Enemy sent forth all that was left of his Will to
render what aid he could to his servant; the Sidhe sprang to
their feet and returned with such speed as only they could ac-
hieve to their violated fortress.

So they arrived as the thief was approaching the door of the
keep and the Sidhe cried aloud in their anger - the thief wit-
hered and died in a single, sustained blast from those he had
robbed. But, in dying, he wrought more harm than he could have
dreamed, for the Seal was also blasted and shattered into four
pieces. Thus was the Great Enemy loosed from his timeless bon-
dage upon a Universe unguarded and ripe for Vengeance.

For the Oath of the Sidhe was shattered with the Seal and they
took the four pieces through a secret way and withdrew to their
first kingdom, which was the Otherworld, the Land of Youth,
called Tir Na Nog.

***

In vain, the Sidhe tried to re-forge the Seal, but the art of
Calum was lost with its master when he finally passed beyond
his Smithy to the Far Land, even though his hammer and his an-
vil he left for others to use.

Then, in their shame, the Sidhe were reduced and shrunken to
petty, dark creatures and their glory was remembered by few,
even amongst their own kind, but rather were they thought to be
of the Faery Folk and of little consequence.

The Seal was remembered by even fewer, but, from time to time,
a piece would emerge from Otherworld and take its place in Le-
gend; and, over the ages, the fragments were shaped by the le-
gends and became the legends; and this is how the parts of Seal
of Calum were known:

The first piece became Dagda's Cauldron, which was rumoured to
be ever the provider of food.

The second piece was known as the Spear of Lugh, which is said
to ensure victory.

The third piece became the Stone of Fal, which always hit any
target at which it was thrown, and later was said to shriek in
the presence of a lawful King.

The last piece was known as Nuada's Sword, which made its bea-
rer invincible, and allowed no escape to a fleeing enemy.

For the fragments of the Seal were separately named in their
re-shaping after the great of the Tuatha de Danann, the child-
ren of Danu, whom later men called Gods.

And so the Seal, though sundered, retained its power and the
power of the Whole was present in the parts, though they could
not be united.

***

Though the worlds were plunged into torment as the Enemy was
freed, so also in the same moment began the Age of Heroes.

The names of the Heroes were many and most drifted into the
mists of time with their mortality. Some gave their names to
cities and mountains, and will be remembered around the fires
of men till Cycle's End.

But the greatest Hero to walk abroad is remembered for the le-
ast of his works, for high in honour though his earthly deeds
were, his noblest acts were performed in places outside of the
knowledge of the Bards and so were unrecorded.

So let it be known that the name of the Greatest Hero was Cuc-
hulainn, who was also called the Hound of Heaven, and in Death
his deeds were mightier than in Life.

***

Many are the tales concerning the Hero Cuchulainn, though many
are untrue. Certainly, it is well known that he was at first
called Sedanta, but, since, as a boy, he had slain that giant
hound that guarded the lands of Culan (with his bare hands,
even, and then offering to take its place), he was thereafter
called the Hound or Culan's Hound or Cuchulainn (though, in fa-
miliarity, he was also called Cucuc).

And still, when he was but a youth, did he hear from Cathbhadh
the druid that any mortal that took arms on a certain day would
be a Hero and renowned forever but fated to be short-lived.
And, on such a day, Cuchulainn had broken fifteen sets of wea-
pons in their trying till he received those of the king him-
self, before departing to join his life as a Hero.

But, alas, the words of the Druid were truth. For, though he
drove back the Connachtmen and was proclaimed Champion by Cu
Roi the Sorceror God, and though he received the Secret Signs
of Ogham, yet, to his grief, he unknowingly killed his own son.
And so, at last, on the feast of Samhain, at the start of Win-
ter, did all his enemies bring Cuchulainn to his doom. By force
of arms and magic, he was grievously wounded. Then did he tie
himself to a pillar so that he might die upright as befits a
warrior and a Hero. In his final moments, the Morrighan and her
three sisters appeared as the Badhbh Chatha, the Battle Ravens,
and landed on his shoulders and thus, in bitterness was Cuchu-
lainn sent from the Land of the Living.

***

After his departure, the Hero became as a shade and wandered
long on the borders of the Afterworld, for he was unwilling to
leave the world of Men, still with all its troubles. So, kno-
wing much of the Lore and History of Cycles, he set upon a last
Quest.

And the Quest of Cuchulainn was this - to bring together the
fragments of the Seal of Calum and to re-unite them, for the
lightening of the burdens of the world and his own lasting glo-
ry. So he took himself to Mound of the Sidhe, and standing be-
fore the Altar of the Seal, he gazed upon the gateway to Tir Na
Nog...


Со всеми....
Anton Popov