beannach-nimhe

"Horned poison." A huge, venomous horned beast that roamed the Scottish Highlands. In the Lay of Magnus, the King of the Great World had a beannach nimhe and as long as the creature was alive, the king was alive. Magnus and Brodram, the king's son, went with a lion whelp to the beast, and the whelp put his paw in the hollow of the throat of the venomous horned beast. It fell dead, and so did the king. Thus Brodram became King of the Great World and Magnus got the blood, which he used to bring the White Gruagach back to life.

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References

Sources

  • Campbell, J.F. (1892). Popular tales of the west Highlands. Vol. 3. London: Alexander Gardner, pp. 378-379.
  • Rose, Carol. (2000). Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.