Adventures of Gilla Na Chreck An Gour facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adventures of Gilla Na Chreck An Gour |
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Gilla Na Chreck An Gour (The Fellow in the Goatskin) meets a man on the road. Illustration by Willy Pogány (1916).
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| Folk tale | |
| Name | Adventures of Gilla Na Chreck An Gour |
| Also known as | The Lad With the Goat-skin |
| Data | |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | ATU 650 (Strong John) |
| Region | Ireland |
| Published in |
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| Related | Strong Hans |
Adventures of Gilla Na Chreck An Gour (which means "The Fellow in the Goatskin") is an exciting Irish fairy tale. It was first written down by a folklorist named Patrick Kennedy in his book Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts in 1866. Later, the Irish poet Alfred Perceval Graves also included it in his Irish Fairy Book in 1909. Another version, called The Lad with the Goat-Skin, was published by Joseph Jacobs in his Celtic Fairy Tales.
This story is known around the world! It's classified in a special system for fairy tales, the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, as ATU 650A, which is often called "Strong John" stories.
Contents
The Story of Gilla Na Chreck An Gour
In the town of Enniscorthy, there lived a very poor woman and her son. He was often called an "ash-lad" because he spent so much time by the warm fireplace. When he was 19 years old and very tall, his mother gave him a goat-skin to wear around his waist.
Meeting the Giants
One day, his mother sent him to the forest to gather wood. There, he met a huge, nine-foot-tall giant! Gilla was brave and spared the giant's life. In return, the giant gave him a powerful club.
When Gilla went to the forest again, he met a giant with two heads. This giant gave Gilla a magical fife (a type of flute) that could make anyone dance! On his third trip, he met a three-headed giant. This giant gave him a special "green ointment" that made him immune to burns, wounds, and scalding.
The Princess Who Couldn't Laugh
Later, Gilla traveled to a big city. He heard that the King of Dublin's daughter hadn't laughed in seven years. Gilla decided he would try to make her laugh three times. He used his magical fife to make a scary wolf dance, which was very funny!
That same night, the king told Gilla he needed a strong flail (a weapon used in battle) to fight off the Danes who wanted to invade Dublin. So, Gilla bravely journeyed all the way to the "walls of hell" and convinced the devils to lend him the powerful flail.
A Royal Wedding
Back at the palace, Gilla had a rival named Redhead. Redhead tried to use the flail but failed completely, making a huge, clumsy mess. This sight was so funny that the princess finally burst out laughing! She laughed so hard that she accepted Gilla as her husband. The Danes, hearing rumors of Gilla's powerful flail, became so scared that they gave up their plans to invade Dublin.
What's in a Name?
The hero's name, Gilla Na Chreck An Gour, is very interesting! Folklorists like Jeremiah Curtin explained that Gilla na Grakin (or Gilla na g-croicean) means "the fellow of the skins." It often referred to a servant boy. This name was quite popular in Celtic stories.
The name can also be written in Gaelic in different ways, like Gille nan Cochla-craicinn. All these names mean "The Lad of the Skin-Coverings" or "The Lad of the Skinny Husks." These "skinny husks" could mean animal skins that give someone magical powers, or simply clothes made from animal skin.
Sometimes, this name is used by another famous hero, Ceudach or Céadach, in popular Fenian folk-tales. He might use it to hide who he really is, or a king or his wife might give him the name.
Other Versions of the Story
Many different versions of Gilla's story exist!
Gilly and his Goatskin Clothes
In an American version called Gilly and his Goatskin Clothes, Gilly is a poor widow's son who sleeps in ashes. He gets a goatskin from a crippled goat. In the forest, he meets three giants. One gives him a fife that makes everyone dance. The second gives him a special salve that protects him from harm. The third gives him a giant club. Gilly then goes to the royal city to make the princess laugh, just like in the Irish tale.
Adaptations
The famous Irish writer Padraic Colum retold many Irish legends in his book The King of Ireland's Son. He included the story of the Fellow in the Goatskin. In his version, Gilly of the Goatskin is actually Flann, the secret royal son of the King of Ireland. Colum wove together different tales to create a complex story. A wise woman reveals Gilly's true royal background because he has a star-shaped birthmark on his chest. This is a common sign in fairy tales that shows a hero or heroine is of royal blood!
