This story is called: The Clown in
the Light Grey Coat. It was a very
important and well-known story
among Gaelic-speakers in the past
and there are both Irish and Scottish
versions of it. I first came across
this story in Joe Neil MacNeil’s
Sgeul gu Latha/Tales Until Dawn as
“The Man In the Light Gray Coat”/
“Fear a’Chota Liathghlais”. It
seemed to hint of this “man” being
of great importance and it really
bothered me at the time that I had,
and would have, no idea of its
meaning. Now, I think I understand
it very well. The following is an
English-language version from the
Dublin Penny Journal, that was
published in 1840. This story would
be part of what the Irish called the
Fiannaigheachd (or Irish: an
Fhiannáicht), which are stories that
involved Finn MacCool (Fionn Mac
Cumhaill). Finn MacCool was a
sort of primitive Robin Hood, a
powerful hero who fought monsters
and rescued people. His men were
the Fenians or the Fian. A couple of
them are mentioned in this story,
Conan who typically expresses in-
appropriate opinions, and the lesser-
known Caoilte, who is mainly known
simply as a fast runner. Often in Irish
stories, the Fenians are imagined
to be and described as an army, but
in Scottish material they appear to be
just a hunting party. Usually when
Finn MacCool is approached by a
gigantic stranger and offers to
help, it is a trap set by a villain
seeking to trick and kill him. In this
case, the giant truly wants to help
Finn, which reflects the duel feelings
the people towards monstrous amoral
creatures, who could sometimes be
nice and helpful.
The story:
On a certain day a fair and a gather-
ing were held at Bineadar, by the
seven ordinary and seven extra-
ordinary battalions of the Fenians
of Erinn. In the course of the day, on
casting a look over the broad expanse
of the sea, they beheld a large smooth-
sided, and proud-looking ship plough-
ing the waves from the east and ap-
proaching them under full sail. When
the capacious vessel touched the shore
and lowered her sails, the Fenians of
Erinn counted upon seeing a host of
men disembark from her; and great
was their surprise when one warrior,
and no more, came out of the ship
and landed on the beach. He was a
hero of the largest make of body, the
strongest of champions, and the
finest of the human race; and in this
wise was the kingly warrior equip-
ped: – an impenetrable helmet of
polished steel encased his ample and
beautiful head; a deep-furrowed,
thick-backed, sharp-edged sword
hung at his left side; and a purple
bossed shield was slung over his
shoulder. Such were his chief ac-
coutrements; and armed in this
fashion and manner did the stranger
come into the presence of Finn Mac
Colle and the Fenians of Erinn.
It was then that Finn, the King of
the Fenians, addressed the heroic
champion, and questioned him,
saying, “From what quarter of the
globe hast thou come unto us, O
goodly youth? Or from which of
the noble or ignoble races of the
universe art thou sprung? Who art
thou?”
“I am,” answered the stranger,
“Ironbones, the son of the King of
Thessaly; and so far as I have travelled
on this globe, since the day that I left
my own land, I have laid every coin-
try, peninsula, and island under con-
tribution to my sword and my arm;
this I have done even to the present
hour; and my desire is to obtain the
crown and tribute of this country in
like manner: for if I obtain them not,
I purpose to bring slaughter of men
and deficiency of heroes and youth-
ful warriors on the seven ordinary
and seven extraordinary battalions of
the Fenian host. Such, O king, is the
object of my visit to this country, and
such is my design in landing here.”
Hereupon uprose Conan the Bald,
and said, “Of a truth, my friend, it
seems to me that you have come up-
on a foolish enterprise, and that to
the end of your life, and the close of
your days, you will not be able to
accomplish your purpose; because
from the beginning of ages until now,
no man ever heard of a hero or ever
saw a champion coming with any
such mighty design to Ireland, who
did not find his match in that same
country.”
But Ironbones replied: “I make but
very little account of your speech,
Conan,” said he: “for if all the Fenian
heroes who have died within the last
seven years were now in the world,
and were joined by those who are now
living, I would visit all of them with
the sorrow of death and show all of
them the shortness of life in one day;
nevertheless I will make your warriors
a more peaceful proposal. I challenge
you then, O warriors, to find me a man
among you who can vanquish me in
running, in fighting, or in wrestling; if
you can do this, I shall give you no
further trouble, but return to my own
country without loitering here any
longer.”
“And pray,” inquired Finn, “which
of those three manly exercises that you
have named will it please you to select
for the first trial of prowesss?”
To this Ironbones answered, “If
you can find for me any one cham-
pion of your number who can run
faster than I can, I will give you no
further annoyance, but depart at
once to my own country.”
“It so happens,” said Finn, “that our
Man of swiftness, Kettle Mac Ronan, is
not here at present to try his powers of
running with you; and as he is not, it
were better, O hero, that you should
sojourn here a season with the Fenians,
that you and they may mutually make
and appreciate each other’s acquaint-
ance by means of conversation and
amusements, as is our wont. In the
meanwhile I will repair to Tara of the
Kings in quest of Keelte Mac Ronan;
and if I have not the good fortune to
find him there, I shall certainly meet
with him at Ceis-Corann of the Fenii,
from whence I shall without delay
bring him hither to meet you.”
To this Ironbones agreed, saying
Finn proposed; and thereupon Finn
proceeded on his way towards Tara
of the Kings, in search of Keelte.
Now, it fell out that as he journeyed
along he missed his way, so that he
came to a dense, wide, and gloomy
wood, divided in the midst by a
broad and miry road or pathway.
Before he had advanced more than
a very little distance on this road, he
perceived coming directly towards
him an ugly, detestable-looking
giant, who wore a grey frize coat,
the skirts of which reached down to
the calves of his legs, and were be-
spattered with yellow mud to the
depth of a hero’s hand; so that
every step he made, the lower part
of that coat struck with such vio-
lence against his legs as to produce
a sound that could be distinctly
heard a full mile of ground off. Each
the two legs that sustained the un-
wieldy carcass of this horrible hide-
ous monster was like the mast of a
great ship, and each of the two shoes
that were under his shapeless, horny,
long-nailed hoofs, resembled a roomy
long-sided boat; and every time that
he lifted his foot, and at every step
that he walked, he splashed up
from each shoe a good barrelful of
mire and water on the lower part of
his body. Finn gazed in amazement
at the colossal man, for he had never
before seen anyone so big and bulky;
yet he would have passed onward
and continued his route, but the
giant stopped and accosted him,
and Finn was under the necessity of
stopping also, and exchanging a few
words with the giant.
The giant began in this manner: –
“What, ho! Finn Mac Coole,” said he,
“what desire for travelling is this that
has seized on you, and how far do you
mean to go upon this journey?”
“Oh,” said Finn, “as to that, my
trouble and anxiety are so great that I
cannot describe them to you now, and
indeed small is the use,” added he,
“it would be of to me to attempt doing
so; and I think it would be better for
you to let me go on my way without
asking any more questions of me.”
But the giant was not so easily put
off. “O Finn,” said he, “you may keep
your secret if you like, but all the loss
and the misfortune attending your si-
lence will be your own; and when you
think well upon that, maybe you would
not boggle any longer about disclosing
to me the nature of your errand.”
So Finn, seeing the huge size of the
giant, and thinking it advisable not to
provoke him, began to tell him all that
had taken place among the Finians of
Erinn so short a time before. “You must
know,” said he, “that at the meridian
hour of this very day the great Iron-
bones, the son of the King of Thessaly,
landed at the harbour of Bineadar, with
the view of taking the crown and sover-
eignty of Ireland into his own hands;
and if he does not obtain them with the
free and good will of the Irish, he
threatens to distribute death and
destruction impartially among the
young and old of our heroes; howbeit he
has challenged us to find a man able to
surpass him in running, fighting, or
wrestling, and if we can find such a man,
then he agrees to forego his pretensions,
and to return to his own country without
giving us further trouble; and that,” said
Finn, “is the history that I have for you.”
“And how do you intend to oppose the
royal warrior?” asked the giant; “I know
him well, and I know he had the vigour
in his hand and the strength in his arm to
carry every threat he makes into effect.”
“Why, then,” said Finn, in answer to
this, “I intend to go to Tara of the Kings
for Keelte Mac Ronan, and if I do not
find him there, I will go to look for him
at Ceis-Corann of the Fenii; and it is he,”
said he, “whom I mean to bring with me
for the purpose of vanquishing this hero
in running.”
“Alas!” said the giant, “weak is your
dependence and feeble your champion for
propping and preserving the Monarchy of
Ireland; and if Keelte Mac Ronan be your
Tree of Defiance, you are already a man
without a country.”
“It is I, then,” said Finn, “who am
sorry you should say so; and what to do in
this extremity I cannot tell.”
“I will show you,” replied the gigantic
man: “just do you say nothing at all but
accept of me as the opponent of this champ-
ion; and it may happen that I shall be able
to get you out of your difficulty.”
“O,” said Finn, “for the matter
of that, it is my own notion that you
have enough to do if you can carry
your big coat and drag your shoes
with you one half-mile of ground in
a day, without trying to rival such a
hero as Ironbones in valour or
agility.”
“You may have what notions
you like,” returned the giant, but I tell
you that if I am not able to give battle
to this fighting hero, there never has
been and there is not now a man in
Ireland able to cope with him. But
never mind, Finn Mac Colle, let
not your spirits be cast down, for I
will take it on myself to deliver you
from the danger that presses on you.”
“What is your name?” demanded
Finn.
“Bodach-an-Chota-Lachtna is my
name,” the giant answered.
“Well, then,” said Finn, “you will
do well to come along with me.” So
Finn turned back, and the Bodach went
with him; but we have no account of
their travels till they reached Bineadar.
There, when the Fians beheld the
Bodach attired in such a fashion and
trim, they were all very much sur-
prised, for they had never before seen
the like of him; and they were greatly
over-joyed that he should make his
appearance among them at such a
critical moment.
As for Ironbones, he came before
Finn and asked him if he had got the
man who was to contend with him in
running. Finn made answer that he
had, and that he was present among
them; and thereupon he pointed out
the Bodach to him. But as soon as
Ironbones saw the Bodach, he was
seized with astonishment, and his
courage was damped at the sight of
the gigantic proportions of the mighty
man, but he pretended to be only very
indignant, and exclaimed, “What! Do
you expect me to demean myself by
engaging in a contest with such an
ugly, greasy, hateful-looking Bodach
as that? It is myself that will do no
such thing!” said he; and he stepped
back and would not go near the Bodach.
When the Bodach saw and heard this,
he burst into a loud, hoarse, thunderous
laugh, and said, “Come, Ironbones, this
will not do; I am not the sort of person
you affect to think me; and it is you that
shall have proof of my assertion before
to-morrow evening; so now, let me know,”
said he, “what is to be the length of the
course you propose to run over, for over
the same course it is my intention to
run along with you; and if I do not suc-
ceed in running that distance with you;
it is a fair conclusion that you win the
race, and in like manner if I do succeed
in outstripping you, then it stands to
reason that you lose the race.”
“There is sense and rationality in your
language,” replied Ironbones, for he saw
that he must submit, “And I agree to what
you say, but it is my wish not to have the
course shorter or longer than three score
miles.”
“Well,” said the Bodach, “that will
answer me too, for it is just three score
miles from Mount Loocra in Munster to
Beadar; and it will be a pleasant run for
the pair of us; but if you find that I am
not able to finish it before you, of course
the victory is yours”
Ironbones replied that he would not
contradict so evident a proposition,
whereupon the Bodach resumed: “What
it is proper for you to do now,” said he,
“is to come along with me southward to
Mount Loocra this evening, in order that
we may make ourselves acquainted with
the ground we are to go over tomorrow
on our return; and we can stop for the
night on the Mount, so that we may to
able to start with the break of day.” To
this also Ironbones acceded, saying
it was a judicious speech, and that he had
nothing to object to it.
Upon this the competitors commenced
their journey, and little was the delay they
made until they arrived at the Mount
Loocra in Munster. As soon as they had
got thither, the Bodach again addressed
Ironbones, and told him that he thought
their best plan would be to build a hut in
the adjoining wood, that so they might be
protected from the inclemency of the
night: “for it seems to me, O son of the
King of Thessaly,” said he, “that if we do
not, we are likely to have a hard couch
and cold quarters on this exposed hill.”
To this Ironbones made reply as thus:
“You may do so, if you please, O Bodach
of the Big Coat, but as for me, I am
mightily disinclined to give myself the
trouble of building a house hereabouts
only to sleep in it one night and never
see it again; howbeit, if you are desir-
ous of employing your hands there is
nobody to cross you; you may build, and
I shall stay here until you have finished.”
“Very good,” said the Bodach, “and
build I will; but I shall take good care
that a certain person who refuses to assist
me shall have no share in my sleeping-
room, should I succeed in making it as
comfortable as I hope to do;” and with
this he betook himself into the wood,
and began cutting down and shaping
pieces of timber with the greatest ex-
pedition, never ceasing until he had got
together six pair of stakes and as many
of rafters, which with a sufficient
quantity of brushwood and green
rushes for thatch, he carried, bound in
one load, to a convenient spot, and
there set them up at once in regular
order; and this part of his work being
finished, he again entered the wood,
and carried from thence a good load
of dry green sticks, which he kindled
into a fire that reached from the back
of the hut to the door.
While the fire was blazing merrily
he left the hut, and again addressing
his companion, said to him, “O son of
the King of Thessaly, called by men
Ironbones, are you provided with
provisions for the night, and have you
eatables and drinkables to keep you from
hunger and thirst?”
“No, I have not,” said Ironbones
proudly: “It is myself that used never
to be without people to provide victuals
for me when I wanted them,” said he.
“Well, but,” said the Bodach, “you
have not your people near you now, and
so the best thing you can do is to come
and hunt with me in the wood, and my
hand to you, we shall soon have enough
of victuals for both of us.”
“I never practiced pedestrian hunting,”
said Ironbones; “and with the like of you
I never hunted al all; and I don’t think I
shall begin now,” said he, in a very digni-
fied sort of way.
“Then I must try my luck by myself,”
said the Bodach; and off again he bound-
ed into the wood, and after he had gone
a littile way he roused a herd of wild
swine and pursued them into the recesses
of the wood, and there he succeeded in
separating from the rest the biggest and
the fattest hog of the herd, which he soon
ran down and carried to his hut, where he
slaughtered it, and cut it into two halves,
one of which he placed at each side of
the fire on a self-moving holly-spit. He
then darted out once more, and stopped
not until he reached the mansion of
the Baron of Inchiquin, which was thir-
ty miles distant, from whence he carried
off a table and a chair, two barrels of
wine, and all the bread fit for eating he
could lay his hands on, all of which he
brought to Mount Loocra in one load.
When he again entered his hut, he
found his hog entirely roasted and in
nice order for mastication; so he laid
half the meat and bread on the table,
and sitting down, disposed of them
with wonderful celerity, drinking at
the same time precisely one barrel of
the wine, and no more, for he reserved
the other, as well as the rest of the
solids, for his breakfast in the morn-
ing having thus finished his supper, he
shook a large bundle of green rushes
over the floor, and laying himself down,
soon fell in to a comfortable sleep,
which lasted until the rising of the sun
next morning.
As soon as the morning was come,
Ironbones, who had got neither food
nor sleep the whole night, came down
from the mountain’s side and awoke
the Bodach, telling him that it was time
to commence their contest. The Bodach
raised his head, rubbed his eyes, and
replied, “I have another hour to sleep
yet, and when I get up I have to eat half
a hog and drink a barrel of wine; but as
you seem to be in a hurry, you have my
consent to proceed on your way before
me: and you may be sure I will follow
you.” So saying, he laid his head down
and fell again a-snoring; and upon see-
ing this, Ironbones began the race by
himself, but he moved along heavily
and dispiritedly, for he began to have
great dread and many misgivings, by
reason of the indifference with which
the Bodach appeared to regard the
issue of the contest.
When the Bodach had slept his fill he
got up, washed his hands and face, and
having placed his bread and meat on the
table, he proceeded to devour them with
great expedition, and then washed them
down with his barrel of wine; after which
he collected together all the bones of the
hog and put them into a pocket in the
skirt of his coat. Then setting out on his
race in company with a pure and cool
breeze of wind, he trotted on and on, nor
did he ever halt on his rapid course un-
til he had overtaken Ironbones, who with
a dejected air and drooping head was
wending his way before him. The Bodach
threw down the bare bones of the hog
in his path, and told him he was quite
welcome to them, and that if he could
find him he was quite welcome to them,
and that if he could find any pickings
on them he might eat them, “for,” said
he, “you must surely be hungry by
this time, and myself can wait until you
finish your breakfast.”
But Ironbones got into a great pas-
sion on hearing this, and he cried, “You
ugly Bodach with the Big Coat, you
greasy, lubberly, uncouth tub of a man,
I would see you hanged, so I would,
before you should catch me picking
such dirty common bones as these–
hogs’ bones, that have no meat on them
at all, and have moreover been gnawed
by your own long, ugly, boarish tusks.”
“O, very well,” replied the Bodach,
“Then we will not have any more words
about them for bones; but let me re-
comments to you to adopt some more
rapid mode of locomotion, if you desire
to gain the crown, sovereignty, and
tributes of the kingdom of Ireland this
turn, for if you go on at your present
rate, it is second best that you will be
after coming off, I’m thinking.” And
having so spoken, off he darted as swift
as a swallow, or a roebuck, or a blast
of wind rushing down a mountain
declivity on a March day, Ironbones in
the meantime being about as much able
to keep pace with him as he was to
scale the firmament; nor did he check
his own speed until he had proceeded
thirty miles on the course. He then
stopped for a while to eat of the black-
berries which grew in great abundance
on the way, and while he was thus em-
ployed, Ironbones came up with him
and spoke to him. “Bodach,” said he,
“Ten miles behind us I saw one skirt
of your grey coat, and ten miles far-
ther back again I saw another skirt,
and it is my persuasion, and I am
clearly of the opinion, that you ought
to return for these two skirts without
more to do, and pick them up.”
“Is it the skirts of this big coat that I
have on me you mean?” asked the
Bodach, looking down at his legs.
“Why, to be sure it is them that I
mean,” answered Ironbones. “I tell
you I am decidedly resolved not to
loiter on the race; and my fixed deter-
mination is not to eat any black-
berries.”
“Then move on before me,” said
the Bodach, upon which Ironbones
pushed onward, while the Bodach,
retraced his steps to the different
spots where the skirts of his coat were
lying, and having found them and
tacked them to the body of the coat,
he resumed his route and again over-
took Ironbones, whom he thus ad-
dressed: “It is needful and necessary
that I should acquaint you of one thing,
O Ironbones, and that is, that you must
run at a faster rate than you have
hitherto used, and keep pace with me
on the rest of the course, or else there
is much likelihood and considerable
probability that the victory will go
against you, because I will not again
have to go back either for my coat-
-skirts or anything else;” and having
given his companion this warning, he
set off once more in his usual manner,
nor did he stop until he reached the
side of a hill, within ten miles of
Bineadar, where he again fell
a-plucking blackberries, and ate an
extraordinary number of them. When
he could eat no more, his jaws being
tired and his stomach stuffed, he took
off his great coat, and handling his
needles and thread, he sewed it into
the form of a capacious sack, which he
filled with blackberries; this he slung
over his shoulders, and then off he
scampered for Bineadar, greatly re-
freshed, and with the speed of a
young buck.
In the meantime Finn and his troops
were awaiting in great doubt and dread
the result of the race, though without
knowing who the Bodach was, they had
a certain degree of confidence in him;
and there was a champion of the Fenians
on the Hill of Howth, who had been sent
thither by Finn, and had been there
from an early hour of the morning to see
which of the competitors would make his
appearance first in view. When this man
saw the Bodach coming over the nearest
eminence, with his heavy burden on his
back, he thought that to a certainty it was
Ironbones whom he beheld, and fled
back quite terrified to Finn and the
troops, telling them Ironbones was
coming up, carrying the Bodach dead
over his shoulders. This news at first
depressed Finn and the troops; but
Finn by and bye exclaimed, “I will
give a suit of armour and arms to the
man who brings me better news than
that!” where-upon one of the heroes
went forth, and he had not proceeded
far when he espied the Bodach ad-
vancing towards the outposts of
the troops, and knowing him at a
glance, he flew back to Finn and
announced to him the glad tidings.
Finn thereupon went joyfully out
to meet the Bodach, who speedily
came up and threw down his burden,
crying out aloud, “I have good and
famous news for all of you; but,” added
he, “my hunger is great, and my desire
for food pressing; and I cannot tell you
what has occurred until I have eaten a
very large quantity of oatmeal and
blackberries. Now, as for the lat-
ter, that is, the blackberries, I have
got them myself in this big sack, but
the oatmeal I expect to be provided for
me by you; and I hope that you will
lose no time in getting it, and laying it
before me, for I am weak for the want of
nutriment, and my corporeal powers are
beginning to be exhausted.” Upon hear-
ing this Finn replied that his request
should be at once attended to, and in a
little space of time, accordingly, there
was spread under the Boadach a cloth
of great length and breadth, with a vast
heap of oatmeal in the middle of it, into
which the Bodach emptied out all the
blackberries in his bag; and having stir-
red the entire mass about for some time
with a long pole, he commenced eating
and swallowing with much vigour and
determination.
He had not been long occupied in
this way before he descried Ironbones
coming towards the troops with his hand
on the hilt of his sword, his eyes flaming
like red coals in his head, and ready to
commence slaughtering all before him
because he had been vanquished in the
contest. But he was not fated to put his
designs into execution, for when the
Bodach saw what wickedness he had
in his mind, he took up a handful
of the oatmeal and blackberries, and
dashing it towards Ironbones with an
unerring aim, it struck him so violently
on the face that it sent his head spinning
through the air half a mile from his body,
which fell to the ground and there re-
mained writhing in all the agonies of its
recent separation, until the Bodach had
concluded his meal. The Bodach then
rose up and went in quest of the head,
which after a little searching about he
found; and casting it from his hands
with an unerring aim, he sent it bowling
along the ground all the half mile back
again, until coming to the body it stop-
ped and fastened itself on as well as
ever, the only difference being that the
face was now turned completely the
back of the neck, while the back of
the head was in front.
The Bodach having accomplished this
feat much to his satisfaction, now
grasped Ironbones firmly by the middle,
threw him to the ground, tied him hand
and foot so that he could not stir, and
addressed him in these words: “O
Ironbones, justice has overtaken you: the
sentence your own vain mind had passed
on others is about to be pronounced
against yourself; and all the liberty that I
feel disposed to leave you is the liberty
of choosing what kind of death you think
it most agreeable to die of. What a silly
notion you did get into your noddle,
surely, when you fancied that you,
single-handed, could make yourself
master of the crown, sovereignty, and
tributes of Ireland, even though there
had been nobody to thwart your ar-
rogant designs by myself! But take com-
fort and be consoled, for it shall never
be said of the Fians of Ireland that they
took mortal vengeance on a single foe
without any warriors to back him; and
if you be a person to whom life is a de-
sirable possession, I am willing to allow
you to live, on condition that you will
solemnly swear by the sun and moon
that you will send the chief tributes of
Thessaly every year to Finn Mac Coole
here in Ireland.”
With many wry faces did Ironbones
at length agree to take this oath; upon
which the Bodach loosed his shackles
and gave him liberty to stand up; then
having conducted him towards the sea-
shore, he made him go into the ship, to
which, after turning its prow from the
shore, to which, after turning its prow
from the shore, he administered a kick
in the stern, which sent it seven miles
over the waters at once. And such was
the manner in which Ironbones ex-
ecuted his vain-glorious project, and
in this way it was that he was sent off
from the shores of Ireland, without
victory, honour, or glory, and deprived
of the power of ever again boasting
himself to be the first man on the
earth in battle or combat.
But on the return of the Bodach to
the troops, the sun and the wind
lighted up on side of his head in such
a way that Finn and the Fians at once
recognized him as Manannan Mac
Lir, the Tutelary Fairy of Cruachan,
who had come to afford them his
assistance in their exigency. They
welcomed him accordingly with all
the honour that was due to him, and
feasted him sumptuously for a year
and a day. And those are the ad-
ventures of the Bodach an Chota-
Lachtna.
Comments:
The word “clown” used in the title
of means basically “tramp”, it has
nothing to do with him being funny,
he is funny only from a viewpoint
that regards the poor and homeless as
“funny”. If you look at circus clowns
from the 1930s, you can see that their
unshaven faces, badly-fitting, cast-off
and ragged clothes and falling-apart
shoes were obviously meant to be
caricatures of tramps, who would wear
damaged clothing, or whatever clothes
they found or stole. So “clown” in this
instance can be seen to be simply a
description of a lowest class person.
Why would be this fairy or “super-
natural” being be identified with a
tramp? It has to do with the idea of it
“wandering”. Tramps wander, and
were famous for travelling on freight
trains all over North America before
World War II. Fairies also wander
and “the wandering fairy woman”
you hear mentioned in Gaelic oaths.
Fairies were believed to “wander”,
because they were seen in various
places, and believed to be the same
being. In the same way Bigfoot
was often believed to a single being
by the general public, like Santa Claus.
The only explanation the folk could
offer for the far-flung sightings of the
fairywoman is that she was travelling
or wandering to these various places.
Concerning the character’s name
in Irish Gaelic: Bodach na Chota-
Lachtna, “bodach” is not respectful
term, but it as not as mean-spirited as
the English version. I would translate
“bodach” to “geezer” or “guy,” a
being that is male, sometimes it ap-
pears to refer to a male fairy.
“Lachtna” means milk, or in this case
milky, and refers to his uncoloured
coat. In the Medieval Gaelic world,
people of status dyed their clothes
various colours, only the lowest class
could not dye their clothes. Like
Bigfoot, fairies are supposed to be
naked, which makes one suspect
that originally “the man” was covered
in gray hair. The Big Gray Man that
haunts the Highlands comes
to mind or the Welsh “Lloyd”.
He is, however, not a man at all,
and badly disguised as a human. He is
of enormous size and has super-
human abilities. He is a humanized
monster, identified with a tramp or
beggar to partly to explain why he is
wandering in a forest and partly to
confound the audience’s expectations
of him. I would simply describe him
as a fairy, the “King of the Fairies,”
he is a “king” only in the sense that
he was the biggest sort of fairy. This
is a common story of a god visiting
mortals in disguise, but as the pagan
times are past he is portrayed
humourously and disrespectfully, as
fairies often are in folk-tales. At the
end of the story he is even identified
as a god.
Only the Clown and Ironsides are
given a detailed description, and the
Clown in this story has is dress like a
1840s pauper, Ironsides seems more
equipped like an ancient warrior. There
is a typical timeless quality to Gaelic
folktales, due to their vagueness of
time and place which often lulls you
into thinking it is a contemporary tale.
Though the physical details of the
characters clash, it does not do much
harm to the story.
Similar to the characters’
physical description: the language of
this story is a confusion of high-falutin
gentlemanly 1840s English and literally
translated Gaelic. At first, I dreaded
having to read it myself, when when I
first discovered it, but reading it aloud,
I found it to be actually quite amusing,
especially the way the bodach's speech.
I think this is a very interesting example
of how a court story-teller might have
once told some of the stories we only
have today in folk versions, which are
very short and seem like summaries of
much longer tales.
The joke of the story is, how the
Clown is mistaken for a clown, when he
is superhuman, and at the end of the
story is even identified as a god. This
sort of misconception is the basis of
many a folk-tale. It can be seen as a
version of the Turtle and the Hare story.
The turtle, seeming hopelessly un-
qualified, and the Hare overconfident.
Another element that must have ad-
ded to its popularity is that the rival-
ry of the Clown and Ironsides could
have been viewed as a class struggle.
The Lower-class Clown defeating
the haughty nobleman.
Unlike written stories, this tale is
action-packed, characters all engaged in
physical activity and funny, and reminds
me of a Bugs Bunny cartoon: it is pop-
ular entertainment. I do not mean to de-
ride it as such, but just to inform you of
what spirit this Gaelic art form was
meant to be appreciated. The question
of why such epic comedies did not
survive in the Germanic languages is
an interesting one. They surely existed.
It must be due to tolerance of god-like
pagan characters.
© C.A. MacLennan 2026
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