School: Baile an Ghaorthaidh, Cluain Meala

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1. Story - The Twelve Horned Women of Slieve na mBan

   

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   Story: THE TWELVE HORNED WOMEN OF SLIEVE NA mBAN
   There was once a very untidy woman who lived in a very untidy house. Nothing was in its proper place, and there was a proper place for nothing.

   One night she was going to bed leaving the kitchen very untidy, with the kettles, pots, brush and chairs scattered about the floor, and the water that she washed her children’s feet in was left in the basin. A knock came to the door. She opened it and in stepped a woman with a horn on her head followed by another with two horns, and so on until there were twelve women, each with a horn more on her head than the one who went in before her. She asked the woman of the house for a drink of water, but said she had not any. They were very angry with her and were going to kill her. But she said she would go to the well for some. So she took the bucket and went to the well. As she bent down to take up some water, a voice from the well said to her, “These women are going to kill you for your untidiness. So when you go home leave the bucket of water at the door and run about shouting and screaming, “Slieve na mBan Mountain is a fire and all that’s in it”. The voice also told her that she was to clean the house when the women were gone away. It said to her, “Put everything in its proper place, throw out the feet water, and lock the door so that when the horned women come back

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0501*: “The Fairy Hill is on Fire!”

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mrs J. Hayes

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ballingeary East, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   Mr William Tierney

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Chamberlainstown, Co. Tipperary