The Red Dog (Madra Rua)

A traditional tale of love and loyalty

Once, well before my time and certainly well before your time, there lived a king and queen in the far North West of Ireland. They ruled their kingdom wisely and well, treating everyone they met fairly and with great respect. In return, they were held in high regard by their servants and subjects. All that is, except for Ukdelv, who lived in the neighboring kingdom. She was cruel and unkind to all who knew her, and especially jealous of the loyalty shown to the king and queen. 

Some people thought Ukdelv a witch and others thought her a bad fairy that had been banished from the fairy kingdom. There was no doubt that she held magical powers, but did not use them to do good in the world. In fact, the very opposite, she would often cast spells to be mean and spiteful. For the most part, people, including the king and queen, avoided her and did not seek her company.

Tuiren (Thir-en)

It came to pass that the king and queen had a baby daughter who they named Tuiren (Thir-en). As she grew up, Tuiren learned to read and write, to defend herself with a sword and to hunt in the forest surrounding the castle. Her parents made sure to teach her about the values of honesty, integrity, and friendship as well as being kind to all God’s creatures.

The years passed and Tuiren grew into a beautiful princess with long flowing red hair and a smile that captured the hearts of all she encountered. Many young princes came from near and far to seek her hand in marriage. Eventually, Tuiren chose Ullan, a shy man who was not boastful about his good looks or the lands he possessed. She thought him gentle and kind.

Their wedding day was a joyous occasion and it seemed as if the whole world had been invited, except for Ukdelv. On hearing of the celebration, she stormed into the Great Hall in a furious mood. She was dressed top to toe in a gown of black raven feathers trimmed with what looked like the bones of tiny creatures. As she moved, the gown swished and rattled so loudly that it silenced the merry guests, who drew back in fear.

The good king and the wicked witch

“What is this?’” she cawed in a throaty rasp, “a celebration and I haven’t been invited?” The king rose from his throne and approached Ukdelv. His face was ashen as he spoke. “My dear Ukdelv, apologies for not including you on the guest list. We thought you would have little interest in our celebration.”

“Little interest, little interest,” roared Ukdelv. “I like nothing better that a good party!” She spun round and set her beady eyes on the bride and groom.

“How pretty you look,” she said to the princess, narrowing her dark eyes. “Since I’m here, I shall bestow a special gift on your daughter.”

“No need,” beseeched the king, “stay and enjoy our festivities.” But Ukdelv ignored the king. Raising a bony finger and pointing at the princess, she proceeded to cast a spell on her.

“When the moon grows to twice its size and shines upon your pretty face,

you will no longer take human form but live your life as a dog!”

The assembled guests gasped in horror as Ukdelv uttered these words and poor Tuiren cried: “What have I ever done to upset or hurt you Ukdelv?”

“That’s just it,” laughed Ukdelv, “you are far too good to be human.” With a stony stare around the Great Hall like an enormous black raven searching for prey, she gave a throaty laugh which chilled all those present, and swept out of the Great Hall; the rattle of tiny bones fading into the distance.

The wedding festivities came to an abrupt end, as no-one felt like dancing or singing anymore. Tuiren’s new husband turned to her and said, “Never fear my love, for the moon shall never shine upon your lovely face as long as I am here to protect you.” From that day on, all windows and doors were closed tight at dusk so that not a sliver of moonlight could slip through.

Soon, Tuiren announced she was to have a child and the whole castle rejoiced with the news. But everything was to change one dark night. Tuiren awoke feeling hot and restless. She desperately wanted to feel the cool night air so, carefully checking there was no light from the moon, she slipped outside into the garden. How peaceful and quiet it was. The air was filled with the sweet scent of flowers and Tuiren bent down to pick a beautiful white rose. Just then, the moon appeared from behind a cloud. It was so big and bright that Tuiren couldn’t help but stare at it in wonder.

Ukdelv’s Spell

At once, she realized that she had activated the spell because her body began to change and, gradually, Tuiren turned from human form to that of a dog with long red shiny hair. Ashamed and saddened by letting her husband down after all his years of protection, she bounded out of the garden and out of the palace gates into the nearby forest.

In the morning, Ullan discovered that his wife had disappeared. He searched the place thoroughly but could not find her. It was only when he discovered paw prints in the garden that it dawned on him what had happened to her. Distraught, he followed the paw prints into the forest but, after searching for three days and three nights, there was still no sign of Tuiren.

Eventually, tired and hungry, Ullan came upon a cottage where a wise man, known as Niall, lived. He knew the ways of the forests and the mountains and made strange and powerful potions from the native plants that grew there. Some say he learned his trade from the fairy folk.

Niall invited Ullan in and provided a welcome supper of bread and cheese. When asked what brought Ullan to these isolated parts, he told Niall his story of how his wife Tuiren had been turned into a dog by the wicked Ukdelv. “Ah! Ukdelv has been up to her old tricks again,” said Niall.

“How can I help to break the spell for Tuiren?” sighed Ullan. “She is one of the kindest, most thoughtful people in the whole kingdom. She did nothing at all to upset Ukdelv.” The wise man was well aware of Ukdelv’s mischief. It had got her into trouble with the fairies and she took her revenge on humans whenever she got the opportunity. 

“You will find your wife soon enough, as long as she keeps well clear of old Fergus. He doesn’t much like people or dogs, and is likely to shoot anything that comes near his cottage. Keep following the paw prints and when you find your wife rub these herbs over her face.” Niall pushed a small bunch of sweet-smelling herbs into Ullan’s hands and he departed with hope in his heart.

Meanwhile, Tuiren had indeed traveled deep into the forest and found the cottage where Fergus lived. She attempted to make contact with him, but each time he threw stones at her and aimed his gun, so she kept a safe distance. Although, Ukdelv had succeeded in changing Tuiren’s shape, she could not change her nature. Tuiren waited patiently near the cottage and whined softly whenever Fergus appeared.

Eventually, Fergus threw scraps of food for the dog and she repaid him by bringing a stick for him to play ‘throw and catch’. Soon, Tuiren was allowed inside the cottage. She proved an excellent guard dog and would curl up by the fire in the evenings and listen to Fergus play the fiddle. He thought to himself that the dog is almost human. He called it Princess, not realizing that she really was a princess. 

Fergus was delighted when the dog gave birth to twin puppies and he named them Bran and Skolun. They were mischievous and playful, so much so, that Fergus became less grumpy and at times his laughter echoed through the forest. 

The sound of laughter attracted the attention of Ullan who followed it to a small cottage where he found Fergus playing with the three dogs. As soon as he saw the mother with her long red hair, he knew at once it was his wife. He called out “Tuiren, is that you?”. At once, the dog ran to him, put her paws on his shoulders and began to lick his face in a friendly greeting. Ullan knew at once he had found his wife and taking the bunch of herbs, he gently rubbed them on her face. Before their eyes, Tuiren gradually changed back to human form. Fergus was amazed at the sight and quickly explained how he got the dog. Ullan told him that Tuiren had fallen under a spell and thanked him for taking care of his wife. Bran and Skolun had been born puppies and never could be changed into humans, so it was agreed that Fergus could keep the puppies. They became his faithful hunting dogs and remained with Fergus for the rest of their days. 

As for Tuiren and Ullan, they returned home to the palace, happy to be reunited again. There was great rejoicing in the kingdom at Tuiren’s return. Prince Ullan and Princess Tuiren became parents to seven children. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that they also had an Irish Red Setter. So, if you ever see one, you will know why it has beautiful shiny red hair.