"I was a man indeed," said
he; "I am Cian, son of Cainte, and give me your protection now." "I
swear by the gods of the air," said Brian, "that if the life came back
seven times to you, I would take it from you every time." "If that is
so," said Cian, "give me one request: let me go into my own shape
again." "We will do that," said Brian, "for it is easier to me to kill a
man than a pig."
So Cian took his own shape then, and he said: "Give me mercy now." "We
will not give it," said Brian. "Well, I have got the better of you for
all that," said Cian; "for if it was in the shape of a pig you had killed
me there would only be the blood money for a pig on me; but as it is in
my own shape you will kill me, there never was and never will be any
person killed for whose sake a heavier fine will be paid than for
myself. And the arms I am killed with," he said, "it is they will tell
the deed to my son."
"It is not with weapons you will be killed, but with the stones lying on
the ground," said Brian. And with that they pelted him with stones,
fiercely and roughly, till all that was left of him was a poor,
miserable, broken heap; and they buried him the depth of a man's body in
the earth, and the earth would not receive that murder from them, but
cast it up again. Brian said it should go into the earth again, and they
put it in the second time, and the second time the earth would not take
it. And six times the sons of Tuireann buried the body, and six times it
was cast up again; but the seventh time it was put underground the earth
kept it.
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