He did not recover from
the disease, however, but died in 1086 (_Annals of Four Masters_).

VIII. HOW CIARAN SPOILED HIS MOTHER'S DYE (VG)

I have found no parallel to this most remarkable story. It displays
the following noteworthy points--

1. It belongs to the Ciaran-tradition which places the home of the
family in Cenel Fiachach.

2. It preserves what has every appearance of being an authentic
tradition of a prohibition against the presence of males, even of
tender years, when dyeing was being carried on.[12]

3. Most likely the saint's curse--indeed, the whole association of
the tale with Ciaran--is a late importation into the story: it was
probably originally a [Pagan] tale, told as a warning of what would
happen if males were allowed to be present at the mystery. The
different colours which the garments assumed are perhaps not without
significance; Sullivan, in his introduction to O'Curry's _Manners
and Customs_ (i, p. 405), says "the two failures ... are simply
the failures which result from imperfect fermentation and
over-fermentation of the woad-vat."

4. There is an intentionally droll touch given to the end of the
_Maerchen_.

5. The independence of parental control which the youthful Ciaran
displays will not escape notice.

_The Stanza._--This is written in a peculiar metre; two seven-syllable
lines, with trisyllabic rhymes, followed by two rhyming couplets of
five-syllable lines with monosyllabic rhymes.

_Iarcain_ is a word of uncertain meaning: it probably denotes the
waste stuff left behind in the vat.

IX. HOW CIARAN RESTORED A CALF WHICH A WOLF HAD DEVOURED (LA, LB, LC,
VG)

_Parallels._--Practically the same story is told of Abban (VSH, i, 24;
CS, 508) and of Colman (CS, 828). A similar story is told of Saint
Patrick (LL, 91), but it is not quite identical, inasmuch as here the
wolf voluntarily restored a sheep which it had carried off. Something
like this, however, is indicated in the Latin verse rendering of the
story (No. 2 of the Latin verse fragments at the end of LB). More
nearly parallel is the tale of Brigit (LL, 1250; CS, 19) who gave
bacon which she was cooking to a hungry dog; it was miraculously
replaced. A converse of this miracle is to be found in the Life
of Ailbe, who first restored two horses killed by lions, and then
miraculously provided a hundred horses for the lions to devour (CS,
239). Aed gave eight wethers to as many starving wolves, and they were
miraculo