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Hi, today I am going to tell you a story from irish folklore. It is called

The Children of Lir

King Lir has four children: a daughter called Fionnuala and three sons called Aodh,
Fiachra and Con.Their mother the Queen is dead, and the children are sad because they
miss her terribly. They miss the stories she tells them, the games she plays, and the
songs she sings at bedtime as she hugs them to sleep.
The king sees that his children are sad and need a mother, so he decides to marry again.
His new bride is called Aoife. She is beautiful, but she is not the kind-hearted person the
King thinks she is.

Aoife grows jealous of the four children because their father loves them so much. She
wants the king all to herself, so she plans to get rid of the children. She asks a druid to
help her, and together they think up a terrible spell.

In the castle grounds there is a lovely lake which the children spend most of their time
playing beside. One day Aoife goes with the children to the lakeside. As they play, she
pulls out a magic wand and waves it over them. There is a flash of light, and the
children vanish. In their place are four beautiful white swans.

One of the swans opens its beak and speaks with Fionnuala's voice: "Oh, what have you
done to us?" she asked in a frightened voice. “I have put a spell on you," replies Aoife.
"Now everything you have will be mine. You will be swans for nine hundred years. You
will spend three hundred years on this lake, three hundred years on the Sea of Moyle
and three hundred years on the Island of Glora. Only the sound of a church bell can
break the spell."
When the children do not come home that evening, the king goes to look for them. As
he comes near the lake, they swim up to him. He is amazed when they begin to call out.

"Father, father," they cry, "we are your children. Aoife has placed a terrible magic spell
on us."

The King races back to the castle and pleads with Aoife to change the swans back into
children, but she refuses. Now he sees how selfish she is and banishes her from the
kingdom. Lir promises a reward to anyone who can break the spell, but nobody knows
how.

Lir spends the rest of his life talking to his children, until he grows too old and dies. The
swans are heartbroken. they no longer sing or talk, and nobody comes to see them.

Three hundred years pass and it is time for the swans to move on to the cold and stormy
Sea of Moyle between Ireland and Scotland. It is a wild place and there is little food.
The years pass slowly.

When it is time for them to fly to the Isle of Glora the swans are old and tired. Although
it is warmer on the island and there is lots of food, they are still very lonely.
Licenciado para - Keila Maria da Silva Firmo - 80370977149 - Protegido por Eduzz.com

Then one day they hear the sound they waited nine hundred years for. It is the sound of
a church bell.

The bell is ringing in the tower of a little church. An old man called Caomhog, is
outside. He is amazed to hear the swans talking and listens to their sad story in
astonishment. Then he goes inside his church and brings out some holy water which he
sprinkles on the swans while he prays. As soon as the water touches them the swans
begin to change into old, old people.
Lir's children are frightened. Caomhog tells them about God and his love for all people.
They no longer feel scared. Fionnuala puts her arms around her brothers and they all fall
to the ground dead.
Caomhog buries them in one grave. That night he dreams that he sees four swans flying
up through the clouds and he knows that the children of Lir are at last on their way to
Heaven to be with their Mother and Father again.