The War of Inis-Thona by James Macpherson
In "The War of Inis-Thona," Ossian looks back on his lost youth and recalls the day his son Oscar asked Fingal for leave to fight in the distant land of Inis-thona. Oscar fears he will pass like mist, unknown to bards, and hopes to win a name in song. Fingal grants his wish, urging him to be a roaring storm in battle and mild as the evening sun in peace. He tells him to remind Inis-thona's king that Fingal remembers their youth, in the days of Agandecca. Oscar sails to Runa's bay and sends Fingal's sword to Annir. The aged king weeps at the sight, remembering how he and Fingal once contended for Agandecca. Annir explains that he has no son to greet the guest: Argon and Ruro lie dead, and his daughter has been carried off by a husband who commands ten thousand spears. After three days of feasting, the heroes hunt boars, and Annir shows Oscar the tombs of his sons beside a mossy fountain. Annir tells how Cormalo, a chief from the waters of Lano, came to Runa's halls and sought the honor of the spear. Cormalo defeated Annir's heroes and won the love of his daughter. Argon then defeated Cormalo in single combat. Cormalo, swollen with the grief of pride, shot both brothers in secret with arrows while they hunted. He then fled with the maid over the desert. Annir found his sons only when their dog Runa howled and led him to the place where they lay. Oscar calls Ronnan and Ogar and the heroes of Morven to march on Lano. They come like stormy clouds, and Oscar's battle horn shakes the lake. Oscar kills Cormalo, and the people of Lano flee to their secret vales. He brings Annir's daughter back to the halls of Runa, and Annir blesses him. Ossian recalls his joy at seeing his son's returning sail. The heroes bring Oscar to Selma with songs, where Fingal holds a feast and a thousand bards praise his name. The daughter of Toscar sings. Ossian then asks to be laid near a rock among hazels and an oak, and asks her to play the harp so that sleep may bring back the dreams of his youth and the days of Fingal.
By James Macpherson · First published 1765 · Genre: Epic poetry, Heroic poetry, Elegy · 2,017 words
First lines
Argument. Reflections on the poet's youth. An apostrophe to Selma. Oscar obtains leave to go to Inis-thona, an island of Scandinavia. The mournful story of Argon and Ruro, the two sons of the king of Inis-thona. Oscar revenges their death, and returns in triumph to Selma. A soliloquy by the poet himself.
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Genres
- Epic poetry — The excerpt is a sustained narrative of voyages, battles, feasts, and the deeds of named heroes across generations, in the manner of Homeric and Virgilian epic, and it belongs to the Fingalian epic cycle.
- Heroic poetry — Its central focus is martial valor, the young warrior Oscar's combat against Cormalo, and the ideal of fame won through battle, which are core concerns of heroic verse.
- Elegy — Its grief for the dead sons Argon and Ruro, the lament at their tomb, and the poet's meditations on mortality and lost youth are characteristic of the elegiac mode.
- Lament — The story of Annir mourning his sons, with their tomb by the mossy stream and his tears that never stop, follows the Gaelic lament tradition (caoineadh) of sorrow over a fallen household.
Tags
Ossian · Oscar · Fingal · Selma · Morven · Inis-Thona · Scandinavia · Lano · Annir · Cormalo · Agandecca · Argon and Ruro
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The War of Inis-Thona is listed on Textopian as a poem by James Macpherson, dated 1765 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: James Macpherson
- Date: 1765 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Epic poetry, Heroic poetry, Elegy, Lament, Mythological literature
- Length: 2,017 words
- Structure: 1 section, 19 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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