Legend Of The Yellow Mosquito

Not long after the beginning of the 1st Century B.C. among the misty hills of Ireland one of my most obscure ancestor’s Angus O’Fallon and his family had been living off the land and waters for many generations...... His life though harsh was at times quite sublime because he lived near the famous home of Irelands most famous God, Dagda. Dagda and his charges lived in a Faire mound where time and other mortal limitations were unheard of. Dagda was blessed with a magic cauldron that produced an endless supply of wild boar meat and could restore any hero to full capacity after being mortally wounded in battle. Dagda’s life was grand and he was most respected and feared. Those who tasted his hospitality were treated to endless drinking of the fine Goibhniu’s Ale, this high powered ale was also given to Dagda in endless supply....

Rivers and streams were boiling with salmon and trout allowing Angus O’Fallon all the food and water he would need! This life of mutual respect and abundance went on for almost fifty years. Whenever Dagda encountered Angus he would rub a special fairy salve into his eye’s which allowed Angus to see Dagda and his splendid underworld in it’s reality, after a time the salve would wear off. Dagda liked Angus because he was grateful, humble, and never caught more fish then he would need to feed his family. This mutual admiration society came to an abrupt halt one morning when several of Dagda’s faire friends came across many salmon and trout that were caught and killed and left to rot on the shore of the local stream.

When Dagda heard the story of waste and disrespect he became angry and summoned Angus to his faire mound, “ Angus my friend was it you who killed the fish for nothing?” “ No my lord it was not I, that you can be assured!” “ You have been a good man to me and this land for many years Angus, it would pain me to think you have become greedy like most mortals?” “ No sir greed lives not in me or my family rest assured, I will find out who the trespasser is and bring him to you mighty Dagda!”

Many nights and days pass before Angus found a stranger near his favorite stream who was casting a peculiar bait that looked like an insect? Angus hid in the tall grass and watched as salmon after salmon rose and hit the odd feathered thing being thrown upon his own home waters. When it became clear this fishermen delighted only in the catching and killing of fish, Angus approached him in earnest, “ You sir are trespassing on my private stream and worst of all your killing salmon for the joy of it?”

“ I’m doing just that Laddy, it is my destiny to make sure these salmon fulfill their destiny!”

“ You sir must understand your also trespassing on the mighty Dagda’s property, his faire mound his palace Sidh Of Brug na Boinne is but yards from where we are standing, these fish are his fish sir!”

Laughter and knee slapping ensued as the stranger opened his leather pack and displayed his collection of flies tied with exotic feathers from deepest Africa and the Amazon.

“Feast your tired eyes upon these Laddy, your pathetic worms and grubs cannot compete with this piscatorial feast!”

“ These feathered things do look like insects, you created these things with your own hands sir?”

“ Of course not, only the secret chiefs, the anointed ones can create such fooling beasts. Poseidon and his loyal subjects in the underworld gave me these imitation creatures to fulfill a spell cast upon mighty Dagda. We begin by taking his bounty and next we take his powers, the cauldron and the endless ale. You go now and implore Dagda to willingly give up his powers before we take them!”

“ Yes, Angus we know of this man and his curse, those tiny insects are made from animal bone hooks and the feathers of ancient birds. His magic is powerful because he is only a tool of the empty soulless Black Guard that once ruled this land before the clan of the Tuatha De’ Danaan Gods claimed it!”

“ The feathered insects he uses are most odd in that they have appear to be a kind of mosquito yellow in color, I have never seen such an insect before?”

“ Ahh, yes my boy that is the final confirmation! That Yellow Mosquito was once found only in the region where the blood thirsty Black Guard encamped. Angus find this man and tell him to come to my faire mound and feast.”

Weeks fly by and no sign of the fish killing stranger makes Angus anxious! If he fails to bring the man to Dagda? What will be his own fate? On a full moon night Angus hiding behind rocks finds the stranger about to begin his killing spree.

“ Sir, I have news for you, the mighty Dagda invites you to feast in his faire mound. He requests you bring your feathered insects especially the Yellow Mosquito!”

As is usually the case with fairies and their incredible mounds, a state of constant revelry, feasting, dancing and general merriment is the order of the day! As the two fishermen approach a faire wearing a funny pointed hat rubs special sight ointment into their eyes allowing for a brief time both men to see this special underground world...

“ Such a fine feast, ale to die for and watching those little people dance is most devine.”

“ Yes, Dagda has been living a perfect immortal life up till now, where is our host?”

“ Welcome to my palace, I have been waiting for the Black Guard for several centuries!”

“ My masters hope you peacefully give up this underground playground of midgets and evaporate into mortal dust sir!”

In a moment the stranger is surrounded by Dagda’s loyal faire’s spinning him into a golden cocoon with golden spider webs, his cache of magic flies is quickly given to Dagda for inspection...

“ Yes, I see these imitation insects are the work of Black Guard wizards, Angus you take these yellow mosquitos and learn their secrets. This gentlemen and I have a date with destiny!”

“ You have killed many of my salmon and trout for no reason other then completing a spell cast upon me so long ago I forgot about it! You will be banished into the secret caves below my palace and from this time until the 21st Century your life will be that of an earth worm. When the lands become crowded with selfish greedy adventurers who cover all the land with black tar and fowl all the rivers and streams. Only then will you become a man again, so be it for the greater good...”

YELLOW MOSQUITO