Frazer — On a Polished Stone Im,plement of Novel Form,. 219 
onnexion with the origin of the name, Ath Liag Find, or the Ford 
f Finn's flat stone, now the Ford of Ballyleague at Lanesborough, 
n the Shannon, above Athlone. 
Sideng, the daughter of Mongan of the Fairy Hills, came with a 
flat stone " and chain of gold to Find, who gave them to his son 
isin. Find having used up all his weapons in the battle, snatched 
iie stone from Oisin, and killed three sons of Eochaidh Abrad-Ruaidh, 
ad several others of his opponents. The stone fell into the ford, 
ihere it is to remain until some Sunday morning before the day of 
lidgment, when a nymph is to thrust her foot through its golden 
mk and bring it to land. 
As 0' Curry remarks, this legend is valuable, as it shows this 
one in use within historic times, and that it was considered a 
(orthy present for a champion, and was perforated and suspended by 
chain and hook of gold. The context clearly shows that it was 
tached to something that enabled Fian to recover it after each cast, 
ad slay with it many successive opponents. 
There are other poetical descriptions in which the champion stone 
described as leaping like a snaky eel — " Coiling round the body of 
>e Druid Colptha in a battle fought about a.d. 270, and detaining 
Jm until his victor Ceanmhor cut off his head. Allowing for poetic 
'. ence, such would be the sudden coiling of a thong attached to a 
I me thrown with force, and reminds us somewhat of the mode in 
lich an American lasso is still used. 
O'Curry, as in duty bound, tries to identify this hand-stone, and 
f considers it was one of our commonest implements, the stone celt ; 
1: k, these are far too numerous to answer the descriptions given of a 
^bhampion stone", which was from its value restricted to a few 
I o\e warriors of high rank, and used by them only on special occasions : 
l|;ides, a perforated celt is still unknown, and would be a rarity 
il.eed. May I add, it is quite unfitted for use as a hand weapon, a 
pijectile, for which it would be even less suitable than any rounded 
p dng-stone. I am assured had O'Curry ever seen such an implement 
a [ exhibit he would have at once recognized and named it. 
It still remains to mention the approximate dates of the conflicts 
mere a champion stone was employed. The earliest appearance of 
sih a weapon in Irish poetry is in a description of the adventures of 
digal Clairingnech about b.c. 161, who kills an enchantress by 
tljowing it at her and striking her on the head The story is related 
alength in vol. ii., p. 276, of O'Curry's work. 
iLbout forty years later, in the reign of Eochaidh Feidhlech, who 
