This is for Sue Vincent’s #writephoto prompt.
They told him sorrow would find him if he took his faithful hounds to look for his lost love. They were old and not up to a long hunt. But Fionn had never been one to listen to advice. After days of fruitless searching, Fionn sent out the dogs one last time to find the scent of his love. The old hounds could barely walk, but they found a scent and though their youth returned briefly, Sceolan began to tire. Bran tried to encourage her, but she sank to the ground, and laid her long head on her paws with a sigh.
Bran reluctantly left her behind and followed the deer to a crag overlooking a lake. The deer leapt, and Bran, with a last glance back at his master, followed. Fionn gathered up Sceolan in his arms, but when he reached the lake, there was nothing of either Bran or the deer to be seen. Sceolan waded into the lake and howled, and would have joined Bran if Fionn had not called her back. Sorrowfully, he carried the old dog back to the fort.
Fionn never did find his love and never found happiness. Years later, when Sceolan died, Fionn was overcome with grief. Nobody knew where he took his faithful companion to bury her, not until the lake beneath the crag ran away and two stone hounds were revealed, leaning fondly one against the other as they had in life.
Jane Dougherty Writes 
Apparently, we weep for similar cause…
Beautifully written, Jane.
Thanks, Sue. I can’t take the credit for the story. It’s been making people weep for a couple of thousand years near enough.
Ah, but much is in the retelling.
🙂
Jane this is so beautiful ,it had touched my heart. 💜
It’s a true story. I only made up the end about the stones.
It’s a real beauty
Thank you 🙂
💜
Oh Jane, I loved this! I can see a dog’s face in the stone on the right but didn’t use it in my tale. It’s made me come over all weepy.
I’m glad you like this. Some of the old myths are very touching. I thought both stones looked like long noses. Fionn Mac Cumhaill loved his dogs 🙂
Haunting. (K)
It’s a lovely myth.
It is.
🙂
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
Thank you!
Beautifully sad.
The rocks do look like hounds.
I thought so, and I immediately thought of Fionn’s beloved hounds 🙂
Beautiful retelling of an old myth. Loved the writing, Jane.
Thank you, Varad 🙂 They knew how to tell a good story in the old days.
This is a lovely story, Jane.
Thanks Robbie 🙂 Some myths are very human.