Batten: Anshgayliacht’s enormous hand reaches toward the infant
Only the antagonist’s reaching hand is shown in this first encounter, opposed by Niall in wolf form; later dialogue identifies the one-handed captor as Anshgayliacht. No full-body or forehead-eye appearance asserted from this plate. Batten1860–1932 credited illustrator, selected title-page edition1895; Jacobs compiler/editor.
Overview
An immense hand descends through a chimney toward the newborn guarded by Niall in wolf form. Niall bites above the wrist and cuts it off, leaving the hand beside the saved child before a separate deception hides them. On a later voyage in human form he enters a gloomy island castle and hears an injured person groaning. The tall hag there explains that her son lost his hand to a dog; this connects the patient with the earlier reaching attacker.
Niall offers treatment in exchange for eight young men and three young women held in the castle. The wounded adversary has only one eye in his forehead. Under cover of the promised treatment Niall attacks that eye with heated iron and departs with the captives, who prove to be the king’s eleven stolen older children. The concluding explanation identifies the account as the fate of the Slender Red Champion’s brother. The story calls it news of Anshgayliacht’s death, although the interior scene describes the attack and escape rather than an explicit final death sentence. Both levels of the narration are preserved.
Origins & earliest records
The selected 1895 Jacobs adaptation credits Larminie’s West Irish Folk-tales, with different tellers for frame and inner story. The title-demand and concluding identification connect the unnamed one-eyed captive-holder to the requested death account. This is not an independent historical record of abductions.
Records & interpretation
The single eye, severed hand and hostage children are specific textual evidence. Similarity to Cyclops stories does not make this individual Polyphemus or the corpse-fishing giant in Kayn’s tale. The framing death label is distinguished from the precise narrated outcome.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
More Celtic Fairy Tales: Morraha, pp. 89–96; note XXXIV
Complete Morraha frame, inner narrative and relevant note inspected. Earlier Larminie text is an attributed source, not falsely claimed as independently collated.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textMore Celtic Fairy Tales, selected 1895 edition: Morraha, pp. 89–96; note XXXIVResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationBatten: Anshgayliacht’s enormous hand reaches toward the infant
Only the antagonist’s reaching hand is shown in this first encounter, opposed by Niall in wolf form; later dialogue identifies the one-handed captor as Anshgayliacht. No full-body or forehead-eye appearance asserted from this plate. Batten1860–1932 credited illustrator, selected title-page edition1895; Jacobs compiler/editor.
