A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
A seafaring hero seeking his mother and sister reaches an island crowded with ships. A prophetic giant woman says the vessels were pulled from the ocean by a cave-dwelling giant’s breath and their men eaten. Iron and oak doors open when he inhales and close when he exhales, shutting as firmly as multiple bars and locks. She identifies a short spear above the entrance as the means of defeating him, provided the first blow succeeds.
The hero is drawn into the cave as the giant breathes, while furniture and pots collide around him with enough force to threaten his legs. When the doors reopen, he sees and takes the short spear, removing the giant’s head in one stroke. He returns the trophy to the woman, who identifies his quest and directs him toward the Red Shield kingdom. This giant is distinct from the one-eyed corpse-fisher appearing later in the same nested adventure: the source gives different powers, surroundings and defeats and does not connect them as one individual.
Origins & earliest records
Jacobs’s selected 1895 story combines MacInnes and Campbell of Tiree versions of the Kayn narrative. Its source note reports a fifteenth-century Egerton witness for a related containing tale; that reference does not independently date every detail of this particular giant episode.
Records & interpretation
The breath-controlled doors, displaced ships and head-taking defeat are narrated evidence of a giant antagonist. They do not demonstrate a natural wind-generating species or measured respiratory force. The spear’s exact name and further history are not supplied here.
In the literature
“The giant's breath drew me into the cave”
The Leeching of Kayn’s Leg; p181; captive’s experience
A soothsaying old woman describes the cave giant drawing ships in from the ocean by breath and eating their crews. Iron and oak doors open on inhalation and close on exhalation. The healer then personally experiences the cave’s suction and objects striking around him.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
More Celtic Fairy Tales: The Leeching of Kayn’s Leg, pp. 180–181; note XLII
Selected episode and relevant source note inspected. Earlier works named by Jacobs are attributed references, not falsely claimed as independently collated texts.
- 02
More Celtic Fairy Tales
Joseph Jacobs, More Celtic Fairy Tales, selected1895 Nutt/Putnam edition, PG34453. Complete The Leeching of Kayn’s Leg, pp169–194, and noteXLII independently read.
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.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
More Celtic Fairy Tales
Joseph Jacobs, More Celtic Fairy Tales, selected1895 Nutt/Putnam edition, PG34453. Complete The Leeching of Kayn’s Leg, pp169–194, and noteXLII independently read.
- A soothsaying old woman describes the cave giant drawing ships in from the ocean by breath and eating their crews. Iron and oak doors open on inhalation and close on exhalation. The healer then personally experiences the cave’s suction and objects striking around him.
The Leeching of Kayn’s Leg, pp169–194; Breath-driven cave and captured ships
- The old woman says the short spear above the doorway must decapitate the giant in one blow or worsen the situation. The healer seizes it during inhalation, cuts off the head and returns it to her, obtaining directions to his captive mother and sister. No surviving second combat is narrated.
The Leeching of Kayn’s Leg, pp169–194; Stolen overhead weapon and single fatal blow
Inconsistent names and omitted mechanisms retained. No prayer, recurring healing formula or ritual instructions excerpted.
Primary source witness
Joseph Jacobs, More Celtic Fairy Tales, selected1895 Nutt/Putnam edition, PG34453. Complete The Leeching of Kayn’s Leg, pp169–194, and noteXLII independently read.
- Jacobs explicitly combines MacInnes’s Folk-Tales from ArgyleshireVII with Campbell of Tiree’s version. His manuscript dating, larger episode counts and comparisons are reported compiler scholarship; this selected adaptation is not represented as a direct transcript of one informant.
No cited manuscript or independent earlier print collation claimed.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textMore Celtic Fairy Tales, selected 1895 edition: The Leeching of Kayn’s Leg, pp. 180–181; note XLIIResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
