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Overview
Morraha’s wife instructs him to shake a bridle and take whichever animal places its head inside. Brown Allree appears, and the rider remains silent until the mare speaks, despite her bending toward her feet as though to provoke a response. She asks for meals of bread and ale before three dangerous crossings. Her leaps clear three miles of fire, three miles of hill covered in steel thistles and three miles of sea, each separately described.
At the French king’s castle she shakes herself and neighs, ringing bells that identify her arrival to the household. The king’s instructions distinguish a royal rider from a poor visitor, and Morraha is admitted when his royal signs are recognised. Brown Allree belongs to the frame quest; the horses later killed during Morraha’s repeated approaches to Niall are separately chosen from the stable and are not stated to be this mare. The text supplies no wings or transformation into a human princess. Her role is extraordinary transport and recognition rather than a fixed modern breed of enchanted horse.
Origins & earliest records
Jacobs adapts Larminie’s West Irish Folk-tales, pp. 10–30. His note credits the frame to P. McGrale of Achill Island and the inner story to Terence Davis of Rendyle. The directly inspected witness is the selected 1895 edition; these named collection contexts do not date the tale’s oral beginning.
Records & interpretation
The mare’s speech, quantified leaps and recognised arrival are textual attestations of a supernatural helper. They are not measured equine abilities. Separate stable horses are kept distinct, preventing a false claim that Brown Allree dies and returns repeatedly.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
More Celtic Fairy Tales: Morraha, pp. 82–84; 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. 82–84; note XXXIVResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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