In folt amal in fíach...

In folt amal in fíach
ocus in grúad amal in fuil
ocus in corp amal in snechta.

(the * hair * like * the * raven / and * the * cheek * like * the * blood / and * the * body * like * the * snow)

Hair as black as the raven,
a cheek as red as blood,
and a body white as snow.

Deirdriu describes the appearance of her imagined husband in “Longes Macc nUislenn”, immediately after seeing a raven pecking the blood of a slaughtered calf from the snow covered ground. This three-fold simile is found elsewhere in our literature as a paragon of beauty.

Topics: Similes, Metaphors & Kennings