Frontispiece from 'Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal - Volume II'

This frontispiece appears in the second volume of the epic Ossian poetry cycle, which was originally published by Scottish poet James Macpherson in 1762. The poems, narrated and supposedly authored by the titular Ossian, recount the many battles and deeds of various kings and heroes — inlcuding Ossian's father, Fingal.

This image illustrates a scene in the second book of 'Fingal', perhaps the most famous of all the Ossianic poems. On the right hand side is the ghost of Crugal, an Irish hero killed in battle, who appears to Connal. Connal is the the king of Tongorma and an intimate friend of Cuchullin, the king of Ireland. When Crugal comes to Connal, he predicts the defeat of Cuchullin at the hands of Swaran, king of Lochlin, and urges Connal to make peace with Swaran. However, when Cuchullin learns this he refuses — and loses the battle as foretold.

[Shelfmark Oss.42]