One day a wealthy chief of the Matheson clan had a son who was given his first drink from a raven's skull.  This gave him the power to understand the language of the birds.  When the boy was still young, his father asked him what the birds were saying.  The boy told him that they said one day his father would wait upon him as a servant.  Greatly displeased, his father turned his son out of the house to make his own way in the world.  Eventually, he landed in France, only to discover that the king was being disturbed by the noisy chirping of the birds. Offering his special talents he was able to discover that the birds were having a dispute which, with the king, he was able to resolve.  The king was so pleased that peace and quiet had been restored that he presented the boy with a fully manned ship in which to continue his journey. 
On one of the voyages he was invited to dine with the ruler of a distant country, only to discover that the palace was so infested with rats that they even invaded the dining table.  The next evening he returned with a cat under his cloak and when the rats gathered around the dining table, he let the cat loose and it killed all the rats.  The ruler was so pleased to be rid of the vermin at last, that he gave the boy a barrel of gold. 

     Eventually, after many adventures, a fine ship with a young man aboard anchored off Totaig. The sight of such a royal vessel caused a stir in the district and all wondered who this richly dressed young man might be.  The youth was received by the old chief with great courtesy and invited to stay for dinner.  Sitting him at the table, the old grey haired man waited upon the young stranger himself thereby fulfilling the prophecy of the birds.  The youth then revealed who he was and the father was reconciled to the boy whom he acknowledged as his heir.  His son's abilities and knowledge of the world brought him into the favour of Alexander II (1214-1250) who commissioned him to build Eilean Donan and protect his subjects against the Norwegians.