Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 10.djvu/19

GAELIC 9 GAELIC LITERATURE.-—Tl1e literature of the Scottish Highlands may be divided into several branches. The following outline coinprehends more perhaps than is usually included under that term; in particular, it appears necessary to give here some account of topographical and personal names. .l[,2/t/wloggr/.——Ve have first the mythology of the race. Little of this now exists, and it is diflicult to piece the scattered fragments together. We find the mythology of the older faith or faiths interwoven in some cases with the mythology of the Northmen. The mythology of the East appears at some points, and we have giants, fairies, and witches, some of them firmly believed in to the present day. Adamiian, in his life of Coliimba, refers to the magi who were in the palace of the Pictish king whom the missionary sought to convert. Vho these were, and what was their creed, is not clearly stated, but all we read of that early faith, and all that tradition brings down to us, would seem to iiflicate that their worship was a form of sun worship. ‘The words applied to the cardinal points of the compass con- vey this impression, the fear shown in many ways of going against the course of the sun, and certain festivals in which fire was and is used, would seem to confirm it. The bodies of the dead are in some cases carried sunwise round certain objects on their way to the burial ground; in fact, words and practices crop up in several parts of the country serving to show that the sun was worshipped. Ital/L, a circle, is used in Gaelic to express good fortune :—-clia.—n’eil 7‘((f/L air, there is no circle on him,—lie is not fortunate,——referriiig, no doubt, to the course of the sun. There was a Gaelic mythology connected with the Fingalian heroes. Whether they themselves were mythical or not is debated, but there was a mythology connected with them. Fingal had a sword that never required to be used twice ; the Vulcan of the race could cross a glen with a stride ; Manainian, son of Lir, from whom the Isle of Man is named, could clothe himself in a fog, and so hide himself from his enemy. The story of Diarmad and the boar and the story of F raoch and the beast are mythological, the former being the Celtic story of Achilles, and the latter the Celtic version of the Garden of the Hesperides. Then there were giants called Nu Ficmtaic/tecm, men of colossal mould. Dun F/Lian, the giant's castle, is a common topographical term. Here is the description (with English translation) of one of these heroes :- “ Tamhull nior, mac sheann Tamhuil, Cha riiigeadh a’ iiiliiiir inhor a riiiiiiisc, (‘ha tharadh e mach, ’s cha tharadh e steach, ’Us '11 iiair a l)l1itlieadli e ’s a blieul fodlia, Iiliitlieadh a dhruim a’ sgriobadli an athar." Great Taval, son of old Taval, The great sea w0u1:lii’t reach his middle; He couldn’t get out and he coiildn’t get in; And when he lay down on his face, Ilis back would be scratching the sky. Some of these tales of the giants attribute to them a great age. There is one tale in which five generations in succession are said to exist at the same time, and the youngest of them a very aged man. The traditional tales taken down by Mr J. F. Campbell, from oral tradition in the Highlands are full of mythology. Animals in these play an important part, and are endowed with remarkable powers. How far this mythology is original, or is borrowed from the East, is an interesting question. In some of the Western Isles, the Scandinavian god Odin enters into the popular mythology, a relic, no doubt, of the Norse occupa- tion of the territory. Fairies, or the claoine sitke or silk- fit‘-/‘(C601, fill an important place in the mythology of the Highlands. The name of these imaginary beings is derived from’ their supposed habits. Sit/L is a common name in Gaelic for a hill of a peculiar form. As a diminutive it is s2‘.thean—, the word used for green hillocks, which abound throughout the Highlands. These hills are supposed to be the abodes of fairies, who, in consequence, are called ciaaine sitke, or the men of the hillocks. Sitla, peace, has no part in forming the designation, although often said to have. These beings were the very opposite of peaceful in the popular belief. It is impossible here to give an account of the common belief in the Highlands regarding fairies, but there is a great deal of popular literature taken up with descriptions of it, and with stories regarding these iiiis- chievous and meddling beings. They were fond of carrying away young children, and substituting young fairies in their place, to the grief and harassment of the mother. Nor did they confine their assaults to children, but sometimes carried men and women to their underground abodes, where they passed through extraordinary scenes. The Rev. Robert Kirke of Balquhidder wrote an account of the fairies wl_iich awakened their anger, and they spirited him away to fairy- land. He was able to appear in the room at the baptism of a child born after his removal, when it was arranged that for his deliverance a knife was to be thrown over his head at a certain moment. The hour came, but through some infatuation the party entrusted with the duty failed in the performance. Mr Kirke was not delivered, and is believed to be in fairyland to this day. Similar stories are without number, and show how widely extended the belief in fairies was. Witchcraft had a large place in the popular beliefs, and has not lost itialtogether at the present day. It was supposed possible for a person endowed with this power to inflict great damage upon an adversary. Milk could be abstracted from the cows of a neighbour and brought to swell the pro- duce of the party abstracting it-. This belief has been the source of much animosity and strife among neiglibours down to the present time. Clay bodies stuck over with pins could be formed representing an adversary, and could be laid in a stream, and as the clay wasted, the body of the man represented pined until he died. This afforded ample room for the exhibition of party or personal hatred, and is not altogether unknown now. The literature of witchcraft is of considerable extent, and consists in tales and forms of exorcism which are very various, and some of them very curious. The forms are all in rhyme, and do not display much of the genius of poetry; they are usually made up of appeals to saints and apostles, with the occasional introduction of the Virgin Mary. Several of these have been handed down by tradition, and are scat- tered through various works devoted to Highland lore. Near the valley of the Spey there recently lived a noted wizard, who possessed a charmed bridle which exercised a most powerful influence over all forms of bewitcliment. A clergyman, not far from the residence of this man, was on one occasion much disturbed by the state of his cows, which had suddenly ceased to give milk. The neigh- bours assured the minister that it was witchcraft, and that he ought to send for the man with the charmed bridle, which, very much against his will, he was induced to do. The wizard came, and was told by the clergyman that he had no faith in his witchcraft, but he should very imicli like to have his counsel as a man of skill. The so-called wizard, understanding with whom he had to deal, at once laid aside all pretension to superhuman power, and asked the minister where his cows usually fed, saying that they would go and take a look at the grass. They did so, when the wizard pointed out a plant, then in flower, which he said was, in that condition, most injurious to cows yielding milk. He advised the minister to keep the cows away from that piece of pasture for a fortnight. This was done, and the cows recovered. The wizard got his fee and a promise that nothing should be said to affect the piiblic confidence

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