SC O T T I SH M Y T H S .

I T is some wh a t remark a ble th at of the pa rentage

cl a imed for W elsh Irish or Scot there is none
, , ,

from o ur Rom a n invaders though as C amden says , , ,

meet it is w e should believe th at the Britons ,

a nd Rom ans in so m any ages by a blessed an d ,

j oyful l mutual engrafng a s it w ere h a ve grow n , ,

into one stock and na tion seeing th a t the U bii in ,

G erma ny w ithin t w enty eight years a fter a colony

,
-

w as pl a nted w here no w C o le in is m a de a ns w er to
, ,

their countrymen as touching the Roman inh abitants

there in this n i se Th is is t h e n a t ur al count ry as
,

well t o t h ose th a t b eing yed h it h e r in t im e p a st ,

c o nve

o ine d wit h us b y ma r r iag es a s t o th eir o l

a re co n
j ,

pr ing
s . Neit h e r c a n we t h ink yo u so unr easona b le as t o
1
wish n sf o r t o k il l o ur
p a r e nt s b r e th r en
, ,
an d c h il d r en
.

The Rom an legiona ry troops employed in the

conquest of Britain w ere not even a m aj ority of them , ,

Italia ns The a uxili aries w ere of a ll n ations P et ili us

. .

C e re alis a ddress ing the Tr ev ir i s aid w hen explain ing

, , ,

their rel ations wi th the Roma ns : To maintain the

tra nqu illi ty of n ations arms ar e necessary soldiers ,

must be kept in pay an d w ithout a tribute supplies

, , ,

C md p 8 8 1 a e n, . .

A
 S C O TTI S H MY H T S .

ca nnot be r a ised all other things a re pl a ced on a

,

footing of eq uality (bet w een them a nd the Rom ans ) '

our legions are often comm anded by you ; you are

gove rnors of your o wn provin ces an d even of others ,

noth ing is reserved to ourselves no exclusiveness ,

exercised .

Ta citus s ays : There is no strength in the Rom an

1
a rmies but it is of foreign str a ngers ;
,
an d t o go b a ck

a century before his time w e a r e told of Pompey s ,

T w o w ere n a tives (Sp aniards )

legions in Spain '

one w as formed out of the Rom an colonies in those

p arts a nd a fourth belonging to Afia ni us he h ad
, , ,

brought wi th him fr om Africa The rest w ere for the .

2
most p a rt made up of fugitives and dese rt ers This .

m ay not be a fair ex ample but it is e v ident th a t a .

Rom an soldier w a s not necess a rily a Rom an The long .

occup ation of modern W ales by the R omans h as u n

doubtedly coloured \V el sh tra ditions but the W elsh ,

ca ll themselves C ym ri as the Irish a n d Scot ch ,

Highl a nders ca ll t hemselves G el a .

I w ish a t present to devote a t tention specially to

t w o tribes w h o did good service to the Roma ns in
Wa les a nd Scotl and if not also in Irel and ,
.

Th e rst of these the B a t avi ans Ta citus tells us

, ,

w ere a trib e of the great n ation of the C atti w h o in ,

h abited p art of the Hercyni a n forest and h ad lat t e rl v ,

settled chiey on a n isl and in the Rhine w ashed on ,

the north extremity by the oce an a nd at the b ack and ,

both sides by the river They furnished men and .

a rms for the empire a n d a fter w ards .

(he spe aks before

Agricol a s inv asion of Wa les ) added to their fa me

b v their service in Britain w hither coho rts of them ,

w ere conveyed under the comm and of the most di s

t in g uish e d chiefs of their country in confor m ity w ith ,

T c t us H i t o ry B i c 7 4
a i ,
s , . C m m t ri s Sp i h W
v . . . 7 Z
o en a e on an s ar , c . .
 S C O TTI SH )1 Y T HS .

thei r long esta bli shed pra ctice Long before this .

,

the early and high esteem in w hich they w ere held

by the Rom ans was evinced by th eir being call ed
friends and b rothers of the Roman peopl e They ar e .

sa id to h ave decided the b attle of Ph ars ali a 4 8)

in Caesar s favou r and to h ave h ad the honou r of
,

forming the Prce t o r ian gu ard A po rtion of the s am e.

people w e re called C ann ine fa t e s and one of them , ,

G a u ss ons dese rted the Rom ans becam e a desper a te

, ,

pira te and in all iance w ith t h e mass of his country

,

men under Jul ius or Cla udius Civili s and assisted by ,

the F risii a n ation wh ich seems subse q uently to

some extent to h ave settled in North Br itain and
,

a cohort of T un ri atta cked the Ro m an eet nomin

g ,

a lly as p artis ans o f Vesp asi a n against Vitellius .

Th ose h aving been j oined by cohorts of B ata vi ans an d

C a n nin e fat es r aised for the Ro man se rvice a w a r ,

began w hich w as at l ast brought to a conclusion by

Pe t ili us C e realis and it w as subse quently to the con
,

e lusion of pe ace th at w e nd t he m in Brit ain under

Agricola .

The other tribe w as the T ungri of w hose origi n ,

w e h ave the follo w ing a ccount in Tac it us s Man ner s

f t h e Ge rm a ns c 2
(
3 ,
.

The n ame of G erma ny they (the G e rm ans ) a ssert

to be a m odern ad di tion for th a t the peopl e w ho rst
,

crossed the Rhine an d expelled the G aul s a nd a r e

n o w called T ungri w ere t hen n am ed G e rm ans w hich
, ,

a ppe ll ation of a part ic ul ar tribe not of a w h o l e peop l e

, ,

gr adual ly p r evailed so th at the title of G er mans rst

, ,

as su m ed by the victors i n order to excite te rror w a s ,

a fte rwa rds adopted by the n a tion in general .

When Caesar defeated the Ner vii the Ad uat ic i ,

w h o w ere on the point of j oining them hearin g of ,

their disaster l eft their other to w ns and reti red to a

,
 S C O TTI S H M YT I I S

to w n eminently fo rtied by n ature This to wn w a s .

surrounded by precipices on all sides but one w hich ,

side as cending w ith a gradual slope a nd about 2 0 0 ,

feet bro ad w a s fortied w ith a very lofty double w all

,
.

Thi s w as called Ad ua t ic a T ungr o rum They sur .

rendered to C aes ar But they tre a cherously attacking

.
,

his men he delivered their to w n over to plunder an d

, ,

sold the inh abitants a mo unting as he says himself to

, , ,

persons This to w n the modern Tongres a

.
, ,

to w n of Li ege on the Jaa r w as situ ated in the centre ,

of the Eb ur o n e s a G e rman people the names of whose

, ,

chiefs ho w ever h ave a Celtic sound

, , .

These A duat ic i accordi ng to C re sar ,

w ere de ,

scended from the Ci m bri and Teutones w h o w hen they , ,

w ere marching into our province a n d Italy h a ving ,

deposited on this side of the Rhine such of their b ag

ga ge tra in s as they could not drive or take w ith them ,

left 6 0 0 0 of their men a s a gu ard for them These . .

h a v ing after the destruction of their countrymen been

h a ras sed for m any ye ars b y their neighbours w hil e ,

one time they w aged w ar o ffensively a t another resisted ,

it w hen w aged aga inst them concluded a pe ace w ith ,

the consent of a ll and chose thi s pl ace as their settle

,

" 1
ment .

W hen the B at avia ns on the de ath of V itell ius , ,

decl ared themselves independent they w ere attacked ,

by Cl a udiu s L abeo a B at avi an by bi rt h w ith a force

, ,

of B e t asians T ung rians a nd N e rv ians ; but duri ng

, ,

the b attle Civ ili s a ppealing to the Tungrians they

, , ,

w ent over to the side of the other Belga e a n d s ays , ,

Ta citus ,
at th a t moment C amp a n us an d J uv e nal is ,

the le adin g C hiefta ins of the T ungrians surrendered ,

the w hole n a tion to Civilis C e r ealis design ates as .

Ci mbri a nd Teutones the B atavians a nd Tung rians

1
C sr
a
e a

s ll c
Ga i Wa r ,
B ii. . 0 . 29 .
 S C O TTI SH M YT ns .
5

th us united w hile warning the T re v ir i ag ainst their

,

a lli ance
. We thus see the continuance of the cl a im
of these Tungri to b e considered Cim bri and its general ,

a ccepta nce by those w ho w ere the prime agents in con

q uering the w est and no rth of Britain under the

co m m a nd of Agricol a who w ent to Brita in in A D 7 8 . .
,

but nine ye ars a fter the a bove mentioned event .

A gricola s rst ca mp a ign w a s a ga inst the O rdo

vices of No rth Wa les and lea ding in person a n

,

a dva nce p arty with the v e x ill a rii

(or vetera ns em
bodied to render a ssistance to the legio n s if necess a ry ,

gu ard the frontier and ga rrison recently con quered

,

provi n ces ) and a sm al l body of auxili aries almos t

,

completely extirp ated them .

He then resolved to make an a ttempt on Mona

Anglese a ; but bein g unpro v ided w ith tr a nsport he
, ,

a tt acked it in the foll o w ing m anner A select body .

of a uxi liaries disencumbered of their b agga ge w h o

, ,

w ere w ell a cqu a inted w i t h the fords a nd a ccustomed , ,

a fter the m anner of the ir country to dir ect their ,

horses and man age their ar ms whil e s wi mming w ere ,

ordered suddenly to plunge into the ch a nnel .

Tacitus in his History tells us tha t the B a ta vians

in their o w n country also m ainta in ed a chosen body
of ca va lry so remarkably expe r t in s w imming th a t in
, ,

w hole squ a drons w ith the ir a rms an d keeping hold of

,

the ir horses they could ma ke good t heir w ay a cross

,

" 0

the Rhine .

These t w o p ass ages seem to po int to the B a t a

vi ans as the ca v alry all uded to in the r st Mon a .

surrendered In his next w in ter Agricol a provided a

.

libe ra l educ ation for the sons of the British chiefs a nd ,

both the la nguage an d dress of the Roma ns bega n to

be used In his th ird year he penetrated to the Ta v
.
,

A gric o l
a, c 18 . T cit us H ist o ry B i c 1 2
.
2
a , , . v. . .
6 S C O TTI SH MY T HS .

we aretold a nd b uil t forti fica tions b ut a s it w a s not

,

till the summer w hich bega n h is sixth year th at he

extended his vie w s to the countrie s beyond B o do t ria ,

[ e
. . the Forth it seems possible th a t his eet h ad
,

visited the Firth of Tay w hile he advanced up the

w est co as t an d p a ssed thence a cross to the e ast for t h e
,

rst time in this sixth ye a r Th a t this w as so is borne .

out by the fa ct th a t in his fth cam pa ign Agricol a , ,

crossing over in the rst ship subdued by frequent , ,

an d successful eng a gemen t s sever al n a tions till then ,

unkno w n and stationed troops in that p ar t of B ritain

,

opposite t o Irel and ra ther w ith a vie w to future ,

a dv a nta ge th a n from an
y apprehension of d anger from

th at quart er .

T ac it us s description of Irel and is so w ell k no w n

th a t it is unnecess ary to repeat it here and it is cer

t a inl y not c orrobora tive evidence of the a ccount t h e
Irish writers give of things at th at or even a t an ,

a n t erior period I n the summer of h is seventh ye ar

, .

Agricola a dv anced to the G rampians Here he m e t .

a nd overc a m e G al ac us in w hose speech as reported

g , , ,

w i t h reference to t h e rem ainder of a Rom an progeni e s

in Scotl a nd w e nd the follo w ing a mong the ca u se s
,

Galgac us g a ve for resist a nce th at the Rom a n a rmy , ,

composed of G auls G erm a ns a nd Britons w ithou t .

, ,

w i v es to a nim at e t hem p a rents to upb r id their igh t

,
a .

w ithout home or only a dist ant one poll uted their

, ,

w ives an d sisters under t h e guise of friendship an d

hospitality .

Agricol a ha ving also addressed his troops an d the ,

t ime for a ction h a ving a rrived dismissed h is horse , ,

a n d took h is st a tion on foot before the standa rds .

T a citus in his not very clear a ccount of the a ction

, .

s ays 2 A gricola then encouraged three Ba t av ia n

a n d t w o T a n r ia n cohort s t o fall in a n d come to close
g
 S C O TTI SH M Y HS T .

q u a rters method of ghting famil iar to those vetera n

,
a

sol di ers ,but embarrassing to the enemy from the

n ature of their arms for the enormous British s w o rds , ,

bl unt at the po int are unt for close grapp ling an d ,

engag ing in a conned sp ace When the B atavia ns .

then began to redouble their blo w s to strike with th e ,

bosses of their shi elds a n d m a ngle the fa ces of the ,

enemy and bea ring do wn all th ose w h o resisted them

,

on the pl a in w ere advanc ing their line up the a scent

, ,

the other coho rts red w ith a rdour a nd e m ulation , ,

j oined in the ch arge a nd overthr ew all who came in ,

their w ay .
1

Indeed there can be no doubt as to the importan t

,

p art pl ayed here by these B elga e w h o w ere p ar t ly a t ,

le a st Cim bri by descent nor a s to their lea der be ing ,

w e l l tted to become a legend ary hero O bserve the .

sim il arit
y in the me a ning of the n a me Agricol a a hus .

b an d ma n or ploughma n A rd d w r (dd t h ) a plough .

:

m a n Welsh
,
the Arthur of Cimbro British legend
,
.

In the lists of Ptolemy the G reek geographer , ,

w h o w rote a bout forty ye a rs (A D 1 2 0 ) a fter this w e . .

,

see h o w ra pid h ad been t h e gro w th of to wns i n

B rita in ; a nd in the line of A gricol a s a dv a nce no rth

of the Brigantes a long the w est co ast across to t h e ,

so uth of Pe rthshir e an d up to the Spey includi ng , ,

some on the e ast co as t w e n d no fe w er th a n t w e n t v ,

enumera ted .

These to w ns indica ting a settled sta te of civilis a

,

tion c an sc arcely have been inh abited by the n atives

, ,

w h o in the w ar of C ar a ctacus w ere so fa r beh ind in

the a rts as to h a ve h ad no a rmour or helmets (A D . .

a n d are described in the fo l lo w in g terms by Hero di a n

so l ate a s the tim e of Severus (A D 2 0 8 ) . .

They by h abit s wim a cross the ma rshes withou t

1 T c it us Agri o l c 3 6
a ,
T c it us A ls B ii 3 5
c a, . .
3
'

a ,
nna ,
. x . c . .
8 C O TTI SH
S MY H T S .

di fculty or w ade through them w etting the m

, ,

sel ves up to thei r loins for they are almost totally ,

n aked and take no care for the mud They are

, .

unac q u ainted w ith the use of clothes a nd adorn their ,

necks and anks with iron rings to w hich as an o rna , ,

m ent they a tt ach as much v a lue a s oth e r n ations do

,

to gold The y puncture their bodies w ith gures of

.

all sorts of ani m als w hich is one reason w h y they ,

h ave not adopted the use of clothing that the gures ,

m av not be conce a led They are a warlike and .

cou rageous r ace of men an d ar e a rmed w ith a small ,

shield and spear an d a s w ord suspended from their,

naked bodi es They are una cqu a inted w ith the use
.

of a breast-pl at e or helmet w hich they think w ould ,

"1
be an encumbrance in p a ss ing the ma rshes .

Du ring the interval bet w ee n A gricola and Severus

w e fi nd that Lo llius U rb ic us h ad (A D 1 3 8 ) buil t a .

w all from F orth to Clyde an d driven the barb arians ,

beyond it But in 1 6 1 they broke through the wall

.
,

an d again in 1 8 0 a fter w hich U l ius M arcel l us being

, p , ,

sent against them cruelly w orsted the m but Without , ,

leaving traces of h i s h a vin g m a de a ny settl em en t

n0 1 t h of the Fo rth .

In A D 2 0 1 w e h ave the rst app e arance of the

. .

Ma eat ae w h o w hen on the poin t of maki ng an al liance

, ,

with the Ca le d onii w ere persuaded by the Ro man ,

governor to res ile from this .

Severus is s aid to have pushed his w ay to the

north shore of the isl and but im m ediately r etiring ,

south w ards refort i e d the w a ll from Fo rth to C lyde

,

(A D. . So l ightly ho w eve r did i m perial Rome , ,

lie on the shoul ders of t h e inh abitants of the no rth

th at that very year they w ere in ar m s aga inst h e r .

In 2 8 7 Carausius a Me napian most likely a Bat avi an

, , ,

1
G il p 23 7 e s, Sk .C lt ic Scotl nd i 8 9
.
3
'

e ne , e a , . .
 sc or rl su M y T Hs
'
.
9

( M e na ia be i n
p g in B elgium south of the R h ine though , ,

t h e title Me na ian might a pply al so to an inh abit ant

p
of Sout h W al es or to the Irish country round Dubl in )
, ,

from be i ng Admiral of the Rom an eet became ackno w ,

l edged r uler of B rita in an d is s ai d to h ave been in the

,

district near the F 0 1t h but for this w e h ave no ,

sufficient authority From th at time till A D 3 6 0 all

. . .

modern Scotland seems to h ave been reall y indepe n

dent o f Rome and h ad beco m e suf ciently pow erful to
,

h ara ss So uth B rita in beyond the po w er of effective

retalia tion until the incursions of the Picts a nd Scots
,

c all ed for the active interference of the Rom a n po w er .

I w ould now ca ll a ttention to the me anin gs applic

a ble to the n a m es of these North British tribes .

Skene quoting X iph ilin e s ays

, The n ation of ,
'

the M aeat ae consisted o f those tribes w hi ch w ere

situ a ted next the w all bet w een the F orth a nd Clyde
on the north ; the C al e d o nii lay beyond them The .

former inh abited the more le v e l districts or as the , ,

historia n describes them th e pl a ins and m ar shes from , ,

w hich ,
in deed they prob a bly derived their na me
, ,

Mag h a plain
,
.

In a ccordance w ith this deriva tion the S axon m ea d

a mea do w comes ne arer the signi cation and sound
, ,

but other circu m stances tempt me to h azard the fol

lo w i ng as the derivation In Xiph iline the n ame is .

M dT
aL an d in the W a lloo n l a ngu age w e nd
a L, M aie
the na me of the month of M ay is also app l ied t o a ,

tree pl a nted on the rst of M ay (B el t a in the grea test ,

of Ga elic holydays ) and more generally to a bra nch

,

cut w ith its green l ea ves a n d of w hich use is m a de ,

to orn a ment the fronts of d w ellings .

M d ic masc is a m arble for pl aying w ith Lill e in

,
.
, ,

F rench evident ly al lied to the G ae l ic ba ll a b all

, ,

globe .
lo SC O TTI SH M YT H S .

M aie fem are the meshes o f a net (rings of

'

mail the spots on a p a rtridge s w ing) and Ma i t c is

,

,

a rin g put through a pig s nose to prevent it from

grubbi ng .

If I am right in taking the root as w e h ave it in

the Wall oon as most l ikely the nearest to the Greek
,

M a ia the Goddess of M ay t h e proper sign i c ance of

, ,

the n ame is co nnected w ith a religious c eremony and ,

is in fact all ied to the Ga elic ma oth tender so ft ;

, , .
,

ma o th a n a t wig bud
, , .

Doubtl ess the M ae a t a e w ith in a ce nt i u y here ,

a fter
(in 2 9 6 are ca ll ed Picts w hich is generall y ,

a ccepted as me aning spotted and w e see the w ord

m aie seemingly a pplica ble to n a ture s tattooing on the

p artridge s w ing The w ord m aiet e app lied to t h e
.
,

no se orn ament of the domestic an imal the herding of ,

w hich was the occup a t ion of Irish sa ints and princes ,

might l ead one to connect the M aeat s w ith the iron

ring w e arin g s avages w h o ca used the loss of
-
of
his so ldiers to Sever us a n d w h o esteemi ng iron as , ,

others gold might h a v e orna mented themselves as

,

the W al loon pe as ant n o w does his pigs .

O f the three deri v a tions t h e rst points to a ,

ce rtain culture and I hope shortly hereafter to sho w

,

that the name w as a ccepted as h earing t his signifi

cation in connection w ith the Pict s The name of .

their neighbours the C a ledonia ns e v idently bears a

,

rela tion to the \Ve lsh c uc lc d d groves G a elic c uillc , . , .

a w ood ; a nd ra ther suggests t h a t t hey w ere the m ore

w orthy representatives of n ative b arb arism the cus ,

toms of the others be i ng I h a v e little doubt modi ed , ,

by their connection w i t h the more civi lised inv aders .

I think it is most probable t h a t Mae at ae inhabited

t h e Lo wlands of Scotl a nd as w ell as the l o w country ,

ea st of the Dorsum Brit a nniae .

 SC O TTI SH w arm .
1l

The Picts first mentio ned by E um e n ius the

, ,

p anegyris t (A D 2 9 G) become prominent in history

. .
,

in the ye a r 3 6 0 .

O ne of the incidents of the Batavi an revolt w a s the

seiz ure of the Rom a n ships by the C a nnine fa t e s a nd ,

Tacitus informs us th a t desirin g to use them a nd n o t , ,

h aving s ails the B a ta vi a ns put to se a w ith them sup

, ,

plied w ith m antl es of v a rious colours w hich m a de n o ,

unbecomi ng a ppear a nce No w C arausius t h e Bata v ia n .
,

before mentioned w a s sl a in by his comp a nion A lle c t us

, ,

w h o in his turn in A D 2 9 5 w a s de fe ated by A s el

, ,
. .
,

pio d o t us C o n st an t ius s prefect of the eet a nd he

, ,

a n d m any of his follo w ers doubtless a lso h a vin g been ,

foll o w ers of C ara usius w ere sl a in O f their a ppea r ,

.

a nce E um e n ius s ays Those b a rb a rians w hether ,

re ally or ap pa r en t ly so w h o once bl azed w ith ga y ,

c a l t u ga rments a n d length of h a ir w ere then d e l e d

( ) ,

w ith blood a n d dus t a n d l a y sc tt ered in d ili e re nt

,
a

direction s as the a ng uish of t heir w oun ds h ad driven

them . This connects coloured ga rments w ith t h e
Bata vi ans an d h as led to gi v ing to C ra usius a loca l
,
a

h abi t a tion in Pictl a nd I w oul d notice here th a t the .

only G a elic w ord for w h a t w e c all t a r t an is b rea c a n ,

common to the Welsh Cy m ri as to the G ael (b ryc h a n , ,

breca n a striped co v erlet

,
an d o w es it s

signifi ca tion t o a root b r ea c signifyin g a spot com , ,

mon a s far as I c an see to all Celtic d i alects I n t h e

, , .

Breton tongue it takes the fo rm b r ig though in t h e ,

d ial ect of the district of Vannes it is t rack w here a , ,

pettico at is ca lled b roc h though b r oz el sew here w hich

, ,

is ne ar er the Ga elic b r a t b r at a veil cover ing , , , .

The reason for calling t h e Picts spotted is evi
dent in the a ccount previously gi ven o f the tattooing
of themselves by the no r thern b a rba ri a ns a pra ct ice ,

w hich there is re a son t o belie v e w as no t peculi ar to the

.
,
l 2 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

country no w c alled Scotla nd ; indeed B rit t o nes is ,

nothi ng else th a n Pic t i s ays Zeuss p 1 0 5 a n d c o n se , ,

.
,

quently tha t n ame w o uld in no w ay distinguish the

,

northern from the other na tions of Brit a in Thi s .

ta ttooing w here it existed w as prob ably connected

, ,

w ith a religious rite There is a derivation from t h e

.

Greek w hich is very applic able to the soldiers of

A gricol a w h o w e a re to ld struck the C aledo n i ans
, , ,

w ith the bosses of their shields an d of the conquerors ,

at Ph a rs ali a 17 15m pl 77 15m m a boxer a pugilist ;

,
.
, ,

a nd as I a m go ing to suggest a n d m ai nt a in a Greek

,

interpreta tion for the names Scot an d A t t ac o t as w ell ,

as M ae a t I think it not improb ab l e th at this sign i

,

c a tion w as of w eight with those w h o coined the n a me .

A nd I believe th at the follo w ing is further proof of

t h is supposition .

I noticed ah e a dy the simil arity of meaning b e

t w een the na mes A gricol a an d A rthur and the prob a ,

b ilit y th a t the chosen c a v alry w h o atta cked Mon a

under the Rom an g eneral w ere B atav i ans a nd th at ,

these w ere noted in histor y for the some w h at peculi ar

use of their shields in ght In t h e rom an c es of .

A rthur the ,
Knights of t h e Round Table w ere his
chosen c o m p anions a n d the w ord for a tab le in \Vel sh
,

a n d G a elic no w is b a r d No w in the a ncient S axon .

,

s ong of Beo w ulf 1 a sh ield is c alled h il d c b o r d a nd ,

t hese w ere round a n d sm all w ith hollo w met al bosses ,

of the siz e of a s m all b a s in tapering to a point or ,

ending in a knob Hilde bord if the rst h alf of the

.
-
,

w ord is connected w ith the Germ a n Held a hero

(h e ld e to til t in D anish ) might me a n a hero s or

z
, ,

t ilting bo a rd or table bord, ( table Dani sh ) and it is 2

, ,

e a sy to see w here confusio n might arise Th at the .

w ord b o r cl h as got into G a elic in t h e me a ning of

\V ig h t C l R m
r d S

p g 475
s e l, o a n, an ax o n , a e .
 SC O TTI SH M YT HS .
l3

shield is I think proved by the fo llo wing from a

, ,

c urious a nd very i nstructive historic tal e in C a m p

bell s collection v ol i p age 3 0 3
,
. . .

A w a nderin g ch am pion desirous of escaping fro m ,

the ca stle of O Domh null presum ably Tar a in Irel a nd , ,

is hindered by the chief s Gal loglach Mor his chief

(foreign )mercenary wh o threa tens him l eis a b h ord

, ,

ur c h ai r so a m l aim h w ith the sh o t b oa r d here in

-

my h and . This instrument the narrator makes him
t h r o w a t his advers ary w ith the unfo rtun ate resul t of
,

kill ing t w enty four of his o wn people W ithout inj ury

-
,

to h im at w hom it was aim e d This was a boa rd .

surely not to thro w but to w a rd 0 3 things thro w n ,

a nd can onl y mean a shield This round board see m s .

another connecting l ink bet w een Agrico la a n d the

No w ,
of t h e B atavian s and Tungrians so fa r as I ,

h ave been able to discover the l atter h ave left the ,

more copious traces of their localisation in the L o w

l a nds of S cotl and and n o r t h of E nglan d A n in .

scribed stone mentions the rst cohort of T ung ii a ns

a t Cr amond and al so a t Polmon t C amden gi es in . v

sc ri t io n s commemora tive of them at Cam b e c k fo rt on

p
the south w al l the Pe t ri ana of the No tit ia about
, ,

nine mil es e ast of Carlisle and the Not zt za say th at

'

they w ere stationed at B o rcov icus near ly a t the ,

centre of the w al l The next station on the w a ll

.
,

Pro co lit ia n o w Carraw b urgh was hel d by the r st

, ,

cohort of Batavians ; an d it is note worthy tha t on ,

the inscri bed stones found at these stations the com ,

man ders of the cohorts are al w ays called pra efe c tus a ,

title app arently generally a pplied to ca val ry as th at ,

of tr ib una s w as to commanders of infantry cohorts .

We thus n d the Cimbric element app arently the

more numerous of the t w o Belgic tribes wh o continued
l4 SC O TTI S H ) l YT I I S .

in se r v ice un der Rome a n d the monumenta l stones ,

further sho w as W right h as pointed out that they

, ,

w ere not in te mpora ry qu ar ters but h ad rem ained a t ,

their stations for long peri ods ; and the term h ae r es

on some of them m arks a heredit ary interest in the
l
loca lities .

These ho wever appea r in history as Roma ns but

, , ,

w e h a ve in dicat ions th a t w h a tever denomin ation they ,

m ay cl a im an 771 628 8 0 individu ally they and certa inly , ,

their childr en come under t w o categories The gran t s

,
.

of citizenship w hich really co nferred the co v eted n am e

,

of Roma n w ere a t rst sp a ringly granted as a re w a rd

,

for meritorious service This honour when conferred .

, ,

seems to have been in scribed on a metal tablet a nd ,

sent to t h e pl a ce w here those w h o w ere so honoured

resided The remains of some of these tablets h av e

.

been found in Cheshir e Kent and Yorkshire O n , ,

.
2

the one found at Mal p as Cheshire from Traj an d ating , , ,

the 2 0 t h J anuary A D 1 0 3 to those w h o h ad ser v e d

, . .
,

t w enty v e ye ars and w h o w ere mentioned by name

-
, ,

e granted to themsel es their children and pos v , ,

t e r it y the rights of citiz enship and marriage (ci v ita s

,

et connubium civil righ t s dependent on legitim a te

,

ma rriage ) w ith their w ive s w h om they might then

,

h ave w hen citiz enship w a s gi v en t o them or if a ny of

, ,

them w ere unmarried w i t h those w hom they might ,

a ft er w ards t ake that is to say provided t hey h a v e

, ,

only one e ach In the list of cohorts to w hich those

.

w h o received those rights belonged is the l st cohort .

of T ungr ians .

The very terms of the gra nt sho w that these in

v a ders were bring i n g up families reputed il legitima te ,

w ithout any c laim on the government of the fa ther

a sure resul t of the regul a tio n s in force the men ,

1 W igh t C l t R m n nd S p g 3 08 I bi l p 4 28 3

r s e , o a a ax o n, a e . r . . .
,
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
l5

not being likely to w ait for the completion of tw en t y

tive ye a rs service before such w ould be the c as e The

.

i ntercourse w ould be w ith the n ati v es and it is cu rious ,

to nd in Bede th at a po w erful a nd formidable portion

of the i nh a bitants of North Britain v iz the Picts ,
.
, ,

founded their hereditary cl a ims on their m aternal

a ncestry .

The Picts s ail ing over in to Britain (from Ire

l a n d ) bega n to inha bit the northern p a rts thereof for ,

the Britons w ere possessed of the southern No w the .

,

Picts h a d no wi v es (aid e G alga c us sup r a c it a t ) an d .

a sked them of the Scots w h o w ould not consent t o,

gra nt them upon any other terms tha n th at w hen

an
y dif cul ty should a rise they shoul d choose a ki n g
,

r ather from the fe m ale roy al r a ce tha n from the m al e ,

w hich custom as is w ell kno w n

,
h as been obser v e d .

a mo n g the Picts to this d a In process of time

y .
,

Britain besides the Britons a nd the Picts received a

, ,

third n a tion the Scots w h o migrating from Irel a nd

, , ,

under their le ader I e ud a either by fair m ea ns or by

l
,

force of a rms secured to themselves those sett l ements

,

a mong the Picts w hich they still possess Bede .

w rites bet w een 6 7 8 an d 7 3 4 T h e Scots w ere te rn

.

o ra r ily dr i v en out of A lb a in 7 4 1
p .

No w still another stra w t o sho w h o w the w ind

,

blo w s as t o the purity of descent of the Picts Sp urrell .

gi v es us t w o w ords from the root b r ith speckled The , .

one is b r ith u r a Pict compounded of g wr a m a n ;

, , ,

the other is b r it /zg i a mongrel compounded of o r a

, , ,

dog If a spotted dog w a s regarded as a mongrel it

.
,

w a s n o gre a t stra inin g of w ords to a pply the s ame

term to a cros s bred m an .

No w Am rn ianus M a rcelli nus w h o gives us our

, ,

info r m a tio n a bout the incursions of the Picts and

Scots in A D 3 6 0 and of the Picts Scots S a xons an d
.
, , , ,
l6 S C O TTI S H M Y T HS .

A t t ac o t s in A D 3 6 4 s ays th at in 3 6 8 the P icts w h o

. .
, ,

w ere d ivided into t w o n ations the D ical e d o n e s an d ,

V e c t ur io n e s an d like w ise the A t t aco t t i a very w a rlike

, ,

people a nd the Scots w ere all roving over di fferent

, ,

" 1
p arts (of the country )an d comm itting grea t ra vages .

Skene in his introduction to the Four Ancient Books

,

of W al es } derives t h e n ame S cot from Sc uit e w an z

d ere r s bec ause here they are described as

, per

divers a vagantes a n d says Ca th wa r seems to
, , , ,

enter into the n ame At t ico t t i a nd they are bellicos a ,

a nd F urt her supposes th at the V e c t urione s

i n cluded the S axons as m a king p art of their n ation ,

beca use they are mentioned in 3 6 4 an d not in 3 6 8 , ,

w hen the V e c t urio n e s seem to ta ke the ir pl a ce The .

M ae at a e the Greek form of w hose design ation comes

,

dir ectly from M aia the Greek goddess of M ay as above , ,

noticed I h a ve sho w n on t h e faith of a Wall oon root

, , ,

to h ave their na me cap able of interpret ation as w o r

shippers o r at l ea st a ctors in rites w hich h ad to do
,

w ith young b ra nches of trees No w w h o I c arry .

, ,

a nd t ur io the young b ra nch of a tree

,
conj oined , ,

pretty completely m ake up V e c t urio n e s the c arr iers ,

of young boughs the Latin eq uival ent of the na me ,

Mae at a e .

The of Dic al e d o ne s comes from the Greek prex

Di
8 Swi t h ro ugh a gainst in O ppos ition a p a rt ; a nd
L, z
, , ,

sig nied I concl ude either the Picts d w e lling a mong

, , ,

or over aga inst the C aledoni a ns ,

.

No w is there a ny authority b ut Co rm ac s Gloss ary

as quoted by Skene for the a ncient or proper form of ,

the name Scot being spe lt Sc uit ? I kno w of none '

an d ,
if it is a w ord of Cel tic origi n there seems no ,

re ason for the comp l ete acceptance of the 0 sound in

co ntr a distinction to the u Corma c m ay h a ve been .

A mm i nu M l li u B
a s ii S
arce V l i p 10 7
n s, . xx v . c . .
2
o . . . .
 mxDT T I SH M Y T HS .
17

ha ve been right but it certa inly w a s no mere muta

,

tion of sound w h ich caused the cl ass ical w ri t ers to c all

them Scot i nor w a s the me aning tha t th a t n ame con
,

v e e d to them w a nderers
y .

There is a Scotch G aelic w ord a lla ba n , ,

sign ify ing w a nder ing w h ich is little different in ,

sound from Al b a nnach the Ga e lic for an inh ab ita nt ,

of Scotlan d In the ba ttl e of the Standard A D 1 1 3 8

.
,
.
,

the G al w egians are said to h ave engaged the E nglish

in the old Teuton ic w edge fo rm ation (the cuneus or -

bo a r s head of the R oman soldiery ) and on the aut h o

, ,

rity of Ho v e d e n shouting as their w ar cry Al b anic h

,
-
,

1
Al b a nic h .

The na me Albion w as app lied to Brita in a nd Alba ,

to Scotla nd from the e arl iest tim es in w hich e ither

,

a r e mentioned as entities an d of course an d w eller

y ,

in Scotl a nd w as an A lb anach L e a n inh abita nt of A lba ,

. .

If there ever w as any connection betw een All aba

n ach and Al b annac h the design ation is no t applied ,

to Corm a c s Sc uzt but to those w h o w ere co nsidered

'

Picts ; a n d therefore Scot sig nifying w a nderer , ,

w ou l d convey no me a ning distinctive of r a ce to the

Pict calling himse l f Alb a nna c h O ne th ing seems cl ea r .
,

th at Allab a nac h in the signic ation of a wa nderer is

, ,

even more ne arly the equivalent to A lb annac h a Scot , ,

tha n Sc uit a w anderer is to Scot a Scotsm an

, , , .

The w ord a nother the second a l t e r in L atin , , ,

a l a b r ui h a nother l a nd a ll other
g , ,

Breton seems h e root of a llab cm a ch ; but w hil e

( ) ,
t
th is is a pp a rently a Scotch Ga e l ic w ord the w ord ,

other is eile both in Irela nd an d Scotl and

,
.

At the co m mencement of the fth centu ry w e

h a ve t w o w r iters w h o Speak speci all y of the Scots .

Cl audius C laud ian us in his p an egyr ic on Stilicho ,

Hi t y f G ll w y 1 8 4 1 p 1 6 5
1 s or O a o a , ,
. .

B
18 S C O TTIS H M Y T HS .

1
says th at Icy Irel and w ept heaps of Scots de
,

stroyed by th a t general And a gain .

M (Bri t i n) p i hin g f m f
e a ign n t i n S t ili h p t t d
er s ro ore a o s c o ro ec e

\Vh n t h S t t i e d up t h w h o l
e e co f I l nd
s rr e e o re a ,

ea f o am e d w i t h h o t il

And t h e s s am n s e e e .

a lso

A l eg i n came sp e d m o ng t h e xt m e B ri t n
o r a a e re o s

\Vh ich b idl d t h e ruel S t r nd g

e ed n th gur
c m k ed co ,
a az o e es ar

w it h i on r

B l o dl e s f o m t h e d yi ng P i t

o s r c .

an d
1
He (S t ili ch o )d raws i nt o o ne th e scat t e r e d p ow er s o f th e em pi re ,

and revi ew s t h e m ars h ll d b t t li on

a e a a s, w h t l eg i o n
a is a
guar d fo r
th e S arm at i c B ank s, w h t i o pp o se d t o t h
a s l gi o n e e rc e G et ae , w h at e

b ridl es th e Sa x n ond t h aS o t h o w g e t o h o rt s urro un d e d t h

e c ,
r a c s e

o c ean, wt ih ho w gre t a soldi e y t h e R hi n e i ubd ue d

a r s s .

The authority here is as good for the icy ch ar a cter

of Irel a nd a s for th a t country being t h e on ly h abitat
of the Scot w h o ho w ever seems to h ave been as
, , ,

a ttentive to it a s to B r ita in itse l f w hile the la st ,

extra ct w oul d almost entit l e us to believe th at the y .

w ere a cont inent al peop l e .

Cl a udi an in the s ame p anegyric h as an other n am e

, ,

for the P icts

H (S t ili h o ) o nq u d t h e w i f t M
e c s no t f l
c ly n m e d Pi ct
e re s o or a se a s,

And f ll o wing t h S t w i t h t h e w nd i ng w o d
o e co a er s r ,

H l ft t h e Hy p e b e n w w i t h d en t u u o
"
e c e r or a a v es a v ro s ar .

The words trans lated s w ift Moors are in the
origin al leves M a ur os and though L ibya is spoken ,

of in the line immed iately precedin g a reference to ,

Thul e intervenes an d the Moors ca ll ed Picts and , , ,

the Scots seem to h ave h a d an in dubitabl e connec

t ion with Thul e a n d the Hyperborean oce an .

It might be supposed if the Picts w ere in digenes

th at they still sta in ed themselves w ith w o ad and for ,

G il l ii p 1 7 0 e s, v o . . . .
 sc o r ri si i M Y rn s
' '

.
10

this rea so n by a poetic al licence w ere c a lled M a ur i

, , ,

l i
P ny telling us the British w omen imitated the
co l our of the Eth iopia ns w hen they used the w o ad .

In the Four Ancient Books of Wal es the w all from ,

l
Forth to C yde is called mur from the Latin ww r us

, ,

a n d the w ord is used in connection w ith the Gos

g o r dd mur or ret i nue of the w all the moun ted troops
, ,

w h o defended it This w all Skene s ays rem ained

.
1
, ,

the proper bound ary of the province from the date of

its erect ion by Lo llius U rb ic us A D 1 3 9 till the , . .
,

R om a ns l eft the isl a nd The w ord m ur is preserved .

in C ar m uirs the n ame of the ancient Camele m j ust in

, ,

2
front of the e as t end of the w all .

It see ms not improbable th a t those living in the

neighbour hood of the w a l l mig ht receive a name from
th a t circum stance say lf ur li Mah ir e z in the W al
,
i .
,

l oon tongue sign ies w all s enclosur es an d is properly

, , ,

a pp li ed to a w all buil t w ithout mortar .

There is a G ae lic w ord ma or w hich O B e illy ,

tra ns la tes a stew a rd a n o ic e r a ba il i ff a catchpo le

, , , ,

a serge a nt former ly a b aron a mong the Scots

,
Skene .

tell s us th at in the eleventh century the Morm a e r

, ,

w a s the he ad of the a ggregate of tribes forming a

n

prov in ce The w ord is common to the Gae lic the

.

W elsh and the Ma nx an d is a s o ld in the Breton as

, ,

the ninth century though L e go ni de c doubts its being

,

of Breton origin The ofce of m aor w as co

. ordin ate
w ith th a t of coroner in the Isle of M an but in no ,

coun try h as it been a ppli ed to hi gher ofces th an in

Scotl a nd Th at the spel lin g of m a tch for the w ord
.

ma or is possibl e is proved by the gra nt of serge antry

of the d istr ict of Cra ignish in the Cra ignish char ters ,

1
Cel t ic Sco t la nd , v 0 1 i . . p . 77 .

3
F our A nc ient B o ok s of W a l es, v o l ii. . p . 4 11 .

3
Hist o ria m of Scot la nd , v ol . iv . p . 44 6 .
90 S C O TT I S H M Y T HS .

mention bei ng therein m ade of the of cium Serg ean
l
dia e seu Mauri t enandria e seu b alliat us de C raignish .

Is it an unlikely thing th at the guardi ans of the

w all on e ither s ide sho ul d not rece ive a Ce l tic na me
, , ,

or tha t a n ame so approp riate as maor shoul d not be

la t inised by the poet in the same form as it w as sub
sequently ? In a poem in the R ed Book of H ergest
w hich cont ain s all us ions connecting it w ith D al meny
2
on the F ir th of Forth are the foll ow ing lin es
,

L et t h e hi f b uild ers b e c e

Again t t h e F ch t i s e erc ,

Th e M or ini B ryt h on .

There can be no q uestion as t o Morini here having

the sa me s igni can ce as m a ur i a bove mentioned It .

is curiou th at Lolliu s U r b ic us the bu ilder of the

s
,

Forth an d Clyde w all w as call ed Africanus from , ,

h a v ing con q uered the Moors .

The other wr iter is St J erome wh o w riting at this .

, ,

d a te gives us on the veracity of one wh o w as a Chris

, ,

t i an a nd a prose w riter detail s both of Scots a nd

-
,

A t t ac o t s 2 The nation of the Scots have not w ives

pecul iar to each (m an ) a n d as if they h ad chosen the
, ,

policy of Plato and foll o w ed the examp l e of C ato there

, ,

is no proper m arriage bond but as if it w ere allo w ed ,

for e ach lasc zrimzt after the manner of cattl e
'

, And .

he al l udes to the s ame pr actice in wh at seems rather

b ig uo us l anguage : L et the Gent il es he ar of the
h arvests of the chur ch w ith w hich our storehouses ,

a r e d ail y bein g ll ed l et the ca techumens w h o are

,

ca n di da tes for the faith hea r that they may not marry ,

w ives before b a ptism nor j o in honour abl e m a rriages

, ,

but they may have promiscuous wives and comm on

chil d ren after the Scotch an d At t ac ot ish rite an d
, ,

a fter the repub l ic of Pl at e .

F u A n i nt B k f W l
1
o r c e l ii p 4 58
oo s o I b id l ii p 4 52
a es, v o . . . .
2 . vo . . . .
 S CO TT I S H MY HT S .
21

S o much for the gener al question but let us not ice

h o w he ha ndl es indiv id ua ls of the s ame na tion in h is
dispute as to the P elagia n heresy Lately an un .

lea rned cal urrm iat or [this is believed to be C oel est ius ,

the coll eague of P elagius] broke fo rth wh o thinks ,

my co m mentar ies on the Ep istl e of Paul to the

E ph e sians t o be found faul t w ith nor does he under ,

stand snortin g with so much sensel essness the law s

, ,

of comm e ntators Nor does this dull ard l o aded w ith

.
,

Sco t ch porridge remember t h at w e h ave s aid in th at

,

very w ork : I do not condemn doubl e marr iages l

Again he says all udin g to Pe lagius : H ere he is
,

s il ent there he nds fa ul t he sends b ibl ical epistl es

, ,

to the w ho l e w orl d formerly bringing gol d no w a , ,

curse and our gro n p a tience concern ing the humi

,

l it y of Christ is interp rete d a s a s ig n of an evi l

conscience H e h im sel f though m ute b arks through
.
, ,

the Al p ine dog [ C oel est ius] w h o can r age better w ith ,

h is hee ls th an w ith his teeth For he h as an o ffspring .

of the Scotch n ation from the neighb ourhood of the

Brit ons w h o after the stories of the poets in the like
, , ,

ness of Cerberus shoul d be struck down w ith a

,

spiritu al cl ub that he m ay be s il ent in the etern a l

,

shades w ith h is o wn m as ter P l uto The Scotch .

porri dge eater is an Alp ine dog from the neighbour

-

hood o f the Britons an d though thi s does not excl ude

,

Irel a nd it is r ather more applicabl e to Scotland The

,
.

w ord trans lated porr idge in the origin al is p ult ib us ,

w hi ch Ainsw orth derives from the Greek aro M o s a n d

-

thi s a gain from the Celtic p ouls (a w ord w hich I h ave

not been abl e to nd anyw here but in Ai nsw orth ) ,

a nd says it w as a kind of me at used by the a ncients ,

m ade of meal w ate r honey or cheese and eggs sodden

, , ,

together It was used at sa cri ces Pul se is a term

. .

a ppli ed to l eg um inous seeds such as the pea and be a n ,

22 S C O TTIS H MY H T S .

and is
curious th a t the w ord scoob a is the Walloon
it
for a so r t of pea and Sc och e is the equival ent for ,

Scotch There can be no doubt fr om the above

.
,

rem arks as to the peculiarities of the Scots founded

, , ,

as J erome tel l s us on a re l igious r ite a n d the Greek ,

supp l i e s us with a w ord w h ich describes t h e se w h o

practise such things .

Z x n o s s ays D amm ad t ene b ras pert inens
, ,

pertain ing to da rkness furtive occul t Excin o v 8% , ,

.

t e eK h a g/D le s p t fws ex furtivo con

y ell a r e

/ _ . a ,

a n il l egitima te
c ub it u
(but the mother brought forth
son from furtive in tercourse ) w h ich others call ff ,
o

5 59 80 10 0 } v
.
y dp wv from il l egitim ate nuptial s (from
,

a not ; Exw to h ave ;

, a torch l 6 not to h ave a
, ,
'

. .

torch o i a xon a those ar e therefore cal l ed w hose

. . c ,

parents h ave evidentl y not h ad connection for the

s ake of procre atin g ch il dr en but secretly and in d ark ,
1
ness .

It is quite cer t ain tha t ne ither the H igh landers

nor the Irish h ave ever call ed themsel ves Scot s ,

t h ough w riters h ave c la imed the titl e for either

peop l e Their n ame for themse lves as usuall y wr it
.
,

ten is G ae l, the ir langu age they call the G a elic .

O n the modern pronunciation of this l atter w ord w e ,

nd the fo ll o w ing note in M L eo d and Dew ar s D iction

ar
y There a ppe ars no good rea son w h y this w ord
.

shou l d not be w ritten G ail ig a spe lling more agree ,

a ble to the pronunc iation th an an

y other as al so to ,

the r ul es of S pel l ing and the gene ral structure of the

langu age

O R e ill y in his D ictiona ry spell s G a e l

.

Gao icl lwa l an d gives as its signi c a tion a hero a

, , ,

m a n w h o by force or art gets above al l l aw s w h il e

Cormac as there quoted s ays if I tra nslate hi s Ga el ic
, , ,

a r ight th at it means a hero wh o cam e w ith theft

,

1 D mm
a

s G r eek L Pt ico n .
 S C O TT I S H M YT H S .
23

The word theft gaoth

through every territory . , ,

al so me an s wind and Z euss t ra ns la tes it m ark ing
,
1
,

it w ith a query imp et us vio l ence and proposes to cal l

, , ,

the n a me G a el inq uieti im petuosi r estless violent , , , ,

derivin g it from the ol der form gaid gait h whi ch , , ,

w ords m ay be tr ans lated e ither as me ani ng wind or

t h eft
. Curiously enough Corm ac de rives the n a me of
the l anguage of the Gae l fro m guthe lg
,

a v ile vo ic e or so and
2
.

In the old Irish w ritings the cl is al w ays in troduced .

Gael is w ritten ga eda l in the s t o ry of the de ath of t h e

three sons of U isne ach In O Co nnor s edition of the .

A nna ls of I nisfa llen it is wr itten goedel u g ae delu and , ,

Z euss concludes th at the older form of the n a me w as

"
g aidal or g o idal Geral d of Wal es w h o w rote
.
,

a bout dis t inctl y tells us that the Irish w ere

call ed G aid eli and al so Scots ; and I concl ude th at ,

at t h at d ate , the d w as sounded The W elsh call .

Irela nd I w e rd don S ignifying a green p l ace the Ir ish

,

they ca ll G wyddyl G wy ddel o d the adj ective meaning

, ,

of w hich is Ir ish sava ge syl van this l a st giving

, ,

G w y ddyl very much the s a me s ign i ca nce as the term

C al e do nii. The Bretons call the Irish I v e rdo niz Iver ,

d o nidi . There is ho w ever in A rem oric a w ord much

, ,

nearer to Z e uss s Gaidal
Gad al p l ural G a dale d , , ,

an immodest ,
l e w d lasciv ious person ; the fe minin e
,

being G ad l e z or Gadal e z Now if w e m ay concl ude

,
.
,

th a t the a bove Breton w ord re t a ins it s form as us ed

" "
at t h e time the term Scot w as introduc ed there coul d ,

scarce ly be a more S ign icant name appl ied to the h alf

bred ch ildren of a peop l e wh o cal l ed themselves Gaidal
al G aidala ) a t all events more Si n i
fe nine plur l
( m i , g , ,

cant to a Bel gic Gaul seein g w h at impress ion such a ,

1 G mm t i
ra C lt i p 8 nt a ca e ca , o e.

D
.
,

O Re il l y s I r ish

iet , r oe Go id h eal g . .

3 T opog ra ph y of I r ela nd , c 7 . .
24 S C O TTIS H M YTH S .

Ce ltic w ord w oul d give to his mind or to the mind of ,

one fa miliar with his l a ngu age No w onder that from .

the t ime of Strabo (4 4 w h o m ent ions reports o f

promiscuous intercourse an d cann ibalism among them ,

the Irish h ad a b ad name In real ity ho w ever the .

, ,

evidence is in favour of their be ing synonyms derived

from the pecul iarities of those w hom they descr ibe ,

an d the fact th at P tolemy gives v ar ious n a mes to the

tribes in h abiting Irel and is in fa vour of the assum p

t ion th at the gener ic term G aidal or Scot ca me

into use at a period posterior to th a t w riter .

Further the real sign ica nce of Gae l must al ways

,

remain a subj ect of conj ecture I o nly des ir e to po int

out a proba bl e mea ning a tta ched t o it by others th an
those to w hom it w as a pp l ied .

Corma c gives as its equiv al ent gafa a hero ;

an d in th is o ne seems to nd the Breton w ords g owr ,

a m an an d a vc l w ind
,
The Scots w ere sure ly se amen
,
.
,

and consequently w ere dependen t la rge ly on w ind fo r

, ,

t heir po w ers of l ocomotion .

Jerome ho w ever further tells us about the Atta

, ,

cots p articu lars th a t a re not less interesting th an

those as to the Scots an d as he saw those peop l e , ,

himsel f trustw ort hy one might suppose

, , W h at .

Sh all I sa
y concern in g the o t her n a tio n s w hen I my ,

self as a young m an ha ve seen in G aul the A t t aco t s

, , ,

a n ation of Brit ain ea ting human esh ; a nd w hen

,

they nd through the w oods h erds of s w i ne and cattl e ,

they are a ccustomed to cut o ff t h e buttocks of the

sh epherd s and breasts of the w omen and th at they ,

consider those al one as delica cies of food Jerome .
,

of cour se did not see t hem e ating hum a n esh ; the

,

phrase ea t ing human esh no doubt mea ns wh o

e at hum an flesh so a fter a ll it w as on ly h earsav
,

e v idence .
 S C O TTIS H M Y T HS .
25

A bun is a c ake eaten at Easter a name derived ,

from O stara a goddess w orsh ipped w ith pr iap ic rites

,
.

Bun the W el sh for a m aid w as a lso s ays D av ies the

, , , ,

Br itish P roserp ine to w hom the mystic branch was

s a cred (Celt ic Resea r ch ii In the tr iads ap , .

pea rs B un one of the three unch aste m atrons of
,

Britain the d aughters of C ul V a n aw yd Prydain t h e

, ,

pe rso n occ upying th e na r r ow sp o t in t h e wa t ers of .

B r it a in She was the w ife of the a m e bea rer and is

.
-
,

the eq u ival ent of a ip ) Proserpine I '

r
, .
l

Pa bo o ne of the supports (post ) of Britain in the

,

W el sh triads Dav ies tra nslates as s ig nifying p rod ucer

,

o
f life and J amie son in his Sc o t t ish Dic tio nar y (voc c
, ,

B el t ain) tell s us th a t the ca kes m ade and eaten at

,

B elt ain w ere covered w ith prominences representing

nipp l es .

B o nn is the b ase or botto m of a th ing ; b o nna ch

, ,

a ca ke of o atme al B o nnm h ais the buttock m as

. :

b uttock o r adj ectively h andsome round heaped , , , .

B uniic is an infant in K ilkenny The w ord

used by Jerome for breas t is p ap ill a a nd in lo w land ,

Scotc h w e h ave a name for a bannock Lap which is , ,

s uggestive enough Doubtless th is presupposes th at

.

b a nnocks and b aps w ere in use in the end of the

fourth century w hich does no t seem impossibl e ;
,

a n d in reference to the Sco ob a be fore ment ioned a ,

pea se b annock is not a n unkno w n form of diet at

the present day in Scotla nd I do not th ink it too .

much stretching a point to dismiss the cannibalism of

our ancestors and nd them ad dicted to l ess startl ing
,

d iet .

Ha ving call ed on the Greek in so m any instances

before for a deriv ation I thi n k we nd sufficient ,

ev idence in the custo ms of the P icts and Scots as ,

1 D a v ie s, Ce l t ic R esea r ch .
2 f; S C O TT I S H M Y T HS .

reported to us to make it not unlik ely th at the Att a

,

cots w ere of somew h at the s ame stock If the Scots .

w ere illegitima te a nd the Picts claimed the ir mother s

,

position in society the At t aco t s c ar ry ing their feel

, ,

in gs to a n atural concl usion d isliked the ir fa thers , ,

a n d w ere cal l ed after the t w o w ords d7 1 0 a father ,

, ,

a n d K o r o s a n imos ity an d there c an be no Simpler or

'

, ,

more d irect der iv atio n of the n ame At t acot th an th a t .

I presume of course th at this op inion as to their

, ,

fee l i ngs c an onl y h ave been formed by some such

h abit as th at ascr ibed by Bede to the Picts .

To rec ap itu la te : w hat I h a ve here attempte d to

prove is
I Th a t the trad itions of t h e se islands connect
.

some of their inhab itants cl ai ming to be Cel ts w ith

the R oman so l d iery of Agricol a specially but possibly
a lso w ith th at of other gener al s .

II That the l eaders a t l e as t of the inh abitants of

.
, ,

the B ri ti sh Is l es w h o durin g the la tter p art of the

,

R om an occup ation m ost ha r assed the R o m ans and

,

the se called Britons w ere of a m ixed r ac e , .

III Th at they pra ctised the r ites of a rel igion

.

w hich g ave occa s ion to the n a mes imposed on them .

I V Th at the names so imposed are of Latin and

.

Greek origin .

Th at Greek S houl d bulk so l argely in these names

is not w onderfu l if for no other re ason th an bec ause
, ,

as w e kno w from J uv e n al w h o w rote during the l a tter ,

p a rt of the rst centur y th at everyth ing was Greek ,

a t R ome even to the bl an dishments o f the l a dies

,

S a t ir e v i l ine But Greek found it s w ay int o

( .

the mysteries of the Scots themsel ves as is cl ea rly ,

proved by the na me of their secret wr iting the se ,

ca ll ed O gm ic Th is character (as is w ell kno w n) is

.

composed of a series of short l ines representing the ,

 C O TTI SH
S MY H T S .
27

sep arate l etters pl aced at an angl e to a long str aight

,

li ne either ma rked or understood In Greek 67 am; is .

,

a furro w ; a str aight ser ies of things p la nted ; th a t

r o w w h ich a re aper fo ll o w s in re aping Oyneriw I trac e ,

a furro w ; O the str ight line kept by re apers

yn os a ,
.

Thus the ordered ro w s O f Short lines a re cal led

O g (h )a ms beca use they are a straight ser ies of lines
,

p lanted in a furro w and this is quite comprehensible

w ithout the in tervention either O f O m ius the G alli c
g ,

Hercul es or of the s unlike O gmus of the Irish both

, ,

w hose n a mes ar e the O ffspring of the s a me root .

In the all usions to Arthur I do not say th at the ,

h istory of Agricol a is the found a tion O f the Arthuri a n

legends merely th at Agr ico la forms one O f the consti
,

t ue nt s w hich (on a n alys is) ar e foun d in them As a .

further in dica tion of th is connection Sk e n e Sho w s ,

l

th at the most l ikely l ocalities of Arthur s b attles ar e

to be foun d rst in the south -w est of Scotl and then ,

in the Lennox then in the districts betw een Clyde

,

a n d Forth a fter w hich is fought the b a ttle of the

,

w ood of C e lydd o n w hich ho w ever Skene thinks w a s

, , ,

to the south w a rd on G ala Side not north w ards l ike

, , ,

Mons G ra rn pius .

Therea fter if Arthur and Agrico la are the sa me

, ,

Arthur m akes himself master of the three for t resses

of Du mb a rton Stirling an d Edinburgh and fights
, , ,

the b attle a t Bouden Hill Linlithgo w shir e Ta citus , .

gives no indica tions of these l ast four subsequent t o ,

the b attle w ith the Cal edonia ns but they m ay be ,

considered as the settlement of t h e conquered ter

tory in either ca se but in t h e O l d W elsh poem the ,

Sp o il s of Annwn ac cepted as O l d by al l commen t a

,

tors the second last exploit of A rthur of anxious

,

memory there mentioned was at a p lac e cal l ed ,

l i p 58

F An i t B k f l l l
o ur c en oo s o a es, v o . . . .
28 S C O TT I S H MY H T S .

C aer (fo r t ) V andw y Skene says the loc a lities in
.

the poem distinctly poin t to the district bet w een

the r t h s on the lin e of the R oma n w all an d s ays ,

V an d wy w as possibly Cra mond on the Forth .

The same Va nd w y is mentioned in a nother

poem in connection w ith the further Taw y th a t is , ,

the river T ay I S it not more likely th at the

.
.

p lace is some w here in the district of the th an ag e of

Fa nd ufuit h w hich Skene himself in h is notes to
, ,

F o rdun says w as at Logierait on the T ay w h e re on

,
1
, ,

the summit of a hil l call ed Torr (a c o n ic a l h ill) there ,

are rema ins O f a n intrenched position ? Davies in his 2

Celt ic Resea rc h es transl ates Vand w y as meaning

,
3

resting on the height a vague enough n ame SO far ,

as its tr a nsl ation goes The R om an ca mp at Fortin

.

gall certies to these invaders having re a ched so far .

The district assigned to the expl oits O f both com

m anders corresponds cl osely .

W e all kno w th at Agricol a w as not a king and it ,

.

is note w o r t hy th at Arthur w as in the O ldest a ccounts

styled only Dux b e llorum G nled ig a s t h e W elsh ,

c al l it ; an d l astly Ne nnius to w hom w e o w e the

, ,

a ccount O f Arthur s t w e l ve b attles never mentions

,

Agricol a in his history nor w as T a it us s a ccount O f
,
c

him kno wn by historians till the t ime O f Hector Boece .

SO fa r the period under considera tion h as been th a t

of the R oman occup a tion of Britain a nd the a uthorities ,

quoted h ave almost been con n ed to those w h o are

historic w rite rs But w hen w e enter upon the story
.

of t h e times immediately subsequent to the relinquish

ing O f our country by the Ro m ans w e nd ourse l ves ,

fa ce to fa ce with li terature al together d ifferent much ,

O f it be i ng ev ident fa b l e an d al most al l of it deeply,

1 H isto r ia ns of Scot la nd v o l iv , 4 17 . . p . .

M a rs h all Hist or ic Sce nes in P er th sh ir e

,
.
3
Vo l . p . 5 16 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
3 9

dyed w ith w h a t m ay be call ed Christi an superstition ,

a n d the w riters highest in repute not bei ng w ithout

sus i c m n
p .

The Rom a ns n ally quitted B rita in A D 4 1 0 and . .

,

the d ate xed as th at w hen Gild as our e l dest a uthor

wr ote w as 5 6 0 A D This da te a century and a h alf
. .
,

a fter the n a tion s independence is xed by a c alcul a ,

tion as to the d ate of a battle at B adon Hill w hich is ,

s aid to h ave taken pl a ce in 5 1 6 a n d G ildas s o w n ,

observations b ring out the d a te a bove quoted a s the

period at w hich he w rote The Irish A nn als record his .

death in A D 5 7 0 The oldest copy of his history is of

. . .

the thirteenth centur y He w rote a d iscourse con .

sistin g of a ch ain of quota tions from the Scriptures

a ppended to a short v il i ca t io n of four British kings ,

Consta ntine Con an C un egl as a n d M ag l o c unus the

, , , ,

ch a ra cteristics of w hom collectiv ely taken w ere their , ,

l a scivious h abits and the fa ct th at the syl la bles con
,

or cun a ppear in e ach of their n a mes He also w rote .

a short history of Brita in more or a toric a l th an h ist o ri ,

cal. I n this l a tter he notices the Picts an d Scots ,

w h o he tells us w ere se amen using bo a ts (l a tin isin g

, ,

the G ae lic w ord c ura clz) an d fu rther tha t they w ore ,

more h a ir on their faces th a n clothes on their bodies .

The best proof of there h a v ing existed a n early

w riter c alled G ild a s is th a t Bede w h o w e h a ve s aid , , ,

w rote betw een the ye ars 6 7 3 a n d 7 8 4 quotes him , ,

but not a t length so a s to en able the absolute con

,

c l usio n to be a rrived a t th a t w h a t w e n o w ha ve a s

G il d as s H istory is the s ame as the book kno w n to

Bede .

Ne nni us the next a uthor must h ave compil ed his

, ,

w ork shortly after A D a n d he dr e w l a rgely on

. .

the Or ig ines of Isidorus of Sevill e w h o died in 6 3 6 , .

F u A n i nt B k f W l
1 o r l i p 13 7
c e oo s o a es , v o . . . .
30 SC O TTI SH ) rY r H s
'
.

From the Roma ns then to Bede a nd Nennius t w o , ,

centuries and a half h ad el apsed and it is eas y to ,

fancy h o w much fable must have gro wn up in that

time an d into h o w m any mistakes and m isconceptions
,

these w riters w ere likely to fall even if they h a d been ,

severely critical w hich indeed they w ere not

,
.

These t h en are the only ancient native a uthors

, ,

w hose w ritings m ay be supposed to h a ve come do w n

to us in their ori gin al form but to get a gene ral idea ,

of the va lue of our further sources of in form ation I ,

w ill gl ance a t d a tes afxed by critics to the other

w ritings Welsh Irish an d Scotch
, , And rst let us
, .
,

consider the We lsh b ards .

Their n ames w ere Taliessin A ne ur in L ly warc h , ,

Hen an d M e rddi n an d they are s aid to h ave lived in

, ,

the sixth century The oldest transcript of their

.

w orks is the B l a c k B o ok of Ca cr m a r tlzen a M S of the , .

tw elfth century a nd the poems ar e confesse dly neither

,

in the v erbal form nor in the orthogr aphy of the d ate

at w hich they ar e s a id to h av e been composed .

Skene is of O pini on th a t the metre of L lyw arch Hen s

1

poems is as old as the ninth century an d one of ,

Taliessi n s a s old as the tenth Judgin g from the .

date he h a s xed for the e xistence of the G ul e dig
C un e dda ; fro m the fe w allusions to Ar thur w h o is ,

only noticed and th at not in deta il in v e poems

, , ,

a n d to their evident connection w ith the Rom a n w a ll

an d from their a ll usions to the Picts w h o ar e c all ed ,

Pictish Ga el ; and especi ally from an allusion to the

, ,

2
death of a cert ain Dy fnw a l Bre ac w hich occ ur red ,

A D 6 42
. . Skene thin ks some of them m ay h a ve been
,

w ritten shortly a fter this d ate w hile others cont a in ,

references w hich prove them to be subsequent to

Ne nnius an d even to the date of the commencement
1
F u A i t B k f ll l
o r nc en l i p 22 1
oo s o I b id

l i p 23 3
a es, vo . . . .
2 . vo . . . .
 SC O TTI SH MY TH S .
3 1

of the Norm a n dyn as ty in England The g e n ui n e .

p oems are the liter a tur e of the Cymric inh a bita nts of

the kingdo m of Cumbri a those w hom they com

me m orate are the M e n of the North th a t is in , ,

general terms modern Low l a nd Scotland ; and there

,

is every re as on to believe tha t they ar e older th an the

tenth centur y .

The a ncient L a ws a nd I nst itut es of Wa les a re of

the tenth c ent my .

In Irel and there is an immense mass of native

literatur e the princip a l a uthorities among w hich a re
,

the follo wi ng
The Sene h as M o r w hich seem s to have come do w n
,

to us possibly complete in M SS d ating from the close

, . .

of the thirteenth century It cl a im s to h ave been .

w ritten in A D 4 3 9 under th e superintendence of St

. .
,
.

P a trick .

The Sa lt a ir of C aslzel s aid to h ave been composed ,

in 9 0 3 .

The celebrat e d C o r ma c s Glossa ry s aid to be the

i nterlined expl an a tions m ade in the Sa lt a ir by Corm ac ,

k ing of Munster w h o w as k ill ed in tha t year P a rt

, .

of th is gloss ar y is in the Book of Leinster a book as ,

old as 1 1 5 0 an d the complete gloss ary is in a M S

, .

made about the year 1 4 0 0 .

The L ea bh ar 7ia h Ut ah re some p a rt of w hich is

/

preserved in M s c ir ca 1 1 0 0 . .

Th e B ook of Ba lly mot e comp il ed i n 1 3 9 1 /

In more modern times Keating compil ed h is h istory ,

a bout 1 6 3 0 The book of Conquests L ea blza r Ga blza la

.
, ,

w as compiled a bout the s ame date ; a nd six ye ars ,

la ter the A nna ls of t h e F o ur Masters by M ich ael

,

O C l e ry an d th ree othe rs

.

A list is g iven of a uthorities from w hich these last

w ere composed of whi ch thr ee h ave come do w n to us
,
3 2 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

an d one of these in w hich the fe w circumstan ces

,

mentioned a re w ithout date c an h ave been of no ,

as s ist a nce in so v olu m inous a composition a mounting , ,

as it does w ith notes a n d tra nsl a tion to six thick

, ,

qu arto volum es .

There a r e undoubtedl y religious manusc ripts in

Irish of an older da te th an a ny of these but it is clea r
from the d ates a bove given w hich are Professor ,

O C ur ry s th at in none of them c an w e rely on the

in form atio ncont a ined being older in its form than the
time of the Norma n in v asion of Irel and 1 1 7 1 unless , ,

it be in the L ea lj h a r 2l a E U{cl / we .

As to Scottish history the oldest of the A nn al s

,

of the Picts and Scots w as compiled about the

v e a rs 9 7 1 to 9 7 5 a nd like Nenn ius draw s on the
, , ,

Ur zg incs of Isidore for its prefa tory m atter the

'

m an uscrip t being of the fourteenth century in w hich ,

century w as w ritten F o rd un s History the oldest

S co t ch hi st ory ex t a n t .

O f cour se the abo v e is not a complete l ist of w orks

from w hi ch w e m ay deri v e inf orm ation b ut a sum ,

m ary guide to giv e an ide a of the value w e m ay pla ce

on them from their age .

Precon c e i v ed ideas give a distincti v e ch ar act er to

much conta in ed in these as for insta nce in the m ira cles
, , ,

ascribed t o s aints the very s ain ts themselves being

,

frequently as much myths as t heir mir a cles A nd .

a g a in a no t her very e v ident a nd common fa ct is the

,

loca l ising in the district or country of the w riter the

co m mon t ra ditions of the stock of w hich his people
formed a pa rt .

It seems then but rea sonable th at w hen a common ,

key ca n be found to expl ain the di fferent improbable , ,

a n d even in their literal me aning impossible stories

, , ,

w e m ay concl ude th at th is key represen t s the true

 sc o r r l s n M r ri l s
'

.
33

history ; and we may the more s ure ly rely on this

being so whe n w e nd local tra dition record s other
, ,

tha n wr itten such as engra ved stones tumuli a nd r e

, , ,

mains of wea pons etc supportin g this theoretic al idea ,

.
,
.

Let us then in the lig ht of the records a bove

,

noted and others of the s a me class continue the

,

co n si deration of those w h o ar e claimed as t h e ea rly

historic Celtic stock from w hich sprang the present
inh abitants of the British Isles the Picts Scots a n d , , ,

Cym rithe Irish Scotch a nd We l sh -

.

The Picts appear not only in Al b an b ut a lso in ,

Wales and in Irel and ; an d in these countries besides ,

the name Pict ho w ever spell e d we nd them cal led by

, ,

other names In one of the most a uthentic poems of

.

T aliessin the n ame Pe it h wyr is a pplied to the Picts of

G al lo way and in the G od o d in poem w e h ave Peith a n
,

given as the father of G w id wh o w as app arently a ,

Cumbrian .

P eith to to lay O pen to scout P e ith as a scout a

, , , ,

scout boa t (Spurrell ) Pe it h wyr w oul d then be scouts .

g wr men l osing the g in composition the s am e w ord

, , ,

as P eeil e a r
(M anx ) a spy a scout In Ammia nus
'

.
, ,

Ma rcellinus (B xxiii c 3 w e h ave the fo l l o w ing

. . .
,

notice placed immediately a fter the account of the

pac i cat io n of Britain by Theodosius the defea t of ,

the Picts and Scots an d the fo rm at ion of the pro ,

l

vince of Val entia extending to the w al l betw een ,

The Ar ea m a cl a ss of
'

Forth and Clyde A D 3 6 9 , . .

,

men instituted in former times and of w hom w e h a ve

, ,

a lre ady m ad e some me n tion in recording t h e a cts of

Constans h ad now gradu a lly fall en into b ad pra c

,

tices for which Theodosius removed them from their

,

st a t io ns I n fact they h ad been undeniably convicted

.
,

of yiel ding to the temptat ion of the great rew ard s

w hich w ere given and promi sed them so as to h ave ,

C
3 4 SC O TTI S H M Y TH S .

continua lly betra yed t o the b arb ari ans w ha t w as done

a m ong us .For their business w as to tra verse V ast
dis tr icts a n d report to our gener als the w arlike mo e
,
v

ments of the neighbourin g nations Gil es in m e n .
,
1

t io ning thi s cal ls these men Ar c a n i a nd expl a ins

, ,

th at the only M S of Ammi anus being imperfect it is

,
.
,

impossible to say w hether this is the w hole or only

portion of the w ord an d s ays tha t the w ord signifying
,

secret agent gives w h a t seems a more intelligible
term tha n Ar ean i .

Wh a tever be the me aning of the na me Ar ca na s or

A rca nas th at these men w ere scouts is cle a r from the
,

description of their functions .

I do not think it necess a ry to a ssume th a t a ll

Picts w ere A rc ani I th ink how ever th a t the name
.
, ,

P e it h wy r a pplied to the Picts in this tra di tion al poem

is p r im a f ac ie evidence th a t at least p art of them w ere .

2
D av ies explain ing h o w the Welsh in e a rly times
,

h a d a method of w r iting by cutting m arks w ith a

kn ife on a four or three sided stick s ays th at severa l -
,

stic k s w ith w riting on them w ere put together form ,

ing a k ind of fr am e c all ed Peitlzynen or elucid ator , .

P e it h yne n he expl ain s me ans any sm all body w ith

, ,

a at surfa ce a sl a te a brick
( g a wr it ing t ablet
, a v

of box w ood ) .

Spurrell s ays this w as the a ncient b ardic w riting

fra me an d of course the wr iting on it w as the Coel
,

bren y Beirdd or memori al sticks of the b ards

, .

Th a t the Cel t ic peoples s ays Zeuss h a d also , ,

a w ritin g of their o w n before these letters th at

(
the Rom a n alph abet w hich he s ays w as given over , , ,

in properly formed letters from t h e Irish to the Anglo

S a xons ) w ere h anded o v er from the Rom a ns the ,

H i t y f A i t B it
1
s or l i p 3 24
o nc e n r on
s ,
vo . . . .

2
C lt i R h e l i p 27 1
c esea r c e s, v o . . . .
 sc o r ri sn
'
M Y TH S .
3 5

na m e of O gmios a god of the G auls seems to testify

, ,

w h o is ca lled the one w h o presides over speech even ,

n o w preserved a mo ng the Irish t o w hom O gm a ,

=
( O gmios )is the inventor of w r iting O ga m (O gh am , ,

O gb um ) the proper kind of th a t old wr iting itself

, ,

and found both in the old inscriptions of stones an d ,

kno w n to the w riters of our codices of the ninth

century Among the Wel sh a lso old forms of letters
.

circul ated like the Scandin av ia n runes suitable for

, ,

carving on w ood or stone as the a lph a bet of Nem n iv us ,

.

or w h at are call ed coelb r e n y b e ir dd a lph abet of the ,

b ards to w hich are opposed c oelb r en y m e nac h

, ,

alph a bet of the monks or Rom a n a lph a bet ; w hence

it m ay be gathered th at gures for shrubs or lik e the ,

small bra nches of trees or shrubs of w hich d e sc rip ,

tion ar e the Sca ndinav i a n runes h av e been ta ken by ,

the Irish bards bec a use they g ave the n a mes of ,

shrubs or trees to the indivi dual gures of letters

from w hich the alph a bet h as been called b et/2 (birch ) .
,

C o el l ne m z
'

l ms (mount a in a sh ) m n (nion -
,
'

s ays Zeuss is lignum memoria e as m e lfa en is l a pis

, ,

memori ae stick an d stone of memo ri al But is

.

not this c oel b r en also the n ame for the in di vi du a l,

letters equivalent to the w ord b uclzst a l) the staff of a

, ,

1
book ti e a letter
,
.

In fa c t origin all y the letters w ere supposed to

,

represent tw igs of d ifferent shapes but the in v entors .

of the O gmic called ea ch letter by the nam e of a d if

fere nt pl a nt an d so as it w ere exp a nded the ide a
, , , .

No w the story of the or igin of the b a rdi c alph abet is

this 2 2
A certa in Ne m n iv us in v ented these letters ,

because a S axon schol ar found fault th a t the Britons

h a d not a r11 dim e n t um ; but h e himself suddenly

formed these from the m a chi nations of h is o w n mind ,

1 Z u G m C lt i
e pp 1 2
ss, ra . I bi l p 1 059
e ca , .
,
.
3
c . . .
3 6 S PO TT I S H M Y TH S .

in order tha t he w ould o v e rthro w t h e repro a ch a nd

dulness of his o wn na tion .

And Zeuss gives a list of the l etters w hich see on ,

a n n exed t a ble w ith the m e anings att ached to those

w hich are cle ar in their interpretation a n d for com , ,

p arison the ordinary O gh a m Scale is put alongside it

, .

l
D a vies tells us on the a uthority of O w en th at the
, ,

W el sh Ba rdic alphabet contains all the letters of the

Pel asgi an or Etruscan al ph a bet w ithout deviation ,

of form except four or v e w hich w ere Rom an

, , .

Dio do rus Sic ul us w h o wr ote B C informs us that

,
. .

Li nus w rote a history of the acts of t h e el der

Dionysus and other myt hologica l tr a cts in Pel asgian
, ,

l etters an d th at O rp h eus m ade use of the same

, .

O rpheus w a s a Thrac i an and a b ard and all know ,

h o w he is s a id to h ave m ade trees d ance to his music .

The Picts claimed a Thr aci an origin ; and it is q uite

a si m ple m a tter to be lieve th at conta ct in the service

of Rome might h ave ta ught the foreign a uxil i aries

Etrusca n mysteries and it is lik ely th at these P icts ,

w ere the descendants of these forei n a uxili ar ies

g B ut .
,

regarding the name of V e n e dot ia a p art of W ales

in w hich this Pela sgi an alph abet w as used a n a me ,

e v idently connected w i t h the V eneti of Brittany ,

w hose l a rger iron fa ste ned ships an d iron ch a in cables

-

ar e rem arked on by C a es a r an d w h o S t r abo s ay s , , .

w ere the progenitors of the Veneti from w hence ,

comes modern V enice is it not po s ibl e th a t a Pel a ,

s s

gia n stock h ad reta ined t heir ow n l iterature

And it is note w o rt hy t h a t w e h ave in Etruri a al one .

of all Italy any dolmens such as form th e w onder

,

of Britta ny and th at there al so art i ci al mounds w i t h

, ,

encl osed cham bers ; such as are in Irel and at Brugh na .

B o in ne an d Loch Crew are found ,

.

C lt i R
e c h l i p 27 1
esea r c ,
C lt i R
vo .h qu t s
. . l i p 3 25.
3
e c esea rc , o e ,
vo . . . .
 '
so o r T I SI I
M YI H S
'
.
3 7

If these Pela sg ic Etruscan cha ra cters w ere use d

b y O rpheus it is e asy to see h o w they came to be
,

cl aim ed as Bardic the more especially as it is cl ea r

,

that a pri apic w orship w a s com m on both to the ,

O rph ean s a n d those W hom this Ess ay more especi ally

concerns v iz the P icts Scots and Cy m ri
, .
, , ,
.

I n tabl e A it w ill be seen tha t the B ardic ch aracters

given b y Davies are referable to t w enty root letters .

Let us comp a re these and the O gh a m P w hich is .

,

cal l ed soft B in Ga e lic is not a n O gh am ch aracter , ,

nor is the O gh am usin g F .

W of the Bardic seems the equ ivalent of the

O gmic
G w in W e lsh w hich i n composit ion drops the g
, , , ,

is equal to F as G w y r (W elsh ) Fir (Ga el ic ) men ;

, , ,

G w io n Fion etc ,
.

The gre at use of the q in O gha m is in the w ord

ma gg i of a son
,
w hich a pp a rently occurs once in
,

Wales an d once or t w ice in Ireland as a closely , ,

connec t ed w ith the W el sh ap m ab a son The n ame , , .

of the ch ara cter too is spelt q uit/2 the homologue of ,

the modern g uy th .

W e h a ve thus reduced the number of simp l e

Bar di c l etters from tw enty to eighteen .

In the eclipsis of the Irish w hich for the sa ke of , ,

euphony drops out certa in consonants after the letter

,

)1 rep la cing them by t h e sound of a nother conson ant

, ,

g is no t eclipsed but co alesces w i t h the n a n d thus ,

h as a c la im for a sepa ra te sign There is a ch ara cter .

for ng in the B a rdic a nd it al s o receives one in the ,

O gmic the so cal led ng e dal or broom seed
,
-
, .
2

In Scotch G a elic thi s eclips is occurs in the case of

Brash s Og lm m fo mmm zl s
'
3 47 , p . .

Sp p
e c im e n o f e c l i sis : {h r lm il e , o ur t o w n, is w rit t e n fi r m -b a il e , pro
no unce d ar -m a il e .
3 8 S CO TTIS H M Y T HS .

nouns begin ning w ith s fo llow ed by a vo w e l or a , .

liqu id whi ch aft er the articl e e ndi ng in n have a t

, , ,

inserted the s becoming quiescent

, In the ordi nary .
1

w riting of eclipsed letters the e li ded one fo ll o w s the ,

one taking it s p lace but al though there are no w ords , ,

in G aeli c begi nni ng w ith Ts th is combin ation h as ,

received a ch ara cter in O gha m w hich is c all ed St ra if ,

the b lackthorn Further evidence of this being the .

o rig in of these t w o ch ara cters is found in their fo l lo w

igg each other in the O gh a m stave (see tab l e B ) .

E v idence of the articial cha ra cter of the O gham and ,

of the a cquaintance of its a uthor w ith the r ul es of

g ra m mar is ve ry cl ear in the fac t th at the bro ad
, ,

vo w el s a o u foll o w ea ch other be ing delin ea te d by

, , , ,

one t w o and three short strokes or dots respectively

, , ,

w hi l e the sm all vo w el s e and i fo ll o w them wi th four

a n d ve m arks .

The name of the letter 22 is the s ame both in

t h e O gm ic and B ardic a n d O C urr
y informs us
?

t h a t Ni n s ign i es not o nl y the l etter i t spec i cal ly ,

but any l ett er The alph a bet is call ed Beth Luis .

Nin th at is t h e b ir c h a sh lett e rs It h as been re

, , .

mar ked th a t l e avi ng out the vo w e l s B L N forms

, ,

the name Bel en a nother Ce lt ic titl e of H ercul es or ,

O g m ius .

The O gm ic is found princip al ly in the south w est -

of Ireland one hundred a nd eighty t w o of a total of

,
-

one hundr ed and n inety three inscriptions described ,

by Br ash be ing in the counties of K il kenny Cork

, , ,

Wa terford and K erry a nd al ong the sea estuaries of

, ,

the Bandon Lee B lackwater Suir and Nore It is

, , , ,
.

common i n D im e t ia or South \Val es in the counties , ,

of C a rd iga n Pembroke a nd Gla morgan and is found

, , ,

A n slat , t h e rod , w rit t e n a m t -sl a t , p r o no unce d a n-l ln t .

M a t e ria ls, p . 4 7 1 , q uo t es U r a i c e pt .
 SC O TTIS H M Y THS .
J

in Devon and Corn w all in Englan d a nd one inscript ion ,

a t York .

In Scotla nd there are severa l such inscript ions :

t wo in F ife one in F o r farsh ire three in Aberdeen
, ,

sh ire one in Sutherland an d six in O rkn ey and

, ,

Shetl and There are thus t w ice as many inscriptions

.

in the O rkn eys as there are in any county in Scot

l an d and these islands ar e the t r adition al local ity of
,

the P icts an d of the people kno wn in Ire la nd a s the

,

F irb olg W e h ave found them in Irel a nd a l most

.

al w ays near the w a ter either se a shore or estu ary ; ,

-

a nd the s a me be ing the c a se in Scot l and w e m ay ,

infer th a t these ins criptions w ere w ritten by a sea

fa ring peop l e .

The Scottish O ghams a r e much ruder th an the

W elsh a n d Irish but they occur in some cas es on ,

sto n es high ly carved The vo w els also a re m arked .

by cross l ines with d ifculty distin guish able from the

,

cross l ine conson ants and this difcul ty is in creased ,

by there being often no stem l ine It is aga inst .

probab ili ty th a t those w h o l e arned to m ark a stem

line an d the vo w els by dots shoul d omit the former
a n d ta ke the trouble to cut the confus ing cross lines

in p la ce of the more s imple a n d in t e ll igible dot on ,

stone at le as t if not on a stick ; an d for these

, ,

re as ons one forms the op ini on tha t the W elsh an d

,

Irish O gha ms are more recent th a n the S cottish In .

Wa l es the inscriptions are often b ilin g ual L a tin an d ,

Ga elic and in one c ase there w as foun d at Lougher

, , , ,

Carmar t hen B ay a R oma n a lt a r w ith an O gha m

,

inscription In Irela nd at Kill een Corm a c there is

.
, ,

a l so a L atin an d O gh a m inscription an d I sh all h a ve ,

occas ion to draw attention to a tradi tion conn ected

w ith this loca l ity subsequently .

W e h ave seen that the B a rdi c al ph abet consisted

40 C T
S O T I SH M Y T HS .

of t w enty si m ple sound s a nd w hen w e l ook a t the ,

O gha m stave (B) w e notice at once the simple

,

division of it into four groups of v e letters ea ch ,

e a ch letter being represented by ve strokes an d this ,

is a n ingenious cipher ve ry ea sily m arked w ith a ,

k nife on a stick for all the sounds included in the

,

B a rdic alph abet the sound st w hich is introduced

, , ,

m aking up the necess ary tw enty .

Starting with a single score a cros s a stick for a ,

a n d then grouping t h e ve vo w els together adding a ,

notch for e a ch succeeding one the next ve scores ,

eas iest to m ke ar e on the side of the stick opposi t e

a

the holder s left side then turning the stick a littl e

, ,

he makes other ve notches an d then sl anting his , ,

knife a l i tt le e more Thu s ma rked it reads from

,
v .
,

b e lo w up w a rds a n d from left to rig h t as it does on

, ,

the O gmic stone s No w t h e n a me of e ach O gmic

.
,

letter is t h at of a tree or shr ub ; but w hen w e l ook at

the n ames of the B ardic l etters w hich Z euss h as ,

tra nslat ed w e nd t h t the y ar e of different sign i

,
a

ca tions a nd of such sign ic t io ns th a t t hey could

,
a

cer t a inly be app lied to w ha t w e might c all fortune

t e l ling
,
a n d if so from the a ll usions to se a an d shore
, , ,

a nd bo a ts in them t hey w e re most l ikely used by

,

sea faring people .

In \Va les these ch a ra c t e rs ar e c a ll ed lo ts an d I ,

n o w w ould dra w a t t ention t w h a t T acitu s tell s us of o

the use of lo t s by t h e people from w hom sprang t h e

1
Ci m b ri and Ba tavia ns v iz the Germ an s : ,
.
,

No people a r e more a ddicted to divin ation by
omens an d lots The l atter is performed in the fol
.

lo wing simple w ay They cut a t w ig from a fruit t ree

.

an d div ide it in to sm all pieces w hich distinguished by , ,

certain m a rks are thro w n promiscuously on a w hite

,

0 n th e Al a n ner s a f f/t r G er m a ns ,
c h .
 SC O TTIS H M Y HS T .
4

ga r m ent Then the priest of the canton if the occa

.
,

sion be public if private the ma ster of the family

, , ,

a fter a n invoca tion of the gods w ith his eyes l ifted up ,

to hea ven thr ice takes out ea ch piece ; and as they

,

come up interprets their signic at io ns a ccording to the ,

ma rks x ed on them Ta citus further informs us
.

that conrma tion of these prognostica tions w as taken

from the flight of birds an d from the neighing and ,

snorting of ho rses Any one w h o h as re ad the Mabin

.

o io n a n d the O ssia ni c Society s w orks w il l remember

g
inst ances of the occurrence of i ghts of bl a ck bi l ds

a nd in U l ster there w a s a steed w hich delivered ora cles

1
a t H all o w een .

Th a t the very w ord b ard w as used by the Germ ans ,

w e h a ve on the a uthority of T a citus w h o t ells us they ,

stim ul a ted t heir courage by reciting verses quem ,

b a rdi t um v oc an t (wh ic h th ey c a ll h a u ling ) .

It ca nnot be denied th at if they did these th ings ,

in a ncient Ge rm a ny t h ey m ay also though w e have

, ,

no a ccount thereof h ave done the s ame in Great

,

Brita in a nd Irel and .

Ho w ever seeing th at the Etrusc an Alphabet is

,

most lik ely in some w ay connected w ith the O gmic ,

th a t the Picts claim to be descend an t s of Hercul es ,

th at t h e w riters of O gmic w ere acquainted w it h an d

used La tin a n d h a d very considera ble kno w le dge of
,

gramm a r I am of opinion tha t O gmi c w as introduced

,

into th e se isla n d s by a people more civilised tha n w e

h ave a ny evidence to sho w exis t ed in our isl and a s
na tives a t the time of its r st invasion and further , ,

th a t these O gmi c cha ra cters w ere not improba bly the , ,

outcome of an acqu a in tance wi th the Etruscan or

Pelas g ic a lph abet W hether of any signicance or
.

not the rst l etters of the three groups of conson a n t s

, ,

O i i S l l ml
1 l ii pp 4 0 4 1
ss a n c co a ,
vo . . .
, .
42 S C O TT I S H M Y T H8 .

B e th ,
life 11 20 the introducer of agricu lture a mong
, ,

the Cy mry and M ain a gift the t w o latter rem ind

, , ,

in g us of T uist o a n d M annus of Ta c itus seem to hint ,

at a Ge r m a n sta rt ing point -

.

Bras h tell s us th at the trees of Irel and a r e c alled

"
aft e r the l etters not the letters after the trees ,
an ,

lste r

a r ument
g adva nced by Mr O D aly in the U .

Jo ur na l of A rc h teo logy If so is the O gmic Cu

.
,

Q u e ir t (the app l e tree ) the name in O gm ic for Q

-

not connected w ith the Gothic Quco r th w hich he ,

'

quotes on p 6 2 i .

I w oul d argue from t h e a bove that the O gmic

cha ra cters o w e their origin to the marking of the l ots
on sticks say of a ppl e -tree w hich system of markin g
,

subsequentl y w as ingeniously app l ied to a secret char

a c t er poss ib ly by such men as the Arc ani
,
.

O C ur ry

tell s us in c om i e c t io n w ith the ever
2
,

re c urring n ame L ugh aidh h o w L ugh aidh s son ,

Corc h aving been forced to ee to Scotland from

,

Munster w as informed by G ruib n the k ing s b ard

, ,

th a t he h ad on his shield an O gh am a dvising his

being put to death at once on arriva l at the Albani e
cou rt . Th is is a signic a nt h int as to the use of
O gh a m ; for w e see that used for a secret pu rpose it , ,

required to be in terpreted an d t h at by a ba rd before , ,

the Irish pr ince understood its signi cation .

If there is anv truth in my conj ecture as to the

origin of O gh am w hat a re w e t o m ake of the W elsh
,

m a n Ne m niv us w h o on the spur of the moment pro

, , ,

v id e d his countrymen w ith a n a lph abet 1

The w r iters of Irish history h ave no aborigin a l

tr ibes i n the isl and Their a ccounts co m mence w ith .

inv as ions ; a nd the rst o f these was by a la dy of the

tra nsp arent name of Cesa re Sh e was a grandd a ughter .

Ogh m i a ib d M
- nsc r u w t p 63
e M t i l p 469
on n n
'
s
,
. . a er a s, . .
 sc o rr rsn M Y T HS .
4a
0

of No ah Nex t after her a ccording to the Four M asters

.
, ,

c ame Part h o lan and then a person of the n a me of

,

Ne m edh or N e m e di us
, No w there c a n be l ittle ques .

tion th at this na me is derived from the w ord nemet :

szlv a a grove Nem niv us al so spelt N e m e n o ius a lso

.
, , ,

No m eno ie comes from nom a Memphitic temple

,
l
,

(pri apic ) and is the equ ivalent of ne met a grove or

, ,

t emple .

And thus we have a very clear connection betw een

the na me of the inventor of l ots a nd the s a cred grove ,

a nd if C a es ar g ave his n a me to t h e r st fa bulous Irish

col onist it seems not at all a w ild conj ecture to believe

,

tha t the origin als of subsequent ones are to be l ooked

for after his date .

No w the descendants of Ne mh id h (pronounced

Ne v h i) a re s aid after h is de ath to h ave been driven
, ,

out by a peop le ca ll ed Fomorians W e are informed .

th a t they l eft in thr ee b ands one of those under the , ,

le adership of S imon Brea c going to

Thr ace ; another under I ob at h go ing to the north of
, ,

Europe a nd the third under B rio t an M a ol ( the

, ,
:

b ald Briton l ) going to Alb an The next to inva de

,
.

Irel and w ere a people called the F irbolg w h o w ere ,

the descend a nts of S imon B reac s Thra ci a n p arty
a n d i m me di ately a fter them ca me the peop l e c alled

Tua th a de Da na a ns w hi ch w ithout any rened ori t i , ,

c ism gives us tra nsl ated by the resembl ance of sound

, ,

to a modern name as its mea ning Tribe of the D anes ; , ,

an d w e kno w th at the C h e rso n e sus Cimbric a the ,

modern Da n em a rk w as the country fr om w h ich the ,

Cim bri are supposed to h ave sta rted w hen w e nd

them ghtin g against R ome a bout a century B C . .

No w these T uat h a de D anaa ns w ere the descend

a nts o f I o b at h a nd his p a rty w h o h ad gone to L o c hl y n ,

1
Z pp 8 7 1 0 1
n nss, .
C lt i S t l
,
d l i p 1 73
.
3
e c co an , vo . . . .
44 SC O TT I S H M YTHS .

th a t is to the north of Europe ; a n d w e ar e told

, ,

moreo v er tha t they h a d on the w ay ba ck from Loch

, ,

lyn to Irel a nd spent seven ye ars (seven the usu a l ,

term implying a consi derable qua ntity of a nything ) a t

Dobh a r an d I ardo b h ar in Alba n w here B rio t an M ao l s

, ,

p a rty h ad settled a nd w hi ch Skene w ith all prob a , ,

'
b ili t y s ays w as C a l clo re r or as it is n o w called Calder
, , , , ,

E as t l\I id an d W est C al der in the Lothi ans W e

, , ,
.

thus start w ith the statement th at these t w o peoples

w ere of the s ame st ock and it seems too cle ar fo r ,

doubt tha t w e h ave to do here w ith the Bat avi an d

T un g ri w h o w ere descend ants of the Cimbri
,
The .

Ir ish writers m ake t hem go from Ireland to the p la ces

from w hich their h is t ory commences simp ly I take it , , ,

because a s they w ere to be Irish they must sprin g

, ,

from Ire la nd No w they w ere moreover childr en of

.
, ,

the grove ; and in s acred groves Ta citus tell s us the , ,

G e in i ans l ike others M aiat ae e t c performed their ,

s acred r ites deemin g it un w o rt hy t h e grandeur of
,
1
celesti al bein gs to c nne their deities withi n w all s -
o .

The F o m o rian s w h o drove out the F irb o lg a re no t , ,

.

one of the princip al stocks of Irel and The y w ere .

sea- rovers say the fabulists ,

In fact according to .
,

t h e deriv a tion the y lived a nt l e r t h e sea f0 u nder

, , ,

m uzr gen m a ra the se a a r ather str a in ed deriv a

'

.
, , ,

tion of a doubtful n ame .

No w about the period of the defea t of t h e Pic t s

,

a n d the Scots by Theodosius a n d his e s t a blishment of ,

the province of V a lentia up to the w all betw een Forth

a n d C lyde in the y ea r 3 7 1 V alen t ini an h a d m a de the ,

B uc e no b ant e s a tribe of the A ll e m anni residing in

, ,

the country opposi t e M ayence elect a certain F ra o ,

ma r la s a s their king Ammianus Marcellin us further .

informs us that sho rtly a fter w ards w hen a fresh
2
,

1
M a nner s of tl t e G erm a ns . c . 9 . A m m ian us M arc e llinus B 2 9 ,
, . c . 4 .
 S CO TTIS H M Y T HS .

i nv a s ion h ad ent irely desol ated th a t c anton he (V a l en ,

tinian ) removed h im to Brita i n w here he ga ve h im ,

the a uthority of a tribune an d p la ced a number o f

the All e m an ni under his co m m and fo rm in g for h im ,

a d ivision stro ng both in it s nu m bers an d the excel

l ence of it s appointmen t s

To this F rao m arius I
.

w oul d trace the story of the Fomori a ns a n d I con ,

c l ude th at the expu l sion of the sons of N e m e dh took

p la ce from the country on t h e south of Forth and th a t ,

the term sons of N e m e d h is pi u e ly a nother form of

, ,

the n ame M aiat a i an d V e c t urio n e s Sken e h a s po inted .

out the prob abili ty th at t h e S axons w ere on the eas t

co ast of Scotla nd in 3 7 4 A D from w hich they pushed
. .
,
1

p ast the O rkneys the Picts a nd S axons appea ri ng in

,

close union in 4 2 9 as a ppea rs from C o n st ant ius s

,

L ife (f St Ge r m aom s
. Cl a udi a n t e ll s us in the pa n
.
,

e r ic alre a dy alluded to th a t the O r c ad e s w ere m o is t
gy ,

w ith the sc attered (sl ain ) S ax ons It seems not n u

like ly th at h aving a cquir ed sett l ements the foll o w ers
, ,

o f F ra o m arius or others of their kin dred in t h e

, ,

universal scr amble h ad been a cquirin g by the stro n g

,

a rm w h at they required from their less po w e r ful

neighbours .

The sig nicat ion of the term F ir b olg h a s been a

question to all tre ating of Irish history The maj ority .

ar e in fa vour of their h a vin g b een Belg a e a n opinion ,

w ith w hich I agree ; but I am not of the belief th a t

"
the w ord bo lg is merely a w rong spe ll ing for be lg .
.

2
K e ating s ays these Firbolg de ri ved t heir n a me from
the lea thern s a cks they lled w ith so il as miners and ,

th at the F irdo m n an another di vis ion of the s a me

,

peopl e w ere so ca lled from the pits dug in se arch ing

,

for tin w hile the Fir ga illian the other d ivision w ere
, , ,

1
F o ur A nc ient B o oks of W
a les v o l i 107 , . . p . .

Quo te d1 A nna ls of th e F o ur M aster s, A M 3 2 6 6 . . .

4G S C O TTIS H M Y T HS .

so styled from the g a l or spea rs t h ey ca rried to protect

the rest w hile a t w ork ; and this s ays Skene is not , ,

d ifcult to recogni se from the tradition It m ay be .

quite in a ccord a nce w ith tra dition but surely not w ith ,

common se n se It is fa r from likely that a n ation

.

w ould divide itse l f into these clas ses a n d not h a ve t h e

one cl as s in ser v itude to the other an d yet the
tra d ition s ays nothing of th a t Besides w here did .
,

they dig in Greece ? c e rt a inl v not in Irel and C a n .

one fa ncy t h e miner content to spend his life toil in g ,

in his mine and his r st cousin strolli ng e as ily about

,

w ith a sp ear not t o keep him a t w ork like a convict

, ,

escort but for his protection w hile w e are to suppose

, ,

tha t the redoubta ble w arrior a n d the sturdy miner

put the proceeds into the h a nds of the men w ith the
le athern b a gs w h ca rried it o ff if it w as in Corn w al l
,
o
, ,

to the nearest Ph oe nici an fort a s they w ould say in ,

Hudson s B ay a n d re alised its val ue 7

'

But w h a t do w e see of them in tr a dition an d in

solid stone ? The huge stone fort ications on Dun
Aengus a n d M uirb h e ac h Mil on t h e isl a nd of Ara n off ,

the w est co as t of Irel a nd so a dmirably photographed ,

b v Lord Dunra ven tell a nother t ale as to their o c c u

,

p atio u w hile tra di t ion m akes the Feni a ns themsel ves

,

pr in c ipall v F ir b o lg : a n d these Feni ans w ere certa in ly

not miners .

No w l e t us consider their n a me F ir d om na n men -

,

t io ne d a bove Do m h a z in G e lic is the un iverse a nd

. / a
,

clo imh in is deep profound The fo rmer is as good a

, .

deriva tion for the n ame as t h e o t her a nd might w ell ,

mea n the men of t h e m istress of the w orld I m peri a l ,

Rome .
(B o lg me an s a lso the w omb a qui ver the b oss , ,

f a sh ield ) They certa inly w ere se a men or they

o .

w ould not h a ve left the ir m ark on Ar an as they h a ve

done nor w ould w e h a ve been to ld th a t w hen driven
, ,
 sc o r r i sn M Y T HS .
47

o ut of Irel and for the la st time by the Picts they ,

w ou ld h a ve settl ed in M a n Is lay Kac hrin as w el l I , , ,

suppose a s in Ar a n No w l e t us cons ider briey the

, .

ch ief po ints in the story of the T uat h a de D anaa ns

a lre ady a lluded to .

W e are to ld th a t they w ere much more civil ised

th a n the n a tions th at preceded them in Ireland They .

w ere gre a t m agici an s It w as Lug th eir king w h o .

, ,

instituted the L ugh nasa or L am m as ga mes at Tailt e n , , ,

ne ar Ta ra in memory of the las t Queen of the F ir b o lg

,
.

He w as Lug M ac E it h le n n w h o h ad brought w ith ,

h im the L ia F ail the cal dro n of the D aghd a the spea r , ,

a nd s w ord fr om the cities in the w est from w hich they

ca me w hi ch Skene s ays w as from the end of the

, , ,

R om a n w al l next the Lothi ans w here Mur i as is cal led ,

1
C ari uir s It w as they w h o on the still obser ved
n .
,

festival of Midsummer or St Jo h n s D ay defea ted the ,

.

F ir b o lg an d w h o h a d for the ir se a deity a pp arently

,
-

M an a n a n the son of L ir among w hose leaders w ere

, ,

O gm a of the sunlike fa ce the inventor of O g mic ,

wr itin g an d the D aghd a w hose n ame seems to be the

, ,

s a me as Ta dh g w hich O B e illy transla tes a philo ,

s 0 pher w h o w a s their priest as it w ere and w hose
, , ,

name I w ou l d suggest ,
is connec t ed w ith the w ord ,

ta gh a irm a divin a tion the speci a l for m of w hich is
, ,

s a id to consist in the ro as tin g of live cats an d to ,

result as might be expected in fearful yellings un

, ,

2
bea ra b l e t o ordin ary mortals .

If then the F irbolg and T ua t h a de D a naa ns w ere

, ,

driven out of Lothi a n a bout A D 3 7 1 by F raom arius . .

a nd his Al em a nni it must be subsequent to this th a t ,

Th m f th it ye f Mu i
na f m wh i h t h l d
e o f th
e c o

r as,

ro c e ca ro n o e

D gh d w b ugh t b y t h T u t h d D
a a. as m
ro t d wi t h e a a e an a a ns, se e s c o nn e c e

mu t h w llr, d th

ill g w h
e th R m
a mp ll d C m l
an i e v a e e re e o a n ca ca e a e on s

,

sit uat e d is st ill c all e d C arm uirs No t e , F o ur A nc ient B o o k s of ales, v o l .

W .

ii p
411 . .

2
i
Nic o l so n s P r over b s, q uo t g
n M
Le an

s H istor y o
f Celt ic L a nguage, 2 6 4 p . .
 SC O TTI S H M Y T HS .

the (l a te f the ir coming to Irel a n d m ust be xed not

o ,

centuries before Christ a s they are s a id to h ave come ,

.

But is there any proba bility of a foreign occup a tion of

Irel and proceeding from Bri ta in before this 3 '

Juv e n al w h o w rote a bout A D 9 6 t w elve ye a rs a fter

, . .
,

Agricol a s occup ation of moder n Scotl a n d tells us

Ou m in d d b y o nd r ar s ee , e

Th h f Ju
e s o r es o na w h e d n d n d t h e l at ely c p t u d
v er , e av a va ce , a a re

nt ent w i t h e y li t t l e n i g h t

O rcad nd t h
es, a B it n e l o s co v r .

This is the rst notice w h ich c an be re a d as indi

c ating a settlement i n Irela nd .

At th is time about the end of the reign of Domi

,

1
t ian Suetonius gives us the follo w ing infor m at ion :
,

He (Domitian ) s l e w Sall ust ius Lucullus pra efect of ,

Britain because h e h a d al l o w ed l ances of a ne w form

,

to be ca ll ed Lucull i a n .

The settl ement of the Picts in Irel and is dened

by Skene as a long it s north e as t co a st from the river -
,

Ne w ry and from C a rlin gford B ay to Glen arm cons ist ,

ing of the county of Do w n an d the south h alf of t h e

county of Antrim This district w as termed U la dh
.

a n d also D al a raidh e l at inised Da la r a t l la an d its , ,

i nh abitan t s w ere a P ictish people believed to h ave

once occup ied the w hole of U lster O B e illy describes .

U lla as an ancient d is t rict in Irel a nd the property of ,

the Mage nises n o w c al l ed the county of Do w n a nd

, ,

U llaig the U l toni a ns as inh a bit ants of U lster

,
From
, .

this r ace a re s a id t o h a v e sprung C uch ullin C o n n al ,

C eat h arna c h a n d C ur o i m ac D a ire the gre a t heroes

, ,

of Scoto Cel tic roma nce and they h ave been styled the
-
,

Ul idia n heroes in Ga eli c L ao ich U laid a na me not
, ,

u nlike Lucullia n w h il e l uc h t l G a eli c sig nies not
, , ,

on ly folk peop l e but al so a cal dron or kettl e This is

, ,
.

indeed a slender peg to h ang anything on But le t .

Qu t d G il l i p 95 1
o e , es, v o . i . . .
 S C O TTIS H MY H T S . 49

us ex am in e the other n ames in th is connection The .

district w as call ed D alaraidh e ; and Tigh e rnac h supplies

us w ith a k ing Fiac h a A raidh e from w hom it is
, ,
1
n a med .

In W el sh ho w ever w e nd Ta lae th s ignies a

, ,

province an d Rh a in l ances Is not this a more s at is

, .

fa cto ry etymology for D alaraidh e th an the n a me of

a king w h o I a m h o ld to m ainta in is a discove ry of
, , ,

an et mologist in se a rch of a mea nin g for the n a me of

y
the district an d does it not stra ngely agree w ith the
,

story of the spears of L ucull us s sol di ery ? The n ame

of t h e famil y w h o possessed the country M age nis is , ,

equiva lent to Islesmen a nd thi s fact w oul d I believe , , ,

be evidence in favour of a much l ater occup ation It .

is how ever a tradi tion in Irel and th at C uc h ullin

, ,

received his mil itary educa tion in the isla nd of Skye .

The U lster Picts w ere ho w ever call ed by a nother , ,

n a me C ruit h n e This n ame is used in the L ife of
.

C o lum b a be l ieved to h ave been w ritten by Adamn an

, ,

h is successor as Abbot of Ion a A dam n an became .

Abbot at the age of ft y v e in the year 6 7 9 a nd , ,

died in 7 0 3 .

Ad a m n an in this w ork c al ls the Irish Picts Cru

t h in ii
,
w h ile he applies the more fam iliar term to
A l b an ic Picts exclusively ; an d one of the most sigmi
c an t expressions he ma kes use of r egardin g them
seems to me to be w hen speak ing of A rt b ranan he , ,

describes h im as a chief not of a cl an how ever but of , , ,

the G e o na cohort .

This seems to speak vol umes for the organ is ation

of this peop l e .

Ar t b ranan is not expressl y c al led a P ict but all ,

tha t is to ld of him h is requir ing a n in terpreter (w as

, ,

h is di alect more W elsh th an Ga elic and the country

Qu t d R
1 Ad mo e St C lum b
,
p 25 3
eev es s

a

nan s . o a, . .

D
50 S C O TTI SH M Y HS T .

w here the i ntervie w took pl a ce ar e in fa vour of this ,

vie w of his na tion ality t ak e n by the commentators .

The other Pic t ish n a mes he mentio ns are I og e nan

a n d T a ra in t h e for m er living in Leinster the l atter
, ,

in Isl ay He a lso expressly mentions a fountain held

.

s a cred by the Picts .

The district of the C r uit h n e is sho w n w hen in ,

s pe aking of St C om gal of B angor Columba dra w s a

.
,

distinction betw een his o w n kindred of the cl an c all ed

Hy Nial l an d St C o m gal s
of the r a ce of the
.
,

C r uit h n i co nsequently inh abitin g the neighbourhood

of B angor .

In the oldest exta nt chronicl e of the Picts

C r uid ne is given a s the rst of the Picts and they a s
.
, ,

w e l l as the Scots are s a id to be sprung from a nation ,

c all ed Albani w h o w ere Scythi a ns and so named

, ,

from their light colour ed h air I t expl a ins that the -

.

t e r m Pict c ame from a p a inted body This seems .

p i u e e t v m ol o g ica l history un d e l e d by any corrob o

, ,

r a t iv e evidence .

In t h e Irish a n d Pictish a dditions to the Hzst o r za

' '

B r it o nu m w e seem to h ave a much more re li a ble guide ,

so far as tradi tion c an guide us

l
.

C r uit h ne is here son of Cinge son of Lu otai son , ,

of Part al an Pa rt h o lan a ccordin g to the A nna ls

.
,

of t h e F o ur M a s( c m c a me to Ire l a nd a fe w centuries
-
,

a ft er the ood a n d they inform us th a t seven l akes

,

b ur st out in Irel a nd during his ag e The O ssianic .

3
Society gives a uthority for his h a vi ng been a F omo

ria n lea der under the se a an d hence w hen h e ,

emerged hi mself it w as concluded I take it th at he , , ,

brought a certa in quan t it y of his n a tive element with

h im . Part h the n ame of the l etter 13 in the b ardi c
,

1
C h r o n icl es of th e P ic ts an ] Sco ts, p . 3 .

2 I b id . p 25. .
3 V o l ii . . p . 22 .
 S C O TTIS H M Y T HS .
51

lots is transl a ted by Z euss as signifying a co a st dis

, ,

t r ic t region
, This sho w s tha t the na me Par t h olan h as
.

some connection w ith the sea shore .

Skene expresses a n opinion from the resemblan ce ,

of the n ames of t w o of t h e leaders of P art h ola n s co l ony

w ith those of t w o of the F ir b o l th a t these w ere the

g ,

1
s ame .C ampion te lls us th a t Par t h o lan p la ined a
2
gre at p a rt of Irel a nd then overgro w n w ith w ood ,

w h il e there is a curious tra dition th at j eal ousy 3

w a s brought into Irel and by P ar t h o l an us This .

primeval coloniser not long after his a rriv al in the

isl and detected hi s w ife the beautiful D e alg n a it in , ,

a n intri ue w ith one of his domestics a n d summoning

g ,

them to his presence w re a ked his vengea nce not on , ,

the l a dy or her p ar a mour but on D e al g n ait s fa vourite ,

greyhound w hich he sei z ed a nd d a shed t o pieces on

,

the ground This w e are told w as the rst c a se of

.

j e alousy tha t ever occurred in Irel and P ar t h o l an .

w as a cu ltiva tor an d w as the introducer of a cert a in

,

mea sure of m oral reform in the loose m a nners of the

Irish .

The a dditio n s to the Hist o ria ar e p artly verse ,

p a rtly prose In the l atter w e ar e told th a t the

.

C r uit h n igh w ere the children of G l e o in ; th a t they

c a me from the l and of Thr a ce ; th at they w ere c alled
Ag at h ir si th a t going to Irel and the king got them ,

to drive out the Tuat h a F idh b h a (pr o noun ce Fiv a) for

him an d these they sle w ; tha t then getting w ives from
, ,

He re m o n they with Gub a nd his son C at h l uan this

, ,

l a st bein g their r st king in Alb a n w ere driven out ,

of Irela nd into Al ba n To the C ruit h nig h ar e here .

a scr ibed t h e m agic al po w ers w ith w hich the T uat h a

de D anaa n s ar e usu all y credited .

1
C elt ci Sco tl a nd , vo l i
. . p . 1 79 .
2
H ist ory of I l
re a n d ,
p . 22 .

3
Quo t ed in B oh n

s t r a nsl a t io n of Gir a ld us C a m h '
ensis , p . 14 0 .
52 S C O TTIS H M Y TH S .

In the verse ha ve the follo w ing

we
How w e e t h y n m d b f
r et h ey c me a e e o re a

To t t in t h i
a a i gn t y
e r so v e re

F om t h e i o w n w p n
r r ea o s .

\Vh at was t h n m o f t h i e unt y ? a e e r co r

T h raci w as t h n m
a f th i o unt y
e a e o e r c r ,

T ill t h ey p d t h i il
s r ea e r sa s,

A ft e t h ey h d
r ol d t em ig t e
a re s ve o ra ,

I n t h e east o f E uro p e .

A gat h yrsi w as t h i e r n am e

I n th e p ti
or on o f B rohhi .

h ei t at t o
F ro m t r o i ng t h i f ir e r a i
sk ns

t h y al l d Pi t i

\V ere e c e c .

In th is por t io n Gle o in s na me is spel t Ge l eoin d

, an

of Cat h l uan it is s aid th a t

Cat h lu n g i n d b t t l
a a e a es

\Vit h out in c h in g o r c o war di ce

His onset s w e re no t w t ih o ut e rc eness,

U nt il h e h ad s a n l i t h e B r t o ns i .

T h us did t h ey c o n q uer Alb an .

These people lived in the p art of Ire land next to

Al b an and before considerin g i n detail t hose extr acts
, ,

fro m the additions to Ne nnius w e m ay remark that ,

the fact of the P icts a n d Scots as the o ldest P ictish ,

chronicl e t ells us bein g both of the nation of the Al

,

b ani seems much m ore suggestive of the n eighbour ing

,

Al b an th an of the continuous sno w s w h ich bl e ac hed

,

the ir h air in their n a tive Scythia That they took their .

n ame of P icts in their o w n l anguage a s it s ays , ,

from a p ainted body is equivalent to saying that they

,

spoke Latin as the w ord is not Celtic but is simpl y

, , ,

in it s signication p ic t us paint e d (L at in)

,
The : .

n am e of the k ing C r uit h n e is in al l the a ccounts .

From the e ar liest times the Germ ans and northern

n ations brew ed both beer a n d mead and w h il e ,

C r uidne is made a descend ant of P art h olan Brec an ,

 S C O TT I S H M YTH S .
53

(spotted ) of the cel ebra ted Co ire or kettl e w here h e

,

w as dro wn ed (w hence K o r r v r e c k a n ) is in the D in n

y ,

se n ch us al so s a id to h ave been P ar t h o l a n s son

1
In

Germany the grea t origin al of beer bre w ing is a certain -

G ambrinus w hose n am e seems a l a tini sed C amber

, ,

the descen dant of Brutus a fter w hom ac cord in g to , ,

the rom ances of Geoffrey of Monmouth C ambri a or ,

W al es w as call ed .

In the Triads w h ich are appreci a ted a t the ir h igh

, ,

est val ue o nl y to be ta ken a s a form of tra dition w e

, ,

a r e to l d th at w he a t an d b a rl ey w ere introduced into

Brita in by a certa in Col F r e w i w here before there ,

2
h a d been o nl y o ats an d rye Ch wilfr iwio is to .

atter bre ak to pieces (W elsh C h l UZl W h II l

r ind sh )

g
Z
, , ,

ing .

The h andmil l or quern is by some supposed to

h ave been introduced into Brita in b y the R om ans ,

a n d its frequent presence in t h eir d w el lin gs testies to

its use by them ; or it m ay h a ve been introduced by

the Bel gae wh o C a es ar tell s us im migr a ted to Britain
, , ,

an d took the pl a ce of a p a stor a l people .

P l iny tells us th at the G a uls prep a red al e w ith a

cer tain gr ain c alled in Celtic b ra c e a n d in Latin sa n ,

da lm n w hich is prob a bly w h a t is c a lled in French

,

p ea ut r e b a rley or a be a rded w he at w ith w hich the

, , ,

3
W all oons princip ally m ake their beer n o w This B ra .
,

b r a g m al t o f the W all oon b r a ic h in G a elic is the

z , ,

origi n of B re c an s caldron The Picts w ere in Scot

.

l and credited w ith the bre w i n g o f hea ther al e w h il e ,

the poems of the four W elsh b a rds are full of all us ion s
to beer an d mead drinking In Greek pl d f is b a rley - . K r
,

I e at b arley fa tten with b a rley ; K il v o s

K l didm

p , ,
,

ma de of b arl ey Has th is a ny conn ection w ith .

1 O C urry M

,
a ter ia l s, p . 587 .
2 D a v ie s, Cel t ic R esea r d t , vo l i
. . p . 153 ,

3 D ic t ionna ir e W a ll o ne, vo ce B ra .
54 S C O TTIS H MY H T S .

C ruit h ne In G a elic aga in C r uit h e is a d art
?
, ,

valiant ; a nc ient Pictl and O r n ith in te ath w h ich -

,

w ou l d m ake it correspond w ith D al ara idh e an d the

Lucull e a n conj ecture C ruit h is a h arp a v iolin .
, ,

w hence the w ord c r owder a musici a n , .

Let us cons ider the sta tements in the Irish and

Pictish a dd itio n s The C r uit h nigh are said to h ave
.

been the ch il dren of Gl e o in or G e l e o in The Fir ,

.

bol g w e ha ve seen w ere cal led Fir Gal e o in (R e e v es s
, ,

A da m na n) Gle o in w as son of B ro o l
. B ro ol is s im p ly .

H ercul es Ta citu s tells us th a t the Germa ns asserted

.

th at the n ame of Germa ny w a s a modern add i

tion to their n a mes for th a t the peop l e w h o rst
,

crossed the R h ine and expelled the G a ul s and are ,

n o w ca ll ed T ungri w ere then n a med Germ a ns w h ich

, ,

a pel l at ion
p of a p a rticul a r tribe not of a w ho l e ,

p e op l e gra du ally prev ail ed so t h a t the titl e of Ger

, ,

m ans rst assumed b y the victors in order to excite

,

terror w a s afterw ards a dop t ed by the n a tion in

,

gener al They like w ise h a e t h e t ra dition of a

. v

Hercul es of their cou n try w hose praises they sing ,

before those of all other heroes a s they a dvan ce to ,

1
b attle G le o in G e l e o in Gal e o in I shoul d conc l ude
.
, , ,

a r e the s a me n a me It h as been m entioned tha t the

.

T uat h a de D anaa ns fought an d conquered the F ir

bol g o n Midsummer D ay or St John s Eve Gill e , . .

Eo in is the serva nt of J ohn ; I an Gen Eoin is al so

a bird an d a vesse l bl a de
,
f a s w ord o

The Tua t h a de Da naa ns bro ught the ca ldron of the

D aghd a w ith them w hich w as a vessel connected w ith
,

d ivinat ion these peop l e being ce l ebra ted m agic ians

, .

I propose tha t G ille Eoin be considered as s ign ifying

servant of the vesse l or ca ldron W e are then tol d ,
.

Thr acia w as the n ame of their country til l they ,

I
JI a nners o f th e Ger m a ns, c .

2 .
 S C O TT I S H MY H T S . 55

sprea d their s a il s a fter they h ad resol ved to em igrate

,
.

No w the B atav ians commenced their h istorica l ex ist

,

ence as alre ady mentioned at the battl e of Ph ars alia

, , ,

1
of w h ich O v id s ays in h is Ill et am orp h oses it is cer ,
l
,

t ain t hi s battl e w as fought at Philippi of Thrace ,

an d curious ly enough w e nd on the a uthority of ,

Livy th a t a n ation call ed Ma edi not un like M aeat ae

, , ,

lived in Thrac e on the borders of M acedonia ,

.

And the ir (the Cruit h nighi s)n ame w as Agat h irsi

(cly w I le ad conduct brin g cel ebrate ; dywv an

, , , , ,

a ssembl a ge c ircus contest ; ,

the staff of B ac
,

chus sur moun ted by a p ine cone and entw ined w ith
, ,

ivy an d vine l e aves ) O rphe us the Thraci a n b ard .

, ,

w a s the great expos itor of the D ionys ia n or B a cch ic

w orshi p and on the staff of B a cchus the vin e a n d iv y
,

tendrils w ere symbolic of t h e reproductive pow er of

n ature A gat h irsi the be arers of t h e thyrsus is
.
, ,

a nother n a m e for M a e at ae an d V ec t ur io n es It is .

no grea t w onder if some of the cel ebr ators of the r ites

of Ba cchus found destr uction in the m al tster s caldron

Coire B h ra ich an The O rph ic a an d D ionysic a w ere .

introduced from G reece i nto Etrur ia w here w e fou nd ,

the dolm ens an d from w hence c ame the b ardic alp h a

,

bet a n d from thence to R o m e These rites w ere

,
.

notoriously licentious an d t h e w orshippers c arr ied ,

thyrsi an d cro w ned themselves w ith gar lands of ivy ,

vine a n d r These O rphic festiv al s w ere al so call ed

,
.

either as w as supposed beca use hum an , ,

v ictims w ere o f fered to the god or because the priests ,

2
imitated th e e a tin g of raw flesh In th is story w e .

most l ikely see the origin of t h e bre ast and b uttock

devouring fancy of the At t ac o t s .

The o rig inal source of all these geneal ogies is

H erodotus from w hose tra nsl ation by Ca ry pub
, ,

1 xv , 8 23 ,
2
L e m prie re

s C las sic al D i ti c onary, voce Dio ny sic a .
56 S C O TT I S H M Y TH S .

l ish e d in B oh u s

C l as sical Library I take the foll o w ing ,

extra cts H erodotus w rote D C 4 8 4 to 4 0 8

. . . .

c 5. As the Scythia ns say theirs is the most

.
,

recent of all n a tions an d it arose in the foll o w in g ,

m a nner The rst m an th a t appeared in th is country ,

which w a s a w ilderness w as n a med Ta rgita us They ,

.

say th a t the p arents of this Ta rgitaus in my O pinion ,

rel a ting w h at is incredible they say ho w ever that , , ,

they w ere Jup iter and a d aughter of the river Bory

sthenes [the D niep er] th at s uch w as the origin of ,

Ta rgitaus and th a t he h a d three sons w h o w ent by ,

the n a mes of L ipo xais A r po xais and the youngest , ,

Col axa is ; th at dur ing their reign a p l ough a yoke , ,

a n a x e an d a bo w l of golden w orkma nsh ip dr opping

, ,

do w n from hea ven fell on the Scyt hian territory ; ,

tha t the e l dest seeing them rst appro a ched in tend

, , ,

ing to t a ke them up but as he c a me n ea r the gol d , ,

bega n to burn w hen he h a d retired the second w ent ,

up a n d it di d the s ame aga in a ccordingly the b urn

, ,

in g go l d repu ls ed these ; but w hen the youngest

w ent up the third it becam e extinguished an d he
, , ,

ca rried the things home wi th h im ; and that the

elder brothers in consequence of this giving w ay
, , ,

surrendered the w hol e a u t hor ity to the youn gest .

6 From L ipo x a is a re descended those Scythi ans wh o

.

ar e c all ed A uc h at ae fro m the second Arpoxais those , ,

w h o are cal led Gatiari an d T raspie s ; and from the

youngest of them the r o v al r ace w h o are cal led , ,

P ar al at a e But al l h ave the na me of Sc olot i from the

.

surna me of their k ing but the Grecians call them ,

1
Scyth ians .

H ere w e h ave in the Scyt hian a ccount of them ,

sel ves fo ur precio us things l ike the four precious

, ,

things of the Tuat h a de D anaa ns the prin cipal of ,

1 He ro d ot us B iv (M elpomene),
, . . cc . 5 and G
.
 S C O TT I S H M Y T HS .
57

wh ich is a c up or bo wl in e ither case the possess ion ,

of w hich conferred the right of sovereig nty .

c 7. This s a cred gold the kings w a tch w ith the

grea test ca re and annually approa ch it w ith m agni
,

cent s acrices to render it propitious If he w h o h as .

the s acred gold h appens to fall asleep in the open air

on the festival the Scythi ans say he ca nnot survive
,

the ye ar an d on this a ccount they give h im as much

,

l a nd as he c a n ride round on horseb a ck in one d ay .

Such s ays Herodotus c 8
,
is t h e a ccou nt the ,
.
,

Scythi a ns give of themselves ; but t h e Greeks w h o

inh a bit Pontus give the foll o w ing account t h ey sa y
th a t Hercul es as he w as dr ivin g aw ay the herds of
,

Geryon arrived in this n e w coun try th a t w as then a

,

desert a nd w hich the Scythi a ns n o w inh abit ; th a t

,

Geryon xi ng his a bode outside the Pontus inh abited

, ,

the isl and w hich the Greeks c all E ryt h e ia situate n e a r ,

G a des beyond the colum ns of Hercul es in the ocean
, .

Th is E ryt h e ia seems possibly the E ridh u of the

B abyloni ans a n d m ay possibly be the portion of
,

E rc h b i of the Irish a nd Pictish addi t ions .

The oce a n they say beginni ng from the sunrise

, , ,

fl o w s round the w hole e arth but they do not prove ,

it in fa ct th a t Hercul es thence came to the country

n o w c al l ed Scythi a a n d as a storm a n d frost overtook
,

him he dre w his lion s skin over h im an d w ent to

,

sleep ; and in the me a n w hil e his m ares w hich w ere ,

feeding a p ar t fro m hi s cha riot va nished by some ,

di vine ch ance 9 T h ey a d d th a t w hen Hercul es

. .
,

a w oke he sought for them an d th at h aving gone , ,

over the w hole c o unt iy he at length ca me to the l and ,

call ed Hylae a T here he found a monste r having t w o

.

n a tures h al f virgin h al f viper of w hich the upper

, , ,

p arts from the buttocks resembled a w o m an and the ,

lo w er p a rts a serpent W hen he saw he w as asto .

58 S C O TTIS H M YTHS .

n ish e d,but a sked her if she h ad any w here seen his

strayed m ares She s aid th a t she hersel f h ad them
.
,

a n d w ould not restore them to h im til l he h a d l a in

w ith her Hercules accord in gly l ay w ith her on these

.

terms She ho w ever de layed givin g b a ck the m ares

.
,

out of a desire to enj oy the comp a ny of Hercules as

l ong a s she could ; he ho w ever w as desirous of recover
in g them an d dep arting At l a st a s she restored the
.
,

m ares she s a id : These m a res th a t str ayed hi ther I

,

preserved for you an d yo u h ave p a id me s alva ge

, ,

for I h ave three sons by you ; tell me therefore

w h at must I do w ith them w hen they a r e gro w n up
w hether sh all I es t abl ish the m here for I possess
the rule over this country o r sh a ll I send them to
you She asked the question but he rep lied they , ,

say , W hen you see the ch ildren arrived at the age

of men you ca nnot err if you do this : w hichever of

,

them you see a bl e to bend this b o w a n d t hus gir di ng ,

himself w ith t his girdle m a ke him an in h abita nt ,

of this country ; a n d w hichever fa ils in these tasks

w hich I enj oi n send out of t h e c o un t r v
,
If you do .

this you will plea se v o m se l f a n d p erform my inj un c

tio n s 1 0 Then h av i n g dr a w n out one of his bo w s
. .

for Herc ules ca rried t w o a t t h a t time an d h a ving

sho w n her the belt he gave her both the b o w an d t h e

,

belt w hich h a d a golden cup a t t h e extremity of the

,

cla sp an d havi ng given them he dep ar ted But she

, .
,

w hen the sons w h o w ere born t o her a tt a ined to the

a e of men in the rst pl a ce g a ve them na mes : to
g ,

the rst Aga thyr sus to the second Gel onus a nd to .

,

the youngest Scythes a nd in the next pl a ce remem ,

berin g the orders she did w h a t h a d been enj oined ;

,

an d t w o of her sons Aga thyrsus a n d Gelonus being

, ,

unabl e to come up to the proposed ta sk l eft the ,

country being expell ed by t he ir mother but the

, ,
 S C O TTIS H M Y T HS .
59

youngest of them Scythes h a v ing accomplished it , , ,

rem ain ed there From this S cythes son of H ercul es .

, ,

a r e descended those w h o h a ve been k ings of the Scy

t h ia ns a nd from the cup the S cyth ia ns even to this

, ,

d ay w ea r cups from t h eir belts

, .

In the Z end Av e st a Mithr a is a rmed w ith a go ld l

c l ub a b o w qu iver an d a rro w s the arms of Her

, , ,

cul es ; he a lso c arried a n a x e an d a n a x e w a s one of ,

t h e four s a cred things of the Scythi ans as a bove men ,

t io n e d The initi a ted a ssumed a s peci al girdle ca ll ed

.
,

the kosti a nd on the engra ved stones w e nd
,

gures w earing this girdle c arry ing cups or ch a lices

in the ir h a nds .
2
There is in this I think evidence of , ,

a w orship all ied in ch a r a cter to the Mithra ic among

the Scythi ans at th is e arly period w hile the tradit ion ,

poin ts to its h a ving be en peculia r to them from the

time of the sep a r ation of the Aga t h yrsi a nd Geloni
from them No w see w h a t Herodotus s ays of the
.

A gat h y rsi 1 0 4 T h e A gat h y rsi ar e a most lux u .

rio n s people an d w e ar a profusion of gold They

, .

h ave promiscuous intercourse w ith w omen to the end ,

th a t they m a y be brethren one of another a nd being ,

a ll of one fa mily m ay not entertain h a tred to w a rds

,

e a ch other In other respects they a ppro a ch the

.

us ages of the Thr ac ians .

In Book v Herodotus gives us the customs of

these of w hom he s ays
,
3 The n a tion of the '

Thra ci ans is t h e grea test of any a mo ng men except ,

a t le a st the Indi a ns H a ving described the peculi a r .

points connected w ith the Geta e an d Trausi he tel ls , ,

us 0 6
,
. There is moreover this custom among the , , ,

rest of the Th ra ci ans they sel l t heir chil dr en for ex ,

p o r t a t io n They . keep no w a tch over their unm arried

d aughters but su ffer them to h ave intercourse w ith
,

Ai l h m p 1 3 5 I bid p 1 6 6 2
'
1
L j d a ar s /
, . . . . .
60 S C O TTI S H M Y T HS .

w hat men they choose But they keep a strict .

w a tch over thei r w ive s a nd purch a se them from their ,

p a rents at high prices To be m rked w ith punctures . a

is a ccounted a sig n of noble birth ; to be w ithout

punctures ignoble To be idle is most honourable ;
,
.

but to be a tiller of the soil m ost dishonour able ; to ,

live by w ar a n d r apine is most glorious These a re .

the most rem ark able of their customs The pl ace of .

the Agat h y r si is pretty c arefully described though ,

the geogr a phy of Herodotus h as n o t the a ccura cy

of a modern ma nu al From the Ister (D anube ) at
.

the p arts a bove stretching t o the interior Scythi a

, ,

is cut o ff fi rst b v the A gat h y rsi an d the river ,

Ma ris o w ing from the A g at h yrsi mingles w ith the ,

Ister . This ri v er is I conclude the Morava o w

1
, , ,

ing north t h rough moder n Servia poss ibly the orig in ,

of the M ora vi a from w hich our Scottish district
Mor ay is s a id to h ave been c all ed .

The A g a t h y rsi then w ere Thra ci ans the older ,

bra nch a ccording t o Greek tra dition of the Scyth ia ns

, ,

their nobility punctured themselves an d hence w ere ,

P ic t i doin g this as I h a ve supposed as a visible

, , ,

evidence of their r ank in t heir mysterious cul tus .

O f the Geloni w e h a ve the follo w i ng a ccount ' 2

The Budini w h o a r e a gre at a n d popu lous n ation
, ,

p a in t the ir w hole bodies w ith a deep blue a n d red .

There is i n their country a city built of w ood ; its na me

is Gelonus ; e ach side of the w al ls is thirty sta des in
l ength it is lofty a nd m a de entirely of w ood
, , Their .

houses also and their temples are of w ood for there ,

a re these temp l es of the Greci an gods a dorned after , ,

the Greci a n m anner w ith im ages altars and shr ines, , ,

of w ood T h ey celebra te the trienni al festivals of

.

Ba cchus a nd perform the B a cch anali an cere m onies for

, ,

1
He ro d o t us B iv (M el po me ne)
,
. .
,
c . 10 0, c . 49 .
2 I b it l . c . 108 .
 S C O TT I S H MY H T S .
61

the Gel on i w ere orig in ally Grecians but be ing ex pell ed , ,

from the tra ding ports settl ed a mong the Bud in i and
,

they use a langu age p a rtl y Scythia n and p art ly

Grecia n 1 0 9 The Budin i ho w ever do not use the
. .
, ,

s a me l a nguage as the Ge l oni nor the s ame m ode of ,

l iv ing for the Bud in i being in dig enous are nomades

, , ,

a n d a r e the on ly peop l e of these p arts w h o e at verm in ,

w here a s the Gel o ni are ti ll ers of the soil feed upon ,

corn c ul tivate gardens a nd a re not a t all like the

, ,

Budini in form or comp l ex ion By the Greeks h o w .

ever the Budi ni are call ed Geloni though erroneously ,

so ca l led The ir country is thi ckly covered w ith trees

.

of all k inds ; and in the thickest w oods is a sp a cio us

a n d l a rge l ake a n d a mor a ss a n d reeds a ro un d it : in
,

this otters a re t a ken an d bea vers an d other squa re

, ,

fa ced anim als their skins a r e se w ed as borders to

clo a ks a nd their testicl es a r e useful fo r the cure of
,

disea ses of the w omb The h istor ian is here speakin g
.

of the inv as ion of Scythi a by D a rius and the Agat h yrsi , ,

Geloni Bud ini an d other Thr a ci a ns a re included amo ng

, ,

the Scythi a ns an d in p a ra graph 1 3 6 w e nd Hero

d o t us telling h o w the Geloni Bu dini a n d Sauro m at a e , ,

pursued the Persi an s to w a rds the Ister after they ,

h ad crossed to the north side of it .

It seems to me sca rce ly prob a bl e th at the so cal led -

Pictish Chronicles could h a ve derived their infor m a

tion from a ny o t her source th a n directly from Herodotus
himself ; a nd it m ay I think be taken as a f urther
, ,

evidence of the Greek be ing th e l angu age in w hich we

m ay n a tur a l ly l ook for the d eriv a tion of o ur na mes .

Th a t there w ere Thraci a ns in Brita in w e kn o w

from the Not it ia in w hich the second cohort of Th ra
'

e ia us is mentioned as occupy ing G ab ro se n t um poss ib ly ,

1
at t h e w est end of the south w all an d if it is a d m iss

W bu t 1
W ll p 1 3 4
ar

r on s a ,
. .
 S C O TTIS H M YTHS .

ible to be lieve tha t these might h ave left their tradi

t ions it w ould support the proposition th a t in the
,

R om an a uxil i aries w e nd all the origins of our tra di

tions Ho w ever the comp l ete n ess of the n arr ative
.
,

seems positive evidence th at the w riter of the Pictish

a dditions dre w direct from Herodotus but the gr ounds ,

on w hich he thought himself entitled to do this see m

n o t l ike ly ever to be m a de cl e a r In fact w e c an .
,

never know w hether he a dopted this Thr aci a n origin

for the Picts bec a use th a t of these Thra ci ans the
,

l arger proportion w ere Agat h yrsi or Ge l oni or ,

beca use of a tr adition connecting some other of the

R om a n troops w ith a soj ourn in Thra ce ; or w hether ,

i n deed it is not al t ogether founded on the n ame P ic t i

, ,

a n d the sta tement of Herodot us th a t the Th r acia n

nobili ty m arked themselves w ith punctures .

There is a nother curious coincidence ho w ever , ,

w hich cert a inly should not p a ss wi tho ut notice It .

h as been poin ted out th a t it is prob a b l e th a t the

c av al ry of the a uxili a ries of R o m e pl ayed a prom inent
p a rt in sub sequent story ; a nd w e h ave seen h o w the
old e r soldiers after long service h ad speci al privileges
, ,

of citi z enship granted them .

No w Herodotus applies the n a me Agat h o e r gi

1

to Sp a rtans w h o w ere disch a rged from

the cav ah y such as w ere senior ve in a ye ar a nd

, ,

it w as their duty during the year in w hich they are

d isch arged from t h e c av al ry not to rem ain in a ctive ,

but to go to different pl a ces w here they are sent by ,

the Sp arta n Common w e a lth Might not some such .

n a me h ave been appropri a ted by the c av alry of the

R om ans s t a tioned in Britain and so connect them w ith ,

the Arcani an d P e it h w y r ?
When these Aga t h irsi or Picts w ent to Irela nd ,

1 C l io , B . i
. c . 67 .
 SC OTTI SH M Y TH S .
63

they got l and on con dition th a t they should drive out

the T uat h a F idh b h a If w e spe ll the n ame of this
.

people phonetic all y w ith the dh quiescent as ,

doubtless it shoul d be a s it is in faidh a prophet , , ,

a n d the bh as v o r
f it becomes Fifa No w these
,
.
,

s a me people ar e else w here described as the Tuat h a

Fidg a a n d ar e c alled a B rit ish tribe
, The rst ba ttles .

of A gricol a in the camp aign w hich ended in Mons

G ra m pius w ere fought in w h a t is n o w c alled the
co unty often j estin gly the kingdom of Fife This
, ,
.

divi sion of Scotl a nd is s aid ho w ever to have been , ,

c alled a fter one of the seven sons of Cr uit h n e the ,

1

n a me of e a ch m a n being giv en to his territ o ry as Fib , ,

Ce C a it a nd t h e rest
, ,
C a it is here cre di ted w ith
.

givi ng his n ame to Ca it h n e sia or C a ith ness The .

T ua t h a F id h b h a w ere ne v er i n Irel a nd as such to be ,

there sl a in by the C ruit h n e The story seems to .

h ave arisen from the tr adi tion of A gricol a s conquest of

w h a t is n o w c a lled Fife From them (the Cr uit h
.

nigh )ar e every spell an d e v ery ch arm an d e v ery 3 71 0 61 ,

9
,
2
a n d voices of birds a n d e v ery omen , These m agical .

p o w ers ar e common to them w ith the Thra cians an d

Etrusc a ns T h r ase a is the n a me of a cl as sical sooth
.

s ayer a n d the Rom ans got much of the k n o w ledge of

,

a ugury from the Etrusc a ns .

C at h l uan is the n ame of the rst king th at ruled

o v er the C r uit h n igh i n A lba n Ca th is b a ttle l n Zuth .
, , ,

s w ift a ctive C at hl uan t h e one a cti v e in ght

,
z
.

Ca t h l uan is s ai d to h av e been chosen ki n g before the

C r uit h n igh w ent to Al ba The revolt of the B a t av ii.
,

in w hi ch the Tun gr i j oi ned w a s as previously n ar ra ted , , ,

suppressed by P e t ilius C e r e alis w hose l a tter n ame , ,

C e re ali s is itself synonymous w ith C r uit h n e or ne arly

, ,

so Cr uit h neac h d bein g w hea t in Ga el ic and under h im

, ,

Ch 1 i l f th P i t d S t
r o n c es o p 25
e c s an I bid p 3 1
co s, .

.
3
. , ,
64 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

w hen propra etor in Britain Agricol a se rved Ce re alis s .

chara cter is quite in concord w ith the lin es al ready

quoted speaki ng of C a t h luan When a subalte rn of
,
.

Suetonius P aulinus his rash valour led to the d est ruc

,

tion of the 9 t h Legion then under his comma nd at

, ,

the time of the revolt of the Iceni He next appears .

a s a c a v al ry comm a nder under V esp asia n a g ai nst Vit e l

lius w hen he suffered a check
,
h a vin g adva nced ,

1
inc a utio usly an d w ith precipitation We are told .

by the s a me a uthority th at w hen he an d Civ ilis ,

the B ata vian w ere opposed to e a ch other neither

, ,

commander w a s an a dvocate of slo w movements ,

a n d th at C e r e al is w as more to be a dmired for the
contempt in w hich he held the enemy th a n for the ,

pr udence of his mea sures he ki ndled the spirit of h is

,

soldiers by the bold tone of his l a nguage intimating ,

th at he w ould eng age the enemy on the first o ppo r

t un it y of getting at h im .

It is a curious fa ct th a t the 9 t h Legion of w hich

C e r e alis w as comm ander w hen defe ated by the Iceni
w as the s a me Legion w hich under Agricol a su ffered , ,

the re v erse in Fife a fter the rst crossing the Forth ,

a n d th a t this legio n w as distin guished by the title

the Sp anish . T iles m arked L egio I X Hisp anica
,
.
,

h a ve been found in Britain beside coins of the time of

V esp a si a n an d Do m iti a n w h o reigned betw een t h e

ye a rs 6 9 and 9 6 a nd it w a s in D o m it ian s reign th at
,

Lucul lus of the Lucull e a n spe a rs w as put to death .

Wright rem a rks th at this legion a fter the l ast c am

2
,

a i n of A gricol a suddenly dis appe ars fro m history

p g , ,

a n d is no more he a rd o f Thi s Sp anish Legion is

.

presuma bly I believ e the sole ground of the story

, ,

of the colonis ation of Irel and fro m Sp a in by Milesius .

1 T a d t us, H ist o r y B iii ,

. . 0 . 61 .

2
Celt Ro ma n,
,
a nd Saxo n , p .123 .
 sc o rrrsn M Y TH S .
65

To continue how ever the extracts from the

, ,

Ch r o nic les of t h e Plo t s a nd Sc ots we are to l d ,

How we e t h ey (t h e Cruit h ne)n med b efore t h ey c m

r a a e

T t t ain t h ei s v e eignt y ?
o a r o r

F o m t hei o wn w e p ons
r r a .

There is no question of paint or pow der here .

They w ere nam ed a fter the w eapons peculi ar to them

selves w hich they used before they ca me to reign in
,

Al b an . If this is li terally correct it m akes us fal l ,

b ack on the l arge bossed shi elds (b olg a boss ) an d , ,

w o ul d be evidence in favo ur of the 771 5m m theo ry an d .

,

l ea d us to believe th at w e h ad to do w ith the Germans

a gain. But as the Chroni cles speak of C ruit h n igh ,

an d distinctly sa
y th at they w ere c alled Picts from
t a ttoo ing their fair skin s it is l ikely that the w eapon
all uded to as peculi a r to them w as the C ruit h e or d a rt .

The speci al w ord used for spear in the notice of

Sal lust ius Luc ul lus is la nc ea w hich Ai ns w orth s ay s ,

is either a Sp anish or Gaul ish w ord and denotes a ,

bro ad headed j avelin The s equence in the Chronicle

-
.

w o uld m ake the n ame C r ui t h n ii older th a n Pic t i .

W h ether this throw s any d oubt on the a ccura cy of

my su r mises must be a m atter of O pinion .

In the Irish Chron icles the C ruit h nigh are s aid to

h a ve descended like the Scots from M ilesius thro ugh
1
his son Ir Colgan considers them t h e s a me as the
.

T uat h a de D anaa n s a nd in the legend of the Picts

,

of D al araidh e w ritten before

,
th ey ar e s aid to
h ave rs t settled in Magh F o r t r enn the district b e ,

tw een Forth and Tay an d then in Magh G irgin or ,

Kin ca rdineshire .

In the description giv en by O Curry of the meetin g
of Sreng and Bre a s the rst Fir bolg and T uat h a de
,

Q u t d i C lt i S t l d l i p 1 8 2
1 o e n e c co an ,
vo . . . .

Ch ni l 2
f th P i t ro d S t p 3 18
c es o e c s an co s, . .

E
66 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

D a n aa n th at encountered each other in Irel a nd on ,

M agh Rein (the eld of d a rts immediately before

the battle of M agh T uir eadh the only difference ,

bet w een them speaking as they did the s ame ,

l angu age w as th a t the F irbolg w a s armed w ith t w o

,

hea v y thick poin tless but sh arply ro unded spears

, , , ,

w hile the T ua t h a de D ana a n m an c a rried t w o

beautiful ly sh aped thin slender long sh arp po inted , , , ,
-

1
spe ars . Evidently their spea rs h a d much to do w ith
the tra ditions M any things connect the Picts an d .

T uat h a de D an aa n s A mong others in the O ssia nic .

,

Society vol iii p 1 1 5 is a list of n a mes of men of the

, . . .
,

l atter a n d these con t a i n such a s I lb h re a c spo t t e d

,
:

l ad A b h o r t a c h Iol
, dat h aig Ab h o rt a c h m any coloured ,
-
,

a n d M a n an a n m a c Lir was s a id t o w e a r coloured

clothes .

There is another n a me applied to a people of L o w

l and Scotl and w h o are identied w ith the Picts .

N ennius 5 0 s ays the eleventh b a ttle of A rthur

, ,

w a s in the m ounta in B r e g uo in w hi ch w e c al l C at ,

B r eg io n This n a me is also spelled C at h b re gyon a nd
.

2
C at h r e g o nn um I n one of the poems of the book of.

"
T al iessi n t h e Picts are styled
,
Y C a th V r e it h a nd ,

it s ays the C a t V r e it h of a stra n ge l ang uage is

troubled fr o m the ford of Taradyr to Port W ygir in

Mon a . The ford is t h e ford of T a rrad o r a cross the
ri v er C a rron ne a r F alkirk , .

The poem is one alluding to C ad w allan w h o

a scended the throne of V e n e d o t ia or North W ales ,

617 A D . w h o di ed in 6 5 9
.
, a fter defe a ting the ,

Northumbrians w ith the a ssistance of Pend a and ,

occupyi ng their coun t ry for some time Skene de .

rives the name fro m b rych m ac ula a spot brea c in z

, ,

O C ur ry s M a te r ia l s,

p . 24 5 .

2 Fo ur A nc ie nt B o oks of Wa les, v0 1 i. . pp . 5 7, 1 0 6 .
 SC OTTI SH M Y TH S .
67

Ga elic No w in all the spellin gs but the poetic one

.
1
, ,

the th of V re it h is represented by a g an d Skene tell s ,

us th a t B rech e in awg (the sa me w ord as B reckn ock in

South W a les )is app lied to the district a bout E iddyn
(E din burgh ) w hi ch w as inh abited by t h e Cat b region
,
- .

No w b r a ic h plura l b r eich ia u in W elsh is an ar m a

, , , ,

bra nch a verse spelt in old M SS acc ordin g to Zeuss

, , .
, ,

b reic h In Ar e m oric it is br egh b r eak in Ga elic b ra s

.
, , ,

an d in composition is foun d in the Welsh nam e

K arad aw c m eic h uras C ar a ct acus stout arm

D avies ,
.

tells us th at t h e bra nch w as a b adge of the bardi c

o fce a nd w e h a ve alr e a dy n oticed the connection
,

with b a rds an d bra nches .

The w ord c a t si gn ies a eat but also in its modern ,

a spir a ted fo rm oa th a tribe a b a tta lion s ays O B e ill

y , , ,

of 3 0 0 0 men Connected w ith it is the La tin ca t ew a

.
,

a troop a n d most prob ably c ea th a r n Scotch G aelic a

, , ,

troop and cea tha r na eh a stout r obust m an a soldier

, , , , ,

a ca t er a n Curiously the Ar e m o ric br ech b rac h ium

.
/
z
,

h as a s yn o nym ous term or a t le as t a w ord transl ated ,

h um e r u s the sho ul der

, Soo t h or scoac c in modern .
,

Breton sh oe Sk O tEj Ll SO signi fying a v ine branch of

,
f
,

w hich the modern form is sh o d Is this the real .

2

origin of the te rm Scot

The C a th b regio n w ere Sc o t hi as w ell as Picts
-
,

(72 15m m l
-
) S k 0 is t h e n a me of a Breto n fa mil y an d
a- .
,

signies the elder tree Sh o is an obsolete w ord for a -

.

3
blo w a stroke
,
.

The letter t is mutable in Ar em oric into B r ie

sig ni es both a comb at m el ee and m ar ked w ith , ,

v arious col ours B r ec h in signies sprigs slips of.
'

w ood .

1 Fu o A nc ient B oo ks of
r Wa le s , vo l i
. . p . 84 .

Z e uss, Gr a m C el t ic, . pp . 9 7, 9 8 .
3 A d on
scu th e l ug
4
L e go nid ec , 13 p . .
G8 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

We a re told that Corma c U lfada in the thi rd

century drove the Picts of Ulster to M a nann con
n e c t e d w ith C ruit h e n t uait h to the district in ,

1
w hich are Sl a ma nn a n a nd Cl a ckmann a n in Scotl and .

Cor ma c me ans a bre w er (m a c c oir e son of the , ,

kettle ? ) a n d he w as most lik e ly a Pict him sel f There .

a re fu l ly three hundred yea rs bet w een the d a te of t h e

poe m spea king of the C a th v r eit h an d the da te of this -

driver afa r of the Ulidi ans (Ula clh a nd fad a far , , ,

U lfa d a ) But it is curious th at the C a th vr e ic h w ere

.

of a stra nge l anguage 1 w as this Ga el ic a s opposed
to Welsh or Are m o ric l I confess I do not feel in '

c line d to a ccept as historic thi s deriv ation of the n a me

U lfa d a The etymology of the n ame is certainly

.

forced a nd I am inclined to suggest g a l fa d a (far

,

crying) a s the proper derivation the reas ons for w hich ,

w ill appea r more cle a rly herea fter .

G eo ffrey o f Monmouth w rote about the ye ar

1 1 5 2 a t the time of the Rebe l li on of M alcolm M a c
,

Eth an d the people of E rg a dia or the north w est of

,
-

Scotl a nd Ga l w ay and Mora vi a or Mor ay the di strict

, , ,

n orth of Spey to C a ithness aga inst D a vid I These , .

seem to h av e been all of Pictish descent Geo ffrey .

then m ay it is not unl ikely h av e kno w n w h a t w a s

, , ,

the current tra dition as to their origin at tha t time ,

an d he distinctly tells us th at the M o rav ien se s c a me 2

from Scythi a in the tim e of V esp asi an He m akes .

them m a rry Irish w i v es a n d settle in Ca ithness an d ,

so give rise to the Pictish n ation ; an d then he tell s

us tha t the Picts m a rrying stil l among the Irish ,
,

ga ve rise to the Scots This a ccount seems to be .

w onderfully ne ar the truth so far a s these m a in facts

a re concerned .

1
Fuo rA ncient B ooks f Wal es
o ,
v o l. i
. p . 84 .

B oo k iv o 7 . . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
69

Cl audi an in 3 9 7 as already quoted s ays Stil icho

, , , ,

cleft the h y perborea n w aves w ith das hing o ar in

pursuit of the Scots and in the six th c entu ry w e , , ,

nd the n ame of Scoti a app l ied to Irel and A list of .

the e a rliest notices of th is a pplica tion of the n ame is

given by Skene in Ce ltic Sco t la nd The oldest }l

a ccount of the settlement of the Scots th e re is con

t a in e d in the B oo k of L einste r w ritte n a c cording to , ,

O C urry before 1 1 6 0 It is ascribed to M a e lm urra

.
,

of O th ain wh o di e d A D
,
He ca lls them Greeks. . ,

descended from F e nius w h o built the to w er of Nem ,

broth an d fo unded a s c hool for l ang uages ! This

,

F e nius F arsaid h ad a so n Ne l w h o w ent to Egypt , ,

an d m a rried F o rann s (Ph a ra oh ) d aughter Scota

, ,

w hose son w as G ae dh e l Gl as s From Gae dh e l h is .

,

follo w ers w ere c all ed Gae l ; Feni from Fenius ; Scoti , ,

from Scota P as s ing into Spain from thence Ith

.
, ,

son of B re o gan discovered Irel and but being kil led

, , ,

L ug uid h is so n and the size sons of Mile dh ca me

, , ,

over to a venge h is d ea th Th ey there alli ed them .

selves with the Firbolg Tuat h a de D an aa ns a n d the , ,

children of N e m e dh Then E irea m o n took the north .

of Irel and Eber the south w h ile L uguid h ad certain

, ,

districts a ssigned to h im They then took w i v es of .

the T ua t h a de D anaan s h a ving been depri v ed of ,

their wi ves by the C r uit h n ig h In a nother version .

the wi ves ar e granted to the C ruit h n e as a favour ,

on condition th at the regal s uccession should be by

the mother s side .

No w if the oldest n a ti v e a uthoriti e s cl aim Greece

,

as the origin al h abitat of the Scots there is good ,

gro u nd for m ain tain ing tha t their name sho ul d h ave
a G reek me a ning
a cl a im possibly al so founded on
,

the Homeric n ame of the Greeks A a m s ince the ,

av

1 V L i p 3
O . , C l t i S t la d
. l i p 1 75 2
e c co n ,
vo . . . .
70 SC O TTI SH MY TH S .

T uat h a de D anaans w ere the early Irish O f course .

I ha ve not the slightest belief in the people h aving a

Greek n a me because they c a me from Greece but on , ,

the contra ry th at they w ere s aid to h ave come fro m

,

Greece because they h ad a Greek n a me Ph ar aoh as .

,

F o rann if the tr adi tion w ere w orthy of serious con

,

sider ation is to me much more lik ely to be derived

,

from the Breton F er o erce s ava ge th a n to h ave , , ,

an
y connection w ith the k in g of E ypt an d to point
g ,

to a u ni on betw een t h e inv a ders a n d the b arb ari a n

natives in either cas e the descenda nts w hether of a ,

Gr eek an d an Egypti an or of a legionary of the ,

L egio I X Hisp anica an d a G w y d de l w ere a mixed

.
, ,

ra ce Nel the n ame of F e n ius s son h as a resem

.
,

bl a nce to th at of Nia l N a oi gh iall ac h of w hose r a ce ,

w as S aint Col umb a a n d w h o c a rried o ff St P atrick ,

.

from Ar e m o ric a a ccor di ng to the e di tor of the

A nna ls of t he F o ur M ast e-rs Na w Welsh ; Ga elic .
1
,

na o i n ine ; g wia l pl g w ia il rods (Welsh ) He is ca lled

, ,
.
, .

gener all y Nial of the n ine host ages Ph ara oh .

appears in the n a me Din as in W a les the buri al pl a ce ,

-

of the red a nd w hi te dr agons dro w ned in a mead ,

2
c al d ron a nd in t h e G wa r ch an cy ilI a elcl ei v by
, ,
'

T al iessin w here w e ar e told the

,

Vi t g ed t w d t h f i o n
c or az o ar s e a r e,

O f b ight and p om in n t up l ift d f ont

r r e e r ,

On th udd y d g n t h p ll d ium f Ph n
e r ra o ,
e a a o arao

Wh i h will in t h ir mp ny t h p eo p l

c e a a cco a e e .

Here the a llusion is gene ra ll y supposed to be to

A rt hur s stand ard and j ustly I beli eve to a sig nm n
, , , ,

but not a ag w hich belonged as the poem tell s us

, , ,
3
to the retinue of t h e grea t Wall In the Sench us .

1
F
A nn al s of t h e o ur M a ste rs, v o l i . . p . 1 2 8 , note .

M a b inog io n, v o l 3 10 . p . .

3 Fo ur A nc ie nt B oo ks of Wa les, v ol i . . p . 4 15 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
71

M OT l
h ave the story of F e nius being sent for to
we
Ph ara oh s court
C ai being the messenger an d
, ,

w hen he ca m e Nel or Niul his son r e c eived in
, , , ,

re wa rd Ph ara oh s d aughter .

C ai the messenger s n am e is the s ame w ord

, ,

as ha y a mist fog ; G a el ic c eo
,
w hile niwl in
, ,

Welsh is fog al so ; there is certainly a connection

bet w een the n ames .

F e nius possibly arises from the root w hich is
found in Vene t i Venecl o tia Va nnes i e V a n adi s iden
, , ,
. .
,

t i e d w ith the Thr a cia n moon goddess Bend is V enus

2
-
,

or Freia ; but F e nius F arsaid a ppea rs in a no t her legend

3
a s A ene as a L ac e d e m o nian
,
Thi s allo w s us to drop .

the F from h is surn a me also w hich lea ves us a r sa id , ,

from a rsa a i sac h old a ncient a ged ; a i singh ea ch d

,

, , , ,

a ncient deeds A n d from this I w ould deduce the

.

story of G eoffrey of Monmouth as to the descent of

the B ritons fr om Brutus A eneas s great grandson It ,
-
.
4

is curious th at F o rdun w hen telli ng of the a rmy w ith ,

w hich Will i a m the Lion in v a ded Engl and me n tio n s the ,

Highl a n d Scots w hom they call ed b r ut i a nd Bo w er ,

s ays of them Qui C at e r v ani seu C at e r arii v o can t ur

, ,

quos eti am quid am Brutos v o can t O ne scarcely .

li kes t o think tha t thi s is simply equi valent to cal ling

them b r ut es There w ere people in Italy call ed B rut ii
.
,

w h o lost their freedom from j o ini ng H a nnib al

6
The .

son then of Nel or Niul w as G a e dh el Glas Gla s is

, ,
.

a ter m denotin g colour an d is prob ably co nnected ,

with the G a ul ish w ord Gl a st um a ppli ed to the ,

dye w o a d by Pliny the yo unger (A D 2 3 to wh o . .

tel l s us th at their w hole bo di es smeared wi th
1
Sench ns lll or , v o l i 21 . . p . .

2
G r im s
m

M y t h o l ogy, v o l iii 1 1 5 3
. . p
Celt ic Sco t la nd , v 0 1 i
. 1 83 . . . p . .

5
1

G ey f
eo r o M o n m o ut h ,
B o o k i c 3 F o rd un V OL ii , notes, p 4 3 1
. . .
, , ,

6
Ain sw o rt h v o ce B r ut ia ni se r vi l e o f c e rs o f t h e m agist r at e s
, .

7 B o o k xx ii 2 . . Q
uo t e d, Gil e s, v 0 1 ii 50 . . p . .
72

SC T T S O I H M Y TH S .

w hich , naked the w ives and n ur us (young

an d ,

m arr ied w omen ) of the Britons retir e to cer t a in s acred

rites The Scots then w ere descended of the w oad
.
, ,

coloured Ga d al a nd the me ani ng possibly appli cable ,

to thi s term h as b een mentioned above Gla z w oad , , ,

Breton .

Mil edh in La tin M il esius c an surely be cl aimed

, ,

a s the o ffspring of m iles a sol di er w hile Ith the son , , ,

of Brogan w h o w as conj o ined with h is sons nds the

, ,

origin of his n ame in Welsh in it h corn and b r o an , , , ,

'

inh abited l a nd E r eig ple as an t as a vale ,

!
, ,
.

Ith l a nded in Ulster and he w as the r st of ,

the Scots w h o visited Irel and according to some

w hile Ne nn ius tell s us the Scots p a ssed
1
a ccounts ,

from Sp ain to D alr ie t a in the north of U lst e r Is it .

2

not most prob ably somethi ng more th a n a coincidence

th at their l a nding pla ce should w hil e so far from -
,

Sp a in be so ne ar the coun try in w hich w e l ast nd

,

the Sp anish leg ion .

3
Bede speaks of the northern provin ce of the Scots ,

a nd imme di a tely there a fter of the Scots w hich d w elt

in the south ; so th at in the sev enth century they

w ere not conned to one district From L uga idh son .
,

of Ith are descended a ccording to tradition the D al

, , ,

ca ssians of Munster w h o settled in the w est of the

present county of Cork a nd w h o are connecte d by ,

Emer L ugh a id h s cousin w ith the Ulidi ans from w hom ,

they are s a id to h a ve sprun g No w of the descend .

,

a nts o f Emer m ac Ir the O D r isc o ll s ar e the princip a l

family If this sto ry is correct the locality of the ,

family is a much more lik ely l andi ng pl a ce from Sp ain -

but w e are told th a t they w ere driven out of Ulster

by the cl a n D eagh aid The na me O D risc oll is a curious .

1
O ssianic So c ie t y , vo l . v. p . 2 55 .
2
Para l 5 . .

3
B o o k iii c h a. 3 p . .
1

O C urry , M at erials,

p . 20 7 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
73

o ne .C o nnal C e at h arnac h the C ruit h nean , foster ,

fa ther o f C uch ullin is c alled in one of the poems in

,

t h e De an o f Lismore s Book Ma c E ddirsc h o l

The ,
.

n ame is also spelled E ide rsg el E idirsce ol and in , ,

W elsh to all a ppear ance as Ad r as dil Is not this

, ,
.

the grea t ash the w orld tree of Norse mythology

,
-
,

Ygdr a sil and old as th at of B abylonia w here it w as

, ,

s a id t o be situ ated in the provin ce of E ridh u into ,

G il das s
"1
the h ea rt w hereof m an h ath not penetra ted
statement th at the Scots c ame from the north w est -

is quite in ha r m ony w ith the view th at their local ity

w as in that p a rt of Irel and next A lban .

I n the Irish legends w e nd th at the pro v inci al

ki ngs of Brita in a n d of Corn w all ar e credited w ith an
I rish p arentage In the Irish ad di tions to Ne nn ius
.

the foll o w ing a ccoun t is given : Sa rr an a fter this 2

a fter the decl ine o f the Rom a n po w er in

( th a t is
'

Brita in and in the time of St M artin of Tour s

,
.
,

A D 3 71
. .
) as sumed the sovereignty of Brit ain an d ,

established his po w er over the S a xo ns an d C r uit h

nea ch and he took to w ife the d a ughter of the k ing
,

of Al ban Th a t is to say one d aughter of the king
.
,

of A lban w ho m he proposed to marry eloped w ith

, ,

Mur e dach of the house of N ial to Erin an d bore him ,

four sons M urc e rt ac h m ac E rc a a nd F e radac h an d

, ,

Tig h e rnach a n d M a i au S arra n m arried a nother

,
.

d aughte r and h ad issue L uirig Ca irn eac h D all an , , , ,

an d C a e m h l a c h C airn e c h w h o becomes a Bishop

.
, ,

incites M urce rt ac h m ac E rca to kill Cair n e c h s brother

L uirig w h o h ad succeeded his fa ther a s kin g of Al ban

, ,

w hi ch M urc e r t ac h does an d then marries h is w ife by , ,

w hom he h ad issue Constantine and G ae d el Ficht , ,

from whom descend the provin ci al kings of Bri tain

1
Say c e s

B ab y lon ia n L ite r a tur e, p . 3 7 .

2
Ch r o nic les of t lw P ic ts a nd Sco ts, p . 52, f ro m B o ok of B a llym ote .
74 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

an d of Corn wa ll Subsequently M ac E rca kil ls the pro

.

v in c ial kings of Irel and and a ssumes the soverei nty

g ,

a n d C airn e c h becomes the rst Bishop of cl a n Neil ,

a n d O f T a ra .

This is a church legend a n d the cause of C a ir ,

n e ch s ill -will to L uiri

g is s a id to h ave been bec ause

L uirig s a id he ca red more for the po w er of the pet
w ild fa w n of the Bishop th a n for his o wn po w er or ,

th at of the God he w orshipped Then a miracle .

occur r ed a w ild faw n dre w all L uir ig s host after it

s ave King L uirig alone ; an d M ac Erea taking the ,

O pportunity m urdered h im a nd carried h is head to

, ,

h is brother w h o kept it te ll ing M ur ce rt ach th at he

, ,

might e at the esh w hile he retained the bone ,

.

L uirigh is an a rmed m an son of
S a rr an from 8 dr oppression violence Sar S ara a
, , ,
.
z

hero (M L e o d an d De w a r ) an d w e h ave the rst

,

notice of a pursuit of w h at is here c al led a fawn to ,

w hi ch the A lb ani e king as cribed more po w er th a n to

the C h risti a n God a nd w hich c a me into the h a nds of
,

the church ; and I am incl ined to the belief th a t

L uirig s h ea d C arn e ch s fawn an d the faw n th a t dr e w

, ,

the host of A lb an a fter it are a ll allusions to the s a me ,

th ing We undoubtedly here nd a cla im m ade th a t

.

Constantine by w hom m ay most likely be me ant

,

Consta ntine the Gre at w h o w as son of Constantius , ,

the conqueror of the p arty w h o foll o w ed Alle ct us an d

Ca i a usius (ca r w a h art a stag Welsh ) by Helen a
'

, , , , ,

the O ffspri ng as E ut ro pius w h o w rote A D 3 6 0 s ays

, , . .
, ,

of a l ow m arriage w hile O rosius w h o wr ote A D 4 1 7

, , . .
,

c all s her the concubine of Const a ntius The other son .

of M urc erta c h m a c Er oa Gae d el Ficht is simply a , ,

Pict or Ga elic Pict as the W elsh w riters ca ll w h a t ,

seem to me to h a ve been Picts a nd Scots the G wy d ,

del (G aed al ) bein g pure Irish and he is the son of an ,

 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
75

Irish and Alb anic cross bred m an with an Alb anic -

w om an An d this A l b anic Irishm an though t h e son of

.
,

M uire d ach is call ed son of E rc a or Hercul es l ike a Pict

,
.

Now d ismis sing for the present Brutus and the

, ,

Picts w h o eight hun dred years a fte r the time of E li

the Hig h Priest occupied the O rkneys Pa rt h ol o m us ,

the rst N im ech the second and a Sp anish sol dier

, ,

the thi rd inva der of Irel a nd a n d others from Sp a in

, , ,

wh o possessed themselves of va rious p arts of Brita in ,

let us ex am ine the n ames of Ne nnius s nal invad ers 1

L ast of all ca me one D amh o c t o r (various r eadin gs

ar e Hoctor C l a m h oc t or and El amh oc t or) w h o c on
, ,

t in ue t h there an d w hose descend an ts r emain there to

,

this day I st o r e t h the son of I st orin us w ith h is

.
, ,

foll o w ers held D alr ie t a ; Buile h ad the isla nd E ub o nia ,

an d other a dj a cent pl aces The sons o f L iet h ali O b .

t ain e d the count ry of the D im e t a e w here is a city ,

ca ll ed M e nav ia a n d the pro v i n ce Gui her and Cet

,

gueli w hich t hey held till they w ere expelled from

,

every p a rt of Brita in by C un e dd a an d h is sons .

This p ass age Skene s ays is corrupt and h as been ,

so from an e a rly period bec ause the Irish tran sla tion ,

of the eleventh century be ars ev ident m arks of bein g

a n attempt to exp l a in w h at w as O bscure to the wr iter .

The a ccount here alluded to is a s foll o w s After

3

w ards c a me d a mh ac h t o r (i e a comp a ny of eight

) . .

with a eet a n d d w elt in Erin and took possession of

, ,

a gre a t portion of it The Fir b o lg moreover took .

, ,

possession of M amand and certa in isl an ds in li ke

m anner Ar a a nd I l a an d B ecca Th e children O f
,
.

G l eo in son of E rc o l took possession of the isl an ds of

, ,

O rc c th a t is His t o re nd son of Hist o rrim son of Agam

, , , ,

son of Agat h ir si an d w ere dispersed again from the ,

1
Ne nni us ,
p ara .14 .
2
Celt ic Scotla nd , vo l i
. . p . 13 8 .

3
Ch r onicles o f t h e P ic t s a nd Sco ts, 23 p . .
76 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

isl ands of O rcc ; th at is Ch uit h n e son of Cinge son , , ,

of Luota i son of Pa rt h a i son of Hist o r e c h w ent and

, , ,

took possession of t h e north of the isl a nd of Britain ,

a nd hi s seven sons divided the l and into seven

divisions and O n b ecan (the little one ) son of Cait h , ,

son of Cruit h ne took the sovereignty of the seven

,

divisions .

Generally w e notice here th a t Ne nn ius settles this

comp a ny of eight in Brita in a nd his untransl atable
n a me D a m h o c t o r goes to prove th a t his a uth ority for
his sta tement w as a Ga elic one The Irish version of .

Nennius se t s them do w n in Irel and C rui t h ne and his

seve n sons take possession of the north of Scotl and
M ilesius L uguid a nd the six so ns of Milesius ar e
, ,

C une d d a s sons w h o drove

a nother comp any of eight

out the sons of L ie t h ali w ere eight in number ; an d 1

w e w il l nd a certa in Ked m a c M agh ac h w h o h ad

seven brothers an d w h o is connected w ith Conn a ught
,

U lster an d North \Va les also one of a comp a ny of ,

eig ht Ne n nius tells us th a t the descend a nts of D am

.

hoctor re m ained in Brita in If so it co ul d sc arcely .

,

be a settlement in North Wales from w hen ce they

w ere dri v en out by M a e lgw n the descen d a nt of ,

C une t h a as Skene supposes

,
But w h o is I st o re t h or .

Hist ore t h of the Irish the fa ther of P art h ai w hom I

, ,

ta ke to be P a rt h o lan us a nd w h o is here an undoubted,

Pict from his descent from A g a t h irsi of w hich w e

, ,

m ay remember the sign ic a tion a d v oc ated w as to the

e ffect tha t it connected the w ord w ith the O rph e ic or
B a cchic w orship .

Ja r epa t h e w omb from

z a -O V lo w er i e
,
-
, , . .

the lo w er p art of the bell y In D a mm s Dictionary .

p 4 8 1 w e n d K an pt o s ape r a w ild boar a bo a r the

.
,
z
, , ,

s a me as K anpo s a rpet to rut like a so w is equ al to

. c , ,

N ni u p

St 1
n 62 e v e n so s en s, a ra .
 SC O TTI SH M Y T HS .
77

do e lky a w ew to beh ave l as civiously imm odestly a nd

, , ,

a so w : 1) do elvyns,
'

y vm
y Kan c
p cr a a w om a n rutting l ike ,

a w anton or l as civ ious w o m a n Hence a m ale so w .

used to be s acri ced to V enus especi al ly amo ng the ,

Ar gives w ith w hom there w as opr v;
,
a

festival of V enus 7 d {30 7 q 0 r 7; 15m ph ;

'

.
,

bo ar so w hog
, In Po w ell s L lh uy d s C ambria
, .

,

Hist orinus is c all ed Yscro e t h from sc r o th W e lsh the , ,

wom b This is simply another a llusion to the w orship

.

of the gener a tive principle as w a s the O rphic No w ,

.

Ne nn ius says Hist o ret h held D al r ie t a an d this is the ,

n a me of the p ar t of Irela nd next D alar aidh e from

w hi ch c a me the rst Scottish colony to inh a bit th a t
p a r t of A rgy ll shire likewise c all ed D al ri e t a .

B uil e in E ub o ni a (the Isle of M an ) an d the Fir ,

bo lg in M anan d Islay an d Ar ra n ar e e v idently in, , ,

tended for the s ame people .

Buil e is c alled M o r c ant an d in Scotl a nd there is a ,

cl a n Morga nd th at is the M a c K ays ; an d the little

, ,

son of Ca it h w e saw took the sovereignty over all the

, ,

seven divisions of the settlement in the north of

A lb a n from the O rkneys an d he w as a descend ant of
, ,

Hist o rech The Firbolg w ere driven out of Ireland

.

by Corm a c U llfat a a transl a tion O f w hose name is ,

Corm ac long h a nd an d w e h a ve the a uthority O f ,

O rosius w h o w rote in the ft h century for the 1

isl and of M an bei ng inh abited by the Scotic na tion ,

it is cur io us th a t M a nx is to thi s d ay a nearer dia lect

(
to Scottish th a n I ri sh Ga elic is ) and w e w ill nd tha t
the pr incipal dr iver out of Scots fr om Dim et ia one of -
,

the sons of C un e dda w as a C as wa lla n lo ng h a nd w h o ,

dr ove out the sons of L iet h a li al so call ed the sons of ,

B e t h o un from D im e t ia these sons of C un e dda com

, ,

ing from M an and in Lothi an .

Q u t d F u A i nt B k f W l
1 o e l i p 84
,
o r nc e oo s o a es vo . . . .
78 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

Does it n o t be ar on the face of it th a t a ll these

ima gin ary persons ar e merely the rem a ins of a common
tr adi tion and tha t so far a s they represent a people
, , ,

it is a people sprung from a common stock

W h at is the a ccount w e h a ve of C un e d da ? He
1
an d his sons c ame from M a n a u G uo t o din in the no r t h

w hi ch Skene den es fo r us as foll o w s It w as .

2

bounded on the w est by a lin e d raw n from Sl am a nna n

Moor to the Pentl a nd Hill s incl uding the gre at moor ,

formerly call ed C al dover Moor (hence the 120 e an d

I ard o bh a r fr om w hence c ame the T ua t h a de D an aa ns) ,

consisting Of the modern w est mid a nd ea st C a lder , , ,

and the p ari shes of Li nlithgo w Ba thgate an d Whit , ,

bur n in Linli thgo w shir e It prob ably also included .

that p a rt of the r ange of the P entl an ds c alled O ld

Pentl and Moor till it came do w n on the North Esk
, ,

w hi ch fo rmed its e a stern bound a ry to the se a At .

the poin t c alled Queen sfen y it appro a ches w ithin a

shor t di stan ce of the O pposite coa st an d the n a me of ,

Cl a ckm a nn a n on the northern shore indic ates th a t

that district also belonged to it This distr ict w as then .

the country from w hich came the T ua t h a de D an aa n s

a n d al so the C at v r e it h The na me M a na u is also .

a ppli ed to the Isle of M an being in fa ct the Welsh ,

n ame for M an .

C un e dd a C un e d a Skene s ays retired behind the

, , ,

southern w all in A D 4 1 0 from M an and the d ate . .

,

being calcul ated from w h at Nennius tells us of h im ;

a nd Skene a dds th at the term his sons is used
loosely to signify his descenda nts In the Welsh .

geneal ogies h is descent is from a certain B r ith g i t ein ,

mongrel or spotted w hich m a kes him a Pict w h o w a s

, ,

3
descended of Beli Maw r I n the gene a logies a nn exed .

1
Ne nnius ,
p 62
ara. .

2
Fu
o r A nc ie nt B ook s f Wales
o , v 0 1. i
. p . 91 .
3
I b id . v0 1 i
. . p . 84 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
79

to the H ar l eia n M S of Ne nnius wr itten A D he .

,
.

is s aid to h ave been son of P a tern son of Ta cit son , ,

of Cein .

A usonius a n 3 8 0 thus a ddresses a Professor of

,
.
,

Litera ture at B urdigala (Bordeaux )

Thou B ago c assis (b ag a little vessel a bo at q waz , , , ,

ser va nt Ar em o ric Cas Cos in C ospa t rick ) spru n g

, ,
:
, , ,

from the stock of t h e Dr uids if the report does no t ,

deceive truth th a t the ra ce w as consecra ted from the

,

temple of the lead er B el e nus an d thence your n a mes ,

to thee of Pa t er a ; thus the mystic Apo lli nares name

their ser vants Nor sh all I say nothing of the
.

old m an n a med Ph aab it ius (Ph oebus A pollo ) wh o , , ,

as w a rden of B el e nus brought then ce no assistance ,

but a s it ple as ed l
) sprung from the stock of ,

2
the D r uids of the A re m o ric ra ce A p a t er a is a .

dr ink ing vessel sa ucer sh aped w ith or w ithout a ,

-
,

h a ndl e .

C un e d a w as thus supposed to be connected w ith

a relig ious rite ; a n d Beli M aw r is most prob ably
B e l e n us the god from w hose fa ne a ssistance w as ,

brought a t the wil l app arently of the attendant

, , ,

priest . In Breton w e nd b e ll ennik or p ellennik

is a sprig a straw a fet a of w hich the expression
, , , ,

tirer a u co ur t f tu w hi ch me ans to dr aw cuts or ,

lots w e h a ve a hint a s to the as sis tance the priest

,

brought from B el e nus B e li in A rem oric is po w er .

, , ,

a uthority sovereignty , The n ame Pat arus connected .

,

w ith the Thr a ci a ns a ppe ars in E ust at hi us w h o , , ,

a llud in g t o an ir r uption of the C im m e r ii into A si a ,

a ccor d ing to Herodot us about a centur y after t h e

Troj a n w ar tells us tha t not o nl y the Mi gri an d
,

P h ryg e s but al s o the Th ra ci an s w ent out of Europe

, ,

1 Fu A nc ient B o ok s of Wal es, v o l i

o r 1 29 . . p . .

2 f
A uso nius, P ro 4 1 0 , q uo t e d b y D a vi es, v0 1 i
.
, . . p . 2 18 .
80 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

into Asia w ith Ba t a r us

, ,
their lea de r ,
w hen the Cim
merii overra n A si a .
1

Ta cit needs but the La tin te rmination I sho ul d ,

think to spe ak for itself as co n necte d w ith the Sg al

,

B al b h or mu t e ba rd Ri C r uit h e nt uai t h a cus
,

M anaind king of Al b anic Pictl and and M an and of

2
, , ,

the B ook of B a lly mo t e Ce in m ay possibly h ave to .

do w ith the root O f the Welsh w ord oeiniad a s ing er , ,

ch a nter or oeincio to branch out or ra mify

, , .

In the F o ur A nc ien t B ooks of Wa les C un edd a ,

appea rs as to be ad mir ed in the tumult w ith 9 0 0

horse ,
pre emin ent before the furro w an d the sod
-
,

an d there w a s trembling from fea r of C un e dda the
bur ner in C a er W eir and C a er L li w elydd
, .

These cities ar e Durh am an d Ca rlisle b eh ind either ,

end of the south w all The w riter evidently did not .

consider C un e dda s r et ir e m e nt behind the w al l as an

unm ixed blessing else w h

y the tremblin g for fe ar of
,

him in these to w ns w hil e the numbers of his c avalry

po int to hi s he ading a force of Roma n a uxili aries as ,

po inted out by Skene .

The nam e Ta cit suggests Ta citus w hich again ,

suggests A gricola w hose rst n a me C na e us r e

, , ,

quir es little ingenui ty to m ake it C unaet h us an d the ,

priestly connection reminds us th at the po nt i c at e

w as a dded to his (A gr icol a s other di nities
) on his

g ,

a ppointment to the governorship of Brit ain .

I ce rta inly agree in the belief of the occup a tion

of the country belo w the south w all by the so cal led -

so ns of C un e dda an d I w oul d connect these people

,

w ith the Tun rian s of w hom w e h ave a n a lta r found

g ,

a t Po l mont
3
dedica te d to Hercules a nd a nother at
, ,

D av ie s C el t ic R e sea r c h v o l i
, 1 44, . . p . .

2 Fo ur A nc ie n t B o o ks of Wal es, v o l i 79 . . p . .

3
W righ t , Cel t , Ro ma n, a nd Saxo n, 3 25 p . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
81

C r amond in t h e
very centre of Maman d dedica ted
, ,

to the mothers of Alat e r v a an d of the el ds ; but l

I believe they possessed thems el ves of the southe rn

countr y b e ing descenda nts of Ro man sol diers cer
,

t ainly but a ppe a ring in Roman history as Picts

, .

The princip al of his descend a nts we h ave to deal

w ith ar e ho w ever not his e ight so n s w h o div ided
, ,

W a les i nto eight provinces but M ail cun and C as ,

w a ll a n respectivel y kings a pp arently of North an d

, , ,

South Wales .

It is in con ne ction with M ail cun th at Ne nn ius

gives the p ar ticul a rs by w hich t h e date of C un e dd a
2
is x e d .

The great king M ail c un reigned among the
Britons in the di stric t of G ue nedota because his ,

a t a i us C un e dda h ad come w ith his sons eight in

number fro m the l eft h and p art i e from the country

,
-
, . .

th a t is c al led M ana u G uo t o din one hun dred an d ,

forty six years before M a ilc un reigned and expelled

-
,

the Scots w ith much sla ughter from these countries .

The reign of M ailc un w a s during t h e time of ve bards ,

mentioned by n a me including A neurin an d Taliessin , .

No w as a t a c us represents not only a great great

,

gr andfa th er w hich it does speci cally but also in

, ,

gene ral a remote ancestor I sugges t th at Ne nn ius ,

m ay not improba bly h a ve xed a d ate for himself

, ,

by computation from a source unknow n to us a nd ,

tha t w h atever p art the eight sons and C un edda

,

themselves h a ve played it is as lik ely to h a ve been ,

as prim a ry lea ders long before the period Nen n ius

xes ; an d in fa ct it m ay simply represent the sa me

, ,

events a s some p a rts of th e Arthurian legend .

In the Life of St K e nt igern wr itten by Jo c e l ine .

,

of F urn e ss in the tw e lfth century a life O f a s aint

1 \V ig h t C l t R m n
r nd S ,
p 3 47e N iu p
, o 62a ,
a a x on, . .
2
e nn s, a ra .
.

F
S2 SC O TTI SH MY TH S .

w h o, I bel ieve never existed in esh and bl ood , ,

w e nd a C aswa lla n as king of D im et ia from w hom ,

K ent igern received the right of buildin g the church

of Llan El wy w hil e M ail c un w h o al so gets the credit
, ,

of the gift is represented a s coming in erce anger

, ,

an d orde ring the stopp age of the w ork The Caswal lan .

here mentioned is Cas w all a n L aw h ir or long hand ,

w h o drove the Scot s o ut of Wal es as Corm ac U lfad a , ,

l o ng arm drove the Firbolg out of Ulste r

, .

The nam e Casw al laun is undoubtedl y the sa me as

the Cassiv ellaunus of Ca es a r Th p latter must h ave .

bee n of B elgic descent The V elauni w ere a tribe in .

Ga ul w hi le Dion C as sius tells us o f the K a r o v eM avo c

,

in B rita in the spel l ing o ij elt h a o c be ing in the same

,
v

rel ation t o Velaun i as the Greek c a n); to the L atin

V ates .Nennius tel ls us th at t h e sons O f L ieth a li
O btain ed the countr y of the Dime t ae and the mean ,

ing of L ietha li is of interest He sych ius informs us .

1

th at a sa cri ce w as O ffered to Aphrodi te (V enus ) ,

desig nated by t h e signic an t n a me of K a pn o t s e n '

j oym ent a dva ntage from K pr o m I for m fruit (d n o s)

, ,
a , .

possess enj oy render fruitful an d th at a festival in

, , ,

her honour was call e d 625M signi es branches a.

or leafage s ays L aj ard a nd fo r th is reason it shoul d

, ,

perhaps be rea d at ri a ; da M o s ou branch sprout

, , , ,

l ea ves ; ddh o s -6 0 9 a Sprout a bran ch descendant ;

, , , ,

qSM a from (InM o neut a leaf o w er aromatic

ou v, - -
, , .
, ,

herb I n G irald us C a m b re nsis s Co nq uest of I r e

.

2
l a nd he te ll s us of a certa in tech la bh a ir appealed to
,

as an a venging po w er in the nei hbourhoo d of St

g .

D avi d s the tow n M ena v ia of Dim e t ia the derivatio n

, ,

of which n ame comes evidently from lech a stone lid , ,

in Gae l ic and llaf ur t illa ge more correctly th an fro m

, , ,

l lnfa r speech There is a Greek word Xea a sto ne

.
, , , ,

1
Qu t d L j d W h ip f V nu p 2 08 Ch p 3 7

o e a ar s ors o e s, 2
, . . a . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
83

used by w eavers w h il e Asia is spoil booty The , ,

.

chil dren of L iet h ali th en a r e it seems to m e the , ,

s ame as the children of Lech L lafur and this brings us ,

b ack to the s ame sources O f nomencl ature as M a t a r a t

a nd Ve c t urio n es O n an inscription on the south
.

Roman wall w e h a ve the n a me of the K a r ov eM a v o c

spelt in L atin in the genitive plural C at uvel la n n ,

or um ,
1
the s a me in fa ct as in Ca esar No w in , ,
.
,

Ga elic there is no i) and the n am e w oul d in th at ,

al ph abet a ppe ar a s F e ll a un .

In Ga elic e c clesia stica l story w e h ave a s aint or ,

ra ther though I am of opinion they are the s a me in

origin t w o s a ints of th is n a me spelled Fill an gener, ,

al ly also Ph ill an etc

, , .

1 F ao l an a nlo bh a r of B a t h E rr an in Alba in an d
.
,

of Cill Fh aelain in L a ogh is in Leinster of the ra ce of ,

A engus son of Na d fra e c h k ing of Munster

,
Ba th ,
.

E rann is Dundur n at the e ast end of Loch E arn , ,

Perthshire The Irish site is in the p arish of K il

.

c o m a nb a ne in Queen s County

.
,

2 F ill an son of F e rad a c h by Kentiger ma d aughter

.
, ,

of C e llach C ualan king of Leinster an d he is located , ,

a t G l e n d e o ch
q uy the modern G le nd o ch art Perthshire
, ,
.

These have churches dedicated to them at Loch

Ai sh Renfre w \Vigt o n a nd a c ave at Pitten w eem
, , ,
.

The term a nlob h air applied to the rst h as been

supposed to mean either spe aking w ith d ifficulty , ,

a m la bh a ir or to be a n l o b a r the leper
,
T h e asc rib , .

ing of leprosy t o s a ints re al or ctitious is not to be , ,

w ondered at w hen w e kno w th a t in the tr a ditions of

, ,

the e arly Chur ch our Lord himsel f w as s aid to be so

,

a ffli cted in accordance w ith an expression used in

2
,

the Talmud The speak in g is the s ame idea as
.

1
W arb urt o ns Wa ll ,
p . 91 .

2
F arrar

s L ife of Ch r ist ,
vo l i
. . p . 1 49 .
84 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

the le c h la bh a ir a nd originally sprang from the ,

w ord signifyi n g the result of cult iv ation tilla ge The ,

.

second Fill a n again is s aid to h ave been born w ith

, ,

a sto n e in his mouth a nd to hav e p a ssed the rst ,

yea r of his life in a pool of w ater .

N o w is not the n ame w e h ave seen of Pa r t h o l an us

,

possibly compounded of the w ord dzih h a and b a r 3 B ar

6

,
.

in Gaelic w ould signify the summit and St Fil lan ,

.
,

w ith the stone in his mouth suggests the C o ppe e n ,

C l an or its equi v alent

,
.

In St C l an s churchy ard A gh abull oge C o olineagh

.

, , ,

county Cork (0 rd Sheet is a stone formerly call ed

.
,

St C l an s stone on w hich is an O gh am inscription

.

w hich is not t r a n sl at e ab le It h ad a mov able c ap .

of a semi glob ul ar sh ape know n as the C o ppee n C l an
-
, ,

w hic h w a s supposed to be endo w ed w ith mir a cul ous

po w ers ha ving the gift of locomotion so th a t if re
, ,

moved to a distance it w o ul d nd its w ay b ack again

to its O ld qu arters It w as a specic for head ache .

w hen pl a ced on the he a d an d w as efc a cious in fem a le ,

compl a ints I n the A ntiquari an Museum of Edin

.

burgh is the bell o f St F ill an w hich pl aced on the .

, ,

he ad w as a c ur a ti v e agent for dise a ses of the bra in

, ,

a n d Sh ared a lso w ith the C O

ppe e n the po w er of loco
motion This bell is a ne ca sting of bra ss or bright
.

bronze of a w edge sh ape (cuneiform ) h av ing for its ,

h a ndle a t w o he a ded dolp h in or w h a t is sometimes

-
,

c alled a sea go at on the s ummit of the t w o heads o f

-
,

w hich a r e a s a lread y pointed out by the l ate Bishop

,

of Brechin disti nct ph alli The dr agonesq ue anima l

,
.

r epresenting the fe r ti l ising po w er of w a ter the symbol ,

to the female po w er of reproduction the ph alli pl a inly ,

the ma le po w er of reproduction ; an d it is note w o rthy

t h at the rst Fill a n w as s a id to be a disciple of St .

Ail b e of l m l uc h in Tipper ary an d a il is a stone a

, , ,
 SC O TTI S H M Y T HS .
83

splinter of rock prickle in G aelic ,

gena .

a ili he A ilb is lso the n me of the person w hom

g e . a a

Fionn or F ingal is s aid to h ave m arried w hen D iarma d

eloped w ith his former w ife G r ain n e and in connec ,

tion w ith this it is note w orthy th at Irish doh ne n

a r e c alled by th e people the b eds of Diarmid and
G r ainn e .

No w there is e v idence w hich goes to prove the

conn ection of the ph a llus w ith the n a me F illan if it ,

is as I h ave s t a ted the s ame as V e launus Dion

, ,
.

C as sius mentions a British tribe w hich w as subj ect to

the C a t iv ell aun i in Brita in an d these he c all s B odun i , .

B od in G a elic is a t ail p enis in Welsh it is a verb

, , , ,

t o be t o exist
,
There is a t Ta ra a D all an or p ill ar
.

stone c alled the Bod Fergus the pe ni s Fe rg usi ; and

, ,

Bra sh tells us th a t there is a n unmistakeable ph all us

1

on I n ism urry on the w es t co a st of Irel and a n d th a t

, ,

there a re m any others throughout the country to ,

w hich v ir tues of a pecul i a r n a ture are a scribed by the

pea sa ntry The n ame of the B o d uni then simply
.
, ,

con n ects them w ith a ph allic w orship and is probably ,

but the British expression for V e laun i .

But these sons of L iet h ali a re a lso called in v arious ,

re a dings the children of Beth an or V e t h a n w hich

, , ,

clearly conta ins at its root the w ord Beth or B eat h a , ,

life And is not Bedfordsh ire in the di strict of the

. ,

C a t iv e l auni composed of B e d = B O d an d g w y r plura l

, ,

of g w r a m an 3 ,

C as w a ll a n then Ga s being the root w ord of a nd

, ,

prob a bly the s a me as w h a t in feudal times w a s call ed ,

a v as s a l
seems to denote the ser v a nt or as one might , ,

sa m i nister of the ph all us w h ile the bel l of St Fill a n

y , , .

is either a Christia n rel ic m ade so as to commemora te ,

the O lder fo rm s of w orship if one c an beli eve this

Ogh m I ib d M um t
1 p 95 a nscr e on e n s, . .
80 SC O TTIS H M Y TH S .

lik ely o r a genuine relic O f pre Christian times w hich -

,

the in gen uity of the Chur ch utilised for its o w n pur

poses and to w hich was appended a story coloure d to
,

suit Chr istian beli e fs and yet retaining in it numis

,

ta keable all usions to its true orig in Casw all an h as .

been a ccepted as the father O f Nennius s Mail cun O f

,

w hom beyond Ne nn ius s notice w e have l ittl e info r

, ,

m ation except it be un der the name of M ag loc un us

,

as he appe ars in the p a ges of Gildas w here he r e ,

c e iv e s the title of Dragon of the Isl and .

I give Gil das s acco un t of h im from the tr ansl ation

l

in Boh u s A ntiquar ia n Libra ry

And l ikew ise O thou dra gon of the Island wh o

, ,

has t dep ri ved man y tyra nts as w ell O f the kingdoms

as of their lives an d though the l as t mentioned in
,

my w r iting the r st in mischief exceeding m any in

, ,

po w er and also in malice more l iberal th an others

, ,

in givin g more licentious in si nning strong in arms

, , ,

but stronger in w orkin g th ine o wn soul s destruction ,

M agl oc un e w h y art thou (as if so aked in the w ine of

,

the Sodomitical gra pe) foolishl y roll ing in th a t bl ack ,

pool of thin e Offences 2 Why dost thou w ilful ly hea p '

l ike a mountain upon t h y ki ngl y shou lders such a

, ,

lo a d of s ins W h y dost t hou show thysel f unto the

King of Kin gs w h o h ath made thee as w el l in king
,

dom as in stature of body higher th an al most all the .

other chiefs of B ritain not better l ikew ise in virtues ,

th a n the r est Listen then aw h ile and hear p atiently ,

the follo win g enumeration of thy deeds w herein I will ,

not touch any domestic an d light o ffences (if yet any

of them ar e light ) but o nl y those open ones w hich
, ,

are sprea d far and w ide in the kno w l edge of a ll men .

D idst not thou in the very begin ning of thy youth

terribly oppress w ith s w ord spe ar and re the king , , ,

G il d p 3 18 1 as, . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 87

th ine uncle together with his courag eous ba nds of

,

soldiers w hose co unten ances in b att l e w ere not unlike

,

those of young lions l

B ut w hen the im agin ation of thy violent ru l e

h ad succeeded a ccording to thy w ishes and thou w ast ,

ur ged by a desire to tur n into the rig ht w ay night ,

an d d a
y the consciousness of thy cri m es afi cted thee ,

w h ilst thou didst r um in ate on the Lord s r itu al a nd

the ordinances of the monks ; an d then publis h to

the w orld an d v o w thysel f before God a mo nk w ith
, ,

no in tention to be unfai thful as thou didst say h avin g , ,

b ur st thr ough those toils in w hich such gre a t beas ts

as thyself w ere used to beco me ent angled w hether it ,

w ere love of rule of gold or sil v er or w h a t is stro n ger

, , ,

still the fa ncies of th ine o wn h e art And di dst thou

, .

not as a dove w hich cleaves the yieldin g air with its

,

pinions an d by its ra pid tur ns esca pes the furious

,

h aw k sa fely retur n to the cells w here the s aints

,

repose as a most certa in pl ace of refuge ? O h h ow

,

g re a t a j oy sho uld it h av e been to our mother church

if the enemy O f all man kin d h ad not l ament ably pulled

thee as it w ere out of her bosom ! O h w h at a n
, ,

a bund a nt ame O f hea venly h O e w oul d h a ve been

p
kindl ed in the hearts of desper ate sinn ers h adst thou ,

remain ed in thy blessed esta te ! O h w h a t gre at

re w ards in the kingdom of Chr ist w o uld h ave been
l a id up for thy soul against the day of j udgment if ,

that crafty w olf h ad not caught thee w h o of a w olf ,

w as t n o w become a l a mb (not m uch against thin e o w n

w i ll ) out of the fold O f our Lord a n d m ade thee of a , ,

l amb a w olf l ik e unto himself again
, A n d to be .

short thy conversion to righteousness gave as m uch

,

j oy to heaven an d earth as n o w thy detestable return, ,

l ike a dog t o h is vomit b ree de t h grief a nd l amenta ,

tion ; w hich bein g d o ne the members w hich shoul d ,

83 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

h a ve been busil y employed as the armour of j ustice ,

for the Lord are n o w become the a rmour of iniquity

,

for sin a nd the dev il for n o w thou dost not li sten

to the praises of God sw eetly sounded forth by t h e

ple as a nt voices of God s soldiers nor the instruments ,

of ecclesiastical melody but thy o w n pra ises (w hich ,

)
a r e nothing rung out after the fa shion of the giddy

rout of B acchus by the mouths of thy villa inous fo l

lo w ers a ccomp anied w ith lies and m alice to the utter
,

destruction of thy neighbours ; so that the vessel

prep ared for the service of God is n o w turned to a
vessel of dirt an d w h at w as once reputed w orthy of
,

hea venly honour is no w cas t as it deserves into the

, , ,

bottomless pit of hell .

Ye t neither is thy sensu al m in d (w hich is over
b y the excess of thy follies ) at all checked in
it s course by committing so ma ny sin s but hot an d ,

prone (like a yo ung colt th at co v eteth e v ery pleas a nt

p asture ) runneth he adlong forward w ith irrecovera ble
, ,

fiu y through the intended elds of crime continu ally

, ,

incr ea sing the n um ber O f its tra nsgression s For the .

former m a rri age of thy first w ife (although after thy

v iol ated v o w of religion S h e w as n o t l aw fully thine ,

but o nly by right of the time she w as w ith thee ) w as ,

n o w despised by thee a n d a nother w om an ,

the w ife ,

of a m an t hen liv ing an d he no str anger but thy o w n

, ,

brother s son enj oyed thy affections Upon w hi ch

,
.

occ asion t hat sti ff neck of thine (already l a den w ith

sins ) is n o w burdened w ith t w o monstrous murders ,

the one of thy a fores aid nephe w the other of her w h o , ,

once w a s t h y w edded w ife ; and thou ar t n o w from ,

l o w to lo w er an d from b ad to w orse bo w ed bent and

, , , ,

s un k do w n into the lo w est depth of sa crilege A fter .

w a rds also didst tho u publicly m a rry t h e w ido w by

,

w hose deceit a n d sugges t ion such a he avy weight o f

 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
89

fences w as
Of und ergone and take her l aw fully as the , , ,

attering tongues of thy p arasites w ith false words

pronounced it but as w e say most w icke dl y to be , , ,

t hine o w n in w edl ock But w arnings trul y are not
w a nting thee sin ce tho u h a st h ad for thy instructor
,

the most eloquent master of ah n o st a ll Britain .

His ch a racter is at rst represented as t h a t of a

erce and successful warrior He then devoted h im .

se lf to relig ion but return ing to his origina l cour ses ,

an d the giddy rout O f Ba cchus the vessel r e ,

put e d w o rthy of he a venl y honour is n o w c ast into

the bottoml ess pit of hell w hile w a rni ngs aga inst h is ,

l asciv ious courses w ere not w anting t o h im as he h ad ,

for h is instructor the most eloquent m aster of almost

a l l Brit ai n This instructor is sa id to h a ve been St
. .

I l t ut us the n ame of G ild as s o wn reputed in structor

.
,

His house, Ty I ll t y d is a do l men in Breck nocksh ire , ,

a n d ne ar it is a pi llar stone c alled M ae n I ll t d Ne ar

y .

2
thi s at L lanam ll e c h the m are th at carried hi s provi
, ,

sions by a stag (ca r w) brought forth an a nimal h alf

, , ,

sta g h alf horse of w onderful s wiftness E illt i in

, ,
.
,

G a elic is a dog St I lt ut us w as a disciple of St

,
. . .

G e r m anus .

Wh a t does M a ilc un s n ame im port ?

M a il is a bo w l in Welsh c a n a leader chi ef in , , ,

Celtic gene ra lly sig n ifyin g a ccordin g to Zeuss sum

, , ,
3

m ita s own i n Welsh

,
M ail cun the bo w l of the summ it .
, .

M ag l o c un us seems simply to resolve itself into m a c ,

a so n possibly m a g a ser v a nt a n d c log or c lag

, , , ,

Welsh c loc k a bell Ill a el is a servant in Gaelic

,
.
,

the tonsur ed ser v ant of a rel igious order possibly ,

from m a o l Welsh m oel bal d Gu n is a bo w l in

, ,
.

1
U sh e r s P r inwr d q uo t e d ; r id e St e h e nso n
'
. p '

s G ild as, p . 46 .

2 G ira ld us C a m b re n sis, I t iner a ry , k ii . .

1
G r a m C el t
. 7 . p . .
90 S C O TT I SH M Y T HS .

W e l sh a n d in A re m o ric L e go nid ec gives us M a cl as

, ,

an obso l ete w ord for a so l d ier M ae l g wn t h e sol dier .

z

or servant of the bowl And it is c urious that the.

pr incip al story in the apoc ryph al life of Gil d as is his

, ,

t akin g a w o nderfu l bell whi ch he h ad brought from

I reland t o R ome but which the Holy F a ther made
,

hi m take b a ck to Brit ain whi ch he did the more ,

readily w e m ay beli eve as it w as sp eech less till put

, ,

into the h a nds of the Bishop of Nant c a rv a n the p lace ,

origin al ly gra nted by C aswall an an d M ae lgw n to S t .

K e nt ige r n for his mon aste ry a ccording to Jocel ine ,

.

lVa nt a d ingl e c mfc n a cup bo w l (S purrell )

, , , ,
.

M a lg o whi ch I suppose to be the sa me n ame

, ,

seems subsequently to have become common in W ales ,

b ut in the times of w hich w e speak it occur s in other

p lac es more ne arly in the form in which it occur s in
Ne nnius Ne nnius hi mse l f te ll s us th a t A A) 4 4 7
. .
,

a hundr ed ye a rs before M ail c un in these d ays S t , .

P a trick w as a ca ptive a mo n g the Scots an d his ,

master s n am e w as M il ch o t o whom he w as a s w ine

,
1
herd seve n ye ars M ail c o n s ays Skene is the geni
.
, ,

tive form of M ailc u an d is t h e s a me n ame as Mil c h u

, .

Mi ol c u I rish M ilg i is a gr eyhound a n d such is I

, , , ,

be l ieve the accepted meaning of the n a me

,
.

W hen Co lumb a w ent to Scotl a nd in the ye ar ,

5 6 5 about the time as cribed t o the reign of M a e lg w n

, ,

Bede te ll s us it w as in the ni nth ye a r of B ridius who ,

w as the son of M ail oc h o n a n d t h e po w e r ful ki ng of

,

t h e Pict ish n a tion U l ster w as the district in w hich
.

the S co t tish King lived who w as P a trick s m as ter and

I think there c an be l ittl e doubt a s to all the be arers

of the n ame M ae lg wn M e il o c h o n M io lc h u ha ving been
, ,

prob ably of Pictish origin .

T he signicance of the up rig ht stones fo und so

Ne nn ius pa r a 50
, . .
 S CO T T I S H M YTH S .
91

p l entifull y in this and othe r cou ntries h as b een a sub

j c e t o f much di scuss ion and it is evident that they ,

h ave been e rected for very various pu rpo ses There .

can ho w eve r b e no doubt th at a cone h as l ong been a

p riapic sym bol in fact from the e arl iest tim es of

, ,

w hich w e h ave any record in the mos t an cient civilis a ,

tions Ta citus tells us of the Paphian V enus tha t

.
I

the statue be ars no re semblance to the hum an form

it is r oun d thr oughout bro ad at one end and grad u , ,

all y ta perin
g to a n arro w sp an at t h e other l ike a ,

go al . I t w as a sto ne p inn a cl e Like thi s a c onical .
,

stone r epr esente d Artemis D iana and oth ers ; an d , ,

2

the cone of Astar te the Phoeni cian V e nus w as r epre , ,

3
sented as cr own ed The cone in the systems of V enus
.

an d Mith ra w as the emble m of the a ctive p rincip l e of

genera tion t hat of V enus Myl itta being sprink l ed w ith

,

sta rs G rego ry of T ou rs w riting in the end of the ,

six th century testies to there be in g w or shippers of

,

V enus in G aul at that tim e an d most prob ably al so in ,

,

B r itain .

T here is un doubted evidence of t h e w o rsh ip of

Mithra in B ritain as in most of the other pl a ces to ,

whi ch the R omans ca rried their arms T o h im de .

,

scribed as deus est petra n atus w ere dedica ted ,

ca ves grottoes and spri ngs the grotto be ing the
, , ,

im age of the w orl d as created by h im being thus

lik e the R o u nd T ab l e w hich w as m ade by Merl in in ,

5
token of the r oundness of the w orl d The m ysteries .

of h is w orship w er e to be ta ught by the e ar alone ,

a n d w as h ings b aptism sa cri ces and communion

, , ,

fo rmed a great p art of the w orship T he initiated .

vota ry w as call ed a soldi er of Mithra an d it is a ,

1 H istor y B ii ,
. . c. 3 .
2 L a ard s
j

Venue, p.48 .
3 1 b id 64. p . .

L aj a r d s Ven us, 69 p . .
5 L a ar s M
j d it h ra , pp .98, 50 7 .

5
Co x a nd J o ne s

P op ula r R o ma nc es, p . 77 .
93
'

S CO T TI SH M Y TH S .

r emark a b l e coincidence th at in the earl iest Christian

Brito Ce l tic stories notably A dam nan s S t Columba
-
, .
,

t h e fa vou rite titl e of the S cotic priest w as Chr isti

"
m il es a so l dier of Ch rist
,
.

I n m any of the Mi thra ic scul ptures a patera or ,

w a ter vesse l s a uce r represents a sp ring or the hum id

, , ,

principl e the p as sive po wer of generation placed in

, ,

the grotto the symbol of the cre ated w orl d O f these

,
.

rottoes there w as one in the C a pitol at R om e one

g , ,

h as been found a t Ho use st ead s on the south w all ,

t h ere see m s to have been one at Leicester s aid to ,

ha ve been call ed a fte r Le ar w h o h as a son of note in ,

W elsh Irish and S c ottish traditio n c all ed Man ana n

, , ,

o r M a n a w dd a n
y .

The d a te of the introduction of this cu ltus into the

R o man E mpir e w as at the time of Pompey s expedi

tion again st the C icilian pira tes about 7 0 years B C , . .

,

s h o rtly before the b attl e of Ph arsal i a Ho w ever much .

or l ittl e c ause there m ay h ave been for the accusation

of obscene pra ctices in this cu ltus there c an be no ,

doubt as to the p r in cipl es it originall y incul cated being

of a moral a nd el eva ting cha ra cte r speciall y tea ching ,

the observance of a strict chastity Mithra in the .

,

R o m an cul tus w as call ed Deus inv ict us sol is
, Mile .

sius w hich I h ave al re a dy mentioned as a derivative

,

of the L atin m ile s a so l dier appe ars al so as G o llamh

, ,

the m h h as some wh at the sound of a n as al u ; and

,

w h il e the one n a me reminds us of the titl e of so ldie r

,

used to denote wh a t Freema sons cal l a degr ee in the

Mi th rai c scal e Go ul ou ol der G o ul ao u signifying lig ht
, , ,

in the Are m oric seems to suggest a meaning for the

,

other nam e of the I rish inv a der connect ed w ith the ,

unconq uered sun -go d The L ugaid and Lug of which .

,

w e h ave al re ady seen inst ances connected w ith the

Mil esians and speciall y with the Tuat h a de D anaa ns
, ,
 S COTTI SH M Y T HS .
93

if we go to the Greek m ay be connected with bright

,

l ight as h v my ev n
, s l ight producin g 0 1 Sim ply W ith
,
-

the L atin Zux l ight ; w hile it signi es s wift in Ga e l ic

, ,

m yth dr a in W e l sh signifying al so sw ift n ess l T h ere

'
,

is another curious fact w hich one m ay be all o w ed to

believe sho w s a connection bet ween th in gs so remote
from one another as the possibl e bel iefs of our fore
fathers and the P arsee sun w or ship These distin -
.

guish bet ween several hea vens in which soul s are put
a ccor di ng to the re l ative merit of their conduct during

l ife. Tha t of the sun c all ed K orschi d pae is the

highest I n W e lsh a supreme se at a thr one a court
.
, , ,

of j ustice is call ed Gorsedd an d M ith ra w as the po w er ,

which j udged the actions of soul s an d re warded them ,

accor di ng to their m erits ; a n d aga in afr in w hi ch is , , ,

I understand the P a rsee w ord for a n a c t of w orship

, ,

cl osely resembl es the G ael ic w ord a fr zn n signi fying the

Mass I must l eave it to schol ars to settl e whether or
.

not these are mere coincidences ; as to the fa ct of a

Mi thra ic w orshi p h avin g been common to both peop l e
there c an be no doubt .

No w it is quite certain th a t though S imon Bre a c , ,

the Ne m ide an gets the credit of h aving c aught the

,

ce l ebrated L ia F ail on the uke of his a nchor a nd the ,

a nchor is the symbo l of li fe it w as the T uat h a de ,

D anaa n s who took it w ith them to I rel and and th a t ,

must ha ve been from M an an d as al re a dy stated T he , .

most detail ed notice of the L ia Fa il occurs in the B ail e

an S c ail and is quoted a t l en gt h in O C urry s M a t c

1
r a ls
i .

S ho rtly it is this Conn

,
Irish king is wal k ing~

, an ,

w ith his Drui ds an d poets when he puts his foot on a

stone w hich sounded screamed under h is foot , , .

Conn asks of h is Druids the name of the stone w ha t ,

P 6 17
. .
94 S C O TT I SH M Y T HS .

its sc re aming meant where it came from Aft er

, an d .

ft y t h re e d ays t h e D r uids tel l him tha t F a l is the

~

na me of the stone that it ca me from the is land of

,

Fo al that it w as in Te m a ir
'

, Ta ra) of the I s l and of

F a l it w as set up a nd tha t in the l and of T ail t in it
,

shall abide for ever a nd a mong other things th a t the , ,

number of screams w as the number of kings of Conn s
ra ce tha t shoul d succeed him As they w ere there .

a fter this they saw a gre a t mist a ll round so th at they ,

kn e w not w here they went from the greatness of the ,

d arkness which h ad come an d they heard the noise of ,

a horsema n a pproa ch in g them I t w ou ld be a gre at .

grief to us s aid Conn if we shoul d be car ried into
, ,

a n unkno w n count ry After this the horsema n le t
.
,

y three thro w s (of a spe a r) at them and the l ast ,

t hro w ca me w ith grea ter ve l ocity th an the rst thro w .

I t is the w ounding of a king indeed s aid the Druid , ,

w ho ever shoots a t Conn in Te ma ir The horseman .

then desisted from the thro wing an d came to them , ,

an d b a de w e l come t o Conn an d he took them w ith ,

h im to his house They w ent for ward then til l they

.

entered a be autiful p la in And they saw a kingly .

rath and a go lden tree at its door ; and they saw a

,

sp l endid house in it under a roof tree of F in d ruine ;

,
-

t hirty feet w as its l eng th They t hen went into the .

house a nd they saw a young w oma n in the house with

,

a go l den di a dem upon her he a d ; a s il ver kieve w ith

hoops of gol d by her and it fu ll of red al e a gol den

, ,

c an on its edge a gol den cup at its mouth

, T hey saw .

the Seal (poet)hi mse lf in the house before the m in his

king s sea t There w as never found in T e m a ir a m an
.

of his gre at siz e nor of hi s comelin ess for the be auty

, ,

of his form the w onderfuln ess of h is face He spoke

, .

to them an d s aid t o them I am not a S cal indeed

, , ,

and I reve al t o thee p art of my mystery and my

 S C O TT I S H M YT HS . 95

reno wn I t is after de ath I have come and I am of

.
,

the rac e of Adam Lug son of Edlenn son of Tigh e rn

.
, ,

m as is my
, T hey then proceed to to ast h is
successors the r st of w hom w as Ai t
, a m an of thr ee ,

shouts .

Conn is I conside r simp ly the g u m of the W e l sh

, , ,

a n d it seems to appe a r in the I rish w ord 6 8 0 0 72 a ,

water bucket g iven in O R e il ly a s the equival ent of

,

the w ord esc ra the Gae lic of wha t is trans l ated c a n

, ,

the gol den c an of the a bove l egend .

Conn then sto od on a stone and soun d s w ere ,

emitted prophesying as to the k ings w h o shoul d co m e

a fter him in I re l a nd .

I n W el sh c lo ck is a bell represented by c log in I rish

, , .

I n We l sh c log is a stone represented by c lock in

, ,

I rish .

I n the Breton k loc h seem s a lm ost a s if it r e ,

p resented an intermedi a te sound T he confo unding .

of the different w ords most l ikely assisted in formin g

the bel ief th a t a stone m ade sounds I n W el sh as .
,

in Ar e m o ric m ae n is the usu al word for a stone app a r

, ,

entl y the on ly one in the l atter dial ect a n d it m ay ,

be th at the misconception h as arisen in introduc ing

the w ord signifying a be ll w hich I wou l d fancy is a ,

Germ an w ord into the Ga e l ic T his ho wever is

,
.
, ,

mere ly a guess Beyond this point w e h ave no furthe r

.

a ccount of a sto ne in t h e story u n l ess indirectly in ,

the all usions to the sea t of the S ca l tha t is of the , ,

bard who w a s not a bar d as he sta tes h imsel f or to , ,

the gol den cro wn ed youn g w om an w ho m ay ha ve been

-
,

a P a phi a n V enus .

I t is I th ink p rob a b l e th at the I sla nd of Fo al is

, ,

the I s la nd of M an some of the re asons for w hich I give

,

subseq uently (p

O C urry tell s us t h a t F al g a
.
1

M at e r ia ls ,
p . 5 88 .
96 S C O TT I SH M Y T HS .

w as, he bel ieves an o l d name for the I s l e of M an and

, ,

its siege of which there is an ancient a ccount exta nt

, ,

w as by the men of U lster w ith Cuchu la in as their

l e ader
I f w e might a ccept the w ord foa l as M a nx it w oul d ,

transl ate l iterally a t this day the I s l and of the ,

wa ll I unys vo a l W e nd a n is land w ith a wa ll of
, .

re in Highl and story connected w ith a Kn ig ht of 1

t h e S w ord an d a
, Knight of the C airn a ssisted ,

by a S on of S pring w hose father is a porter w h o ,

c arries h is son over a river a n d sets him do w n in the

ch a ir that w as at the king s sho ul der

T he ring of re is w ell kno wn in M anx t ra
dition a nd w e even nd some e x isting e v idence of
,

w h a t m ay h a ve ca used it to be s a id th a t th e I s l e of
M an w as so defended if w e m ay a ccept the st atement
,

th at there are fo r t l ets or bea con stations simil ar to the 2

strengths of the rst peopl es in S cotl and a n d I re land so ,

situ ate d as to com p l ete a ch ain from nort h to south .

We kno w tha t w ater w as one of the symbol s of

generation a nd w as so emp l oy ed bo t h in Ph all ic an d in
,

Mithraic w orship The Ph all us is often surrounded

.

by a ho ll o w contain ing water or a ring r e prese nting

the fem a le organ of ge n era t ion ; thus the expression
I s land of Fa 1 m ight repres e nt a Phall ic emb l em so
situ ated W e are al so told th at bathi ng in Mithra ic
.
,

a s w e ll a s some obscene forms of w orship w a s a p a rt of ,

.

the ceremonial an d thus pouring wa ter over the Lin

,

gum h as been an d is a symbo lic ac t of w orship T he

, , .

w ord for b athing in G ae l ic fa l c a dh curious ly enough ,

seems to h a ve a reference to this and it is a p art of the ,

tra dition of S t Fill an th at he spent the rst ye ar of

.

his l ife in a pool of w ater Fonts an d holl o w b asins .

C a e e H
m pb ll , T a l s, v o l ii p 4 - . . . .

2 T r a in, I sl e
of M a n, v o l i p 2 7 4 . . . .
 S CO TTI SH M Y T HS . 97

o f a l a rge r
s iz e than those to wh ich the name font .

is usu all y app lied are common especially in I re , ,

l and ; w e nd the m cut in stone on I nn ism ur ry

1
o ff the co a st of S l igo a n d al so in Se nac h s I s l a nd

, ,

the l atter is a ccomp anied by a sma ll incised cross ;

these m ay h ave been Christian b ut there are others ,

of a siz e more adapted for b athing to be found

in l ocalities certa inly not Christian I n e a ch of the .

th ree ch am bers in the interior of the moun d a t Ne w

Grange in I reland Fergusson te ll s us stands a sh all o w
, ,
2
,

stone b a sin of oval form three feet three by three ,

feet six or seven inches a cross a nd six to n in e inches ,

deep I n the g rea t tumul us on the Boyne is a b a sin

.

much larger be ing ve feet by three ; a nd in the C a rn

,

he c al l s Cair n L at Lough Cre w is a l so one of ,

which he gives a d ra wing T hese monuments a re .

a scribed to the T uat h a de D a n aa n s The common .

n a me for the old fonts is b a lla n a nd w e nd in S cot ,

l and an instance of a connection betw een an a ncient

bell a n d such a ballan I n the church at I nch Kin .
,

gussie I nvern ess shire is a n o ld be ll a scribed to S t

,
-
, , .

A d am n a n an d of the s a me m a ke as S t F ill an s a n d

.
, ,

in the win do w sill on w hich the bel l stands is cut a

3
ba lla n I n G a e l ic the be ll of t h e tub might be
.

written c log b/m lla in T he b h is equival ent in sound .

to the l etter 12 an d this w ou l d m a ke it T a lla zn c log

'

, ,

c a lla in phonetic all y T here is no 1) in G a el ic f taki ng .

,

its p l a ce ; the n a me then w ou l d t hus become c log

alla in B a l signi es in A r e m o r ic a bucket a n d is
f .
, , ,

e v identl y connected w ith b o l in W e lsh signifying al so ,

a p aunch but givi ng us in composition s uch w ords as

,

r envo l thec a ligne a s a ys Z euss ; pr e nfo l a w ooden

p , , ,

box s ays S purrell

,
.

1
L o d D ve
r l i pp 3 9 4 7
un ra n, v o . . .
, .

2
R ud Sto e M o e m e t pp 2 0 1 2 0 8 2 1 6
n . nu n s, .
-
, ,
.

3
P r oc eed ing so f Soc iet y Q
f A nl iq ua r ies o f Sc ot la nd , 1 8 7 9 -8 0 , p . 1 08 .

G
98 S C O TT I SH M Y T HS .

I f one cou l d a pp ly the term b all an to such a
t hi ng as the bell of S t F il la n it is note w orthy that .
,

in the Art huria n R om ance the Knight B al in who h a s , ,

a brother B al a n w ho dies on the s ame d ay as h imse l f

, ,

is call ed the K ni ght of the T w o S w ords I f the .
1

s w ord of the S cythian s w ord w orship of Herodotus

w as only one of the forms of w orship a ssumed by the
Hi nd u L inga so here the s words m ay be identic al
,
2

w ith the serpents of the h andl e of t h e s w ord of

Arthur .

B a l in W e l sh is a pe ak or prominence E ir y y .

f dl t h e sno w of the pea k

z .

No w w e saw th a t Lug w as the n ame of the Knight

of the L ia Fa il L oub er is o ld W el sh for lleuf er
. ,

sp l endour from l o u l ight which is lii col our sp len

, , , ,

d o r in the \Vii rz b urg Codex L iz:y fdl then might 3

.
, ,

sign ify the sp le n dour (f t h e pinna c le Theodore .

,

Bishop of M o psue st ia a Greek wr iter of the l atter p art ,

of the fou rth century a pp l ies t h e term A y y spl en

v z
,

dour to t h e supreme god of the Persians i e lVIit h ra

, ,
. .
,
4

a nd therefore I conc l ude th a t the ide a of s w iftness

which a ppe a rs a s imp lied in t h e n ame Lug is a mean

ing second a ry in t hi s ca se to brightness .

5
L ln a g lzt is used for a c ave in the M a nx Bibl e
'

w hi l e ll zac l; is their form of l ld a l arge stone

'

also

c , ,

signifyi ng a ma ss of metal .

F a il is al so tra ns l ated a wr e ath in I rish for which ,

the M an x use the t e rm b a lla n an d the connection of ,

these t erms wit h a pria pic wo rship is mad e cl e a r by

wha t S t Augustine te ll s us wh il e declaim ing against
.
,

the open O bscenities of the R oman festival of the Liber

a h a at w hich a n enor m ous ph a ll us w as ca rried on a
,

1 P op l R om
ua r e f t h lil i l l l Age p 9
a nc s o e t z e s, . .

2
A m r M y t h o l og
i n l i p 3 11y ,
vo . 1 . . .

Ve p 94
3 L j d
C l i p r l c a, . a ar s nus, . .

5
Ge i 9
ne s s x x v . . F v u K ig h t 129
3
a s n , .
 sco r r rsn M
' '
Y THS .
99

magnice nt cha riot into t h e m idd le of the pub lic p lace

of the to wn where the most respectable matron ad
,

v an c e d and hung a wr ea th of o w ers on the obscene

gure .

W e h ave seen tha t it w as in T ema r (Tara) this

w onde rf ul stone w as set up an d the p l a ce call ed ,

I sland of F ail is identied w ith I reland the land ,

of Tail t in bein g the l ocality of those festi v ities
instituted by the l e ad er of the T uat h a de D an aa ns ,

call ed L ugh aid in hono ur of the queen of the last of

,

the Fir bolg the L ugh n asa or L amma s festival s

,
.

But to retur n to Conn and the Knight of the L ia

,

F a il who m w e saw surrounded by mist W e ha ve

, .

seen that the Mithr aic grotto represented the w orl d

m ade by Mithra I n Ga el ic c c is the w orl d ceid e a.

h i ll ock ca l a house cae an encl osure ka y in Manx is

, ,

mist c eo in Ga el ic
, .

I n the math s or encl os ed cir cul ar fo rts as they ar e

, ,

believed to h a ve b e en as w ell as in the raised tumuli , ,

w e generall y nd underground chambers a frequent

l ocal ity for O gb um inscrip t ions h aving a gre at iden ,

tity w ith the E truscan souterra ins ac cording to Brash ,

.

These crypts are exca va ted wit hin the area encl osed
by the interior ram par t a n d consist of one or more ,

chambers sometimes circu lar or oval in p lan some

, ,

times squ are o r recta ng ul ar connected together by ,

1
l o w g all eries The I rish pe asantry refer these to
.

p agan times a n d be lieve them to be the residences of

,

fair ies sidh ecm

, .

The darkness in which the Druids and Conn found

the msel ves w as one of those mist e rio us chambers .

They he ar a h orseman approa ch ing I f it be a fa tal .

obj ection to my theories it is neverthel ess true tha t ,

t hose ch am b ers are not c ap a b l e of contain in g a horse

1
B rash
'
s Og h a m l lI . o n ume nts, p . 1 03 .
I OU S C O TT I SH M Y T HS .

m an ru le but the symbol ic charac ter of this p ar t

as a

of the l egend th at a lludes to a horseman will be sub

sequently considered No w the remark which Conn .
,

m akes is some what strange He does not say that he .

w a s in fe ar of his l ife but th a t he shou l d be c arried ,

a w ay to a str ange l a nd by a sin gl e horseman an d ,

several Druids a nd poets w ith him : W e w ill see a fter

w ards th a t he w as supposed to ha ve l e d ra ther a rest

l ess l ife as his n a me ,
Conn of a hundred ghts , ,

w ould indic ate though w ith so much m il ita ry e xperi

, ,

ence he mig ht h ave been more sceptic al of the po wers

,

of one m an The horseman m akes thr ee thr o w s at

.

hi m a nd O C ur ry to expl ain this in terpol ates of a

, , ,

spe ar The w ord ur elza ir signies a thro w a ing
.
, ,

a c a st it mi ht be of a spe a r an a rro w a stone ; b ut

g, , ,

in con n e ction W ith the number three we ar e told sub ,

sequent ly th at Art th a t is the sa me n ame as Ar thur , ,

t h e rst kin g of Conn s l ine w as a m an of three

shouts The horsema n thre w his tongue a n d is
.
,

t hus supposed to h a ve s al uted Conn T hey no w ente r .

t h e r a th it s ays at the door of which w as a go l den

, ,

t re e . I s this wha t L aj ard describes as on a n Asia tic

c v lin de r a bush of a convention al form a nd of nine
, ,

branches call ed the h em qu al ied as the tree of Life

, ,

1
in the Z end Avest a a nd w hich h as bee n mi sta ken ,

for ro ws of phalli a nd the ill ustra tion cert a in l y

gives amp l e ground for the su pposition I n the .

O ssianic S ociety s Pub li ca tions v o l

p 2 1 3 we h ave , . .
,

a ta l e ho w Corm a c the son of Art got a g l ittering , ,

fair y b ra nch w ith nine app l es of red gold o n it in ,

exchange for his wife his son a nd his da ughter from , , ,

Man anan ; and a pp l es and the tree of Life have a

co nnection otherw ise which needs no recalli ng by
quotation .

1
L j
a ar d

s Al lt /( f a , p . 26 2 .
2
L aj ar d

s V e nus, p . 67 .
 SC OTTI SH M YTH S . l01

I n this e ncl osu re th ey nd a h ouse with a roof

tree (cmfa n a ridge beam ; ca ofen a bo wl W e l sh
, , , ,

vide c a r m infra) of bright m eta l nclr uine ( n
, , ,

brig ht d o r innead h made

, an d he re w ere the ,

bo wl s and al e for a b anquet ; cae a fe as t an d the , ,

g o l den cro wn ed w oman and the S cal w ho reveal ed

-
,

p ar t of his myste ry No w the Sc al s name w as .

L ug l ugh s w ift ; mythd r a (W el sh ) s wiftness ; the

z
, ,

son of E dl e nd ca d kn o wl edge (O R eill y ) la n fu ll ;

,

in composition pe rfection T he name Ed le nd is often

, .

written C e it h l e nn (kle n in struction Arem oric ) son of , ,

Tigh e rm as the beaut iful Lord

,
.

Lug s ays he is of the rac e of Adam Among .

ancient sects the A d am iani or Ad am i tes proscribed

m arriage and hel d th a t the most pe rfect innocence w as

,

consistent only w ith the comm u ni ty of w omen Th ey .

as sembl ed n a ked in c a verns for the ir conventicl es

1
.

The sto ry cl oses by info rmin g us th at the drinkin g

vessel s remain ed with Conn Cl e arl y so as he w as .
,

the vessel him sel f T o the best of my bel ief this is

.
,

s im pl y a vague a ccount of the initiation into mysteries

either pu re ly Mith r aic or par taking of a mixture of ,

the B acchic .

O R eilly gives as one of the n ames of Te am h ar

, ,

C o nnail t = Conn s house

O n the sc ul ptured stones of .

Scotland a favour ite subj ect is a st ag h imt The w or .

shippers o f Mithra on w hom ch as t it v a nd continence

,

w ere incu l ca ted as vi r t ues seem to h a ve a ll egorised a ll ,

their tenets and so the stag w as s aid to be a n ani ma l

,

t o be hu nte d do wn as it w a s of a s alac ious na ture

, ,

w hil e the lion as h aving but one m ate w as an ex a mp l e

, ,

of contin ence T hus on M ithraic scul ptur es a sta g is

c a r w a stag in
.

represented as bein g torn by a l ion ,

W el sh ca me to l ove ca m a ma re libid inose am a re

, , .

1
Payn e K nigh t , p . 1 72 .
10 3 S C O TT I SH M Y T HS .

the Ma b lnog io n in the t a l e of the Lady o f

In ,

the Fo untain Kyn o n describes h aving met a b la ck ,

m a n w ho w ith an iron c l ub st ruck a sta g a gre at

, , ,

blo w so tha t it brayed vehement ly a nd divers so rts

, ,

of a nimals in great mul titudes incl udi ng se rpents , ,

dragons a nd others c ame a n d bo wed their he ads to

, ,

h im a n d did obe is a nce to h im a s v a ss al s to their l ord

, ,
.

T he bla ck striker w as I su ppose a Maurus not , , ,

fal se ly c a ll ed a Pict a nd the st ag w a s the equival ent ,

of a L ia F a il T he W e lsh w ord for b r a y is d yr na wt

.
,

a n d this is the s ame n a me (D iwr nac h ) as is app l ied in

a nother M a b in o g i to the keeper of the cal dron and ,

ste wa rd m a o r of O dg ar son of A e d king of I re land

, , , ,
.

I t is also in a ll prob a bil ity the s a me as Diarmid w h o

, , ,

ra n a w ay w ith G ra in n e (g r a in l o a t hing repro a ch ) the , , ,

wife of Finn m a c Cuil (b right son of the priva te

p lace ; c a ll a closet a priv at e p la ce ) The c l ose
, ,
.

resemb la nce of the F ingal ia n Dia rmid to the bell of

S t Fill a n is very cl e ar from the fo ll o wing
.

T here w a s a th in g tha t t hey used to c all sug lr

se ir c in t h e fa ce of the m a n a n d there w a s a he l met
, ,

w hich he must not l ift be ca use there w a s no w om a n ,

tha t sa w the sugh seem tha t w ou l d not fall in l o v e

w ith him a nd Dia rmid kne w th at he h ad these po w ers
, .

O ne day h e w a s staying a t home expecting th at no ,

one w o uld see him he g a ve a lift to h is he lmet and ,

,

G raid ne the d a ughter of the king of the provin ce of

,

U l ster saw D ia rmid , S he coul d not h a ve the w a rm .

sou l in her but she w oul d go wi th Dia rmid This , .

m ark here cal led sugh w ir e is ca ll ed commonly ba l l

, ,

Sa y/ la me ans j uice it is a lso a pp lied to j uicy

3
sc ire . ,

fruit bra mb les ; b a l l is a spot or m a rk a l imb the mem

, ,

br um vir i le se ir c is of l ove th a t is l ascivious l ove , , .

1 Vol . i
. p . 47 .
3 C e
b ll s H ig h la nd Ta l
am p

e
s, v o l . iii . p . 78 .

3
I b id v o l iii 3 9
. . . p .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . l 03

G ra inne w as d aughter of Cormac son of Ar t son , ,

of Conn of the hundred ghts .

In this c ase w e see the ph allic he a d w as kept

,

covered In C y mric tr a dition the instructor of

.
,

A rthur is c alled U t h yr Pendragon He appears in .

the F o ur Anc ient B o oks of Wa les

Ma daw q son of .

U t h yr the j oy of the
,
connects hi m w ith the
w all in a m a rked m a nner In his de a th
so ng in w hich.
,

he is styled U t h yr Pen a poem w hich Skene believes ,

to be only a n imita tion of T al iessin he is cal led ,

Go r lassa r tra ns l a ted excessively azure
,
D avies h as .

given us a tra nsl ation of this in hi s Ce lt ic Resea r ch ,

an d I h a ve t a ken h is tra nsl a tion in preference to

Skene s in the F o ur A n c ie nt B ooks of Wa l es beca use

it seems to me gener a lly more intelligible and more ,

in a ccord ance w ith the deductio n s I h ad drawn from

2
other Celtic tra ditions The text given in both cases
.

does not as far as I can see di ffer essentiall y The

, , .

poem s ays of U t h yr

A m not I a protecting prince in d a rkness to

,

h im w h o presents my form a t both ends of the b a sket 7
After recounting the insta nces of his w arlike pro w ess ,

it s ays : Did not I give to Henpen (t h e a nc ien t ch ief)

the tremendous s w ord of the encha nter ? Did I not

perform the ri t es of purica tion w hen Hearn do r (iron

door )moved w ith toil to the top of the hill ? T h e w o rl d

h a d no existence w ere it n o t for m y progeny MV .

voice h as recited the dea th song w here the moun d ,

representing the w orld is constructed of stone w ork .

Ut e r in L a t in signies a bl adder a bottle or b ag ,

of lea ther ut er us the w omb B olg m er ga ch in the

, .
-
,

W urz burg C o d e x = uter T i l ga tus a wr ink l ed leath ern ,

bottle .

1 Fuo r A ncient B o o k s of Wa les ,

vo l i
. . p
2
C el t ic R es ea rch , v o l ii
. . p 55 9 F o ur A nc ient B ooks f Wa les
o ,
v01 . i
. p . 29 7 .
1 04 SC O TTI SH M Y T HS .

Greek a tea t bre ast fertility

in , ,
.

L aj ard quoting Pa us a ni as tells us th at the you n g

, ,

p riestess of the rites of A phrodite w h o served for one ,

yea r w as called l o ut ro ph o r e a fter the cup given by
, ,

tha t goddess to Dionysos so impor t a nt w as the p a r t ,

it played in the secret w orship of V enus at Sicyo ne ,

in the Peloponnesus .

ashin e er b a th ; M po ll ution

o ny
p w g ,
w pov -
; , ,

A v m I w ash the w hole body

o

,
The priests of C o cyt t o .

w ere c alled B apt ae bec ause they considered w ashin g ,

as a comp l ete puri cation a fter al l their l a scivious

rites F a lcadh b athing
.
,
.

B a l is a bucket in A r e m o r ic b a l a pe ak in W elsh , , ,

b a lo k a bucket in A r e m o r ic ; b a log a protection

, ,

pinn a cle in \Velsh ,

The w ord D avies transl ates.

protecting prince is more co rr e ctly le ader guide , , ,

Ty w y sog ; t y zi g/ g is a procession and though a t
'
s
,

best the meaning is very obsc ure the thin g th a t ,

presents his form at both ends th at is someth ing ,

representing fert ility a ll udes to w h at is cl early of the ,

sa me a ppearance as Fil l a n s Bell The w ord Ica i rell

.
,

tra nsl ated b asket is I believe a fal se reading and , ,

represents possin a w ord obsolete no w from cafa e l to ,

gra sp to hold I f this is so I th ink U t li yr s identity

,
.
,

is ne arly certain ly esta blished The Greek w ord .

xev a b asket s aid by gr a mm ari ans to h ave bee n

a, ,

w ritten w i t h a diga mm a t h e L at in F is Fa e a closely ,

/ ,

resembling t h e S c o t tish St F ill a n s n ame W h o c an .

.

sa
y th a t it is or is not from some Greek or Greek
, ,

tinctured source the m yth w e are considering came ?

,

These b askets w ere used to ca rry the sac red uten sil s
a t the fe a st of t h e B ra uroni a n A rte m is w orshipped

w ith hum a n sac ri c e s a n d a ph alli c goddess from

her n a me O rthi a .

By E X ny (Hel en ) Pa ris is s aid to h ave h ad a son

 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

B unic us or B un o c h us a n ame like the w ord bun ,

b unno c k before mentioned Follo wing the extra cts .

fro m D avies Henpen is I suppose Arthur w h o suc

, , ,

c e e d e d to the kingdom Geo ffrey of Monmouth tel ls ,

us by right of dr aw ing a s w ord from a sto ne ; I a n a

, ,

vessel cup also a s w ord bl ade Hea r n dor is here the

,
-
.

sun Hi t a n Ha ul is the sun in Welsh w h ile the

.
, , ,

introducer of agric ul ture an d their rst p atriarch , ,

a ccor ding to the Tri a ds is Hu the Hu m o r I have , ,

no doubt of the F ir b olg ,

In the w orship of .

Mylitt a an d Mithr a the t w o doors for the a scent ,

a nd descent of so ul s w ere the sun an d moon Heulog .

in Welsh is sunny ; I f e ulo r h a lf a door ; Heulor saf , ,

the solstice Sid us is a sta r in L a tin plur al sider a

.
, .

Z ion/ ms is iron in Greek ; an d I t ake it there is some

confusion betw een the iron door an d the door of the ,

stars It is certain th a t Iron door climbin g to the

.
-

top of the hill a lludes to the summer solstice Mid ,

summer s d ay the fea st of St John I an John

.
,
.

The a llusion to progeny I take to be phall ic ;
but th at allusion to his v oice reciting the death song -

in t h e stone co n structed mound representing the

-

w orld is purely Mithra ic and seems a very likely ,

a llusio n to a vessel c ap able of producing sound .

So much for his appeara nce in poetry and w e w ill ,

n d th at Geoffrey of Monmouth s prose rom ance to a

considerable extent supports the propositions a bove

a dv anced .

Here U t h yr is call ed Pendragon the dr agon

he aded He is brother to the King an d his rst
.
,

underta king is to bring over from Irel and the stones

of Stonehe nge possessed of magic v irtues avail able to
, ,

those w h o w as hing these stones w ith w ate r w as hed

, ,

themselves in the w ater so used These w ere defended .

by G illo m anius (g il le a serv a nt lad m a en a stone ) , , .

l 06 S CO TTI SH M Y TH S .

Him U t h yr defe ats an d w ith the assistance of Merli n

, ,

the bard and ench a nter removes his priz e to Engl and ,
.

He after w ards becomes King an d s ails ro und the ,

Scots w hich in Geo ffrey s day mea nt Alban an d h e

, ,

, ,

dies from drinkin g the w a ter of a fa vourite spring ,

w hi ch to give prob abil ity to the story G eo ffrey s ays

, ,

w as poisoned by the S a xons We h ave seen tha t if .

U t h yr w a s Conn before he w as U t h yr he h ad bee n ,

accustomed to stronger pot ations th an spring w ater -

.

It w as on U t h yr s de ath th at A rthur dre w the sw ord

from the stone In this a cco unt w e see h o w tradi tion

.

retained in memory the b athin g of t h e stones in w ater ,

a n d in the poet r
y w e w ere told th a t these lustrations
U t h yr him sel f performed .

Di a ig O w en s ays is a generative prin ciple or pro

, ,

1
creation a ery serpent It is w ithout doubt tha t .

serpent s an d water anim als an d the fab ul ous grif n

, , ,

h ave represented for unkno wn ag es the active principle

of generation P ayne Knight gives a n i llustration
.

from a sculptured m onument found at Nimes of a ,

gri fn w inged an d footed of w hich the body is a l arge ,

ph allus w hile round the neck of this grii n are sus

,

pended t w o bells This is n o t by a ny m eans the only

.

phallus w hich t ak es this form as it is exceedi ngly ,

common but it is the most striking evidence of w h at

,

w a s the signic ance of this fabulous a nim al an d there

c a n be little doubt th a t the expression used rega rdi ng

the Mithra ic ceremony at w hich ost e nde runt g ryph o s ,

a nd w hich took pl a ce in April a month dedicated to ,

V en us an d Mithr a and duri ng w hich initi ation into

,

2
the mysteries w as most common m eant the exhibition ,

of those extraordin ary symbols Hence I believe t h e .

, ,

n am e Pendr agon It w as for Uther th a t Merlin con

.

D a v ie s C elt ic Resea r ch
, , v ol . ii . p . 43 7 .

2
L j d s M ith ra ,
a ar

3 96 p . .
 SC O TT I SH M Y TH S . 10 7

structed the Round Table at which a vac ant pl a ce ,

w as left for the Sangre al No w Gil d as c all s M aglo .

l

c un us t h e Dr agon of the isl and and it is curious to ,

nd th at w hile he came from the Lothians Mama nd

, , ,

by descent if w e accept h im an d M ail cun as the sa me

,

person w e nd traditional evidence of a possible con

,

ne c t io n w ith the Isl e of M an This evidence al most .

entirely depends upon tradi tions of an uns atis fa ctory

d escription but c an sc arcely be p assed over unnoticed
,
.

In the O ssianic Society vol ii p age 3 9 w e h ave , . .

,

a L a tin interlin e ar note from the old tale O c h t ar

Gae dh al the eight Gael w hich I quote in full , .

G ulinus w as indeed Neptune for Lir is the Irish ,

or Phoenician n ame of Neptune and the sa me a s the ,

se a ; so G ulli nns w as the other n a me for Lir the god ,

of the se a j ust as Tiob al w a s the goddess of the sea

, .

F or she a pp eared to Conchob a r M ac N ess a afterw a rds ,

King of Ulster in the for m of a ve ry bea utiful w oma n

, ,

w hen by the decree of the or a cl e w hose n a me w as ,

c l oc h a ir i e the stone of the sun w hich at th a t time

,
. .
,

w as very celebra ted in these p a rts he w as goin g to ,

M a n to a certa in G ull in us in order th at he might

, ,

give him dr uidica l b ud dlia for his shield a nd a rms .

G ullinn s fashioned the im age of Tio b al on his shield ,

a n d it h ad m any b ua dlia a ccording to the old Irish ,

a uthors .

Conn or as he is here call ed Conchob ar w arned

, , , ,

by an ora cl e w hich is most l ikely c log o ii the yell o w

,
'

or golden bell connected w ith t h e ston e of the sun

, ,

gets from M an a shield a protection on w hi ch w as , ,

fas hioned this Tiob al w hich m ay be composed of,

Dia god and ba l the prom inence V enus ; or b al l not

, , ,

un likely the membru m vir ile This possessed m any .

m agic po w ers h u adh a ,
.

P pul R m f M idd l Ag p 1 2 1
o ar o a nces o e es, . .
l 08 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

G ul in us s
n ame is evidently of the s ame sig nic a

tion w ith the rst p art of the n ame of the pria pic

Freyr s Golden bristled bo ar G ulinb urst i w hil e

-
,

w ith the n ame T io b a l m ay be comp a red the Scotch

w ord t h e ii il a stirring stick for porridge etc

, , .

Tra in quotes a tra dition h o w one M elin us or

1

ill ac L ea w as a m a gici a n in the isl and in the time of

St P atrick a nd a spiri n g to the reputation of a god

.
, , ,

did fly in the air but ca me uttering to the ground ,

at S t P a t rick s feet He tells us further th a t on the

.
.
,

Pollock (Balog rock a sma ll isl and a t the mouth of ,

Dougl a s h ar bour w a s a Pictish to w er deli ne ated
, ,
.

in Bl a eu s m ap of the isl a nd published in 1 6 5 8 In

.

th is isl a nd tr adition s aid th a t the son of Bo adice a

w as conce al ed a fter her de a th w hen pursued by the ,

Rom ans There is certa inl y a very strong secret
.

a p artment under
gr ound in it h aving no p ass age to it ,

but by a hole co v ered by a l arge stone an d is c alled ,

W as this a
2
to this d ay the Grea t Ma n s Ch amber .

M it h raic um 7

W h ether the n ame Bo a dice a nything to do h as a

w ith b i t a dh a of Co n n s shield I sh a ll n ot v en t ure to

sa
y There is ho w e v er a custom a t least it w a s in
.
, , ,

the isl and t i ll very l ately w hich connect s the Dragon ,

w ith Tio b a l D r earlh a in D r ca t li a n is a w ren in

.
, ,

Scottish Ga elic w hich N ic o lson in his l ately published

, ,

Pr ove r b s spells ( l r ea g/ngm w h ile ( l i c a g a n is a dr agon

, ,
'

In the Isle of M an on St Stephen s d ay (St e a in .

Stephen w h o w as s t o n ed ) they h ad a h a b it of hunting ,

the wr en d r ea n in M a nx w hich w as supposed to

, ,

represent a fem al e fairy possibly Tiob al When , .

killed the unfortun ate little sinner is carried roun d

,

by the hunters w h o sing the curious rhyme follo w ,

in
g
1
I sle o f M an ,
p . 3 21 . I b id . p . 277 .
 SC OTTI SH M Y TH S .
1 09

We h unt ed t h w en f e r or Ro bb in t h e B bb in o ,

\Ve h unt d t h e w en f
e r or Jack of th e Ca n,
We h unte d t h w n f e re or Ro bb in t h e B bbin o ,

\Ve h unt e d t h e wren fo r ev er

y o ne.

Bob an is a n a me a pplied to a bell thus the B oba n ,

or B ell of St Cae im h gh in (Ke v in ) w as a p rin ci pal

.
,

relic of Irel a nd .
1

This hunting the w ren w as al so done in the south

of Irel a nd an d in a to w n ca lled Cio t al in the neigh
,

b o ur h o o d of M arseill es
.

The all usion to J ack of the Can is very rema rk
able .

In A r e m o r ic the w ord cl r a n the Ma nx w ren is a , ,

thor n prickle the h a mm er of a gun This w ord is

, ,
.

d r ae n in Welsh .

It is sa id th a t M an ana n protected the isl and by a

m agic mist h a y mist an d the governing body of the
, , ,

Isle w hich should a nd does a ssemble on the Tin w a ld

,

Mounds is c a ll ed the House of Keys a nciently Chor

, ,

n a fa id
8
, a circle Welsh F a id a prophet ,
.
, ,

G a elic .

In Irish t ra dition Dia rm id (see under ) tells ,

G rainn e th at w hen Finn w a s in T ara he h ad the keys ,

4

i e he w a s doorkeeper thus a lluding to w h at is a

. .
,

promi nent ch a r a cteristic of lVIit h ra himsel f .

I believe the isl a nd of w hich M agl o c unus w as the

Dragon w as a t le a st for a t ime the Isle of M an
, , .

We h a v e here in the hun ting of the wr en touched

on w h at seems connected w ith the stag hun t also -

all uded to a n d th is recall s the g re at C y mr o Ar e m o ric

-
,

myth of the quest of the St G real To w hich I think . .

1 C a m b r ensis E ver sus v o l ii 5 75 , . . p . .

2 T
r ain s I sl e of v o l ii 1 24 . . p . .

3 I b id v o l ii
. .1 95 . p . .

4
O
ssian ic So c ie t y , v o l 59 . p . .
l 10 SC O TTI S H M Y TH S .

we h ave grounds for allying the story of the purs ui t

of Di armid a nd G rainn e .

The use of cups a s divin in g vessels is very a ncient ,

a n d is st ill a custom in some p a r t s of the w orld The .

e v idences of the probability that besides the genera l

question of the lo t s some species of religious cere ,

m onial p art a kin g of di v in a tion w as expressed by the

three thro w s of the Seal t h e three shouts of w hich ,

A rt w a s t h e m an the dr a w ing of the s w ord from
,

the stone of A rthur and generall y by the screaming ,

of the L ia F ail is cl ea r This ho w ever comes out in

,
.
, ,

a r a ther rem a rk able w a

y in the story of Di a rmid .

E ur m a t s ays Tol a nd a u s ic ium th a t is a cons ul t

.

, p , ,

ing of the a uspices a sign or token of success ; a n d ,

L e g o nid e c gives e ur i acl from c ur luck fortune a n d

, , ,

m a d good
,
In the Fingalia n an d Cymric legends the
.

pl aying of chess is a frequent occurrence In the .

O ssia nic Society s public ation w e h ave a n a ccount of

Fingal an d O ssia n the w ar rior an d the ba rd of the ,

my th pl ayin g a ga me under a tree in w hich Di a rmid

,

a n d G ra inn e w ere conce a led \Vhen Di a rmi d threw .

do w n a berry to O ssi a n he w o uld w in the ga me .

2

This is cle arly the good luck going w ith I w ma d s r

proteg

F il h ic h o ll is a ch ess bo ard in G a elic w hich h as been -

,

deri v ed from fa t h skill a n d c ia ll sense , , ,

The n ame is spelt t h c h e ll in Corma c F ic h ella in .

,

A r e m o r ic is to st ir the r e to mo v e the w ood w ith

, ,

the poker a n d to ri u nm ag e about so a s to put sense

,

or j udgm ent topsy the root w ord being ,

to stir to ch ange position frequently The Rom a n

, .

military method of ca st i ng lots i n a helmet is men

t io n ed by C ae s a r an d others The G a elic for a hel met .

is c loga cl and though it looks as if one w ere pun ni ng

, ,

O i i S i t y l iii p 1 4 5
1
ss a n c oc e , vo . . . .
 SC O TTI S H M Y TH S .
111

it must be confessed th a t it h as all the appeara nce

of being composed of the w ords c log a bell or c loch a ,

stone and ad a h at Lots w ere cast by the chief

, .

magistrate and it seems a ccording to the evidence

, , ,

that Diarm a d w as in fac t a vessel used for the cas tin g

o f lots In the O ssianic Society s publica tion vol
. .
,

p 1 7 5 Diarmid s dog is call ed M ac an C h uill tra ns

.
,

lated by the editors son of the h az el In Rome ,
.

w as a coll ege of priests a pp a rently t w enty in num ber , ,

w h o presided over all the ceremo nies connected w ith

the ra tication of pe ace or the form al decl a ration of ,

w ar . These carried w ith them cert a in sa cred herbs

c al led V e r b ena e or Sagm in a co n sidered indispensa ble ,

in their rites and their o wn int s for striki ng their

,

v ictim s Their n a me w a s F e t ia les of w hich name

.
, ,

s ays Ramsa y the o r t hography an d etym ology are,

a l ike un cert ain Is it not po ssib l v connected w ith

.

F ich a ? The other spellin g R ams ay gives is F ecial e s .

1

Their chief w as ca ll ed P a ter P a t rat us a n a me al s o ,

a pp l ied to the chief dignity a mong the Roma n w o r

sh ippers o f M ithra .
2

Is there any e v idence in the appearance of St , .

Fil lan s bell th at it w as used for any such purposes

as lot cas t in g or as a drinking v e sse l z O ne d are '

-
.

scarcely expect tha t in t h e bell itself such coul d be

looked for ; and it cert ainly is a n unm an ageable cup ,

a s it c an only st a nd mouth down w a rds w hich w e , ,

m ay remember w a s the position of the c sc r a of the ,

'

Se al w hich w as
,
on its edge But there is evi .

dence aga ins t its primary use a s a bell in the complete

a bsence of an arr a ngement for holdin g a cl a pper as ,

originall y m ad e There is at present a piece of iron .

,

bent at right a ngles an d fa stened in to t w o holes ,

d r ill ed in the brass of t h e top of the h e ll ; but this

1R m y R m
a A t iq uit i
sa ,
p 331o L j d M it h
an p 5 00
n es, . .
2
a ar

s ra, . .
I 12 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

sho w s no appeara nce of continuo us usage nor indeed ,

w oul d the ch a racter of the fa stening permit of it Thi s .

bent iron must I conclude have been inse rted in the

, ,

bell w hile in the k eeping of a n English cateran w h o ,

forcibly a nnexed it a t one time but to the good ,

feeli ng of w hose he irs w e o w e its restoration to Scot

l a nd We thus see h o w it w as necessary for the
.

bl ack gi ant to W h a ck his stag w ith a stick to m ake

it bray ; and this is also the rea son wh y Fi n n m ac
Cuil before m aking kno w n the resul ts of h is cogita
,

tions h ad to put h is nger in h is mouth

,
.

O ne more tribe of the inva ders of Britain accordi ng

to Welsh tr aditions dema nd attention These are .

c alled C oranie d a nd they c ame from the l and of P wyl

, ,

( p w ll )
? a pool of w ater in the time of Llud .

C o ry n a cro w ned head s ays Spurrell

, , .

Ptolemy gi v es K opim o v a s the n a me of a city of the

B o d un i or as he c all s them A 8 25u 1
, , ,
o, 0 oz
..

O n the southern w all a t Corbridge an inscription

mentions a body of Rom an horse call ed Corio
illegitimat ely born .

It seems little w onder tha t a n ame should h ave

been coine d h av ing so m any ori gin al w ords to choose
,

from a kin to some of the specul ations a lready adv o

c at e d The fa ct of there being a to wn of the n ame
.

among the B o d un i is certa inly suggestive

K op m o
i v .

But the tradition i t self sho w s pl ainly enough the root

w ord th at w as in the mind of its n arra to r s

The C o ran ie d co ul d hea r every w hisper so th at ,

no steps could be agreed on for their expul sion they

c aused a shriek over the country on May eve from
w hich di vers di s as trous resul ts t o w omen and a nim al s
resulted ; a nd they disposed of al l provisions even

g athered into the king s court th at w ere not e aten on
Q u t d Gil
1 l ii p 1 0 1
o e ,
W bu t
es, v o . p 1 55
. . .
2
ar r o n, . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . l l 3

1
the rst n ight Llud doubtless o ur Irish Lug by
.
, ,

the a d v ice of L le v elys (L ia fal constructs a bras s

b o rn to spe ak through to prevent them he aring ; but ,

this is taken possession of by a demon w h o ho w ever , , ,

is w a shed out of the horn by putting w ine in it

Further L lev e lys gives Llud certain insects to bruise
in w ater an d instructs h im to call his o w n people and
,

the C o raniaid together a nd spri n kle them all w ith t h e,

w a ter w hich w ould pois on the C o raniaid but not hi s

,

o w n people .

Co r is a spider in Welsh ; hence the b aptisma l

w a ter w ith the insects in it Co r n is a horn or .

a n t hin g proj ecting ; hence the p artic ul ar form of the

y
br a ss implement of sound Th e period of a ctivity of .

the C o raniaid M ay E v e co rresponds with the time a t

, ,

w hich the T uat h a de D a n aa n s defe ated the Firbolg .

Co r r a n a rea pin g hook in G a elic is a n i nstrument

-
, ,

w hich sometimes o n Mithra ic sc ulptures ta kes t h e

pl ace of the a x e usu ally designed w hich L aj ar d cal l s ,

l o re ille de cui v re the copper e ar ; be ing sh aped like

a hum a n e ar This seems to h a v e so m e connection

.

w ith the or ally imp arted instruction a n d t h e C o r a n ia n s

po w er of hearing 0 0 2 is a d w a rf in \Ve l sh hence

.

they a r e s aid to h av e been pigmies Co ri/ n is the .

cro w n of the hea d a n d c o ro n is a cro w n I incline to

,
.

the bel ief th at it is another expression for the bright

a pex w hich becomes the c o ir e or kettle of the Irish .

In the Tri a ds the C o ra n iaid ar e m en tioned a s

2
inva ding Britain before the G w y d dyl Fic h t i .

The ex act signic a nce of the inj un ction to im part

al l kno w ledge by the e ar seems to be someth ing
beyond the mere desire of preventing w ritten records
fall ing into w rong h ands a nd so betrayin g the mys ,

M a b ino g ion, iii v o l. . p . 3 08 .

2 F o ur A nc ie nt B oo ks f
o Wa l es, v o l. i
. p . 102 .

H
1l 4 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

t e rie s ; especially w hen t his inj unction is connecte d

w ith the w orship of the genera ti v e po w ers .

The w ord Pri apus itself see m s deri v ed from

Bpaci v o s cl a morous loud an d w a s a pplied to M ars

vr , , ,

as in a ncient b a ttles they eng aged w ith loud noise .

The n ame O gm ius of the Ga ulish Hercules is derived

from the verb o lym the preterite p a ssive of w hich is '

giyp a w hich is derived fro m o f w ith w hich one

i,

excl aims a y e in order th at a gate m ay be opened to

t ,

him For the e arth cries out o iy er to the ploughm an
. ai

in m akin g a furro w Hence Ceres h as the na me .

2
c

ot
yy os O g mtius ch a in.ed his fo l lo w ers by their
ears t o his tongue His w ords w ere his arro w s BM; .
, ,

(B e l e n us ? the Beli M aur of the \V e l sh legends ) .

Further he w as d dpwiro s (tdk k o g a b ald m an

,
v , .

O n the b ase of a curious Indi a n idol preserve d at

Moscow in the Imperial University representing sym ,

b o lic ally the po w ers of generation is a sm all gure ,

3
w ith its h a nd to its e ar listening intently It is clear .
,

then th at sound h a s al w ays been associ ated w i t h

,

reproduction an d the bel l seems to h a ve been a dopted

,

as the speci al represent a tion of this sound for to a ,

m aj ority of the ph all i gured by P ay n e Knight a bell

or sever al bell s ar e atta ched It is then a lmost a .

certa inty th at if to symbols of w hich the ph al lus w as

the m ain obj ect bells w ere j oined to a bell specially ,

employed in this w orship there w ould be a ttached a

ph all us or ph all i Thus it is in the c a se of the bell of
.

St F ill an Th at such a superstition h ad at one time

. .

a po w er ful h o ld on the inh abita nts of M a n an d is proved

not only from the proba bilities of the signica nce of

the n ames of the inhabita nts and their tra ditions but ,

also from an entry in the Book of L an e r c ost w hich proves

2
D am m
'

iyar

Pay ne K n igh t . s G r eek L ex ic o n, o .

3
L aj ard s Ve nus, PL 1 4 ,
B .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . l 15

the existence there of ph a llic w orship in the yea r 1 2 8 2

A D
. . a n d moreover connects it w ith the E aster festiv a l
, , , ,

sho w ing the rel ation it bore to the Teutonic O stara .

In th at ye a r an d d urin g the E aster w eek (2 9 t h

M arch to A pr il 5 t h ) John a p arish priest of Inver , ,

k e it h ing perf ormed the rites of Pri a pus

, by coll ecting ,

the young gir ls of the to w n an d m a kin g t hem dance ,

round the gure of the god ; w ithout a ny rega rd for

the sex of the w orshi ppers he c arried a w ooden image ,

of the mal e member of generation before them in the

d ance an d h im self d a ncin g w ith them he ac comp a nied
, ,

their songs with music in a ccord a nce He w as cited .

before the bishop defended hi mself upon the c omm o n

,

usag e of t h e c o un t r y a n d w as all o w ed to reta in his

,

b e ne c e From some such c urious obse rva nce as this

: ,

there c an be li ttle doubt the Sc o t t ie clergy derived their

tra ditions as to the proper time for the celebra tion of
E aster of the dispute a bout w hich w ith the Church
,

of Rome Bede gives us so much informa tion .

The w idesprea d connection betw een phalli an d the

use of a bell a ppea rs in Lucia n s account of the priest
w h o a t Hier apoli s i n Syri a c li mbed once a nnu ally to
, ,

the top of a t h ir ty cubit high ph allus an d there prayed ,

by n am e for the indi v idu al w orshippers rin ging a bell ,

as he did so A n d here also w e notice h o w the

.

ph allus became a l arge colu mn giving a h i nt as to a ,

connection betw een this w orship an d the n ame of a ,

w ell kno w n Scottish s a i nt here after to be a lluded to

1
-
.

So fa r I h ave sketched the tradi tions w hich are

not specia ll y e c clesias tical ; but I n o w propose to
show th at the Chris tia n Church adopted the stories
connected w ith this w orship a n d the reli cs thereof , ,

not o nl y in the ca se of St Fill a n w hose Church ex .

,

l o it s though coverin g a good de al of ground ar e not

p , ,

l yt l l gy f A y n N t i n
1 io o 1 ii p 3 7 2
o r a a o s, v 0 . . . .
1 16 SC O TTI SH M Y T HS .

ve ry specic ; but in the cas e of some w h o h a ve been

ad opted as n ation a l S a ints I mea n St P a trick . . ,

St D avi d St Mungo a n d St Columba a n d tha t

.
,
.
,
.
,

they a ctu all y inter w ove the stories circling round

this pria pic relic in to the story al ready a lluded to of
the S a int G real w hich in the fancy of its n arra tors
,

w a s the cup used a t the l ast supper or the vessel in ,

w hich Chr ist s blood w as coll ected w hen w ounded

w ith the spea r B aring Go ul d tell s us th a t in French

.
1

they giv e the na me gr a d a l or g raa l to a l a rge and

rather deep v essel in w hich rich mea ts w ith the ir gra vy
are ser v ed to the w e althy In mode rn French g re lo t .
,

is a little bell The w ord g i a a l or g r a cla l is a lli ed

.
'

a pp ar ently to the w ord g rickl le a b a king iron g i c lo t

-

app aren t ly w ith g r le h a il ; g r el o u a l a rge h a il stone

, ,

t r e m b l er l e g r l o n to sh ake til l one s teeth cha tter

an d so a g r e lo t is a hollo w meta l vessel in w hich a b a ll

of meta l is contained to m ake the sound In the name .

itself there is as much proba b ility of its proper appl i

cation bein g to a bell a s to a frying pan an d in sup ,

port o f this w e m ay note th at w hen as s ista nce w as ,

w a nted in the temple in w hich the G r e al w as kept a ,

bell untouched by hu m a n h a nds sounded an d su in

, ,

m o n ed the knight on duty w h o h a d ins t a ntly to ,

a ttend . But let us consider shortly the Bra ba nt (or ,

as one might sa
y T un g ria n )vers ion of the story of
,

2
the Gra il . The hero is call ed El ias or He li as Gra il , .

Heli as is l m s the sun an d his title of Knight of the

, ,

S w a n is a misconception for the Knight of the Sun ,

ea la being a s w a n in G a e l ic ; an d as I conclude the

tale h as been l tered through the Celtic th is m ay ,

a ccount for the mista ke though Heol the sun in ,

A r e m o r ic is not u nl ike 5M ; It m ay be tha t eal a n

, 0 ,

1
B i g G My t h f M id d l A g 1 ii p 3 5 1

ar n ld ou s s o e es, v 0 . . . .

[ b id 1 ii p
V0 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . l l7

a ngel a purely sp iritu al being (Are m o ric ) h as bee n

, ,

personied in the w hite and gra ceful bird from a kno w ,

ledge of the Celtic na me applied to the s w a n He w as .

c alled a lso Carl Ynac h and is son of the Ki ng of Ton ,

gres i n some versions The sequen c e of the story is .

some w ha t as follo w s The knight goes in search of a

cup w hich h ad been mad e from a chain he marries a
noble wife but because he is asked his lineage he h as
, ,

to leave her an d his famil y a nd is borne aw ay from ,

them in a little vessel by a sw a n He ma rries Julius .

C a esa r s d aughter b ut is him sel f killed ghting w ith

A riovistus a ga in st h is im peri al father in l aw

Cae sa r s - -
.

da ughter thus set free m arries a descenda nt of Hector

, ,

of Troy an d h ad a son O cta via n w h o beca me Kin g of

, , ,

C o el n th at is of Cologne
, ,
.

Yn a ch is evidently the E v n a bir d of the Are m o ric , , ,

w here it is a lso pronounced e in a nd e nu the ex act -

,

coun terp art of the Ga eli c e un ia n w hi ch connects it , ,

w ith ia n a cup He is son of the K ing of Tongres

,
. .

We h ave seen th at one of the t w o chiefs of the Tun

g ria n s w h o surrendered to the Roma n a rms under
C e re al is w as C a mp a nus an d C a mp ana w h a tever its , ,

origin is a L atin w ord for a bell The slur on his

,
.

line a ge evidently connects h im wi th a r ace w h o might

be termed O O T O an d he died a t l a st ghtin g the
'

K
I
L L,

Romans though so intim ately connected with Ju lius

,

C a es a r His w ido w in m arrying the descendant of

.
,

Hector m ay have m a rried a Briton undoubtedly the

,

son of this alliance O cta vian is a conn ection of o ur , ,

D a m Hoctor or d a m h oc h t o r the comp a ny of eight ;

, ,

a n d w e sh all n d a Kin g Coel Hen if not of Co eln , ,

in C umbri a Did the T ungri of A gricol a bring thi s

.

legend w ith them to Brita in or did it return from ,

Britain to Tongres in Brab ant

The G real w as used to contain b lood the blood of ,
l 18 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

our living s ac r ice l Stra bo thus relates the m an

ner in w hich the Cimbria n w omen performed their
divina tions The w omen w h o follo w the Cimbri to
w a r ar e a ccomp a nied by grey h aired prophetesses in ,

w hite vestments with c a n v as m a n t les fas tened by ,

cl a sps a braz en girdl e and n aked feet These go with

,
.

dra w n s w ords through the ca mp and striking do wn ,

those of the prisoners th at they meet drag them to a ,

brazen kettle holdi ng a bout thir ty amphora e Thi s .

h as a k ind of stage a bove it ascendin g on w hich the , ,

priestess cuts the throa t of t h e victim and from the ,

m a nner in w hich the blood o w s into the vessel j udges

of the fut ru e event

Wh a t they sho uld w ant w ith a ke t t le cont a ining

a bout 1 1 0 g all ons is d i ic ul t to sa Strabo says t h e
y .

th r oa t of t h e victim is cut a ft er he h as already been

c ut do w n St Fill a n s h e ll does n o t hold more t h a n
. .

a ga ll on I should think but still qui te cap a cious

, ,

enough for the pu rpose or for a simil ar purpose v iz , ,

.
,

to hold the blood from the cut thro at of a w ounded

m an an d as a sheer supposition I should opine it to
, ,

be a grea t deal bet t er ad ap t ed to the purpose th a n t h e

v a t of Stra bo Is it possibl e t hat before being used to
.

sh a ke up t h e lo t s in t his or some such v essel h ad been .

in use in such sa v age a uspic es \Vh en w e a r e t old

th a t the G r e al ga v e ora cles w hich appeared on t h e .

surfa ce of t h e bo w l an d then dis appeared it does not ,

seem impossible .
2

The benets deri v ed by t hose w h o beheld the G r eal

included a mysterious j oy a foret a ste of he av en A
.

, .

sight of this G real suic e d in pl ace of food It supplied .

its devotees w ith t h e m ea t a nd drin k most to t heir

B v ii
. . Q
uo t e d , B o h n
'

s t ran sl at io n of T ac it us s M a nn ers

f
o th e Germ a ns,
p . 29 7 .

2
B a r ing G o uld , v ol ii . . p . 3 43 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
1l9

ta ste O n the d ay it w as seen the beholder w as in

.

ca pable o f suffering hurt The po w er of conferring .

such benets it shared w ith the bucket of C e rid w e n ,

by some call ed Ceres of W al es ; and with the kettle

of Ma na nan of the D agd a and of E ogh an B uidh e (e 0
, , ,

a n e ar a
p
,in or po int ; h ur dh e yello w (I c wa n is a , ,

screa m in Welsh ) yello w screa mer though as b a rdh e , ,

is not Welsh this is scarcely allo w able ) a king of

, ,

D un st affnage in A rgyll from w hence our e arly c h r o ni ,

1
clers brought the stone of Destiny to Scone For .

dun tel ls us th at the Picts and Scots w ere rm friends

till a Pict stole a v alu a bl e dog from the Scots a bout ,

2
the tim e of Carausius Cu in Ga e lic is a dog ge ni .
,

tive plur al c on a w ord w hich seems to h a ve

become obsolete or to hav e been used by some spe a k

,

ing a dia lect of Gaelic for a bo w l An d cur iously in .

, ,

the a ccount in Co rmac s Glossa r y of a settlement of
Irish in Brita in and w hich Skene thi nks is the o nl y
,

trace of such a thing h appening before the t ime of

Fergus m ac Erc in the older authorities w e ar e told ,

tha t Ca irpr e Musc one of the sons of Co naire Mor , ,

brought a lap d og from the E a st i nto Britain

-
.

he a d ; C er b er us
i pai ( pw the

Ca zrp re p ,
Ka o , , Ka , e ,

head bearer
-
111 1 0 3 . a thing w hich shoots out ,

Welsh m use ,
I ll e a scm is a lap dog (Ga e lic ) also
.
-
,

m ea s a dish HZGC SCL N a little dish

,

Cerberus w as the
L
,
.

dog of O rcus or Dis the god from w ho m a ccordin g to , ,

3
Caesa r all the Gauls asserted they w ere descended
, ,

w h ile O rcus reminds us of the Pictish settlements in the

O r cad e s C e r b e r os is a n a me h aving reference to the
.

voice of the monster Hesiod call s him X X eocwz o . a K / v,

bra zen voiced D im e t ia or South Wales the country

-
.
, ,

of Cas w all an an d of the L iet h ali consequently w as

, , ,

1 \V yl d

s C a t a l og ue of A nt iq uit ies, vo l i
. 5 28
. p . .

3
Fo rd un, B ii 0 3 7
. . . .
3
Co mmenta r ies B , . v i. c . 18 .
1 20 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

so addicted to mystica l rites th a t it w as c alled Bro
yr Hud the l and of mystery 11 a d illusion ch arm and
, , , ,

w as said to be enveloped in a veil of conce almen t

L le nge l 1
This is the s a me tradition as protected the
.

Is l e of M an w ith a m agical mist 2 No w it w as in this .

district of Bro yr H d th at a n old l egend in the

Welsh La w s loca tes the a ccession of M ae lgw n to the
3

throne .

A fter the taking of the sceptre of London from the

Cy mri and their being dri v en out of L lo e gyr (Engla nd
,

not incl uding Wales ) they instituted an inquiry at ,

Aber Dy v i as to w h o shoul d be the supreme ruler and

'

M ae ldaf t h e elder pl a ced a ch air composed of w a x

, ,

w ings under Mae lgw n so w hen the tide o w ed no one

w as able to remain except M a elg w n be ca use of his ,

C h air and thus he bec a me supreme ki ng

, .

Dyfed is another title of D im e t ia ; A ber D y vi is

the mouth of the river of th at n ame Tei o w i ng , ,

into C ardigan B ay Skene a rgues from this ceremony .

occurring in this l ocality t h at w hen the line of Dyn ,

is mentioned in c o m i e c t io n w ith the kings of Wal es ,

it all udes to the descen d a nts of M aelg w n A t gbiins .

signi es tw ofold a n d so ar e the ph alli on the bel l ,

h and le .

No w w e are told tha t a S a int Dew i h ad removed

the archie piscop al sea t from C aerleon to Mynyw i e ,
. .

M e ne v ia w hich w a s a fterw a rds called from him Tv

,

Dew i or D avid s house

,
This Da v id l ike M aelg wn
.
1

, ,

w as a descenda nt of C un e t h a A s Ico un me ans dogs

(Are m oric ) and a c t or a o d the shore the descend ants
, , ,

of C unet h a might m ea n the shore dogs ; and it w as

on the sea shore M a elg w n c ame to his sovereignty
-
.

1 D i l ii p 4 1 7
a v es, v o . . . .

2 MS R . d in C t l R h
e co r Qu t d T i I l f M n l i p 3 9 as e us e n . o e ,
ra n s

se o a , vo . . . .

3 Qu t d F u A i t B k f W l
o e , o l i p 63
r nc nn oo s o a es, vo . . . .

w p 4 15

l id B h G i ld C mb
' '

e o n s ra as a r c ns ,
. .
 SC OT TI SH M Y TH S . 121

St P a trick is said to h a ve ser ved a cer t ain C ut raigh e

.

o n a dog t r a i h e the shore the Scotch famil y na me

g , , ,

A n d it seems there w ere m any c o t h ra igh i

" 1
to w h om he ser v ed four of a vill age during his y ea rs .

of sl a very No w Geoffrey of Monmouth tells us th at

.

St P atrick w as the founder of St Da vid s ; and in
. .

the Ma binog io n w e are informed th at w hen A rt hur 2

carried off the ca l dron of D iw rn ac h W ydde l (Diarm ait

the G ae l ) it w a s l anded at port K e rddin in Dyfed
,

Cardiga n I suppose a t t h e mouth of the Te i

, ,
.

No w w h at further informa tion h av e w e a bout the

,

person age w h o by his w a xed w ings m ade M a elgwn
, .
'

rem ain w here the tid e ow ed 2 Tra zgh in Scottish ,

Ga eli c is to empty pour out Under the title of

, , .

Lord of Pe n ar d d (pe n he ad a r dd ploughed l and .

, , ,

e io m io s he a ppe a rs a s i v in g a j u d gment on a
p g g
question of precedence a mo n g the C y m ri a fter M a el
a n d Skene thi n ks he w as a n ecclesi as tic
3
w n s dea th ;
g .

The w hole story h as to me entirely the a ppea rance of

a question of the c a sting of lots a n d the use of the ,

w a x to m ake the w inning lot rema in is evident
enough .

M a ol is a tonsured ser v a nt of a religious order e t c ,

.

d of a utensil a useful t h ing

, ,

In the S a int De w i to w hom the church legend s

h ave giv en some of t h e a ttributes of Hu t h e tradi
i

t io n a l introducer of a g ricultur e an d w hose n a me is ,

evidently p art of the w ord b ud mystery h a rm t h e , ,

sun his n ame is not differe nt from the w ord Term,

,

to keep sil ence w h i ch w a s ce rt a inly an a ttribute o f

,

the Sea l b a lb h kin g of Pictl a nd and Man and men , ,

t io ne d in the B oo k of B a llym o t e a n d a lre a dy a lluded ,

1
Z e uss ,
p
2 0 , q uo t ing H y m n o f St P a t ric k
. . . V o l ii . . p . 3 07 ,

3 Fo ur A nc ient 8 0 0 1 s of l l a les, v o l i 174

'
'

. . p . .

4 D a v ie s, vo l ii 14 1
. . p . .
 3 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

to . This n ame D avid is not unl ike Da bh a ch a tub

, , , ,

v at in Gae lic In fact the pronunciation D avoch is

, .
,

a pet n a me for D a vid in Lo w la nd Scotch a connection ,

all uded to subsequently .

Hu w ith w hom he is as sociated is s a id to ha ve

dr a w n the av an c from t h e l ake The question .

w h a t this a v ane is h as never h ad yet a re as on able

solution It is supposed to h ave me ant a be aver
.
,

a n d is app ar ently the s a me w ord as is a pp l ied in

Sco t ch G aelic to a terrier a blza g abb a ch i n O R e illy , ,

.

No w a terrier in \Velsh is c alled t ir-ysg rif ysg r qf= ,

w h a t scr at ches o ff ; in fa ct an e arth -scratcher ; a n d ,

in France the term grio n is a ppl ied not only t o the

tra ditional grif n w hich is the idea genera lly enter

t a in e d as to the anim a l dra w n fro m the w aters by E u ,

but also to a t errier .

It is cl e ar then th at origin a lly E u the sun the , ,

a ric ulturist w h o caused by his e arth scr atchin g a n d -

g , ,

under the inuence of w a t er fer tilis ation an d increa se , ,

is deline at ed an d t h at in t h e mystic representation of

,

this some such ph allic g riin as before alluded to

,

w a s use d an d th a t in c om se of tim e the symbol an d

, ,

w ha t it w a s supposed t o symbolise h ave been con ,

founded .

No w w e reme m ber tha t St Fil l an al so w as taken .

from a pool of w ater a n d I think that if Hu s ,

a v an c h as a rem aining representative w e m ay nd ,

it in Fill an s bell w hich I h a ve tried to pro v e w as

m ost likely used as a vessel for the casting of lots .

We h ave seen th at it w a s in Dyfed th at D iwrnach s

ca ldron l anded w hen brought to B ritain from Ire

l and and w e nd a tra ce of Dew i in Irel and In
,
.

a note by Mich a el O Cl ery the chief of the Four

Mas ters wr itten in the Ma rtyrol o gy of D onegall he

, ,
1

O Cu y M t i l p 5 9 3
1

rr ,
a e r a s, . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
l 23

mentions the to w n of the ford of the c as t in Ci n el
F ia c h a idh w here is temple D a vid w here the bra in
, ,

of M e sge dh ra w as struck upon C o nc h o b h ar king of ,

Ulster This other Conn as his n ame is usuall y

.

,

spelt w as the son of Nessa a l ady left a w idow in

, ,

the prime of her youth an d bea uty w h o agreed to ,

m a rry Fergus king of Ulster o n condition th a t Conn

, , ,

her son by the r st marri age sh oul d h av e the kin gdom ,

for a ye ar A t the end of the yea r so plea sed w ere

.
,

the Ultoni ans it w as n ally a greed th at Conn should

,

ret ain the kingdom and Ferg us the la dy O f course ,

.
,

to call a m an a fter his mother m ay soun d a s if it

w ere quite correct in Pictish but so far as o ur records ,

go instances of such a thing ar e alm ost unknow n

,
.

M a c a a s is w antonness sport ; m a c na sac h a title not ,

at a ll suit able for a kin g si ni e s libidinous merry

g , ,

a nd it w a s this Conn w h o ori in ated the order of the

g
K n ights of the Red Bra nch w hich O C ur ry s ays sho ul d ,

be royal again st all evidence

,
.

In his time the king of Naa s the loca lity of the ,

L ugh nas sa the games instituted in remembr ance of

,

the k ing of Sp a in s d aughter other wise said to be

d a ughter of R o ry (r uo dh r i red king )king of Britain , ,

a n d w ife of L ugh a idh son of the Scal B al b h

b Lug l
y , ,

the T uat h a de D anaa n w as ca lled M e sge dhr a sounded , ,

2

ne arly as w ritten by the O ssiani c Society M esg era ,

ea s m ias a d ish m isg e o ir a drun k ar d ) The k ing

(m , , , , .

of Ulster h a d a poet ca lled Ai t h ir ne (our fa ther

w h o seeing th a t the p a stur age for hi s sheep w a s better
on M e sge dh r a s side of the L i ey than on his o w n side

sent them over to graz e on it Th e Lein ster king .

stood up for his o wn rights an d in vin di cation thereof ,

slew an Ulto n ian ch ampion sent by Conn to assist h is

poet in hi s depredations .

O i i S i ty
ss a n c l p 167oc e OC y M t i l p 268
,
vo . v. . .
'

n rr , a er a s, .
,
l 24 SC O TTI SH M Y T HS .

But in Irela nd in those ancient days as w e a re

, ,

gravely told by a uthorit ie s such as Professor O C urry

poetry an d poets w ere so highl y honoured th a t no

king co uld refuse to gra nt to a h ard a ny gra tica tion
he might ask for a poem recited even though as some , ,

th at h ave been preserved sho w it w ere despica ble ,

rubbish ; an d thus w e hav e sto ries of poets asking

fo r t h e most impossible gifts w hich it w as the king s

duty to provide .

No w a fter this the poet Ait h irn e visited all the

, ,

I rish kings and a mong them M esg e dh ra from w ho m

, ,

in return for his poem he got a mong other things , ,

7 0 0 w hite co w s with red e ars a n d 1 5 0 noble w omen ,

of Leinster to be sl a v es to the Ulto ni an s But this .

demand w as as one m ay w ell suppose beyond endur

, ,

a nce an d tho ugh the poet s b o d v w as sac red w hile

on his o wn territory M e sg e dh ra pursued him w it h

,

the in tention of kil ling him on h is getting into Ulster ,

but w as hi mself sl ain b v Conal l C earn ac h sent by ,

Con n for A it h irn e s protection We are next in

formed th at w h en a w a rrior sle w an a ntago n ist of

note he t ook out hi s br ains a n d m ade them into a
,

stone w ith lime to reta in the m as a trophy \Vhen

, .

lime is mixed w ith br ains it c e rt ainly does in ,

m a ny cases resemble a stone but t h e addition of lime ,

to the corpore al content s of a m an s s k ull w ill not

m a ke a stone or a n y thin g like a st o n e

,
No w it seems .
,

setting a side the chemica l d if culty th a t w h en the ,

"
Ulster men -
w ere i n contention or at t roph ie s they
I
,

sent for the hea ds of the ir e n e mies an d th at w hen ,

they h ad them in their h a nds they bec ame satised .

The fa ct of the ma tter ho w e v er is th at they , , ,

settled their disp utes by lot an d the w hole m anufac ,

ture of b ra in stones is to a ccount for this coim or y( ar n

-

O C ur r y , I ll a te ria ls, 63 9 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
1 25

h aving h adstone in it because Conn h ad become a

a ,

m an a n d not a vesse l
, .

The n ame C onch ob h ar is composed of c o n an d ,

c o bh a ir ,aid help sup port ; c o bh a rta c h a helper a

, , , ,

prey or booty ; and so this vessel was used as a help

in the di stribution of the trophies or booty .

No w there w as a certai n Cet son of Magh ach , ,

m cigh a plain M ayb ac h the Lo w lander mag a paw

, , , , , ,

m cigh ac h of or be l onging to the h and

,
wh o
w as the gre atest pest in Irel a nd w ent into Ulster on ,
1

an ad venture and found t w o foo l s p laying on the

,

green a t Ema nia w ith M e sg e dh r a s st onie d bra in .

w hich Con all C e arnach h ad prep ared a ccord ing to the

rul es of science and w hich w as looked upon as a most
,

precious trophy at all conte n tions Kno wing tha t .

the l ate King of Naa s h a d prophesied that he w oul d

avenge himself on the U l st e n m en Ket took their ,

pl aything from the fools an d c a rried it about w ith ,

h im rea dy for use He then lifted a prey of co w s from

.

South Ulster and being pursued took a n oppo r tuni ty

,

to sling the stone at Conn It struck him and t w o .

,

th irds of it s a nk into his hea d And t his ha ppened .

,

as w e saw at the pl a ce w here the t emple of Da v id

,

w a s in subsequent times beca use the story is told as ,

if it h appened before or ra ther at the very beginning ,

of our e ra an d in a p lace cal led at th at time the w ood

, , ,

D a B h e at h (of the t w o a n imals ) No w the ph allus

2
.

w as a n emblem of l ife b ea t/1a a sn ake is c al led , ,

b ea th e r from b ea th an d h ir long ; and w e kno w

-
, ,

it w as the serpent t ha t tempted Eve D avid D e ;

A KINj g t w ofold
,
.

There can I think be little doubt th a t th e e vi dence

, ,

is in fa vour of the vie w th at Da V eth (as D a Bh eat h

is pronounced )and Da v id represent t h e same thing ;
O Cu y M t i l p 6 40 l id p 2 7 7 3

1 a er a s,
rr ,
. . . .
1 26 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

and so St D avid is connected w ith the children of

.

B e t h o un or V e t h an w h o h ad D im et ia i e Dyfed , . . .

A s to the Gaelic D a i for D avid w e w ill cons ider ,

further o n .

When Conn fell he offered his sovereignty to any ,

one wh o w oul d c a rry h im home Ce nnb erraidh e his .

,

serva nt lifted him and took him on his b ac k but the

, , ,

exert ion w as so g re at th a t on their a rrival t h e servant s
hea rt burst and he died Therefore s ays the verac ious
, .
,

an d critica l histori a n it w as said th at C e nnb e r raidh e s
,

sovereignty lasted as l ong as he h ad Conn on his back .

"
The serva nt s n ame mea ns sim ply shaven head and

he w as thus m a o l b ald a tonsured servant Conn of , , ,

Conn or the bo w l M a ol c h on M ael gwn in Welsh

, ,
z .

A n d so w e underst and h o w much depended on the

possession of this precious relic .

Conn s physicia n Fingen informed h im th at he

, ,

coul d cure him ; but there w oul d be a bl emish as one ,

c an w ell believe s in ce the stone h ad to rem ain in hi s

,

he a d beca use he w ould die if it w ere taken out He

,
.

then stitched up the w ound w ith gold thread because ,

Conn s h air w as yello w

His physician further l ai d .

do w n a series of rul es for his guidance not unli ke such ,

as might h ave been a dvoc ated as a rule of l ife for a

priest in a rude age a n d w hich kept Conn evidently ,

ve ry much in one pl ace .

Ti me p asses on w hen one day a mi ra cul ous dark

, , ,

ness astonished the w orld a nd Conn inquired of his ,

druid the c ause and signica nce of it The d ruid .

expla in ed th at Christ w as at that moment being

cruci ed a n d expl ainin g w h o he was Conn w as con
, ,

vert ed and bel ieved We are then tol d that he and

, .

Moran w hose n ame is the s ame as that of the great

,

m an B o ad icea s son w h o w as conceal ed in the ch amber
, ,

in the Po l lock rock and w hose name is possibly con ,

 SC O TT SH M Y TH S .
l 27

ne c t e d the w all and m a or an o f cer w ere

w ith m ur , , , ,

the t w o r st Christians in Irel and Thus far on the .

a uthority of the Book of Leinste r ; but Kea ting gives

fur ther pa rticul a rs I quote from O C ur ry : Conn
.

w as seiz ed w ith furious r age at be ing un a ble to as sist

h is suffering S aviour an d rushi ng out in mad ness , ,

began hac kin g do w n the trees in a w ood w ith h is

sw ord doing to them as he w ould h a ve done h ad he
, ,

been able to the Je w s But the stone fallin g from

, .

h is head Conn as it h ad bee n foretold b y his phy

, ,

sic ian , died The na me of the grove cut do wn w as

.

L amh r aigh e w hich derived from la m h a h and an d

, , , ,

r a i he frenz y m akes it r e ceive a nam e a ft e r its

g , ,

destruction ; w h ile la bh r a idh spea king co n nects it with , ,

the leac la blza r and the orac ul a r nomina tion of A rt

, ,

a n d t h e descend a nts of Conn of the hun d red ghts .

This of course is a Christia n legend a n d the d ea th ,

of Conn on the co m in g of Ch r ist by h is sep ar a tion

, ,

from the stone seems to con v ey by p ar a ble the cha nge

,

of use of the bo w l or h ell from a P aga n to a Christia n

rite w hile its h aving been the hea d of the drunka rd
of N aa s w ould signify th a t it w as a Ba cchic or O rphic
ceremonial i n w hich it h ad bee n at rst used ; an d
the L ugh nasa w ere prob ably Mithra ic a nd correspond ,

to the L e o nt ic a (lle w a li on Welsh ) w hi ch w ere cele

, , ,

b ra t e d d uring the period w he n the sun p as sing through ,

the sign of the z odia c Leo shed h is greatest hea t , ,

tha t is in the end of July a nd comm encement of

,

A ugust L ugh n asa in fa ct sig nifying A ugust in Ga eli c

, .

There is in this a n e v idence th at the w orship of

Mithra if I am right in my hypothesis w as not de ri ved
, ,

directly from Rome beca use as L aj a rd in fo rm s us

, , ,
1

the Romans celebrated the ir L e o nt ica in March or

A pril .

ll it / p 5 74 1
i t ra, . .
128 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

In this story w e h a ve seen a certa in K ed or Cet ,

son of M agh a ch m a ke his a ppea ra nce as ca rrying o ff

,

M esge dh ra s he ad from Ulster an d this Cet is the

n a me of the rst inscriber of O ga m memorials in

Irel and under the n ame of Ce t c uim nig h c uim h ne ,
1
,

protection remembrance ,
Cet m ac M a
ghac h w as a lso the forefather of Goll m a c Morn a the ,

gre at enemy and all y of Finn m ac Cui l He w as head .

of the Fenia ns of Conn ac ht a n d his n ame imp l ies ,

stra nger son of the wa ll

,
Cet w a s son of C air b re ,

red he ad This w ill not admit of a more minute

.

expl an ation (See C airpre p .
,
.

No w K e d appea rs also at a much l ater d ate on

the other side of St George s Ch annel . .

Bishop Forbes in his L ives of Sa int s Nim a n a nd

K e n t ige r n quotes from the Ar ch a eo log ia C a m b r e nsis

, ,

a document of the t w elfth c e n t i u

y w hi ch tells h ow a

ce r tain K e dic us D ra w s seu de L udis h aving struck ,

Malgo n Kin g of D y gan w y s son on the hea d w ith a

, ,

drinki ng horn ed to K e nt ige r n for refuge This is

-
,
.

certain ly the s ame story as the l as t but it is pla ced ,

ve an d a h al f centuri es l ater th a n the Irish one .

M algo n sends a body of horse a ft er h i m but their ,

ch argers being struck by blindness they retur n Then .

M algo m himself goes but bein g struck blind is led ,

into the presence of the s aint K e n t ig e r n restores his .

sight an d the king nds him self fa ce to fa ce w ith

,

Ked The offender claim s the protection of sa nctua ry

.
,

w hich M al g o n a pp a rently al lo w s an d further , ,

gr atitude for his restora tion to sight presents the ,

monas tery w ith ma ny gra nts including one pl a ce call ed ,

Dol -wyna u the eld ,

of the founta in one of the ,

bounds of this eld being Pen isa f gel l E sg o b the ,

lo w est head of the dun (coloured ) bishop Comp a re .

1
O Cu y q u t d b y B

h Og h m l l
rr ,
m t p 45
o e ras ,
a i o nu en s, . .
 SC O TTI S H M Y TH S . l 29

Wyna u the fountain with F ingen the nam e of Conn s

, , ,

physician and the connection apparently all uding to

,

b aptism is evident .

In A rem ori c K e dez or K e ded is the equinox ,

K ed ez anea rs the equinox of March Kedez gwe ng olo

, , ,

the equin ox of September To Venus and Mithra .

a p articul a r pl ac e w as a ssigned at the vernal an d

a utu mn al equino x a time repo r ted favou ra ble for the
,

descent and ascensio n of soul s .

K ed ic us is cal l ed D r w s or de L udis The de .

L udis (of the games ) is direct e v idence of his con

n e c t ion with such festival s as the L u h nas a Dr ws is
g .

a door recallin g the I arn do r of the sol stice

, No w
the soul s w ere sa id to descend to ea rth by the sign of
C ancer an d to retur n to the heavens by the sig n of
,

C a prico rn These w ere call ed respectively the ga te

.

of the moon or the gate of m en and the gate of the ,

sun or the gate of gods Mith ra w as the j udge a s .

,

a lre ady s aid of the a ctions of men and a ccording to

, ,

his j udgment was the entrance opened to them of the

p a r ticul a r abode of blis s to w hich their conduct
entitled them .

No w in the to wn of Vienne in the dep artment of

Is ere in F rance w as found a L e ont o ceph alic Mithra
, ,
-
,

holding a key in eac h ha nd w hil e at Chesters on the ,

1

south w all a nciently c all ed C il urnum w as found a

, ,

stone on the one side of w hich w as a lion standing

,

over a l umi an gure an d sculptured on the other a ,

2
m al e gi n e hol ding a key
'
.

These attributes of the key and the door w ere

pecul i ar s ays L aj ard to the Roman Mithraic cul tus ;
, ,
3

and it is clear eno ug h w here the Christian fab ulist

got his K e dicus D rw s .

1 L aj ar d M it h r a,
, 589 p . .

2
\Varb urt o n s Ro ma n Wal l , 9 4 9

. .
3 M it h ra , pp . 4 59 , 4 6 0 , 4 6 2 .
13 0 S C O TTIS H M YT H S .

K eds connection w ith mys t eries appears in a song

of the b a rd C uli e lyn w h o speaks of the a w ful enj oy

1
ment of the society of K ed a nd w ith a stone w here , ,

i n the T ri a ds one of the mighty la bours of the Is la nd

of Brita in is s a id to ha ve been t h e erecting of the ston e

2
of K etti .

His connection w ith Lludd the great appears

in the fol l o w ing extra ct from t h e song of Lludd a s
3
given by D a vies :
Let the tr uth be a scribed to M e nwyd the d ragon ,

chief of the w orl d he formed the curva tures of K yd , ,

w hich p a ssed the d a l e of grievous w a ters h aving the ,

forep art stored wi th corn a nd mounted al oft w ith the ,

connected serpents .

The c ib n o ked ac cordin g to Da vies is the s ame , ,

as the p a ir C e rid w e n the bucket of the muse (Ceres

, ,

the w om a n Ceres from Ceres and bea n a w oma n , ,

Czr ie d bene ficence m a en a stone m o n c cr t wy n a

, , , , , ,

4
w a gon a n d if M a en K etti is the S t one of B e n e c e n c e
, ,

it is surely the sa me a s the L le c h L abb ar of Dyfed .

Cc cl is fa vour g ift relief a s atchel or b a

,
g , , ,

c t e n or as D a vies spells it
e , ,
lum e n a sm all chest or , ,

c a binet Cg/ ( l is j unction cou pl in g ; hence the con
.
'

n e c t e d serpents .

No w w h o i s M e nw yd the dra gon chief

,
ll I c m v

in \Vel sh is intellec t mind and a s M e n w yd h ad , ,

something to do w i t h lec t te n a small chest w e nd th at , ,

m c nest ? is a cup
bearer w hile in G a elic
m e nst ir w a s the box for t h e consecra ted bre a d .
5

But f e nw f e ng w w as t h e i nstructor in magic

z
,

6
of U t h yr Pendr agon w h o w as t h e son of three loud ,

call s a n d w e found th at A r t al so son of Conn w as , ,

D i C lt i R
1
av e s, h l ii p S
e c esea r c ,
vo . . . .

M id
3
l i p 160
. vo I b id
.
_
. l ii p 5 6 8
. . I b id l ii p 4 0 3 3 . vo . . . .
4
. vo . . . .

B k f A m g/ q
oo o t d i N t r t Ad ma r, C l um b p 23 8
uo e n o es o a nan s

o a, . .
5
J/ b i gi
a l ii p
no C lt i R
o n, v o h . l i p 16 1
. . e c esea r c ,
vo . . . .
 SC O TT I S H MY HT S . I3 l

the m an of three sho uts ; and we ha ve Seen K e d ic us

or Cet taking refuge w ith a Chr istia n s aint from
M ailgwn the servant of the bowl the n ame of the
, ,

saint be ing K ent ige rn or as it w as call ed more v ulgarly , , ,

M a ng o Let us see w h o this Mungo w as and w hence

.

he c ame .

The e arliest records exta nt of th is saint are con

t a in e d in B ishop Forbes s book St Ninia n a nd St

. .
,
'

e n t i e r n.
g
The o l der of the t w o is a fragment w ritten before
1 1 6 4 ; the other is comp l ete an d is the w ork of ,

Jo c e lin e a monk of Fu rness w ritten most probab ly

, ,

about t w enty v e years l a ter -

.

In the rst w e are to ld that L e udonus w hence ,

L e ud o nia the c o un t rv over w h ich he rul ed in northern

,

Brita in a half pagan h ad a daught er named Th a n ey

, ,

(J o c e line c all s her Taneu) wh o h ad a lover E w en of ,

a most nob l e stock of the Brita in s and al so according , ,

to the Gestes of the Histor ies son of the king of .

Ul ie n U lien is Ul ster L e udo nia is Lothian

. The , .

king L e udo nius (Ludd L e w Lug etc ) ordered his , , , .

d aughter Tan a u to marry E w en or become a s w ine

herd .

Ta n Ta na u \Ve lsh 1 re res

, ,

T an Ta nio u Ar em o r ic l
, ,

slim and b r igh t

Ta na o in A re m oric al so s ignies ,

t una in G a elic a nd this I beli eve to be the proper

,

deriva tion of t h e w ord Now this s w ine herding .

-

undoubtedly arises from a confusion betw een the w ord s

ma g us a pr iest m ug a serva nt and m a c a pig ; a nd
, , , , ,

it seems certain th at the al ternative supposed to h ave

been o ffered the girl I say supposed beca use I do , ,

not beli eve there ever existed such individual s w as

m arri age or a rel igious life Tane n prefers ser v ice .

w it h the s w ineherd w h o tre ated her chas tely a nd ,

13 2 S C O TTIS H M Y T HS .

k indly ; a c ircumstance expl ained in the legend by

s aying he w as secretly a Christi a n E w en ho w ever .
, ,

taking opportunity fo rced the girl and she w as to be

, ,

hurl ed from a rock in fact a ctua lly w as so (according

,

to the other versions she w as to be stoned) but w as ,

m ir a culously susta ined an d w as nall y ex posed in an

open boat w hich driven by w ind and tide stra nded
, , ,

on the coast of Fife w here she w as del ivered an d the

, ,

chil d ad opted by St Se rv an us This Serv anus or . .

Serf or S air (cer r us a stag) h ad a festival observed

, , ,

in h is honour on the l st of J ul y at C ul ross

, His ,
.

mirac l es incl ude restoring a m an s p ig to life cha nging

w a ter to wi ne defea ting the devi l in a cave at Dysa rt

, ,

and slaying a dragon in a ca ve a t Dunni ng in Perth

Shire .

He is said to h a ve been a discipl e of Palladins w h o , ,

N ennius t e ll s us w a s sent d uring St P atrick s c apt iv it v

, .

in Ire land to conve r t the Scots But tempests and .

signs from God prevented h is l and ing for no one can ,

a rrive in an c o un t r v except it be all o w ed from a bove

y
al tering therefore his course from Ireland he came
, , ,

to Britain a nd died in the la nd of t h e P icts Bede .
1

gives us the s ame i nforma t ion H M oist o v the statue . a ,

of Minerv a came to imply a charm for security or

,

protection an d Palla di n s is I opine but the same w ord

, , ,

with a m asculine t ermina tion a n d is in fact a nother ,

term for w h at appea rs as St Se rv anus The tradi tions . .

about both are very ful ly given by Forbes in h is Ca len

d a rs of Sc ot t ish Sa int s The mea n ing of Mungo s .

names h as evidently been a difcul ty a s w e are told .

by Joceline th at he w as c alled M ungh u m ean in g ,

k arissim us Amicus K y e n t yern w h ich is by in
, ,

t e rpre t at io n the c a pita l Lord a nd th at Se rv anus ,

exclaim ed a t h is b irth M o c h o ch e w h ich means Ca re ,

N iu p 50 enn s, a ra . .
 S C O TTIS H MY TIIS . 13 3

"
mi. The expression De ar me w h a tever it s ex a ct ,

deriva tion does not seem w o rthy of so ca refu l a record

, ,

an d needed no a ttention w ere it not th a t m oc h in

W elsh is ready s w ift equiva lent to the Ir ish l ugh , , ,

m oc h al so signify ing s w ine K en in A re m o ric in .

, ,

composition is bea utifu l ; tie r n is a l ord ke nt ier n the

,

bea utiful lord No w Edl en fa ther of Lug of the L ia

.
,

F ail w as son of Tigh e rnm as compounded of t igh e r n a

, , ,

l ord a nd m a ts sp a rkli ng bril lia ncy

, ,
m a ise , ,

bea uty Tigh ernm ais the be autifu l l ord W e have

, , .

some p articulars of Tig h e rnm as .

He w a s the rst w h o in troduced the w orsh ip of

1
idol s into Irel and and he w orsh i pped the Crom Cru ac h ,

(b en t b loody one ) a t M agh Sl eac h t the eld of ,

obeisa nce in B re fne on Sam h uin i e H allo w E en a
, , , . .
,

priapic festiv al to this day (see B ur n s s Poems) The

Books of Le a can and B a llymo t e tell us it w as in his

reign th at clothes w ere rst dyed purple bl ue a n d ,

green an d th at at th at t ime the number of colour s to be

,

w orn by the d ifferent ra nks of the people w a s rst pre

scribed T ig h e r nm a s h ad the s a me fa ncy for coloured
.
2

clothes a s the C anni n e fat e s a n d the foll o w ers of ,

C ara usius a n d A llec t us and the Picts a n d K e n t ig e rn ,

certai nl y h a il s from Pictish ground No w M ungh u .

the other n am e of K e n t ige rn m ay mea n dea res t

friend or it m ay be deriv able from an-zryn m il d and g it
, , ,

or o n dea r but it is the s a me n a me as M e ng w the

, , ,

instructor of U t h yr Pendragon ; an d a s M e ngw w as

son of Te irgw ae d d (t a ir three as in t e ir d dal e uo g three , , ,

l eaved an d g wa ed d a shout ) so w a s our Mungo son of

, , ,

E w en I e w an a scre am O f course K e nt ig ern m ay

, ,
.

mea n s imp ly the hea d of the l ord as the summit ,

or ch ief of B elinus is the tra nsla tion of the name
C uno b elinus ; an d indeed w e n d th at the setti ng up
1 O i i S i ty l i p 6 5
ss an c l b id
oc e l p 207
,
vo . v. . . . vo . v . . .
I3 4 M

of hea d s of grea t men w as con sidered a protection to

various d istricts of Brita in in w h ich they w ere set up .

Th us E ogh a n B el sh e ad being turned to w ards U lster

w hen bur ied g ave t h e Conn a cht men victo ry o er the

,
v

U l ster men til l they found out the reason a nd disim

t e rrin g h im bur ied him fa ce do wn Bra n s hea d 1
.

w as ordered to be buried in the W hite Mount nea r

London a nd as l ong a s it re m ained there no inv a sion
,

of Brita in h appened .
2

A brief glance at the G e stes of Mungo as given

by J o celine w ill I t hin k tend strongly to conrm , ,

my propos ition th a t Mungo as Christian sa int a nd ,

bishop is entirel y fabul ous

, .

Se r v anus made it the ta sk of h is disc ipl es e a ch in ,

turn for a w eek to a ttend to the l ig hts and keep a

, ,

re burning consta ntly During Mungo s turn of .

duty t o sp ite him his c o discip l es e xtingu ished all the

, ,

res so t h at he coul d not get a l ight .

Thus w e see the m ainten ance of a cont inua l re

w as a d ut v in the w orship of Se rv an us Mung o s

mother s name me a ns as w e ha ve seen re By , ,

s.

prayer ho w ever re w as given him from heaven in a

, ,

green haz el branch Col c is h az el in 6 1511 [fel on

l n
7
.
,

is inst ruction doc t ri ne in t h e allied Are m o ric He

, ,
.

got his inst ruct ion in a bra nch of a fruit tree Lug -
.

m ac C e it hl e n sounded e e tlc n w as the k night of the

, ,

L ia F ail .

In Brit t a ny w hen a youn g w om an refused a m a n

,

in m a rri age she presented h im w ith a bra nch of haz el

,

Mungo s next m ira cle is the restoring of it s h ea d
to a r ed breast w h ich his fell o w d iscipl es h ad torn o ff
-
,
-

in the ir p lay .

1
Anna ls of t/( e F o ur Al a ster s, A D 53 8 . . .

2
M ab ino o n, v o l ii i 1 24 , 1 2 8 . . pp . .
 SC O T l

lI M Y T HS .
13 5

He next resuscitates Se r v anus s dea d cook

.

C aldrons pl ay a gre at p art in these stories a nd ,

a r e often connected w ith cooki ng .

Fionn Fi ngal got his w isdom a ccording to some

, , ,

a ccounts by a ccidenta lly putting h is nger into his

,

m o uth h avi n g burnt it w ith the ste a m issui ng from a

,

caldron in w hich he w as cooking a s al mon In the .

Ha n es Ta l ie in of t h e l ll rb inog io n G w io n b a ch (Littl e
s l
,
l

Fion ) robs C e r id w e n of the c a ldron of the kno w ledge

, ,

she w as go in g to imp a rt to A v agdd u her ugly son , ,

by the s ame in a dvertent licking of his nger w hil e

w a t c hi ng the cooking of the m agic pot a fe w drops ,

from the stea m h a ving scal ded it In the R eay .

count ry th a t of the M ac K a ys the s ame story is

, ,

to ld of F e a rc h ar Leigh F a rquh a r the Leech w h o ,

2
,

be ing engaged to cook a wh ite sna ke in a pot w ith

h az el sticks (see the A re m o ric connection betw een
h az el sticks a nd m a rri age a n d instruction ) scalding
-
,

his nger w ith the s t ea m a cqu ired by the ac t of ,

coo ling it in his mou t h mir aculous kno w ledge as a ,

physici a n There is a nother curious ta le connecting

.

a nother br a nch of the Cl a n K ay w ith a mir ac ul ous

cure performed in this c a se by a Be t h o un of M ul l a s

, ,

the story goes the n ame being the s ame a s tha t of ,

the children of B e t h o un V e t h a n a nd L iet h ali in , , ,

South \Vales M iss M a ck a y of K ilm a h um aig K nap

.
,

da le being il l t h e grea t M ull doctor w as sent for ;

, ,

a rriving a t t h e residence of his p a tient with the mes

senger the fo llo w ing convers a tion took pl a ce betw een

,

them :
S bi nn n gut h i nn in

n g ill dh
'

a c s a rs ea

S bi n n

ll dh i u hd

L guin

n t ar s a o a a r ac ar os .

1Sk th i k
ene th i t y w i t d
n sb ut t h y s 1 5 90 F u
s or as nv e n e a o e e ar . o r

A i t B k
nc e n f W l l i p 1 93
oo s o If it i l ly
a es, v o h u f . . . . so , s c e ar a. r ec a o

o th t l
er f wh i h w h
a es o m y t b c e av e an rac es as a o v e.
3
C m pb l l
a W t H ig h l d T l
e

l ii p 3 6 3
s es an a es, v o . . . .
I 3 6 S C O TTIS H M Y T HS .

S wee t is t h th d
a ea

s v o ce, i
sa id t h e l ad
S wee t ,
"
id t h e d
sa o c t o r, a bo ve a t oa d .

This clea rly a sort of proverbial sa ying w hich h a s

is ,

h a d the story a tt ached to it for exp l a n ation .

For losg ntn a frog rea d lea ca n a sl ab The b a ttle

, ,
.

of the Cla ns on the Inch of Perth w as fought on the

one side by the Cla n K ay to w hom W ynt o un in his , ,

C lach inyh e (c lac h a

Ch r o nic le gives the n a me of

, ,

stone) though by the Cl an w h o possibly bea r the

,

na me it is in a ll c as es pronounced as if c la ga n a skull
, , ,

a be ll
1
.

The l ady h ad sw allo w ed a to ad ca lled Lon C ra o is

( store provision,
of the mouth ) w hich w a s tempted ,

to j ump out of her mouth by the doctor ro a sting a

2
sheep beside her .

This cook ing h as I conclude to do w ith the , ,

o ffer in gs of corn to the di vinity w h o presided over

gro w th a n d reproduction Thus w e h ave C ai in the .

\V e l sh rom a nces appe a ring a s Art hur s p a ntler ,

w h ile B e d w y r w a s his butler I quote here a p assa ge .

from D a ies giving his tra nsl ation of their a ppell a tions
v ,

a s th ey a ppea r in the Tri a ds

The three dia demed chiefs of the Isl and of
B rit ain t h e rst w as Hua il vicegerent of Hu the son
, ,

of C aw (t h e e nc losur e) als o called G w air (r e no va tion ) , ,

the son of G w est yl (the g r ea t t emp e t ) The second s .

w a s Ca i the son of Cyn yn Go v (the

o r i in of me m o r ia l
g ) surn a med C a in v arv o
g (w ith the ,

s
p le nd id b ea r d ) an d the third w a s T ryst a n son of
, ,

T all w c h .

And B e dwy r the son of Pe dro g (Ph all us the , ,

son of the qu adra ngl e ) w ore h is di adem as pres id ing ,

over the three .

1
Th i is t h e
s n am e w h ic h c o m m e n t a t o rs h a v e c all e d t h e Cl an Yh a .
"

2
p
C a m b e ll s

W est High la nd T a les ,

v o l ii . .3 66 p . .
 S C O TTIS H M YT I I S .
l3 7

C a i w as here the son of memor ial a nd presided ,

over by this b o dg wr a m a n ,
.

Se rv anus s cook a s the a bove c l e arly ind ica tes

, ,

w as a n al tar of o ffer in s of w hea t etc

g ,
.

Mungo next lea ves his mas ter against the w i ll of

Se rv anus w h o fo ll o w ed and tried to get him to return
, ,

but this w as prevented by a stre am running betw een

them a n d Mungo succeeds a s bishop app a rently a
, ,

certa in F r eg us w hose funeral he conducted pl a cing

, ,

hi s body on a w a in (m e n a w ain m ae n a stone ) , , , ,

dr a w n by t w o oxen w hi ch stopped at C at h ures n o w ,

G l asg u Gl a sgo w
, .

F regus is Fergus an d is evidently the same Fergus ,

w hom Conn m ac Ness a succeeded the Fergus of the ,

Bod Fergus a t T
No w as regards the use of oxen l e t us compa re a ,

p as sage from the Gwync a r d d B r ec h einiog w h o D a vies , ,

tell s us w rote in the tw el fth century :

,
1

Th e two D c w i t w o o f st ngu s e
o xe n o f o no ur,
di i ih dh ,

Put t e r nec k s un er t h e c ar o f t h e o f t y o ne ;
h i d l
T h e t w o o xe n o f D e w m aj est c w e re t ey i i h .

ih
\V t q ua
e lp ac e t h ey m o v e d to t h e f e st i v al .

\l h e n t h ey h ast e n e d in co n d u t ing t h
c r
e sacre db oon to
G l asc w m (t h e gree n va ll ey
) ,

Th e th di gn i fi d o n w n t l uggi h
re e e es ere o s s .

Th e am i bl B ngu w a e l ft b hi n d b i ng h i h i n
a as e e e ar s c a ,

A nd th tw th
e w i t h t h i h ug b ul k
o o e rs i d in B e r e a rr v e re ch inia .

W e shall see immedia tely th a t Mungo goes on to

Dew i a fter a s t a y a t Glasgo w Is the progress of the .

c a r h ere described a t a l l dissi m il a r fro m th a t of the

Germ a n goddess described by Tacitus in his M a nne r s

of t he Ge r m ans c 4 0 ,
.

Aft er mentionin g the L ang o b ardi (is this C a in

v a rv o of t h e sp l endid bea rd of the Tri a ds and
g
1
Cel t ic R esea r c h , vol . ii . p . 14 1 .
13 8 S C O TTIS H M Y T HS .

other Germa n na tions Ta citus s a y s They unite in ,

the w orship of He rtha or Mother Ea rth a nd suppose ,

her to interfere in the affa irs of men a nd to visit the ,

d ifferent n a tions In a n isl and of the ocea n sta nds a

.

s acred a nd unviol ated grove in w hich is a co n secrated ,

cha riot covered w ith a veil w hich the priest a lone is

, ,

permitted to touch He becomes conscious of the .

ent ra nce of the goddess into this secret recess ; a nd

w i t h profound venera tion a ttends t h e vehicle w hich is
dra w n by yoked co w s A t this sea son all is j oy a nd .
,

every pl ac e w hich the goddess deigns to visit is a

scene of festivity No w a rs a re undertaken ; arms
.

a r e untouched a n d eve r hosti l e w ea pon is shut up

y ,
.

Pe a ce abro a d a nd a t home a re then o nl y kno w n ; then

o nl v loved : till a t l e ngth the s ame priest reconducts

the godd e ss s atiat ed w ith mortal in tercourse to her

, ,

temple The ch a riot w ith its c ur tain a nd if w e m ay ,

believe it t h e goddess herself then undergo ablution

, ,

in a secret l a ke This o f ce is pe rformed by slaves

.
,

w ho m the sa me l a ke insta ntly s w all o w s up Hence .

proceeds a mysterious horror ; a nd a holy ignorance

of w h a t th a t c a n be w hich is be h eld only by those ,

a bo ut to perish This p art of t h e Suevia n nation

.

ex t e nds to t h e most remote recesses of Germa ny .

The cha riot covered w ith the ve il m ay be the m en ,

w a in hence m a e n t h e stone ; c udd l

,
is a veil in W elsh
,
e /1
,

( zul cl ob sc urity lle n a veil ); c o m pare C e it h le n the

'

i , , ,

father of L ug (d d t h ) The g ddess w h o ente red z . o

the cha riot w h a tever she m ay h ave been w as not a

, ,

sta tue it b e ing conceived unw or t hy of the gra ndeur

,

of celesti a l be ings to represent their deities under a

1
huma n simil itude ; a nd Ta citus fu r t her te ll s us tha t

they afx n a mes of divinity to th a t secret po w er ,

w hich they beho ld w ith the eye of a dor ation al one ,

T it u M 1
f th G m ac 9 s, a nne rs o e er a ns , c . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
l3 9

w hile they carried w ith them to b attle cer t ain im a ges

a nd sta nd ards t aken fro m the s a cred
I
g ro v e s There .

is nothing at a ll aga inst such a vessel as St Fill a n s bell

.

h a ving been used in such a progression a nd w hile the ,

oxen of De w i moved to the festiv al it w a s also a time of ,

festivity w hil e the German goddess m a de her progress .

Ha s not the mysterious av a ne draw n from the l ake

something to do w ith the ch ariot being taken from it s
a blutions and it w as the oxen of Hu tha t dre w it ?
,

O ur histori a n next gives us pal t ic ulars as to

Mun go s h abits .

He w ore a go at sk in co at He abs t a ined from esh -

.

a nd blood a n d w ine except on specia l occ a sions

, He .

l ay on a stone a n d ghting th a t dra gon,

th at ac cord ,

ing to the prophet lieth in the midst of his ri v ers he ,

stripped himself n aked a nd plunged into the rapid a nd

cold w ater a nd emergin g from the w ater w h iter th a n
,

sno w he sat himself do wn on a h ill c all ed G ula t h

,

(G wylle dd d a rkness in Welsh ) Did he retire under

, ,
.

his v eil ? He used to w ithdraw himself from men a n d

d w elt i n ca v erns w hen he liv ed on roots of herbs , ,

returning for a long time before M a undy Thursday ,

(i e the d ay before Good Frid ay ) a nd aft er th at on the

. .
,

S aturd ay before P alm Sunday (i e the Sund ay before . .

E aster ) w hen he w ould w a sh the feet of l CT S This

, .

seems to poin t t o a ceremoni al a t the heathen O sta ra

festi v al a nd t h e ch ange of period from the day before
, .

Frid ay to S a turd ay h as p oss ibly some rel ation to the

story w hich I fa il to perceive unless it be a ch ange of ,

ceremonial O stara w as a goddess of Light a nd in

.
,
2

her honour w ere lighted the O ste rfeuern the E a ster ,

res The connection w ith M ungo s mother Ta n a u
.
,

res is striking
,
.

1 T l a nner s of th e G er ma ns, c 1
a c it us, . .

2
G r imm s D eut sch e M yt h ologie, v o l iii

. . p . 91 .
1 40 SC O TT I SH M Y TH S .

Mungo w as be a utiful to look upon w hich agrees ,

w ith the deri v a tion of K e n t ig e rn a bo v e given .

He mira culously used stags for plo ughing a nd ,

c aused corn to gro w He tra nsferred King M o rk e n s .

barns full of corn to his ow n d w ellin a ood oa ting cr

b )

them over for h i m re m inding one of the song of ,

Lludd the Grea t w hen Kyd passed the dale of ,

grie v o us w aters ha v ing the forep art stored w ith

,

corn .

A s w as n atura l after such a n appropri ation the ,

king w as not very friendly w ith Mungo a nd one d ay , ,

incited thereto by a w a rrior call ed Cat h e n k icks the ,

s aint Morken di es of a disease of his feet w hich

.

beca me hereditary in his fa mily .

N o w t his disease of the feet occurs in the West

Highl a nd Tales of the Ce at h arnac h In this the .

Bod ach o ld fe ll o w (note the b od a ch is a termina tion

,

of a dj ecti v es riabh ac h striped m aise a ch bea utiful

, , , , ,

b o d a ch is a common w ord for a bl ack bottle ) to C e o ch d , ,

the son of m isty (C e o m ist k ay m ist Ma nx ) other , , , , ,

w ise called Rob a ny a n im a l wh ich r o o t s up t h e ea r t h

,

wit h its sno ut Mac Sh e o ic the so n of ,

J o e/c (c a L aga in son of the den La ga n

, , ,

A r e mo ric a loch ) c la g ui n of a ag o n the Jock

, , , ,
,

of t h e C a n already mentioned is cured of a di sease ,

of his feet by Gille a n Leigh the serv a nt of the ,

Leech or it m ay be of L e a th e stone a nd beca me

. ,

a s s w i ft as he w as before w hich connects him w ith ,

Lugh s w ift of the L ia F ail

, ,
.

In consequence of the a nnoyance of his enemies ,

1 Rab d o m a nt ia in G r ee k is t h e d iv in at io n b y ro ds w h ic h w e re m a rk e d as ,

w e re a pp
ar e nt l
y t h e G e r m a n a nd W e l sh l o ts 3 t e r m o ss ib ly r e nd e re d b y
,
. p
t h e n a m e o f t h e se a a ring f p
o rt io n o f t h e B a t av ii c a ll e d C a n nin e fa t e s,
, ro m f
xt iv va , a re e d , an d (p an s. say ing a n o rac l e ro m
. , f
s ea k I t is h o w p .
,

e v e r, a ppare nt t h at t h e f
o r m C a nne n ufa t es g ive n b y A ins w o r t h se e m s b e st

e x pla ine d b y K d v v q , ac c K tiuuq u, a r e e d

.

. , pp
i e , c a n O P , a nd dm, tw o , w e a ve I ,

se c o nda ril y , m a k e , b uild , i e b o at b uil d e rs o f re e d s o r w a nd s

~
. . .
 SC OTT I S H M Y TH S .
1 41

Mungo h ad to leave Gl asgo w an d goes to De wi the , ,

holy bishop w here he m akes a cqu aintance w ith Gas

,

w a ll a n a n d gets the gra nt of Na n t c h a r v a n in the

, ,

neighbourhood of w hich he founds his monastery a nd ,

there receives K e dic us D rw s and Mae lgw n But th a t .

he m ay not be w ithout a connection w ith pigs w e ,

ar e told he w as guided to the proper spot for his

mon a stery by a w hite b o ar w hich turned up the pl a ce ,

w ith his snout This boar s n a me possibly w as Rob

. .

It is curious tha t the boa r w as the badge of the

XX Legion long sta tioned at Deva n o w Chester The ,
.

mon astery om ish ing gre atly he being sent for by

, ,

R id d e rc h H a el n o w rul ing in Cumbri a w h o h ad him ,

self been b aptiz ed b y St P a trick left Ll anel wy .

,

under the ca re of S t A s a ph (da dnys obscure . a

, ,

uncertain ) an d return ed to Gl asgo w w he r e the kin g

, ,

m a de h im in h is ofce of Bishop supreme over

himself .

No w the Queen of R id e rch H a el (r t king der g red , , , ,

h a e l libera l ) fal li ng in lo v e w ith a young soldier ga ve

, , ,

him a r ing f at w ith a p recious gem L ia g Zea c in it

, , , , , ,

w hich h ad been spe c ia l l intrusted to her by the k ing v .

He seeing this ring on the soldier s h an d one d ay

,

removed it w h ile he slept thre w it into the Clyde , ,

a n d aw a k in g t h e sleeper ordered him home the inci

, , ,

dent occurring during a hunting excursion R id e rc h .

,

returning him self dem an ds the ring from the queen , ,

w h o sends to the soldier for it w h o a ns w ers th at it is .

l ost a n d then esca pes a n d le a v es the queen to be ca st

,

into prison to aw a it pu ni shment In her sore strai ts .

she sends to K e n t ig er n a n d tells him the w hole story , .

He instructs the queen s messenger to ca st a hook
into the river b y w hich ca tching a s a lmon he recovers
,

the ring the sh ha vin g s w a llo w ed it The precious

,
.

j e w el being given ba ck t o the k ing peace w as resto red , ,

 SC O TT I SH M Y TH S .

the queen a nd even the soldier being a gain received

, ,

into fav our .

Thus w e see the L ia F ail itself commemora ted in

the ring a nd s almon of the co at of a rms of the city
of Glas go w .

W e h a ve seen alre ady h o w a s almon in a curious

w a y ga v e his kno w ledge to F io n n w e here see the L ia
Fa il in a salm on a nd in the M ab ino g i called Ha nes
,

Taliesin ( e the story of Taliesin w hose name being

i

. .
, ,

interpreted mea ns ra dia nt front w e a re told th a t ,

w hen a child the g re a t poet w as found w rapt in a

le a ther b ag (b otg ) in the sea c aught in a salmon ,

w ei r .

In the Isle of M an the p arish n a me of the district ,

o ff the co a st of w hich is the Pollock rock in

w hi c h B a d ic ea s son w as conce aled is ca l led Kirk

n
,

Bra dda n a n d b ra d da n is the G aelic for a s a lmon In

,
.

K ir k b ra dd an there ar e an a ncient t t nnc a a l as Kelly ,

( r 0 0 3 Baal t inn
) in his M n x Diction a ry spe l ls Tyn w a ld a ,

a K ile A bba n w hich he m akes A mmon a n d other

, ,

rema ins o f a p aga n cultus It is ho w e v er cle a r th a t .

, ,

t h e Pollock rock w a s the loc ali t y w here T a liesin w as

found an d of course if this st o r y the H a n es T aliesin ,

is an invention o f the end of t h e 1 6 t h century the ,

w rit e r of it h ad very inti m at e a cqu aint a nce w ith

a

a ncient legend for it c l e a r l v poin t s to his identic a tion

,

of Taliesin w ith t h e son of Bo adicea though he ,

curiously enough does n o t mention the connection .

A n d fu rther M ae lg w n the Dr agon of the Isl a nd is

, , ,

doubtless T a liesin of the Poll ock Rock a nd Mungo of ,

Gl as gow to boot .

To this the Gl asgo w arms themselves be ar w itness

in conj unction w ith the next p ass age in Mu ngo s

life
.

R ide rc h is visi t ed by an Irish b a rd w h o as w a s , ,

 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
1 43

their custom asking an impossibility desires a dish of

, ,

mulberries it being then after Christmas (M o pea

,
.
,

mulberries in Welsh m wya r m a ir rec alling the w ord

, , ,

m ete r Irish m a o r a n o fficer or m ur the w all ) Kenti

, , , ,
.

gern ho w e v er procures these miracul ously a nd the

, , ,

ba rd r enouncing his former life gives himself up to

, ,

the service of God .

No w in Irish m u] is a bell a nd to sho w its con , ,

n e c t io n w ith a n ele v a ted point m a ll is a promontory ,

1Ha ll of C a n t r e
(the y ) e t c an d the G a elic n ame for , ,

the G allovidi a n cl a n of the Bell s is M a c gill e m M h uil

the son of the ser v ant of the Bell .

This m i t tberry w e identify w ith the bell in the

tree of the Gl a sgo w a rms w hich is not otherw ise ,

mentioned in the legend a n d w ith the b a r d w h o left ,

his pre v io us evil w ays a n d beca me a ser v a nt of God .

We next he ar of a n intervi e w bet w een Mungo a n d

Columba w here Colu m ba is s aid to h a v e described
,

K e n t ig e r n as cro wn ed w ith a ery pill a r i n fa shion ,

like a golden cro w n .

During Columb a s v isit t w o of his follo w ers stea l

a r a m of K e n t ig e r n s an d cut o f
f its he a d The ram
, .

rushes b ack blea ting t o the ock but the hea d turn ing , ,

into a stone stuck t o the h a nds of the m a ra uders

,
.

Ha s this ra m s he a d a nything to do wi t h Kill A mmon

in K ir k b ra dda n We m ay h a zard the conj ecture th a t

Columba s mar a uding o n h angers w ere some wh at in

-

the position of Edw ard Longsha nks w hen he m arch ed ,

o t o Engl a nd w ith the precious l t un p of red s a ndstone

i

on w hich o m So v ereigns h av e been so ca refull y cro w ned

an d w hich is seriously beli e v ed by some to be the

stone Ja cob rested on and to h ave been brought to ,

Brita in by Jeremia h or one of the prophets J oc e lin e

tells u s the ra m s hea d remains to this day a nd as

Ed w a rd s invas ion w as a century la ter unless some

,
I 44 SC OTTI SH M Y TH S .

other cl aimant appea rs I thi nk the Westminster stone,

is the ra m s head turned into stone A s rega rds the

.

sticking of their h a n d s to this st o n i e d he ad w e nd ,

in the story of the C eat h arnach alrea dy quoted a ,

simil ar incident ; he also causes cert ain people to stick

to things no t only w ith the ir h ands but w ith the ,

breech L lcf r is breech in \Ve lsh L lcf rc n a l arge

.
, ,

buttocked w oman ; hence L le c h L la -r the stone of ,

the breech an d thus it beca me a ch a ir an d a roy al

,

throne .

Fin all y K e nt ig e rn perceiving th a t from m any
,

cra cks in it the r uin of h is e arthly house w a s

,

imminent h a d his mouth tied up w ith a linen b a nd
,

a e ; a n d in like fa shion w e sa w Conn m ac Ness a

g
before h is de ath w ith his he a d se w ed up though in ,

his case gold thre a d w as used There is a ve ry long .

a n d rem a rk a ble cr a ck in St Fill a n s be l l w hich loc a l
.
,

tradition s a id w a s caused by a soldi er rin g at it

a s it w as ing over his he ad This w as Ked m ac
y .

M agh ac h I suppose having ch anged h is sling for a

, ,

m ore modern w eapon .

\Vh e t h e r there e v er e xisted a Christi a n ins t r uctor

of the Cumbri ans or not called Mungo the biogra phy , ,

of St Mungo is merely a n a t tempt t o mo uld into form

.

tra ditions h a ving t heir origin in p aga n O bserv a nces of

our a ncestors so a s to be useful for the purposes of
,

m agnifying the Church or it m ay be th a t age h av ing ,

obscured their origin these tra di t ions w ere embodied

,

into a consistent n a rr ative by conscientious believers

in their a uthenticity as connected w ith a n e arly
Christi an teac her .

A nd the sa me m ay be s aid of those p arts of the

story of St P a trick w hich in connection w ith the
.
,

a bove point to the conclusion tha t some of the

,

incidents in his l ife stil l accepted as historic al are not

, ,
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
l 45

i n cidents in the life of a m an b ut traditio ns h aving ,

their origin in quite di fferent circums ta nces used , ,

a ccordi n g to the method of the early Rom a n Churc h .

to reta in for itself pl a ces and n ames al re ady h eld in

re v erence w hil e the a bsur d w ish to pose as of as gre a t
,

a e as possib le further i n cre as ed their desire to gi v e

g
circumstantial support to their claims by adopti n g
a ncient local t ra ditions as the b asis of their n a rr ative s .

I ha ve no doubt th at St P atrick s sl avery w i t h .

M il c h u w hich is most prob a bly the s ame n ame as

,

Ma e lg w n a nd M e il o c h o n an d his occup ation dur in g ,

th a t time as a s w in e herd clea rly betr ay his connec ,

tion w ith the L ia F ail a nd t h e so c all ed T uat h a de -

D a naa ns w hile th is is supported by a n entry in th e

,

Book of B allymote w hich talks of the grav e of E sc lam

,

b r it h e m an of the D agd a w hich is c alled P a trick s

1
gra ve at this d ay Here P a t ri ck a ppe ars as the
.

j udge or brehon as I believ e fr om the use o f sortil ege

, ,

in settlin g d isp utes of the Ta gta (chosen one 3 );

,
r

d a m h is a leper according to O R eilly and if su c h a

w ord w ere used in the Welsh or A r e m o ric Ys d a m h ,

w ould be the leper .

No w P atrick is s aid to h av e gone to Irel and on a

a t stone or other w ise th at going to Ireland he ga ve
, ,

a p a ss age to a leper desirous of going to th a t countr y ,

by thro w in g h im a a t stone on w hich t h e leper sa iled

a cross a n d w e a r e told l anded a t the s ame time as
, , ,

P a trick him se l f .

This story is a bsolutely too absurd not to h av e

h a d some origin in history otherw is e th an in the
incidents of a m an s life ; an d a ccordingly w e n d th at

this stone an d P a trick and Finn m a c Cuil a re con

n e c t e d w ith e a ch other sho win g cle arly the identi t y
,

of origi n of these t w o so very di ssim il ar ch ara cters .

P t i R1 d T w p 102
e r e s

o un o ers, . .

K
140 SP O T T I SI I M Y TH S .

In a vellum m anuscript in Trinity College Dublin , ,

he aded Finn the gra ndso n of Ba isc ne composed

,
1

(th is) foretelling of P a trick w hen h e sl ipped o ff the

, ,

fl ag on w hich he after w a rds c a me t o Irel and is a ,

poem the commencement of w hich is a s foll o w s :

,

I t is no t t h ro u
g h a p th a o f c rim e m y fo o t h as c ome ,
Fo r o f st re ngt h I a m no t b e re ft ,

B ut it is t h e st o ne o f a F e n ia n K ing w ic t h e st o ne rej ec ts h h ,

(says t h e gloss o f t h e o rig inal w ic is B ut a st one rej ect s ,

h h
a F enian K ing

h h p
A ag w ic re resen t s a c ast e m an w it t h e ignit ies of t h e h h d
Ho ly Sp irit .

I t wil l not b ea r G o d griev ing es y F e nian

v

h b o d ies ,

et c .

The poem is as tra nsla ted s ufciently confused, , ,

an d the o l d glosses w ritten to expl a in it do not

'

elucid ate it much The loc ality mentioned is Cor e s .

c it V ,
C athair Guir e c a n d P a trick is c alle d C ot raigh e ,

(se e Co t/u a igh e p O C urry says of t his in a

'
.
,

note : It is q uite cle ar there a re t w o st o nes o r
'

ra ther a stone an d a ro c k referred to in this c ru ious ,

~

a n cient piece th a t is if w e belie v e the he ading to be

, ,

correct either in its form or w i t h my presumed cor

, ,

rection O C urr y proposes to correct it thus : Finn

.

t h e grandson of Ba isc n e c mn p se d (t h is) foretel ling o

,

of P atrick w hen he (Finn ) slipped o ff t h e agst one

3
upon w hich (the l e l wr ) c a me a ft erw ards to Irel a nd
'

Let us continue w it h the no t e O ne of these w as an

a ltar stone th at upon w hich ei t he r P atrick or the
,

leper ca m e to Irela nd a n d the o t her t h e celebra ted ,

rock of Ca shel w hich to this d a y is called C a rr a ig

,

P /zczt m ic or P a trick s R ock but w hich w as also

a ncie ntly c al l ed L c a c P/w t r a zc or P a trick s a

g stone
-
.
,

It is all uded to in a popul ar o ath under that name .

C o re the n ame of the city m ea ns a brewing

,
pan , ,

O C u y Al t i l p 6 2 2 [ b i ] p 3 93

1 2
rr s a er a s , . . t . . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
l 47

a knife a w histle
, a n d w e thus nd our

selves again fa ce to fa ce w ith a caldron a bl ade and , ,

an instrument of sound
; ther e fore though of course ,

c a t h a ir C uir c c m a me a n the se a t of C o r e a m an s
y ,

n ame it m ay mea n the seat of a ny of these instruments

,
.

O C ur ry is quite contented to believe that either

P a trick or a leper w as o a ted over to Ireland on a

stone an d to such a s c an believe this it is quite
, ,

unn ecess ary to a ddress the a rgument of probabilities

but to others I suggest th at the m istake here is not
betw een t w o stones but betw een c la ck an d d ag a
, ,

stone a n d a bell ; an d the rej ection of the Fenian

k in g is either a true in cident w hich is impossible or , ,

a n expression of the ch ange from its origin a l pur pose

of the thin g here call ed C o t ra igh e said to be P atrick , ,

but quite a s ce rt a inly Finn m ac Cu il an d as I believ e , , ,

the P all a dium of the Scots I m ay mention tha t the .

Co re w h o founded the city supposed to be C as hel , ,

w as m a c L ug h a c h the son of Lugh w ith another

, ,

a d v erbi a l ter min a tion .

A s far as I kno w no one h as ever before reduced

,

Mungo or P a trick to the humble positio n of a h e ll or

a bre w ing
pan ; -
but t h e immense import ance of the

for m er instrument to P a trick h as long been a ckno w

ledged e v en in t h e d ays of O ssi a n
,

I th s( y 0 2 2 ) m ng t h Cl i
e re sa s fP t i k
13 7 71 a o e er c s o a r c

A ny w h o ca n in fo rm m e
W h at are th e r el i
gio us o wer sp
B y w ic h h y e ex p e ll e d
th e d
em o n s .

Se ga d ius the Bi h ps o w h o w as no t w e a k .

Sai d I
,
w il l t e l l t h ee h o w it ca m e to p ass,

h h
d f m b nd g
T h e h ell b y w ic we w e re fre e ro o a e

p ded t P t i k
Had e ffe c t b y t h e o w ers co nce o a r c .
1

Th at is to say the bell w as the instrum ent tha t

,

freed them from the bondage to devil s an d secur ed ,

O i i S i ty l i p 101
1 ss an c oc e ,
vo . . . .
l 48 SC O TTI SH M Y T HS .

for P atrick his po wers A r e they not at le ast c o .

ordinat e ? This bell w as sent to P a t r ic k from hea ven ,

fall ing at his feet on the Reek of Cro agh P a trick and ,

P at rick is s aid h a ving difculty in converting these

,

evil spiri t s t o h a v e dri v en t hem into the se a a nd to

, ,

ha ve pitched his bell a fter them A s Conn a cht w as .

1

the place fro m w hich the Firbolg w ere dri v en out of

Irel and a nd as thi s dro w ning of the demons a nd the
, ,

thr o w ing of the bell a fter the m h appened in Connacht

a lso ,
I conclude these a re accounts of the s ame
occurrences .

This bell w as not like ordin ary bells but w a s a ,

sort of gong w hich w a s struck by a m allet or some

such ins t rument a n d the rst stroke on it caused the
,

2
gro w th of cere als Thus w e nd it h ad to do w ith
.

reproduc t ion a nd the gro w th of c r uit /m ea c /z w he at or

, , ,

should it be C ruit h n e ic h Picts 3 ,

'

No w P a trick t hough blessed w ith bells fro m hea ven

, ,

h ad a m a nufacturer of crozi e r crosses sh r ines an d s,

, ,

bell s one of his m o st fa v ourite comp anions w h o

, ,

a ttended him on his dea th bed an d is thus commem ,

or a ted in the Festology of A ngus a composition ,

supposed t o d a te fro m the eigh t h century

T h k ingly B i h o p T
e l s a ssa c i

\V h d m ini t d n h i
o a i l s e re o s arr v a

T h b d y f C h i t t h t uly p w ful k ing

e o o r s e r o er

A nd t h e c o mm unio n t o St l a t r ic l
'

The communion a nd the body of Christ the
tr uly po w erful king a re of course the sa me thing and ,

the w ord tra nsla ted tr uly po w erful r b a ilc is not ,
-

unlike r b u270 w hich might be the geniti v e of r b olg

, ,

a n d the w ord for communion is not unl ike a w ord

signifying a dish though it must be admitted the ,

1
F gu er R ud St
sso n s

f m t p 227 e o ne on nc n s, . .

2
O l i p 104 O C u y I ll t i l p 3 6 3 3 '
i S i ty
ssi an c oc e ,
vo . . . . rr s a er a s, . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
l 49

using of these words w ould not m ake sense in trans

l ating the stan z a .

But w h o is T assach ? Ta sci a and Tasc io is a fre

quent inscription on the e arliest B ritish coins being a n ,

a bbrevi a tion for Ta sc io v an us He is by some believed .

?
to have been the father of C uno b eli n us (cun g w u

B ell in us the B elgic divinity B e l i ) wh o w ith Tasc io

, ,

vanns divides the claim for p riority in coining m oney

in B rit a in m any s amples of coins so in scribed bein g
,

exta nt O n the reverse of some of Tasc iov an us s coin s
.

is t h e w ord Sego prob ably representing Sego n t um t h e

,

Caer Seio n t of the Welsh ne ar Carn arvon w here is C a er , ,

Se int on the river of th a t n ame Tasac h is Tascio .

vanns an d that Segadius one of the names of P a trick

, , ,

is from Sego Segodi us there c an be little doubt

, ,
.

Is the w ord tassie a cup used by Burns a , , ,

possible remanent of th is n ame ? Ouno b e lin us als o

savours of the bo w l .

Fin ally St P atrick in his invocation speci all y

, .

prays to be delivered from the spells of w omen ,

l
smiths a n d Druids Why ? Is it because he w a s of .

a m a teri a l likely to be destroyed if he got into t h e

h ands of t h e smiths and bec ause his pig drivi ng d avs ,

-

h ad been spent with the Dr uids ?

St P a trick s day is close to the March eq uinox
.
,

the connection w ith which and Mithraic w orship h as

been alrea dy pointe d out .

In St F iacc s hymn w e are told that cold did not
.
,

keep Pa trick from spending nights in pools he
s l ept on a bare stone an d a w e t robe about him : a ,

il la r stone w as his p ill o w
-
The w ord tr ansl a ted
p
robe c uilc hc is not unlik e c uil a priva te pl ace
.

, ,

0 6 night d a rkness ? a nd it is quite cle ar th a t thi s must

, ,

have been ne ar er the tr uth for no mere m a n co ul d ,

I
G id l i
o p 1 52 e ca , I b id St k
. pp 1 2 7 1 3 1
.
2
. o es, .
, .
150 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

h a v e slep t h a b itu a lly p ac k e d a s the h y d ro pa t li s ,

call it in a w e t ga rment a n d li v ed to pre ach for si x ty

,
.

ye ars to the p aga ns of the Fein .

I think those coincidences do not incre a se the

likelihood of St Pa trick being a t all historic al . .

Nenniu s tells us th a t P a trick before he w as b a ptized

w a s c a lled Ma un Ha s not this a suggestion o f .

Mm m cm in it ? JI m m (I ris h ) signies w he a t food , ,

bread God the bountiful gi v er A hrim an the Zendic

, , .
,

devil w a s specially distinguished as A n glo M a in yu s

, ,

the opposite of Spe nt o M ainyus the sp i ri t of light ,

.

In the Hindoo tra ditions M a nu is the mea surer or

think er c all ed son of Dyaus or Brahm a as t h e Germa ns
, ,

c alled M a nus so n of T uist o w h o sprang from the , ,

earth This Indi a n M ann ent ered the ark a t the time
.

of the ood w hic h al li e s him directly w ith M an n an a n

.

M ac y Lir a n d Min s the fa ther of Deuk alion

. The o , .
1

n a m e is a l o t h at of a Phoenici a n god an d in all it s

s ,
2

si n i c a t io n s c a rries wi th it the ide a of light a n d

g
reproduc t i n o .

If P atrick is a t lea st p artly fabulous a n d St D a i d ,

. v .

a n d C asw all a n Mungo a n d B id d e r c h H a el a n d M a el

, ,

g w u qui t e as m uch so is it not a s prob able th a t

, ,

C lumb a an d his A ida n a r e equ ally fabulo us ? Th a t

o

they a re so w e sh al l proceed t o pro v e .

St Columb a s life w ritten b y Ad am n an s aid to
.
,

h a v e bee n t h e nin t h a bbot o f t h e mon a stery of Ion a

founded b v Columb a h as been h anded do w n to us ,

from a remote period there being a m anuscript extant ,

believed to be of the eighth century ; a n d t here

certainly ar e i ntern al e v idences w hich indica te a gre at
a e in the n arra ti v e
g .

A d am n a n is s aid to h ave succeeded to the mon as

l l f g/ t b o / og y/ Q r ih e
'

A r ya n N a t io ns, v ol . ii
. pp . 3 5 5, 8 7 , 3 0 7 ,
vo l i . . pp . 4 14 4 15 .

2
L aj ar d

s M it h ra , p . 26 5 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
151

t e ry w ithin a
y e His n a m e in
a r of Columb a s dea th

.

G ae lic is E o na n an d E unan E o nan n i ian poculum

, , , , , ,

a cup ,
1
a lso icon a bird Jo h n etc ,
I a nus the sun g o d , ,
.
,
-

of the Ita li a ns w a s t w o fa ced like the h a ndle of

,
-

St F ill a n s bell (J anita (y e er p) of the B ig Ved a )

.

v .
2

E v idence of A d am na n s existence is mythica l He

.

gives us the fo llo w ing p a rticul a rs of Columba s fa mily

history

There w a s a m an of venerabl e life and blessed
me m ory the fa ther an d founder of mon a steries hav ing
, ,

the s ame n ame as Jon ah the prophet for though its ,

sound is di ffere n t in the three different l angu a ges yet ,

its sign ication is the s ame in all W h at in Hebrew is

Ion a i n the Greek l a ngu age is ca ll ed 17 6 p 0 7 6 pd an d in
,
t

the L atin Columba St Columba w a s born of noble
. .

p a ren t s hi s fat her w a s F e dilmi t h son of Fergus a n d , ,

his mother w as A e t h n e w hose fa ther c an be c a lled in ,

La tin F il ius Na v is but in the Scotic tongue M a c

,

The n ame Ion a suggests a connection w ith E o na nn

the cup a bo v e m e n tioned equ al to (a n a bird Joh n , , , ,

occurring most l ikely in the n a me G e lc o zn m a c E rc o l
'

a nd G al c o zn of the Firbolg w ords connec t ed w ith

'

St John in after times an d w h ose w orship is celebra ted

.
,

w ith fi re in South Germ a ny as w ell as in the British ,

Isl a nds The Do v e from e arliest time h a s in the E ast

.

been consecra t ed to Venus M y llit a O rmuzd M ithra ,

3
, ,

a n d Z ar v a n a t h e father of fa thers that is the father , ,

of O rmuzd a n d Mithra w h o form a supreme triad , .

Their emblem w as a cro w n or circle conta in ing w ithin ,

its cir cumference p a rt of a huma n body united w ith a

dov e It w a s generall y composed of the body wings
.
, ,

a n d t a il though other emblems w ere used as a n ivy

, ,

1
G o id el ica , St o k e s, q uo t ing M F irb is

.

2 A rya n M y t h o log y, v o l i . . p . 3 28 .
3
L aj ard s

Venus , p . 1 56 .
l 52 SC O TTI SH MY TH S .

lea f etc and w as called the 1

a n a bbrevi ation m ilu
'
'

.
, , ,

of Mit h ra signifying the sun a n d love a nd w a s the

, ,

seal on the forehea d of the soldier of M ithr a a s of the

more a ncient Mylitta a nd w a s also the emblem of ,

2
A sta rte A phrodite etc , ,
.

So Mithra w h o as the a rranger of sea sons a n d , ,

times is t h e gi v er of frui t s an d h a rvests is a lso the

, ,

send e r of children a nd multiplier of ocks ; a n d to ,

symbolise this w e nd atta ched to the extremities of ,

the lo w er w ings w ith w hich he is pro v ided doves , ,

v ine bra nches an d e ars of corn rec all ing the idea s of
, ,

love a nd reproduction .
3

No w the n a me of Columb a s father w as F e d il m it h

.

Phelim is a w ell kn o w n Iris h na me a nd the o ommen -

,

t a t o rs a spir ating the d render it quiescent a nd so the

, , ,

F e d/Llim id becomes f il im of w hich O R e il ly quoting

c
, ,

O C urry s ays it sign i fies a helmet not met wi th in

the a ncient M ss but used in this sense in modern .

,

rom ances No w comp aring this w ith w h a t h as bee n
.

s a id of U t h yr Pen dr agon e t c a nd notici ng th a t his , ,

mother s n a me gi v en a s A e t h n e a lso spelt Eit h ne , , ,

sign ies a kernel the a llusion is cle arly t o some ,

thi ng covered or concealed Her fa ther s n a me is .

Filius Na v is or M ac Na v e m en s (La tin ) a ship

'

,
, .

The arch priest of Mithr a w as repr e sented sea ted in a

-

5
sk iff wiel di ng an o ar Scap /zium in L a tin is a cup .
,

l ike a boa t a nd J uv e n al uses it for a fem ale hea d

,

6 r
A q f pl Al f/I o n in \Ve l sh is Lord Cre a tor
.
A

dress .
,
.
, , ,

nei o n
crea tive po w ers Neptune I n G a elic wo e
, ,
.
,

is a m a n or w oman Mithra w a s orig in a lly a ndro ,

gy n o us ; i za i is a ship (the m h sounds v or

,

n asal u) the m embrum vir ile The inter

rel ation o f these n ames needs no comment O ff .

1
L j d
a arV p 145
sL j d l l it / p 189
e n us, I b id p
. .
2
a ar

s i t rn, . .
3
. .

D D i Sy i pp 3 1 3 2 q u t d L j d p 74 '

l

4 -
e n r a, . o e , a ar s en u
s , . .

5 L j d Al it h
a ar p 2 50

s S ti
r u, i 1 26 3 . .
6 a re v . . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
153

the co as t of M ayo there is a small isl and I nn isk e a ,

e dic us d r a w the cl a n C a i
( C a e enclosur e Ica
, y mist K , , , ,

or C lac h i nyh a ) the inh abita nts of w hich ar e a very

,

primitive a n d uncultivated r ace an d w hich though it , ,

t akes its name from a fem ale sa int (it is the I nsula S a ncti
G e idh e of the Hibernia n H agiographers ) does not con
tain a s ingle C a tho lic priest Its inh a bita nts indeed .
, ,

as w e le a rn from a n interestin g co m mu n ica tion to

Not es a n d Que r ies by Sir J Emerson Tennent are
,
.
,

mere idol aters a nd their idol no doubt the represe m

, ,

t a t iv e of P ii apus is a long cyli ndric al stone w hich

, ,

they call Nee r o uge e This idol is w r apped i n a nnel

.
,

an d is in tr usted to the c a re of a n old w om an w h o a cts ,

as pri estess It is bro ught out a nd w orshipped at

.

certain peri ods w hen storms disturb t h e shin g by ,

w hich chiey the popul a tion of the isl a nd obt a in a liv

ing or at other times it is expo se d for the pur pose of
,

ra is ing sto r m s w hich m ay c ause w rec k s to b e thro w n

,

on the co ast of the isla nd I am info r med th at the .

w ord Ne e o uge e is m e re l v the plura l of a w ord sig mi

v

fy in g a ca noe an d it m ay perh a ps h a v e some reference

.

1
to the c all ing of sh e rm e n I t is very i nst r uc t iv .

to nd w ha t Fili us N a vis M a c N av e (M ac n a b the , ,

gre at o rigin al of w hich cl a n tra dition :s y s h a d a bo a t ,

a ,

of h is o wn at t h e ood ) thus m ay a n d doubtless does , ,

mea n a n d see ing th at the pa rent on th e father s side

,

of the sa me gener ation is c a lled Fergus a nd remember ,

ing t h e Bod Fergus of Ta ra an d the ma ny F e rg use s ,

w e h a v e seen precedin g our Celtic p a tri a rchs I h a ve ,

little doubt t h a t the I n nisk ea stone w as a ph allus ,

a nd th a t the n a me Ferg us is prob ab ly connected wit h

the w o rd fea r a m a n fea r ccc h a s manhood

, , .

We have ho w ever other sig ni ca t io n s of the n a me

, ,

Colum clea rly indica ted in th e L ife besides th at of a ,

1
N t d Qu i
o es a n 1 852 l
er es, p 1 2 1 Q u t d P y K igh t p 2 4 8
,
vo . . . o e ,
a ne n ,
. .
15 4 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

dove . Co l m n
in Ga elic generally Colm a n a n d c ol u
, ,
/

ma n in Scotch c o la m c n in Welsh k o nlm a t a me , , ,

pigeon in A re m o ric (the w ild pigeon being c all ed

,

k ud o n ysg uI / a n in \Ve l sh ) are ne a rly allied in sound

,
-
i .

to c o lo mb a prop or pill a r in Gaeli c ; c olo n in Welsh

, ,

e v identl y the s a me as the La tin c o l um n bringing us ,

to the idea of an upright stone aga in .

"
O n a nother night C ruit h ne c an i e Pict w h o ,
. .
,

a ppe ars as a priest of bl a meless life to w hose c a re the ,

blessed Y outh (Columba ) w a s conded found his ,

house illum i n ated w ith a bright light an d sa w in fa ct , , ,

a b al l of fir e st a nding o v er the fa ce of the little boy as

1
he lay as leep The n arra tive is not quite consistent
.
,

for it w ould appea r th a t a blaze of light surrounded

2
h im both by d a y a n d night Next mention of this .

peculiari t y s t r n g e to say is w hil e Columb a w as at

,
a ,

Teilte th a t is T e lt o w n w here the T uat h a de D a n aa n

, , ,

L ug h ad in stituted the ga mes It w o uld appear th a t .

C olumb a h a d been excommunic ated for m a ny ye a rs ,

but a ttended a n assembly possibly the L ugh nasa ,

a t Teilte b e c a use S t
, Br e n da n informed those present .

I h a v e seen a most brilli ant pill ar w reathed w ith

fiery tre sses precedin g t his s ame m an of God w hom

Y o u tre a t w i t h con t e m pt A s one w ould suppose .
,

this w as a thing not to be hid ; but curious ly enough , ,

"
( n l um b a m akes a myster y of the light A ce rtain .

V ir g n o us h a v ing entered a little side h apel Columb a c ,

en t ered the orator y a nd filled it w ith light some th us ,

burst ing t hrough the inner door of the ch amber ;

a n d a s no one c a n look directly a t or gaze w ith ,

ste a dy e y e on the summer sun in his mid day splen

,
-

do ru so V irg no us coul d not at all bea r th is heavenl y

b rightness w hich he saw bec ause of the bril li ant a nd ,

1
A d a m na n s Co l um b a , B in

. . c. 3 .

B i c 1 3 ( b i d B iii
. . . . . . . 0 . 4 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . l 55

"
uns peak a ble ra di a nce w hich o v erpo w ered his sight .

Columb a le aves the ch urch a nd next day commen d s ,

V irgno us for keeping his eyes on the ground though ,

h ad he not done so the S aint tell s him th a t p rice

, ,

less light w oul d h ave blinded thine ey es This h o w .

,

ever thou must ca refully observe never to disclose

,

h
t is gre at manifestation of light w hil e I live .

Vir g a is a rod casg is a rod in G ae lic an d is the ,

n a me a pplied t o the mesial line of O gmic w r iting .

F le asg a c h is a young m an a b ac helor and this is t h e , ,

n ame applied to the lo w est grade of grad u ates in o ur

universities V irg no us seems a La t inisa tion of the
.

w ord c a sg ac h a n d is here a pplied to one evidently

,

onl y p ar ti ally instructed E do k in Ar e m o ric is an in .

strument w ith a cur ved poi nt in V annes a stick , , ,

w hil e it al so signies a d ark enclosed sp ac e B ac h a l .

is a staff a crozier in Gae lic From thi s clearly is

, ,
.

deri v ed b a ch elier bac helor No w L aj ard tell s us tha t

,
.

a shepherd s crook is a fre q uent symbol on the engra ved

Mithra ic co nes sometimes in t h e h and of the novice

, ,

2
sometimes of the priest The bronze b a c h a l he ad of .

St Fill a n is stil l preserved

. .

B ut to return to Columb a s light A ce r tai n .

Colga g etting a glea m of it through the door by

,

ch a nce is told b v t h e S aint T ak e c are of one thing
, , ,

my ch ild that you do not a ttempt to spy out an d pry

,

too closely into t h e na t ur e of tha t he avenl y light w hich

w as not gra nted thee but r a ther fled from thee a n d , ,

th at thou do not t ell any one du ring my lifetime w h a t

thou h a st seen an d to a nother w h o h a d looked

through the keyh ole he tells th at h a d it not been for ,

h is prayers on h is a ccount thou w ouldst h a ve fallen ,

dead there before the door or thine eyes w ould h a ve ,

1
A d am n a n s Co l um b a B iii

,
. 0 . 20 .

L aj ar d s JI it /t r a , 16-
1 p . .
3 A d a m na n s C o l um b a , B iii

. . c.

21 .
 6 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

been torn out of their sockets A t the time of

Columb a s death the w hole v a ult of heaven w as ill um i

n at e d ,a nd there appe a red something l ike an im

mense pill ar of re w hich seemed to us as it as cended , ,

up w ards at that midnight to illumin ate t h e w hole ,

1
e arth like the summer sun a t noon .

I conclude then tha t this a ttribute of e ffulgence

, ,

makes the n ame Colu m equiv alent to the n ame of

Milesius G olam h derived from the A r e m oric g o ulo u ,

or go ula ou l ight ; also sp elt 9 616 and in this form a lso

, ,

signifyi ng a cover something w hich serves as a cover ,

ing ; compare w ith the n a me of Columba s fa ther ,

F e dh l im Colum cille then is the light of t h e
.
, ,

Church a not inappropri a te n ame even if he h ad been
, ,

w h a t the Ch risti a n tra ditions m ake him Ce rt ainly a .

do v e lik e m eekness w as no p a rt of his ch aracter as he

-
,

is s aid to have caused v arious w ars ; and he w a s so

e nthusi astic in cursing as on one occa sio n to h a v e

w al ked into the sea to let the obj ect of his an athem a s
h a v e t hem a t the nea rest possible range .

It is needless here to a na lyse the w hole mir acles of

the three books but t here re a mong t hem some things
,
a

speciall y w or t hy of note .

He w as a sooths ayer He obta ined from God .

,

by the virtue of prayer tha t some k ings should be con ,

quered and others come o ff v ictorious Tac it us s .

German priest invoked the god s before c asting his lots .

No w the assistance he h a d in helping his friends is

ve ry curious A idan the Scotic king w as in gre at
.
, ,

peril so Columba s aid to his mi nister Dio rm it ring

, , ,

the bell and after prayer a nnounced that the Scots
, , ,

w ere vi ctori ous This w as E ur m a d good luck for

.

A id a n and Di armid s vessel here is a ctuall y a bell and
, ,

neither a cal dron a sta g nor Fionn s w ife , ,

.

Ada mna n Co l um b a , B iii

s . . 0 . 24 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
1 57

With Columb a the l o t w as c as t into the la p .

A id a n being in doubt to w hich of his three elder

sons he should g ive the succession as ked of Columba ,

w hich of them w ould be king None of the three . ,

w a s the a ns w er but if (I m ark the ignor ance of
present fa cts though ca p a ble of foretell in g those to
,

come ) thou h a st any younger sons let hi m come to ,

me a nd that one of them w hom the Lord h as chosen

,

to be k ing w ill a t once rush into m y l ap O f course .

the prophecy ca me true an d of the elder c hil dr en t w o

, ,

w ere sl a in by the M iat h i (M a ea t ae an d the third in

S a xoni a .

We h ave seen th a t M e ng w and Ar t the son of ,

Conn w ere her alded by three shouts an d the sa me
, ,

story modied occurs in connection w ith the appoint

, ,

ment of A ida n Columb a it seems h ad a leaning to

.
, ,

(
a cert a in I o e n a n see Te w a n s up ra
g ) but a n a ngel w as ,

sent to him w it h a book of gl a ss in w hi ch the suc

cession w as inscribed an d because Columba hesitated
, , ,

struck h im on t h e side w ith a scourge the marks o f ,

w hich remained on his side all the d ays of his life .

No w w hen for t une c a me to Ai d a n it w a s by D iormi t

, ,

r in g ing (in G a e l ic the w ord is stil l to strike )the bell ;

a n d as w e h a ve see n th a t P a trick s bell required t o

be struck w ith a h ammer so w e m ay conclude t h at ,

this h a d lik e w ise to be done w ith Columb a s As t h e

.

others h a d thr ee c alls so did the a ngel m ake in all

,

three v isits on Co lumb a doubtless repe atin g the blo w

,

ea ch time A id a n w a s thus a m an of three shouts or

.
, ,

w e m ay say of t hr ee ca ll s
, The m ark made on his side
.

is doubtless in a ll usion to the s ame th in g as the cra cks

in the earthly t a bern a cle of Mungo an d t h e golden ,

th r ea d mended split in the he a d of Conn m ac Nessa .

The reference to Jonah at the commencement of

the L ife at once rec alls the m arine monste r w hi ch
l 58 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

s w allo w ed up the do v e since such is the i nterpreta ,

tion of the n a me of the Hebre w pro phet a nd a ccord ,

ing ly w e nd th a t w h ales pl ay a p a rt in Columb a s
life also He w a rns a certa in B e ra ch (b io r ra c h a bo at
.
,

b io r a pin sh arp point Hebre w

, , ,

a n d subsequently B ait h e ne his succes sor a nd w h o a s

( , ,

he is co m memor a ted on the s a me d ay w as I belie v e , , ,

a nother n a me for Columb a himself a llied w i t h b ea t /L ,

o f B e t h o un V e t h a n o f the L ie t h al i) not to put to se a ,

for a certa in C c t os the Greek na me for a w h ale

,
No w 1

w e h a v e a story of Colu m b a settlin g a di spute b et w een

.

A id a n son of Gabhr a n the Scot (g a bh m n is a little ,

go at an d t h e sign of the Se c ond Legion long st a tioned

, ,

a t Isc a or C a erleon o n Usk in the coun t ry of the so n s

, ,

of L ie t h al i w as the go a t or C apricorn us ) an d Aid

, ,

m ac A in rn ir e the Irishm a n a t a pl a ce ca lled Dorsum

, ,

No w the
"
Cete other w ise c alled D rium C e a t e
,
.

h a n dle of t h e bell of St Fill an is a d ouble hea ded sea .

m onster a n d it m ay be the b a ck of Ked t e of

, ,
. .

K e d ic us D r w s if I a m right in the conj e cture th a t

,

these ar e the s ame If so then w e h a v e a nother

.
,

a llu sion t o sortilege an d this is supported by t h e

,

stories of l a ter w riters w h o tell us th a t C lumba did ,

o

not give a v erdict himself but referred it to a c ert ai n ,

Colm an son of C o m g e ll a n a n d as w e n d C o m g e ll of
,

B a ngor in Ulster the P ict describ ed as con v e rsing

, ,

w ith him on the w ay b a ck fro m this conferen c e t h a t .

Col m a n m ay be in t ended to represent his son Nor .

is t h is Cet the only a qu atic ani m al he encountered ;

w e h ave him also preventing one from destroy ing a
certa in L ugue M o c u m in w hile s w immi n g in the Ness ,

a t In v erness Lugue is Lug as before m a c c m na in

.
, ,

son of the dish or shrine a n a me a pplied in

S cotl a nd to a mil k p a il v essels of w hic h mentio n is ,

1
A d a m na n s C o lu m b a B i ,
. . c . 13 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
1 59

m ade more th an once in the L ife the term ut er being ,

in one case applied to one taken aw ay by the sea and ,

mir aculously brought b a ck aga in to the pla ce from

w hence it h ad been ca rried o ff .

There is r ather an am using prophecy m a de t o a

certa in Colga son of Aid D raignich (Co lg a s w ord
, ,

sting prick l e son of dragon lik e Aid ) w hom Co lumb a

, ,
-
,

w a rns th at
,
w he n at a ny time thou h appe ne st to see
thy butl er m aking merry w ith a comp any of his friends
at supper an d t w irli ng the l adl e round in the stra in er
, ,
"
kno w that the n in a short time thou sha lt die .

Nicolson gives us a Proverb in w hich the w ord

1
l adl e m akes its a ppear ance :
M ur b i dh m u n ph oit h M c Sh o

n li dh 1

o ac a e c s a a

I f t h e w e e n ne ab o ut t h po t b ut J k nd t h e l adl e

er r o on e oc s s a ,

l
I shou d fa r e t h e better th en .

L ia dh the l adle L ia the stone and Ma c Sh eoc , , ,

the son of I an the butler himself B e d wyr Boda ch ;

, ,

b ut here w e h a ve others about the pot the butler s

friends an d it w a s so much the w orse for Co lga the

,

son of A id D raig nich .

Whether this a lludes to tamperi ng w ith the lo t s ,

or to w h a t I a m not prepa red to sa v This w as the

, .

s a me C o lg forbidden to inquir e too closely as to the

c ause of Columb a s brilliancy
.

We h ave previously see n h o w t h e Firbolg after ,

their de fea t b y the T ua t h a de D a n aa n emb arked .

,

from Moy and then took possession of the Hebrides

,

an d the O rkneys Here w e are told th at Corma c the

.
,

gr andso n of L e t h an w as s ail ing from the other side ,

of the river Mod a the Moy in Sligo from the pl a ce , ,

c all ed E irro s Domo (Birris in Mayo ) seeking a settle ,

ment a nd w e nd again th a t this s ame Cormac v isited

the O rkneys h aving h ad gre at trouble fro m curious
,

Ni l u P b p 3 21

1
c o so s r o ve r s, . .
I GO SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

stinging be asts of the size of frogs which settled , ,

specia lly on the h a nd/cs of t h e o a rs Com p are the .

h andle of St Fill an s bell If Corm ac mean s the son

.

.

of the c o in or kettle he is here described as the

:

g r andson o f L e t h an N o w Leth a is s a id to be a n
.

a ncient Iri h n a me for It a ly but it certainly in the

s , ,

to w n of Leith is no w the a pp e ll ation of the princip al

,

seaport of t h e country of M anand and of Dunedin , ,

the G aelic n a me of Edinburgh .

I h a ve Spoken of the copper ear the e ar shaped -

,

mystic a x e of Mith r a w ith w hich w as sl a in the sacri

, ,

c ial bull I fancy this symbolised th at by the use of

.

the ear in receiving instruct ion was secured the

destruction of the ca rnalit y of t h e initiate d w hich w as ,

regarded a s a sa cri ce to t h e divinity typied by the ,

bull the emb l em of l ust Ho w ever this m ay be w e

,
.
,

ar e t o ld t h a t Columb a in a n in advertent man ner

blessed a kni fe for the sl ayi n g of bulls but after wards ,

inquiring w h a t sort of knife it w a s s ays he hopes it ,

w ill not i nj ur e m a n or be ast This bei ng found t o be .

the c ase w i t h the knife in que st ion the monks artfully ,

melted it do w n a nd co ated t here w ith various utensils

, ,

w hich h a d the e ffe c t of rendering them innocuous .

This is not a use w hich could h av e been m ade of iron ,

a n d the w ell kno w n bronz e covered iron bell s of the

G a el are I should suppose in this c ase all uded to
, , .
1

T h e Mithraic attribu t e of a door keeper is il lus -

t rat e d b y m aking Columb a O pe n the doors of the roy al

fort of B r ud e son o f B ile the Pictish king } and these
, ,

doors are described as foldin g doors h avi ng thus the -

,

more resembl ance to the b e zclor h al f door of the ,

-
,

h e ulorsaf or solstice .

B r ude s n a me seems simply to be t h e Arem ori c
B r a d a noise w hich Spre a ds tradition s tradi tional
, , ,

1
A d a m nan Co lum b a , B ii

33 2
s . . c . . 1 11 541 B ii
. . . c. 36 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
1 61

ann als and he w as son of Bile th at is B eli sovereignty

, , , , ,

a drinking vessel etc Columb a also w hen the keys

-
,
.
, ,

l
w ere misplaced opened by his w ord a church door ,
.

He curiously cures B ro ich an (Arem o ric B r ack en ,

plura l B r eclzen a tw ig a sm all s l ip of w ood the lots

, , ,

of a blo w received from an angel w h o broke the gl ass

cup th at w as in the D r ui d s h and by a w hite stone ,

w hich b e blessed an d w hich w a s kept a s a tre a sure ,

by the kin g It h a d the pow er of h ealing dise ases

. ,

but if the issue w ere to be fa tal the stone dis appeare d ,

.

This is the story o f Co n n m ac Nessa the victim of ,

the stone again I suppose in a different form

, , ,
.

It is needl ess to go further in detail into these

stories ; but w e m ay notice th a t Columb a h ad a b are
ag stone for his couch th at he performed a j ourney
-
,

in a c ar miracul ously not fall ing though the linch

, ,

pins h a d been neglected the incident put in to a cco un t ,

for the story or from some a llusion w h ich I do not

fo llo w ; he m ade a progress under a w ooden canopy
support ed on four sides by men an d h is voice could ,

be heard a m il e o ff e a ch syll a ble he uttere d being ,

a u di b le He h ad a n enemy called Jo a n of the r a ce

.

of Gabran a nd he as w e kno w converted the chief

, , ,

of the G eona cohort call ed Ar t b ran and Ion a is the , ,

n ame of his isla nd though it is c all ed Iou a in the ,

L ife ; and it is interesting th at St E o n an s bell a t .

Inch ab ove mentioned is the bell ne arest resem bl ing

, ,

St F ill a n s exta nt ; the h andl e of it ho w ever is pl a in

.

, , .

His death w as foll o w ed by a sto r m of w ind w hich ,

pr e vented any one be ing present at the f uneral but

the priests ; a nd hi s near decease w as an nounced by
a w hi te horse used to c ar ry the mil k p a ils Ta citus -
. .

inform s us th at the G ermans not only the common alty ,

but the princes a n d priests p aid great attention to ,

A da m na n s Co l umb a , B ii

1 . 0 37
. . .
162 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

the ora cul ar snorti ngs of m ilk wh ite h or ses a nd -

,

Columba s gearran is represented as w eeping in his

bre as t .

Let us ex amine A id an King o f D alr ia da in ,

Columb a s time J ulius Firmicus M at e r nus a Chris

.
,

tia n tells us th at the Persi ans w orshipped a m a n a

, ,

sl ayer of oxen (Mithra ) in hidden grottos a nd they ,

connect this w orship w ith the po w er of re a nd th at ,

the se a t of Mithra w as on the G o ro t m a n or B e h esc h t ,

the mountain of light the etern a l d w ell ing of pure ,

A odh s ays O R e il ly is re ; Greek al t

souls .
1
, , ,
o) .

It is als o the Irish for Hugh the Ha of the Welsh ,

myt hs a nd the U mor of the Firbolg This n am e is

, .

a s freq u ently spelt A e d h and Aid a n be ars the s a me ,

rel ation t o this as the Welsh Hua n the sun does to , ,

Ha . E nd is a n illusion mystery In A re m o ric w e ,

.

nd Ha e l me ans sublime elevated ; an d here w e get ,

a glimpse of the signic ance of the m i stleto e w hich is ,

in th at l angu age Ha e l r a r Hue l compounded w ith ,

b a r a b ran ch
, t op
A c t in G a elic is instruction
w
.
, ,

discipli ne an other signica tion of the \V el sh h a d

, ,

w hile it also signi es a s w a n

(comp a re the Knight of
the S w a n supr a ) A da n is a species of bird in A r e
, .

moric a n d the A d a n r o r L eg o n id e c te lls u s is a

, , ,

species of nighti ngale w ith a w hite m ark on the top of

its head This A d a n is the Wel sh c dyn a w inged
.
,

one a b ird (Dun e dyn ? Edinburgh ) w hile edyr n

,
-
,
'

signies sovereignty a n d c d r in a murmuring noise , ,

,

possibly applic able to the song of the nightin gale .

Columba s King Aid an is I think e asil y referable

, , , ,

to a sun w orsh ip ; and Edern w h o is call ed t h e
-
,

suprem a cy of terrors the opponent of C une dda is , ,
2

d escribed as t h e son of Padar n (P atera the title of the ,

L j d I ll it h pp 1 1 0 1 3 3
1
a ar

s ra , .
, .

T li i F u A i t B k of W l
2
a e ss n ,l i p 2 58 o r nc en oo s a es, v o . . .

.
 sc o rr rsn M Y TH S 163
' '
.

priest of Belinus) while in the Ma binogion he is the 1

son of Nudd (wristb a y) and the le ader of the bla ck

,

troop of the men of Denmark (the Tua t h a de Danaa ns

a n d in this M ab in o i K a is described as the nest
g y
horsem a n of the host all turni ng tow ards him wh en ,

he m ade his appearance .

Dr Skene tell s us th at at the period of these early

.

C h ristia n Cel ts in the latter h al f of the sixth century ,

the n e w faith w as established at the battle of Ar thuret ,

thus mentioned about the ye ar 5 7 3 in the Anna les , ,

Ca m br ia e Be ll um Arm t erid inter l ios Elifer (cal led

.

G o sgo r dv awr son of A rthur of the race of Coel Hen
, , ,

)
3
an d G w endo l e n lium K e id iau al so a son of Ar t hur ; ,

in quo bell o G w endolen ce c idit

Gw endolen Was .

N ud d s brother and h is opponents w ere M ael gwn

G wy nedd the nominee of M a eldaf R idde r ch the

, ,

nominee of Mungo a nd A edan the n ominee of ,

Columb a ; and the battle w as fought at the K now s of

A rthuret about nine m iles north of Ca rlisle nea r a
, ,

pla ce w ith enormous earthen ramp arts c all ed the Mo at ,

4
of L id d e l .

Who is this G w end ol e u a nd is he more th an his ,

opponents sur rou nded w ith every type and symbol

,

of a p aga n cul t as Skene s ays ? ,

D av ies sa ys G w end ol e u h ad t w o dusk y birds ,

w hich g ua rd ed his tre a sure w e aring a yoke of go l d , ,

a n d w hich w ere in the d a ily h abit of consuming t w o

persons for their din ner a nd the l ike num ber for their ,

supper an d he expl a in s his n a me as the mas ter

of the fa ir b o w and al so as of the l um inous oblique ,

courses on w h at groun ds I am un able to say He is
,
6
.

said in the B la c k B ook o

, f Caer ma r the n to h ave been ,

1 P w ll L lh yd C umb i
o e

s I t d p 2 7 M bi g n B ii p 4 0 4
o s ra ,
n ro ,
. . a no
'

io , . . . .

2 Fu A i tB k f Wl
o r nc en 1 i p 168 oo s o a es, v 0 . . . .

3 I bid . l p 4 55
vo . . I b id 1 i p 66
. . v0 . . . .

5 C lti R
e c h l p 463
esear c es, v o I b id l i p 1 95
. . .
6
. vo . . . .
I64 SC O TTI SH MY TH S .

2
the Pill ar of Songs a nd the Ava l le na u s ays the la st ,
1
,

honourer of Merlin ; w hile in the G od od in w e ar e

3
told ,
he w as a tall m an of great w orth b efore he w a s

co v ered He w as son of Ceidio p reser v a t io n ; son of
.
,

A r t h wys t h e e nc loser son of Mor t h e sea ; son of

, ,

O eneu t rh elp ; w hi ch reminds us of the w help t h

, ,

ca use of qua rrel betw een the Picts an d Scots w hile ,

G e noa is a p ass a mouth an d if w e w ere to take the

, ,

loca lisation a s correct it w o uld indica te the p ass ,

domin ated by the Mo at of L iddel w hich w e are told ,

w as the princip al p as s le a ding from the Ro m a n w all

into Scotl an d a nd C e n e u w a s the son of Coel Hen
,
.

0 m is an omen bel ief trust in Welsh ; c oel bren a , , , ,

letter b al lot stick l o t a lph abet ; coelfa e n an omen

,
-
, , ,

stone stone of testimony 0 e being compoun ded with

, ,

m a e n a stone a n d it is at leas t a singul ar coincidence

,

th a t C uilm e nn abo ut w hich w e h ave so rom antic a ,

sto ry in O C urry as the most ancient Irish book on

record h as a n ame as if compounded of the s ame

,

w ords .

A n d fu rther it a ppears th at the T ain Bo C h a a ilgn e

,

w as con t ai ned in this C nil m e nn an d w as n a rr ated to ,

M ur ge n t h e poet a t the gr av e
,
stone of Fer gus durin g ,

a mist w hich l a sted three d a y s Here w e h av e F e r .

gus s stone again Cuil in those w ords is alli ed with

.

C o el a n omen
,
Without doubt Finn m ac Cuil ow es
.
,

his p arentage not o nl y to the obscurity of h is residence

but also t o his po w ers of pro gnostic a tion a n d this most ,

likely prim aril y .

C oe l s grave is sho wn a t C o il s e l d A yrshire an d

Coel Hen is undoubtedly O ld King Cole of festive

memory w h o merry old soul
, ,
ca lled for h is pot and , ,

ca ll ed for his pipe an d c all ed for his ddl e rs three , .

Fu A i tB k f Wl 1
o l i p 2 94
r nc e n oo s o a es, v o . . . .

I b id p 3 7 1 2 I b id p 4 1 6
. . .
3
. . .

O Cu y M t i l p 3 0

rr ,
a er a s, . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
165

This m aster of a tria d of professors of all the various

musica l implements h as a n ame in itsel f i m ply ing a
pre di sposition to so und m ac s hollo w mista kenly .
, ,

derived from K e Xw I w arn by cryin g (Heb k lo hol

.
e
,

l o w ); c oelcer t h a sign al of a l arm

, W elsh D amm .

s ays w hil e K e k w impli es a distinct sound it is in the

,

w ay of exhort a tion rather th an comm a nd Lles ap .

Coel is sa id t o h ave been the rst Christi an kin g of

Britai n (I lesio I sound ) he is the Lucius of Bede and
, ,
1

of Ne nni us some copies of w hi ch state that he w as

,


called Lever m a ur i e the gr ea t Lum in a ry ,
. . .

Wh a t can thi s be but the sun w orship disguised under -

a Chr isti a n ga rb ? No w gwen fa ir and d ulio to b ang , , , ,

beat kn ock reca lls the stag th w a cking ; in Ar em o ric

, ,
-

Gwenn me ans w hite w hile g l as alr e ady s aid is , , ,

light ; Gw ne r is Venus the Vanora of A rthur ,

G uin iv e r ; and Gwcng l is September the month of ,

the a utum n e q ui nox the ked e z gw e ngol The h amlet .

2
a n d stre am fal ling into the Esk ca lled C arw in el o w ,

near the Kno w s of A rthuret at the mo a t of L idde l , ,

m ay be expl a in ed by the w ord gem vinol (Welsh ) ,

rough m aking it the equi v al ent of s uch na mes as

,

G arry O f course if t h e stream is not a rough one

.
, ,

this deriv a tion fa ils .

There is rea son for believin g th at the ea rliest

Roma n year bega n at the vern al equinox a n d c o nse , ,

quently h alf t h e yea r w as ended at the autumnal

,
.

This arrangem ent of tim e m ay h ave been Etruscan .

A s this w a s the period of the gre atest po w er of the

sun I take the defea t of G w endole n to be noth ing else
,

th an the term ination of h is po w er for t h e h alf of the

ye ar a n d so he w as a m an of great w o rth before he
,

w as covered w e m ay suppose by the mists of winter
, ,
.

It w as a peculiarity of the Rom ans to celebrate the

B d B i e 4
e, .Gl i .A t hu i
c. L. lit i p 69 3
e nn e s

r r an o ca es, . .
166 SC O TTI SH MY TH S .

re a t Mithr a ic festi v a l of the L e o nt ica a t the com

g
m e n ce m e n t of A p ril or in the month of M a rch the, ,

fo rmer consecrated both to Venus and Myt h ra the ,

second as w ell as the rst marki ng the vern al equin ox

the time of rene w ing of life upon earth the equi ,

noxes in the E a st being considered a s favourable for

the descent of soul s into the w ays of genera tion The .

descent a n d ascension of souls w as the b a sis of Chal

dea n doctrine ; the body w a s the gr ave of the soul ,

a n d during life the soul s ele v a tion w as the ro ad

to w a rds the entr a nce of the abodes of the blest Thus .

some of the Greek philosophers used a phras e expres

si v e of the Zoro a stria n idea of the fall of souls w hen ,

they s aid th a t t h e v sont tomb es d ans l a g enerat io n ,

i e they h a d fallen i nto (the w ays of )generation Viz

. .
,
.
,

1
c a rn al ple asure The autumn al equinox w as favour
.

a ble to the developmen t of life in the seeds conded

to the e a rt h and it w as ch ar acterised by the apple

,
2

tree hence the allusion in the Ar a llc na u to G w e ndo le u

, .

The w ord k d e s L e g o n ide c derives from Iced ,

Breton for equ al a nd d ies a d ay Does not this , , .

spelli n g gi v e a hint to w ards loc ali sing in the isl an d of ,

the Firth of Forth a s anctu a r y of t h e w orship in w hich

,

St Fill an s equ al he aded double ph allic h a ndled bell
.
-
,
-

w as a symbol V iz I nc h h e zt h Isl ands as in I nn isk e a

. .
, , ,

in Irel a nd the Isl e of M an and Iona w ere a l w ays pre

, , ,

ferred for a site ; tho ugh so far as I nc h k e it h is con ,

cerned w e h av e Da l keith the pla in of Keith on the

, , ,

a dj a ce nt southern shor e the Cam pus G ai I sup , ,

pose the site of t h e b attle betw een O swy and the

,

3
B ritons in the Regio L o idis of Bede It is notew o rthy .

th a t K ai is the M arisch al of Arthur in t h e mediae v al

rom ances a n d th at the E a rls Marisch al of Scotl and are
,

1
L aj ard s Al i/ h m , pp 5 7 4 9 6 , 1 3 3
.
, . L 3
j

a a rd s Venus, p . 213 .

3
Ch r onicle s of t h e P ic ts a nd Scots, P re f p
.
,
. c xv i .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 167

called K eith an d , a re traditionally connected w ith the

Cl a n Ch at t a n .

G w e nd ol e u s t w o golden -yoked

ga in an birds ar e a

a pp ar ent all usion to the s ame reli c and the ir me al on ,

t w o bodies is not di f cult of expl a na tion In the .

A va l l ena u w here G w e nd o l eu is described a s M e rddin s

p atron the poet a d dresses Parc h ell an a li ttle pig
, ,
.

But p a r is a p a ir in Welsh as in Are m o ric an d c ela n , ,

(the c alla n of the Ga elic )is a dea d body A pig w a s

/
.

the s a crice to Freya the Germa n V enus and a s a , , ,

not un common priapic o ffering it h as been al re ady ,

a ll uded to Prob ably it m ay h ave h a d some conn ec

.

tion with A re m o ric b a r a branch and k len kno w , ,

~

ledge doctrine ; and is thus a mystic j uggling w ith

,

w ords possibly misunderstood by the w rite rs to w hom

,

w e o w e the A va llena u in its present form Thi s .

e ating of bo d ies ho w ever is very suggestive of the

, ,

O rphic p o <f> y f a nd the a pple trees i e A va llena u

a a ,
-
, . .
,

h ave h ad a connection w ith pri apic rites since the

remotest times .

In the B ardic w riting l ast all uded to w e nd A rth ur

described as A r t h w s son of the se a In the , .

Mithr a ic symbolism w e nd Ar d o iso ur as the n am e ,

for the e au c leste the w atery element of the sky , ,

s aid to produce a ll th ings that grow on earth

Zoro as ter h aving thought t h a t O rmuzd the father of ,

Mithr a h ad revea led this to him

,
This A r do uiso ur .
2

spra ng from the A lb o rdj the B eh esch t the mounta in ,

of gold an d of light a nd w as itself s aid to be of the ,

colo ur of gold It is personied in the form of a girl

.

w ith the body of a horse an d is styled vigorous ,

horse w hich reveals to us the Asia tic origin of the
,

Greek myth of Pegas us (m yyn a spring foun t ain )w h o

, ,

ca used to sp ring from h is foot mark o n Helicon -

,

M it h lp 1 78 ra , I bid p 1 4 0
. .
2
. . .
168 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

moun t a in of light a nd of the sun the founta in Hip ,

poc rcn e i e the founta in of the horse

1
. . .
,

Possibly from some such myth as this w as developed

the fable of t h e b a nda ch la ch t h e fem ale courier of ,

Finn m ac Cuil w h o is described in the O ssian Society

,

?
publica tions as w heeling an d hovering aro und during
t h e sl aughter of strangers (a llm h ur c h d ibh ) hence ,

possibl y t h e E o ch aids horsemen of other e arly Irish

, ,

t ra ditions a nd the horses stamped on the coi ns of the

,

time of C un o b e linus Ta sc io v anus etc one of w hich , ,

.
,

inscribed w ith Tas c ia noc a a nd C unob eline h as on its

one side a horse an d fem ale gure combined like the ,

3
centa urs gured in D av ie s s Ce lt ic Resea r ch
.

This Ar dro uiso ur is I conceive the source of the , ,

Ar t h w s the , encloser of D a vies and A rddw r the ,

\V e l sh for a ploughm an a n d so he is united w ith Hu ,

the introducer of husbandry among the Cym ry .

In the Mithraic rites there w ere tw elve gr ades to

w hich the soldier of Mith r a could re a ch e a ch of these ,

gra des corr e sp o nding to t h e t w el v e periods into w hich

the sol a r re v olution w as di v ided an d of w hich the ,

tw el v e l abours of Hercules are also symbolic Mithra .

w as the ruler of times a n d se asons a n d the number ,

t w el v e as applied t o the A rthurian b attles a ccording to

,

Ne nnius is doubtless another expression of the s ame

,

symbolism mis applied .

The origin al mea ning of C ai a nd w hich h as been ,

tr a nsl ated mist an enclosure et c h as an origi n
, , ,

a lso in the old Ch alde a n theories w hich the w orship ,

of M ilyt t a a nd Mith ra ma kes kno w n to us a w orship ,

speciall y culti v ate d in Cilici a a nd Phoenici a . .

A fter h a v in g crea ted in a ni m a te things light w ater , , ,

1
L j d
a ar

s M it h ra p 6 4 9
, . .
2
V o l I 7 1, 99 . . pp . .

5
C o l iied f ro m \Vhitak e r s

M anc h est e r ,

D av ies s Celt ic R esea r ch , o pp osit e

p . 500 .
 SC O TT I SH M Y TH S . 1 69
l

the earth O rmu z d cre a ted a rst being w hich Zoro as ter
,

c alled the rst bull This w hich w as cre ated not .

,

conceived w a s poisoned by Ahriman the evil sp irit

, , ,

a n d its life esca ping it c arried the semen from its ,

genitals to the lun ar heaven w here w a rm ed by the , ,

s un it bec ame the germ of all cre a t ur es

, From this .

bul l then w as produced the prototype of the rst

, ,

m an called G ay a m er et a G a io m ard w hich h as been , ,

ch anged to K aio m ard an d K aio m o r t s The w ord .

g aya ge m g w e g ao implies bull life so ul therefore

, , , , ,

in the tea chi ng of Zoro aster is imp lied th at before

crea ting animal s O rmuz d crea ted the principle of l ife }
,

Gct ya m r t a bull m an or in the abstr a ct
-
,
l ife of
-
, , ,

morta ls Hence I believe the w or d C a i (Gr y i )

.
, , . a a ,

the insul a S ancti G e ide I n ni sk ea the p a ntler of A rthur , , ,

for from G aio m ar d s t ail an d m a rro w trees and pl ants

are developed from h is horns fruits a n d grain s a nd

, , ,

seeds cornucopia the horn of plenty

, ,
.

From h im w ere de v eloped t h e rst m an and w oman ,

a sort of tree be aring men a s fr uit but they yielded ,

servic e to A hrim a n and so lost t h e purity of G a io m ard ,

K aio m o r t s a n d consequently a r e subj ect to the judg

,

m ent of Mithra an d hi s t w o as sessors at de a th a n d ,

sentenced accor di n gly .

We have seen h o w t radition tells of the kill ing of

his w ife s l ap dog by P ar t h o la n an d h o w the Picts and

~

Scots qu arrelled a bout a pup w hich by some autho rities ,

is s aid to h a v e been reputed pe e re l e sse both in

s w iftness of foot an d in sw e e t n e sse of openi ng both ,

musical in t o ne an d eet (Lugh ), a n d h o w the 3

ea rliest Irish inv asion of A lba n noticed w as w hen a

ce rtain C airpr e brought a lap dog fro m the East into -

Britain M eas c h u a l ap
,
dog in G aelic from m eas and
, ,

1
L aj a r d s l ith r a, pp
4 9 -5 1 , 5 7 -5 8 . .

3
p
C a m io n , c x i , q uo t ing M aj o r s G est Scot
.

, .
I 7O SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

c u, a dog C i in \V e lsh w hich w o uld m ake it m easg i

, , ,

s imil a r in sound to Meschia a n d M e sc h ian e (ma le

and fema le ) the m an be ar ing fruit-tree the tree
,
-
,

a pp a rently being a ndro ynous

g .

Whether m ea sch u is a mi sinterpret a tion of Meschia

or not it is clear th at the C ar pr e M w sc s la p dog
,

-

w a s somethin g e lse th a n its n a me i mpli es an d h av in g

al r ea dy ident ied it w ith St Fil l a n s bell I thi n k tha t

.
,

it w as not impossibly a Meschia or ph allus bea rin g -

bill e or cup (r ide b all an O R e il ly ) comp ar able to w h at ,

is c alled in Irel and Bil e pronounced Beile in Tippera ry ,

a n d W a te rford an y a ncient tree gro win g over a holy

,

w ell or in a fort or enclosure more a pl a ce of w orship

, , ,

th a n for defence (v oce B ile O R e ill y ) ,

.

The ac t of genera tion of Meschi a an d M e sc h iana

on the temptation o f Ahriman w as the proxim ate ca use
of the ir fall thus ill ustra ting the force of the phr as e
,

1
t o descend into t h e w ays of gener a tion .

I n the Irish legends the t erm c u dog is appli ed to , ,

their grea t est hero C uc h ullin a n d he is s aid to h ave

, ,

b e en the dog of C h ull in a c the fosterfather from ,

.

w ho m he r ecei v ed his in struction w h o w a s in the ,

isl a nd of Skye the pl a ce w here Columb a con v er t ed the

,

chi ef of the G e o n a cohort an d w here w a s the w ell of ,

A rt b ran ca l led a ft er th is chie f Th e dog w as the .

fa i t hful comp anion of Mithra a n d w a s the guide of ,

souls to t h e bri dge T c h in e v ad w here this god a n d his

t w o a sse s ors w eighed the souls in a b a l ance
s This .

d o g is sho w n in a sculpture from the M it h ria c um in

the C apitol a t Rome w a tch ing the w o un d w hence the,

life esca ped from t h e s a criced bull a n d protecting it ,

from the e il inuence of the evil spiri t A hrim a n wh o

v , ,

as a serpent also a dv a nces to w a rds the w ound The 2

.

n a me C uc h ull in see ms prob a bly the sa me a s tha t of

1 L j d M ith
a ar p 3 04

s ra, I b id pp 50 9 6 8 5
. .
2
. .
,
.
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
171

a We l sh h ard of the ninth century C uh e lyn and is , ,

compounded of o n or c i a dog a nd kelen instructio n , ,

, ,

kno w ledge Spurrell ho w e v er gives us in Welsh

. ,

under the w ord cup b e arer h e ilyn C uh eilyn the d og -

, , , ,

(a ttend a nt ?
) of the cup be a rer M a ir a the glistening )
( -
.

is the n ame of the dog w hich a ssists E rigone the ,

d a ughter of I k ario s in her search for her father s body , ,

a n d so K e h al o s the he ad of the sun a ppearin g in

p ( ) ,

the Vedic Hymns sim ply as a na me for the sun h as ,

a n unerrin g d a rt a n d a dog th a t never fa iled to seiz e

,

h is prey like Finn m ac C uil s Bra n or Di armid s dog

, , ,

m a c an Chuil t h e son of the H az el , So Maelg wn

h as a dog but he is p ri apic, D o rm ac h of the r uddy ,

l
nose . In Wales the so v ereig nty is gi v en to Tristram ,

i e Trista n (t h e procl a imer ) a long w ith a l ittle dog

. .
,
2

3
spotted red blue an d green
, , He a lso h ad a dog
, .

ca ll ed Ho da in (corn shooting i nto the e ar ) w hose con ,

n e c t io n w ith priest s a ppe ars in th at C e r idw e n s priests

Ho d igio n be arers of e ars of corn

a r e c a lled

.
,

The gl is t ening dog of Icarus appea rs in Irish
tra dition in one of the things p aid by the children of

T uir e a n n as eric to L ugh a id L am h fh ad a (Ca sw all a n
,

L aw h ir I ) for t h e murder of h i s father Cian It w as .

the hound w help belonging to the k ing of I o ruaidh e ,

a n d his n ame is F a ilinis He shines as brightly as the .

sun in a summer sk y an d e v e ry w il d beast of the ,

forest th a t sees him fal ls do w n to the ea rth po w erless

5
before him This is evidently also conn ected w ith
.

the stag of the black gi ant in the JII ab inogio n .

M a ir ct might give rise to a pl ay on w ords w ith

Mo ir a fa te an d so the glistenin g dog might become
, ,

the kettle of the stew ar d (Ma o r )of O dh ar of Ireland .

Fu A i tB k fWl
1 o r l i p 2 94
nc e n oo s o a es, v o . . . .

D i
'

4
C lt i R h
av es l p 447

e c esea r c ,
vo . . .

I b id p 4 5 4
3 . I b id
. l ii p 4 5 2 . . vo . . . .

J y 5Old C l i R m
o ce sp 59

e t c o a nces, . .
1 72 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

A gamemnon tal ks of Moira w h o xes t h e lot of

m a n an d in the I l ia d the di v i ding of the hum an
,

thr ea d of life is set ap a rt for Moira the a ppo r t ioner .

T his derives Moir a from h epo g a p art an d so w e h ave

, ,

a n exp l a n ation of the Celtic of cer the m a o r , .

This deri v a tion seems not to be the true one as ,

the w ord seems to equa l m o r s the grinding po w er , ,

1

nepo s a sh a re itsel f the ide a of pieces or fragments

, , ,

long natur ally expressed by the root used to denote

the w orkin g of t h e ha mmer or millstone .

Thus the o fce of the ma o r like th at of the fate ,

w hi ch dogs the steps of men w as to divide to each ,

his po rtion a s the m ill or h a mmer divides things

,
.

Now the O ld High Germ an w ord h a m a r our ,

h a m mer h as been connected w ith the Lithuani a n

,

a h ma n an d the S a nscrit ea ch of w hich mea ns

a stone a n d the l a tter also a thunderbolt w ith the
,
'
Greek cixp w an a n v il but w h ich in Hesiod s Th eog o ny
v, , ,

l in e 7 2 2 ca n me an noth ing but a thunderbolt

,
No w .
2
,

as the b ra zen a n v il there mentioned took nine d ays
to descend from e a rth to Ta rta rus so Thor s h a mmer ,

t ook eight d ays to retur n to t h e e a rth from w here it

h ad been sunk by T h rym the gia nt .

Th rym is another n a me for thunder a n d a ppe ars ,

in such n am es as T h rumk et ill as Thor appears i n con ,

n e c t io n w i t h T h o r k e t ll
y .

Thus Sc andin a v ia n kettles a re conne c ted w ith

thunder a nd lightning as c a ldrons are w ith Diarmuid ,

the m a o r of T ara a nd dr aw i nto the story Thor s
,

h am mer Strange to say C a mpbell s W st High la nd

.
,

e

Ta les info rm s us expressly th a t the Dord (0 r d a ,

h amm er )of Fir m w as a bell o Bw to resou nd to K va , ,

r ing especiall y said of metal li c bo di es K 6V BO a ring

, ,
G ,

M ytho l o gy of t h e A r ya n N a t io ns ,
v ol. ii . p . 17 .

I b zd . v ol . i
. p . 3 59 .
 SC O TT I SI I M Y TH S .
I 73

ing cl as hing ; and Curtius the Germa n gra mma ri an

, , ,

as sumes a root K O Ka v comp aring the S anscrit h a n

,
V, ,

kc mi (c a mp a na ) La tin c cm o
, , .
1

It is curious th at w e h a ve a w ord in the Greek ,

K 03 3 aw sign ifying a bell used for a bell with w hich

, , ,

in w alled to w ns an o f cer w ent the rounds at night

,

to see th at the sentries w ere at their posts D iarm a id .

w as c all ed Donn usuall y tra nsl a ted Bro wn but m ay

, ,

he not be connected w ith this ko do n w hich might ,

come to be understood to signify the bro wn dog ,

an d so connect hi m w ith M a d aw M
g ( a d og Welsh a , ,

fox Ma dd adh Irish M o dd ey Manx a dog ) the j oy

, , , , , ,

of the w all 9
In L atin c ondus is a ste w a rd a butler an d the r st
, , ,

syll able in thi s again m ay h av e been confounded w ith

the Celtic pre x so common in such n a mes as Condo
rn a rus C uno b e l inus
, The w ord co nd us is desc ri bed as
.

me aning procurator peni a procurer of V ictuals a ,

na me eas ily utili sable for a punning alteration to some

thing more pri apic It seems a curious coin cidence .

th at at B irre ns in A nna nd ale is an altar dedicated

, ,

to V irad est h i by a T ung r ian soldier of the second
coho rt called P agus C o n dust ris P agus is the La tin
,
.

for g wlecl w hence G w le dig the title of A rthur Cun

, ,

eth a etc C o nd ust ris being evidently an a l lusion to

,
.

the o fce of a ste w a rd It seems prob ably to have .

been a L a tin t ra nsl ation of a Celtic na me .

A s is w ell kno w n Hector Boece tell s us th at the ,

Stone of Destiny this precious j ew el an d royal ,

s ea t came from D unst affnage and in this neighbour

, ,

hood w e nd traditions w hich seem to me quite s atis

fa ctory for identi c a tion .

2
In the openin g of G le nsal ach w hich divides Ben
1 L idd ell a nd Sco t t , Gr eek L aric on, v oce x ua Bo s .

2
F r om St o y s St M od a n,
r

. p . 18 .
l 74 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

de rl o c h the region round Balm h ao dan and the site of

, ,

the a ncient B ere go n ium there stood a l arge a t stone , ,

big enough to sea t t w enty people w hich w as kno w n ,

as Suidh e Mh ao d ain the seat of Mod an This w as
,
.

split up a fe w ye ars ago by a barbarous m ason The .

people w h o li v e by Loch E t iv e ho w ever still h and , ,

down legends of the Cl ag b uidh e Bh a ile Mh ao dan ,

w hich w a s held in higher vene ration by the people for

its curati v e pow ers even th an the sa int s w ell A s a
,

.

matter of very special fa vour this yel lo w bell of ,

rlf a ocl a n s to w n w as sometim es all o w ed to be c arried

to the sick in other p arishes and if after accomplish , ,

ing its benev olent errand it w as not im mediately ,

c arried bac k it w ould take the matter into its o w n

,

hands an d y through the air to its home all the ,

w hile rin ging out the most m elodious music ev er

heard by mo rtal ea r I remember s ays Dr Cl ar k
.
,

.
,

to w hom I (Dr Story ) o w e these tra ditions con

.
,

v ersing w ith old people w h o believed a s r mly as

possible th a t bo atmen on Loch E t iv e often hea rd the
Cl a g b uidh e ringing its s aintly tunes in the sky
abo v e them as it returned to its home A ccording

.

to a nother legend one d ay w hen the congregation

,

w as assembling for publ ic w ors hi p a serpent suddenly ,

appe a red on the green before the church an d w riggled ,

through the door w ay The men struck a t it with .

their d aggers and in the confusion some of them

,

w ounded ea ch other a nd the res ul t w as a gener al,

scu ttle a n d ght w hi ch subsided o n the arriva l of the

,

priest He info rm ed them th at the serpent w as the

.

grea t enemy and as he h ad succeeded in his dia

,

b olical plot of m ak ing them profane God s house with

bloodshed mass shoul d ne v er again be cel ebra ted

,

there ; a n e w chur ch must be built beside the shore .

A ne w church w as built ; but the yell o w h e ll w ould

not rema in a night in the new edice Again an d
.
.
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
1 75

a gai n it w as ca rried do w n but tow ards nightfall it ,

inv ariably eva ded custody a scended the bra e and , ,

rested in its fo r mer d w elli ng .

The bell at l as t was taken aw ay to Scone No t .

long a fter wa rds the people of B al m h aoda n hea rd a

din and j angl in g in the sky above the m and 10 , ,

there w as the cl ag b uidh e ying home but i nste ad of ,

its former grav e s w eet melodies it w as cl angi ng out a ,

novel rhyt hm w hich sh aped itself into the ha rsh w ords ,

an rud n a ch buin duit na buin da ; don t y o u

,

meddl e w ith w ha t meddl es not w ith you It w as .

removed a s ec ond time to Scone an d never returned ,

to desola te Loch E t iv e A ccording to other a nd still

.

fa inter legend it w as lost a t l as t in so m e nameless

,

loch in a forgotten mere a mong the tumbled fra g

ments of the hill s The l ands surrounding B al m h ao d an

.

formin g the dis trict of Benderlo ch are alleged to h a ve ,

belonged to Mod an w h o w as the he ad so runs the

,

tradition o f the Cla n M ac L ullic h as recorded in the ,

loca l phra se C lann L ulic h o t h ulaic h M h a o dain the

, ,

M a c L ulli ch s from the hill of M aod an .

This legend sm acks strongly of the church but ,

the gener a l fea tur es of the myths alre ady co n sidered

a re all there . Thi s bell h as the po w er of returning

to it s old sea t like the c o ppe en ol ain It is speciall y .

ca lled yell o w like Conn s head ; w e h av e t h e ser
,

pent connected w ith it in the braw l a t t h e church

,

d oor ; an d the cla n ar e ca lled of the son of t h e s w ift

hero Lugh l ao ich Most remark able of all ho w ever
.
, ,

is its h av ing been carried to Scone and h av ing put in ,

its mouth the w ords ah e ady quoted w hi ch are al w ays

~

preceded by th e expl anation m ar t h uirt s cl ag Sc ain ,

as s a id the be l l of Scone meddle not e t c , , .

In the sto ry of D iar m aid an d G rainn e w e are told ,

th at D iarm aid h ad a serva nt called M uadh an This i .

1

O i i S i t y l iii p 7 9
1
ss an c oc e ,
vo . . . .
1 76 SC O TTI SH MY TH S .

n ame is the s am e a s Moda n being so used by Dr ,

.

Joyce in his Old C e lt ic Rom a n c es .

1

Here w e h a ve the serva nt of Diarm aid loca lis ed in ,

Scotland n o w gur ing as a s a int and conn ected w ith

, ,

a l ake not like St Fill a n a t the begin ning of his life .

,

but at the end Aedd in Welsh signi es noise .

,

cl amour A ed c m is then the cl amorous one an d w e

.
,

notice h o w the bea uty of h is voice is ins iste d upon in

the a bove legend It is beli eved th at the prex m o .
,

signifying m y w as used as a term of endearment as

, ,

one might say ; a n d thus m o Aed a n m v cl a morous ,

one becomes a Scottish sa i nt Dr Story informs us
,
. .

in h is lit t le book on S aint Mod a n th at he w as con ,

n ec t e d w i t h Colu mb a a n d
2
th at Colga n identies the ,

Scotch Mod a n w ith a certain Muda n at w hose mon as ,

t e ry Columb a c all ed w hen on his w ay from Cul d re v ny , ,

in Sligo t o Cr uim t h e r F rae c h s mon as tery in Leitrim
, .

The sto ry is th at he ti nn ed Columb a a nd the ,

tw elve comp anions th at w ere w ith him into a dir ty ,

barn and though it w as Friday gave them nothing

,

for supper but the carca se of a pig not e v en scraped

, , ,

a n d to a id their cookery only a bundle of w e t

(green ,

w a nd s a n d a broken kettle This s aid Columba is .

, ,

done in scorn but heed it not go on w ith your , ,

cooking ; w hereupon his fo llo w ers lighted t h e w ands

a n d put on the kettle There w as a hole in it but .
,

Columba in the n am e of God and F raec h his serva nt

, , ,

m a de them stop it w ith str a w The pig w a s cut up .

a nd put in to the kettle a n d w hen a fter boilin g it w as ,

taken out 10 ! it h a d turned from pork into a goodly

,

kettle of sh t for the rep a st of a saint upon a

,

Friday O n leav in g the pla ce next mor nin g Colum b a

.
,

foretold th at a spot so inhospitable w ould in future

be the ab ode not of clergy but of bea sts of prey , .

J y oC lt i R m
ce s

p 2 97 e c St u llf d
o p 36a nc es, . .
2
o a n, . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . l 77

Col gan surely could never see any trace of Mo da n

here .

The trace of Mod an is q uite distinct ; he is not a

s ain t here an y more tha n in Scotland ; but as t here
he was a bell here he a ppe a rs as a kettl e The green
,
.

w ands and the pig unscra ped suggest the Gull in

b ur st i the gol de n b r istled bo a r of F ro or F reyr the
, ,

god of summer and sunshine represented b y a ,

gigantic priapus a n d appea ring here as C rim t h an ,

F r each Cr uim thunder like Th rym i n the name

, ,

Th r um k et t l e Cr o m w e a r e to ld is an idol crooked
.
, , ,

Crimlin the temple of Crom the n ame of , ,

sever al pl a ces in Irel a nd It m ay be further stat ed .

th at the G ae lic w ord Cr om or Cr a m signi es lit erall y , ,

a m aggot It is a r em ark a ble fa ct that the cel e
.

b rat e d ido l of the a ncient p aga n gae dh il w as Crom

Crua ch w hich litera lly signi es t h e bloody m aggot
,

.
1

Thus O Cur ry gives h is op ini on on a matter of tradi

tion ; let us comp a re w ith it t h e mod e rn record of

M artin in his book on the West er n I la nds of Scot la nd s .

All an M a cleod h a d been subj ect to a p ain in

various p art s of his body The hin der p art of his .

he ad w hich w as l a st a ffected h ad a l ittle sw ell in g ;

, ,

and a w om a n endea vour i ng to squee z e the humour

out of it she forced out at the sa me time a little

,

a nimal near an in ch in leng th h a ving a w hi t e hea d ,

sh arp pointed t h e rest of its body of a red colour

, ,

a nd fu l l of sma ll feet on e ach side A nimals of th is .

.

sort h a ve been seen in t h e hea d and legs of several

persons in the Isles a n d are distin guished by t h e ,
2
n ame of Filla n It seems evident th at another .

n ame for O C ur ry s Bloody M aggot the idol of the
P agan Gae dh il w as other w ise called Fill an m ost
,

1 O Cn rry

s M a t er ia l s , p
63 2. .

2 M ar t in s I sla nd s,

Se c o nd E d it io n, 1 7 1 6 , p . 19 1 .

1 78 SC O TTISH M Y TH S .

proba bly nother name applicable to C rim t h an

a lso a

F ra e c h O C ur ry gi v es us a n a ccount of the d est r uc

.

tion of the Cro m Cru a ch a n d h is t w el v e companions

(s imil a r in number to M o da n s t w el v e ) ornamented

w ith br a ss w h o s a nk i nt o the ground w hen P a trick

,

struck w ith his staff on the Crom himself on the Ma gh

Sl e c h t (the P lain O be is a nce ) Except th a t the com .

p ani ons s a nk into the ground this is e v idently the ,

s a me ceremony as th a t of the stag striking th at w e -

found a n a ccount of in the Ma b inogio n .

The Crom also gures in a nother story of a pl agu

w hi ch aficted Irel a nd c a lled the Ch r o m Ch o nn il
l
.
,

The men of Kerry a ssembled in Ulster to meet a

c ert a i n St M ac C r e ic h e.
(the son of Plunder ) to get
h im to turn thi s pl a gue from them and w e ar e told ,

th at a mong these m e n of Kerry w ere cert ai n cousins

of the s a ints the sons of C uil c in n (Ca l l a corner
, , ,

obscure pl a ce cea m z a he ad ) They die d of the , ,

.

pl a g ue ho w e v er an d M ac C re ic h e is sa id on seeing
, , ,

them to h ave ra ised his Finn Fa idh ea ch (F in n bright

, , ,

F a zdh c a c h prophesying ; a n a me for the bell of St

i

.
,

P atrick ) a n d shortly there a fter a bol t fro m hea ven

, ,

a n d reduced it to dust an d
( c r uim fell on the Crom ,

a shes .

This tr aditional pl ague ca lled t h e Ca la r B uid h e ,

,

the yell o w sickness appea rs in the \Ve lsh stories a s ,

2
y F a d Eelen a n d it is s t a ted t o h a v e c aused the
,

de ath of M ae lgw n G w ynedd T h e yello w plague an d .

the yell o w bell of Mod an a re one a n d the same a nd ,

in its ch ar a cter of pl ague it started on its ra vages in

Irel a nd a pp are ntly from Ulster .

Thi s s a m e story w ould see m undoubtedly to appe a r

as the Croce a Mors the yello w d ea t h of Geo ffrey

of Mo n mouth in w hose history it is s aid to h av e b een

,

M t i l p 63 0 M b i gi l ii p 1 5 2 2

'
1
O Cu y rr s a er a s, . . a no o n, v o . . . .
 SC O TTI SH MY TH S . l 79

the n ame of Julius C aes ar s s w ord w hich w as buried

in the tomb of Ca ssir ela unus w h o w as sl a in by a ,

w ound received from it .

W e sh all consider l a stly if w e n d any traces of

those traditions in the n ames of the Cl ans The oldest .

Cl ans mentioned historically in Scotl a nd are the Cl an

Ca n a n a nd the Cl an Morgan occurrin g in the time of ,

David the First son of Mal co l m Ca nm ore mentioned

, ,

in the Book of Deer The next mentioned is the

.
1

Cl an C h w ev l appearing in a brief issued by Robert

,

t h e Th ird a t a General Council d ated 2 0 t h M a rch 1 3 9 0 ,

in w hich Sl ur ac h an d h is brothers a nd the whole

Cla n Qw h e v il ar e mentioned as im plic ated in a
descent m ade by the Highl anders in t o the Stormont .

It occurred in this w ay a ccordi ng to W yn t o un Sir ,

.

D avid Linds ay Lord of G l e n e sk h avi ng sen t a spy

, ,

a mong the Highl anders presum ably hi s neighbours , ,

a n d with w hom he w as at v a ri ance h ad a response to ,

this m o v e in a n incursion of 3 0 0 ofthese l a tter w h o w ere ,

encountered by Sir Walter O gil v ie Sheriff of A ngus , ,

a n d Sir P a trick Gray a t G l asc un e or G lask e un e as , ,

W ynt o un calls it The sm all p a rty of Lo w l a nders

.
,

not much over sixty in number w ere defe ated the , ,

Sher iff sl ain a nd Lind sa y h imself w h o h a d been

, ,

lying a t Dundee serio usly w ounded in the leg b v
,

a Highl a nd e r w hom he h ad tr a nsxed w ith his spe ar ,

2
but w h o re a ched him upt h r aw an d the w eapon .

The leaders of these Highl anders are thu described s

by W ynt o un

T h m P t i k nd Gibb n
o as, a r c , a o e,

th

D un n nny wca so u n wm s as ar e s r o e .

The next notice of this cl a n occu rs also in W yn

toun w h o g iving an a ccount of the curious battle on
, ,

1
C lt i S t l d
e l ii i p 3 0 3
c co an ,
vo . . . .

2 \Vy t u Ch i l B
n o k i h p
n s i

r o nc e, oo x . c a . x v .
 130 SC O TTI SH M Y T HS .

the Inch at Perth says t h a t it ,

w as fought by sixty
men and that
,

T h a t h rc sc o re w are C launys t w a,

C lah yn nh e Qwh cwy l and L l ac l rinyh a

.
,

Skene quoting the edition of the Ch ron ic le pub

,

l ish e d in 1 8 7 9 s ays W y nt o un n ames the cl ans

,
C la
h y n nb e or Cla n Qwh e w yl and C lach iny or Cl an Ha
l
.
,

The simple read i ng of W ynt o un s t w o lines is The three

sc o re w ere t w o cl ans Cl an Qwh ew yl a nd (Cla n)Cla ch ,

inv h a \Vyn t o un w rote t w enty v e years after the

.
-

combat w hich took pla ce in 1 3 9 6 The next account

,
.

of it w as m i tt en about forty v e yea rs after by -

Bo w er w h o calls them Cla n K ay and Cl anq uh el e

, .

In the B ook of Pl usc u d en Buchan a n n ext in 1 4 6 1 t

'

, , ,

distinct l y connec t s the Highland combat ants on the

Inch wit h the Highl anders of G lasc un e O t her notices .

of it are in the Reg i t r ant ll or a r ze nw in w hich they

'

s .
,

a r e c alled Cl a n K a
y a nd Cl an Qw h w l e In the E a: .

t ra c t a a w r its C r o nic ts Co d e quoted by Hill B urton , ,

the y are ca lled C lan cay an d Clan Qw e le Finally in .

,

B e l le nde n s tra nsl atio n of Boece w h o w rote at l e as t

1 2 5 ye a rs aft er t h e event w e n d them c alle d Cl a n .

K a y s a n d Gle n Quh at t an rs The Cl a n Qwh e w yl .

n ally appears among the B roh e n Cla ns in the yea r

2
1 5 9 4 w i t h t h e spelli ng C h e w ill The spelli ngs then .

of the n ames of these t w o cl ans are as follo w s

Q w h e w v l I l y nt o z n O u b
'

ele Jj o zcc r
/
Qwh w le
Reg ist r a nt rll o r a rze nse ; Qw h e v ilA c t of Pa r liam e nt
'

1 3 9 0 ; C h e w ill B ro lcc n Cla ns 1 5 9 4 Glen Quh at t an s ,

B el lc nd e n s B o ec e ; w hile the other is call ed Cl a ch

in v h a Wynt o un K ay B o wer a nd B e l lend en ; Hay

Reg ist r a m h fo ravieh se Skene . identi es the Cl a n
Qw h e wyl w ith a n ame K e nt a nd the other w ith ,

the Clan Cameron w hich w as a nciently call ed Cla n ,

1
C lt i S tl
e d
c l iii p 3 1 0
co an C ll t
, d b u Al b i i p 3 9
vo . . . .
2
o ec a nea e re s a n c s, . .
 SC O TTI S [ I M Y TH S . 18 1

M a el a n fh aigh
(th e r a ce of t h e ser va nt of t h e p r op h e t) .

The w ord at t h e end faigh in the genitive

,

form fh aigh the f h becoming quiescent beco min g the

, ,

source of the n a me Hay in Cl a n Hay of the R eg ist r um

f o r a vic nsc .

No w in the list of 1 5 9 4 the Cla n Ch e w ill appea rs

, ,

i mmediately a fter Cl a n Ch at t an e a n d before Cl a n ,

C h am r o n thus identifying it w ith neither a n d h o w

,

ever they m av h a ve been connected as indeed it , , ,

seems the Cl a n Ca meron a nd Cl a n Ch at t a n ar e ,

being of a co m mon stock the Cl a ns Qw h ew y l an d ,

C l ac h inyh a a t t h e date of the comb a t w ere most likely ,

a s much sep a r a te cl a ns fr om either a s t hese t w o pro

b ably w ere at t h e s ame d ate from e a ch other .

It seems prob able th at the n ames of the cl a ns in

W y nt o un a r e spelled phone t ic ally an d it w ill be ,

necessa ry therefore to consider w h a t w ould be their

, ,

equiv alents in modern spelling The erudi t ion of .

these d ays w as b ased on the L atin an d in this l an ,

gu age c and 9 h a v e been used in different ly by a uthors

w hen they ar e follo w ed by v o w els ; t hus pe c uni a 0 r

pe gun ia . \Vh e r e 9 occurs before t w o v o w e l s the ,

first vo w el is a l w ays u ; and it seems cle ar h o w ever , ,

th a t under those circumstan ces g con v eys a di er e nt

sound th an a simple 0 No w \Vynt o u n uses t h e g w/L

.

in q w h e n q w h e r e q w h e t h y r q w h ill e q w h ill being

, , , , ,

the respec ti v e equiv alents of o ur modern w hen w here , ,

w hether w hiles (i e n o w an d a g a in ) till

,
. . a n d in the ,

n a me F a rquh a rson a s w e n o w w rite it he w rites

, ,

F e r gwh a risso n e We nd a lso th a t he w ri t es the
.

w ord vir tues w e r t e wis on m a ny occ a sions Argu in g .

then from t h e rst ex amples given the in iti al g uh of ,

the n ame Qw h ew yl gives a soun d equ a l to a guttura l

wk ; w hil e a rguin g from the e a in vir t ues the c u oft he r
,
r

cl a n n a me equ als a modern ue m aking t h e nam e then ,

l 83

SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

W h ue l or possibly Quh ue l
,
Bo w er the second his .
,

tori an of the comb a t w e a r e informed by Skene uses

, ,

1
K for C a n d q uh for Oil w hic h w ould gi v e his spell
,
/

ings Quh e le a nd K ay the altern atives of Chele a nd

C ay . In modern G a elic w riting gener a lly the system , ,

of etymologic a l spell ing is adopted but in t h e M anx

the phonetic system is the pre v a ili ng one a n d this ,

dialect further recommends itself in the investiga

tion of a Scottish G a elic n a me by being more ne a rly ,

a lli ed to the Scottish form of speec h th a n the Irish from ,

w hich the etymologic a l s y stem h as been a dopted Q .

is used in M a n x al w ays w ith the double v o w el a fter it ,

the rst being a l w ays the n For ex a mple q ua iyl a .

, ,

law court con v ention from qua il a meeting w hich

-
, , , ,

Kelly deri v es from the w ord c o CL-zl ; q ua zl la g the

' '

-
,

equi v alent of the Sc o ttish c uilc ag a fl y a nd g ueeyl , , ,

the Scottish c uib h zo ll a w heel of w hich l a st English

'

, ,

w ord w e h av e a S cotch spelling in the Reg ist r a m

Bl ar ccr zc nse in the n a me J o h ann is Qh wc lw ry c h t

,
In .

the only Lo w l a nd w ord beginnin g w ith a ppe a ring r

in J a m ieson s Dic t io na r y d ir e c t l v deri v ed from the

G a eli c g ua zch a cup t h e

'

, I n s t a nds for o n of the ,

G a elic m a re/2 \Ve thus nd the na me of t h e rst

.

mentioned cl a n necess a rily h av in g an asp ira te in its r

rst syll able equ al l ing a s w e h a v e s a id either uh uel

, , ,

( y
\V n t oun
) or C h e le
(Bo w er ) gi v ing a decided c a st of ,

improbabili ty to the sound h a v in g been tha t of a

simple a s in k e v il The letter w is not n o w used
.

in Scotch or Irish Ga elic but it is in t h e M a nx a n d ,

the Breton as w el l a s in the Welsh Its equivalent in

,
.

those three l a ng ua ges is expressed by the French o n ,

or the double 0 0 in the English w ord b oo t w hen it

does not begin a w ord It therefore seems prob able .

tha t the name Qw h e w y l of W ynt o un represents

C lt i S t l d1 l iii p 3 1 6
e c co an ,
vo . . . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
183

C h o o uil though from Bo w er c alling it c irc le the

, ,

double 0 0 m ay h ave p a rtaken of a some wh a t sh a rper

sound such a s the diphthong ao w ould express a n d
, ,

m ight thus be w ritten c h co il w hi ch is not unlike the ,

orig in a l spellin g of Bo w er h imself In the Ma nx the .

,

initial g h as a peculia r sign ica tion in connection

w ith proper n a mes there represent ing w h at in Scotch
,

G aelic is w rit t e n in full len gt h the m a c w el l kno w n , ,

to all as the G a e l ic for the w ord so n Thus q ua yl is .

the equival ent of the Scottish M acph ail w h ich Kell y ,

tra n sl a tes from the M a nx as mean ing the son of ,

P a ul Qua (M a nx ) representing t h e Scotch M ac K ay .

No w w e n d a re a son for this in the Scottish pro

n un c iat io n of the w ord m a c w hich is pronounced a s ,

if it w ere sp elled M a ch g ; a nd therefore if the cl a n , ,

n a me w a s in 1 3 9 6 preceded by the w ord JI I CLC a

, , ,

Lo w l a nd e ar w o ul d n atura lly begin the n ame w ith a

g sou nd \V. h il e dismissi n g as unl ikely th at the , ,

second syll able of the n am e Qw h e wy l w a s equ al to

Vi] ,
Kev il it is but fair to a dmit th at the r st
,

a n d l a st Spel l ings a s they occur in the brief of the

,

Counc il of Robert I I I a nd of t h e l ist of broken cl an s

.

in the A cts of the Scottish P arlia ment respecti v ely ,

Qw h e v il an d C h e w ill give some colour to this ; but

no p erson ca n doubt t h a t the c t: of the one an d the
6 10 of the other might equ ally w ell represent a modem

to; w hil e Bo w er s Quh e l e an d t h e Qw h w l e of the

Reg ist r m n lf o m riense give no countena nce w h a tever
i

to this pronunci ation but ar e s t rong evidence for its

,

being C i r/m il H a ve w e any n ame in G a elic w hi ch is

.

s im il a r to this In D ea n M a cgregor of Lismore s col

lection of G a el ic poems w ritten phoneticall y a ccord

, ,

ing to the sp elli n g of Lo w l an d Scotch in his d ay ,

na mely about t h e yea r 1 5 1 2 w e nd the fa ther of

, ,

the mythi cal hero of the G a el c al led K o w l e t h e ,

1 S4 SC O TTI SH M YT H S .

modern equivalent of w hich is given as C um h ail l .

\V e t hen nd Slia bh C/um i/g ne th a t is the Hill of , ,

C uailgne thus described

,

O n C uailgne s are and ro un e b ill,

b d d
He (F inn l il ac Camlml ) lai it o n t h e Fe ine o f Fail d
1
M at eri al s for t h e wo r (o f uil ing a fo t ) t o ge t k b d r .

Th e na me C uailgne is Spelled Quoal in the original .

Sir D avid Lindsay w rit ing about 1 5 3 5 spell s , ,

M C u m h al M Co ull Dunb ar c alls him Ma K o w ll a

C c
, ,

form like the Mac K o ull used for M D 0 1 1 gal of Lorn in

2

a roll of the l airds w ithi n w hos e l ands broken men

d w elt rel ative to an Ac t of the el eventh P ar l iament
,

of Jam es V I 2 9 t h July 1 5 8 7
.
,

Dr M ac L auch l an in a note to the Dea n of

.
,

Lis more s book s ays The n ame (of F in n ) is pro
,

n o un c e d F in n m ac Cuil ve ry much as M ac D o ug al is ,

pronounced in the spea king of Gaeli c C a mpbell .

gi es ilf acgooil as the pronunci ation of M ac D ugal d ;

v

an d w e h e re nd an an alogy bet w een the 03 soun d an d

the Q! of the Manx the l at t e r b eing mutable into g

?
, ,

as g at ing a yoke n n
y guing t h e yoke Thus in Scotch
,
.
,

G a elic w e h a ve in the w ord spelt b och d poor the

, ,

pronuncia tion b och q 3

This w ould imply an ide nt i .

cat ion of the M ac D o ugal ds of Lorn w ith the Cl an of the

Inch b attle w hich I t hi nk i m prob ab le though there is
, .

sui c ie n t grou n d for the belief th a t the n a me usu ally

S pelt M ac D o w l e n o t neces sa rily nor e v en app arently

, ,

origina l to Lorn w hich p a rticul ar sept h a v e a D ugh ald

, ,

a son of Somerl ed as their eponymus w as derived from , ,

the sa me source as th at of Cl a n Qw h e wyl .

I a m then of opinion t h at this Cl an w hich from

, , ,

it s rst appe a rance in histo r y to its l ast w as a n obj ect

D n fL i m 1
p 14 ea o s o re , . .

C m p b ll H igh l d T l
3
i pp 6 7 5 4
'
a e s an a e s, v o . v. .
, .

St w t 3
G mm p 15
e ar

s ra ar, . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 185

of pursuit by the ruling po w ers w as not the s ame as ,

an
y other l a rge confeder a cy of septs but w as a tribe ,

cl aimi ng a title of its o w n disti n ct from those others .

Th a t it should be seriously reduced in importance is a

n atural res ult from the po wers a rr ayed against it It .

m ay be here right to sta te th a t w e h a ve no hesita tion

in concludin g th at the re al Spell ing of the n a me of the
Cl an Qw h e wyl is most clearly expresse d by the Welsh
Ha ul the Ar e m oric Heo l sign ifying the sun ; t h e Qw
, ,

sounded before the it being simply the result of the

pronun cia tio n of the letter c at the end of the w ord
m a c a son
, ,
ilf a c gh a ul ( ll a c g uh eo l of the A re
i

moric ) a pronunciation fully expl a ini ng t h e a doption

,

0 f the letter q in the O g m ic w here m a c is w ritten

,

m a gg The app arent connection then of this cl a n

.
, ,

n ame M a cq h aul w ith the Wels h h a ul (sun ) is further ,

con r mation of our theory of the sun w orshippi ng

origin of much of o ur Scotch tr adition O ne w ord .

here as to a circumstance w hich m ak es the j udici a l

combat on the Inch of P erth e v idence of a sort of con

n e c t io n w ith the F eine of Fionn To express fair
.

pl ay the w ords C o t h ro m n a feine are employed
, ,

signify in g the ch ance of the Fein t h e equi v alent ,

n ame to w hich is th a t so thoroughly dr a gged thro ugh

the dir t by our Irish contemporaries Feni ans , .

There is no special e v idence of a n ende a vour to gi v e

an equ al ch ance to both p arties in our other cl a n
enga gements a nd the de sire to ac t a ccordi ng to this
,

old expression fro m a b elief th a t it w a s specially

,

a ppli c able to themselves m ay possi b ly h a v e h ad some

,

inuence in the a rra ngements fo r the comb a t .

No w to consi der the n ame of the second Cl a n .

Skene cuts up the w ord C la c h in yh a into Cl ac h iny

w hich is t o equ al t h e spell ing of the w ord w hich in

the t w o lines quoted h as been a lready t w ice Spelt ,
186 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

rst C lann y then Cl ah ynn h e a nd then sep a r ates the

, ,

l a st syll able making it the n ame Ha a s indeed seems

, ,

to have been done by previous chroniclers .

It seems then r st an obj ection to this readi ng

, ,

th at the n a me Qw h e wy l is sep ar ated from the w ord

signifying Cl an w hile in the other C lach inyh a is one
, ,

w ord . Next tha t the c insert e d in the w ord a lters

,

its pronunci ation very considera bly and indee d seems , , ,

to the e ar to m ake it essenti al to di v ide the w ord

Cl ach inyh a into t w o dis t inct syll ables w hich is not ,

possible w ith those w ords of w hi ch there c an be no

doubt as to their me aning Cl an The consequence of .

this is a redundancy in the scan ning of the line ;

Thus w ithout the c it is in correspondence w ith the
previous lin e
Gl ab y n n h e Qw h e wy l an d C la li ynny Ha ;
but C lah yn n h e I Qw h e wy l an d C la c h yn n y Ha
,

is not in a ccord w hich becomes still w orse if w e m a ke

,

the second w ord K e v il inste a d of C uil The a bove -

.

le a ds m e to the conclusion th a t C l ac h inyh a is n o t a

co m pound w ord but the n ame itself of a cla n The
, .

a ccented t er m in a tion to the second w ord Signifying

Cl an n a mely the rst w ord of the s e cond line of the

, ,

couplet seems to be put in for the s ake of metre

, ,

though Skene a pp arently m akes the term in a tion not

h e but
It seems h o w e v er to be the s ame thing as the
, ,

follo w i n g e xamples from W ynt o un : sa u faylylce ,

w ithout fail g r et m o uylzc gre a t m a ny a n d a ssa y lylze

, , , ,

to assail .No w w h at a r e the indica tions of the

locali ty of the Cl an Qwh e w yl 7
If Buch anan in the B o ok of Plusc a r d en is right
, ,

in connecting them w ith the fight at G lasc un e of ,

w hich there can be no re as on able doubt they w ere on ,

1
C lt i S t l d l i i p 3 10
e c co an ,
vo . i . . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
187

th a t occa sion under the comm and of three D unc anso ns ,

th a t is to say heads of the Clan D o nn ac h ie or

,

Robertson w hose possessions w ere in Athole on this

, ,

side of the Gr a mpi a ns ; a nd their connection w ith t h e

M a cna irs of St rat h t um rn el a n d the Ayso ns (I ll ac k ay ,

of T ullim e t in St rat h t ay as sho w n in the brief of

, ,
l

Council of Robert the Third m a kes it prob able th a t ,

the a ppel l ation Cl an Qwh e w y le applied to cl ans in

th a t qu arter It h as been attempted above to Sho w
.

the connection bet w een the Bell of St Fill a n an d the .

coron ation stone in Westmin s t er Abbey an d the con

-
,

n e c t io n of these in tr adi tion wi th Finn M ac C um h a il .

The M a c n ab s a nd M a cn airs a r e kin dred Clans a n d ,

the former h av in g territo ry in Glen D och ar t a re

2
as soc ia te d by Sken e w ith St Fill an I venture to . .

suggest a prob able connection of the Cla n D onn ach ie ,

the M ac n ab s M a cn a irs and others as bein g the septs

, ,

to w hi ch the old n ame w hich I venture to call Cl a n ,

Ha ul w a s a pplied Whether this is or is not the

,
.
, ,

cas e in the ins t a nce of the M a c nab s and Ma cna irs I ,

think there c a n be li ttle doubt th a t it w as so w ith the

Cl a n D o nna c h ie , an d if tradi tion is right in point of
fa ct w hen it s ays the t w o comb ata nt cl ans w ere of
,

one stock then in the s ame district a s th at from

,

w hich the Cl a n D o nnac h ie come w e might on sea rch , , ,

nd a p arentel a correspon ding to the n ame w e w a nt .

Moreo v er the presence of the Highl anders before

,

G l asc un e on the Isla w hile L in d e say w as at Dun dee , ,

p o in ts to a d irect line being t a ken if the invaders ,

st a rted from A thole ; a further hint let us say as to , ,

their ha bitat .

Skene s ays th a t W ynt o un h as him self corrupted

3
the n a mes of the Cl ans a supposition w hich seems ,

1
C el t ic Scot l a nd v o l iii ,3 09 . . p . .
2
I b id . v0 1 iii
. . p
y nt o un s C h r o nic le , ed it 1 8 7 9 ,
.

3
. V0 1
. n o t es, p . 3 12 .
1 88 SC O TTI S H M Y TH S .

unnecess ary ; and further one is r ather i nduced to

, ,

think fro m the complete m a nner in w hich he h andles

,

the e arly t r aditions ofthe Scots and the va st number of ,

G a elic n a mes he gives us th a t whether or n o t w holly

, ,

ignora nt himself of G a elic he must h ave h a d those ,

a bout h im w h o h ad some kno w l edge of it Therefore .

,

for one w h o gives the story of t h e Stone of Destiny ,

w hich he s ays c am e from I o n a to Scone it does seem ,

improb able th a t he w o ul d delibe ra tely w rite Cla c h ,

w hich conn e cts i t sel f in m e a nin g w it h a stone for

C l a nn prim arily s ignifyi n g children
, .

O n go ing over the p a rish r egisters of the county of

Pe rt h w e nd in Scone itsel f a nd in the n e ighbour
, ,

hood o f Logierait anc ie nt l v L oginrn ac e dd

, Login ,

of the sons of E t h the centre of the j urisdiction of
,

the E arls of A thol and in w h a t m ay be called t h e

,

country o f the Cl a n D onn a c h ie w e nd a sm all cl an ,

.
,

c all ed Ma cl agan or M ac cl ag an or M acl agann e a spell

, ,

in g of 1 5 6 1 M ak cl ag e n e 1 5 9 0 an d it only requires
,

t h e ch ange of g in t o c h to tr an sform it in t o M ac c lac h in e ,

a n identic al w ord w ith M a c C l a c l ryn ny h a as seems t h e ,

re asonable readin g of the n a me of t h e second cl a n of

t h e b a ttle of the Inch .

P r ima f ac ie from their h a bit at these Ma clag ans

, ,

w ere connected w ith Cl a n D o nnac h ie but w e nd ,

other evidences of a tr a dition al ki nd con necting the

n a mes .

In the dedicat ion of one of h is books to Torl o ch

M ac C o chl a in in the ye a r 1 6 3 0 Micha el O C l ery the

, , ,

princip al w riter of the A n na ls (f th e F o ur JI I ast er s '

giv es the sai d Torl o ch s pedigree In this he makes a

.

D o nngh o sa 3 Dunc a n the son of M a c Cl o t h c o n

. , The .

M anx w rite c h oyrt for t h o ir t c h ynd aay s for t h iond as ; ,

an d thus t his n ame migh t o t her wise be w ritten M ac

Cl o clrc o n Now it is curious that in this the only

.
, ,
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
1 89

ca se W here I h ave seen the name in Irish it should be ,

found as sociated in the connection of fa ther and son

w ith th a t of Dunc an w hile t hey a r e m a de descenda nts ,

of L ugh aid M a en Lii M a en (the bri gh t stone ,

son of
T imo /L the w a nderer
,
In the s t ory of the Ce at h ar .

n a ch w e nd in the n ame Rob m a c Sh e o ic ic a Laga n ,

Robe rt m a de the grandson of Ma cl agan the Robert of ,

Robertson ta kin g the pl a ce of Dunc a n of Cla n Don

n a c h ie . Curiously enough the Sh e o ic or John the , ,

intermedia te genera tion in a second v ersion t akes the , ,

n a me of C e o c h d w hich is the w ord c eo th a ch d w hich
,

,

is to be tr a nslated misty from the w ord ceo mist , , ,

the equi v al e nt of w hich in M a nx is K a y mist the , ,

other form of the n ame of t h e Cl a n C lac h innyh a of the

Inch Thi s story is a Ross sh ir e one
.
-
.

Here then w e nd re a sonin g from a n alogy tha t

, , , ,

the m aker of M a c C o c h l a in s pedigree a n d the Ross

shire story teller m a de t h e n ame M acla gan or M ac

-

C l o t h c o n seni or to th at of Dunca n .

Tha t the n a me or a n ame excee di ngly si m il ar in,

sound is old in Brit ain a bil in gu al L a t in a n d O ga m

, ,
.

s t one in South \Val e s w hich records t h e death of a ,

filius M ag l a g n i a t tests
"
.
,

No w the e v idence of tr aditi o n is in fav our of the

n a me M a cla ga n h a v ing a con n ection w it h this priapic
sy m bol an d w ith it w e h av e connect ed t h e w ord Conn
, ,

the n a me of the Irish king ; a n d w e h av e tr anslated

t h e w ord b o d a n d h a v e sho wn h o w if M C l o t h co n

, ,

a n d D o n ng h o sa in the M ac C o c h l a in pedigree a r e to

be taken a s sho w ing a tra dition al order of succession ,

the Cl a n D o nna ch ie are the l ater famil y A tradi tio n .

recei v ed by the w riter from Mr Dun ca n C am pbell .

,

Keighley Yorkshire supports t hi s Spea kin g of the

, ,
.

Rob Reo ob the chief of the Cl an D o n o q uh y kill ed
, ,

in h i s encounter w ith the Forester of the Tor Wood ,

1 90 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

a bout of h is grand father

1 4 4 2, an d D onnach a

R eam h ar a gre at ch ara cter in local tradition
,
he ,

s ays This m an li v ed in the time of B ruce His

cl a n called themsel v es Cl a n D o nnach y a fter h im , .

The predecessors of Dunca n the Fat w ere styled de

A t h o lia a nd I belie v e the cla n tradition s ays th a t
,

B od ach nan Conn (the M a ster of the Hounds ) w h o ,

m a rried the da ughter of King Mal col m w as in his ,

tim e the chief of their kin dred and that hi s son by ,

a nother m arri age w as rst E a rl of A thol Mr C amp , .

'

bell s transl ation of Boda ch na n Conn though a mis ,

t a ken one is as old a s the time of Rob R eo ch himsel f

, ,

w h o h ad three greyhounds engra ven on h is sea l .

This evidently is an old tradi tion the B od ach and ,

Conn of C c d M ac Magh ach be ing the same and there ,

fore po int to some origin long before the time of Bruce .

Rob Reo ob is the a ncestor of the Rober tsons of

St ro wan an d this St ro w a n is de di c ated to St Fill an
, .
,

an d w as t h e l oc ali t y of a n iron bronz e co v ered be ll -

,

c all ed the Cl ag B uidh e a n n t h e bell of the troop , ,

n o w in t h e possession of Miss M I nr o
y of Lude This
.
,

dedication of St ro w an is a v ery strong conrmat ion of

th e connection betw een the famil ies of this neighbour
hood an d the so called St Filla n -
. .

Supposing then it w ere accepted that the Rober t

, ,

sons an d M ac la g a n s w ere of the s a me stock is there ,

an
y further evidence connect ing them w ith the Cl an
Qw h ew yl I think w e m ay condently say there is ,

beca use w e nd it comm on tradition a mong the

M aclagans thems elves that they are as they put it , , ,

M ac D o ugal s w hich m ay in this c as e at l eas t I think

, , , ,

certainly b e w ritten M ac C uil an d for thi s reas on w e

'

h ave in Irish c oil c uzl a corner any private pl ace ;

, , ,

in M anx cooill a corner a hi ding plac e ; coillee a par

, ,
-
,

lour a w ithdraw ing room Scotch cil a corner niche

,
-
, , , ,
 SC O TTI S H M Y TH S .
I91

nook a cl oset any retir ed obscure p la ce Comp a re

, , ,
.

w ith this the w ord la genitive l ui or l an a h ol

g g ag , ,

l o w ca vity a ca ve a den thus giving a c o m m on tr a ns

, , ,
1

l ation to both M ac co il an d M ac la ga n In connec - -

.

tion w ith this it is cur ious to nd tha t the Macdo ugal s

,

of Lorn w h o comm ence the ir gene a logy from Conn

,

C h e udch at h commence their h ist or ic a l gene al ogy from

,

Somerled w h o tradi tion s ays w as the son of Gilli

, , ,

brede c all ed G ill eb re de n a n Uaim h tha t is G illib re de

,

, ,

of the Cave beca us e he is s a id to h ave la in conc ealed

,

in a ca ve in Morven 2
W e thus nd a con nection .

betw een the name Macdo ugal an d a ca ve an d as the

a ncestor of the M a cdon al ds of the Isles w as a brother

of the D ougal d the eponym us of the fa mily of Lorn , ,

they w ere equ all y connected wi th this G il leb re d e of

the Ca ve Som e rl e d s name is genera lly a ccepted as
.

Norse and it is in terestin g to note a p h il ol ogic al con

,

n e c t io n in the Norse w ith this w ord c uil There is a .

w ord of frequent occu rr ence on Runic stones k m n l , ,

kum b l I mb l , This occurs but seldom in the old Ice

.

l audie wr iters a nd is quite obsolete , It sign i e s .

rst a sign a b adge a w a r b adge especi ally used of

, , , ,

any heral dic emblem ; sec o nd in Sca ndina via a n al o , ,

gous to t h e Greek U p a a sign sepulchre monument , , , ,

device ; it came t o mea n a monument a cairn a h ow , , .

No w the w orship of ho w s and ca irns w as forbidden

even in the hea then age i n Scandinav ia as bein g con ,

n e c t e d w ith sorcery w hence b lea t r Icmnb la a w o r , ,

shipper o f cairns a w iz a rd a ter m of abuse , The , .

3

n am e Macdowl e is th at of a cla n at one time held in

the highest respect in G all o way a locality deriving its ,

n ame from the G all Ga el or mi xed Norse an d Ce l ts

-
, ,

an d the adoption of the cl sound in preference to th a t

1
M acl e o d an d D e w ar s G aelic D ic t io na ry

Gre go ry .

s H igh la nds ,
p . 11 .

y, voc e k um l
3 C l e as b 's I cela nd ic E n l ish D ic t io na r
y g .
192 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

of 0 m ay h ave been a concession to the obj ections of

the Norse by the descend a nt s of t h e w orshippers in the
hollo w ca irns a n d ho w s of the Celtic l a nds .

L e t us notice th a t in the Norse t h e w ord signify

ing a h o w also signies a b adge of ba ttle No w Boece .
,

at lea st his transl ator Bellenden calls the cl an

, ,

Qw h e w yl C la nc h a t t an The me aning of the n ame

.

of this cla n is e x ceedi ngly obscure ; but w h at follo w s

seems w orthy of considera tion as giving the clue to it ,
.

A mong the a ncient Irish strange to say w e nd a , ,

relic of S a int Columb a n amely a fragment of the copy

, ,

of the Ps alms of D av id w r it t en by him ha nded do w n ,

from a remote period a s t h e heirloom of the Cla n

Con aill the equiv alent of the Scottish M a cdon alds
,
.

This w as called the C a t h ac h an d w as used as a sort ,

of standard fo r w a rlike purposes since the d ay of the

1
S a int himself a ccording t o O Currv
,
The n ame of

this relic is e v idently deriv ed from c a t lz a b a ttle an d ,

if the n ame of the Cl a n C h at t a n should come from the

s ame root the differ e nce in t e rmin a tion makes C h at t a n
,

a noun w hile c a t /l a c ] : h as in r eah t y an a d v erbia l ter

,

mina tion In \Ve l h w e h a v e the w o d c a dg un w hich

. s r
,

Spurrel tra nsl ates the stav o f b a t t l e Is it not most .

probable th at these t w o c a tt a n an d c a dg un are the

, ,

s ame ? Ca d is the s a me in \Ve lsh a s oa t h in Ga elic ;

9 t akes the pl a ce in M a nx of ( Z in Scotch a letter in ,

t e rc h an g ea b l e w ith t a n d in fa ct sounded more l ike

, , ,

t tha n the English ( l in Scotch G a elic a t the present

d ay clza dg un c h a d d zm C h a t t a n
, ,
Whether or not .

the Cl a n Qw h e wy ll a n d the Cl a n C h at t an w ere the

s ame and w hether or not the Cla n D o nn ach ie w ere
,

members of either of these t w o there is no doubt of ,

their close connection geographica ll y ; a n d it is very

curious to notice th at w h at is considered the oldest
1
M t i l f A i t I i h Hi t y p 3 2 9
a er a s o nc e n r s sor , . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
l 93

xisting rel ic of St P a trick is ca lled the Domhnach
. ,

a w ord ex a ctl y pronounced l ike the rst p a rt of the

n am e D o nnachi e This Domhna ch is a triple c ase

.

of silver C opper and w ood conta ini ng a copy of the

, , ,

four Gospels believed to h ave been w ritten by St

,
.

P a trick It belonged to the See of Clogher and the

.
,

story conn ected w ith t h is pl ac e is that w hen its ,

rst bishop cal l ed M ac C a rt h ainn (the son of the

,
-

Ro wa n Tree ) w as ca rrying St P atrick over a

,
.

strea m he compl ain ed of his w eight excusing hi mself

, ,

by s ayin g th at he w as n o w an old m an St Patrick . .

there an d then ga v e the bishop lea ve to foun d the

1
See of C l o ch ar besto w in g on h im the Domhn ach
,
.

Wh at one m ay t hink of St P a trick h as been alre ady .

considered (p age a n d here it is notew o r t hy th a t

the n a me of the See w as Cl o c h ar or Clogher referring ,

either app a rently to a stone or a bell That the .

2
manuscript is not as old a s St P atrick seems to .
,

have b een the O pinion of Dr Todd ; and therefore .

, ,

w e m ay suppose th at the Domhna ch Airgid a s it ,

is call ed n o w in t h e Irish A c ademy is not the original

, ,

of the legend \Ve rather connect the w ord Domb

.

na ch w ith the L atin d o m inus (lord ) the t igh earn

of K e nt ig e rn al ready discussed To return t o the .

C at h ac h of C o l um c il l e : w e nd from the inscription ,

on its ca se th a t it w as m ade for D o m n all U a

,

R o b art aig the C o m h arb a of C e n annus thus proving

, ,

th at it belonged to the mon as tery of Kells s aid to ,

h a ve been founded by St Columb a but of w hi ch the .

,

a ncient n am e accord ing to the A nn al s of the Four

,

Mas ters A M 3 9 9 1 w h o thus give it a pre Ch rist ian

, .
,
~

origin is Dun Ch uile Sib h r inn e (possibly from sa imh

, ,

t w o ani mal s de l ig ht ; sa m h a ch li bid inous a h andle

, , ,

tra nslated in L atin A r x Anguli-a dulte rii - '

.

M t i l f I i h Hi t y p 3 25 O Cu y M t i l p 3 2 6 2
1 s or rr s a er a s,
a er a s o r s ,
. . . .
l 9
i SC O TTI S II M Y TH S .

Here you ha ve t h e cl a n n ame of the successor of -

Columb a U a R o b art aig the s ame a s th at of the

, ,

Robe rtsons connected w ith a pl ace in w hich the w ord

C uil appears ; w hil e the C at h a ch w as connected w ith
a pl a ce ca lled C l o c h ar fro m Cl o c h or Cl a c h (a stone ) , ,

occurring in the n a me Clac h in nyh a a Clogh er from , ,

C log or C la g a bell possibly occurrin g in the n a me

, ,

M ac c lag a ne .

There is yet at Kells a stone building c all ed St .

Columb a s house in the upper cha mber of w hich

, ,

betw een the arched lo w er room and the stone roof of

the buil din g is a at stone six feet long an d one thick
,

call ed St Columba s peni tenti al bed

. This house

.
,

Petrie says w as built by St Col umb a and occupied

, .
,

as an ora tory an d h a bita tion .

O ne thing is clear th at as the a p artment in w hich ,

the stone w as w a s one of three irregula rly formed in ,

a sp ace of t w enty feet by eighteen an d only six feet ,

high it might dese rv edly recei v e the n ame C ai]

,
.

No w no one w ill suppose th at the pra ctices of

,

the St Columba of history

. gav e rise to the n ame
A r ro a ng ul ia d ul t e r ii a n d ho w e v er far wr o n g the Four
-
,

Masters m ay h ave been in dating the found ation ele v en

centuries before Christ the tra dition certainly points ,

to a pre Christi an t ime an d w e m ay suppose to a

-
, , ,

Scottish or A t t ac o t ish rite a s old Jerome call ed it ,
.

Referring b ack to the rem arks alrea dy made as to the

tradition a l poets of t h e G a el it m ay be mentioned here ,

th at the n a me of the most notorious of the m all is in ,

Irish neither more nor less th an the equivalent of the

,

w ord here transl a ted A ng ul us an a ngle corner nook , , ,

.

Ozsin a corner nook a quoin ; the proper n ame

, , ,

of a m an ; a fa mous Irish poet the son of Fionn m ac ,

-

C um h ail So w e nd in the Ha nes Ta liessin w h o

.
l
,

1
O D o no v an s O R e il l y , I ri
s h D ict io na ry .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 1 95

ever composed it th a t the poet w hen he w ent to, ,

M aelgun s cou rt

pla ced himself in a quiet corner
,

near the p la ce w here the bards and m instrels w ere

1
w ont to come to a se a t so contracted that it is
,

imme di a te ly therea fter called the c orner w herein h e

was crouching So also a sp a ce was vac ant at the
.

Round Tab l e w herein none might sit till he came

wh o shoul d full the ma rvel of the Holy Grail .
2

F rom the foregoin g then the con clusion is obviou s , ,

that the names of the Scottish famil ies such as Clan ,

Ch at t an C lan C u
,
il Cl an D onn a ch ie M aclagane e t c
, , , ,

are not derived from the n a mes of hi storic in di vidu al s ,

but are records of tr adi ti o ns of the earliest times of

the Scottish people evidences of which tradi tions ,

exist in loc alities far removed from the district of

count ry in w hic h those be ari n g the n ames are to be
found ; and in specia l reference to the n ames above it ,

seems most prob able th a t they h ave h ad their origin

from a relic of the p a st a n d th a t that relic w as con ,

n ec t e d origin al ly not w ith Christi an but w ith some

, ,

other religious rite The Cla n D o nnach ie may be .

c alled from the origin a l Domhna ch ; the Clan Ch attah

surely is from some sta y of ba ttle .

Now the Irish C a t h ac h contains the Psalms of

Da vid the n a me of the p a tron S a int of Wales
,
We .

have seen a possible cha nge from C to D in the initia l '

letter of one n a me but w e have proof in the foll o wing

,

that such a cha nge is not pec ul ia r to that n ame .

Skene quoting evidently w ith approval an old Irish

, , ,

3
Glossa ry gives this deriv a tion of the w ord D ab h ach
, ,

a cert ain me as ure ; C ab a i e C a bea (a cave a den , . .
, ,

a sc af fo l d a r a il ed in pl a ce )
,
Dab h ach genitive -
, ,

Da bh c a . The w ord itsel f is not unlik e David an d is ,

1
M a b iiwg ion, v ol iii 3 71
. . p . .

P op ula r Roma nces of M idd le A ges , p . 12 1 3 C elt ic Scotla nd, p . 22 4 .

196 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

very like a l o wl and Scotch form of diminutive D avoch ,

.

B efore 1 4 2 9 the Cl an Ch at t an consisted of t w o prin

c ipal an d six a fli ated septs ; the t w o princip al sep t s 1

constituting the o l d Cla n C h at t an called respectively ,

t h e Cl a n V uirich othe r wise the M a cphersons and the

, ,

Cla n D ay other w ise the D a vidsons If C avea beca m e

, .

D ab h ac h might not Cay become Day ? And here it

,

is curious to note th at the Cl an C ay was the n ame of

the cl an a ccepted by those w h o from B o w er do w nw ards , ,

h a v e re a d the w ord Clach innyh a as meanin g Cl a n

Cay or Hay ; not of course th at w e me an to say th at
the Cl a n D ay h as been onl y so call ed sin ce the d ate
of t h e battle of the Inch of Perth S0 early as 1 4 4 7 . ,

stra nge to say w e nd the fa mily name of the only

,
-

hereditar y keeper of a Bell in Scotl and w as David :

in th at ye ar Mi ch a el D avi d surrendered h is Bell a nd
its pertin ents and privileges to Sir John O g ilvie of
L e nt r e t h yn ; and w h at is more rem ark able this Bell
, ,

w as c all ed the B ell of St M aidie prob a bly as w e h a v e .

, ,

ah e a d po i nted out a corr u ption of Mo aeda n the -

y ,

w ord a cl from w hich the diminutive
c
,
A edan being ,

the a ccepted Irish form of the name which appea rs in

ordin ary Scotch wr iting as M K ay Now the na me
.

C ay or C aiy is especi ally a pplied to some of the upright

, ,

stones or so called C ay stones -
and curious to

say by in ference w e hav e re ason to concl ude th at

,

there w as some connection bet w een the n am e Columb a ,

as a pplied to the S aint a nd those stones O n the , .

estate of C omist o n near the Pentland Hill s a fe w , ,

m iles to the south of Edinburgh is a so-call ed K ay ,

'
stone and it was suggested that the n ame Comist on
,

w as deri v ed from this circumstance but the proprietor

3
informs us th at in documents of the year 1 4 1 4 rel at
Cel t ic Sco tla nd, v ol iii 3 15. . p . .

1
P r eh isto r ic Scotla nd , 95 p . .
3
Sco tsma n, June 2 9 , 1 8 8 1 .
 SC O TTI SH M YTI I S .
197

ing to the estate the name there given was Colm a n

,

Stone w hence directly Co mis t o n Colman being a s

,

,

al rea dy poin ted out page

( the equiv alent in G a elic

of Columba a dove ; a nd a lso connected w ith upright

,

stones The w ord K ay (K ea) for a p articul ar sort of

.

stone h as already been noticed In the Wallon w e n d .

that w hil e the te rm ca ic is used to sign ify the sm al l stone

used as a Tee in the ga me of quoits it is also g ura ,

t iv e ly used rem v e ne r eam agere There can be .

little doubt that this is a distinct s ur vival from a

L ing um w orship In the s ame l a ngu age w e n d the
.

w ord Ca l i signies a lecher a libert in e W hile con ,

.

sid e rin
g this a ncient dial ect of the ne ar neighbourhood
of the M e napia of the tim e of Jul ius Ca es ar a n d of the ,

district from w hi ch c ame the B a t avi a ns a nd T un gr ian s ,

w e m ay note t h a t the St D a v id educ a ted in Irel a nd .

is located as the p atron of the other M e napia or

M e nav ia th at is South W ales The n ame D a v id is
,
.

a ppli ed to the Devil in the sl a ng phr a se O ld D a vy , ,

an d connecting th is w ith the w a ter surrounded L in um -

g ,

the C ai stone (ga ia the ea rth surrounded w ith w ater )

, , ,

w e nd th a t O ld D a vy is a w a ter de v il in the w ell -

kno w n phra se a ppli ed by s ailors to the se a of D a v y

J o nes s locker

the Jones being w e m ay conclude , ,

connected w ith the w ord Yon i the Sho my of the

Lew s venerated by lib ations poured into the sea by the
o fci ating person standing in it up to their w a ist the ,
l

B a lla n the fem ale orga n of gener a tio n the w ater sur
, ,

roun di ng part of the Cai or L ing um The n ame .

O ld Nick w e are told comes from the sa me root

,

2
as the Greek myxa to sw im

, .

No w let us ex amine w h at is s aid not of D avid

, , ,

but of K ai in Welsh regions fu r t her th an h as been ,

M a rt in s I sla nd s,

p . 28 .

No rse M yt h o logy, v ol . ii . p . 3 63 .
198 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

hi therto In the F o ur A nc ie nt B ooks of Wa les

done .
1

w e nd C a i the fa ir mentioned He w a s thus light .

in colour like Finn an d is sa id to h a v e gone t o Mo na

, , ,

to devasta te L l e w o n ; his shield w as re ad y aga inst

Ca th P a lug The loca lity of the Ca th Pa lug h a
.
s

been a lre a dy discussed a n d this seems to h i nt a t a ,

connection betw een the Ca t h P alug the Ca dgun an d , ,

the Ca th a n In the JI aln nogio n K a i is described a s

'

'

supplying mea t a nd w ine in a golden goblet to A r t hur s

an d in the B r ut he is ca lled A i t h ur s
2
a ttend a nts ;

D a pifer These titles seem to h ave a risen from the

.

doubtful mea ning attach able to C ai G win K ai .

G wyn signi es the b lessed K a i or t h e fa ir K a i ; w hil e ,

3
K a i G wy n me a ns K a i the pur v eyor of w ine We .

h a v e sho w n th a t K ai is closely a llied w ith B e dwy r

( a nte
,
p 1 3 6 the Pict the ph allus be arer Arthur s
.
, ,
-
,

butler ) a nd they are possibly v arious na mes for the

,

sa me th i ng Th is connectin g of these na mes w ith the

.

function of a uid conta in ing v essel is r ather curious ,

w hen w e consider it in connection w ith the Cl a n

C l ac h in nyh a if identied w ith th a t w ritten M a c l aga n
,
.

L ag a n a me asure of al e of a bout a ga l lon or more w as

, ,

used in Scotl and w e kno w as e arly a s the reig n of , ,

{ l e x a n d e r the Third an d this is deri v ed from t h e La t in ,

l a g ena a ag o n a ask a stone bottle to keep w ine

,
.
, ,

in w hich is a g a in deri v ed from the Greek K ty 77 0 9 a / 12

Some of K a i s peculia rities w e r e a s described in

the M a b inog io n his cap a bilities for retaining his brea th ,

under w a ter for nine d ays ( nine days a gure of ,

speech for a conside ra ble period of time ; possibly the

number nine m ay h a ve a reference to the period of
gestation ) for the s ame period doing w ithout sleep
,

(w ithout rest l
) A w ound given by him none could .

1 V l i p 26 1
o . . . .

2
M b i gi
a l i p 40
no o n, v o [ bi l l i p 100
. . . .
3
l . vo . . . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
1 99

hea l ; and w hen it plea sed h im he w as cap able of

, ,

rendering himsel f exceedingly tall w hile he was of so ,

hot a n ature th at he w as as fuel to light h is c om pan

ion s fire 1
The expl anation of these all usions seems to
.

be such a s is inc ap able of di rect elucidation tho ugh it ,

is n ot dif cult to rea d betw een the lines K ai w as .

sl ain by G w y ddaw g the son of M e n est yr ; Gwydda wd

2
, ,

kno w ledge m enestr a cup bearer Does this al lude

, ,
-
.

to the introduction of Christianity ? K ai h ad another

pecu li a rity th at of exceedin g s w iftness one of the
, ,

a ttributes of Rob M Sh e o ic ic a L aga n K ai h ad al so

.

but one h a nd (or sh all w e say h andl e l ) though grea t , ,

his po w er in b attle We h ave a curious account .

of the effect ho w ever of K a i s appearance in public

, ,

3
in a nother l 1 ab inogi Rh o nab w y h appens to meet .

A rthur a n d hi s host He dismounts and a fterw ards .

,

he heard a grea t t umult and confusion a mong the

host a n d such as w ere then at the anks turned to
,

t h e centre an d such as h ad been in the centre moved

,

to the a nks A n d then behold he saw a k night .

, ,

coming cl ad both he and his horse in ma il of w hi ch

, , , ,

the rings w ere w hiter ( nn w hite )th an the w hitest ,

l ily an d the rivets redder th an the rud di est blood

, ,

and he rode a mongst the host I ddaw c s aid .
,

R h o n ab w y w ill yonder host ee ,
2 Kin g A rthur
never ed an d if this discourse of thine w ere heard
, ,

t hou w ert a lost m a n but a s to the knight thou seest

yonder it w as K ai The fair est horseman is K ai in
,
.

a l l A rthur s Court an d the men w h o w ere at the front

of the a rmy h a stened to the rear to see K ai ride and , ,

the m e n w h o are in the centre ee to the side an d ,

this is the cause of the confusion of the host There .
4

1
M bi g i
a l ii p 2 6 9
no o n, v o . . . .

l ii p 2 6 4 l ii p 4 0 4 3
'
3
I b id . vo . . .I b id . . vo . . . .

ll d G wi u G dd wf H i t h t i k F u

4 K i ha w
s o r se a s ca l g e ne o r, a s, on -ne c
o r
,

A i t B k f W l
nc e n oo s o l i p 3 07 a es, v o . . . .
 200 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

3
upon they heard a call ma de for Gadwr ia rll K e rnyw ,

a nd behold he a rose w ith the s w ord of A rthur in his

, ,

h and an d the sim ilitude of t wo serpents w a s on the

,

s w ord in gold ; and w hen the s word w as draw n from

its sca bb ar d it seemed a s if t wo ames of re burst
,

fort h fro m the j aw s of the serpent an d then so w o n , ,

d e rful w a s the s w ord it w as h ard for any one to l ook ,

upon it a nd the host beca me still and the tumul t

,

ce ased a n d the E arl returned to the tent
, .

D avies transl ates Ca i a s signifyin g a ssocia tion ,

thus maki ng it the equivalent of the q ua il of the M anx ,

me aning a meeting In the a bove M ab in ogi w e h ave .

c l early a di stinct tradition a l a ccount of the form atio n

of a circle as of a cour t or convention (Qua iyl
, ,

K elly) No sooner do w e hea r of the presentation of

.

K a i the provider of V ictu al s the friend of the Pict

, , ,

or of the b od b ea rer B e d wy r th an w e see Ar t h ur s
-
, ,

s w ord appears with its t w o serpents an d its e fful

gence ; clearly the w hole of these bein g one and
.

the same thing Gadwr seems to com e from .

cad , ba ttle t or a m an ; the K adgun or K a tta n w h o

, , ,

is E a rl of Corn w all s ay s the story ; but K y m , ,

w hence I fe r ny w Corn w al l signi es a horn and here , , ,

refers to the drinking cup o f Arthur s p an tl er -

.

S tr ange to say the next ch a ra cter w h o appe ars in t h e

,

story is E irynwy ch Am h e ib y n Eirenneach the Irish ,

m an a m not h el m to utter to speak the synonym

, , , , , ,

of Am lab h air ; also t ransl ated the leper the epithet of ,

St Fil la n No w in Irish t ra dition Cai a ppears a s a

.
,

l aw giver in structed in the l a w of Moses a nd wh o

, ,

j udged the Irish b efor e P a trick s time by the law

of n ature It seems accordi ng to the Sench us Mor

.
, ,

th at he left Moses after p as sing through the Red Sea

with him on the ight from Egypt w here being of , ,

the l ine age of the Hebre w s he h ad b e en studying , ,

 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 20 1

an d then w ent to Greece and the land of Thrace ; from 1

w hich l a nd tr a dition says the Picts emerged

,
In the ,
.

story K ai is m ade to j oin the sons of Milidh a nd w as ,

nall y la nded among the C ruit h nigh th at is the Irish , ,

Picts K ai s po w er of voice is also ill ustra ted in the

.

Irish a nn al s We h ave al rea dy noticed a Sa int G e dh e

.

of I n nisk e a ; n o w K ay appears as a king In the

,
.

A nna ls of th e F o ur i a st e rs in the ye ar of the w orld ,

3 9 6 0 w e are told w a s
, the rst yea r of the reign of
,

G e dh e O ll gh o t h ach over Irel and

O Flah e rt y trans .

l ates this G e dius Gra ndi V o c us a n d Lynch in his , ,

Ca m b r e nsis E ve rsus s ays th a t he w as so surn amed

because in h is day the men of Irel a nd h ad voices
co m bining the gre a test comp as s an d po w er w ith the

s w eetness of the lyre The editor of the A nna ls of
.

t h e F our M a ste r s s ays it is e v ident thi s is leg end a ry ,

as the cognomen O llgh o t h ac h w a s evidently ap

plied to these mona rchs themselves from the loudness ,

of their o w n voices an opinion th a t w ill ce rt ainly
,

receive the most g eneral accepta tion if either w ere to ,

2
be ac cepted as a historica l f act It h as bee n noticed .

tha t the account of G eid e w h o appears as the second ,

Pictish king in the Irish Ne nnius coincides w ith tha t ,

of E re m on the son of M ilesius in such a m a nner as to

, ,

m ake one conclude th at t hey w ere ide n tical w hich ,

w ould iden t ify M il esius the fa ther of the Scots and , ,

C r uit h n e the father of the Picts as the s ame indiv i

, ,

du al a conclusion w e h ad alre ady come t o Gre a t .

po w er of v oice w a s a pecu li arity of Fin n a s w el l as of

St Columb a The n ame Ma ck ay as usu ally w ritten
. .
, ,

is in Irish M ac A eidh or A o idh the l atter spellin g , ,

more nea rly a ppro aching the H i t of the Welsh an d U ,

of the Ir ish r b olg We h av e in Scotch G a elic itself

.

w ords in w hich such sounds as ea or n i ar e interch a nge

S n hu M
e c s p 21 ar, C mb
. . i E u iii p a r enss ver s s, c . v . .
20 3

SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

a ble for exa mpl e ( l rca g other w ise d r uig a m eteor

,
as, , , , ,

a w a rning of de ath .

No w w e nd the clan Ae dh connected in Irish

legend wi th the so called Ait h e ac h T ua t h a w hich -
,

l a tter is t h e form given to the n ame a ppea rin g in the r

cl as sical a uthors as the At t ac o t s These are s aid to .

1
h a v e been a serv il e r a ce subj ect to the M ilesians ;
2
a n d in the O ssi a nic Society s Publica tions w e nd

the foll o w in g by the edi tor The A th a tua ithe -

seemed t o have been a race not entitled to all the

ci v il pri l e ges enj oyed by the Mil esi ans but to h ave ,

been looked upon as strangers They w ere not h o w .

,

ev er sl a es as w e learn from the follo w in g sta nza

,
v ,

ta ken from a n old m anuscript poem no w in our

h a nds :
Ni M ogh a na b uicnect a
Ni M ogh a c lan da A edh a
No ch d aer an sae r c ine l m or
Nil d ersa fo r cl anda
Th a t is ,

Th e h d er sm e n are n o t sl av e s .

Th e C l an A e dh ar e n o t slav es ; no great free r ac e is su bj ect

to b o n dage .

d l y
T h e C l ans o f M ile sius are no t un er s av e r .

I n the rst pl a ce notice th at the clan A e dh a r e ,

here called ch ildren (c la nda )of Mil esius a nd identied ,

w i t h t h e A t t a co t s ; a nd if w e look n a rro w ly in to the

possible me a nin gs of the w ords in the stanza w e nd ,

indication s of the found a tion on w hich the histo ry of

'

the Irish A t t ac o t s rests B m c nec t a here tra nslated .

,

herdsmen m akes us thi nk if this is correct that it

, , ,

conta ins t h e Teutonic knech t a servant as the origin al , ,

of its l at t er p art B uicea d w e nd is a bucket in Irish

.
, , ,

b ut w heth er a Ga elic w ord is questio nable Bua c .

,

ho w ever is m ist a c ap of mist on a hill ; buac a in

, , ,

y M t i l p 26 3 V ] i p 1 15 2

1
OC ur r ,
a er a s, . . O . . .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 20 3

the conical top of a hi ll thus giving this cl an Ae d h ,

a connection both w ith the M anx k a

y (mist )a nd the
Irish ca id h (a rock summit ) W h y they should be , .

a servile r a ce the Welsh a n d B reton give us the clue

,

c a d /L is a bondsm a n a sl ave
(in the Breton k )
a ez ; , ,

hence the interesting episode of the servile in sur re c

tion w hich put C a irb re ca t s head 1 ! (or ra ther C a i s ,

he ad ) on the th rone of Irel and and brought o v er ,

T uat h al (Northma n ) subsequently from Scotl and t o ,

w hich ho w ever the story s ays he h ad ed h avin g

, , ,

of course been the son of a previous Irish monarch .

O ne is a lso incl ined to thi nk th at w h a t w e are told

in C a es a r of the fa te of the A duat ici (h as this been
t ra n sm og ri e d into Ait h e ac h T ua t h a it is some
times spelt At uat ic i an d in the search for a G aelic , ,

deriva tion A ti , t ua ci wi ll give a combin a tion of the

- -

letters of Ca es a r s name sufcient for the purpose of
extension in Ait h ea ch Tuat h a )is a p art of the foun
d a tion of this story These w e kno w w ere T ung ri .
, , ,

a n d w ere descended from the Cimbri a nd w ere on the , ,

capture of their to w n sold by C aes a r into bond age , ,

1
to the number o f y t/zr c c t h o usa nd persons -
.

So much for a connection betw een Cl a n Clac h in nyh a

a nd Cl a n K ay \Ve m ay n o w consider the other spell
.

ing of this l atter na me as it appears in the Regist r z m ,

/

Mo r cw iensc It h a s been pointed out th at the geniti v e

.

form of m a sculi ne nouns is aspirated and so the n ame ,

C a i if applied to a m a n w ould in the geniti v e b e

, , , ,

come Cha i The sound of this is guttural a nd like

.
,

the Greek X In M an x this sound is represented by

.

a n It simply Thus in the Scottish w e h a ve the w ord

.

c h a idh signifyi ng
,
w ent w hich in Ma nx is w ritten h ,

Thus the son of Cay might a s alre ady expl ained be

, , ,

best expressed phonetically as M a c q h ay and so the n a me ,

G lli W h p 33

C 1b k i ae sar s a c a r, oo i. c a . .
204 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

of the p atronymic becomes Hay or it might be Heth .

No w if w e w ish to nd a historic ancestor of the Cl a n

,

A e dh wh o w as remarka ble for his s w iftness of foot ,

w e nd h im in A e d or Heth surna med Alipe s th a t , ,

is w ing footed o f w hom St B erch am s ays : He

,
-
, .

dies without bell w it hout communion in the eveni ng

, , ,

in a dangerous p ass Nor ar e w e w anting in an h is
.
1

t orical connection bet w een the founder of the kingdom

of the Isl es Somerled an d the n ame Heth In the
, , .

reig n of M alcolm the gra ndso n of the Norm anis in g

,

Da vid I Somerled supporte d the cla ims of a certa in

.
,

person styling h imself Malcolm M Het h w h o claimed

to be the chi ef of the na tion of the M o rav ie nse s or

men of Murray These gather ing their forces from
.
,

the Isles w ere defeated ne ar the Cree in VVigt ow n

, , ,

h aving been suppo rted b y t h e Gal w egi ans w hom ,

k no w to h a ve been Galg ael a n d Picts and also b y the so ,

called M ora v ienses themsel v es against w hom accord , ,

2
ing to Fo rd un M alcol m hea ded an expedition an d
, ,

s ca ttered them throughout the different d istricts of

Sco t l a nd If th is Ma lcolm M He t h w as as seems
.

not impossible an impostor it is the more cl e ar tha t

, ,

he would adopt t h e p atronymic w hich w ould most

cle arly express a connection w ith t h e men of Murra y .

The n ame Hay itself gen e rall y a ccepted as a L o w ,

country n ame sho w s a connection w ith this s ame

,

tr adition al story in the a ccount of the origin of th a t

family given by Hector Boece .

In this w ell kno w n ction w e are told th at in a

-
,

batt le w ith the Da nes loca lised by our vera cious h is ,

toria n at Luncarty ,

This day h ad been the uter ex t e rm inion of

Scottis w ere not ane la nd w ar t m an nam it Hay with
, , ,

1 Fo rd un, Book iv . ch a p . 1 6 a nd C el t ic Sco tla nd,

, v ol . i
. p . 3 28 .

2
Ford un, B oo k v . ch a ps. 3 a nd 4 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 3 05
2

his t w o so nnes of stra ng a nd rude Bodies
,
come li ais ,
"
t e lie in support of Kenneth an d his nob ilis This .

Hay h av an d na w a pinn is bot t h e yok of a ne pleuch

, ,

t raish t ing n a thing sa gud as to stop the e ing of the

Scottis ab a id in a strait p a ss age w ith his t w o sons and
, ,

slew b ai th D a nis a n d Scottis w hom he fand eand w ith , ,

h is yo k

F irst then w e see th at Hay w as a la nd
.
l
, ,

wa r t m an an a llodi a l serf (C ae t h ) We next notice

, .

th at he w as the stay of battle of king Kenn eth ;

w hile the pl a ce i n w hi ch he plied his yok w as a
n arrow p assa ge c a dh a phonetica lly connected w ith
, ,

the w ords c a tt a n and c a dgun ; an d w e h a ve already

seen th a t Heth of the win ged foot th at is the swift , ,

Heth w as killed in a similar locality Hay of Lun

, .

c a rt
y

s yok rec a lls the yokes of the birds of G w en

doleu w h o w as son of Ceidi o (see p

, We .

m ay remark here th a t the a ccepted form of the w ord

c a t t a n a s a p atrony mic is in co m bination w ith the

w ord g il le a serv a nt ; thus
, Gill e C h at t an Mor the ,

forefa th er of the Macphersons This ought to signify .

the se rvant of a sa int an d so a saint of the n am e h as

,

found his w ay into the G a elic h agiology .

There is one other spelling of the n a me of the Clan

Qw h e w yl n amely Quh e le th a t gi v en by Bo w er
, , , .

This n ame must h ave been di fferent from W ynt oun s

a nd w o ul d seem t o be in sound simil ar to the

q uecyl a ,

w heel of the M a nx
,
or t o the M anx w ord gua lyl a ,

court of la w a nd most likely a ppe ars or at le ast h as , , ,

h ad the credit of a ppea ri ng in the w ord Tyn w ald the , ,

n a me a pplied to the mount in the Isle of Man at w hich

the meetin gs for legisl a tive an d other pur poses are
held (q ua il a meeting M a nx ); w h ile the legisl ative
, ,

assembly itself is ca l led The House of Keys a fa lse ,

de riva tion most lik ely as much as K a y mi st w hich

, , , ,

1
B e ll e nd e n B
, . xi . c
. 8 .

20 G SC O TTI SH M YT H S .

protected the isl and in the foggy d ays of Mannanan

M ac y L ir That the so un d of the w ord for this con
.

v e n t io n w as l ike th at expressing a w heel t h e fol
lo w ing story sho w s Some shermen long ago arrived .
, ,

on the shore of an isla nd w hich they h ad never seen

or hea rd of beca use it w a s al way s enveloped in a
,

m agic cloud They l anded an d presently there c ame

.
,

rolling on the mist something l ike a w heel of fire w ith ,

legs for spokes The resul t a s was to be expected

.
, ,

w as th a t t h e shermen did not remain l onger th a n

they could hel p in the loca lity This wheel of re .
1
,

most l ikely originall y the emble m of re call ed S w as

t ika still appears in the a rms of the Is l e of Man

,
.

A nd let us notice w h ile A e d or A odh is in Ga elic

a ccepted a s signifying r e a n d is sa id to be the n ame ,

of the Vesta of the ancient Irish Aile is re in ,

2

Manx ; t hus the name Quayle t h e equival ent of Mac ,

ph a il does not in all likel ihood re ally me a n t h e son

, , ,

of P aul as a n ame introduced subsequently to Christi

anit
y but possibly origin all y the son of r e
, , , .

In Irish the w ord a il as al ready noticed signies , ,

a stone a sting a prickl e

, The rst p art of the na me
,
.

of t h e Tyn w ald Mounts might come from the w ord
Ch eenm g/ h e Scotch G aelic t eine r e and q ua il co a zl



, , ,

a meeting w hence arise the stories of the distribution

,

by the D ruids of s a cred re a t xed periods Ph e a l .

i n M anx signi es a pe naa sheep pen ; w hil e the s a me -

w ord w ritten f ail (Scotch ) sig n ifies a sty in Irish a n , ,

enclosure a fence a den thus h aving much the s a me

, ,

sig nicati on a s wi ll thus fa il Ch an a dog kennel ,

-
, .

F a il l in M a nx is al so a ring as fa il in Scotch Ga eli c , ,

a n d in Ir ish h aving in the l a tter a special a pplica tion

,

to a rim round a pot .

1
C am pb T a les v o l iv

e ll s , 3 86 . . p . .

2
O Do no v au O R eill y s D ict io nary,
'
voce A o dh .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 3 07

Qua il might mean son of the ring a mean ing ,

w hich seems a likely one for h is comp an ion Quin n ey , ,

"
along w ith w hom an d a mea sure of law an d rule ,

Quail w as introduced in to the Isle of M an F a inc y is .

a ring in M a nx bein g a m asc uline noun

,
in the geni
tive the f is ecl ipsed thus yn fer the m an ; genitive
, , , ,

a ine a ine
y n e,
r of the m a n ; so yn
f y the ring ; y n ,y , ,

of the r ing ; m aking q w a iney the son of the ring , ,

u
-
a ill mi ght be a lso
as
q .

We h ave already considered Ca rausius the Roma n

a dmir al a n d independent r ul er of Brita in an d his ,

lieuten a nt murderer and successor All ec t us and

, , , ,

it h as been regarded as curious th at w hile there h as

never been discovered any engraved stone of the
Roman period w hich all udes to either they or a t , ,

least C ar ausius h ave left a record of their po w er and

,

w e a lth in a very copious coin age O n one of these .

coins w hich h as come do w n to us in rst rate preser

,
- ~

v a tion a n d w hi ch is gured in Wright s Celt Roma n

,

, ,

a nd Sa x o n p ,
1 4 1 is on the one side a very c arefull y
.
, , ,

executed he a d of the a dmiral on the other a female , ,

gure holding out a ring to a serpent emblem of li fe ,

a nd reproduction issuing from a n a lt ar, .

C arausius w as a Belgic G a ul a M e napian His ,

.

name w as Ca ins suggestive of the ca ie of the Wall oon

, ,

w hil e All ec t us s n ame seems evidently to point to his

being the All o it of Ga elic tradition w hence M annanan

m a c A ll o it w hi ch na me m ay h a ve been connected
,

with the G a eli c a l a rock ; they comm anded men

,

remarked on for their long ha ir a nd splendid garments ,

an d expressly mentioned a s barb a ria ns w hether ,

real ly or app a re nt ly so a nd w ere the rst in h istory

w h o defe a ted a n d kept in check the S axon a name ,

still uns a voury i n the nostrils of a Ga el and w ere only ,

themselves defe ated by the cen t ra l Roman po w er the

20 8 SC O TTI SH M Y THS .

v ery ye ar before w e rst nd the name of Pict a ppear

ing in history .

Could w e ha ve a better nucleus round w hich to

w eave tra diti on or is it not indeed possible th a t the
, , ,

bell so c a lled of St Fill a n is a nother s ample o f the

-
.

skill in met al w orki ng of the ma kers of the coin above

noticed and w h o m ay h ave found the Isle of M an a
,

tting resort
Tradi tion how e v er s ays it w a s a King G orree w h o
introduced Quinney and Quayle ; G o rree w h o rst ,

l a nded in the isla nd at L aa ne (a fold enclosure circle ) , , ,

w h o is sa id to h a ve decl ared th at the ro a d to hi s

country w a s the M ilk y W ay t h e Great Ro ad of ,

G o r re e as it is locall y c alled a nd the reputed founder

,

of the House of Keys (l m the extreme top of a hi ll ) , .

The na me seems to sur v i v e in M ac Goa rie M ac q uh arie , ,

or Mac w h arrie also a s Curry an d O C urry an d in thi s

l atter form very nea rly appro aches the L atin c ai r za a

'

cou rt pl ace of asse m b l v of the senate in modern

,

M anx Qu il ,
a .

G o rr e e s connection w ith the Milk y \Vay seems

best expl ained by comp arison w ith the Are m o ric w or d

g o r o for g o r ol to m ilk ca ttle bri nging us ba ck not to

/ , , ,

a G a e l ic still less to a Sc andi na vian origin for his

, ,

n a me ; an d a ccord in gly w e nd g o u re in th at l an
, ,

guage is the name for July pointing to a connection ,

w ith the primitive w ord g o r signifyi ng bright i nca nd e , ,

sc e n ce a w hite he a t G o rree s connection w ith July

.
,

identies h i m w ith M an an an w orshipped on M idsum ,

mer s D ay w h ile his n ame im plying brill ia ncy con

, , ,

neets him w ith the Welsh T alie ssin ra dia nt front , ,

w h o w as found as w e h a ve seen in a sh w e ar for , , ,

w hich the We l sh like the A re m o ric is g o r ed G o rr e e

, , .

w as the in troducer of w riting a mong the M a nx as ,

"
O gm a of the sun like face w as its i ntroducer among -
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 20 9

the Irish Gorree w as a Belgic Gau l if he m ust be

.
,

localised though like the Picts he c ame from the

, , ,

O rkneys h aving occupied the m before the Isle of M a n

,
-
.

The signi cance of the rin g in connection w ith this

M a nx tradition is a matter of consi derable doubt A ll .

kno w its common use as a n evidence of the m arr ied

sta te In ea rly times on the b anks of the Rhine a t
.
,

least it w as a b adge of sl avery as w e learn from w h a t

, ,

T a citus tells us of the Ca tti a nation bordering on ,

th at river He says . The bravest of them w e a r

a lso a n ir on ring a ma rk of i nominy in th a t n a tion
g , ,

as a kind of ch ain til l they have releas ed them selves

,

by the sl aughter of a fo e M any of the Catti a ssume .

this distinction and g row hoary un der the m ark con

, ,

s ic uo us both to foes and fri ends By these in e v e r v

p .

engagement the attack is beg un They h a v e no .

house l a nd or domestic cares they are mainta in ed by

, ,

w ho m soever they visit The mode of life thus poin ted.

out is ex actly that cl aimed for the follo w ers of F inn ,

t h e so ca l led F e inn e of F a il
-
In M anx the na me for .

a fema le serva nt a pplied to H agar the bon dm a id in

,

the Ma nx Bible is innc yvca yl or veyl \Vo rds b e

, ,
'
.

ginn ing w ith ph drop the p h a fter 77 as in the follow ing ,

i nsta nce 6 Cd his pen or rin g ; nyn va a l our p en or

, , ,

r ing. The w ord me aning a bondmaid seems to be

composed of inncy or innec n a daughter a gir l an d , , ,

lza a l a ring A ga inst this derivation ho w ever is

p ,
.
, ,

the nding of a small vow el in r ca yl or veyl ; it there

for e seems possible th at it does not come direct from
t h is w ord signifying a ring but possibly from some ,

such w ord as the Irish G ae li c ma el a serv a nt geni , ,

tive mh a cl pronounced vlzel a w ord which in the

,
'

Breton h as the sig ni ca tion of a soldier The Gaelic .

7 72a is supposed to mea n the t onsured serv a nt con ,

M nn of t h G m n p

T it u ac ss3 1 a ers e er a s, ara . .

O
210 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

n ec t e d w ith m ao l ,
signifyin g b ald Does it not seem .

possible th at the cir cul ar tonsure w as a w ay of m a rki ng

this ring of servitude ? The tonsure in Breton is
call ed kc r n in th is form a w ell kno w n na me for an
,
-

"
Irish ghtin g m an a n a me spelled in Irish Gea r n
, ,

and me aning a m a n ; a n d curiously enough it is in , ,

the tal e of the C e arnach that w e nd Rob M Sh e o ic

,

pre v iously referred to mentioned This all points to ,

.

a w idespread custom a mong the Celts ; an d w e m a

y
notice here th a t C ara usius w a s a m an of l o w birth ,

a nd though h isto ry tells us his follo w ers w ore their

hair long his po r trait on the coin referred to does

,

not sho w him to h a v e w orn his o w n speci all y long .

In talking of the tonsure it must not be forgotten ,

th at the orig in al Scottish tonsure w as from e a r to ea r

a cross the head A s a n indic at ion of the connection
.

of such w ords as q uh elc p h a il a nd the M a ck ays in , , ,

the Roll of the broken cl a ns of 1 5 9 4 w e nd a n a me ,

C h e ilph al e an d to this the edi tor appends a note

,
1

saying th at they w ere a sept of Ma ck ays descended

,

from one Pa ul M Ne ill M a ck ay If suc h an individua l

w as he a d of the sept he must w e m ay suppose h a v e, , ,

got his n ames from some pre v io us tra dition O ne other .

curious coincidence in connection with a n ame some

,

w h at like the C a e a w
g of the G o d o d in the m a n of ,

the enclos ure (Ca i Ga e lic a house a w ay) occurs

, , , ,

on a n engraved stone ne ar the southern extremity of

S w eden .

This stone is called K ev ik s tomb an d is ,

gener ally as sumed to be connected w ith a b attle

fought there by R agnar L o t h b ro k in the year
7 50 O n thi s tomb t here is a gure r e pre
.

sented holding up a vessel closely presenting ,

the appe arance of such a bell as St Fil la n s an d .

C ll t w 1
w d R b o A lb i i p 39
ec a a e e as a n c s, . .
 SC O TTI SH M YT HS . 21 1

evidently hel d by a h andle pl ac e d as t h e ha ndle of

the la tter is 1
.

W hil e thus considering pretty cl osely the n ame s

grouped round a p articul a r histo rical incident and ,

sho w in g a possibl e tr adi tional connection betw een

them it w oul d be a mistake to suppose th at these
,

w ere the only Highl and Sc o t t ic n ames refera ble to

the s am e tradi tions ; for the cl an which Skene says ,

w as the special cl an w hi ch fought on the Inch the ,

M G ill o nie s o w e their n a me to the same source

,
.

F in n like Colum ba h a d the

, of prophecy a gift
,

w h i ch the former exercised w hen he chew ed h is t hum b .

The prophet then of w hom the M Gill o nies w ere

, ,

serva nts m ay ha ve been w ha t a ppears in tra dition as

,

F inn m ac C um h ail The difcul ty of nall y settli ng

.

a n etym ology or deducing hi story from popul a r t r a

,

d it io ns is not in aptly illustra ted in the ve ry n ame

,

Hay .In spea king of the d eath of Min os of Crete ,

Cox in h is A rya n Myth ology} says that the n ame of

,

his sl ayer K o k alo s is a kin to the w ord Caecus a nd
, , ,

possibly with K aiki as the w ord w hich seems to have ,

suggeste d the myt h of C a cus The n ame K o k al os is .

made up of the p a rticle denotin g sep aration h a and ,

the root 0 0 w hich w e nd in the Latin ocn lus the

Germ a n a uge the Engl ish eye The s ame formation

,
.

h a s given us the w ords ha l t h a lf , .

Ca cus w as a son o f Vulca n and a keeper of ca ttle , ,

an d is linked w ith the Cyclops C ech t w as t h e .

p atronymi c of one of S t P a trick s smi ths the maker .

of the Finn F aidh eac h C a oc h signi es blind to shut .

,

the one eye (Ga elic ); an d in p as sing w e m ay note ,

that the expression denoting the want of a h and or

foot thus expressin g one w h o is h al t is in G a elic
, ,

1 P roceedings Soc A nt i/1 Scot la nd, v o l

. . . xii. Part II
1 8 78 ,
. p . 665 .

2 M yt h o lo gy Qf A rya n Nat ions, v o l ii . . p . 88 , ed it io n 1 8 7 8 .

212 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

expressed by the w ord mea ning h alf (let h ) thus a m an ,

with h a l f a foot is a m a n h a lt from the loss of a foot

,
.

But K o k al o s a s Cox remarks recalls the n ame of

, ,

Cocoles the C a pta in of the G a te the br a ve defender
, ,

of the n arro w bridge o v er the Tiber thus performing ,

the s a me function as Hay of Luncarty the l atter s

n a me h a v ing a pp a rently the ex act form of the par

ti ele signi fying sep ar ation w ith w hi ch the n arro w ,

p a ss in w hich he w ielded his yoke is dir ectly
rel ated .

The Eth as in Eth A lipes is di rectly in ac cord

, ,

w ith a connection w ith a bell ; as in Welsh Aecl cl ,

signies noise cla mour ; an d to bring this do w n to a

,

h istoric fa ct an d to a loc alisa tion in a ccordance wi th

,

the vie w th at the cla n C lagan e m ay h a ve been M At h

or K ay b y a var yin g etymology w e nd th a t in 1 2 3 2 ,

a certa in G ill e m c h e l M A t h exca mbs a d avoch of

y ,

l a nd in St rat h ard el in the close proximity of the

,

country of the cl a ns D o nn a ch ie an d C la ch ynnh a .

1

\V e h a v e tried to ma ke use of the tr a ditions h anded

do w n to us a s they appe a r in Bede Ne n nius Gi lda s , , ,

a n d the Irish so c alled hi stori a ns do wn to O C ur ry

-
,

a n d though Scotch w ritten G a elic records a r e not

plentiful it is cu rious to nd in one of t h e oldest of
,

2
them a m a n uscrip t gene al ogy of the Highl a nd cl a ns ,

w r i tten a bout the ye a r 1 4 5 0 a n d preserved in the ,

A dvoca t es L ib rarv here the sta tement gr av ely m a de

t h a t the kings of Scotl a nd w ere descended from a

certain C ruit e nith e m a c Fin nfe ich e w hi ch is c ap able ,

of no other interpret ation th an Pict the son of Finn ,

F a id h e a c h .

This la tter gentlem a n w as as w e h ave alre ady ,

sho w n the bell of St P a trick the bel l of St M ac

, .
,
.

1
C elt ic Sco t la nd v 0 1 iii
, . 3 44 . p . .

2
C o lled a nea d e R eb us A lb a nicis , p . 50 .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S . 213

Creich and of Ailb e the i nstructor of St Fillan a ll

, ,
.
,

a lre ady considered This gives strong conrmation of

.

the theory w hich all before w ritten tends to pro v e

, ,

a n d w hich the gre at vene ra tion for bel l s in the Celtic

portions of Britai n further supports th at the rea l ,

P alladium of Scotland w as n o t a stone but a bell ,

.

The stone in \Vest min st e r Abbey m ay be considered a

stumbling block and rock of offence to this proposi
tion but it seems clear th at it w a s w ith Ed ward the
First as it w as w ith Columba s ma ra udin g attendants
,

w hen the sheep s he a d turned to a stone in their
h a nds Nor do w e w a nt proof th at this piece of sa nd
.

stone believed by M r Geiki e to be of a sort common

, .

in the loc a lity from w hich it w a s taken namely Scone , , ,

w as a relic wi thout comp a n ions In L angt o ft s

.

Chronicle comp iled a b out the yea r 1 3 0 0 speaking of

, ,

the conquest of Scotla nd by Ed w ard under the yea r ,

1 2 9 6 s ays :
,

Th i king S t o f S n a r s ce co e

E d i n i d un s r ve ov r o e

T o L nd n i l d o o e .

I n t wn h d I t ll o er e e

T h B gh l nd t h B ll e a e a e e e,
1
Ben l c h ed and e d .

The ba ch al or crosier of St Fill an is along w ith .

,

his bell a t present in the M usei un of the Society of

,

A ntiqua ries of Scotl and ; and the possession of this

crosier gave to its keepers a famil y of the n ame of ,

De war certa in rights an d privil eges as bail iffs or as

, ,

sheriff o f c e rs rig hts w hich w e kno w w ere shared by

-
,

the Ea rls of A thol and the A bbots of G l endo ch art as ,

set forth in the law of Wil lia m the Lion (1 1 6 5

call ed C l ar e m at h ane The De w ars lived in Glen .

d o ch art a n d the Mac lagan s l ived in the close neigh

,

1
Q t d f m W igh t P liti l S g C m d S i t y 1 8 3 9 p 3 0 7 i
uo e ro r

s o ca on s, a en oc e , ,
.
, n
D ea n St a nl e y

s Memor ia l s of West minste r .
2I 4 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .

b o ur h ood of Logy M ach e d (L ogic of the sons of A edd ) , ,

of w hich the Ba t h w as the he a d of the county and of

the Thanedom of D ul m o nych a nd of the Thanedom of ,

Fandufuit h a na me a lre a dy mentioned in connection

,

w ith the F our A nc ient B ooks of Wa les ; a nd this p lace ,

n o w call ed Logier ai t o n t h e a uthority of the New

,

Sta t istica l Ac c o un t w as call ed Bal no m ao ir th at is
, , ,

the tow n of t h e thief ta kers A nother branch of the

-
.

M ac lagan s w as l oca ted a t Scone and w e ha ve seen ,

th a t the special doctrine in the l a tter days of the Bel l

of Mo Aed d an in its ch a ra cter as B ell of Scone w as
v

, ,

to preach ag a inst t heft The Bachul of St F ill a n is . .

t w ofo ld neither bein g of the sa me materia l as the bell

, ,

the more a ncient crosier of bron z e the bell being , ,

a pp ar ent ly of br a ss h av i ng come do w n to us preserved

,

inside of a be a utifully ornamented comp aratively -

m o dern crosier
,

, head w hich w a s know n under the

,

designatio n of the C o igreach This simp ly means .

Th e Stranger a name peculiarly in a ccord in its signi

,

c at ion wi th the n ame of the Dew ars as spel t at ,

the time w hen Robert Bruce gra nted them the

cus t o dy of the crosier w hen they are ca lled J or e, ,

evidently t h e same w ord a s the Ma nx J 0 a r rcc signi ,

fying a str anger .

There ca n be l ittle doubt tha t the P all adium of

Scotland w as a bell and th a t it is the bell w hich h as
,

come dow n to us as tha t of St F il lan a s aint as .

,

myt hical as Saint P alladin s w ith w ho m I have no , ,

doubt he is to be identied Further w h il e w e k no w

,
.
,

th a t Robert the B ruce h ad at the b attl e of B annock

bu r n a rel ic of St F ill a n a nd thus evidently h ad this
.
,

pec uliar s a int in hi gh venera tion w e nd t ha t connect ,

ing h im w i t h the corona tion of our Scottish kings as ,

the stone w as connected w ith h im in its ch aracter as

Lech L afar for him to sit upon so the be ll of St , .
 SC O TTI SH M Y TH S .
215

F i ll a n w as ,
in 1 4 8 8 brought to the coron a tion of
,

J a mes I V If this bell w ere used at the ceremony

.

further th an being merely present there is n o record ,

but from its history in l a tter days as in accord ance

with the tra diti o ns sought t o be proved as connecte d
with it from the ea rliest times it fell to h a ve been ,

used as a he ad piece - This is pro v ed by the pra ctices

.

c onnected w ith it w ithin the la st t w o centuries w hen , ,

as a curative a ent in the trea tment of the ins a ne the

g ,

un fortun a te p atient w as pu lled through a sm a ll pond ,

and tied to a sea t w e t a s he w as to p a ss the night

, ,

with the bel l on h is hea d .

Whil e the complic ated n ature of the inquir y as to ,

wh a t fa cts are to be found in our myths j usties the ,

appell a tion o nl y of notes as a description of w h a t is

contained in the previous p ages some further slight ,

a ttempts to a rri v e at conclusions m a

y be m a de .

Whil e the a ccepta nce of an expla na tion founded ,

on the Greek of t h e n ames M a eat ae Picts Scots

, , , ,

a n d A t t aco t s seems to h a v e long been current a n d to ,

deser v e quite as much credi t as any others there is ,

no doubt strong presumptive evidence th a t the

M ae at a e and the Scots w ere one .

We h ave sho w n h ow Maiat ai V ec t urio ne s Cath , ,

v r e ic h a n d L ie t h al i agree in mea ning w h ile w e h a ve ,

seen th at the l a tter w ere driv en out of D im e t ia a

n a me almost ce rta inl y al l ied to the term M ae at a e a n d ,

w hich also w e m ay conclude occurs in the n a me

, ,

M iat h i the n ame of the people in w ar w ith W hom fell

,

t w o of the sons of St Columb a s A eda n

. .

No w N enn ius a lso c all s the L iet h al i Scots a nd if ,

these va rious readings are syn onyms then the id e n t i ,

cation is ce rtain and Scot comes from the Breton

,

for a branch No w w hen w e consider w h a t w e nd

.

in Ptolemy (A D . as to the people of D im e t ia

.
,
 I
2 6 SC O TT ISH M Y TH S .

we nd the Dob un i next them But this name w e .

be lieve to have been properly B oduni w hich at once ,

connects t hem w ith the Chi ldren of B et h o un of
Nennius No w these B o d un i w ere part of or subj ect
.
,

to the Cat iv e llauni w h o thus most likely inh abited

, , , ,

D im e t ia ; and w e thus identify the Scots and the

C at iv ell aun i or at leas t w e m ay say there is such
,

ground as our traditions gi v e us for this identication .

A n d thus w e run to ground the connection of t h e

Scots w ith this cur ious sa in t F ill an .

No w it is al so very signic ant that these Cat iv e l

l aun i w ere the nation of C un o b elin us and Tas c iov anus ,

the r st B ritish coiners O n their coins w e n d a .

head of corn (c r iut nca c h ) w ith the w ords Tasc ie ; a

g ur e w ith a lyre ma rked C unob e ; on a nother a
curious ho rse like gure C mposed of knobbed headed
-
o

thin gs of t h e same appe a ra nce as the branches of the

hom previously mentioned and inscribed on the ,

reverse B oduo w hich is sufciently suggestive ;

, ,

on a noth e r occurs the w ord Orcet i suggesting ,

a connectio n w ith Cet .

No w w h at the peculia r ceremonies w ere w hich

ch a racterised this people it is not easy to say but it ,

is curious to nd among the n ativ es of Nor th A merica ,

as ured by L a t au in his l frc m s ( l es Sa uva g es

'

g .

Am c r iq ua ins publi shed in 1 7 2 4 a d ance w hich seems

, ,

perh aps to point to w hat m ay h a v e taken place among

our a ncestors .

I a nnex a rough copy of the pl ate .

Here w e have a barbarous peopl e dancing wha t

"
mig ht be a reel in a circle peculiarly like our stone
,

circles The total number of performers is eight

.

couple and an odd m an This m akes it possibly a .

,

sheer coincidence much l ik e an eightsome reel
, ,

a nd as in
, this la tter there is w hat is ca lled a
,
 S C O TTI SH M Y HS T . 2] 7

prisoner so here w e ha ve the centre occupied by
,

thr ee of the pe rfo rm ers w ho m av be pe rfo r min g w h a t

,

is a l lied to the j ig a da nce of three perfo rmers ,
.

The green branches w hi ch they ca r ry and w ith w hich ,

one at l east is d ressed make them V e ct urio n e s ,

w hile if the belief th at the bl adde r sh aped crescent

,
-
,

orna mented things ca rried by so m e of the performers

ar e in a ted bl adder s or sk i ns used pe rh aps for ca using ,

sound ,
the be ar ers mi ght be call ed Firbolg The .

A mericans gur ed m ay ha v e been less advanced in

the a rts th a n the Cat iv ell a uni ; but if the da nce is a

reel and w as such as the Maiat ai d anced it stil l
, ,

survives a fter seventeen centuries .

Is it not al so possible tha t the Sprigs ca rr ied as

cla n ba dges m ay h int a t a nother survival whil e its ,

effect on tra dition is clea r in the sto ry in w hi ch

M ac Beth is described as defeated by the fo ll o w ers o f
M alcol m (the serv ant of the dove )when they carr ied

green boughs of the B ry n nane w ood to D un

sy na n e the hill of ch arms or enchantm ent (senna n

,

1
G a elic ) .

From the s am e connection then sp rin g the stories

of B eli M aw r the Crocea Mors that slew Cas si
,

b e l aun us the smith T a ss a ch th at made bells for St

, .

P atrick etc a nd it even makes it possib l e th a t the

,
.

men w h o co ined the m oney w hich still is to be fo und

in our museu m s m ay a lso h a ve m ade the be ll of St .

Fill a n .

W e kno w t ha t t here w ere Cat iv ellauni in the

ser v ice of Rom e stationed on the wall and it seems
, ,

exceedingly p robabl e th at they form ed p ar t of

Ag ricol a s a rmy fo r the 9 t h Legion w as the one

defea ted at Ca m el odun um the c apita l of Cuno b elin us , ,

w hil e h astening to its relief and which h ad sub ,

\Vy ut o un s
'

Ch ro ic l
n e, B oo k v i.
3
2 ] 8 SC O TTI S H M Y HS T .

sequently to be recruited from a uxiliaries The conj ee .

tures as to this Legion being the source of the Spanis h

story of the origi n of the Scots in Irel a nd h as been

a lre ady considered ; and the n a me of P a trick s cap

t or N ial w h o w a s also a fore father of Columba

, , ,

suggests th a t the n ine hostages or rods or w ha t , ,

ever they w ere from w hich he w as ca lled o w e their

, ,

number either to the ni ne of the n in t h Legion or to

t h e number of the bra nches of the hom the tree ,
-

of Life a ppearin g also as the nine golden apples on

,

t h e fair y bra nch given by M a nan a n to Corm ac m ac

1
Art .

the n ame Ni al itself at all opposed to the

No r is
t heory of a religious obse r va nce The Ga eli c fo r a .

religious festival is fail a fa ir a nf /zic l the fair pro , ,

:
,

n o un c e d a n il w hi ch requir es but a diffe rent dist ri

,
,

b ut io n of t h e letters to m a ke it t o Ne il an d this tra ns ,

m o g rica t io n seems to h a ve clea rly occurred at a pl a ce

ca lled Nea le in Mayo This then w o ul d ma ke the Nia l
, .

al of the Nine Bra nches

.

7 2a m h ia lla c h the Festiv

g ,
.

This inva sio n by the ni nth Legion of course is

long b e fore the n a me either of Pict or Scot appears
in h ist o rv .

No wstrong points of rese m bl a nce betw een

t he
Arthur a n d Agricol a an d some of the l a ter trad itions
h a ve been pointed out ; an d from the B ata vi a ns a nd
T ungria n s of the l a tter comm a nder w e h a ve suggested
t h e origin of the Picts a nd h a ve dr a w n a ttention to ,

the cur ious coincidence of the n ame of one of the

lea ders of t h e Tung rian s C amp anus a n d w ith these , ,

Picts w e inclin e to identify the T uat h a de D anaa ns .

As in t h e time of Ptolemy nea rly h alf a century ,

a ft er Ag ricol a w e nd D im e t ia a nd the B o d uni in

,

South W al es so at the s a me d ate do w e nd M e napii

, ,

Os i i c So c i t y l iii p 2 1 3 1
s an e , vo . . . .
 S C O TT I S H M Y T HS .
2 19

a people of the s a me n ame as those living in the

country of the T ungri settled nea r the modern ,

Dublin the district form ing the centre of Irish t ra

,

di tion from w hi ch w e rst hea r of the L ia Fa il where

, , ,

a ccordin g to our alre ad y expressed beli ef w ere rst ,

instituted in Irel a nd the Mith ra ic L eo nt ic a under ,

the title of L ugh nasa .

In the country of D im e t ia w as stationed at C a er ,

leon on U sk the 2 d Legion Its badge w as a goat

,
.
,

a n d it does not seem im possible th a t the sons of

Uisneac h and the Scottish sons of G a bhran (ga bha r ,

a go a t ;
ga bh a ra n a l ittle go at ) issued from here
,
.

No r does it seem impossible tha t the stories of the

T w rc h T iwvyt h a n d the bo a r th at k ill ed Di armuid m ay
not h ave a risen from the b ad ge of the 2 0 t h Legion ,

stationed at Chester The form er w a s stationed in .

w h a t bec a me M e n e v ia a nd the country of C asw all an

L aw hir the l atter in w h a t bec ame V e n e d o t ia and w as
, ,

the country of M aelgwn or M agl oc unus w h ile it h ad ,

been comm anded by Agricol a himself under V e t t ius

B ol an us a n d w oul d thus if C n eaus is the origin of
, ,

C unae t h us in future times h a ve a cla im to be c alled

,

of the sons of Guneth a ,

No w w e kno w th a t a t B o rc o v ic us on the southern

all
,
n o w Ho usest e ads held by a T ungria n cohort , ,

there is positive evidence of a Mithra ic w orship in the

di scove ry there of a Mit h ra ic um the sculptured stones ,

from w hich are preserved a t Ne w ca st l e o n Tyne - -

.
1

These Tungri w ere from t h e s ame neighbourhood

a s the M e n a pii of w hom w e h a ve found a divisio n in
,

Ptolemy s t me in the eastern centra l p art of the Irish

coa st . In this s ame neighbourhood the L ugh nas a

w ere as the fa ble s ays instituted in commemora tion
, ,

of the l ast Queen of the Fir bolg No w the w hole .

1 \Vrigh t

s C lt R om
e , d
a n, a n Saxo n, 3 2 8 .
f? 3 0

S C O TTIS H M Y THS .

connection of the T uat h a de D an aa ns a nd Firb o lg ,

a nd their b attle on Midsummer s D ay seem as a lre a dy , ,

sta ted to be but a myt h connected w ith a form of

,

w orship a nd one of these a pp arently Mithr a ic

,
.

No w the frequent B a th s or enclosed sp a ces in , ,

w hich ar e so often found subterr a nea n ch ambers a n d ,

in w hich ch a mbers a re found the g re ater number of

the O gm ic inscribed memori al stones t aken in c o n ,

j unction w ith the Glast um stained secret rites of -

,

the Bri t ish w omen suggest a Venus c ul t us w hich w e

, ,

k no w w as li ke the Mithra ic common in Cilici a a nd

, ,

Phoenicia a t the time of the rst appea r a nce of the

B atavia ns in R o m an history as noted previously , ,

a bout the d ate of the expedition against the Cilicia n

p irate s This app a rent connection comes out in the

.

fa ct th at the G reeks called Venus in some c ases M la nis

or M lo e nis the bl a ck And as w e h ave seen the
,
.

\Ve lsh D e m et ia become M e nev ia or M e n apia w e a lso ,

nd in this s ame district by far the gre a ter num ber

of the B ritish O gmi c inscrip t ions No w Luci an the .
,

G reek s a t irist born about A D ,

n arra tes h o w in . .
,

M arse illes the Gaulish Hercules O gmios w as described

, , ,

t o h i m as a n old m a n a lmost b ald w rinkled a nd of a

, , ,

s w arthy colour like men long exposed to the se a an d

, ,

as the god of eloquence dr a w ing a l a rge number of ,

people a ft er h im by slender ch a ins of gold and a mber ,

stretched from his tongue to the ears of his hea rers .

Luci an does not say th at these ch ains w ere intell igibl e

mark ings but there can be no rea sona ble doubt th a t
,

w e h a ve here the clue to the origin of O gmic w riting .

The late s ur viva l of V enus w orship h as been noticed ,

p age 9 1 .

No w L aj ard informs us tha t the ora cles of V enus

M yll it a a w ord signifying in Semitic a ccordi ng to
,
.
,

L aj ard a m ixture of l ight an d d arkness w ere del ivered

, ,
 S C O TT I SH M Y T HS . 221

by the chirping of golden birds mech anicall y gifted ,

w ith speech The G a elic n ame for a bell is as

.
1
,

alrea dy mentioned c l o or d an d it seems to h a ve

g a g , ,

h ad its origin in the s ame root as the Icela ndic kl ok

D an ish kluklcc n the chirping of b irds ; hence a lso the

,

G erm a n g loclce the D anish Uoklce the S w edish kloc ka

, , ,

the Dutch lclok No w as C ath a n the b attle one

.
, , ,

comes from C a th w ar so B una n the b ir d one the , , , ,

G a elic n a me for o ur ctitious Ad am nan comes from ,

[ a n or E un a bir d a vessel w hi ch bec am e the St

, , ,
.

John of Midsumm er D ay a n d w hich seems recog ,

n isa b l e in I a nus the Rom a n su n god hi msel f

,
A nd -
.

here w e m ay note tha t w hile Adam n an s be l l m ay b ,

the C a th a n of t h e Cla n G ill e C h a t t an it is curio us to ,

nd the n a me of the M I nt osh e s occurrin g in t h e

W elsh O gmic inscriptions in the genitive of the La tin

form T o v isac i .

W e thus nd h o w o ra cul ar sayings got from bell s

might be s aid to be the chirping of birds In G a elic .

m a nad h is a n omen a sign in ca nta tion ; a n d the , ,

lea ders of the T ua t h a de D an aa ns w ere M a n a n a n ,

call ed M an aw ydd a n in Welsh the son of the se a ,

(Ma c Lir ) O gm a the sun fa ced a n d the Ta gh t a

, ,
-
, ,

their priest w hil e over all w as Lug of the L ugh nasa

, .

This priest s n ame signies chosen or selected and to ,

him belonged the mysterious vessel w h i ch tra ns ,

~

l a ting his n ame as li fted up connects it w ith the ,

p a ll adi um of Ph ara on (of w hich w as of

bright an d up l fi t ed front or as mea nin g bre w ed ,

or d istill ed di scloses to us h o w it beca me a caldron
,

(vide t ogh ta O Re ill y) If he al so h ad to do with the

,
.

mysterious Ta gh air m (p age to raise a ir m pro

g g , , ,

cl a ma tion it h a d no more connection with c a ts

,

tha n th at it w as done with the C atha n w hose thr ee ,

V nus p g 9 2 1
L j d a ar s e ,
a e .
222 SCO TTIS H MY HT S .

sho uts w e h ave S poken of so fre quently an d to

,

w hich styl e of p rocl am a tion even the historic al

Somerled o w es his name S a muel becomes So m a rl e a .
,

Latin termination m akes it So m arl ed us and so w e ha ve ,

a nother n am e of a m an of t h ree call s int r oduced into

our tra ditions His fa ther w as Gill e do m nan i e the

.
,
. .

serva nt of E unan and he w a s the son of the serva nt

,

of the V eil of the cave all descenda nts of the Bo w l ,

"
the hun dr ed ghter Conn c eud c at h ac h
, .

No w among early G reek wr iters C allima chus in

, , ,

h is Hymn to Delos an isl and like M an Ion a I nn isk e a

, , , ,

I nc h k e it h etc t alks of the Pel asgi as
, .
,
serva nts of

the vas e th at is never sil ent .

Who then better represents a Pelasgic stock

, ,

tha n M a elgwn the serva nt of the bo wl other w ise

, ,

Magl oc unus the servant of the bell 1

The origin of t his never sil ent bo wl co m es out in -

Ga elic itse lf where w e nd the he avens called Nd emli

, ,

pronounced n aev identica l in sound w ith w h a t is

,

w ritte n na ebh a s ain t a ship

, ,
.

Comp a re with this the Nee v o u Gee the s a int (see - -

'

p age 1 5 2 ) Geidh of I nnisk ea (page the boa t ,

the phallic stone al so the bo at of B agocassis of Ta ney

, , ,

of the chief priest of Mithr a a n d of Helias G r a il an d , ,

n ally w ith the n am e of the M ac nab s an d M acn airs

( p age the l a tter be ing evidently M a c an B ather ,

the son of the boa t w hich B a the r occ urs as the n ame
,

of a Tuat h a de Da naa n K ing E t h ur otherwise called , ,

a pp arently M ac C uill
,
w ho reigned in Irel and at the
,

time of the l anding of the Mi lesi ans while M ac Nave ,

w as the n am e of Co l umb a s mothe r s fa the r

.

No w this stone her e call ed Neev ou -g ee reca lls -

,

h o w a stone h as been in Irel a nd and Scotl and con , ,

sid e re d the speci al p all a dium of the Scots G ai a o r .

,

G e the ea rth w as invoked by persons taking o aths

, ,
 S C O TT I S H M Y THS . 2 23

in the time of Homer a nd Hesiod m akes G e deceive ,

Cronus by giving him a stone to s w a ll o w inste ad of

Z eus .As the he avens surround the w orld a nd as , ,

w a s believed the se a the e ar t h so h a ve w e th is

, ,

symbolised by the Yoni surrounded L ingum the -

,

G erm a n Herth a in her sa cred l ake and St Fil l a n in ,

.

h is pool All things m ay be s a id to h a ve spr ung

.

fro m these symbols of the e a rth ; hence Mi t hra born

of a stone ; hence St C a i of M e napia ; hence Patrick .

(i e Peter ) an d Col umb a the column or pill ar stone ;

. .
, ,

a n d so C a i = G a ia = K ai of K a io m o rt s p a ge

( as

the producer becomes Arthur s p antl er

No w the Rom ans s w ore by Jupiter L apis th a t is , ,

Jupiter symbolised by the int t h e stone from w hich ,

re is produced w h en struck used as a n emblem of ,

lightning a nd this seei n g the use of int im pl e

, ,

ments w a s so w idely spre ad seems much more l ikely ,

to ha ve been the stone used as a symbol th an any

other .

In the story of the Sa n G r e al w e ar e distinctly

told th at the stone from w hich the holy vessel w as

m ade w as the most brilli a nt in t h e cro w n of Lucifer ,

the light bearer This might w ell be the i nt but
-
.
,

w e a r e fu rther informed t h a t the n a me of the stone

w as e x ill is This betr a ys the fact t h a t w hen this
.

w as w ritten the stone w as mythica l E x ilis in L atin .

is thin slender shrill the ex a ct equivalent of the

, , ,

n am e of Fionn s comp anion C ao ilt e m ac Ron an son of

the spea r w ith w hich spe a r w e m ay comp are tha t of

,

Di a rmid cal led the Ga th B uidh e the yellow da rt or

, , , ,

,
h
possibly Ca th b uid e the yello w C a th a n or for, ,

t un at e in ba ttle the w ord bu id h e yell ow als o ex , ,

pressin g gr ate ful fo rtun a te Fur ther w e nd th at

, .
,

Wolfra m of E schenbach t o w hose dicta tion the story ,

of the G r e al in the oldest form i n w hich w e h ave it

2 24 S C O TTIS H M Y TH S .

w as rst taken do w n tells us th a t he got it fro m a

,

certain K yot an inh abita nt of A nj ou w hose near eo n

, ,

n ec t io n w ith Britta ny evidently poi nts to the origina l

h abitat of the story w h o aga in h ad got it fro m an

,

A rabian w riter c alled Fl eg e t a n is .

K y o t is m ost prob a bly a n invented n am e being ,

certainl y w e m ay suppose the Breton keo a cave a

, , , ,

grotto the o wl of Fir m the ceo the magical m ist of

, , ,

the Tuat h a de D a n aans And further Bergm a n in .

1
,

forms us tha t F l eg e t a n is is not A rabic but presumably ,

a L atinised fo rm of a Persi a n w o rd F e leh a a h

'
-
, ,

signifying an a s t rologer Is this the real origin of the .

nam e of the T ua t h a de D a n aa ns and does it a ccou nt ,

for Man an an M ac Lir s being the best n avigato r of h is

d ay tha t fre q uented E rin a n d ho w he used to k no w ,

t hrough science by observing the sky the period th at

, ,
"
the cal m or t h e storm should continue 7 2

No w the shril l ch ar a cter of the stone sho w s tha t

the subj ect of the Sa n G r eal s t ory emitted sound and ,

w e may conclude th a t it w as of met al a n d the w o rk of ,

the smi t h P atrick the sa i nt w as c alled in w h at Irish

.
, , ,

w rite rs c l ai m as a mon g their oldest histo ric al docu

m ents t h e Tailc e nn or Ta il g e nn or T alc h enn ; and it
, , ,
3

is notew orthy tha t in close proximity to the p assage

,

in Callim achus a bout the never silent v ase w e nd the ,

T c loh ines mentioned w h o w ere m agici ans and w orked

, ,

in brass a nd iron \Ve ha ve alrea dy pointed out

.

P atrick s connection w ith the co in ers of the C at iv el

l auni a nd w e will no w point out th at in addi tion to

, ,

the C uno b e linus a nd Tasc io v a nus on their coins the ,

very n am e of this tribe co n n ects the m w ith the m ost

noto rio us s m ith of our Western mythol ogy i e w ith , . .

1 B ergm a n s Th e Sa n G r ea l

6 p
o ur oo s
. .
,

2 F ci
A n e nt B k of ll a l cs, v o l i . . p . 78 .

3 '
O Cur ry s I ll a t er ia ls, 6 17, 6 1 8 pp . .
 S C O TT I S H MY H T S .
2 25

him ca lled Val ant w hich name as sumes the for m s ,

Fal and Ph ala nd Fol and unmistakeable surely for

, ,

a nything else but our Fill an This is the Wayla nd .

Smi th of Kc nilwor th .

V alant is the c h e a t the se d uc e ), an d under the , ,

fem a le form of V al andin n e becomes St V alentine ,

.
,

w ho presides ov er o ur l o v e is festiv al Now in th is

.

connection w e n ote tha t the brothers of the king

"
of the Tuat h a de D an aa ns M a c C uil l m entioned , ,

a bove w ere M C ea c h t an d M ac G reine (the son of

,

the sun ) and tha t their fat her s n ame is Co m m a Mi l

,

b h e o il the rst n a me being the equiv al ent of Val a nt

, ,

a s seen in c ea r m na s w hi ch signi es a lie falsehood a , , ,

trick JV . I ilb /wo il is s w eet m outh His other son .
,

M a c C e ac h t h as the sa me n ame

Mac C e c h t

,

a s a nother smith of St P atrick an d the m aker of .

,

the Finn F aidh e ac h al re ad y m e n tioned an d a ppe ar

, ,

ing a s the Pictish a ncestor of 0 m Scottish kin gs

(p.

St P atrick w a s the in s t ructor of St Da vid St

. . . .

D avid w as a descend an t of Gunetha a nd G ir al dus ,

tells us th at it w a s he w h o moved t h e e pisc o pal see '

of \Va les from C a erleon (t h e Joy e use G arde of the

French roma nces fro m t h e B reton X c ) Mo na ) t h e
, ,

j oyous city the se at o f Tristra m the procl aimer )
,

to M ynyw (comp a re Mungo ) a fte rw ar ds c all ed Ty ,

D c u i D a vid s house or St D avid s M a e lg w n w hose

.
,
.
, ,

n a me w e h a ve sa id w as Pic t ish an d t hus more a l l ied ,

to the Tua t h a de D anaa n s is especiall y iden t ied as ,

of the l ine of Dyfed by Skene ; a n d he is Maglo cun us ,

the dr a gon of the Isles St P atrick it h as been . .

,

poin ted out appe a rs in tr adition in t h e Isle of M an

, ,

as encounterin g a m agici a n c al led t h e son of the stone

RI a c L e a w h o (p 1 0 8 ) did fly in the a ir

,
.but ,

c am e utterin g to the ground at St P atrick s feet .

.
2 2G SC L YJT I SI I M YT H S

This incident at once sho w s the connection as F o la -n ,

is a but t ery in M a nx and the uttering fall of M ac ,

L e a is unmistake able .

From M an w a s got the magic shield of Conn

M ac Ne ss a at the prompting of the C l o c h uir M an
,
.

a n a n M a c Lir pl ays a n importa nt p a rt in the isl a nd s

tra ditions a s a sun god being w orshipped on Mid -

,

summer s D ay and w e connect h i m w ith the Robbin

a Bobb in of the wr en hunt t h e B obbin being a s , ,

sho w n at p 1 0 9 e v idently a bell as the Bob an of

.
, ,

C ae m h in w as a princip al relic of Irel and .

The w ell kno wn story of the chil dren of Lir
-
,

the father of Mana nan tells us ho w they w ere ch anged ,

in to s w a ns and ar e s aid to ha ve spent 3 0 0 years in

,

Loch D arvra (in \Vest Mea th ) 3 0 0 in the sea of ,

Moyle (the sea bet w een E rin an d Alba n ) a nd 3 0 0 ,

at I rros D o m nann (E rris county M ayo ) an d Inni s ,

1
G l uair a sm all isla nd w est of Belmullet
,
a nd h o w ,

t hey w ere freed from their ench antment on he a ring

t h e bel l of St C ae m h o c or M oc h o e m h o c
. .

In old Irish the h or ra ther a dot representing ,

t h e let t er 72 over the let t er t o be modied w as ,

o mitted an d this in modern w riters is often intro

, , ,

d uc e d w here there is not sufcient evidence of its

propriety C aeim h gh in of p 1 0 9 is then except for
. .
, ,

t h e v aryin g termin a tion the s a me n a me a s C ae m h o c , ,

t h e deliverer of the chil d ren of Lir a n d Kevik of ,

t h e S w edish tomb (p a n d t here is re as on to

.

beli eve th a t the on sh ould rema in un aspir a ted an d ,

t herefore should not be pronounced a s 2 in Kevin '

,

but as m i n K em o c .

A ol is a s w an in Ga elic an d in Kn apd ale the sea t , ,

of the M ackays (M ac Ao i) mentio ned p 1 3 5 w e nd ,

.
,

a pl ace ca ll ed K il m ah um a i
g their residence This is ,
.

J y Old C lti R om c s p 3 0
1
o ce s

e c an e , . .
 S C O TT I S H M YT I I S . 2 27

Cill mo Ch ae m o c (pronounced Hae m o c ) a nd there ,

fore the cell of the s aint the freer of the ch ildren of ,

Lir from e n ch antment at Inis G luair No w K ilm a .

h um aig is at Crin a n and Crin a n is the n ame of the

,

A bbot w hom fabulists m ake the fore fa ther of the

M ac nab s as sons of the abbot a nd w h o married the
, ,

da ughter of M alco l m (the serva nt of the dove ) the ,

son of Kenneth (the sou nding head the hea d of E t h ) , ,

king of Scotl and a nd w as the father of Dunca n

, ,

murdered by M a cbeth Skene suggests th at Crin a n .

occupied some importa nt position in conn ection

1
w ith the W estern Isles Crinan is surely Gr ia ncm
.
,

transl ated a royal seat a bo w er derived from the root

, ,

g r id a the sun
, .

These s w ans spoke Ga elic but w hil e under the ,

protection of the sa in t w ere ch ained t w o an d t w o by

sil v er cha ins an d only regained their h um an form
,

when ta ken from the a lt ar to be presented to D e och

the wife of the king of Conn a cht .

Tha t this story is the s ame a s Th e Cea t h a r nac h

is cle a r the n ame of t h e s a in t a nd the w a rrior be ing
,

equally deriva tives from the s ame w ord as appea rs ,

in the cl a n n a me of the M ac K a / s and beca use the i

,

C e at h ar nac h nishes his a dve n t ures in Conn a cht

by a quarrel about his drink w hich w as divided a s , ,

the chil dr en of Lir w ere sep arated again st h is wil l , ,

a t the pl a ce w here he encountered the Bodach M a c

C eoch d .

The chains round the s w a ns necks are a lso in the ,

tradi tion of Heli as G r a il those w h o become s w a ns ,

being born with cha ins round the ir necks a n d one of ,

these ch ains w as used to make a goblet for their cruel

gra ndmother M at a b r un e an d it w as this s w a n w hich
, ,

being un able to resume its hum an form from the ,

C lt ic Sc o t l nd
1
e l i p 3 92 ota ,
vo . . . . n es
2 28 S C O TT [ SH MY H T S .

destruction of its ch ain led Helias G rail on his ,

1
a dventure s .

But the children of Lir w ere four in number a nd ,

S t P a trick ser ved four of a village (p

. an d this .

corresponds w ith the number of the precious things

brought to Irel a nd by the Tuat h a de Da n aa ns of w hi ch ,

w e h a ve considered t w o rej ecting a s untenable tha t,

the L ia Fa il w as a stone a n d holdi ng it to be of the,

s a me description as the so c a lled C aldr on of the D agd a- .

The other t w o pre cious things w ere a spea r a nd a

s w ord Both of these ar e expressed by the w ord 1m m
.

in G a elic me aning a bla de No w there w a s a lso a

,
.
,

spear co nnected w ith the G ra il and this w as undoubt ,

e dly a ph allus a s w a s the s w ord of the S c ythi a n
,

rs h ip .

L is a lso a n enclosure a house a vei l

umz There , ,
.

is eve ry r eason to believe as ah eady pointed out at ,

pp 1 0 6 a nd 1 6 6 that a t the L e ont ica the ceremony

.
,

of the exhibition of the grifns w as the disclosure

t o the initi ated of the equival ent of the Scythi a n
s w ord .

As t h e chil dren of Lir w ere in couples and t ake n ,

from a l t a r ch ained together to be sep ara ted , ,

a nd im m edia tely resolved in t o thei r pris t ine elements ,

so I conclude ea ch of the L ia Fa il an d t h e caldron of

t h e D ag hd a w a s a ssoci a ted w ith a ph allus or seeing ,

one of Lir s children w as a w o m an one of them w ith a

.

{m m } w ith w hich w ord w e m a connect the c ake c a l l e d

y
a sc o ne Whether these w ere r eally ch a ined one w ith
.

the other or n o t m ay be a question There ca n be no .

doubt the various meanings of the w ord la ma supply ,

w ith the above exp lan atio n s all the m a teri als for the ,

utensils of the Sea l of the L ia Fail an d his comp a nion

when visited by Conn Ha ve w e not in this also the .

Curi us M yth f M idd l Ag

o l ii p 3 1 9
s o e es, v o . . . .
 SC O TT I S H M Y T HS .
2 29

origi n of the Cro m Cru ach the bloody Fill an (p ,

.

for the spe a r of the G rail w a s bloody and the Crom , ,

w e a re told w as cro w ned w ith gold 7

,

This suggests w h at in reality should be represented

by the st a of St Fill an and it must at le ast be

.
,

gr a nted as a very curious coincidence tha t both the

st aff itself a n d its hereditary keeper should be c alled
by a n a me signifying the s tranger (p L aj ard . ,

h o w ever infor m s us t h at t h e crooked st aff w a s c arried

,

b v novices in the Mithraic mysteries .

In reference to the a rr an gement of these utensils ,

I h a ve given a sketch of a bell picked up in Rom e the ,

copy of one in t h e Va tica n w hich exemplies ex a ctly ,

w h a t all this suggests Here you ha ve d ispl ayed on

.

a su r fa ce m a rk ed on the ori g in a l w ith nine concentric

,

circles th at is the s ame number as the branches of the

, ,

hom an d the a pples of Corm ac s bra nch a cl ove

is conceal ed
(Columb a
) w ith exp ,
a nded w i n gs w hich ,

from vi e w a s in a house or enclosure or veil ed by a

, ,

bell.

The rounded form of the bell in this ca se accord s

w ith the form of the dove a s w ou l d the qu a dran gul a r ,

form of St F illa n s bell w ith w ha t it concealed No r

.

.

does the re se m b l a nce end here for as St Fill an s bell , ,
.

h a s for a h andle the rough represent ation of a sea

m onster so the h a ndle of this bell is composed of
,

dolph ins w hil e St Fill an s ph alli ar e represented by

,
.

w h a t a r e us ua lly ca lled Cupids .

The P a p a l tia ra w hich sur m ounts all w e must r e ,

member is a Persi an he a d dr ess an d the thr ee cir cles

, ,

o n it one over the other a re as much i n a ccord with

, ,

Mithra ic as w ith Christi a n theogo ny We m ay c o n .

c l ud e th at t h e R o m a n bell is u ndoubte dl y Chr isti a n ;

but w e m ay as certai nl y conclude that the ideas

expressed by it w ere pre Christi an an d most likely -
,
23 0 S C O TTISH [ YT HS .

Mithraic a fo rm of w orship fro m w hich Christianity

,

h a s not hesitated to borro w .

Fin all y in regard to St P at rick w e nd in the

,
.
,

q u adra ngul ar form of the Scottish bell the sufcient

an d w e m ay conclude true etym ology of his n am e
, ,
.

P edwa r Welsh Pe va r Breton in the m as culine the , ,

c ar dina l num ber four feminin e P eda ir Welsh ; , ,

Ped er Breton , P e drog as pointed out at p 1 3 6 .

,
.
,

four sided quadr an gul ar the special form t aken by

-
, ,

P a t r ic k Po t t r a icc in Irish Gaelic is a vessel fo r con

.

ta ining uids .

Morga n the cla n na me of the Mac K ays an d the

, ,

na me of the tr a di tion al sl a yer of A rthur is an othe r ,

link j oining the idea of brightness w ith the se a

( ) as Stokes in forms us that it is in old Cel tic
i 1
L r ,

mo r ica nt us i e sea bright

Does Ar th ur s bein g sla in
, . .
-
.

by h is nephe w Morgand signify t h e tim e when the

sym bol becam e the obj ect of interest for itself and ,

not as representing the A rdouisour (p

the .

w a tery element of production 7

Since w riting t h e a bove m y attention h as been
d rawn to the foll o wing w hich I extra ct from a little ,

book called F ra n e published by S ampson Lo w and c ,

Co 1 8 8 1
.
, A t p a ge 1 2 9 w e nd :
.

Tr aditio n s avs th at Brittany w as ev angeli sed by

a British m onk n am ed S a mson w h o w ith six other , , ,

ecclesia stics crossed the Ch a nnel in a co ra cle sing

, ,

ing m ournful ps al m s This little comp any is kno w n

as the seven s aints of Bri t ta ny a nd to them is at t ri ,

buted the introduction of the appl e tree ; j ust as in -

G loucestersh ir e it is sa id to h ave been b ro ught by the

m onks Another of these s ints w as St P o l de L on
. a .
,

p atron s a int and foun der of t h e cathedral in the to wn

of th at n am e O f course he h as his special legend
'

. .

G id l i p 1 19 o c ca , . .
 S C O TTIS H M YT HS .
23 1

The Is le of Rat z being infested by a dr agon the s aint , ,

a ccompani ed by a s ingl e sol dier entered the cave ,

w here it housed t ied his sto l e round its neck a n d

, ,

b ade h is comp anion l ead it forth Bea tin g it with his .

staff St Po l w alked beside it to the se a shore w here

, .
-
,

he commanded it to thr o w itself in to the sea H e is .

al w ays represented with the dr agon of Ra t z by his

s ide A littl e bell is rung at the pa r d o ns of St P o l

. .

de L on over the heads of those w h o h ave e ar ache or

,

head ac he an d m arvell ous c ures are s ai d to be w ro ught

, .

St P o l h ad al w ays w ished for th is b el l w hi ch b e

.
,

l onged to the k ing It w as refused h im ; but soon

.

a fter a sh w as caught a n d t aken to the s aint a n d in ,

its mouth w as the bell It is evidently very a ncient

a square p yr amid in sh ape about n ine inches high , ,

an d m ade of a mixture of copper a n d s il ver .

L e g onid e c gives under p el a st ake p ill ar peg , , , ,

column a s other pronuncia tions p d l an d p a o l a lli ed

, , ,

to our fal w hil e p c ulr a n f( dc m) is a long stone

erected perpendicularly a roug h p ill a r supposed to ,

be an obj ect of w orship by the D ruids .

Pa ul the s ame w ord as the rst call ed p dl like

, ,

the Leon s a i nt outside of the province of L eo n is the ,

t ill er of a helm Comp are Ca irp r e M use p age 1 1 9
.
, .

Looking at this l egend w e h a ve no d ii c ul t y in

see ing it s close connection with o ur Scotic traditions .

The subj ect is certa i nl y not Christi an \Ve h ave .

the introduction by the seven s aints of the ph all ic

apple W hether S amson h as aught to do with
.

sa m m
(A )
re m o r ic , a b un dl e b o lg a b a
g or sac is not
z
, ,

clea r but St P 0 1 is unm istak ab l e

,
. He a tt a cks his .

d ragon not only in a ca ve but in a ca ve on a n isl and

, , ,

a ttended by a single neophyte (m a el a soldi er p age , ,

O n the neophyte he puts not the girdl e of i n itiation ,

the ko st i (hence the Ga el ic go istidh a gossip god , ,

23 2 S C O TTIS H MY TH S .

fa ther t h e fa ther of a child to w hom one is god father )

, ,

but the Christi an stole round his n eck a n d le ads him , ,

to the w ater of puri fic a tion b a ptism w h il e w ith his , ,

staff he be ats upon the bell th a t is the drag , ,

But the be ll is the king s bell a n d w as evidently o f

grea t va lue to h im as w as d oubtless St F illa n s to

,
.

the king w h o possessed it Like St Mungo s ring . .
,

this bell w a s given to the s a in t a fter it h ad p as sed

from the king s possession by a sh ; w hil e like St

,
.

F ill a n s bell a gain a n d li k e the c o ppe e n o lain it

, ,

h a d a n d h as po w er of curing affections of the he a d .

Fin ally its qu a dra ngul ar form is ch a ra cteristic

,
.

To look for histo ry in myths is like se arching for

soli d g round w h ile pursuing VVill o the w isp O ne -

-
.

m ay stumble here a n d there on a rm footing but ,

s w a mps an d fogs a n d d arkne ss a re w h at are met

, ,

w ith for the most p ar t .

I ho w e er venture the O pinion th a t the e arly in

v

v a ders of Britain a n d its occupiers for the R o m a ns

, ,

supply the bulk of the ground w ork of our e a rly t radi ~

tions ; th at the Firbolg m o st l v represent the C ative

l a uni the M a eat a e an d Scots a n d the T uat h a de
, ,

D an aa n s represent the B at a vi T ung ri Picts and , , ,

Cimbri ; th a t t h e principa l difference betw een t hem

w as in their cultus a n d tha t to t hi s cultus w e o w e the
,

gre a ter p art of the found ations of our e arly historic

w ritings our cl a n n a m es our popul a r stories our most
, ,
.

v a unted e arly s a ints an d t w o speci al ly interestin g

,

relics t w o as seem s lik ely of the chil dren of Lir i e

, , , , . .

the bells of St F ill a n other w ise P all adins an d St

.
, , .

E unan other w ise Co l umb a an d th a t Picts an d S cots

, ,

rou g h ly represent the foll o w ers of t w o forms of cultus ,

ca us ing the story to ari se th a t t h e rst di fference

bet w een t hem w as a qua rrel a bout a dog for thi s ,
 S C O TT I S H M Y T HS . 23 3

re ason ,
among others v iz the res emblance betw een
,
.

u ll i n puppy w he l p a n d F a la n h a la nd the
q a a a
,
a , ; p , ,

s aint the smith the seducer

, ,
.

In s aying tha t the princ ipal di fference betw een them

w a s their cul tus w e must be understo o d to mea n so
,
.
,

far as they appea r in t r dit io n W h il e these invaders

a .

of Brita i n an d Irela nd w ere of v arious na tiona lities

Belgia n Ga ul s Germ ans Thra cians e tc the ir descend
, , , ,

a nts c a me to us e the l a ngu a ge spoken by their Ce ltic

mothe rs in A lb a a nd in Eri n ; w hile much of thei r

tra dition w as deri ed fro m the ir foreign forefa thers
v .

Thus w hile their la ngua ge w as Celtic their tra ditio n s

, ,

w ere dr aw n from the most dis ta nt pl a ces .

 INDEX .

A
AD M , 9 5 . A
B C C- H US , 6 0 , 8 9 .

A d a m ia ni, 1 0 1 . B a c h al 1 5 5 ,
.

A d am n an , 4 9 , 9 7 , 22 1 . S
B a gh e l o f t o n e o f c o n e 2 1 3 S ,
.

A d ua t ic a , 4 . o f St F i ll a n, 2 1 3
. 2 14 ,
.

A d uat ic i 3 , . B ag o c a ssrs, 7 9 .

A ed d , 1 7 6 , 2 1 B aile an ca il , 9 3 S .

A ed h , 2 0 2 , 2 0 4 . B aisc n e 1 4 6 .

A e ne as, 7 1 . B al 9 8
,

A et h n e , 15" B a l no m ao ir , 2 1 4 .

f
A r in, 9 3 B a ll a n 9 7 , 9 8
,
.

A g at h irsi, 5 1 , 5 2 , 5 5 , 5 9 , B a l m h ao d a n 1 7 4 ,
.

7 5 , 7 6 ; A g a t h y r sus 5 S ,
. B a nd ac h l ac h , F inn s c o ur ie r,
A gat h o e rg i, 6 2 . B a ng u, 1 3 7 .

A gr ic o l a 5 , 6 , 7 S, 2 7 , 2 3 , 4 8
, , B a n n o c k b urn, 2 1 5 .

2 18, 2 1 9 . B a pt a e, 1 0 4 .

A id a n, 1 5 6 , 1 6 " p
B ar d ic al h a b e t , 3 7 , 4 0 , 4
A ilb e , S4 , 2 1 3 . B a r d ing 4 1 , .

A it h irn e , 1 2 3 , 1 2 4 . B a s o n, 9 7 .

A l at e r v a , Sl . B a t a v i, 2 2 3 0 ,

A l b a ni 5 0 , , B a t a v ia ns, 2 4 5 , 6 1 2 1 3 4 O 4 4 , , ,

A l b ann ac h , l 7 . 5 5, 6 3 , 1 9 7, 2 18 .

'

Al ipe s, 2 1 2 .

A ll e c t us, 1 1 , 2 0 7 . B e d wy r , 1 3 6 , 1 5 9 .

A l l e m a n n i, Be lt 3 8 , 7 9 1 14 , .

A ll o it , 2 0 7 . B e l e nn ik , 7 9 .

A ne ur in 3 0 , 8 1 ,
. B e l g ae, 4 , 7 4 5 5 3 , . .

A n v il 1 7 2 ,
. B e l i M a w r, 7 8 7 9 , 1 1 4 , 2 1 7 , .

A ra n isl a n d, 4 6 . Be ll s, 1 1 1 , 143 ,

A rd o uiso ur , 1 6 7 , 2 3 0 . 1 4 7 , 1 4 8 , 1 6 0, 18 7, 190 ,

A r c an i o r A r c a ni 3 3 , 4 2 , 6

196 , 2 15 22 1 ; G i ld as s, 9 0 ;
,

A rph o xa is, 5 6 . G aelic fo r, 9 5 ; o f M o d a n , 1 7 4 ;

A rt , 9 5 , 1 3 0 . of S
c o ne 1 7 5 ; o f P at r ic k 1 7 8 ;
, ,

A r t b ra nnan , 4 9 , 1 7 0 . of S
t o ne o f c o ne , 2 1 3 a t C o ro S
A r t h ur , 7 , 2 7 , 3 0 , 6 6 , 9 S, n at io n, 2 1 5 o f V a t i c a n, 2 1 9 of

St P o l .
,

A rt h wy s, 1 6 4 , 1 6 7 , 1 6 8 . B e n d is, 7 1 .

A r x -a ng uli-a dul t e r ii, 1 9 3 , 1 9 4 . B eo w ul , 1 f

p
A sa h , 1 4 1 . Be t h a n , 8 5 1 3 5 .

A t h a-t uait h e , 2 0 2 . Be t h o un 7 " 2 1 6 , .

A t t ac o t s, 1 6 , 2 4 , 2 6 , 5 5 20o B il e, 1 6 0 .

2 15 . B ir d s, c h ir ing o f, 2 2 1 p .

A uc h at ae , 5 6 . B l e at r K um b l a , 1 9 1 .

A vagdd u, 1 3 5 . B o adi c e a, 1 0 8 , 1 2 6 .

A v a nc , 1 2 2 , 1 3 9 . B o ar , 2 1 9 .

A y so n s, 1 8 7 . Bo at , 2 2 2 .
23 6 IND EX .

B ob a n 1 0 9 , 2 2 6 , . C a n n in e fat e s, 3 1 1 ,
.

B o d F e rg us 8 5 1 3 7 , ,
. C a n a l] l a n, 1 7 9
, C .

B o d ac h , 14 0 1 5 9 , 2 2 7 , . C-
a o l-lt c , 2 2 3 .

Nan C o nn, 190 . C a ra us ius 8 , 1 1 7 4 2 0 7 , 2 1 0 , , ,

.

B o d un i 1 1 2, 2 1 6
, ,
2 19 . C a rra w b urg h , l 3 .

B o d uo , 2 1 6 . C a ssib c l a-un u s 2 1 7 . .

B o rc o v ic us, 2 1 9 . C a ssw al l a n, 7 7 , 8 1 , 8 2 8 5 , 1 1 9 , 1 4 1 , ,

Bo w l, 1 1 9 .

B ra g B ra ic h 5 3
, , . Cdt , li 7

.

B ra n, 1 3 4 1 3 7 ,
. 1 ) B r e io n
C a t (l- g ,
V r e it h 66, 6 8 , 78 .

B re aca n 5 3 , 5 5 , .

B re a s, 6 5 . C a t iv e lla uni, 8 2 , 8 3 , 2 16, 2 17 , 225 ,

B re c h in, 6 7 .

Ca t h a c h , 1 9
B rio t a n M a o l, 4 3

. C at h an 13 9 140 ,
2 2
4 ,

B r it h gue in, 7 8 . C a t h l ua n, 5 1 63 ,
.

B ro y r Had 1 2 0 , . C a t ia r i 5 6 ,
.

B ro ic h an 1 6 1 ,
. C at t i 2 19 7 20 9
, , ,

B rud e , 1 6 0 . C a r e , G il le b r c d e o f t h e 19 1 .

B r ugh n a B o inn e , 3 6 . C e a rn, 2 1 0 .

B r ut i , 7 1 . Ce a t h a rn ac h 1 40, ,

B rut us, 7 1 . C e id i o 1 64 ,
.

B ry nn a ne w o o d, 2 1 7 C e l n, 8 0 .

B uc e nob an t e s, 4 4 . C e it h l e n n; 1 0 1 .

B ud i n i h rac ian s, 6 0 T . C e n nb e r r aidh e ,

B uil e , 7 7 . C c o ch d 1 4 0 , ,

B ul l 1 6 0 , 1 6 9 1 7 0
, ,
C e r b e r us 2 1 1 19 , , .

B ut t e r y ; Ce r e a l is Pe t il ius 1 , 3 , C3 6 4
, , , .

C e rid w e n 1 1 9 , .

C er m na 225 ,
.

( Li e ns 2 1 1 , . L u; Ne w K e d .

C a d guu, 1 9 2 2 0 5 . . C h a ins 2 2 8
C a e im h gh in C a e m h in ,
C h at t a h , C
la n 1 8 1 , 1 9 2 1 9 5 2 0 5 , , ,
.

C ae m h o c, C h e il ph a le 2 1 0 , .

C ae rl eo n, 2 1 9 ,
C h es te r , 2 1 9
'

C a e r \Ve ir ,
1 0 8 2 20 . .

80 .
P i ra t e s 9 .

C ae a w g 2 l U ,
C i m b r ic a (j h c r so ne sus, 4 3 .

C a i 7 1 , 1 31 6 1 3 7 1 6 6 1 6 8
, 1 62 , . , ,
C i n gQ e I
(
76
,

1 9 7 , 1 9 8 2 2 3 ; C a y 1 9 L} , , . C i v il l s, ,1 o r 3 64 .
, .

C air ne c h 7 3 L iv it a s c t c o n n ub ium 1 4

. . , .

C a ir pre 1 1 9 , 1 2 8 2 0 3 2 3 1
, , ,
. C l uc h in y li a la n 13 6 18 0 1 83 , C , , ,

C ait . 63 . 16 9 ,
194 ,
2 12
C a it h 7 6 , 7 7
, . Cl g B l l l d ll G Il l l l l 1 9 0
a - . .

C al de r 4 4 , .
Cl a ud ia n us l a ud ius , 1 7 ,
C .

-
a ld o v e r, 7 8 . C l uc h uir 1 0 7 , 2 2
C a ld ro n See K e t t l e L l ug l ne r C l o c h a r, 1 9 3

. . .

o f U l st e r , 4 S of a h da 54
g D ,
C n ae us SO ,
.

2 2 8 ; o f i a rm i d , 1 0 " D C oc c l e s 2 1 O ,

C al e d o nii, 8 9 , 1 0 , . C o e l H e n, 1 1 7 ,

C a llim ac h us 2 2 , L les ap 1 6 5 ,
.

C a mb ec k , 1 3 . C o e l b re n n y B e ir dd , 3 4 3 5 , .

C a m e l o d un um , 2 1 8 . C o e l e st ius 2 1 , .

Ca m e l o n 4 7 , . C o e l n, 117 .

C a m e ro n, l an 1 8 1 C , . Co ig r ea c h , 2 14 .

C p
a m a n us, 4 1 1 7, 2 19 , . C o l F re w i 5 3 . ,
 23 7

C o l a xa is 5 6 , .
D l l a n, 7 3
a .

C o l e K ing 1 6 4
, ,
. D a m h o c t o r 7 5 7 6, 1 1 7 , ,
.

C o l e in 1 , . D a na a ns, T ua t h a (10 , 4 3 , 4 7 , 5 1 ,
6 5 6 9 9 2, 93 , 9 9,
, ,
re c io us p
C o l m an, 1 5 4 , 1 5 8 1 9 7 , .
t h i ng s 5 6 ,
.

C o l um 1 5 4 .
A a v a o i, 6 9 .

D
,

C o l um b a 5 0 1 1 6 1 5 0 , , , ,
1 54 , 1 76, a v id St 1 16, 12 1
,
196 2 25 , ,

Psa lm s o f, 1 9 5 ; M ic h a e l , 1 9 6 .

C o l um n , 1 1 5 . Da y ,
1 96 .

C o m gal, 5 0 . D e a l gn a i t 5 1 ,
.

C o m ist o n 1 9 7 , . D ewar . 2 14 .

C o na n , 29 .
D e w i = Da v id , 1 2 0 , 1 3 7 .

C o nc h o b a r M a c Ne ssa, 1 0 7 1 2 3 , 1 2 5 ,
. D i a r m id , 1 0 2 , 1 1 0 , 1 2 1 , 1 5 6 , 1 7 5 .

C o nd us 1 7 3 ,
. D ic a l e d o n e s, 1 6 .

C o nn , 9 3 9 5 1 0 1 , 1 2 5 , 1 26 , ,
D i m e t ia , 3 8, 8 2 , 2 1 5, 2 1 6 , 2 1 9 .

C o nn a il t 1 0 1 , . D i w r nac h , 1 0 2 , 1 2 1 1 22 .

C o n n al C ea t h a r n a c h 4 8 , 1 2 4 1 25 .
,
. D o b h a i r, 4 4 .

C o n st a n t in e
,
2 9 , 7 3 , 74 . 13 0 16 1 8 13
C e nst an t ius 1 1 , . D o b un i, 2 1 6 .

C o ppe e n O l a n 8 4 , . D og 1 7 1
,
o f P ic t s a n d S co t s,

C o ra nie d , 1 1 o f M it h r a 170
D
.
,

C o re 1 4 6, . o m h n ac h , 1 9 3 .

C o r mac , 6 8 159 2 1 8 , ,
. Do n n ac h ie , l a n, 1 8 7 , C 188 ,
1 89 ,
C ra m o nd
,
13 81 , .

C re w , L o c h 36 ,
. D 1 0 5 1 29 1 6 0 1 6 1
oo r , , , . .

C r i na n 2 27 ,
. D k p 1 09
oo r ee e r, ,

C r o c e a M o rs 178 2 17 , , . D um C t 1 5 8
o rs e e, .

Cr o m C h o n n il, 1 7 8 . D g 7 0 1 0 6 1 0 8 23 1
ra o n, , , ,
.

C
r uac h 1 3 3 , 1 7 7 1 78 , , ,
D ub l i 2 1 9 n, .

C r uim t h e r 1 7 6 , . D un A e ng us 4 6 ,
.

C r uit e n it h e m a c F in n fe ic h e , 2 1 3 D un -Ch uil e - Sib h rin ne , 1 9 3

'

. .

C r uit h e n t ua it h , 6 8 8 0 ,
. D un c a n so nn y s, 1 7 9 , 1 8 7 .

C r uid ne , C r ui t h n e , K i n g 5 0 , 5 2 6 3 , . D un e di n 1 6 0 , 1 6 2 ,
.

C r uit h ne 4 9 5 0 so n s o f G l e o m , 5 1 ; D un st a lf n age 1 7 3
'
.
, , ,

m a l t st e r s 5 4 5 5 ; m agic ia ns 6 3 , , . D un sy n a ne , 2 1 7 .

C ua il g ne , 1 8 4 . D \ fe d , 1 2 0 .

C uc h ull in , 4 8 9 6 1 7 0 , . .

C uil c in n 1 7 8 . .

M enn 1 6 4 Ban co pp er , 1 13 1 14
E
.
, , ,
.

C u] , 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 9 3 ,1 9 4 (V a na w y d , .
as t e r, 1 15 .

l r y d ain ,
E d d o r E t h , so n s o f, 1 88 .

C une dd a 3 0 7 5 , 7 6 7 7 , 7 9 , 8 0 8 1 E dl e n n, 9 5 1 0 1
E
.
, , , , , ,

p
ig h t , c o m an y o f, 76 , 81
C uueg l as, 2 9 1 17
El i G il 1 1 6
. .

C un o b e l in us 2 1 6 1 4 9 2 18 2 2 5 as ra

Em 7 2
. .
, , , , ,

C up 5 4 , 5 7 , 5 8 , 5 9 , 1 1 0 , 1 1 1 , 1 2 8, e r,

Eq i 1 2 9 1 4 9
.
,

15 1 . u no x , , ,
1 65 .

C uro i m ac ar ie 4 8 D ,
. E rc a, 7 3 7 5 , .

C ut r a igh e 1 2 1 , 1 4 6 1 4 7 , , . E rc h b i, 5 2 .

C y m ri, 2 4 , 7 , 1 3 , 4 0 ,
203 ,
. E rc o l 54 . .

E rid li u, 5 7 , 7 3 .

E ry t h e ia 5 7 , .

D A B R E TH, 1 25 A . Et h 2 1",
See E d d .

D agh d a 4 7 , 5 4 , 1 4 5 , 2 2 1 , 2 2 8 E t h n r, 2 2 2
E
. .
,

D ai 1 2 6
,
. tr usc an s 6 3 , .

D al araid h e, D al aradi a, 4 8 , 4 9 , 6 5 , 7 7 . E un an, 2 2 1 , 2 3 o2 g

23 8 IN D EX .

E urm at 1 1 0 G amb r inus, 5 3

E
.
,

we n 1 3 1 1 3 "
, , G ao id h e a ] , 0 "
E xil l is, 2 2 3 . G a t h B uidh e , 2 2 3 .

G a uls, 6 .

G e d h e, St , 1 5 3 ing 20 1 . K ,
.

G el o ni, 6 0 G e l o n us, .5 8 S e c G l eo in . .

F AD F E L E N , 1 78
G eon a c o h o r t , 4 9
.

F ail , 9 8 , 2 0 6
G e rm a ns, 6 4 0
.

F a il inis a d og , 1 7 1
.
,

G e ry o n, 5 7
.

F al g a, 9 5
G et ae , 1 8 5 9
.

F a w n, C ar ne c h s, 7 4
,

Gil das, 2 9 , 9 0
.

F e a rc h a r, 1 3 5
G il l e do mn an, 2 2 2
.

F e di l m it h , 1 5 1 , 1 5 2
.

G ill o m an ius, 1 0 5
.

F e in, 1 85
G lass, b o o k o f, 1 5 7 ; c u p, 1 6 1
.

F e l e k e -D n h , 2 24
G last um = w o ad , 7 1 , 2 2 0
.

F e nians, 1 8 5
.

Gl e o in, G el e o in, 5 1 , 5 2 5 4 6 1
.

F e nius, 6 9 , 7 1 , ,
.

F e rg us 1 3 7 , 1 5 1 , 1 5 3 , 1 6 4
G ol lamh g o ul o u, et c , 9 N
. )
,
.

F e t ial es, 1 1 1
I
,

G orr e e, 2 0 8
.

F tic h t i, 20
G ra inn e, 8 5 G raidne, 1 0
.

F idh b h a , 5 1 , 6 3
f
F i e, 6 3 , 6 4
.

G re al S ee angre al
. S .

G rimm 1 0 6 , 2 2 8
.

F i l l an, Fa o l an , F all an , e t c , 8 3 , 8 4 ,
, .

G ub , 5 1
.

9 6 1 0 4 1 1 5, 1 77 , 1 8 7,
, ,
G uen e d o t a 8 1 .

1 9 0 , 2 0 0 2 0 8 , 2 1 4, 2 1 5 , 2 1 6 , 2 1 7 ,
,

G ul at h , 1 3 9
.

G ule d ig, 2 8 3 0 , 1 7 3 .

F ind r uine 9 4 , 1 0 1
,

G ul inb urst i, 1 0 8 , 1 7 7
.
,

F inn Fa idh e ac h , 1 7 8 , 2 1 3 , 2 2 5
.

G ulinus, 1 0 7
.

Fion n, F i n n 1 3 5 , 1 4 5 1 4 6 , 1 4 7 ,
.

, ,
G w en d o l e n , 1 6 3 1 6 7 .
1 7 1,
G we ugo l o , 1 2 9 1 6 5 .

F irb o lg 3 9 , 4 3 4 5, 4 6 , 4 7 , 6 5 , 6 9 ,
,

G wio n, 1 3 5
, .

G wy dd il F ic h t i, 3 0 , 7 3 , 7 4 1 1 3
F i rd o m na n 4 5 , 4 6
.

.
,

Fi re , 1 3 4, 1 4 3 , 1 5 4 , 1 5 6 ,
1 6 5 206
HA L F , 2 1 1 2 1 2
.
,
.
,
F irg ail l ia n, 4 5
Hal l o w e e n 1 3 3
.

.
,
F ish w ea r 2 1 18
F it li ic h o ll , 1 1 0
,
.

Ha m m e r h o r s 1 7 , T

Hay C l a n 1 8 1 2 0 4 2 1 2
.

, , ,
Fl e ge t anis, 2 2 4
,

Hazel 1 3 4
.

.
,
F o al, 9 5
He arnd o r 1 0 3
.

.
F o m or ians, 4 3 , 4 4 , 4 5, 5 0
,

Heol 1 1 6
.

.
,
Fo unt ain , sac r e d , 5 0
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.

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.

.
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.
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.

.
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.

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H ist ore nd 7 5 ,
.

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.

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, , .

G aedh el gla ss, 6 9 , 7 1 . E u, 1 0 5 , 1 2 1 , 1 2 2 ; U, 2 0 1 .

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G a l a r B uid h e , 1 7 8 . Hwan, 1 0 5 .

G a l g ac us, 6 , 1 5 . Hy l aea , 5 7 . .
 I ND EX .
39

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.
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. .

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.

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127,
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b rian \Vo m e n 1 1 8 , 1 19 , . L ug uid 6 9 , 7 6 , 9
K e v ik , 2 1 0 , 2 2 6 . L uir i1 g
g , 7 3 , 74 .

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2 08 .

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M a c C re ic h e 1 7 8 2 1 3 , , .

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M ac C uil, 1 1 2, 2 2 2, 2 2 5 .
2 40 I ND E X .

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29 .

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so n B re aca u, 5 3 . Sc o ne , 2 1 3 .

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R o un d a b l e , 1 0 7 . T a il c e n n, 2 2 4 .

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242 I X U EX .

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.

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.

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1 6 4 5, S3 ,
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,

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h rac ia n s, 3 6 4 3 , , 51 , 59, 6 1, .

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210 .

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.

, .

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.

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.

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f
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,

s b ird s,
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Gh ih b ur- 55 .