Ifrinn, purgadair, nèamh, buidsich 's Eilean Samhraidh

Published on Friday 5 March 2010 19:27

AN RUD as cudromaiche mu dheidhinn Fantastical Imaginations: The Supernatural in Scottish History and Culture, deasaichte le Lizanne Henderson (John Donald, £20), se gu bheil aiste ùr ann le Iain MacAonghuis – "Traditional Belief in Gaelic Society". Tha e a' mìneachadh mar a bhite a' cleachdadh fhaclan air leth, leithid samhla, co-choisiche, geasachd (an nì as fhaisge air superstition), buidseach 's bana-bhuidseach, frìth, ealta, fiosaiche, fiosachd, taghair

Sann bho witch a thinig "buidseach" – roimhe sin b'e "amaid". Tha MacAonghuis ag rdh: "It may mean that at some stage a new kind of 'witch' came into Gaelic society, bringing new practices … Some of the women may have been the female shamans of Gaelic society."

Aon dhe na nithean as taitniche mu chruinneachadh aistidhean mar seo se gu bheil fios an drna duine a' toirt brgh do dh'fhios an duin' eile. Ann an "Away with the Fairies" tha Louise Yeoman ag rdh: "It is notable in Scotland that only female visionary accounts have survived the period of persecution, raising the possibility that it was not acceptable for Scottish men to fall into trances and produce visionary accounts like this. Perhaps women were found more credible as trance-visionaries in Scottish society."

Is dcha gun robh. Ach cha robh sin 'na chuideachadh do Bessie Dunlop Siorrachd ir, a chaidh a thachdadh 's a losgadh gu bs air son buidseachd ann an 1576. Ann a "Witch, Fairy and Folktale Narratives in the Trial of Bessie Dunlop" tha Lizanne Henderson a' cur air shilean dhuinn gu bheil an t-uabhas mu shthichean a' tighinn am brr sna deuchainnean-buidseachd Albannach. "This is not exclusively a Scottish phenomenon – similar evidence occurs in other countries such as England, Hungary, Italy and Germany – but it is fair to say that Scotland has a remarkable amount of fairy lore interspersed within witch belief contexts."

Se leabhar for tharraingeach tha seo. Tha isdean Cheape a' toirt cunntais air "The Material Culture of Charms and Amulets" – na clachan leighis leithid "ball Moluidh" aig Mrtainn Mrtainn, n irne Moire no Cn Mhoire, agus iomadh "leug buaidh" eile. Tha Mairead Bennett a-mach air sgeulachdan mun os-ndarra – "From Local Memorate to Scottish Legend". 'S tha trr eil' ann, bho Ted Cowan air fisneachd ann an eachdraidh na h-Alba gu Valentina Bold air na tha de dh'fhor dhualchas anns a' film The Wicker Man.

MA THA an leabhar aig John MacLeod air eachdraidh a' chreidimh air Ghaidhealtachd agad, bu chir The Search for Salvation: Lay Faith in Scotland 1480-1560 (John Donald, 25) le Audrey-Beth Fitch a dhol air an sgeilp mar chompanach dha. Tha Fitch a' mneachadh ann an cainnt shmplidh d an t-eagal a bh' air daoine, d bha iad ag iarraidh, 's d bhiodh iad a' danamh mu dheidhinn. Ged nach eil a bheag aice ri rdh mun Ghaidhealtachd no mu litreachas na Gidhlig, tha i toirt dealbh dhuinn den chreideamh a dh'fhan cho lidir an inntinn nan Gaidheal fada as didh 1560 's a tha a' tighinn am brr ann an Carmina Gadelica.

Tha sia caibidealan san leabhar: breitheanas, namh/ifrinn, purgadair, Dia, Moire agus Crost, san rdugh sin. Gheibheadh gach duine d chothrom air slinte: am breitheanas beag aig m a bhis, agus am breitheanas mr air Latha a' Bhrtha. Nan robh e air oidhirp a dhanamh air beatha dhiadhaidh a bhith aige, bha teans math gun ruigeadh e purgadair nuair dh' eugadh e. Sa cheann thall cha robh ann dha ach namh no ifrinn ge-t, 's ann am purgadair bha anam buileach an eisimeil na dhanadh na be de dh'rnaighean 's de dh'aifrinnean gus a chur air adhart dhan ite cheart nuair thigeadh am breitheanas mr.

Bhiodh daoine a' feuchainn gl chruaidh ri tuigse fhaighinn air na gnothaichean seo air fad, chan ann tro na sgriobtairean buileach ach tro dhiadhachd, ealain agus litreachas. Ann an da-rribh b'iad na meadhanan slinte Moire, Crost agus Dia, san rdugh sin.

Bha Moire air leth cumhachdach, oir bha Dia air banrigh namh a dhanamh dhith. Agus bha i glan, coibhneil, mthaireil, furasta faighinn thuice.

Ach cuideachd, mar their Fitch, "Jesus's stature grew in the period 1480 to 1560." An d chuid mar charaid caomh agus mar esan a chaidh obairt air a' chrann 's a bha an lthair gu corparra fhathast san aran choisrigte.

Bha eagal air daoine ro Dhia an t-athair, 's bha cuideam mr air a chur air an t-Scramaid, 's air deisealachadh ris an t-Scramaid, mar urram do Chrost 's do Dhia an t-athair.

Mar tha Fitch a' leigeil fhaicinn, ma-th, an n bu tharraingiche mu luchd an ath-leasachaidh cha b'e na beumannan a bha iad a' toirt air m-ghnthachadh san eaglais, ach an teans gur ann acasan a b' fherr a bha meadhanan a' ghris. Oir chunnaic gach duine ifirinn, fuar neo teth 's gum bitheadh i, 's os cionn gach n eile bha iad air son a seachnadh.