Evil eye in the western HighlandsMaclagan, Robert Craig
Religion
Evil eye in the western Highlands
Maclagan, Robert Craig
Evil eye; Folklore; Superstition
The reciter’s grandfather was a Stratherrick man (Loch Ness), and when
attending the market there, was approached by another man to sell him a
stirk. There was a good deal of bargaining. No agreement was come to,
the offerer leaving as if dissatisfied. Before the market closed the
stirk fell to the ground and could not be got to rise. F.’s suspicions
of course fell upon the rejected offerer. An acquaintance who also was
attending the market, and was supposed to have eolas, happened to come
about, and seeing F. in distress reassured him: “_Cha’n eagal do’n
bheachan a laochain_.” (“No fears of the beast, my lad.”) He then drew
the palm of his hand up the stirk’s back against the hair, repeating
words which the reciter, however, had never heard. The stirk got on its
feet and was soon brisk and well.
CHANGING THE FIREPLACE
“There was a man living in Machri whose cattle and horses were dying,
and things generally going against him. He knew quite well it was the
Evil Eye, so he consulted a _buidseach_. The _buidseach_ told him to
change his fire to the other end of the house. Having done this his
cattle recovered, and he was prosperous ever after.”
Unfortunately this is the whole information available. The cattle not
improbably were housed beneath the same roof as himself; but it would
be of no benefit speculating as to the effect of changing the fireplace
nearer to or farther from his stock. All that can be said is that the
change of position of the fireplace was credited with a change in the
man’s luck.
THE POWER OF A CHILD’S MUTCH
Whether the child in this case was suffering directly from the Evil Eye
the reciter was not prepared to say.
In the neighbourhood of Tayinloan, Kintyre, there were several women
who professed to be able to cure sicknesses arising from the Evil Eye.
One of these women was sent for in the case of a child thought to be
dying. When she arrived the household were gathered round the child,
thinking he was approaching immediate death. When the woman looked at
him she said nothing, but asked for a child’s mutch (close cap), and
when it was given her she went outside, repeated a charm over it, and
returning, put the mutch on the child’s head and said he would soon be
well. In a little while he kicked and stretched himself, and it was not
long till he was all right.
WHISKY CURE
In only one case have we heard of this universal solvent of misfortune
being used as a cure for the Evil Eye. The churning was unsuccessful;
the dairymaid was convinced that it was a case of Evil Eye, and advised
that a glass of whisky should be put in the churn. The advice was not
taken, so we have still to learn the effects of whisky in like case.
This was in Caithness-shire, where belief in the Evil Eye is very
common.
LEAD DROPPING
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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