Evil eye in the western HighlandsMaclagan, Robert Craig
Religion
Evil eye in the western Highlands
Maclagan, Robert Craig
Evil eye; Folklore; Superstition
Another sample is the following: A farmer’s son, whose father had lost
a horse, was thus addressed by a neighbour, “You had a horse that was
ill, is it better?” “Oh no, it is dead.” “You are unfortunate this
year. Isn’t that four that have died on you?” “Yes, but we know now
what was wrong with them.” “Weel, that’s well; ye’ll know what to
do should any more take ill. What was wrong with them?” “They were
_air-an-cronachadh_” (harmed). “Such nonsense! there is nothing of
that now.” The lad did not agree with this, said they knew who did it,
and the lad’s interrogator’s mother-in-law joined in the conversation,
agreeing as to the correctness of the diagnosis; and the doubter
rejoined, “Well, if you are all against me, I may stop.”
An Argyllshire islander says:—
“_Tha buideachas uile air falbh anis agus is math gu bheil, oir be
ni olc a bha ann. Ach, ma dh’fhalbh sin, tha rud eile nach d’fhalbh
fathast, agus ‘se sin cronachadh. Chunnaic m’i ann mo thigh fein
mucuircean, agus thainig ban-choimhearsnach a steach latha, agus
thubhairt i gum bu mhuc ciatach a bha’n sin. ‘Tha i gle mhath,’
fhreagair mi fhein. Well, chaidh am boireannach a mach, agus cha robh
i tiota air falbh, nur a thug a mhuc an aon sgreach aisde agus air
dol mun cuairt dith, thuit i air an urlar. Le so, thainig D. ‘ac A. a
stigh, agus fheoraich e ‘Co an t-aon mu dheireadh a chunnaic a mhuc?’
Dh’ innis mi fhein dha, gum be a leithid so ‘a bhean. ‘Mata’ ars esan,
‘s ise rinn an t-olc. Ach ma tha uillidh sam bi lar ruit, cha chreid
mi gum bi mise fada ga cuir ceirt. Fhuair mi dha uillidh nam piocach,
agus ghabh e a mhuc eadar a dha chois, agus thaom e lan copa dheth na
beul. Thug a mhuc reibhig, agus shaoil mi fhein gu robh i air chuthach
ach ann a’ mionaid a dh’uine, bha i ceirt gu leoir; Nis, nach be sud an
droch bhean?_”
(“Witchcraft is all gone now, and it is well it is, for it was a bad
thing. But if that is gone, there is another thing that has not gone
yet, and that is _Cronachadh_. I saw a breeding sow in my own house,
and one day a neighbour came in, and she said that that was a splendid
sow. I answered that she was very good. Well, the woman went out, and
she was no time away when the sow gave such a scream, and going round
about she fell on the floor. With this D. Mac A. came in, and he asked
who was the last person that had seen the sow. I told him it was such
and such a woman. ‘Well,’ said he, ‘it was she that did the harm, but
if you have any oil beside you, I believe I shall not be long putting
her right.’ I got saithe oil for him, and he took the sow between his
two legs, and poured a cupful into her mouth. She screamed, and I
thought she was mad, but in a minute’s time she was all right. Now,
wasn’t that the bad woman?”)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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