In this essay I would like to deal with the ancient literary heritage of the Hebridean Isles. Major source for the second part of my essay was a work of the greatest British anthropologist of the 19th centrury James George Frazer, The Golden Bough. I will describe some old-time customs, traditions and superstitions in the Hebrides and other parts of Scotland. The Hebrides, or Western Isles, are a unique and distinctive part of Scotland. Their remoteness contributed to preservation of specific rural and peaceful life which brings close coexistence of the inhabitants with nature, namely the sea, the perpetual wind and the native land. The wonders and gifts of the nature have always been a rich inspiration for Hebridean poets and writers.
The person who deserves credit for collecting old legends and myths on Hebrides was Fiona MacLeod. I used the term ‘person‘ deliberately because Fiona MacLeod is only a pen-name of the writer William Sharp, the Scottish poet, novelist and biographer who lived in the years 1855 – 1905. He attended Glasgow University, but left without a degree, travelling to Australia instead. After his arrival in London in 1878 he soon became a member of the circle of artists and writers centred on Dante Gabriel Rosetti. He published hack biographies of Rosetti, Shelley, Heine and Browning. His novels included The Sport of Chance, The Children of Tomorrow and his volumes of poetry The New Hope, Earth’s Voices, Romantic Ballads and Poems of Phantasy and others. In later years he also wrote rhapsodic verse and prose romances on Celtic themes and it was these works that were written under the paseudonym Fiona MacLeod. They include Pharais, The Mountain Lovers, The Sin-Eater and Other Tales, The Washer of the Ford and a collection of articles, The Winged Destiny.[1] I will focus on his (her) collection of old Hebridean legends and myths, published as Wind and Wave.
All the stories of Wind and Wave are full of metaphores of nature, especially of the sea, fish, trees, wind, leaves. Experienced readers of mythology would be surprised by the rich, poetic language as myths are usually narrated in a simple and direct way. The essential themes are love, fight, death, destiny, madness. Music literally plays an important role in the myths. We find many war songs, encouraging the warriors to fierce fighting, but also many a love song, pleading for affection of a beautiful woman. Music has got a soporific power as well, it can move the musician in space or it can affect people in favour of the player or singer, it can even kill somebody. It is beautiful, sweet, gentle, enchanting but on the other hand also rough, cruel, savage, wild, bitter, sad, mournful or even malicious, but always magical. Most frequently we read about songsters playing the harp, bagpipe or a special kind of flute, feadan.
The book is divided into two parts. The first – “World As It Was” – contains twelve legends from the era of early Christianity on the Isles but also stories older then Christianity itself. We realize how much the early history of the Western Isles is connected with the Vikings (the Normans ruled here for a short period in the 9th centrury) and Ireland. The Vikings are depicted as stubborn and tenacious fighters, sailing on their big galleons but – as this is told from the perspective of the Hebridean inhabitants – predestined to lose. The second legend of the book has an eloquent name: The Fighting Madness. It is the Vikings who are affected by this madness, they sing war songs, laugh terribly and balefully. Their sinister laugh and joy is connected with ruthless blood-shed. But inevitably the Vikings are defeated by proficient warriors from the Hebrides, sailing on smaller and more easily controlled boats, called birlins. Such scenes describing the fights on the sea remind us of Norse sagas
The third legend tells of the escape of monks. The Christian monks, led by Maliosa, were not only a closed praying community, but they were prepared to defend their country actively. Christianity was brought to the Western Isles already in the 6th century by St Columb who founded a renowned monastery on the Isle of Iona. According to this legend, the monks tried to solve the attack of the Vikings in a peaceful way, but were forced to escape before the merciless invaders, some were killed in fight and the rest were crucified.
A significant figure in the legends was Scatach, the queen of the Isle of Skye. Skye was inhabited almost exclusively by women who were excellent warriors, known for killing every man who happened to land on the island and all castaways who emerged there. Scatach fell in love with Cuchullin who was a young, handsome (one would even say beautiful) man, skilled warrior. But Cuchullin dreamt about a woman called Etain who was so beautiful that the God MacGraine had built a summerhouse out of dew for her. She lived in this summerhouse and during the dawn she ate blossoms and during the twilight she ate their fragrance. Therefore Scatach, strong and cruel queen of Skye, could not gain the heart of Cuchullin.
Once more is the queen Scatach mentioned, in the legend of the Sad Queen. She meets two castaways, Ulrik Scald and Connla Harpist. Their singing reminds her of her beloved man and asks the two to sing her a song about love before they are executed. Ulrik refused to sing and said he did not care about love in the hour of his death. Connla sang a sad song about his love to one woman and about the passing of time. Scatach ordered that Ulrik would be given to the first woman who would want him because he knew nothing about love. Connla was killed because he had got to know all life offered. They put burning torches on his breast so that his heart would burst.
A beautiful story about Ulad, the king of poets, and his beloved Fand. The harpist Bél sang about Ulad: he picked glorious white sweet-smelling blossoms under rainbow, he warmed them all night and at the dawn he gave magic with his breath into his left palm. The white blossoms became rosy and the warmth of his body gave life to Fand. However, Fand did not grant his love although he waited patiently and sang lovely songs for her. Connla the Wise, sailed to their island and gave Ulad good advice. Ulad followed it and as he created his dream, he ravaged it. He changed Fand back into white blossoms which were dispersed by a wave of wind. Some were coloured by rainbow.
I have showed the nature of the legends in the first part of the book. They are not stories of Gods as we know e.g. from the Greek mythology. The heroes are people, usually wise, with some supernatural abilities who often knew the mystery of music.
The second part of the book is called “About the World As It Is”. Stories from this part of the book, happened mostly during the time of the author’s life, i.e. in the second half of the 19th century, or a few generations before. All are narrated by people who either witnessed the events or are descendants of people who had. When reading closely, one can find many peculiar things which are still important parts of Hebridean life: crofting and fishing as main source of living, sheep breeding, dependence on weather and nature, Gaelic as prevailing language.
“Lay of Seals“ opens this part of the book. The Fisher of People is spine-chilling story about an old woman Sheen Macleod (the same name as the author’s pseudonym!), who lived only with her young son Alasdair Mór Og in a poor cottage at a remote place in the mountains. They were both religious people and lived together in peace. The old woman started to languish and felt death was coming to her. Her soul knew. Sheen had seen several signs of approaching death: she had seen a wounded fawn with sad look in its eyes, reminding her of the eyes of a girl who died when giving birth to her child. She saw a foreign man whom she offered food and lodging but he refused. She asked about his name: MacIntyre – carpenter’s son. He was a fisherman. On her way back to their cottage she saw the fawn again. It was healthy. Sheen told her son what had happened to her and died. In that very moment somebody knocked at the door. Josa MacIntyr – Jesus, carpenter’s son entered. He knew about Sheen’s death, he had seen her soul in the Willow valley. He had seen her singing a joyful song, with her eyes full of green youth, walking hand in hand with a man, Alasdair Ruadh. Then Josa left. Alasdair Og saw him again the evening after the burial. Josa told him he was a fisherman in the sea of the world, in the waters of sorrow, waters of woe and waters of despair. He was hunting the souls of the living.
Although the legends have very easy-to-read stories, interesting plot, they – in the first place – open metaphysical questions about life after death, boundaries of love, importance of justice among people, individual responsibility and necessity of revenge, destiny.
An interesting legend is related to the name Macleod which is topical to deal with. It is as far back in time as to the 11th century when the Norse king Harald Hardrara set out to conquer Britain in 1066. Then his greatest treasure in his equipment was the magic flag Land-Ravager which guaranteed victory to its owner. But this time it did not bring luck to the king and his army. Harald´s army was defeated by the English king Harold at Stamford Bridge. Did the Land-Ravager vanish? The Macleods of Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye trace their ancestry back to King Harald and they guard Bratach Sith – the Fairy Flag.
There are many different explanations of how silk banner could come to Dunvegan. One legend says that a Macleod chief dcrusading in the Holy land received it as a gift from a water-sprite, or won it in battle against a she-devil. Another story claims that the fairy wife of a 14th century chief gave her husband the flag as a parting gift when she returned to fairyland after twenty years of marriage. The parting place, near Dunvegan, is known still as Fairy Bridge.
The Dunvegan Lullaby, which is still sometimes sung on Skye, is also connected with the Fairy Flag. In the 15th century, when the wife of the chieftain Iain Borb (Surly John) gave birth to his child, a fairy came to the castle and took the child on her knees and sang him the lullaby, then wrapped him in the fairy flag, put him back in the cradle and left. His nurse remembered the words and the melody and ever since only the woman who knew the lullaby could work as a nurse at MacLeods. This example proves enormous richness in the narrating tradition – many heroes, many more stories about them.
There is rich heritage concerning oral tradition on each of the Isles. They all have something in common which unites them and at the same time each of them has specific identity.
The story of Islay in the Inner Hebrides is connected with a Danish princess who walked there from Ireland on island stepping stones which created her path. She is said to have drowned while bathing, and her grave is marked by a standing stone above Knock Bay. According to the legend, three people tried to open her enchantet grave but they not succesfull and even went mad as a result.
The local Hill of Islay is said to be a fairy dwelling, the home of the Fairy Queen (who is narrated about in the Wind and Wave). She had a magic cup of wisdom and once she dispensed the wisdom to women all over the land and those who came late and missed this occasion remained stupid. Dullwitted women are said to have been ´still on the hill when wisdom was handed out´.
Barra, the southernmost of the Outer Hebrides, is known for its old songs which used to be sung by women processing woolen cloth. St Bride, or Brigid, was much revered in the Outer Islands. Local people would construct Bride´s Bed out of rushes on February 1, the saint´s day. The spirit of the saint was then called into the house to watch over it for the rest of the year, by saying ´Bride, come in, your bed is ready´.
Benbecula, the isle of many lakes, connecting the North and South Uist, has a story about a mermaid who is buried there somewhere on the shore. Her story dates from 1830, when women gathering seaweed saw her happily swimming in the sea. She escaped them when they tried to catch her but she was injured by a boy throwing stones at her. A few days later her body “top half like that of a child, the lower like a salmon but without scales” was washed up. Surprisingly enough, burial (although without the religious service) was made for her.
The Hebridean Isles have as important place of historical merit as is Stonehenge. It is Callanish on the isle Lewis, a stone circle, 37 feet in diameter, with avenues of monoliths radiating from it. Inside the circle of thirteen great stones is a burial chamber, and a theory claims that bones found there may be those of sacrificed victims. Legends link the stoness with the Druids who could turn men into stones, and the monoliths are called Fir Chreig in Gaelic which means ´false men´.
[1] The Wordsworth Companion to Literature in English. Ed. Ian Ousby. Chatham: Wordsworth, 1998.