大象传媒

Ann an Ratharsair tha loch air a bheil聽Loch na Mn脿. Tha sin a鈥� ciallachadh聽鈥渢he loch of the woman鈥� 鈥� Loch na聽Mn脿. Thathar ag r脿dh gur e boireannach聽貌g a bha innte. Chaidh a marbhadh le聽each-uisge.聽鈥橲 e seann sgeul a tha ann.聽Chaidh innse do Bhoswell is Johnson聽ann an seachd ceud deug, seachdad 鈥檚 a聽tr矛 (1773). Chaidh Boswell is Johnson聽don loch air an rathad gu D霉n Cana. 鈥橲 e聽D霉n Cana a鈥� bheinn as 脿irde ann an聽Ratharsair.聽Tha an st貌iridh a鈥� dol rudeigin聽mar seo. Bha uaireigin gobha ann an聽Ratharsair. Bha a nighean sa mhonadh聽an latha a bha seo. Bha i ri c矛obaireachd.聽Air an oidhche sin, cha do thill i 聽dhachaigh. Air an l脿rna-mh脿ireach,聽chaidh an gobha a-mach a choimhead air聽a son. Air cladach an locha, lorg e cridhe聽is sgamhan. B鈥� iad sin an cridhe is an聽sgamhan aig a nighinn fh猫in.聽Bha an gobha troimh-a-ch猫ile.聽Bha e feargach. Bha e ag iarraidh聽d矛oghaltas. Bha e ag iarraidh an t-each-uisge聽a mharbhadh. Thog an gobha is a聽mhac ce脿rdach ri taobh an locha. Bha聽doras na ce脿rdaich a鈥� coimhead a-mach聽air an loch.聽Chaidh an gobha is a mhac ann聽oidhche a bha seo. Os cionn an 脿ite-teine,聽thog iad bior-r貌staidh. Chuir iad聽molt air a鈥� bhior-r貌staidh. Bha am聽f脿ileadh a鈥� dol a tharraing an eich-uisge.聽Anns an teine bha dubhain聽mh貌ra. Bha iad deiseil airson stobadh聽anns a鈥� bh猫ist. Th脿inig creutair a-steach聽air an doras. Bha coltas eich air. Ach bha聽e gr脿nda.聽Stob an gobha is an gille aige d脿聽dhubhan teth anns a鈥� chreutair. Th貌isich聽an t-each-uisge air sgreuchail.聽Dh鈥檌arr an gobha air a mhac聽dubhan m貌r a thoirt a-mach 脿s an teine,聽agus a stobadh a-steach don each-uisge.聽Rinn an gille sin. Agus ch霉m iad gr猫im聽air an each gus an robh e marbh.聽Ach 鈥� seo rud iongantach. Nuair a聽th脿inig a鈥� mhadainn, cha robh closach聽eich ann idir. Cha robh ann ach poidhle聽slaim. Bha na seann daoine ag r脿dh gun聽robh slam dhen t-se貌rsa sin a鈥� tighinn聽bho na speuran.

In Raasay there is a loch called聽Loch na Mn脿. That means 鈥渢he聽loch of the woman鈥�. It is said that聽she was a young woman. She was聽killed by a water-horse.聽It鈥檚 an old story. It was told to聽Boswell and Johnson in 1773.聽Boswell and Johnson went to the聽loch on the way to Dun Caan. Dun聽Caan is the highest mountain on 聽Raasay.聽The story goes something like聽this. There was once a blacksmith聽on Raasay. His daughter was on聽the hill this particular day. She聽was shepherding. That night, she聽didn鈥檛 return home. The next day聽the smith went out looking for her.聽On the shore of the loch, he found聽a heart and lungs. They were the聽heart and lungs of his own聽daughter.聽The smith was distressed. He聽was angry. He wanted revenge. He聽wanted to kill the water-horse. The聽smith and his son built a smithy聽next to the loch. The door of the聽smithy was looking out onto the聽loch.聽The smith and his son went聽there this particular night. Above聽the fireplace they built a roasting聽spit. They put a wedder [wether]聽on the roasting spit. The smell was聽going to attract the water-horse.聽In the fire were large hooks.聽They were ready to thrust into the聽beast. A creature came in through聽the door. It had the appearance of 聽a horse. But it was ugly.聽The smith and his son thrust聽two hot hooks into the creature.聽The water-horse began to scream.聽The smith asked his son to聽take a large hook from the fire and聽to thrust it into the water-horse.聽The lad did that. And they kept聽hold of the horse until it was dead.聽But 鈥� here鈥檚 an interesting聽thing. When [the] morning came,聽there was no horse鈥檚 carcase.聽There was nothing there but a pile聽of slime. The old people said that聽slime of that type came from the聽heavens.