大象传媒

Faisg air Both Mhoireil 鈥� far a bheil caisteal aig a鈥� Bhanrigh 鈥� tha cnoc air a bheil Creag nam Ban. Tha e ann an suidheachadh br猫agha faisg air Uisge D猫 agus os cionn Caisteal Obar Gheallaidh. Tha Creag nam Ban a鈥� ciallachadh the rocky hill of the women. Thathar ag r脿dh gun d鈥� fhuair e ainm leis gun robh bana-bhuidsichean air an losgadh gu b脿s ann.聽Agus thathar ag innse st貌iridh anns an sg矛re fhathast mun t猫 a b鈥檃inmeile dhiubh 鈥� Ciotaidh NicFhraing.聽

A聽r猫ir an sge貌il cha b鈥� e bana-bhuidseach a bh鈥� ann an Ciotaidh idir. Thogadh iann am Miagra 鈥� baile-fearainn beag air taobh thall Uisge D猫 bhon chaisteal. Bha beatha dhoirbh aice. Chaochail a h-athair nuair a bha i 貌g. Chaill a m脿thair a comas-inntinn agus bhiodh i a鈥� cur seachad a l脿ithean na laighe san leabaidh. Chaochail ise agus bha Ciotaidh an uair sin na h-aonar.

Ach mus do chaill i a rian thug m脿thair Ciotaidh t貌rr e貌lais mu n脿dar do a nighinn. Bha Ciotaidh comasach air leigheas an n脿darrach a dh猫anamh. Ach cha b鈥� e sina-mh脿in. Bha an d脿-shealladh aig a m脿thair agus bha d霉il aig a h-uile duine gum biodhan aon bhuadh aig Ciotaidh fh猫in.

Bha i a鈥� fuireach is ag obair anns a鈥� chaisteal. Bha a鈥� bhean-uasal aig an taigh, ach bha an duine aice 鈥� an t-uachdaran 鈥� air falbh thall thairis. Latha a bha seo, dh鈥檌arra鈥� bhean-uasal air Ciotaidh dhol don t-se貌mar aice.

鈥淭ha mi a鈥� cluinntinn,鈥� ars ise, 鈥済u bheil an d脿-shealladh agad, a Chiotaidh. Innis dhomh naidheachd mun duine agam agus mar a tha c霉isean a鈥� dol dha.鈥� Bu ch貌ir doC hiotaidh an t-iarrtas a dhi霉ltadh. Ach bha i toilichte, mar chreutair bochd, gun robh a beachd a鈥� cunntadh am measg nan uaislean. Agus dh鈥檃ontaich i faighinn a-mach nabha a鈥� dol leis an uachdaran.

Fhuair Ciotaidh mias de dh鈥檜isge. Choimhead i anns an uisge. D猫 chunnaic i a chc猫ile na mn脿-uaisle a鈥� s霉gradh ri boireannaich eile. Chaidh i don bhean-uasal agus dh鈥檌nnis i dhi na chunnaic i.

鈥淐han eil sin a鈥� cur iongnadh orm,鈥� thuirt a鈥� bhean-uasal. 鈥淏ha mi amharasach gum b鈥� e sin an d貌igh aige, is tha fios agam a-nise.鈥� Bha i feargach. Dh鈥檌arr i air Ciotaidh na cumhachdan s貌nraichte aice a chur gu feum airson stoirm mh貌r a th貌iseachadh air slighe tillidh an duine aice. Uill, cha b鈥� urrainn do Chiotaidh sin a dh猫anamh. Cha robh cumhachdan mar sin aice.

Ach, mar a thachair e, dh鈥櫭╥rich stoirm le tuiteamas fhad 鈥檚 a bha an t-uachdaran aig muir. Chaidh a long fodha agus chaidh a h-uile duine air b貌rd a bh脿thadh. Nuair a chuala a鈥� bhean-uasal an naidheachd chuir i 脿s leth Ciotaidh bhochd gur e bana-bhuidseach a bh鈥� innte agus gun do dh鈥檃dhbharaich i b脿s an duine aice. Bha a鈥� bhean-uasal cumhachdach agus cha do sheas duine na rathad. Bha Ciotaidh air a losgadh gub脿s air mullach Creag nam Ban.

Chan eil Creag nam Ban uabhasach 脿rd. Tha i d矛reach beagan is c貌ig ceudmeatair. Ach a鈥� ghaoth a sh猫ideas air a mullach, tha i garbh is l脿idir 鈥� agus fuaimneach.Tha cuid ag r脿dh nach e a鈥� ghaoth a thathar a鈥� cluinntinn, ge-t脿, ach an sgreuchail aig Ciotaidh NicFhraing, agus a taibhs fhathast a鈥� cuairteachadh a鈥� mhullaich.

Both Mhoireil: Balmoral; Uisge D猫: The River Dee; Caisteal Obar Gheallaidh: Abergeldie Castle; Ciotaidh NicFhraing: Kitty Rankine; Miagra: Micras; nah-aonar: by herself; d脿-shealladh: second-sight; bean-uasal: lady, gentlewoman; mias: basin; fuaimneach: noisy; sgreuchail: screaming; taibhs; ghost.

thathar ag r脿dh: it鈥檚 said; leis gun robh bana-bhuidsichean air an losgadh gu b脿s ann: because witches were burned to death there; mun t猫 a b鈥檃inmeile dhiubh: about the most famous of them; chaill a m脿thair a comas-inntinn: her mother lost her intellectual capacities; mus do chaill i a rian: before she lost her reason;thug X t貌rr e貌lais mu n脿dar do a nighinn: X passed on a lot of knowledge about nature to her daughter; cha b鈥� e sin a-mh脿in: not only that; gum biodh an aon bhuadh aig X:that X would have the same attribute; bha an t-uachdaran air falbh thall thairis: the laird was away overseas; mar a tha c霉isean a鈥� dol dha: how he鈥檚 getting on; bu ch貌ir do X an t-iarrtas a dhi霉ltadh: X should have refused the request; c猫ile na mn脿-uaisle a鈥� s霉gradh ri boireannaich eile: the lady鈥檚 husband sporting with other women; dh鈥檌nnis i dhi na chunnaic i: she told her what she saw; chan eil sin a鈥� cur iongnadh orm: that doesn鈥檛 surprise me; na cumhachdan s貌nraichte aice a chur gu feum: to use her special powers; airson stoirm a th貌iseachadh air slighe tillidh an duine aice: to raise a storm on her husband鈥檚 return route; dh鈥櫭╥rich stoirm le tuiteamas: a storm arose by chance; chaidh a h-uile duine air b貌rd a bh脿thadh: everybody on board was drowned; chuir i 脿s leth Ciotaidh bhochd gur e bana-bhuidseach a bh鈥� innte: she accused poor Kitty of being a witch; cha do sheas duine na rathad: nobody stood in her way; fhathast a鈥� cuairteachadh a鈥� mhullaich: still circumnambulating the summit.

Creag nam Ban: the rocky hill of the women. There are places all over Gaelic Scotland called 鈥�... nam Ban鈥� (the first word being 脿irigh, uamh, beinn, clach, loch, ruigh or sgeir 鈥� among others, doubtless). Why don鈥檛 you look at a map of your local (or favourite) area and see if you have any. And then see if you can find out who the women were. Were they witches, nuns, village women or something else? I鈥檇 love to hear from you. Indeed it would be a great project to collate all the landscape features named after women and look at their likely origins and the folklore associated with them.

gun robh a beachd a鈥� cunntadh am measg nan uaislean: that her opinion counted among the gentry (it鈥檚 originally an English idiom).
Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA