大象传媒

An cuala sibh mu Choinneach Odhar? Tha e aithnichte ann am Beurla mar The Brahan Seer. Bha an d脿-shealladh aige. Rinn e f脿idheadaireachd.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ach ciamar a fhuair Coinneach an d脿-shealladh? Uill, a r猫ir beul-aithris 脿 Sg矛r鈥� 脵ig鈥� ann an Le貌dhas, seo mar a thachair e: Rugadh Coinneach ann am Baile na Cille ann an Sg矛r鈥� 脵ig鈥�. Nuair a bha e na dheugaire, bha a mh脿thair air an 脿irigh. 脌s an 脿irigh chunnaic i an seann chladh. Mu mheadhan-oidhche, dh鈥檉hosgail na h-uaighean. Dh鈥櫭╥rich na mairbh asta.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bha gach aois ann. Chaidh iad gu gach 脿ird. 脌s d猫idh uair a th矛de, thill iad don chladh. Thill iad do na h-uaighean. Dh霉in na h-uaighean a-rithist. Ach bha aon uaigh nach robh d霉inte. Bha m脿thair Choinnich fe貌rachail. Bha i airson faighinn a-mach c貌 bha anns an uaigh sin.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Chaidh i don chladh. Chuir i a cuigeal thairis air an uaigh. 鈥橲 e cuigeal inneal a bha na boireannaich a鈥� cleachdadh airson sn矛omh 鈥� distaff ann am Beurla. Chuir i a cuigeal thairis air beul na h-uaghach. Bha sin airson stad a chur air an duine mharbh bho bhith a鈥� dol air ais don uaigh.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 An ceann mionaid no dh脿, th脿inig boireannach b脿n. 鈥淭og do chuigeal far beul na h-uaghach,鈥� thuirt i.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淣矛 mi sin,鈥� fhreagair m脿thair Choinnich, 鈥渘uair a dh鈥檌nnseas tu dhomh carson a bha thu cho fada gun tilleadh don uaigh.鈥�

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淯ill,鈥� thuirt am boireannach, 鈥渃haidh mise m貌ran na b鈥� fhaide na c脿ch. Chaidh mi gu ruige Lochlann. Is mise nighean aig R矛gh Lochlannach. Chaidh mo bh脿thadh thall an sin. Th脿inig mo chorp don tr脿igh seo. Bha mi air mo thiodhlacadh anns an uaigh seo. Mar dhuais airson do chalmachd, bheir mi fios d矛omhair dhut. Thalla don loch thall an sin. Gheibh thu clach bheag chruinn ghorm ann. Thoir a鈥� chlach don ghille agad, Coinneach. Cleachdaidh esan a鈥� chlach airson f脿idheadaireachd a dh猫anamh.鈥�

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Rinn m脿thair Choinnich sin. Fhuair i a鈥� chlach bheag chruinn ghorm anns an loch. Thug i do Choinneach i.

Have you heard of Coinneach Odhar [鈥淪allow Kenneth鈥漖? He鈥檚 known in English as The Brahan Seer. He had the second sight. He made predictions.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But how did Coinneach get the second sight? Well, according to oral tradition from Uig in Lewis, here鈥檚 how it happened. Coinneach was born in Baile na Cille in Uig. When he was a teenager, his mother was at the shieling. From the shieling she saw the old cemetery. About midnight, the graves opened. The dead arose from them.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 They were of all ages. They went in all directions. After an hour, they returned to the cemetery. They returned to the graves. The graves closed again. But there was one grave that wasn鈥檛 closed. Coinneach鈥檚 mother was inquisitive. She wanted to find out who was in that grave.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 She went to the cemetery. She placed her cuigeal over the grave. A cuigeal is a device that women were using for spinning 鈥� distaff in English. She placed her distaff over the mouth of the grave. That was to stop the dead person from going back into the grave.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 After a minute or two, a fair woman arrived. 鈥淟ift your distaff from the mouth of the grave,鈥� she said.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚鈥檒l do that,鈥� replied Coinneach鈥檚 mother, 鈥渨hen you tell me why you were so long before [without] returning to the grave.鈥�

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲ell,鈥� said the woman, 鈥淚 went much further than the others. I went to Scandinavia. I am a daughter of a Norse king. I was drowned over there. My body came to this beach. I was buried in this grave. As a reward for your bravery, I鈥檒l tell you a secret. Go to the loch over there. You鈥檒l find a small, round, blue stone there. Give the stone to your son, Coinneach. He鈥檒l use the stone to foretell the future.鈥�

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Coinneach鈥檚 mother did that. She got the small, round, blue stone in the loch. She gave it to Coinneach.