Cailleach's Herbarium

Recently I have had the pleasure of speaking to the ever hospitable Professor Terry Gunnell at Iceland’s University all about Guising, Skekling and skeklers.

As part of the Taibhsear Collective I had the pleasure of hosting him at our event in 2019 exploring this topic and thought it would be a good idea to follow up with him about some of the topics he wasn’t able to cover in much detail on the day.

In the podcast episode we pick on a few themes form his original talk. Such as a brief synopsis of Guising and skekling, an exploration of the mythic characters associated with this Samhuinn to almost easter time activity, those who hold the law and the lore of these practices, how guising and other folk traditions can become heritage which changes their character to discussions of sacred hospitality and satire.

Listen to the Episode

More info

You can see Professor Terry Gunnels original presentation below. Filmed live at the Scottish Story Telling Centre in Edinburgh.

Professor Terry Gunnell speaking at Skeklers 2019 in Edinburgh

My folks have always told me I have more a face for radio than I do TV. I also don’t like associating myself with my writing to any great degree. I’m no brand – I think I’m still scarred by the kickstarter promotion. So, doing a recorded interview is a step toward bravery for me. However, I just couldn’t pass it up for these two amazing, enchanting and quick of wit folk.

I had the great pleasure to bend the ear of the enchanting Julia Jeffery from Stonemaiden Art. Also the captivating Gillian Chadwick (from the band Ex Reverie). About their joint project titled Isobel Gowdie. It’s part Prog rock gorgeousness and part captivating Artwork, It’s no secret I’m a great fan.

Isobel Gowdie is a fantastic character from Scottish folk lore. Who they discuss in depth. We meander together through the birth of the concept, how the collaboration came about. (By way of freak weather conditions.  Broken relationships and Isobel herself taking a tithe. We end in speaking about the relevance Isobel has today.

The interview is layered with tracks from the new album as Julia and Gillian discuss them. It was a delight to hear two lovely people discuss their project so candidly. Sadly we never did get round to talking about the fourth part of Isobel’s confession but we would have made the interview a lot less PG rated.

The featured image above is by Julia and its Isobel. Taken from the front cover of the album art.

The Isobel Gowdie Interview

I do end up asking that fatal question “woman of today“. I’d like to clarify that Isobel can be an inspiration to anyone. No matter how you identify. Apologies for my oversight on that one.

You can find out more about the Isobel Gowdie project (and hopefully imminent release date) by heading to the stone maiden art website or on Ex Reverie’s band camp pages.

Introduction

I introduced a series of writing exploring the role of the oft neglected dead in Scottish folk magic. If you haven’t read it I suggest you have a wee read. It sets the tone of the rest of the series. Due to the amount of lore and other related bits of information this article is quite dense. A fuller exploration of the subject of funerary customs, death and folklore requires more writing than I feel I’m capable of in a web format. (and maybe more than you’d like to read- It needs chapters). To keep the flow a little easier I haven’t referenced academically but written the odd note here and there which you’ll find when you click on  > [footnote] These are the footnotes. I’ve hopefully  managed to find a way you can read them as you go along and cut your brain load [/footnote]. I also  have highlighted relevant reading as I’ve gone along and happy to discuss sources if you’re interested.

Nowhere, even in modern times, do religious ritual and custom retain a stronger hold on the majority of mankind than at the crisis of death and burial.

Migration, exploration and invasion. Cultural interplay has provided Scotland a rich diversity and depth of folklore. Before the influence of the kirk and the dead’s exile to formalised graveyards the Picts, Celts, Norse, Roman, Viking, Anglo, Saxon and others left deep-rooted beliefs. These philosophies shaped a unique form of folklore relating to the dead born from this melting pot.

The Liminal Dead and the Daoine Maithe.

Return of the dead, its corruption and putrification is a common unifying anxiety. Disease, evil, madness, revenge, curses, blighted crops and destroyed livelihoods are associated with them in many societies both modern and historic. On the reverse, the dead are associated with tutelary spirits, genii loci and deity. For example, a Gaelic exemplar of ancestor turned deity is the tale of Donn. The first of the Milesians to die in Ireland and become Lord of the Dead. His Red Riders and a boat ferrying the dead to his house ,Teach Duinn, at Samhuinn, an appropriate entourage. Other ancestors became genii locorum. Their tales, long forgotten, can be found buried in the Scottish landscape. Hidden in names of towns, rivers, munros and glens.

The way we conceive of the dead today is not the same way as our ancestors. The dead were moving, roving things that could eat, fight and fuck. Thinking changed. The living dead were reduced to appearances in dreams, phantasms and at times demons by an active Kirk. In Scotland, the repository for this lore became the Sidhe, the daoine maithe (good folk).  The burial mounds of our ancestors  Sidhe mounds. Fairy faith a repository for all things that couldn’t be taken into Christianity’s increasing ideological expansion [footnote] I feel Purgatory and saint worship was a definite attempt at adopting some of the earlier beliefs of ancestor veneration the church needed to compete with. [/footnote]

Our ancestors divided the dead into different distinctions. We will focus on two of these – the restless and the peaceful dead. The intervention of people through folk rites and/or fate moved the departed between these categories. For example, those who hadn’t received the right funerary rights, who were murdered or through acts of suicide would become the restless dead.

Open lock, end strife. Come death, and pass life –  Scottish folk charm to urge death.

L. Stomma explored the restless dead who trouble the living. He noted they died at liminal times. Such as still-borns, women in labour etc. The astute among you will know Scottish folk-lore focuses primarily on liminality. It was at these liminal times folk were most worried about the interference of t...

Well, the first Scottish Radical Herbal Gathering is almost upon us and I’m very excited to be delivering a talk with them this year on scottish folk magic with a free chapbook provided. The programme for the weekend looks amazing and I look forward to hearing the contributions from others talking with anticipation.

For me, it will be the first time I have talked at length about the subject of scottish folk magic and herbalism so I’m excited and perhaps a little nervous about it in equal measure. (Que the chamomile tea and kava perhaps!)

As part of the presentation on the day, I  put together a small chapbook of the main themes in scottish folk magic covered in the talk given to those who attend. I thought  folks here might want to have a copy so, I have provided it below  (and it also means if I don’t have enough copies printed off it will be available online, yeah to forward planning!).

The little chapbook doesn’t cover all the topics and practical things I hope we have a chance to do and discuss but it does have a nice broad overview of the main points. It might also become a wee reminder of what was discussed in the time that follows. It also contains information about the Scottish festivals and a little on divination protection and some other interesting facts that folk might want to know about. Its filled with scottish folk magic basically. You can read more about my thoughts on the side and folk magic here.

The Chapbook is below and the mp3 spoken charms we will discuss are below this .

I hope you all find it interesting

 

Frith Charm

 

Caoineadh na Marbh – Caoine for the Dead

Those following along on  social media will know I have been discussing divination for a while and researching the below bit of Audio exploring authentic Scottish Prayers or charms to use as part of my divination practices. I happened across the below recording from 1950’s of a spoken charm from Uist for the Frith (I think). The Frith was undertaken on quarter days and this charm refers to that process at least I think it might do. There are many forms of divination used in Scotland and the Hag of the hills website has some great information about the different forms of divination that folk practised I suggest you check it out.

 

 

The kind people at Gaidhlig na a alba helped tremendously with the translation which i have provided both below the Gaelic and the English.

“Tha mise a’ dol a shealltainn a-mach ann an ainm an athar, ‘s a’ mhic ‘s an spiorad naomh, Dia romham is Dia nam dhèidh is Dia a bhith leam, mise ann an lorg Dhè, Dia gun robh rom lorg, tha mise (a’ dol a shealltainn) a’ dol a dhèanamh òran mar a rinn Moire dha mac, labhair Brìghde ro glaic, is thuirt i siud ri Rìgh nan Dùl, is thuirt Rìgh nan Dùl gum bi ceart, tha mise a’ dol a shealltainn a-mach a dh’ iarraidh fios fìrinneach gun fios brèige, mar a fhuair Moire fios air a mac prìseil gum faic is gum faigh mise fios air an nì a tha mi a’ dol a dh’iarraidh.“

The English:

“I am going to look out in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy ghost, God in front of me and God behind me and God be with me, me in God’s footprint and let God be in my footprint, I am (going to look) going to make a song as Mary made for her son, which Brìghde recited before a hollow (palm), and she said that to the King of the Elements, and the King of the Elements said it will be right, I am going to look out to search for true evidence and no false evidence, as Mary got word of her precious son, that I may get knowledge of the thing that I am seeking.”

The kind folk who translated it thinks the reciter, makes a false start with the bit in brackets. Brìghde in Gaelic tradition was Mary’s midwife and the King of the Elements is just another term for God. There are two words they were not sure of. It could be ‘òran’ or ‘orra’, the former means ‘song’ whilst the latter means ‘charm’. It sounds like the former but the latter makes more sense. They were also not sure of the word ‘glaic’, especially where it is situated. Normally it means a hollow but sometimes it is used for the palm of the hand.

In the book, Survival of belief amongst the celts, Henderson, 1911, a similar rann for divination can be found with  instructions that might help with the translation and the “how to” element of it. (Thank you to Tairis.co.uk for this information and helpful discussion):

In making the frìth some enjoin the reciting of the formula through the hand loosely closed. A formula used in Benbecula is:

Mise dol a mach orra (= air do) shlighe-sa, Dhé! Dia romham, Dia ’m dheaghaidh ’s Dia ’m luirg! An t-eolas rinn Moire dha ’mac, shéid Brighd ’romh băs (glaic). Fios fìrinne gun fhios bréige; mar a fhuair ise gum faic mise samlaladh air an rud a tha mi fhéin ag ìarraidh,

i.e. ‘I am going out on thy path, O God! God be before me, God be behind me, God be in my footsteps. The charm which Mary (the Virgin) made for her Son, Brigit blew through her palms,—knowledge of truth and no lie. As she found, may I see the likeness of what I myself am seeking.’

So combining these two Gaelic and Scottish translations and approaches giving us a very usable Rann to use before divination takes place and not only necessarily a

Those following along on  social media will know I have been discussing divination for a while and researching the below bit of Audio exploring authentic Scottish Prayers or charms to…

Story telling has a huge history in Scotland,  an ancient celtic art form (one of the “High Arts” formerly). It’s important to realise the difference between oral storytelling and other forms of narrative: The ancient art commits all Tales to memory, in very exacting ways.

Storytelling has a multifaceted history of use including, education of both children and adults, history keeping, law making, conflict resolution, community decision-making and mental healing. Many of these uses are still applied by tellers today.

As such, storytellers were (up until the last 300 years) members of the elite class in many cultures including Celtic, where Brehons / Bards / Seanachaidhean / Storytellers were valuable advisors to the Clan Chiefs and leaders. The Scottish tradition comes from our Irish ancestry. Tales and the culture were brought over in around 500AD with the Irish invasion. That said, there is something common to the storytelling from all of the Celtic nations.

Though not such a storied tale in itself, a really good programme was recently aired on radio 4 about tales of the land. Sadly not entirely based in Scotland but covers some of the tales of how places came to get their names, some of the ideas are very traditional and similar to folk tales you’ll hear in Scotland.

I thought i would put them here for folks to listen too. I hope you enjoy them as much as i did ..

The first two episodes of Audio Tales | Lore of the land are found below:

Episodes three and four of Audio Tales | Lore of the land are here: (in these episodes they go up to Orkney!)

And finally episode five of Audio Tales | Lore of the land is here:

All in all its about an hours listening, sit back with a cuppa and enjoy.

Sláinte.