Water-horses
Subject
Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Scope Note: Created For = CW,Use For = Each uisge
Found in 15 Collections and/or Records:
Field notebook of Alexander Carmichael, 1874, 1877 and 1891
Series
Identifier: Coll-97/CW108
Scope and Contents
Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael containing songs, poems, tales, names, vocabulary and expressions collected in the Outer Hebrides [Na h-Eileanan an Iar]. The first part of the volume contains transcriptions taken as Carmichael listened to informants in 1877 while the second part appears to be copies of previous transcriptions of material collected by Carmichael and Rev Malcolm MacPhail in 1874 and written into the notebook in 1891. Amongst the material is a version of the lament...
Dates:
1874, 1877 and 1891
Fragment of a story entitled 'An t-Each Uisge', March 1874
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW111/80
Scope and Contents
Fragment of a story entitled 'An t-Each Uisge' [The Water Horse] in which a waterhorse/man arrives at a fisherman's house where there is a fairywoman with a pot of porridge. He is allowed in to get warm and dry, having been in the sea, and on being asked what her name is the woman replies 'Mise s mi fhein' [Me and myself]. He asked for some porridge and she threw a ladleful onto him. He ran out screaming and when asked [by his son] who hurt him he replied 'Mise 's mi fhein' to which the son...
Dates:
March 1874
Note about the places 'Sgriob-han' or 'Sgriob rua' and 'Leaca gorstach', November 1873
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW111/26
Scope and Contents
Note about the place 'Sgriob-han' that it 'crosses Northton and that 'Sgriob rua' refers to it being 'the trail of the waterhorse red spots when he was losing blood when castrated'. The 'Leaca-gorstach' is the 'spar strip on face of hill east of Obbe.' [Taobh Tuath and Obbe both Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris].
Dates:
November 1873
Note about trap dykes, 11 July 1870
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/76
Scope and Contents
Note probably colelcted from Christy MacLeod, Obbe, Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris which reads 'Trap dykes are said by the old people to be the footstep of the waterhorse & waterbull.'
Dates:
11 July 1870
Story about a colt appearing amongst a farmer's horses, March 1874
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW111/84
Scope and Contents
Story about a colt appearing amongst a farmer's horses and frightening them. The farmer tried to chase the colt away and when he caught its mane he noticed it was full of 'rafagaich + sand' and so turned it around and the beast went towards and into the lake. His wife attributed their safety from beasts to the morning blessing.
Dates:
March 1874
Story about a water-horse, 1869
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW107/58
Scope and Contents
Story about a water-horse, in which a young woman on her way between Beinn Mhòr and Loch Coire Mhic Iain to feed cattle from near Ormacleit [Ormaclete] or Staonabrig [Staoinebrig/Stoneybridge] [all Uibhist a Deas/South Uist] enounters a handsome young man. He asks her to stroke his hair, she does so and he falls asleep on her coat. She finds seaweed in his hair, realises he's a water-horse and escapes by cutting the coat from around his head and running away home. She gets such a fright that...
Dates:
1869
Story about a water horse [each uisge], 5 April 1872
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW90/43
Scope and Contents
Story about a water horse [each uisge] collected from Hector MacIosaig [Hector MacIsaac], Kean Langabhat, Iochdar [Ceann Langabhat, Ìochdar, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist]. The story tells of a water horse living in caves at Kean Loch theilistal [Ceann Loch Heileasdail/Loch Hellisdale] which was seen one day by a herd. The herd ran home and his mother thew a pot of porridge at it, which sent running to the loch. Written over the text in pencil is 'Hector Mac Iosaig Kean Langabhat Ioc[hdar] 5...
Dates:
5 April 1872
Story about a water horse or each-uisge, 23 May 1869
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW150/38
Scope and Contents
Story about a water horse or each-uisge collected from Roderick MacNeil, Miùghlaigh/Mingulay telling how a water horse took a girl away from her house on a Sunday and laid his head on her knee but she cut her apron around him to escape. He came again the following Sunday and carried her off to Creagan-oillt [possibly Creagan Uillt, Barraigh/Isle of Barra] and they were also seen at Glaic an da Bheann [Glaic an Dà Bheann]. After that her lungs were found floating on Lon-greann [possibly Lòn...
Dates:
23 May 1869
Story and song about a water-horse, 28 October 1870
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/125
Scope and Contents
Story and song collected from Mrs MacDonald, Gramasdall [Gramasdal/Gramsdale, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula] about a water horse. The story tells how a prince was under a spell and by night was a water-horse and by day a fairy. A farmer's daughter bore him a child, which had been conceived while she was asleep when she was tending cattle. She and her kin were very concerned about this and so she went to an old man for advice. He told her to hide the child by the cattle-fold. As she did this she...
Dates:
28 October 1870
Story entitled 'Airidh Mhuthair' about water-horses murdering young women, 1874 and 1891
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW108/149
Scope and Contents
Story entitled 'Airidh Mhuthair' [Àirigh Mhuthair] in which three girls are staying on Airidh Mhuthair when three water-horses dressed as three handsome men join them. In the dead of night, two of the water-horses kill two of the girls. The third girl runs away and is pursued by the third water-horse who curses her in verse, the curse beginning, 'Cha b'e an airi shubhach, Ach an airi dhudbhach dheurach'. Carmichael notes, writing in landscape, that the girl got away because she was fleet of...
Dates:
1874 and 1891