Arthurian romances

Scope and Contents

Fragment of a song entitled 'Fearann na Fonn' beginning 'Eir an dean an lorg, Steach o chuain mor' [Am Bròn Binn or The Sweet Sorrow] and accompanying note which tells how Conn told his wife in a dream that a witch had killed him and that this 'information put a stop to their visionary longings'. The song was probably collected on the Isle of Barra [Barraigh]. Text has been scored through in ink as if transcribed elsewhere. This item is a continuation of Coll-97/CW90/121.

Scope and Contents The papers of Professor Ritchie consist mainly of material relating to a projected work on the French element in Scots. The collection is composed of general and introductory material, notes on purely Scots words, material on phonology, a glossary, a bibliography, and unworked notes on French loanwords and personal names. There is also material on Arthurian studies. Bibliography of texts read. Schema for...

Scope and Contents Song collected from Mary MacRae, aged 95 years, Tao-tua Harris [Taobh Tuath/Northton, Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris] beginning 'Horo hugo hugo, [Don theid rudire dhol]' [Am Bròn Binn]. The song is composed of fifty-eight lines but it appears to be incomplete as a fifty-ninth line has been started but not finished. The text has been scored through in ink and a transverse note reads 'Transcribed Book III page 232 10 Dec[embe]r 1882 A[lexander] C[armichael].' The accompanying note states that Mary...

Scope and Contents Song entitled 'Braon binn' [Am Bron Binn or The Sweet Sorrow] collected from Iain MacLeoid [John MacLeod], crofter, Iocar [Ìochdar, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist]. The song begins 'Chunnaig righ Braitean na shuain, An aona bhean a b fhear smaigh fo'n ghrein' and is composed of forty lines. An accompanying note states that the woman in the song was a sorceress who made the king dream and she killed Sir Falaich. Carmichael also notes the name of Angus McInnes [Angus MacInnes], Smerclait...

Scope and Contents Song entitled 'Bron Binn no Laoidh Mhic Righ Breithtean' [The Sweet Sorrow] beginning 'La chaidh Astar nan Stuadh, Gu tulaich nam breach a shealg/ruadh'. The song tells how Sir Gawain went in search of a young woman King Arthur had dreamt about and found her. Then another warrior, named Bile, appeared and challenged him, telling how he had killed two children of the King of Greece and that the third they had killed themself. Bile challenges Gawain to dig a grave for these children but the...

Scope and Contents Song entitled 'Bron no Braon Binn' collected from Iain MacLeoid [John MacLeod], crofter, Iocar, Uist a chinne a deas [Ìochdar, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist] beginning 'Chunnaig Righ Breatun na shuain, An aona bhean a b. fhearr snuagh fo'n ghrein'. The song is composed of thirty-eight lines. Pencil annotations divide the song into nine verses. The accompanying note tells how the woman in the song was a ban-draoigh [druid] who wanted to kill Sior Falaich [Sir Gawain] so she put Righ Breatun to...

Scope and Contents

Song entitled 'Iollairean us o ro i' [Am Bròn Binn or The Sweet Sorrow] collected from Margaret MacDonald, aged 79 years, Gearraidh Iain, Malacleit/Malaclete, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uis, beginning 'Thuirt ri Sola ri Ri Fial, Gu h iarr dhuit'. The song is composed of ninety-six lines, some of which are incomplete and some of which have been annotated. The text has been scored through in ink as if transcribed elsewhere.

Scope and Contents Transcription notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael. The majority of the volume has been used but intermittently there are groups of blank folios. Carmichael appears to have written in the book in the 1860s creating sections of different genres at different stages in the volume, with pages left blank in between to fill up appropriately. In about 1875 he has then used some of these blank pages to transcribe notes and stories but has not kept to the genres sections he initially created....