133. Fāth-Fīth

Reading tools

Contents

Display

Soundscape

Focus mode

Listen

Offline

Save

Collection

8 min read 1677 wordsCompare

Buy this Book at Amazon.com

Carmina Gadelica, Volume 2, by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900], at sacred-texts.com

p. 22

FĀTH-FĪTH [133]

'FĀTH-FĪTH' and 'fīth-fāth' are interchangeable terms and indiscriminately used. They are applied to the occult power which rendered a person invisible to mortal eyes and which transformed one object into another. Men and women were made invisible, or men were transformed into horses, bulls, or stags, while women were transformed into cats, hares, or hinds. These transmutations were sometimes voluntary, sometimes involuntary. The 'fīth-fāth' was especially serviceable to hunters, warriors, and travellers, rendering them invisible or unrecognisable to enemies and to animals.

Fionn had a fairy sweetheart, a daughter of the people of the mounds, but Fionn forsook her and married a daughter of the sons of men. The fairy was angry at the slight put upon her, and she placed the wife of Fionn under the 'fīth-fāth' spell in the form of a hind of the hill. The wife of Fionn bore a son in the island of Sanndraigh in Loch-nan-ceall in Arasaig. The mother possessed so much of the nature of the hind that she licked the temple of the child when he was born, but she possessed so much of the nature of the woman that she only gave one lick. But hair like the hair of a fawn grew on the part of the temple of the child which the tongue of the hind-mother had touched. And because of this patch of fawn's hair on his temple the child was called 'Oisein,' the fawn. While still a boy Ossian followed Fionn and the Feinne to the hunting-hill to chase the mountain deer. In the midst of the chase a magic mist darker than night came down upon the hunters, blinding them from one another and from their surroundings--no one knew where was another or where he was himself. Hunt-wandering came over Ossian, and he wandered wearily alone, and at last found himself in a deep green glen surrounded by high blue hills. As he walked along he saw a timid hind browsing in a green corrie before him. And Ossian thought to himself that he had never seen a creature so lovely as this timid hind, and he stood gazing upon her with joy. But the spirit of the hunt was strong upon Ossian, and the blood of the hunter was hot in his veins, and he drew his spear to throw it at the hind. The hind turned and looked at Ossian and gazed upon him with her full wistful grey eyes, more lovely and alluring than the blue eyes of love. 'Do not hurt me, Ossian,' said the hind; 'I am thy mother under the "fīth-fāth," in the form of a hind abroad and in the form of a woman at home. Thou art hungry and thirsty and weary. Come thou home with me, thou fawn of my heart.' And Ossian accompanied the hind step by step till they reached a rock in the base of the hill. The hind opened a leaf in a door in the rock where no door seemed to be, and she went in, and Ossian went in after her. She closed the door-leaf in the rock and there was no appearance of a door. And the graceful hind became transformed into a beautiful woman, like the lovely woman of the green kirtle and the locks of gold. There was light in the bower in the bosom of the ben like the light of 'trath-nona la leth an

p. 23

t-samhraidh'--noontide on midsummer day. Nor was it the light of the sun, nor was it the light of the moon, nor was it the light of the star of guidance. His mother prepared food and drink and music for Ossian. And she placed food in a place of eating for him, and she placed drink in a place of drinking for him, and she placed music in a place of hearing for him. Ossian took of the food and of the drink and of the music till he was full satisfied--his seven full satiations. After feasting, Ossian said to his mother, 'I am going, mother, to see what Fionn and the Feinne are doing in the hunting-hill.' And his mother placed her arm around his neck and kissed Ossian with the three kisses of a mother, and then she opened the door-leaf in the door of the bower and allowed him out. When she closed it there was no appearance of a door in the rock.

Ossian had been feasting on food and drink and music in the bower with his mother for the space of three days, as he thought, but he had been in the bower for the space of three years instead. And he made a song, the first song he made, warning his mother against the men and the hounds of the Feinne.

In his Leabhar Na Feinne Iain Campbell of Islay says that he had received fourteen versions of this song of Ossian. Six of these had been sent to him by the present writer. One of these versions was obtained from Oirig Nic Iain--Effric or Effie Mac Iain--lineally descended, she said, from Alexander Mac Iain, chief of the massacred Macdonalds of Glencoe.

Effric Mac Iain was not tall, but she was very beautiful, intelligent, and pleasant. I obtained a silver brooch from her which, she said, had come down like herself through the generations from the massacred chief of Glencoe. The brooch is circular and beautifully chased, though much worn.

‘SANAS OISEIN D’A MHATHAIR 'MA ’s tu mo mhathair ’s gur a fiadh thu, Bheir mi hoirion ho a hau, Eirich mu ’n eirich grian ort. Bheir mi hoirion ho a hau, Eho hir ir i-ibhag o, Na hao hi ho a ro hau. Ma ’s tu mo mhathair ’s gur a fiadh thu, Siubhail sliabh mu ’n tig an teasach. Ma ’s tu mo mhathair ’s gur a fiadh thu, Faicill ort romh fhearaibh Fianna. Ma ’s tu mo mhathair ’s gur a fiadh thu, Faicill ort romh chonaibh Fianna. Ma theid thu do choiribh dona, Faicill ort romh ghniamh nan conu, Conaibh conachar, conaibh confhach, Is iad air mhire-chatha romhad.		OSSIAN'S WARNING TO HIS MOTHER IF thou be my mother and thou a deer, Arise ere the sun arises on thee. If thou be my mother and thou a deer, Travel the hills ere the heat of the hunt. If thou be my mother and thou a deer, Beware thou the men of the Feinne. If thou be my mother and thou a deer, Beware thou the hounds of the Feinne. If thou shouldst go to hurtful corries, Beware thou the deeds of the hounds, Hounds of uproar and hounds of rage, And they in battle-fury before thee.
p. 24
Seachainn Caoilte, seachainn Luath, Seachainn Bruchag dhubh nam bruach, Seachainn saigh an earbail dhuibh, Bran mac Buidheig, namh nam fiadh, Agus Geolaidh dian nan damh. Ma theid thu do ghleannaibh iosal, Faicill ort romh chlanna Baoisge, Clanna Baoisge ’s an cuid con, Da chiad diag a dh’ aireamh fhear, A lann fein an laimh gach laoich, A chu fein an deigh gach fir, Is iad air eil aig Leide mac Liannain, Is fearan beag ri sgath creaige, Is da chu dhiag air lothain aige, Is eagal air nach tig thige.		Avoid 'Caoilte,' avoid 'Luath, Avoid black 'Bruchag' of the banks, Avoid the bitch of the black tail, 'Bran' son of 'Buidheag,' foe of deer, And little 'Geolaidh' keen of stags. Shouldst thou go to low glens, Beware thou of the 'Baoisge' Clan, The 'Baoisge' Clan and their hounds, Twelve hundred of numbered men, His own blade in each hero's hand, His own hound after each man, And they on the thong of 'Lide' son of 'Liannan,' And a little manikin in shade of a rock, While twelve dogs he has on leash, And he fears the hunt will not come to him.
p. 25
Ma theid thu do bheannaibh mora, Faicill ort romh Chlanna Morna, Clanna Morna ’s an cuid con, Da chiad diag a dh’ aireamh fhear A lann fein an laimh gach laoich. Ma theid thu do bheannaibh arda, Faicill ort romh Chlanna Gaisge, Clanna Gaisge ’s an cuid con, Da chiad diag a dh’ aireamh fhear, A lann fein an laimh gach laoich. Ma theid thu gu fairir frithe, Faicill ort romh Chlanna Frithir, Clanna Frithir ’s an cuid con, Da chiad diag a dh’ aireamh fhear, A lann fein an laimh gach laoich.'		Shouldst thou go to the great bens, Beware thou of the 'Morni' Clan, The 'Morni' Clan and their hounds, Twelve hundred of numbered men, His own blade in each hero's hand. Shouldst thou go to the high bens, Beware thou of the 'Gaisge' Clan, The 'Gaisge' Clan and their hounds, Twelve hundred of numbered men, His own blade in each hero's hand. Shouldst thou go to the haze-land forest, Beware thou of the 'Frithir' Clan, The 'Frithir' Clan and their hounds, Twelve hundred of numbered men, His own blade in each hero's hand.

	p. 24		p. 25
	FATH fith Ni mi ort, Le Muire na frithe, Le Bride na brot, Bho chire, bho ruta, Bho mhise, bho bhoc, Bho shionn, ’s bho mhac-tire, Bho chrain, ’s bho thorc, Bho chu, ’s bho chat, Bho mhaghan masaich, Bho chu fasaich, Bho scan foirir, Bho bho, bho mharc, Bho tharbh, bho earc, Bho mhurn, bho mhac, Bho iantaidh an adhar, Bho shnagaidh na talmha, Bho iasgaidh na mara, ’S bho shiantaidh na gailbhe.		FATH fith Will I make on thee, By Mary of the augury, By Bride of the corslet, From sheep, from ram, From goat, from buck, From fox, from wolf, From sow, from boar, From dog, from cat, From hipped-bear, From wilderness-dog, From watchful 'scan,' From cow, from horse, From bull, from heifer, From daughter, from son, From the birds of the air, From the creeping things of the earth, From the fishes of the sea, From the imps of the storm.

Ask PRATIBHA about this text

Answers quote this scripture directly and show their sources.

Reflect on this passage

Only you can see these notes. They stay on this device.