191 (notes). Charm of the Churn. Eolas A Chrannachain

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

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AN evil eye or an evil spirit is powerless across water, especially across a running stream or a tidal water.

'Sir Eoghan Dubh Lochiall'--Black Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel, was at feud with Mackintosh of Moy about lands in Lochaber. 'Gormshul mhor na Moighe'--great Gormul of Moy, the celebrated witch, wished to destroy Lochiel, the foe of her chief and of her race. But, though she nursed her wrath and pursued her course day and night, she could not accomplish her purpose, as running water lay between herself and the object of her hatred. Lochiel knew this, and, although brave to recklessness, he prudently kept out of the way of the witch-woman. But on one occasion when Lochiel was returning from a conference at Inverness, great Gormul saw him far away on the blue horizon; but, if far away was he, not long was she in reaching him:--

[paragraph continues] Sir Ewen Cameron was one of the bravest men in Albain, and one of the best walkers in Gaeldom. Many a brave Saxon man he met without quailing, and many a hero he laid low, but this froward woman was trying him severely, and he was anxious to be rid of her with the least delay of time and the least betrayal of fear. The witch-woman observed this; and the more desperately he pressed on space, the more she pressed on him, while she herself appeared to be only making 'cas ceum coilich feasgar fann foghair agus a sgroban lan'--the footstep of a cock on a gentle autumn eve when his crop is full.

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[paragraph continues] Remembering that occult power could not operate across running water, Lochiel suddenly swerved aside to the first stream he saw and plunged into it. The witch, chagrined at the escape of the prey she had thought safe, immediately called after him:--

[paragraph continues] The pillared grey stone on the bank of the river to which Lochiel pointed with his sword rent from top to base! Gallant courtier though he was, Sir Ewen Cameron waited to show but scant courtesy to great Gormul of Moy.

The influence of an evil spirit commanded by an evil mind is believed to retard or wholly to prevent butter from coming upon the cream in the churn. This evil influence was used by one woman against another in order to spirit away the butter from her neighbour's churn to her own churn. This, however, could only be done if no stream ran between the two women. A fire for kindling carried across a stream, however small, loses its occult power and is ineffective in spiriting away milk, cream, butter, or other milk product.

The following story was told me in 1870 by Mor Macneill, cottar, Glen, Barra. Sometimes the substance is spirited out of the milk, nothing being left but the semblance. On one occasion a household in Skye were at the peat-moss making peats, none remaining at home but the housewife and a tailor who was making clothes for the father and the sons of the house.

The housewife was up in the 'ben' churning, and the tailor was down in the 'butt' sewing. He sat on the meal-girnel, cross-legged, after the manner of tailors. Presently a neighbour woman came in and asked for a kindling for her fire. She took the kindling and went her way. When she went out, the tailor leaped down, and taking a live cinder from the fire, placed it in the water-stoup below the dresser, and with a bound was back again cross-legged on the meal-girnel sewing away as before. In a little while the woman came back saying that she failed to kindle her fire, and asked for another kindling, which she took. The tailor leapt down again and took another live cinder out of the fire and put it in the water-stoup below the dresser, and, with a spring to the meal-girnel, resumed his work. The woman came a third time saying that she had failed to

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kindle her fire, and for the third time she took a kindling and went her way. As soon as she had left, the tailor leapt down, and taking a live cinder from the fire, placed it in the water-stoup as he had done before, and then springing to the top of the meal-girnel sat cross-legged sewing as if nothing unusual had occurred.

Towards evening the housewife came down in sore distress, saying--'O Mary and Son, am I not the sorely shamed woman, churning away at that churn the live-long day till my spirit is broken and my arms are weary, and that I have utterly failed to bring butter on the churn after all! O Mary! Mary, fair

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[paragraph continues] Mother of grace! what shall I do when the people come home? I shall never hear the end of this churning till the day of my death!' 'Place thine hand in the water-stoup below the dresser and see if thy butter be there,' said the tailor. And with that the woman placed her hand in the water-stoup as directed, and three successive times, and each time brought up a large lump of butter as fresh and fair and fragrant as the beauteous butter-cups in their prime. The clever tailor had counteracted the machinations of the greedy neighbour woman by placing the live cinders in the water-stoup.