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Sgeulachd mu Oisean a' sealg fèidh.

Date May 1954
Track ID 31722
Part 1
Part 2

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1954.43.6+44

Original Tape ID

SA1954.043

Summary

Story about Ossian hunting deer when he was old and blind, and killing the boy who helped him.

Ossian spent a lot of time in Ireland, but he wasn't getting enough food. One day he asked a boy who lived nearby to accompany him to the mountains to see if he could get something good to eat before he died. The boy agreed. Ossian and his dog were of the Fèinne.

Oisean was blind and he asked the boy to tell him when they were close to deer and what they were like. The boy did so. When the deer Ossian wanted appeared he told the boy to set the dog after them. When it had killed eight he told the boy to stop the dog. The dog returned with its tongue hanging out; the boy had stopped it too soon, it needed to kill one more deer. The boy told Ossian when the dog had nearly reached them. He put his hand down its throat and pulled out its tongue and innards.

The boy gathered the kill and they went to a special place to cook it. Because the old man didn't get enough to eat in Ireland he pinned his innards and every time he ate a deer he removed a pin to make more room in his stomach.

When the deer were cooked Ossian told the boy he must not eat until he was finished. The boy promised and the old man began to eat the deer and remove the pins from his stomach. The boy began to eat surreptitiously. "You did a wicked thing," Ossian said when he found out, and he asked the boy to guide him home. When they were about 100 yards from where they started he ripped the boy's throat out.

The contributor heard this story from his maternal uncle, Iain MacDonald who died c. 1924 aged 63.

Recording Location

County - Inverness-shire

Parish - Arisaig and Moidart

Village/Place - Arisaig

Language

Gaelic

Genre

Story

Collection

SoSS

Transcription

Donald MacDonald (DM): Dh'fhalbh fear dhiubh, tha iad ag ràdhainn, gu ruige Èirinn, agus tha mi a' smaoineachdainn gur e Oisean a bh' air. Agus thug e treis mhòr dhe thìm ann an Èirinn, ach tha e coltach rium nach robh e a' faighinn a leòr ri ithe idir. Bha an duine cho uabhasach agus bha biadh car gann ann, agus cha robh e air a bhiathadh mar a bha e a' cleachdadh. Agus tha an naidheachd a' dol gun tuirt e latha dhe na lathaichean ri gille òg sgairteil a bha a' fuireach làmh ris:

"An tèid thu leam dhan bheinn," ars esan, "latha air choreigineach, feuch am faigh mi biadh math," ars esan, "mum fàg mi an saoghal?"

"Thèid," ars am balach.

"Tha seann chù agam fhathast. Cù na Fèinne. 'S e sin a tha an làthair dhen Fhèinn, mi fhèin agus an cù."

"Gasta," ars an gille, "thèid mise leat." Agus bha an gille e fhèin sgairteil. Mach a ghabh iad.

"Uill, innsidh tu dhòmhsa," ars esan, "mar a tha fhios agad, tha mise dall agus chan fhaic mi dad, ach innsidh tu dhòmhsa," ars esan, "dar a chì thu gluasad air fèidh. Agus innsidh tu dhomh dè an coltas."

Uill, thuirt am balach gun dèanadh e sin. Agus thuirt e ris gun robh e a' faicinn feadhainn air ghluasad agus a' dèanadh orra.

"Innis dhomh," ars esan, "dè an coltas agus an seòrsa a th' annta."

'S dh'innis am balach dha.

"Cùm agad an cù. Chan e sin an seòrsa tha bhuam idir."

An ceann treise, chunnaic e feadhainn eile.

"Innis dhomh a-nis dè coltas nam beothaichean a tha thu a' faicinn."

'S dh'innis am balach.

"Leig seachad iad," ars esan, "chan e sin an seòrsa a tha dhìth orm."

Ach bho dheireadh thall thàinig am buidheann a bha a dhìth air. Uill, an ceann tacain thàinig iad na bu teinne làimh, agus thuirt e ris:

"Leig às an cù a-nise."

'S leig e às an cù, 's ma leig, rinn an cù sgath.

"Cò meud a tha thu a' smaoineachdainn," ars am bodach, ars am fiantaiche, a tha marbh a-nis aige?"

"Tha mi a' smaoineachdainn," ars esan, "gu bheil ochd aige."

"Caisg e, ma-tà."

Chaisg an gille òg an cù.

"Am beil e a' teannadh oirnn?" ars am bodach.

"Tha."

"Dè coltas a' choin tighinn?"

"Tha e a' tighinn," ars esan, "agus a theanga a-muigh, a bheul fosgailte agus a theanga a-muigh."

"Is olc a rinn thu," ars esan. "Chaisg thu ro luath e. Bha fear eile aige ri fhaighinn. Innis thusa dhòmhsa," ars esan, "dar a bhios e a' teannadh orm."

Agus bha an cù a' tighinn agus bha e a' dol an sàs anns an fhiantaiche. Agus:

"Tha e a-nis," ars an gille òg, "gu bhith agad."

Agus chuir am bodach a-mach a làmh, agus dìreach dar a bha an cù a' dèanamh leum air, chuir e làmh a-staigh ann an amhach a' choin agus thug e a-mach a theanga 's a mhionach air an dail. Chuir siud crìoch air a' chù.

"Truisidh tu a-nis," ars esan, "an t-sealg."

Agus thruis e iad, agus chaidh iad gu àite sònraichte a bh' aca airson an cur air dòigh agus am bruich. Ach tha e coltach rium, le gainne bhidhe ann an Èirinn agus nach robh am bodach idir a' faighinn a leòr bhon chaidh e ann, bha dealgan aige rathad air choreigineach air a chur na bhroinn, agus mu choinneamh a h-uile fiadh a dh'itheadh e, bheireadh e às dealg, airson a stamag, gum biodh an còrr farsainneachd innte. Uill an seo, dar a bha na fèidh air am bruich 's iad dìreach deiseil airson tòiseachdainn, thuirt e ris a' ghille:

"Nis," ars esan, "cha chuir thu grèim nad bheul dhiubh gus am faigh mise mo leòr an toiseach.

[Briseadh san teip]

Calum MacIllEathain (CM): Sin sibh, ma-thà. Gus am faigh mise mo leòr an toiseach.

DM: Gheall am balach dha gun dèanadh e mar a thuirt e, agus an sin thòisich am bodach ri ithe na fèidh. Fear an dèidh fir dhiubh chuir e sìos, agus mu choinneamh a h-uile fear a rachadh às an t-sealladh, bha e a' toirt dealg às an stamaig aige. Chunnaic am balach an seo nach robh coltas gun robh gearradh gu bhith aige fhèin, agus dar a bha sia aige air ithe, thòisich e gun fhiosta dhan bhalach [sic] air fear ithe e fhèin. Ach dar a bha seo, pìos math dhen fhiadh co-dhiù aig a' bhalach air ithe, thuirt am bodach ris:

"Tha fear eile agam ri ithe fhathast."

"Ò," ars an gille ris, "chuidich mise mi fhìn leis an fhear sin. Chan eil an t-seachd idir gu bhith agad dhut fhèin."

"Nach tuirt mi riut," ars esan, "dar a thòisich mi air an ithe nach robh gearradh agad ri ghabhail dhiubh gus am faighinn-sa an toiseach mo leòr?"

"Thuirt, ach cha robh mi a' faicinn gum biodh e ceart dòmhsa a bhith gun ghearradh idir," ars am balach.

"Is olc a rinn thu," ars am fiantaiche, "ach stiùiridh tu mise dhachaigh bhon a thug thu an seo mi."

Mach a ghabh iad, agus bha am bodach... bha am fiantaiche gu math caomharrach ris.

"Am beil sinn a' teannadh air an taigh a-nise, an t-àite às an d' fhàg sinn?" ars am bodach, ars am fiantaiche.

"Tha."

"Dè an ùine a tha thu... dè an t-astar a tha thu a' smaoineachdainn a tha sinn bhuaithe?"

"Ò," ars esan, ars an gille, "mu cheud slat."

Agus chuir e mu chuairt agus rinn e grèim air amhaich a' bhalaich, agus thug e às an amhaich e dìreach far an robh e agus cha do rinn e an còrr. Agus sin agaibh mar a dh'fhairich mise an naidheachd.

CM: Glè mhath. [briseadh san teip] ...gur ann aig piuthar... an e piuthar-athar no piuthar-màthar...

DM: Bràthair-màthar dhomh, aig an cuala mi an naidheachd. Ach bha fhios aca oirre uile.

CM: Agus canaidh sinn a-nist an t-ainm a bh' air bràthair ur màthar. An e Dòmhnallach a bh' ann?

DM: Iain Dòmhnallach.

CM: Iain Dòmhnallach. Agus a-nist, a bheil fad ann o dh'eug e?

DM: Mu chuairt air deich bliadhna fichead.

CM: Deich bliadhna fichead o dh'eug e. Agus bhiodh e an uair sin mu thrì fichead 's a...

DM: Trì fichead 's a trì.

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good