U, ur, the yew-tree.

The number five; uiseog, the skylark;

usgdha, resin-coloured; the summer solstice.

UACOMAGI, VACOMAGI. One of the early Scottish Gaelic

tribes. “Men of the open plains.” They occupied the Grampian
Mountains in the vicinity of Speyside and East Perthshire.
“Evidently (a) Celtic (word) but of unknown meaning.” Magi
is the OIr. mag, great. potent, maglos, a chief. Watson
capares Uacos with the Gaullish god Esus who is the Gaelic
Aod.

UADH-BHEIST, UATH-BHEIST, uadh, a prefix signifying dread;

dread, horrible, foul beast, a monster. Particularly, a
fabulous species. See uath.

UADH-CHRITH, terror, dread shaking, to quiver at the sight

of horror.

UAGHACH, full of graves, a place of caverns, terror, dread.

See next entry.

UAIG, UAIGH, UAGH, a grave, MIr. uag, allied with Goth. augo,
Eng. eye Cf. uaigneach, secret, lonesome, relating to uath,
lonesome, single, by oneself, ON. authr, empty, Goth. auths,
a waste, a desert. In an article for “Oceans” magazine
Norman D, Rosenberg has identified the earliest settlers on
the northern islands of Europe as “neolithic farmers and
herdsmen” from the eastern Mediterranean forced from
their lands by their own poor husbandry and soil practises.
His contention that they were led to their voyage by the
voice of a priestess, following the advice of a mother-
goddess, seems speculative, but the idea that they went to
the forest and created “water-tight and resilient” wooden-
hulled ships “with stone axes and awls,” has got to be
wrong. The making of seaworthy ships is not a merely a
matter of a desire for survival.

Truthfully, no one knows who first came to the

Hebrides and what matters drove, or pulled them there. The
islanders of historic times have characterized themselves
as “A race of fishermen who do some farming.” Considering
Rosenbergs assessment of the Hebrides as a treeless
archipelago amidst flagstones and heather, it is hard to
picture it as the paradise of any group of agriculturists
even in the warmer climate of the distant past. Further, the
long trip along the shores of the Mediterranean, around
Spain and through the long reaches of the English Channel
and the North Sea would have been more fraught with
dangerous possibilities than any ocean-crossing. It seems
more likely that the islands were populated from nearby
Pentalande, the place of the Picts and later the Scots. It
was probably approached by sea-men, and possibly some of
them were ultimately from the mysterious west.

They did leave impressive passage graves, the best

known being Maes Howe (pronounced hoo) on Mainland, the
largest of the Orkney Islands. It is supposed to have been
erected in 2400 B.C. which makes it a pre-Tuathan structure
of Neolithic time. Consisting of stone slabs, weighing as
much as three tons, and measuring as much as 18 feet in
length it is an undeniable masterwork of dry-masonry, put
up by folk who were contemporaries of the Firbolgs and the
Fomors. The whole place is currently hidden beneath a 24
foot high grass mound which is about 115 feet at its
greatest width. This underground place was not built for
giants as the 36-foot entryway is never more than 4 to 5
feet in height. At the end of this cramped passageway there
is a 15 foot square room, with wall niches assumed to have
once held the bones of the dead.

The people who came here may have been devoted to an

earth goddess as Rosenberg has suggested, but the entrance
shaft is aligned for penetration by the sun at mid-winter
and mid-summer and these were the times when Lugh
ferried men to the west, or to the east, in his solar wind-
ship. North of this location there are other stones thought
aligned to the movements of the sun and the moon. Similar
souterrains “are found all over Ireland.”

In Scotland where they are termed “earth-houses”

or”weems” (from umah, a cave) and as “wags” (from uaigh,
a grave or vault). One of these at Jarlshof, Shetland, has
been dated to the Early Iron Age, but others in Scotland have
incorporated Roman rubble into their walls. In Cornwall
they are termed fogous, and here most are of the early Iron
Age. They are even found in Iceland, where they exist as
rock-cut tunnels. There is an early Iron Age example in
Jutland, otherwise they are not known on the continent
excepting the somewhat similar souterrain-refuges of
France. Obviously, not all of these structures were created
by the retreating Daoine sidh, but many are early enough to
have seen use by these bronze-age peoples. See next.

UAIGEALTA, weird. eerie, lonesome. And see next.

UAIMH, UAIGH, a cavern in the earth, a den; MIr. uaim; OIr.

huam, similar to the English wame or weem, which are
other forms of womb. The lowland form is consistently
applied to the caves of Fifeshire, where there are also
families bearing the name Wemyss. The name is applied to
earth-houses and is the equivalent of the Irish brugh, "the
tumuli found on the Boyne and elsewhere." It is also used to
identify "the fairy dwellings in the Hebrides." (Celtic
Monthly, 1902, p. 89).

UAIL, wail, howl, funeral lament.

UAINE, (ua-niu), green, pallid, livid, pale, death-like, at the

edge of death. The “green sickness’ described as a
debilitating menstrual flow in women. Uaineach, tedious.
The colour especially reserved to the Daoine sidh and never
named for fear of drawing their unwanted attention. Notice
that these folk and the black-elfs of Scandinavian and
Germany were reported to have a blue-black skin colour.
“Sometimes unusual power can lie hidden in the actual
shape, colour or name of a remedy or medication. Studies
have shown how tranquilizer tablets coloured green have
calmed the nerves of anxious patients, but not when those
same tablets were coloured yellow... anthropologist Cecil
Helman, 1991. See datha, colour.

UAINE BHUIDHE, the “Green-fisted one.” The Otherworld

minstrel, whose birds followed wherever she travelled. She
was by law caused to visit one sidh each year. “And when
she came across to the sidh the bird-flock perched on the
cornices and couches everywhere. And thirty birds went
inside where they made much singing. When musicians
played the birds joined in.” Note above, She is obviously
Bua, and through her, the Mhorrigan.

UAIR, the allotted hour of death which those with the three
sights could identify for themselves and others. Hour, any
given interval of time, life, the life-span, weather, season,
rotation.

UAMAN. The sidhe in Connaught ruled by Ethal Anubhail, the

father of Caer.

UAMHAS, dread, horror. see uath and bas. See uaimh, thus, a
cave-dweller. Usually disassembled as uath + bas, “dreaded
death.” Related to uadh and uamhunn, horror, awe in the
face of the unknown, OIr. omun, fear, Gaul. obnus, fear. See
G. amadan.

UATH, obs. dread, solitary, alone, dreadful; the Bry. eus,

heuz, horror. Perhaps conferring with Cymric god Hu? the
Gaelic Aod. The root is pu, foul, the Latin putris, the
English putrid. foul. A former name for the hawthorn plant.
A Fomorian hero entitled, in full, Uath mac Imoman (the
roaring one; The Ocean). During the tale, “The Feast of
Bricriu,” Cúchullain, Laoghaire and Conall went to Uath’s
Lake, so that he might judge which of them was the
greatest warrior in Ireland. Uath suggested a test in which
the heroes cut off his head in return for a promise that they
would submit to similar abuse on the following day. All but
Cúchullain refused the offer knowing that the shape-
changer could reform himself while they were certain to
die. After Cúchullain stroked off the sea-giant’s head, he
laid his head before his opponent, but as the axe fell it
reversed its position and the hero was spared, whereupon he
was hailed the true champion of the country. Laoghaire and
Conall refused to recognize this judgement and many
quarrels resulted. Also, an ancient common name for the
plant called whitethorn. A more “sedate” remedy than
foxglove for regulating blood pressure.

UAITHNE, UAITNE. The Dagda’s harp. See uath. The “Harp of

the North.” Enchanted, it would fly to his hands on
command. Also the Dagda’s harpist who had an affair with
his mate Boann, giving rise to three famous musicians,
whose playing was so sorrowful it led to the death of
listeners. Sometimes entitled Dur-da-Bla, the “Oak of the
Two Blossoms” or Coir-cethar-chuin, the “Four-Angled
Source of Music.” It was carried off by the Fomors as they
retreated into the western ocean, but the Dagda and Ogma
followed and retrieved it. After ravaging the undersea world
the Tuatha daoine carried away many souvenirs, among them
the Glas Galveen, a heifer whose call returned all the
tribute cattle that the Fomorians had carried away from
Ireland.

UAMAN. The sidhe of Connacht ruled by Ethl Anubhail, whose

daughter was sought as a mate by Aonghas Og.

UAMHAS, UAMHAIS, monster, spectre, apparition, dread,

horror, fright, dismay, astonishment, horrid deed, atrocity.

UAR, the “Cruel One.” He and his Fomorian sons, who lived
in Munster, clashed with Fionn mac Cumhail. All were
described as “foemen, lame-thighed, left-handed, a race of
wondrous evil from the deepest pits...venom in their
weapons, and on their hands and feet, indeed on every part
of them.” See famhair, Nathair, Cromm, Cailleach bheurr.

UASANTAS, an appeal hill; a place where laws were

adjudged.

UATH, dread,terror. Cor. uth, Br. eus, heuz, the Gaelic god
Heus. This invader conquered the "few savage Gauls" who
lived in present-day Britain. See also Ugh and Lugh. The day-
god corresponding with Aod. The Earth. Also the antique
name for the hawthorn; other obsolete meanings include
solitary, alone, single, lonesome, terrible.

UATHACH. The daughter of Sgathach. When Cúchullain was

admitted to the military academy on the island of Sky he
was greeted by this lady who was gate-keeper. As she
passed him a bowl of food, he inadvertently crushed her
hand causing her to scream. Thinking she was being raped,
her boyfriend Cochar Crufe challenged the hero. Cúchullain
killed Uthach’s lover and was then forced to take on duties
as gate-keeper becoming her mate in the process.

UB. Spell, charm, incantation, ceremony, also written ob.

UBAG, UBAIDH, a charm, an enchantment, an incantation,

spell, supertitious ceremony. OIr. upta, fascinate, from ba,
to speak. Confers with Ir. uptha, upadh, a sorcerer, Manx
obbee, sorcery. The root may be ben, to hurt by touching.
Gaelic ubagach, skilled in these arts.

UBAGACH, skilled in making charms, enchantments or

incantations, charming, enchanting, superstitious. Acting
like a charm. Ubagaich, to subdue by spell-casting;
ubagaiche, one who subdues using charms or medicinals.
Ubaig, to enchant.

UBH, an egg, the Egg personified.Less often, the point of a

weapon. Sometimes used as an interjection expressing
disgust or amazement, the equivalent of Eng. phew. Note the
OIr. form og or ub, thus the god Og, Lugh or Aod. ON. Ygg, one
of the names of Odin. Cy. wy, pl. wyan, Cor. uy, oy, Bry. u, vi,
Lat. ovum, Eng. egg. “the phonetics as between Celtic and
the other languages is somewhat difficult; but the
connection is indisputable.” See Ugh.

The egg was often represented as a repository for the

second soul. In Scottish folklore the tale is told of a
fisherman, who being unmarried, and without heirs,
promised that he would surrender his son at the age of
twenty to a sea morgan. Eventually he did marry and his
wife gave birth to a son, who learning of his father’s
bargain tried to escape his fate by journeying in parts away
from his homeland.

During his trip, the lad was constantly reminded of his

destiny by the strange creatures who opposed him: two
Fomorian giants, an old crone and the three-headed serpent
of Loch Laidly (representing the triune goddess). In each
case he was able to put down these monsters, and after
saving the life of a local princess, acquired her as a bride.
The one thing that the Mhorrigan could never tolerate was a
female competitor, so on this young fellow’s twentieth
birthday she appeared “without leave or asking” and
“swallowed him whole.” This is a polite way of saying that
the Mhorrigan was nubile and nearly irresistible as an
object of lust. In polite versions of the tale, a sea serpent
“ensnared” the youth and carried him down into the depths
of the loch.

The princess, to retrieve her prince from the

Otherworld, took the advice of “an old soothsayer” (druid)
who remembered that mermaids were unable to resist
beautiful music. The princess therefore took her harp to the
shore and played upon it until the sea morgan surfaced. She
then stopped her hand, at which the mistress of the seas
asked her to “Play on!”

She said she would but only after seeing that her
husband was unharmed. To oblige the morgan thrust the
captive man out of the water until he was visible above the
waist. The musician then continued, and the piece was so
sentimental that the mhorrigan lost her grasp and the
prince shape-changed himself into a falcon which broke
free.
,
In one of the variants of this tale the “sea-monster”
regurgitated the man. Seeing that she had been tricked, the
morgan took the princess in place of the man who had
escaped her grasp. The prince, in turn, consulted the druid,
who assured him that there was only one way to overcome
the morgan: “In the island that lies in the midst of the loch
is the white footed hind (doe), and if she is caught there
will spring out of her a hoodie (crow), and if she is caught,
out of her will come a trout, and the trout containeth an
egg, and here is encapsulated the soul of the sea-maiden,
and it the egg is crushed she will die.” Now there was no
known way of crossing to Eilean Mhorrigan for the sea-
maiden routinely sank each boat and raft that ventured upon
the “loch” (a metaphor for the ocean).

So it was that the prince decided to jump the gulf

using his black stallion (a symbol of storm clouds). On the
island this prince called upon his magic black dog to track
and bring down the doe. When the morgan shape-changed
into a crow his totem falcon brought her down, and the trout
was caught up by his magic otter. When the egg spewed
from the trouts’s mouth, the prince put his foot upon it, and
the witch cried out, “Break not the egg, and all that you ask
will be given up to you!” The prince then demanded his
wife, and having her in his arms stepped down soundly upon
the egg.

UBHAL, apple, Ir. ubhall; EIr. uball, Cy. afal, Br. avallen from
which the mythic kingdom of Avallon. AS. ofet, fruit.
Mythological heroes often sought golden or silver apples, a
symbol of the Sun and the Moon in the Otherworld, and were
admitted to the west using apples or a bough as a passport.

Numerous rites of divination for the Hogmanay

therefore hinge on the use of apples which are associated
with Lugh and his Samh: The “ordeal by water” where an
individual proved his innocence of crime by surviving
drowning continues in the popular Hallowe’en game of
ducking apples. A large wooden tub, representing the ocean,
is filled with highly polished apples which the master of
ceremonies attends with a porridge stick or some other
symbol of druidic authority. It is the duty of this person to
keep the apples moving while each one of the company
attempts to take an apple between his teeth without the aid
of his hands. If he fails to reach the “Undersea Kingdom”
and come back with a prize in three tries he must wait
while others have their turn. The apple may be eaten but in
earlier days was frequently used in other rites.

Sometimes attempts were made to take apples with a

two-tined fork held between the teeth. Occasionally a silver
coin was placed in the tub. Whoever could lift it from the
bottom in his lips was reckoned to be lucky in money
matters. Apples were also involved in an “ordeal by fire,”
which is no longer much practised. A small rod of wood was
suspended horizontally from the ceiling beams by a cord,
and when balanced, a lighted fir candle was fixed on one end
and an apple at the other. The rod was set twirling and each
member of the company attempted to take a bite from the
apple without losing eyebrows or hair. In these degenerate
days, the element of fire is usually omitted from this form
of dousing. A bannock smeared with honey or molasses was
often substituted for the apple.

If the apple was not consumed immediately it could be

taken, at the hour of midnight, to a room containing a
mirror. Standing with a back to the mirror the suppliant
was advised to eat eight bits, throwing the ninth over his
left shoulder. Glancing backward, he expected to see the
image of a future spouse in the glass. Alternately, he or she
could retain the ninth piece and walk backwards towards
the mirror while eating it. If the hair was combed while
doing this it was said that the face of the spouse would
gradually materialize in the glass. The rite of paring the
apple also had to take place at midnight, and the ribbon had
to come away from the fruit in an unbroken spiral. At
twelve the parings had to be swung three times over the
head without breaking, and flung finally over the left
shoulder. The breaking of the paring signalled the end of
hope for matrimony in the coming year. The paring, placed
above the house lintel, would give a clue to the identity of
the name of the spouse as his or her name would correspond
with that of the first person of appropriate sex who
chanced to pass through the door. It is said that “kailstocks
and sprigs (of greenery) were used in the same way.”

In legend, heroes who wished to pass the great Ocean

and enter the western lands was advised to pick sixteen
apples and throw them one by one into the Atlantic. They
could then be used as magical stepping-stones to approach
the Otherworld. It was sometimes observed that the lives
of western folk were embedded as a second soul in an apple.
When one Fomorian princess fled her father she first sliced
an apple into an appropriate number of parts, and each bit
cried after her as she departed for Ireland. Again another
girl blocked pursuit by placing the giant’s soul-apple under
the hoof of a filly. When it was crushed the giant died for
his soul was in the apple. This cavalier use of apples was
referred to as cluich an ubhail, “the apple play,” a very
deadly game.

When Gaelic heroes tried to pluck apples in the mythic

islands they were often frustrated by branches which
danced out of reach. While it was fool’s play to trifle with
apple-souls, heroes who carried off apples to their
homeland often acquired a western woman as a prize. Thus
one poverty-striken, but able, man acquired a golden apple
from three ravens and with their help “flew over the sea to
the ends of the world and came to the place of the tree of
life.” When he and a princess of that land tasted the apple
they afterwards married and lived “prosperouslly together.”
This tree seems to be the Norse world-tree for it was said
to grow “on a sort of tree of which there is but one in the
wide world.” It is stated that Celtic priests reverenced the
apple as sacred, which may help to explain why this is the
forbidden fruit in much non-Celtic lore.

UCHD-MHAC, breast-son, foster-son. OIr. poktu, the English

pap, breast. "Fosterage consisted in the mutual exchange of
the infant members of the families, or of sending a child to
be reared in another family, the sons of the chief being
included in the practise. The custom had the advantage of
enabling one half of the clan to know how the other half
lived. It exacted respect and devotion among families of
different grades of clan society that intensified the bonds
of clanship. "A Gaelic proverb follows on this: "Affectionate
to a man is a friend, but a foster-brother is the life-blood
of the man." Again: "One is kindred through parentage to
forty degrees, but through fosterage to a hundred."

UDAIL. inhospitable, churlish, udlaidh, gloomy, cf. ON. utlagi

an outlaw. This was considered the ultimate display of bad
breeding and poor manners. Because of this fault Bres lost
the high-kingship of Ireland.

UGH, UIGH, UBH, egg, uighean maola feannaig, the egg laid
once in seven years by a cock. At the Samhuinn the ale-glass
was filled with water and the gealagan uighe, the “white of
the egg.” was dropped into the liquid. The female whose
fortune was read was required to lay a hand on the rim for
the space of a minute. In that time the white would assume
fantastic shapes whose outlines prognosticated the futre:
Seeing fortifications supposed the girl might marry a
soldier; a fleet of ships, a pulpit, a furrowed field, a forest
supposedly pointed to the occupation of a future mate.
Sometimes unwanted visions appeared, a coffin or a
tomestone pointing to death for the egg-breaker.

UGH. UTH, LUGH, the Eng. Hugh. Sometimes seen as Leug, the
sun-god and mate of Samh or Summer. Sometimes entitled
Nuall airean. Uisdean, Huisdean, in Argyle Eoghan, from the
earlier form Huisduinn, Hu's man. Similar to the Cy. huan,
the sun, and derived perhaps from the Welsh god Hu, an
agricultural-war deity. Aod is a Gaelic equivalent, and all
forms may ultimately derive from Teutonic-Scandinavian
models. The Teutonic root is hug, and Hugin was the name
given one of Odin's war-ravens. The name corresponds most
closely with that of the Teutonic war-god Tyrr whose name
may be an early form of Thor .Confers with the G. ùig, ON.
vik, a nook or cove, the English words witch and wizard
from the god Woden. Hence G. ùigean, a foreigner, a fugitive,
a wanderer. Note also uigheil, pleasant, which relates to
aoigh, a guest, one doomed to die, a hostage. Commonly
misspelt aoidh and thus the patronymic mac Aoidh, the “son
of Kay,” i.e. the son of the day-god Lugh. His connections
with the fire-god Lokki are discussed elsewhere. Aoibh, of
pleasant aspect, of good manners, relating to éibheall, a
live coal, the “shining one,” pleasant.

UGH-CHAISG, "Easter-egg," more literally, ugh-chaoidh, “Egg

of Forever,” “Egg of Eternity,” the “Immortal Egg.” See
above entry. Referred to in Anglo-Saxon parts as the "Pasch"
(Passion) egg, or "Pace" egg. Notice that Ygg (egg) was one
of the three hundred, or so, names favoured by Odin. M.M.
Boulton of Rochdale, writing for the Scots Magazine said:
"We have the Pace Egg (a Miracle Play) in England The
characters and the doggerel are almost identical, although
we have no Galoshans. There are supposed to be about fifty
versions of the play which is still performed in the North of
England each year. "Pace" is derived from "Pasch", the
Jewish "Passover.” The egg is a pre-Christian symbol of
spring and in 1554 there is a reference to the hallowing of
the Pascal Lamb eggs and herbs on Easter days, and a book in
1579 refers to Easter eggs as Holy pace eggs. The Rochdale
version (of the mummer's play appropriate to this time) was
published in 1930 and printed by Munro & Scot, Perth. It
was a mummer's play associated with gifts of eggs."
((Scots Magazine, p. 458).

UIBE, from ud-bio, an out-being, a foreigner, a mass, a lump

(of dough etc.) Cf. Lat. offa, a ball. Anglo-Saxon, wic, a
dwelling or encampment on a bay; a male or female living in
a costal location. Confers with wicing (the Norse word
viking), a costal pirate. The same word as wicca (m.) and
wicce (f.), a witch, and the English words white, weather
and witch. + woman, the female of our species.

In the mythology of the sea the white women may be

identified with the Old Norse waeg, or “wave-women,”
sometimes referred to as the “billow-maidens.” Nine in
number, they were the children of Hler and Rann, the chief
deities of the ocean. They also confer with the Celtic
mhorga (which, see). In Gaelic mythology they are said to
be the befind, or runners, of women killed on or near the
sea.

As we have noted the Cailleach was the huntress of

Ireland and Scotland, her season, from November first to
May first, being termed the geamhradh, or “winter”.
Remarkably, she was transformed into a virginal woman
entitled the Samh at the time of the fires of Beltane (April
30), and event which marked the beginning of the samhradh
or “summer.” In this new form, the goddess wore the white
linen unisexual, long-sleeved, high-necked Celtic garment
which the ancient Romans called the albus. Alba is the
Gaelic name for Scotland, while alb or alp still describes
anything that is white in colour.

Frau Gode, or Wode, was known as Brechta, Bertha, or

the “White Woman” of Germany. She too was rumoured to be
a great huntress and lead the Wild Hunt from the back of a
white stallion, her usual attendants being changed into
beasts for this Yuletide happening. Unlike the arrival of the
Cailleach, the coming of this goddess was taken as a
harbinger of prosperity.

In parts of Cape Breton, the gathering of human

cailleachs (old women) is still considered to predict storm,
and this is particularly true if they gather on a beach.
Seeing a mermaid on a beach also indicates an imminent
storm as does the materialization of a woman in white.

One of these spirits of the river haunted the Reed's

Point ferry on the Saint John River in southern New
Brunswick. The cable-ferry operators, Frank and Dyna Pitt
periodically halted the ferry on the water to let passengers
have a better view of the resident fay, "a woman all in
white, carrying a light, crossing an open space at dusk."

The Reverend Noel Wilcox was out shooting at

Evangeline Beach when he encountered a woman in a white
dress walking ahead of him on the sand. Afraid she might be
accidentally shot by his hunting companion, Wilcox hurried
to warn her but she disassembled into a fog and vanished.

In the waters near Shippigan, New Brunswick, a

father-son fishing team were lost in the darkness and
storm off Tracadie LIght. "We looked and there was a
woman in white, torch in hand, her two feet dragging canted
against the wind. My father took the wheel and followed her
for twenty minutes and as she went out of sight the Light
came into view...I don't know who she was but I guess she
saved our lives."

The white woman have been described as shape-

changing crones who frequent ravines near the seaside,
blocking the path of travellers and entreating young men to
dance with them. Those who tried to by-pass these
"favours" were sometimes transformed into animals. Like
the sea, she was quixotic but could appear in an attractive
form when offering sexual favours. She sometimes guided
lost travellers, changed flowers into powerful amulets,
aided women in childbirth, showed men where to find gold
and silver and abated the fury of storms.

On the other hand. the woman in white who haunts

Partridge Island at the mouth of the Saint John River in New
Brunswick has no particular occupation except that of
carrying a head under her arm. She was spotted by a guard
posted to that island during World War I. In an agitated
state he fired three times at her but when he was revived
from his faint, there was no sign of additional blood-shed.
According to legend, this sea-witch was generated at the
death of an elderly lady who fell off the cliff while
resident at the old marine hospital which used to be located
on the island.

A noteworthy phantom was supposed to have been the

wife of Dr. Copeland, the surgeon to the Seventh Regiment,
which was stationed at Halifax. She and her husband were
lost at sea when the ship "Francis" went aground on Sable
Island in 1799. Nothing more might have been told of her
except that the brig "Hariot" came to the same end in 1801.
Captain Torrens of the Twenty-Ninth Regiment staggered
ashore with the remnants of his troops and made bivouac on
the beach. On a preliminary tour of the island Torrens came
upon a shore building which had once been the haunt of
moon-cussers and wrackers (see entries above). Entering he
noticed that his dog was seized with an uncontrollable
shaking motion stood barking at a darkened corner. In the
gloom from his firebrand the captain spotted "a lady sitting
by a fire, with long dripping hair hanging over her shoulders,
her face pale as death, and having no clothes on but a loose
soiled white dress, weta as if it had come out of the sea
with sand sticking to it..."

This is the classic white woman, befind or mermaid

cast ashore, but Torrens recognized her as the counterpart
of Mrs. Dr. Copeland. He could get no conversation from her
but she did hold up a ring finger, cut away at the root.
"Murdered for the sake of a ring?" enquired Torrens. The
wraith nodded and the man promised, "Then, I'll find your
murderer to the death." At that, the ghost smiled, its fire
faded and it slipped out the doorway past him, vanishing at
last into the sea. Torrens did as he had promised, and
restored a 136.9 carat ring to the Copeland family.
Afterwards it was sold in France and mounted in Napoleon's
sceptre and is now located in the Louvre, Paris, France.

Another case involved the appearance of women in

white who represented a much larger loss of life at sea.
Early on the morning of October 7, 1859, a man living
closest the church of St. James, at Charlottetown on Prince
Edward Island heard the bells tolling. A curious person, he
went to investigate, and as he walked from home was joined
by a neighbour. Standing in the churchyard, the two heard
the bell toll eight more times. After that the doors were
thrown open by a uncommon burst of wind, and within, the
men saw three women all dressed in white.

As the curiosity-seekers stood dumbfounded, the bell

sounded one more time and then the doors closed on the
ladies. The duo rushed to the door but found it locked.
Peering in a window they could see one of the women
ascending the stairs to the belfry. Now, the minister and
the sexton arrived, and being told that there were strangers
in the church, they moved to unlock the doors. When the
four entered there was absolutely nothing to be seen, so
they approached the belfry on a narrow set of stairs. At the
bell room, the leader had to lift a trap door, and as he
paused to do this, the bell rang again. Expecting to see
three women pulling the bell rope, the men went up through
the hatch and found the bell-pull tied firmly to a beam.
Nothing more was seen of the women in white although the
four men searched all of the church from the bell-tower to
the basement.

This strange affair was quickly the subject of general

conversation but no one could offer an explanation for this
supernatural sighting until the steamer "Fairie Queen failed
to make port on her journey from Pictou, Nova Scotia. This
ship was new to the Northumberland Strait and was berthed
that morning at Pictou taking on mail, cargo and passengers.
When she had sailed out of her mainland port the weather
had been clear of storm clouds. The next day search-
vessels went out looking for the "Fairie Queen" but nothing
was sighted of her and no wreckage ever drifted ashore.

Recalling the women in white, Charlottetown

residents began to guess that these were the fetches, or
forerunners, of some of those lost at sea, who had come to
shore to announce a disaster at sea. Others recalled that
the pagan sea-spirits were said to be offended by
misrepresentations of their names, and suspected that the
"Fairie Queen" had been a jonah.
 Remember that the faeries were named after the fee,
the Celtic witch-women who originally lived on an island
off the coast of Brest, France. They can be shown as the
adherents of Mhorrigan, the sea-goddess who was the
daughter of Dagda. Like the Norse goddess Rann, she was a
vain-glorious individual, who would not easily accept the
presence of a competitive fairy-queen on her waters.
Recalling this, it was noted that the "Fairie Queen" had
succeeded another vessel bearing the same name, and she
had also gone down six years earlier.

Not all white women represented unemployed runners

of the dead. Some were simply sea-spirits given the chore
of informing men of serious storms expected on their coast.
One of these was seen by the Reverend Noel Wilcox when he
was out shooting birds on Evangeline Beach, on the Fundy
shore of Nova Scotia. The minister had a companion with
him, but the two had separated and Wilcox was playing the
role of "beater", hoping to flush game birds from hiding.
Seeing a woman dressed in white walking through the beach
grasses, Wilcox set out after her, afraid that his friend
might shoot her by accident. As he hurried toward her she
kept her distance, and when it seemed he was outpacing her
she simply vanished like fog in sunlight. The minister
thought this was quite uncanny, but when he bent to the wet
sand where he had last seen her he was even more puzzled
as there were no footprints. He hailed his companion and
told him what had happened, but his hunting-mate was not
especially surprised. "That was the lady who walks the
storm, "he was advised, "Come on were getting out of here.
There'll be wind coming up from behind."

UI CORRA. Lochlan, Emne and Silvester were heroes of Clann

Ui Corra who voyaged in the Atlantic. Their story, replete
with Christian morality, dates from the sixth century.

UIDH, desire, a wish, way, journey. Too much attention to

matters at a distance was believed to result in psychic
displacement of the soul leaving the body behin, possibly at
hazard.

ÙIG, a nook, a retired or solitary location, cave, den. A steep

cone-shaped rock. Gaelic uigean, a wanderer, lonely, a
fugitive. a cove, same as the Anglo-Saxon wic, an
embayment on salt water, from which the word wicce,
witch. The AS wic. Also means a dwelling, camp, a place for
dropping anchor; AS wicing, a pirate. from the Norse vik, an
embayment, a creek. The English-wick, their ending -wich
(As in Norwich). The word also confers with wood, weather,
and Woden. Thus, also, the Gaelic place-name Uig (in Skye
and Lewis). Hence, uisgean or Huisdean the Eng. Hugh, “a
wanderer from afar,” a fugitive. See above entry. Confers
with Bui, a nick-name for the proto=witch known as The
Morgan. This word is also embedded in buitseach, a witch or
wizard. Go there for a longer exposition.
ÙIGAN, ÙIGEAN, ÙIGDAN, A.S. Wöden, akin to OS. Wödan, OHG.
Wuotan, ON Othinn, the Scand. Odin, the Eng. equivalent of ui
is vi or wi, low + ME. dan, master. See above entry for
additional forms and attachments. Related words in Gaelic
include: uibe, a mass or lump, cf. iob or faob from ui-bio an
“out-being,” i.e. a stranger or “wanderer.” ubagean, a
charmer, a sorcerer, ubath, a magical token, uigneach,
secret, lonesome, matching the obs. uath, horror, dread and
uaigh, a grave, also ubh, egg, the ON. Ygg, Eng. egg, a side-
name for the god. Thus the Gaelic island of Eigg. Resembling
uidh, a journey, the Eng. foot. Also uigheil, pleasant, careful,
related to aoigh and the god Aod in the first meaning and to
ùidh in the second. Also note uspan, a shapeless mass, a
form of uibe. The Gaelic gean, good humoured, affectionate,
the Eng. kin, kind. Dan, bold, fate, destiny.

Notice that Odin was often referred to in his home

countries as the “Wayfarer.” “On occasion Odin wandered to
earth, and was absent so long that the gods began to think
they would not see him in Asgard again. This encouraged his
brothers Vili and Ve (in some versions Hler and Lokki or the
winter god Uller), who some mythologists consider as other
personifications of himself, to usurp his power and his
throne and even, we are told, to espouse his wife Frigga. The
old May-Day festivities were entirely centred on the return
of Odin as “the lover and spouse of the earth.”

In addition to Frigga Odin carried on affairs with Saga

or Laga, the goddess of history, with Grid, the mother of
Vidar, Gunlod, the mother of Bragi, and Skadi, not to
mention the nine goddess who simultaneously bore Heimdall.
Skadi eventually moved westward to become the patroness
of Skadiland or “Scotland.” The roots of Thor and Tyrr are
historically uncertain but there was a king named Odin, who
supposedly invaded Europe from Asia Minor in 70 B.C. Odin’s
numerous sons were the patriarchs of the Saxon kings
named Hengist and Horsa who invaded England in 449.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles says that “they were the

sons of Whitgils and that he was the son of Witta, Witta
being of Wecta and Wecta of Odin. From this Woden sprang
all our royal families.” Hengsit and Horsa who were three
generations removed from this mortal-god came to Britain
as mercenaries hired by Wyrtgeone, the Celtic king of the
Britons. served He gave them land in the southeast of the
country on condition that they drive back the Picts. After
their military successes they told their kinfolk, the Angles,
descendants of Ingvi-Frey of the excellence of the land and
the relative powerlessness of the natives. There eventually
followed the overthrown of most of present day England,
and the containment of the Celtic populations in the north
and west.

The character of Odin is very well represented in the

Heimskringla from which we quote: “The land in Asia to the
east of Tankavisl was called Asaland (see Asduin) and the
chief town there was Asagarth and the chief there was
Odin... Odin had two brothers, one Vili, the other Ve who
ruled the kingdom in his absence. Once the brothers
preempted his succession while he travelled, and took to
wife his spouse Frigga. But he came home and regained his
place. Odin went against the Vans (sea-giants) but not
successfully. Each in turn was winner and they did one
another great scathe. They therefore exchanged
hostages...thus the Vans people got Mimir, the wisest of
men, along with another named Hoenir. Hoenir gave little
advice to his new friends but Mimir gave too much, and the
suspicious Vans beheaded him and sent the head back to
Odin. The king smeared the head with magical oils and herbs
so that it not rot, and he worked charms with it so that it
talked with him and told him many hidden secrets (of the
sea-folk). Odin got in exchange Niord and his son Frey and he
sent them to the temple to become priests. Niord’s daughter
Freya became the consummate priestess and taught the
Asaland people wizardry as it was used by the Vans. While
Niord was with the Vans he espoused his own sister (which
was lawful with them) and by them had these two children.

In Asaland, such cohabitation was forbidden...Odin had

great possessions in the lands of the Turks but the Roman
emperors were going far and wide over the land, and his
people were being beaten in battle. When Odin looked into
the future he saw that his offspring would find their
destiny in the northwest...He therefore set his brothers over
his kingdom and taking the priests and of his folk went to
Gardarik (Russia) and from there to Saxland (Germany). From
there he fared north to the sea and found the island-city of
Odenso in Fyn, Then he sent Gefion north to spy out new
land, and she came upon King Gylfi (of Sweden) who granted
them plough lands. At a giant’s home she begot four sons and
shaped them in the likenesses of oxen and with them she
tilled all the lands westward from Odenso and called this
place Selun (Zealand in Denmark)...
 Hearing of Gylfi’s country Odin went there and the
king had to come to terms with him although those folk
were nearly as versed in magic as the Asalanders. But Odin
won out and made his dwelling at Logrinn (Lake Malar,
Sweden) and called the place Gamla-Sigtun. There he
installed his temple-priests... and to all gave good lands.

It is said that Odin and his diar (druids) brought to the

northern lands all the sports and crafts, and the cleverest
of all at these things was Odin himself. When he sat among
friends he was joyful to look at, but with his army he was
the terror of his foes. He understood all tricks of cunning
and could change himself into what form he would...all he
said was in the rhyme in the manner now called scaldcraft
(after Scaldi or Skadi)

In battle, Odin could make his enemies deaf or blind

or so terrified that their weapons were of no more use to
them than sticks; but his own warriors needed no armour
and fought as mad wolves, and bit their shields and were as
strong as bulls or bears. They slew men, but neither fire nor
steel would bring them down and this was because they
were in the berserker rage (see the Gaelic cromagan). When
Odin shape-changed his body lay seemingly asleep and he
prowled the far-off lands on what errands he wished. With
words alone he slaked fire, stilled the sea or raised wind.
He had the ship called Skedbladnir which traversed the
ocean but could be rolled up like a table-cloth...All the
crafts he taught and the songs he sung were called galdrar
(enchantments) and the Asa folk were thus known as the
galdra-smiths.

Odin practised the greatest magic of all which was

termed seid (The Gaelic sed or weathercraft, (“a blast of
energy”). He knew much of men’s fate and the future, of how
to kill through illness, or to take the wits from people and
give them to others. But he knew that such trickery was not
manful and therefore taught the priestesses the most
virulent magic. By all this Odin was renowned and
feared...(so that) men sacrificed to Odin and his twelve
chiefs and called them their gods and afterwards believed
them to be so. From Odin’s name Adun is formed (the Gaelic
Asduin) and by this men call their sons as others have taken
Thor and got Tor-e and Tor-aren or joined it to other names
as in Steintor or Havtor. Odin set the laws that the dead
should be burned and that rich men should come to Valhalla
(the poor went to Thor’s retreat) ...for these the standing
stones were raised as remembrance.

Near winter’s day (mid October), they were told to

sacrifice for a good crop, and at summer’s day (mid April)
they were advised to sacrifice for victory in battle. In
Sweden Odin received scot (taxes) for every nose (hence
poll-tax) and in return he agreed to protect their land. Niord
took himself for wife the one called Skadi but she would not
live with him and afterward mated with Odin. They had
many sons and one of these was Sæming, from whom the
Godheims. Odin died in bed in Sweden, but when near death
marked himself with his own spear saying that he now went
to the Godheims to prepare a way for the virtuous dead.

The Swedes were sure he had gone back to old

Asagarth and would live there eternally. Then began god
belief in Odin and fresh prayers arose to him. Odin’s fire
was most glorious and it was afterwards said that the
greater the reek of the fire the higher the place that hero
would find in heaven, and the more goods that were burned
with a man the richer he would be in the after-life.

There are many parallels between Odin and the Celtic

deities: Note that Aod, the Celtic day-god, also called Lugh,
has almost all of the above characteristics and history.
Lugh, the “Bright-one,” is often confounded with the
southern hero called Fionn, whose name indicates “White.”
The Fionn of Gaelic legend appears as Gywn ap Nudd in Welsh
myth (Gwyn confers exactly). A mighty warrior and
huntsman he gloried in warfare and like Odin, was
responsible for the assembly of the souls of the dead,
leading them at last to his shadowy kingdom.
 In Christian mythology, it was insisted that this host
rode instead in endless, self-defeating left-handed circles
awaiting the end of time. Although Gwyn was the kindred of
the gods of light, Hades was his special resting place and he
had relatives amidst the house of Dôn. Each year there was
combat between Lugh and Cromm, and Gwyn and Gwythur ap
Greidawl, and Odin and Uller. In each case, it was for the
virgin-favour of a maiden variously known as Mhorrigan,
Frigga, or Creudylad. It was said that this combat had to be
renewed each May-day “till time shall end,” and it was
understood to represent the thrust-and-parry of male gods
of winter and summer for the possession of the fertile
earth-goddess. The Welsh Gwyn was eventually demoted to
kingship of the Tylwyth Teg, the Welsh fay-folk, and his
name is not yet dead in his last known haunt, the vale of
Neath. He was the Wild Huntsman of Wales and western
England just as Cromm was that of Ireland and Scotland, and
as Odin filled the post in Scandinavia and Germany. See
Aod, Lugh, Uig. Cromm, Cailleach bheurr.

UIGE, a precious gem, a web, carded wool, the “spinning” of

a tale, less often knowledge, skill, ingenuity, understanding,
a poem.

UIGHEAN SITHEIN, uighean, the plural of ugh, above; “fairy-

eggs.” Seeds and nuts transported to the old world from the
new by the Gulf Stream within loose ocean-wrack. These
were considered to be gifts from the gods and to have
prophylactic use against evil. Uigheagan, the ovary,
uighealachd, the capacity for giving pleasure or benefit.

UILBH, ULOH, a wolf (Sutherland). See entry under second

spelling.

UILE BHEIST, uile, entirely, “wholly a beast.” a sea-serpent,

a land monster, a wild beast, the lamprey eel, a mad
monster.

UIL’IOC, the mistletoe, said held scared by the druids. Still

used as a potion against bareness in animals and systemic
poisonings. The druids referred to this plant as the “all-
heal.”

UI NÉILL, O’Neill, after Niall ard-righ who came to the

throne and ruled Ireland between the years 379 and 405 A.D.
He raided Britain and Gaul during the time of Theodosius the
Great being forced to retreat by the Roman general Stilicho.
He was assassinated in Gaul by some of his own people
which he was “distracted” by some of the local women.
This king was the progenitor of the very successful Ui Néill,
or O”Neill dynasty.

He was Eochaid’s youngest son, and probably would

not have come to power except by way of a powerful omen:
Once the five sons of Eochaid hunted and while they did
developed a thirst. In a clearing they came upon an old hag
“with grey hair, black skin and green teeth (a reflection of
the sea-habitat).” She offered them water in exchange for a
kiss. The three elder boys refused, but Fiachtra pecked her
modestly on the cheek. At this she predicted that he would
reign briefly at Tara. Hearing this Niall must have
suspected her identity and gave her a full fledged buss on
the lips. She demanded intercourse and they retired into the
woods where she shape-changed into a beautiful raven-
haired beauty who identified herself as Flaithius, the
“Chieftainess.” After a successful romp in the moss, this
mhorrigan told Niall that his line of kings would be the
most successful in the history of Eiru.

UIDH, a ford in a stream, an isthmus, said from Norse eith,

an eye, a neck of land. From it we have Eye or Ui near
Stornoway, Scotland. The older form of this was Ey, Huy or
Eie showing a connection with the Gaelic god Aod, also
known as Ubh or Lugh. Note that the word also means a
journey, a distance, suggesting a travelling god (hence the
sun). EIr. ude, rooted in ped, to go by foot. Eng. foot, Skr.
padya. Uidheam, accoutrements of travel or war, apparatus.

UILE, whole, pol, many, full, similar to prefix iol, many, Eng.
all, Germ.. all, Goth. alls, Cy. oll, Corn. hol, Bry. holl, Eng.
hole, hell, Hel.

UILE-LOC, uile, the equivalent of ool, ale, all or whole + loc,

“all made whole,” after the god Lugh, a healer. Also a name
given his totem-tree: the rowan. See Oolathir, the
Allfather. Note also the ON. god Lokki.

UILLIN. UILLENN FACHARDEARG, “of the Red Edge.” A

grandson of Nuada he killed Manann mac Ler by drowning him
in an Irish lake. His name is preserved in Moycullin, County
Galway. After the battle, which was fought near Magh
Cuilenn (Moy Cullin, Ireland), Manann was buried in a
standing position. He was no sooner buried than a great lake
welled up from under his feet, and the place has been a
great red bog ever since. “And the lake got the name Orbson,
or Orbison, one of the names of Manann.

UILM. coffer, a sacred bag used to collect alms at Quarter-

Day celebrations. It was made of two strips of Casein-
uchd, a strip taken from the breast of a sheep killed at the
last sacred festival. The strips were oval and no knife was
used in taking it from the flesh. A ritual scrotum, the grab-
bag of fertility.

UINDE, ÙINE, time, opportunity, leisure, the act of beholding.

Also the name given the Dagda’s Cauldron in which all
honest men found food and fortune in proportion to their
merit as individuals.

UINNEAG, a window, from the Norse windaége, Sc. winnock,

AS. windaége. Literally an “eye for wind.” Also a kitchen-
wall recess for a collection of miscellaneous utilities.
Notice that the Cauldron of Regeneration was so named,
from the root uine, time, suggesting that all openings had
the potential for bridging time and space. The earliest
windows were not glazed. Thus this word indicates any
holed stone or opening, natural or otherwise, a “window
between the worlds.”

UIPEAR, an unhandy person, an inept workman, a bungler. A

victim at the Quarter Days.

UIPINN, a treasure, a valuable horde, cf. uibe, a mass, a

collection of things. “Lugh’s things.”

UIR, mould, dust, earth, uircean, a young pig, MIr. orc, Eng.
pork, porker.

UIREAGAL, dread, terror, spirit of the dust.

UIRIDH, a monster, same as next.

UIRISG, sometimes URUSIG, (pronounced ooru-shay),

offspring of a sithe (shay) and a human. A changeling. An
earth spirit, see previous entry. uruisg, from air + uisge,
literally a supernatural of the water. Macbain defines this
creature as "a Brownie" but this is, rather, one of the bocs,
or he-goats, having a female counterpart in the glaistig,
who is also human from the waist up and a goat from there
down. A creature reminiscent of pan and the satyrs. The
word confers with the English word water, the lowland
whisky and the Latin unda, a wave. All allied with the
English word wash.

The water bucks were field and wood spirits,

representative of the old earth gods such as Dagda, Lugh,
and kernow. Their spirits were overwintered in the last
sheaf of the season which was kept in the croft kitchen to
be returned to the soil at the first planting. This infusion
was thought necessary for the growth of the corn, or grain,
whose height always paralleled that of the animal thought
present in the crop. In watching the wind bend the grain
crofters would say, the goats run through the field.
Children were warned against wandering there on penalty of
being kidnapped, molested or killed. When a harvester fell
ill or lagged behind the others it would be guessed that he
was under psychic attack from the bucks. The last sheaf
cut in the harvest was frequently called "the horned goat",
and the person who cut it was sometimes similarly named.
The position of harvest goat was not sought-after since it
was an omen of failure, burdening the recipient with the
duty of "boarding the old man" (i.e the Devil) through the
winter. The urisk was a solitary member of this clan, a
creature who preferred a small but deep pool to the summer
fields.

UIRSGEUL, a fable, an untruthful story, a romance. Blarney,

spreading dung to dry. Uirsgeuladh, a “spreader of manure,”
bull-shitter, a fabulist. As opposed to folk-lore and folk-
history, these latter being the senachies of the Gaelic race.

UIRT, ob., uird, “chants.”

UISDEAN. HÙISDEAN, in Argyle; EòGHAN, elsewhere. Both

from MG. Huisduinn, literally Hugh’s man, the Norse Eysteinn
or Old Hugh, a god hero corresponding with the continental
Celtic Hesus or Esus. See Ugh, above. See Aod for a full
account. A day-god, the first “wood-cutter” and land
developer, who led his people westward from “Summer
Country.” Esus was said to signify “Master” in France, Spain
and Italy. This is also the god Tartaresus, “Thundering
Hugh,” thus attachments with Norse god Thor, the Gaelic Tor
or Tar. He may have come to Britain by way of
southwestern Spain for this was the ancient site of
Tartessos, an island city and adjacent kingdom (near modern
Cadiz) which mysteriously disappeared sometime between
533 and 500 B.C. This city is sometimes taken as the model
for Atlantis since it was notoriously busy, wealthy and
corrupt and met the physical description given by Plato. In
addition, the remains of this place are currently too far
below sea-level to be retrieved.

This being the case, this god may confer with

Herakles, who set his pillars at Tartessos after returning
from the western ocean after he pirated the kine of Gereyon.
Hercules is associated with the Greeks but they admitted
borrowing his cycle of tales from the Phoenicians at Tyre.
In an earlier incarnation this god-hero was Melqart, who on
his return home had a temple erected to him which featured
two columns before the portal, one of gold and the other of
emerald. When the Tyrian architects and builders went down
the coast to work for King Solomon, the Hebrew temple was
also constructed with entrance pillars which remembered a
pagan god better than Jehovah. In classical times it was
claimed that the “Pillars of Hercules” still stood on either
side of the Straits of Gibraltar, both escribed ne plus ultra,
“nothing lies beyond.” Something did lie out there in the
Ocean, and the mythology of the Canary Islands insists that
thirteen similar bronze pillars used to stand within the
islands,one of which may have been ancient Gereyon.
Interestingly, these Celto-iberian symbols are still seen
preserved in the “$” sign.

UISG, UISGE, water, shower, rain, billowing wave, river,

stream.
Latin unda, a wave, English wash. "It is not right that a
person should sleep in a house without water (in the
sleeping room), especially a young child. In a house left
without water, ""the young slender one of the green coat
(the Daoine sidh) was seen washing the infant in a basin of
milk." (Celtic Monthly, p. 163). This process dedicated the
child to the Daoine sidh or "cow-people." "In preparing water
for boiling clothes, after it has once been boiled, it should
not be boiled again...because this would bring evil to the
house." (Celtic Monthly, p. 163)

Of the things which the public magician hoped to do

the control of rain was formost. Water hasd always been
essential to life hence in all simpler communities the rain-
maker was a very important person. Most of the
performances of witchcraft could be classed as imitative
magic. The sprinkling of water on a small scale was
thoughht to be useful in stimulating the clouds to follow
the example. If one wished to limit the rain heat would be
applied to water causing it to dry up. This act against
nature in miniature was expected to influence nature on the
larger scale.

The simplest approach to making rain was to cut a

willow wand, dip it in a vessel of water, and cast it on the
ground, uttering any oaths, curses or incantations which
seemed appropriate. A first-rate demonstration of
sympathetic magic might also demand that the witch strike
fire from a flint to emulate lightning and hammer on a tin
pot to imitate thunder.

Frogs and toads, which seemed to appear with rain,

were sometimes placed beneath a pot which was hammered
with "thunder" hoping to encourage a downpour. Our witches
believed that stones were as useful as sticks in stimulating
rain, and these were sometimes dipped in water, or
sprinkled with it, or treated in some other appropriate
manner. Sir James Fraser cautions that one should never
assume that ritual "of this sort was confined to the wilds
of Africa and Asia". In Europe he mentions the "wild woods
of Broceliande, where if legend be true, the wizard Merlin
still sleeps in the hawthorne shade. Thither the Breton
peasants used to resort when they needed rain. They caught
some water ina tankard and threw it on a slab near the
spring." On Snowdon in Wales lies a similar Red Altar, out
in a lake, approached by a series of stepping stones. If one
approached this far stone and spattered it with water then
it became "a remote chance that you do not get rain before
dusk, even when it is hot weather."

Rain magic was never the sole business of pagan

water-witches. "At various places in France it is, or was,
the practice to dip the image of a saint in water as a means
of procuring rain." One sacred well in that country was
located at Barenton, and here a cross was dipped in water
for the same purpose.

In Atlantic Canada there is a saying that people do a

lot of talking about weather but rarely do anything about it,
and this may be because there is usually ample rainfall.
Local lore seems, certainly, to concentrate on weather
prediction as opposed to altering the weather. Sages have
said: "If you don't like the weather, wait a spell!" No other
region of North America is likely to see a seventy degree
drop in temperature, sunshine, rain, hail and snow within
one ten hour period, as we observed at one outdoor auction.

If you do insist on having rain this can be obtained by

crushing a spider. The cry of the loon, which we used to
suspect indicated his arthritis was kicking up, was known
to suggest that the charm of wetting or crushing had been
effective. It is also a local superstition that when potatoes
boil dry, rain is in the works. Of course, this is now
generally accepted as a true case of cause-and-effect,
since water boils away more readily at low atmospheric
pressure, and low pressure indicates that a storm may be
expected. If a span of dry weather was expected my
grandmother Mackay noted that the soot remained on the
inside of her woodstove covers. Before a storm she would
call attention to the "British soldiers", troops of red sparks
which seemed to move upward away from the draft.

I have already mentioned how my Grand Manan

relatives looked to Mother Carey's chickens to forecast
weather. My great-grandfather, who sailed the wind-
jammers, used to recite this little poem as a teaching aid:

If the wind comes aft the rain,

Set the topsails back again;
But if the rain comes fore the wind,
Then you topsail halliards mind.

The first situation, of course, suggests that clearing

and good sailing weather will follow, the latter that that
the sails should be gathered pending a bad storm at sea.

There is much more of this individual witchcraft in

sea-side communities. My island relatives also suggested
that winds from the east carry rain, but that if they backed
off, clockwise, through north, to south to west, it would
clear. If the storm winds moved counter-clockwise it was
held that one stood "in line" for the other half of the rain.

At Victoria Beach, N.S., Helen Creighton found a belief

that "if it rained on the fifteenth of July it would rain for
forty days. We dry fish at that time, and that's the way it
always happens."

Other weather poems I've heard:

Southern glin,
Wet skin.

(A glin is a glint, a momentary appearance of the sun.)

Rain on the flood

Creates only scud;
But rain on the ebb,
Means better in bed.

(Scud is low fast-moving clouds, which quickly "blow

themselves out.")

Weather superstitions, presumably at the base of

weathercraft, were never restricted to mariners; hence, on
the mainland I was told that piles of leaves blown "wrong-
side" up denoted rain. Everyone knows that night-crawling
worms come to the surface just before rain, and that "the
rooster crows for rain". Cats bend down their ears from
sleeping on them just before a storm, and the clear sound of
a train-whistle looks to bad weather.

Certain traditions were time linked, thus: "Rain before

seven, clear by eleven." It was also suggested that if the
weather cleared on an even hour (e.g. two, four or six
o'clock) fine weather would continue for a few days; but if
on a uneven hour (one, three or seven) then more rain could
be expected in a few hours. Less precise was the old idea
that a sky that cleared "in the late afternoon" presaged a
run of dry weather. We have already mentioned St.
Swithin's Day (July 15) when dry weather was hoped for to
avoid forty days and nights of rain. Less specifically it was
agreed that if the sun set in a clear sky on Friday night rain
was probable by Sunday night. It was also said that if rain
was seen during the first week in June then the month
would be wet.

The herdsman had many of his own superstitions, for

example the idea that drinking pools showed especially
clear reflections just before a storm, and that grains of
sand would float on water if a wet spell lay ahead. In
Charlotte County they used to say that darkening skies
followed after cattle licked one another about the neck and
that animals who huddled together in the fields were
another indicator.

There is too much of this sort to be comprehensive, so

I'll conclude with a collection of couplets, which my mother
liked to recite:

Fog on the hill

Water at the mill;
But fog in the hollow
A fine day will follow.

Sunshine with shower

Won't last half an hour.

Red sun at night, sailor's delight;

Red sun in the morning, sailors take
warning.

Wet and cold May,

Means a barn full of hay.

A leaky June,
Makes farmers sing a merry tune.

Mare's tail and mackerel sky,

Means the sun will surely die.

These are traditional memory joggers, many centuries

old, particularly favoured by witches and others whose
illiteracy forced them to carry large chunks of information
in their heads.
UISG AN EASAIN AIR A DHOS. A spoken charm used to assure
protection at sea.

UISGE-BAOGHAL, alcohol.

UISGE-COISREACHD, a holy water drunk by the Gael at the

Yule, a protective against evil for the coming year.

UISGE DE, water-goddess. De is the feminine genitive of dia,

a god; Oir. Dea or dia, God or a god; dee, a pagan divinity.
Thus the River Deva in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Dee, in
Galloway and Dee in North Wales. In Ireland the Avondale
used to be called Inber Dee. Again, in Scotland, note the
reference by Adamnan to “the stream which in Latin is
called Nigra Dia.” (Black Goddess). See Cailleach bheurr.

UISGEBEATHA, (oorusku-bey-a) the “water of life,” whisky.

Ale and beer were continental inventions but this drink
originate in Ireland and Scotland. Eng. water, Lat. unda, a
wave, thus suggesting that the recipe was “borrowed” from
the Famhairean or undersea folk as mythology suggests. Its
origins are decidedly unknown, although Saint Patrick has
been credited with its invention.

Mircea Eliade guesses that the magic power of the Cauldron

of the Deep lay in its contents: "...cauldrons, kettles,
chalices, are all receptacles of this magic force which is
often symolized by some divine liquor such as ambrosia or
"living water"... (Water has the capacity) to confer
immortality or eternal youth, or they change whoever owns
them into a hero, god, etc."1 It is tempting to suppose that
"usquebaugh", or whisky, literally the "water of life" might
have been the alcoholic beverage which "stirred itself"
within The Cauldron.

Certainly it is true that "The origin of Whisky is

wrapped in mystery... Usquebaugh was reserved for festive
occasions, and even then was used sparingly, for unlike the
Saxons, the Celt was temperate in both eating and
drinking." 2 Irish or Scots whisky still contains sufficient
"spirit" of the Oolaithir, or “Brew-master,” to revive
severly wounded men if not place the dead upon their feet.
The manufacture of whisky, the preferred ritual drink of
pagan times, was well established in the Highlands by the
fifteenth century when it was noted that James IV had his
aquae vitae distilled for him by a Scottish friar. During the
greater part of the eighteenth century this was an
unfashionable drink in the lowlands where claret and brandy
was preferred and less expensive. Later the continental
drinks were subjected to import duties and this home-
brewed product came into its own. See ol and biere.

UISGEUL, a fable, a fantasy, blarney; as opposed to myths,

legends and history.

UISLIG, sn object of terror.

UISLINN, wantoness, sport, diversion

UISNEACH, Hugh’s Nest. See entry under Huisdean. the

“navel” of Ireland, where the great Stone of Divisions (aill
na Mirenn) stands, marking the bounds of the five provinces.
the site is near Rathconrath, County Westmeath. The high
festivals were all held here, the Beltane being the most
significant. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the druid
named Merlin took some of the stones from this place to
build Stonehenge in England. Patrick cursed those that
remained so that they could no longer be heated by fire or
cooled with water. Claimed as “the first place where ever
a fire was kindled in Ireland.” Also known as the place
where “Lugh went out of Ireland, and some say he died
there.”

It is a matter of record that the “confiscated”

Cauldron of the Deep was buried here at the time of the
Tuathan-Fomorian wars. It represented the spirit of Don,
the creator-god whose first people were those of the
undersea kingdom known as An Domhain. When the cauldron
was first borrowed it was used by the Tuatha daoine to
revive their dead killed in battle. A Fomorian warrior sought
out this artifact and “filled it with stone.”

The shamanistic theme of the Great Centre also

appears in the case of the Welsh king Lludd, who is the Irish
Lugh. His country was plagued by “oppressions,” and seeking
the advice of his druid, he was told to seek the geographic
(and psychic) centre of his country. There he found “a
dragon’s lair,” and by overcoming it, was able to make this
shrine his own. This corresponds with the killing of Don by
the Dagda..

Note that the Irish ring of “Killaraus” is identified as

having stood on the Hill of Uisneach. When he came to
Ireland, Saint Patrick is said to have cursed the remaining
stones and when men tried to use them as building material,
the structures in which they were placed always proved
unstable. The central standing stone in this structure was
said to be confiscated from the Otherworld and was, for a
time, the symbolic “navel” of Ireland.

ULAID, dative ULAIDH, Ulster, the northern most province of

ancient Ireland. Anciently, the men of this place. Ulaidh, a
treasure; Irish Gaelic uladh, a charnel or burial house; EIr.
ulad, stone; root ul, cover. The province was so called from
the number of burial chambers erected there; treasure being
associated with dead nobility.

The ancient centree of Ulster was Emain Macha named after

the twin sons of the goddess Macha. Ruadraidhe, son of
Partholôn, supposedly founded the royal house at Ulster,
thus Ulstermen were known as Clan Rudhraidhe. Ulster lost
the support of Macha but had the support of the sun-god
Lugh and thus mounted notable heroes all through the Red
Branch cycle. Their power ended with the conquests of the
southern king Niall of the Nine Hostages (379 AD). Note rath
Ulad, the “rath of the Ulstermen,” in Fife, Scotland. This
name became Rathulit and then Rathhillet. A late name for
the Ulstermen was Ultach from which Dun nan Ultach,
Downanultich (1539), The Ulstermen’s fort in Kintyre.

ULAIDH, (ooly), treasure, Ir. uladh, a charnel-house,

suggesting the presence of spirit-guardians. EIr. ulad, a
stone tomb, root, ul, cover. Allied to Latin alvus, a belly, a
container. ON. ulfr, a wolf. The province of Ulster has its
name from this word which honours the goddess Ula. The
name is quite appropriate considering that the province has
more souterrains and natural underground than any other
place in Britain. It was here that the Tuatha daoine fled
when they were forced to “go to earth.”

Present day “Northern Ireland” is not old Ulster,

which also included Counties Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal
in addition to the six which were partitioned away in 1921.
Ruadraidhe, son of Partholón is sometimes credited with
founding the royal house of Ulster, and therefore the people
were termed Clan Rudhraidhe or Rudricans. Its capital was
Emain Macha (Navan) two miles west of Armagh. Its patron
was originally the goddess Macha, who offended by the
Ulstermen took herself to Connacht. This kingdom declined
in historic times after the inhabitants lost battles against
the southern king, Niall of the Nine Hostages (ca. 379 AD).

The burial mound was yet another focal point for cult
rites. Any tree observed growing in the vicinity of a grave
mound was held sacred and shrines of wood or wicker were
sometimes built near or upon them. Interaction between the
living and the dead is observed in the tale of Len, the smithy
to the gods. He lived in Sidh Buidb where he made “bright
vessels” for Fland , a dughter of Flidais, the goddess of
wild things. After a days work it was his custom to have his
anvil as far east as the grave mounds. On striking it threw
up a shower of water, another of fire, and created a rain of
purple gems. Nemannach went through these same motions
when he was preparing Conchobhar Mac Nessa’s cup.

ULLABHEIST, “entirely beastial. Same as the uile-bheist.

ULLAGONE, UILEACAN, the "death wail". The call of the

banshee and other weregilds, as well as that of hired
wailers in funeral processions.

ULLDAICH, ULTACH, solitary, the Night-Stalker of Northern

Scotland, uile, all; daich, well-appointed in outward
appearance (but a dangerous fabrication). This word is also
used to indicate a burden carried in the arms over a long
distance, a burden on the back. Pronounced as ool-dach.

ULMHACH. wolf.

ULOH, a brute, a wolf; from Sc. ulfr, a wolf, Cy. Blaidd, ME.
wulf which has Anglo-Saxon roots. This is the Dan. ulv and
the Sw. ulf, the Icelandic ulfr., Lat. lupis, from a verb
meaning to “pluck out” or “tear.” The chief-travelling form
of the goddess Mhorrigan and her kin. Cernu, in his role as
“Lord of the Animals” appears in stone and bronze as a
horned god, flanked on one side by an otter on the other by a
wolf. An interesting horned figure depicted on the northern
face of the market cross at Kells, is that of a mustached
man grasping the tails of two wolves which stand on either
side of him.

This reminds one of the death-god Cromm who was

always accompanied by two “dogs.” At least one clan in
Ireland claimed descent from these animals and Cormac
was suckled by a female wolf as an infant. When this fellow
became high-king of ireland we note that “his wolves
continued at his side.” In the lives of the early Christian
saints wolves frequently appear as helpful animals. It is
possible that the Celts once venerated a god in wolf form,
and Lugh’s mother frequently assumed the aspect of a
dog/wolf and died in this form.
UMAH. umah, a cave. The souterrains are even more
numerous than the megalithis tombs and “are found all over
Ireland.” They occur in Scotland where they are termed
“earth-houses” or ”weems” (from umah) and as “wags”
(from uaigh, a grave or vault). One of these at Jarlshof,
Shetland, has been dated to the Early Iron Age, but others in
Scotland have incorporated Roman rubble into their walls.
In Cornwall they are termed fogous, and here most are of
the early Iron Age. They are even found in Iceland, where
they exist as rock-cut tunnels. There is an early Iron Age
example in Jutland, otherwise they are not known on the
continent excepting the somewhat similar souterrain-
refuges of France. Obviously, not all of these structures
were created by the retreating Daoine sidh, but many are
early enough to have seen use by these bronze-age peoples.

UMAN-SRUTH, the copper stream, a metaphor for the spear

of Cletine, possessed by Cúchullain, but coveted by Queen
Mebd. She sent a poet to ask for it knowing that even heroes
could not refuse a bard. When the poet asked for the
weapon, Cúchullain threw it into his eye. In doing so he
broke the metal and in fell into the stream which bears that
name.

UPADH, UPTHA, a sorcerer, OIr. upta, a charmer; Manx, obbee,

sorcery (od-bat-t), from ba, to speak, similar to G. ob, to
refuse, refers to the antique ud-bad, “out-speak,” to drown
out other speakers.

UR, Gaelic name for the letter U.

UR-BHEIST, a monster, a humanoid; ur, having a tail, novel,

newly created, obs. Fire, mould, beginning. A newly-formed
beast. See next. Ur confers with bhur, as seen in Cailleach
bheurr.

URC, whale, sow, enclosure, fold. The Latin orca.

URCHASG, physic, medicine, preservative, antidote for

poison. From cosg, to stop.

URCHOID, hurt, mischief, OIr. erchoit, Eng. scathe.

UR-DHUBHADH, “unusual-darkenening;” an eclipse of the sun.

UR-GHLAINE, maidenhead.
URNUIGH, a prayer, OIr. irnigle, I strive for help. The root-
word is igh, desire, strive after (help from God or the gods).

UR-SGEOIL, SGEUL, an account of recent times, a modern

tale. Ur-sgeulaiche, composer of romatic, entirely
unreliable stories.

URSACH, full of the spirit of ursa, a bear.

URSTAN, feast at the birth of a child.

URUISG, URUSIG, URISK, (ooru shay), a water-creature,

kelpy, tangy, nuckalavee, a diviner of fortunes, a bear, an
ugly looking human, a slut, a sloven, etc. from air + uisg,
super + water, a supernatural water creature. Completely
human in appearance or humanoid from the waist up, goat-
like or horse-like from there down; a shape-changing
nature spirit similar to the Grecian pan. Also, a human
monster, a changeling, a bodach. The banshee to certain
Gaelic clans. See uirisg.

The bucks were originally field spirits, representative

of the old earth gods such as Dagda, Lugh, and Cernow. Their
spirits were overwintered in the last sheaf of the season
which was kept in the croft kitchen to be returned to the
soil at the first planting. This infusion was thought
necessary for the growth of the corn, or grain, whose height
always paralleled that of the animal thought present in the
crop. In watching the wind bend the grain crofters would
say, the goats run through the field. Children were warned
against wandering there on penalty of being kidnapped,
molested or killed. When a harvester fell ill or lagged
behind the others it would be guessed that he was under
psychic attack from the bucks. The last sheaf cut in the
harvest was frequently called "the horned goat", and the
person who cut it was sometimes similarly named. The
position of harvest goat was not sought-after since it was
an omen of failure, burdening the recipient with the duty of
"boarding the old man" (i.e the Devil) through the winter.
The urisk was a solitary member of this clan, a creature
who preferred a small but deep pool to the summer fields.
Identified by having long yellow hair, a blue bonnet, a
walking staff and a jolly disposition (except when annoyed).

US. a presumption, obs. news, a story.

USAIN, wisdom, philosophy, usaid, quarrelsome.

USGA, USGAR, holy, sacred, a jewel.

USPAIR, an ugly or lumpish fellow, from Ir. uspan, any

shapeless mass, chaos, a clumsy individual, one thought out
of favour with the gods. G. uspairn, strife.

USPAN, a shapeless mass, also seen as usp, cf. uibe.

USNA, UISLIU, UISNEACH, USNAGH. The husband of Ebhla, who

was the daughter of the druid named Cathbad. Her mother
was Maga, a daughter of the love-god Aonghas Og. Usna and
Maga had three sons, the Red Branch heroes Naoise, Ainlie
and Ardan. See Deirdru.

UTH, an udder, EIr. uth, the root (p)utu, swollen, Lat. uber
and uter, a skin-bag. Udder has been said to compare but
Macbain says the consanant in the Gaelic is against this.

UTHACHD, murder, suicide.

UTHAR, a six week period embracing time between the

second week of July and the end of the third week in August.
This interval commenced on a Friday and ended on a
Tuesdasy. This time corresponded with that of the
lugnasad. Not surprisingly, the word is related to uthard,
above, up, yonder, on high, and uthachd, murder. Check the
earlier entries under lunastain, etc.

UTHARD, above, on high, Ir. os, ard, high, Rooted in for + ard,
“on high,” the ON. Utgardr, the dwelling place of the frost-
giant known as Utgard-loki, Ut is the Eng. out, thus “Out-
garden-Loki,” suggesting this god’s fall from grace. This
resident of Jotunnheim, a place located in the northern
reaches of the north, was credited with generating the
freezing blasts of air which hindered the growth of crops.
To chastise this being some of the gods went there but were
unable to overcome him in contests which he set for them.
In the end, Thor angrily brandished his hammer, and would
have destroyed Utgardr itself but a magical mist enveloped
this land “and the thunder god was obliged to return to
Thrud-vang without having administered his proposed
salutary lesson to the race of giants.”
1.Eliade, Mircea, Patterns In Comparative Religion (New
York) 1958, p. 207.

2.McNeill, F. Marion, The Scots Kitchen (London) 1920, p.

234.