DASG Blog

Rosadach is Rathadach

One day, I received a message from a man who was wanting the following translation from English to Gaelic, for a tattoo: “I am the captain of my destiny.” That was tricky! I had heard plenty of people say: “ma ’s e an dàn dhomh/ if it is my fate…,” but I’d never heard such a phrase from any Gael I’ve known. There are thousands of superstitions and omens however, which people respected and watched for in the past, in many a district all over the country. Here are some of them for you.

An omen which is described as ‘rosadach’ is a bad omen, foretelling bad luck, and ‘rosad’ is what is known by an evil spell in Strathglass. An omen known as ‘rathadach’ is known as a good omen.

Much was once heard of a dreug, or meteor, flying in the sky, as an evil omen. There were a couple of reports of this in Mac-Talla (Vol 5), as something which people would fear. An informant added to this story however, as something which would be very lucky indeed. He had heard of three thousand lobsters which landed in the waters off the coast of Cape Breton, as a result of a dreug that fell thouands of miles away in Australia.

It was a pleasure to learn that the mouse does the work of the tooth-fairy in some Highland traditions, especially as the fairies are mischievous enough (follow this link to find out about Caoineag) The children would place the tooth in a chink in the wall, and recite the following verses:

Little mouse! little mouse!
Little mouse, kindly one!
Little mouse! little mouse!
Little mouse, beloved one!
 
Give thou to me
A little tooth gold-white,
Give thou to me
A little tooth silver-white.
 
And I will give to thee
A little tooth of boy, bone bound,
A little tooth of maid, bone boud,
A little tooth of youngster laughing loud.

(Carmina Gadelica, Vol 4.)
 
The water-vole has many names: fadan-uisge, labh-allan, famh-uisge. It was believed that the water-vole and the shrew would bring death and evil fates. They would cause paralysis in sheep, by running across their backs. Carmina Gadelica tells us that a woman prayed ardently when she saw a shrew ‘a’ spearchal’ or scratching around. It was making its way towards other houses in the glen. Her husband died a few days later. In the satire by Rob Donn, Brigis Mhic Ruaraidh, a man loses his trousers after becoming very drunk at a wedding. Rob Donn warns:

Do not allow him from townland,
To moorland of grouse cocks,
Lest the water-mole should come
And smite him.
 
The British Government forced the Gael to wear trousers in the years following the battle of Culloden. The fèile or plaid was banned. Perhaps the water mole would be particularly likely to attack someone wearing trousers in light of such an act. In Poetry of Badenoch, edited by Thomas Sinton, there is a conversation between a hunter and a deer, his prey. The hunter is wearing trousers, something which he is not at all happy about. The deer has this to say to him:

“..You better stay at home,
And look after your children,
Than attempt to fell me,
With those trousers on!”
 
Oh, the shame! The word ‘rathadach’ also means ‘innovative, capable, cunning.’ This gives us the impression that perhaps someone of the like does have a hand in ensuring good fortune in their life, as the man suggested with his tattoo. That, or we must all avoid trousers!

You may listen to me here, by myself this time, as I tried out some of these rhymes.
Get in touch with any superstitions you may know on Facebook, Twitter or on the comment section below.