DASG Blog

Famh

To those who walk or cycle often you will see little mounds of dirt left by Moles (Famhan) and today I intend to write a little on the other names of Moles throughout Scotland and I shall tell you a little about their meanings. On learngaelic.scot there’s a long list of names for Moles, such as:

Famh.

Ath – (Fath).
Famh-ùir – Famh an ùir (Mole of the Ground) (see above).
Famh-shlighe – Famh a bhios a’ fàgail slighe ùir no poll às an dèidh. (Mole which leaves a trail of earth after itself.
 Famh-thalmhainn – Famh na talmhainn (Ath-thalamhainn, fath-thalamhainne). (Mole of the earth).

Ùireach – Mar a thathar a’ sgaoileadh ùirsgeul le poll, buachar torrach tha am Famh a’ sgaoileadh ùir nuair a tha e a’ fàgail tòrr-faimh (If one spreads “ùirsgeul” with earth with mud or fertile manure the Mole is spreading earth when he leaves a mole-hill).

Polladair – Neach a’ phuill (Person of the Mud).
 

In my own reserch on Perthshire and Strathspey Gaelic respectively I found the names of the creature to be different: in Perthsire, in the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XXII 1897-98 – “The peculiarities of Gaelic as spoken in the writer’s district” by Reverend Charles Robertson, they used “Dubh-readha” (Dubh-reotha, Dubh-reathadh as well) where it meant a black ploughman. In Transaction LVIX – “Gaelic in Strathspey”, p. 574, written by Niall MacGregor, “dallag” is recorded in the proverb “Tha i cho dall ri dallag,” meaning “as blind as a mole”. This is quite controversial as “dallag” in the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, volume XXIX-XL - “Some unrecorded words and meanings in the Gaelic of Badenoch”, by Hugh Barron means “Luch-fheòir, fiolan-feòir, dallag-fheòir, fionnag-feòir” (shrew). On learngaelic.scot “dallag” is explained; “any blind or weak-sighted creature, often dogfish, doormouse, leech, mole, shrew etc.”

 
In our own “Faclan bhon t-Sluagh” there are a handful of other names:

Creadh-luch – Luch a tha an sàs leis a’ chriadh san talamh (a mouse that is involved with the clay in the ground).

Dubh-airnein – Famh an airein, neach-treabhair. (Mole of the plough, a plough-man/person).

Dubh-mhongach.

Dubh-threabh – (Dubh-reabha, dubh-threabha)

Famh-mhùgach – Am famh dorch, dubh no gruamach (The black, dark or gloomy mole)

Mòl – buaidh facal bheurla, “mole” (Influence from the english word “mole”).
 

More of what we have already “caochan” means a beast that doesn’t not have the ability to see: “any blind animal (esp. mole).” In terms of evidence of a mole ome will see a “dùn-faimhe” (mole-fort), “dùn-faimh), “tòrr-faimh” (mole-hill), and “famh-tòrr” for the mounds round about you.

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