DASG Blog

Coire Blianan

If you are out at sea on a calm, clear night with a full moon shining, then keep an eye out for the coire blianan, or phosphorescence, on the surface of the water. I hope that you see it at least once in your life. I saw it twice before now: when I was out in the canoe somewhere close to Lochaline, and another time whilst swimming in the sea at night. You won’t see it quite as clear until you pull your hand through the water, or until you drag your oar behind you. They look very like fish scales. They rise in the current, they twist and spin and they shine and glow white until they go out of sight just as they have appeared. What causes this shine in the sea? Seaweed, and other small organisms, emit sunlight and moonlight that they have absorbed. It is apparent to us as a white glow when it is disturbed.

The word coire blianan was recorded in Eriskay but teine sionnachain is the word I have for it. You will see in from the Fieldwork Archive that you can also say teine biorach, and teine-gealain. This describes the same kind of light that can be seen on the machair and on the backs of cattle on nights like this.

There are many words to be found here for phosphorescence: coinnle-Brèanain (from Strathglass), coille lasain coille blianain, lasadh mara, teine a’ mhadaidh. An informant from Kintyre described how phosphorescence reveals the presence of herring: "Gheobh sinn iad 'san losgadh." Literally, this translates as: "we will find them in the burning."  Teine sinnaig is what you’d say for the glow on rotting wood.

You will find another meaning behind the word teine sionnachain in Carmina Gadelica. We are told that it can be phosphorescence can be seen on a fine sunny day, on the spindrift of the sea. It seems, then, that it is not only at night that you’re likely to see it.

Apparently, from what may be read in the Corpus, that there is a connection between the root of this word sionn and the otherworld. Carmichael connects this word and siann, siannt, sianta: meaning mysterious and sacred. Elsewhere in Carmina Gadelica the word sionn is defined as unseen, magical, mysterious. You will see in the corpus that an arrow fired from the fairies is a saighead sionn and you may find out more about the bodha sionn, or the invisible reef, here.

Here there is another kind of strange, mesmerising natural light. Caoirean means “a fiery shimmer” and what a picture that comes to mind with these verses! From Laoidhean agus Dain:

’S binn caoirean nan caochan ’an aonach nam beann,

’N uair tha ’n latha a’ sgaoileadh air aodan nan gleann;

’S binn osna na gaoithe, ’s gur aobhach a toirm

Air ciùineach’ do ’n doininn, ’s air cadal do ’n stoirm.

If you have any other words for phosphorescence, or if you have seen it, amazing as it is, do get in touch on Facebook or Twitter.