Gàidhlig / English
Teine sionachain

Teine sionachain

Posted by Edit on 25th February 2016
This week's word is teine sionachain. According to the Fieldwork archive, the word (which appears as sionnachan in Dwelly's dictionary) originates in Eriskay and means 'Will-o'-the-Wisp', fire-like lights that are sometimes seen flickering above wet terrain, such as bogs and marshes.

There are some references to this interesting light phenomenon in Gaelic folklore, and some other words are also used for it. There is a recording, for instance, on the Tobar an Dualchais website, where the phenomenon is referred to as teine bhiorach (‘spikey fire') and described as a candle-like light hovering over the bog at nightfall. The phenomenon also occurs in another recording on the same website, where it is referred to as teine mhòr (‘great fire’) and simply described as a light above the sea in general. In this recording, it was seen by the informant on the shores of Tiree. 

This phenomenon is not exclusive to the Highlands or Islands: it seems to occur all over the world and to have been thought to be of supernatural origin in most of these places. It was often thought that ghosts (sometimes the souls of unbaptised dead), fairies or other supernatural creatures created these fires to lead travellers astray from their paths and into the water.

As usual when it comes to this kind of phenomena, however, they are in fact natural occurrences: the consensus is that the fires are caused by the occasional combustion of gases in bogs, as described here.

If you know of a different word or phrase for teine sionachain, or if you have seen this unusual light phenomenon, why not let us know on Facebook or Twitter? 




 
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