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Sidhe Queen Scathach from the Isle of Skye |
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Scathach, Gaelic Goddess of the Dead, the warrior-woman
risen to Divinity, patron of blacksmiths and warriors alike. The Goddess
of those slain in battle and the passage of the dead to Tir Nan Og.
Once mortal, she was touched by the Tuatha de Dannan in a way usually
only seen in the Sidhe. In her duties, she is similar to the Valkyrie
of the Norse. She searches the battlefields for the souls of the slain,
and guides them along the Imrama na Anam, or Death Journey (lit. "Journey
of the Soul"), to Tir Nan Og, the Land of Eternal Youth and Beauty. Legend tells us that she grants three wishes to the hero Cuchulainn, because her daughter Uathach, being in love with him, has told him how to make her do it. The three wishes are to train him in the arts of war, to marry her daughter Uathach and to tell his fortune... which she does by using imbas forosnai ("charm of the palms"), partly foretelling the events of the Tain Bo Cuailgne (Cattle Raid of Cooley) in dark very terms. Scathach was also a potent magician herself. Lore tells us that she had the gift of prophecy, and she foretold Cu Chulainn's fate during the course of Queen Madb's onslaught against Ulster.
The Winged Isle of Skye© 1998, Frances Billinghurst (Published in the "Pagan Times" Issue 24 and 25)
The Cullin Mountains, home of the Warrior Goddess Scathach
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| Probably the most famous of
the Scottish islands is Skye, off the North West coast. Approximately
77 kilometers from North to South, and 43 kilometers from West to East
at its widest part, the island's jagged coastline makes it impossible
to be more than eight kilometers from the sea at any point you stand.
Skye is a romantic's dream, and a mountaineer's paradise. It evokes mystery and enchantment with its spectacular scenery and ever changing colors. An aura of mysticism still remains from Norse and Gaelic times when the Isle was known as the Isle of the Clouds by the Vikings, and the Winged Isle by the Celts. Today, with the revival of Gaelic, it is known as Eilean a' Cheo, the Isle of the Mist.
Cuchulainn and the Warrior Goddess Scathach One of the best known features of Skye are the Cullin Mountains. The Black Cullins are a horseshoe-shaped range encircling one of the most isolated and remote lochs in Scotland, Loch Coruish. The twenty sharp peaks are all over 900 meters high and are often necked in clouds. Facing these are conical summits of pink granite known as the Red Cullins. The mountains are, according to Celtic legend, names after the Ulster Sun God, Cuchulainn, when he journeyed to the domain of the Goddess Scathach, on Skye. Scathach was a formidable warrior queen and prophetess, and the ruins of Dunscaith on the Sleat Peninsular in the south of the island are said to have been her stronghold. Cuchulainn's journey to Skye was one for him to gain wisdom, skill and to be transformed. He passed through various trials on the way - the Plains of Ill Luck, where the feet of men could be pierced by razor sharp grass blade; the Perilous Glens, filled with its devouring beasts; and the Bridge of the Cliff, stretching between the mainland and Skye, said to throw anyone attempting to cross it to their deaths. Cuchulainn avoided this fate by performing his "Salmon Leap" (which is described to have involved twisting and turning like a salmon) to gain access to Scathach's stronghold. One legend tells us that Cuchulainn served as one of Scathach's students for one year and a day, and won battles in single combat against the other student before taking on Scathach's sister, Aoife, who was know for her battle skills. Cuchulainn eventually won this match, but only by out-tricking her. According to legend, Aoife, later became his lover and bore him a son, Colai, and it was the boy's own fate to be killed by his father. Another version of the legend says it was Scathach's daughter, Uathach, who was beaten and this angered the warrior queen so much that she decided to fight the young hero herself. They battled for four days and four nights, neither eating nor sleeping, and it was only when they finally realised neither of them would win that they stopped. Scathach subsequently awarded Cuchulainn Gae-bolg, the "belly spear", which, it made a single entry, once inside the body the 30 barbs would open and tear the stomach apart. And when the youth returned to Ireland, Scathach named the Cullin Mountains after him out of respect. Faeries and Wytches
Dun Beag Broch One of the best preserved brochs on Skye in Dun Beag, which is near the main road to Struan, overlooking Loch Bracadale. The broch occupies a rocky knoll, making its walls appear even taller and more impressive. With its extensive views of the Cullin Mountains, there is a surreal peace about the place, being surrounded by flowering heather, foxgloves and bracken during the summer. This belief of the Faery folk was still strong in the 1830s when a chambered tomb near Broadford was investigated. The men who entered the chamber, were armed with pistols to defend themselves, believing that strange animals lived within. Instead, all that was found were charred skulls, several flint implements, and some pottery fragments. The history of some chambered tombs tends to relate more to folk legend than fact. One example is of the two massive cairns close to the road at Vattern, in the west of the isle, which were said to have been built on the site of the last great battle between the Clans MacLeod and MacDonald. According to legend, thick mist descended during the battle, causing great confusion, and resulting in the deaths of most of the warriors. So many men were killed or wounded that the only people left to dig the graves were the women, children and old men. The best they could do was to make two piles of the bodies, according to clan, and cover each with stones. And finally, amongst the rich folklore, is a story about the island's wytches, which, unfortunately, is not dated. Three of them once lived near Portree, the island's largest town, at Camusianavaig Point. One of their clients was a skipper of a local fishing boat who wished to get even with a rival crew. On the day he decided to consult the wytches, bring with him a bottle of whisky, only two were home. They went ahead anyway and, by the time they had decided on a suitable spell, the whisky bottle was empty. About this time the third wytch returned, and she was furious - not only for not being consulted about the spell, but also because there was no whisky left for her. It is said that as the skipper's boat sailed past the point, a squall suddenly blew up, engulfing the boat and its crew. And even today, her anger can still be felt as winds still blow near Camusianavaig Point when the rest of the bay is calm. MacDonalds of Sleat Skye's history is long and complicated. The Celts and Norse came and went, and ever since the 13th century the island has been ruled, to a greater or lesser degree, by the Dunvegan MacLeods, in the north, and in the South by the MacDonalds of Sleat. Dunscaith Castle on the Sleat Peninsular in the south, the legendary home of the island's Goddess Scathach, is attributed to the MacDonalds. It was their principle seat up until the late 15th century, and the local legend surrounding it was that Dunscaith was built in one night.
MacLeods and the Faery Flag The MacLeods have fared the centuries better. Their ancestral home is Dunvegan Castle, which is lived in today by their 29th chief. Maybe this is because in their possession is the "faery flag", a 600 year old tattered silken banner which is shot with gold thread and marked with "elf spots". Many stories are associated as to how the flag came into the clan's possession, including it being captured and brought back from the Crusades. However, one favourite is of a MacLeod chief being married to a faery. Later, when she decided to return to her own people, she dropped a piece of silk at her husband's feet at a place called the Ford of the Three Burns (known today as the "Faery Bridge", and said" "Keep this flag and unfurl it to the wind whenever crisis hits you. It will save you and your twice. But woe betide you if you unfurl it a third time". Some say that the flag has been used twice - to win the battles of Glendale in 1490, and of Waternish in 1580. Others say that is was Titania, the Faery Queen herself, who gave the flag to the MacLeods.
Today Skye today is a place of peace and tranquility...there are few residents, and even in the peak of summer visitation, there is always a quiet place to be found to sit, and remember the goddess Scathach and her story.
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Sidhe Queen Scathach From the Isle
of Skye Copyright © 2004-2011 All rights
reserved. Shimmerlings, Inc. ~ Jeane Margherite Page Last Modified: October 2, 2011 |
Scathach
or Sgathaich ('skah - thahgh)
The
earliest human occupation of Skye dates to around 3500 BCE. From this
time came many of the chambered tombs and brochs which are scattered
around the island. Brochs, being dry stone towers, were believed to
have been built for dene purposes, and are said to be "as old
as Sithichean" - older than man. They serve a more sinister
purpose in folklore, being the dwelling place for faeries and the entrance
way to their kingdoms. Mortals and cattle alike were said to be carried
off by faeries to the brochs, from which emanated an eerie green light
when the Sun went down. 
