The Prophecies of the Brahan Seer (coinneach Odhar Fiosaiche)

Part 1

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THE PROPHECIES OF THE BRAHAN SEER (COINNEACH ODHAR FIOSAICHE).

BY ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, F.S.A. SCOT., EDITOR OF THE “CELTIC MAGAZINE”; AUTHOR OF “THE HISTORY OF THE MACKENZIES,” “THE HISTORY OF THE MACDONALDS AND LORDS OF THE ISLES,” ETC., ETC.

Fourth Edition—Much Enlarged.

WITH AN APPENDIX ON THE SUPERSTITION OF THE HIGHLANDERS,

BY THE REV. ALEXANDER MACGREGOR, M.A.

INVERNESS: A. & W. MACKENZIE, “CELTIC MAGAZINE” OFFICE. 1888.

THE ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY PRESS: JOHN THOMSON AND J. F. THOMSON, M.A.

DEDICATION TO FIRST EDITION.

TO MY REVERED FRIEND, THE REV. ALEXANDER MACGREGOR, M.A.,

Of the West Church, Inverness, as a humble tribute of my admiration of his many virtues, his genial nature, and his manly Celtic spirit. He has kept alive the smouldering embers of our Celtic Literature for half a century by his contributions, under the signature of “Sgiathanach,” “Alastair Ruadh,” and others, to the Teachdaire Gaidhealach, Cuairtear nan Gleann, Fear Tathaich nan Beann, An Gaidheal, The Highlander; and, latterly, his varied and interesting articles in the Celtic Magazine have done much to secure to that Periodical its present, and rapidly increasing, popularity. He has now the pleasing satisfaction, in his ripe and mellow old age, of seeing the embers, which he so long and so carefully fostered, shining forth in the full blaze of a general admiration of the long despised and ignored Literature of his countrymen; and to him no small share of the honour is due.

That he may yet live many years in the enjoyment of health and honour, is the sincere desire of many a Highlander, and of none more so, than of his sincere friend,

ALEXANDER MACKENZIE.

INVERNESS, May, 1877.

PREFACE.

The Second Edition of the “Prophecies” has long been out of print, stray copies of it selling at more than double the published price. We now place another edition, considerably extended, and much improved in every respect, at the disposal of the public, at a lower price.

Fifty Large paper copies are thrown off, printed on thick Crown Quarto, giving a handsome margin, and making altogether a handsome unique volume for the Library, or the Drawing-room table, of a work which the Scotsman, and all the press of the country, “recommended to the lovers of the marvellous as a sweet morsel”.

On the 19th of October, 1881, the author of the Appendix on “The Superstition of the Highlanders” passed over the majority, regretted and loved by all who knew him.

A. M.

INVERNESS, June, 1882.

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

DEDICATION iii

PREFACE v

CONTENTS vii

GENERAL INTRODUCTION—How Kenneth became a Seer—Various Versions 1

PROPHECIES WHICH MIGHT BE ATTRIBUTED TO NATURAL SHREWDNESS 9

PROPHECIES UNFULFILLED 13

Part 2

PROPHECIES AS TO THE FULFILMENT OF WHICH THERE IS A DOUBT 24

PROPHECIES WHOLLY OR PARTLY FULFILLED 28

SKETCH OF THE FAMILY OF SEAFORTH 61

SEAFORTH’S DOOM 68

SEAFORTH’S DREAM 71

THE SEER’S DEATH 77

FULFILMENT OF THE SEAFORTH PROPHECY 82

APPENDIX—

General Superstition 95

Druidism 100

Fairies 104

Witchcraft 112

Second Sight 117

Smaller Superstitions 125

New-Year Customs 134

Easter Customs 135

May-day Customs 135

Hallowe’en 136

Sacred Wells and Lochs 147

THE PROPHECIES OF THE BRAHAN SEER: COINNEACH ODHAR FIOSAICHE.

The gift of prophecy, second-sight, or “Taibh-searachd,” claimed for and believed by many to have been possessed, in an eminent degree, by Coinneach Odhar, the Brahan Seer, is one, the belief in which scientific men and others of the present day accept as unmistakable signs of looming, if not of actual insanity. We all are, or would be considered, scientific in these days. It will, therefore, scarcely be deemed prudent for any one who wishes to lay claim to the slightest modicum of common sense, to say nothing of an acquaintance with the elementary principles of science, to commit to paper his ideas on such a subject, unless he is prepared, in doing so, to follow the common horde in their all but universal scepticism.

Without committing ourselves to any specific faith on the subject, however difficult it may be to explain away what follows on strictly scientific grounds, we shall place before the reader the extraordinary predictions of the Brahan Seer. We have had slight experiences of our own, which we would hesitate to dignify by the name of second-sight. It is not, however, with our own experiences that we have at present to do, but with the “Prophecies” of Coinneach Odhar Fiosaiche. He is beyond comparison the most distinguished of all our Highland Seers, and his prophecies have been known throughout the whole country for more than two centuries. The popular faith in them has been, and still continues to be, strong and wide-spread. Sir Walter Scott, Sir Humphrey Davy, Mr. Morrit, Lockhart, and other eminent contemporaries of the “Last of the Seaforths” firmly believed in them. Many of them were well known, and recited from generation to generation, centuries before they were fulfilled. Some of them have been fulfilled in our own day, and many are still unfulfilled.

Not so much with the view of protecting ourselves from the charge of a belief in such superstitious folly (for we would hesitate to acknowledge any such belief), but as a slight palliation for obtruding such nonsense on the public, we may point out, by the way, that the sacred writers—who are now believed by many of the would-be-considered-wise to have been behind the age, and not near so wise and far-seeing as we are—believed in second-sight, witchcraft, and other visions of a supernatural kind. But then we shall be told by our scientific friends that the Bible itself is becoming obsolete, and that it has already served its turn; being only suited for an unenlightened age in which men like Shakspere, Milton, Newton, Bacon, and such unscientific men could be considered distinguished. The truth is that on more important topics than the one we are now considering, the Bible is laid aside by many of our would-be-scientific lights, whenever it treats of anything beyond the puny comprehension of the minds and intellectual vision of these omniscient gentlemen. We have all grown so scientific that the mere idea of supposing anything possible which is beyond the intellectual grasp of the scientific enquirer cannot be entertained, although even he must admit, that in many cases, the greatest men in science, and the mightiest intellects, find it impossible to understand or explain away many things as to the existence of which they have no possible doubt. We even find the clergy slightly inconsistent in questions of this kind. They solemnly desire to impress us with the fact that ministering spirits hover about the couches and apartments in which the dying Christian is drawing near the close of his existence, and preparing to throw off his mortal coil; but were we to suggest the possibility of any mere human being, in any conceivable manner having had indications of the presence of these ghostly visitors, or discovering any signs or premonitions of the early departure of a relative or of an intimate friend, our heathen ideas and devious wanderings from the safe channel of clerical orthodoxy and consistent inconsistency, would be howled against, and paraded before the faithful as the grossest superstition, with an enthusiasm and relish possible only to a strait-laced ecclesiastic. Clerical inconsistency is, however, not our present theme.

Many able men have written on the Second-sight, and to some of them we shall refer in the following pages; meanwhile our purpose is to place before the reader the Prophecies of the Brahan Seer, as far as we have been able to procure them. We are informed that a considerable collection of them has been made by the late Alexander Cameron of Lochmaddy, author of the “History and Traditions of the Isle of Skye,” but we were unable to discover into whose possession the manuscript found its way; we hope, however, that this reference may bring it to light.

Kenneth Mackenzie, better known as Coinneach Odhar, the Brahan Seer (according to Mr. Maclennan), was born at Baile-na-Cille, in the Parish of Uig and Island of Lews, about the beginning of the seventeenth century. Nothing particular is recorded of his early life, but when he had just entered his teens, he received a stone in the following manner, by which he could reveal the future destiny of man:—While his mother was one evening tending her cattle in a summer shealing on the side of a ridge called Cnoceothail, which overlooks the burying-ground of Baile-na-Cille, in Uig, she saw, about the still hour of midnight, the whole of the graves in the churchyard opening, and a vast multitude of people of every age, from the newly born babe to the grey-haired sage, rising from their graves, and going away in every conceivable direction. In about an hour they began to return, and were all soon after back in their graves, which closed upon them as before. But, on scanning the burying-place more closely, Kenneth’s mother observed one grave, near the side, still open. Being a courageous woman, she determined to ascertain the cause of this singular circumstance, so, hastening to the grave, and placing her “cuigeal” (distaff) athwart its mouth (for she had heard it said that the spirit could not enter the grave again while that instrument was upon it), she watched the result. She had not to wait long, for in a minute or two she noticed a fair lady coming in the direction of the churchyard, rushing through the air, from the north. On her arrival, the fair one addressed her thus—“Lift thy distaff from off my grave, and let me enter my dwelling of the dead.” “I shall do so,” answered the other, “when you explain to me what detained you so long after your neighbours.” “That you shall soon hear,” the ghost replied; “My journey was much longer than theirs—I had to go all the way to Norway.” She then addressed her:—“I am a daughter of the King of Norway; I was drowned while bathing in that country; my body was found on the beach close to where we now stand, and I was interred in this grave. In remembrance of me, and as a small reward for your intrepidity and courage, I shall possess you of a valuable secret—go and find in yonder lake a small round blue stone, which give to your son, Kenneth, who by it shall reveal future events.” She did as requested, found the stone, and gave it to her son, Kenneth. No sooner had he thus received the gift of divination than his fame spread far and wide. He was sought after by the gentry throughout the length and breadth of the land, and no special assembly of theirs was complete unless Coinneach Odhar was amongst them. Being born on the lands of Seaforth, in the Lews, he was more associated with that family than with any other in the country, and he latterly removed to the neighbourhood of Loch Ussie, on the Brahan estate, where he worked as a common labourer on a neighbouring farm. He was very shrewd and clear-headed, for one in his menial position; was always ready with a smart answer, and if any attempted to raise the laugh at his expense, seldom or ever did he fail to turn it against his tormentors.

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