Gaels and whales: exploring the connection
Looking towards Eigg from Muck - coming from the Gaelic ‘Eilean nam Muc’ - ‘Island of Whales’
This week the Royal National Mòd is underway in Perth; a wonderful celebration of the Gaelic culture here in Scotland. Below, Coinneach MacFhraing explores the connection between the Gaels and the sea creatures which inhabit our waters, by sharing his knowledge of place names associated with whales and dolphins.
You can find the English translation below the Gaelic.
Gu dearbh, tha agus bha am muir aig cridhe saoghal nan Gàidheal. Bha e bho shean na dhòigh siubhail agus na dhòigh beoshlàinte a dhèanamh. Chan iongadh a-rèiste gun robh coimhearsnachdan nan eilean agus na Gàidhealtachd a-riamh dlùth èolach air na creutairean eile a thig beò ann. Tha seo ri fhaicinn gu soilleir nar dualchas. Innsidh seanfhacal dhuinn gun robh fios aig an t-sluagh cò na beathaichean a nochdadh còmhla anns a’ mhuir ionadail aca: “Tha sèitrich na muice-mara ann an Loch Suaineart air teachd an sgadain”, agus tha ‘Mucan-mara Bhail’ Ailein’ agus liuthad òran eile ag aithris mar a bu dual dha na coimhearsnachdan mucan-mara a shealg nuair a gheibheadh iad cothrom sin a dhèanamh.
Tha fianais air an eòlas seo cuideachd ri fhaicinn gu soilleir nar n-ainmean-àite, agus ’s ann air a sin a bheir mi sealladh beag an-dràsta.
Càit an tòisich sinn? Uill, faisg air ar dachaigh fhèin ann am Muile tha muir cho saidhbhir ri gin ann am Breatainn. Tha rannsachadh an Urrais agus buidhnean eile san sgìre air sealltainn na tha de chreutairean beò sa mhuir mu thuath air Muile, agus bha seo cho follaiseach dhaibh-san a bha a’ fuireach anns an sgìre ’s gun do dh’ainmich iad fear de na h-Eileanan Tarsainn orra! Chan e mucan ‘tìre’ a nochdas san ainm ‘Eilean nam Muc’, ach mucan-mara, a chithear am pailteas bhon eilean sin chun an latha an-diugh. Beagan chun an ear tha ‘Àird nam Murchan’. Tha ‘murchan’ a’ tighinn à ‘muir-chon’, seann ainm Gàidhlig air ròn. Cha chreid mi gum faodadh tu ainm na b’ iomchaidhe a chur orra!
Bidh fios aig muinntir Leòdhas gur e ‘Cuan nan Orc’ a tha air a’ mhuir eadar taobh an ear-thuath an eilein agus Am Parbh, agus bidh fios aca cuideachd, gu sònraichte iadsan a bhuineas don Rubha, gu bheil na h-uisgeachan ud loma-làn mhucan-mara de gach seòrsa. ’S e seann fhacal air ‘muc’ no ‘muc-mhara’ a th’ ann an ‘orc’, agus tha an aon fhreumh aige ’s a tha aig ‘orca’ sa Bheurla. Gu dearbh, ’s ann bhon fhacal sin a thig ar facal ‘uircean’.
Tha tòrr ainmean-àite ann air a’ chladach a dh’innseas dhuinn gun robh ceangal air choireigin aig an àite ri mucan-mara ann an sùilean iadsan a bha nam fuireach ann. ‘Òban nam Muca-mara’ faisg air Càirinis, ‘Laghar na Muice-mara’ ann am Muile agus ann an Loch Iall, mìltean fada bhon chuan fhosgailte, tha ‘Rubha na Muice-mara’. Air an làrach-lìn tireeplacenames.org chithear cho pailt agus tha ainmean co-cheagailte ri mucan-mara fiù ’s ann an eilean cuimiseach beag. Port na Muice/Tràigh na Muice/Meall na Muice agus an còrr! Glè thric, ’s ann air sgàth ’s gun tàinig mucmhara air tìr anns an àite a tha an t-ainm ann.
Chan ann às a’ Ghàidhlig a-mhàin a thig ainmean den leithid. Tha am facal Lochlannach ‘Val’ a tha a’ ciallachadh ‘muc-mara’ a’ nochdadh ann an ainmean air feadh nan eilean. Tha e coltach gu bheil an dà chuid ‘Bhàlaigh’ an Uibhist a Tuath agus Bhàlasaigh làmh ri Beàrnaraigh Leòdhais a’ ciallachadh ‘Eilean nam Mucan-mara’, agus Bhàlamus an Leòdhas: ‘Tuathanas na muice-mara’.
Mar sin chì sinn gun robh sluagh na dùthcha seo bho chionn linntean mothachail air na bha beò mun cuairt orra. Ach a thuilleadh air sin, tha na h-ainmean seo nam pàirt de dh’eòlas nan coimhearsnachdan, a dh’innseadh agus a dh’innseas fhathast mun àrainneachd agus bithiomadachd anns na sgìrean againn. Mas e gum bi thu ann an fear de na h-àiteachan seo uareigin, cùmaibh sùil geur a-mach! Cò aig a tha fios dè chì sibh?
The sea has always been at the centre of the Gaels’ world. It has been and continues to be a means of transport and a source of sustenance and livelihood, and it’s little wonder then that the communities of the Highlands and islands have always been intimately knowledgeable about the creatures which live there. One proverb demonstrates that people were aware of which species would be present in their locale at the same time: “The blow of the whale is heard in Loch Suaineart with the coming of the herring”, and many songs including ‘Mucan-mara Bhail’ Ailein’ tell us how the communities would hunt whales when the opportunity presented itself, even into the 20th century.
The evidence of this deep knowledge is to be seen clearly in our place-names, and that’s where I’d like to draw our attention for a few moments just now.
Where to start? Well, nearby to our own HQ in Mull the sea is as rich as any in Britain. Research conducted by HWDT and other groups has demonstrated the abundance of species present in the waters to the north of Mull, and this was so obvious to the local communities historically that they named one of the Small Isles after them! ‘Muck’ comes from the Gaelic ‘Eilean nam Muc’ - Island of Whales. A little to the east is Àird nam Murchan, ‘Murchan’ comes from an old Gaelic word for seal, which is literally ‘sea-dog’. The whole name is therefore ‘Promontory of the Sea-dogs’.
Lewis natives will know that the name for the sea between Cape Wrath and the East side of the island is ‘Cuan nan Orc’, the ‘ocean of whales’. ‘Orc’ is another old word which means ‘whale’ and it has the same root as the English ‘orca’.
Many place-names referencing cetaceans are assigned to locations on the shore which tells us that the place had some kind of tie to whales in the eyes of the people who lived there. ‘Òban nam Muca-mara’ (Little bay of the Whales) near Càirinis in North Uist, ‘Laghar na Muice-mara’ (cloven hoof of the whale) in South Mull and even in Loch Iall, many miles from the open sea is ‘Rubha na Muice-mara’ (Point of the Whale). On the website tireeplacenames.org you can see how many place names which include the word ‘whale’ can occur even in a relatively small island. Port na Muice (Port of the Whale), Tràigh na Muice (Beach of the Whale), Meall na Muice (Round Hill of the Whale) and more!
It’s not only from Gaelic that we get place-names which include references to cetaceans. The Norse word ‘Val’, which means ‘whale’, occurs across the islands. Vallay and Valasay are both most likely translated as ‘Whale Island’, and Valamus in Lewis means ‘Whale Farm’, although I don’t think they were rearing them!
Even a quick survey of some place-names, therefore, shows us that the inhabitants of the Hebrides and coast have always been aware of the species living around them. More than that though, these names are part of those communities’ collective knowledge; they told and continue to tell us about the environment and biodiversity in our local areas. If you find yourself in one of these spots, keep your eyes peeled! You never know what you might see.