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Maker Mother
In Waternish, near the Fairy Bridge, the river cuts through a glen leading into a gorge and onto the sea, a mound stands. The remnants of a stone circle, a possible burial chamber, and what was once a temple to an ancient Goddess of the waters. A pre-christian deity dubbed Annaitis whose followers were believed to wash idols of in the current.
'This name of Annait or Annat is found all over Scotland. It has been interpreted as meaning the ‘Water-place’ from Celtic ‘An’ = water, because many are near water. Others suggest ‘Ann’ = a circle (Celtic) and claim that most Annats are near standing stones. The most-favoured derivation seems to be from Ann, the Irish mother of the Gods, and those who hold this view claim that the Annats are always near a revered spot, where either a mother-church or the cell of a patron saint once stood. Probably Annat does, in fact, come from an older, pre-Celtic tongue, and belongs to an older people whose ancient worship it may well commemorate. The curious shape of the Waternish Temple of Anaitis and its survival make it seem likely that it was something of importance in its day, built with more than usual care and skill. Perhaps the Temple tradition is correct – but whose, if so, and to what gods?' ('Skye: The Island and Its Legends by Otta F. Swire 1961)
'... the Temple of Anaitis can still be found and there is a tradition that this once great temple was the centre of the ancient pagan faith of Skye...' ('The Inner Hebrides and their Legends by Otta F. Swire 1964)
'Many of the ‘Annats’ are claimed-and it is believed correctly-as pre-Christian.. The learned Rev. Dr. Macqueen, of Skye, also claimed the ‘Annats’ as pre-Christian, and maintained the Gaelic meaning as ‘The Water Place’.. This worship, as is generally known, came from the East, and was there among the Phoenicians, who worshipped Baal and other gods.' (Place-Names of Skye by Alexander Forbes 1923)
'This name of Annait or Annat is found all over Scotland. It has been interpreted as meaning the ‘Water-place’ from Celtic ‘An’ = water, because many are near water. Others suggest ‘Ann’ = a circle (Celtic) and claim that most Annats are near standing stones. The most-favoured derivation seems to be from Ann, the Irish mother of the Gods, and those who hold this view claim that the Annats are always near a revered spot, where either a mother-church or the cell of a patron saint once stood. Probably Annat does, in fact, come from an older, pre-Celtic tongue, and belongs to an older people whose ancient worship it may well commemorate. The curious shape of the Waternish Temple of Anaitis and its survival make it seem likely that it was something of importance in its day, built with more than usual care and skill. Perhaps the Temple tradition is correct – but whose, if so, and to what gods?' ('Skye: The Island and Its Legends by Otta F. Swire 1961)
'... the Temple of Anaitis can still be found and there is a tradition that this once great temple was the centre of the ancient pagan faith of Skye...' ('The Inner Hebrides and their Legends by Otta F. Swire 1964)
'Many of the ‘Annats’ are claimed-and it is believed correctly-as pre-Christian.. The learned Rev. Dr. Macqueen, of Skye, also claimed the ‘Annats’ as pre-Christian, and maintained the Gaelic meaning as ‘The Water Place’.. This worship, as is generally known, came from the East, and was there among the Phoenicians, who worshipped Baal and other gods.' (Place-Names of Skye by Alexander Forbes 1923)
Fairy Raid
Fairy Raid
'At Ruig, at the foot of the Storr Rock, in Skye, at the time it was occupied by small farmers (sixteen in number), all the horses on the farm, numbering as many as a hundred, were seen ridden by the Fairies, sitting with their faces to the tail, on Hallowmas night. The shore line of the farm consists of frightful precipices, and the horses, as if very madness (an cuthach dearg) had taken possession of them, went off at their utmost speed towards the shore. Every one thought they would be lost, but no harm arose after all from the stampede.' (147)
Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland Collected (entirely from Oral Sources) by John Gregorson Campbell, Minister of Tiree (1900)
'At Ruig, at the foot of the Storr Rock, in Skye, at the time it was occupied by small farmers (sixteen in number), all the horses on the farm, numbering as many as a hundred, were seen ridden by the Fairies, sitting with their faces to the tail, on Hallowmas night. The shore line of the farm consists of frightful precipices, and the horses, as if very madness (an cuthach dearg) had taken possession of them, went off at their utmost speed towards the shore. Every one thought they would be lost, but no harm arose after all from the stampede.' (147)
Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland Collected (entirely from Oral Sources) by John Gregorson Campbell, Minister of Tiree (1900)
The Hill Parish Guisers
False Dance
Baobhan-Sìth
In the deep woods, as the sun sets, the Baobhan-Sìth stir from disturbed cairns and forgotten graves. Horns and dog barks travel on the air with the smell of blood. A hunting party approaches and is invited to dance by a fireside. Accepting, the hunters are brought to the brink of collapse by the mother of all jigs, stumbling in the tread of deer hooves beneath green dresses as fingernails and teeth lengthen. By then, it is too late. The Baobhan-Sìth drain them, and the hunters are fed to the soil.
Kelpie (2026)
Beware lochs, pools, and river sides, where sodden horses, men, and women have been known to wander seeking assistance or companionship. These can be the guises of the shapeshifting Kelpie attempting to trick the unsuspecting into riding on its back, linking arms, or wiping away tears. To do so will bind the hapless soul to its body as it drags them to a watery grave.
The Boobrie Den
Shapeshifts feed in a hidden cove, shedding the skins of seabirds, bulls, farm hands, and horses. They gather after centuries of luring the unsuspecting to a watery grave for sustenance and amusement. From loch and coast way, they have tread water, calling to each other with the voices of their victims, all the while their forms changing with the seasons to better sate an endless appetite.
The Red People Ride out
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