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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.


[Illustration]

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.


[Illustration]

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.


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                                                                     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

    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




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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.

There are various other versions of the manner in which he became
possessed of the power of divination. According to one—His mistress,
the farmer’s wife, was unusually exacting with him, and he, in return,
continually teased, and, on many occasions, expended much of his natural
wit upon her, much to her annoyance and chagrin. Latterly, his conduct
became so unbearable that she decided upon disposing of him in a manner
which would save her any future annoyance. On one occasion, his master
having sent him away to cut peats, which in those days were, as they
now are in more remote districts, the common article of fuel, it was
necessary to send him his dinner, he being too far from the house to come
home to his meals, and the farmer’s wife so far carried out her intention
of destroying him, that she poisoned his dinner. It was somewhat late
in arriving, and the future prophet feeling exhausted from his honest
exertions in his masters interest and from want of food, lay down on the
heath and fell into a heavy slumber. In this position he was suddenly
awakened by feeling something cold in his breast; which on examination
he found to be a small white stone, with a hole through the centre. He
looked through it, when a vision appeared to him which revealed the
treachery and diabolical intention of his mistress. To test the truth
of the vision, he gave the dinner intended for himself to his faithful
collie; the poor brute writhed, and died soon after in the greatest agony.

The following version is supplied by Mr. Macintyre, teacher,
Arpafeelie:—Although the various accounts as to the manner in which
Coinneach Odhar became gifted with second-sight differ in some respects,
yet they generally agree in this, that it was acquired while he was
engaged in the humble occupation of cutting peats or divots, which
were in his day, and still are in many places, used as fuel throughout
the Highlands of Scotland. On the occasion referred to, being somewhat
fatigued, he lay down, resting his head upon a little knoll, and waited
the arrival of his wife with his dinner, whereupon he fell fast asleep.
On awaking, he felt something hard under his head, and examining the
cause of the uneasiness, discovered a small round stone with a hole
through the middle. He picked it up, and looking through it, saw by the
aid of this prophetic stone that his wife was coming to him with a dinner
consisting of sowans and milk, polluted, though unknown to her, in a
manner which, as well as several other particulars connected with it, we
forbear to mention. But Coinneach found that though this stone was the
means by which a supernatural power had been conferred upon him, it had,
on its very first application, deprived him of the sight of that eye with
which he looked through it, and he continued ever afterwards _cam_, or
blind of an eye.

It would appear from this account that the intended murderer made use of
the Seer’s wife to convey the poison to her own husband, thus adding to
her diabolical and murderous intention, by making her who would feel the
loss the keenest, the medium by which her husband was to lose his life.

Hugh Miller, in his “Scenes and Legends in the North of Scotland,”
says:—When serving as a field labourer with a wealthy clansman who
resided somewhere near Brahan Castle, he made himself so formidable to
the clansman’s wife by his shrewd, sarcastic humour, that she resolved
on destroying him by poison. With this design, she mixed a preparation
of noxious herbs with his food, when he was one day employed in digging
turf in a solitary morass, and brought it to him in a pitcher. She found
him lying asleep on one of those conical fairy hillocks which abound in
some parts of the Highlands, and her courage failing her, instead of
awaking him, she set down the pitcher by his side and returned home. He
woke shortly after, and, seeing the food, would have begun his repast,
but feeling something press heavily against his heart, he opened his
waistcoat and found a beautiful smooth stone, resembling a pearl, but
much larger, which had apparently been dropped into his breast while
he slept. He gazed at it in admiration, and became conscious as he
gazed, that a strange faculty of seeing the future as distinctly as the
present, and men’s real designs and motives as clearly as their actions,
was miraculously imparted to him; and it is well for him that he should
become so knowing at such a crisis, for the first secret he became
acquainted with was that of the treachery practised against him by his
mistress.

We have thus several accounts of the manner in which our prophet obtained
possession of his remarkable stone, white or blue, with or without a
hole through its centre, it matters little; that he did obtain it, we
must assume to be beyond question; but it is a matter for consideration,
and indeed open to considerable doubt, whether it had any real prophetic
virtue. If Kenneth was really