Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 4, 1896

THE OELTIO MONTHLY.
197
frieuds eviDeet that before long the genial laird
of Amgask will settle down on his estate, and
devote himself to eonuty attairs and the
development of his property. It is the sincere
wish of bis many friends that he will be long
spared to enjoy that leisure to which, b}' his
untiring industry in business, he is so well
entitled.
The genealogical tree of Mr. MacGregor's
family appeared in our January issue, along
with a portrait of his uncle, Mr. Malcolm
MacGregor of Dunan. Editor.
by ^.Orunimond-T^orie
Illustrated by the Author.
(Continued Jiom puje 178).
'^j^ T what period in the history of the Gael
(SJ^^ of Albyn these implements of warfare
J^Mz were used, it is impossible to say with
any degree of certainty, but we may infer from
the old Gaelic traditions that it must have
been at a very remote epoch, for all the Fin
galiau heroes appear to have been armed with
weapons of iron or steel, and in the mythical
tales, or s<jeulacli(hin, of the Highlands, repeated
reference is made to the claidheamli ijeal soluis
(white sword of hght) as the most cherished
possession of giants and other supernatural
creatures.
In all probability it was during the transition
jjeriod when iron was gradually displacing the
more primitive but still useful bronze, that
these legends had their origin, for we can well
imagine the feelings of awe with which the
untutored semi-savage of the bronze age must
have regarded the bright flash of the burnished
steel sword when he saw it for the first time,
and learned from bitter experience how power-
less he was to contend against its might. The
unknown is always mysterious, and so the
great white sword was invested with all sorts
of magical powers, and became an object of
fear and reverence to aU who were not
fortunate enough to possess one.
Campbell in his '• Tales of the West High-
lands " says " In these (stories) the touch of
the cold steel breaks all spells ; to relieve an
enchanted prince it was but necessary to cut
oft' his head : the touch of the cold sword froze
the marrow when the giant's head leaped on
again. The white sword of light which shone
so that the giant's red-haired servant used it
as a torch when he went to draw water by
night, was surely once a bright steel sword,
when most swords were of bronze, as they were
in early times ; unless it is still older, and a
mythological flash of lightning."
In the Gaelic stories of Righ <«/ Easaidh
Riui'jh and Si/ridncJid Chini'iill the claidlieamh (jeal
solnk plays a considerable part, and we find it
again in the amusing tale of Maol a Chliobrdn
in which the heroine after killing the giant's
three bald, red-skinned daughters; stealing
his smooth, golden comb, and rough, silver
comb ; drowning his bald, rough-skinned
lad ; and committing other outrages upon his
family and property, adds insult to injury by
walking oft" with his sword of light, and winds
up her adventures by persuading the much
ill used giant to drink more water than was
good for him, so that he burst.