Hew Morrison Collection > Adhamh agus Eubh, no Craobh Sheanachais nan Gàël

166 HISTORY OF THE
gaotharan, a giddy inconstant person ; gaothar,
a greyhound, from its swiftness ; «odain, shallow,
not deep ; caoin, collapsed, withered Uke grass
in the sun, &c. Of the phenomena which com-
manded the especial attention of Adam, astranger,
and in a strange world, the wind may well be
supposed to have been not of the last. It is,
perhaps, not too much to imagine, indeed, that the
influence of this invisible agent upon the trees of
Paradise, attracted his attention the very fìrst day
of his existence. But how surprised he must have
appeared at the fìrst tornado — the first thunder-
storm, which walked demon-Uke, rooting up his
favourite trees — scathing his favourite flowers —
hurUng bolts of fire at life and property ! This
leads us to the next root, namely,
Tarn, or Tairnean, thunder. In pronouncing
it you dwell upon the letter r, making the tongue
vibrate against the upper gum, upon the principle
of onomatopceia.
Thunder utters its awful voice in different tones,
according to the locaUty, whether rocky or level ;
and according to the distance it has to travel to
our organs of hearing. Even this distinction is
made by the Celtic, and is the cause of our different
terms for thunder : for example, tàrùnn, when
short and abrupt ; tàirnean, when loud and long :
and torman, when distant and muttering. Here
have we now the leading idea and root of the god