Blair Collection > Gaelic names of beasts (mammalia), birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, etc

BEAST G7
word "mathghamhain," generally Anglicised " Mahon " in old
English documents, is now said to be commonly rendered
"Matthew." The common name "Brown" is just "Bruin."
BEAST (see also Animal).
Abhus (wild), ainmhidh ; Beathach, beisd, beithir, beothach,
bias, biasd, biast, bitheach, blianach (died from want), bruid ;
Caochag (blind) ; Damhra, daoi (wild) ; Ethiar or eithier, a kind
of beast (?) ; Feithide, fiadh-bheathach (wild) ; Mial, miol ; Peisd,
peist, piasd, piast ; Truth ; Uagh or uamh-bheisd, uile-bheisd.
On-beast, behst, Diere, Beece (Ir.), the word mial or miol is
found as " claon-mila," Hill-slope (haunting) beasts.
The etymology of the word " biasd " has been thought worth
controversy, and, inter alia, has by one writer, the Rev. J. McKay,
Canada, been connected, rightly or wrongly, with the word
" paisd," a child. It is thought that this is rather far fetched ; it
is, however, given here for what it is worth. In Perthshire, Mr
McKay says, the expression "graine pheisdean," a lot of children,
is not unknown, as the expression "cha robh 'san eaglais an diugh
ach graine pheisdean," there was only a few children in the church
to-day, has been heard said. It is assumed, from our acquaintance
with Perthshire Gaelic speakers, that the word " pheisdean " is
only a corrupt pronunciation of "phaisdean," and, by a smaller
sound of the letter "a," is easily arrived at. This we think tells
against the spelling, as some desire, of the word "biasd" as
" peisd." We may add that the Greek word for child is
"pais."
In the Book of the Dean of Lismore we find reference made
to " Aidhre an Lamacha," the beast of Lamacha, thought to be
an animal famous or noted in the country for its ugliness. It is
of course known that "aidhre" also signifies an anim.al of the
cow kind.
In the book of St Albans, " Art of Venerie," we find it stated
that the beasts of sports were divided into three classes, Venerie,
Chase, and Rascal ; in the first class were included hare, hart, wolf,
wild boar ; in the second fallow deer, fox, marten, and roe ; and
third badger (gre or grey), wild cat, otter, etc. Rascal means
vermin, and here we take leave to state that the classification is
open to amendment. In another place we are told that the tail
of every beast has distinctive title, such as "single" for deer and
wolf; "wreath" for boar; "scut or scud" for hares and rabbits ;
" brush, drag " for fox, etc.
Am fear a bhios air dheireadh beiridh am biasd air. He who
is last the beast will catch him. The beast here is thought to be
His Satanic Majesty, and the saying equivalent to " Deil tak
the hin'most."