Ossian Collection > Romance of the Highlands

THE BARDS. OSSIAN. 71
called for years of patient study. Schools for bards were
established for the purpose of encouraging and fostering
the spirit of the Muse, and here a long apprenticeship
was served. On all important occasions it was the custom
of the bard to repeat the story of the chief and his
ancestry. From his full knowledge of these he was
sometimes called by his subsidiary title of "History-
man." His usual custom was to begin with a short prose
"argument" and then to proceed in verse, and he was
expected to be conversant, not only with the history of
the reigning chief, but also with the story of the principal
branches and their chieftains.
The speaking of verse was not confined to the
followers of the Muse, as many of the common people
were capable of oral recitation for many hours. When
the science of letters was better understood, the members
of the clan were able to procure the stories from the bards
and to write them out. Others, again, committed them to
memory, and, like the bards, handed the gift down to
their children. It is from this source that much of the clan
history has come down to us. It may sometimes contain
fabulous or exaggerated statements — as the bards were
ever anxious to extol the greatness and antiquity of the
clan — but, on the whole, much that is stated is indisput-
able and confirmed from other sources.
One of the best known of these songs is called "The
Death of Dermid." It refers to a warrior who, having
killed a wild boar, was induced by an enemy to measure
it from tail to snout. In doing so, he was pricked in the
heel and died. It is from this warrior that the clan
Campbell claims descent. The members speak of them-
selves as of the race of Dermid, and others acknowledge
the claim.
The Gaelic language is very forcible, and in poetry
is splendidly adapted for retention in the memory. This