The Black Bodach of Morven (2)
I’m going to finish the story The
Black Bodach of Morven. It’s from
Braemore in Caithness. The men
were in pursuit of the Bodach.
That was on the seventh of July.
The Bodach disappeared into an
opening on the mountainside. He
was shouting strange things in
Gaelic. He was trying to bring
down the mist. But, on the seventh
day of the seventh month, he didn’t
have that capability.
The millstone was over the
opening. The Bodach was firing
arrows through the hole. Event-
ually, the Bodach threw aside the
stone. He jumped out and ran
away.
The men went inside. The
cave was full of treasure. The men
stuck an arrow in the ground. That
was to mark the opening. They ran
after the Bodach. The Bodach fell.
The men captured him.
The Bodach asked them not to
kill him. “Take my treasure but
don’t take life,” he said. “If you
kill me, you’ll never get my
treasure.”
“Foolishness!” said the men. “How will he take the treasure from us when he is dead?”
“I took cattle, food and treasure from you,” the Bodach said, “but I did not kill a man. The man who takes a man’s life, he’ll never be rich.”
The men weren’t listening to him. They made a big fire. They threw the Bodach into the fire.
They returned to the cave. But there was no sign of the arrow or the stone. There were hundreds of arrows. They were right across the mountain. And they never found the treasure.
Since that time, some people who were walking on the mountain saw the millstone. They took locals there to see it. But there was no sign of it. And, when there is thun-der on Morven, you’ll understand that that is the Bodach’s voice. He wants people not to go near the treasure – which still belongs to him and to the mountain.
Bodach Dubh na Mòr-bheinne (2)
Tha mi a’ dol a chur crìoch air an
sgeulachd Bodach Dubh na Mòr-bheinne. Tha i às a’ Bhràigh Mhòr ann
an Gallaibh. Bha na fir an tòir air a’
Bhodach. Bha sin air an t-seachdamh
latha dhen Iuchar. Chaidh am bodach à
sealladh tro fhosgladh air cliathaich na
beinne. Bha e ag èigheachd rudan
neònach ann an Gàidhlig. Bha e a’
feuchainn ris an ceò a thoirt a-nuas.
Ach, air an t-seachdamh latha dhen t-seachdamh mìos, cha robh an comas
sin aige.
Bha clach a’ mhuilinn thairis air
an fhosgladh. Bha am Bodach a’
losgadh saighdean tron toll. Mu
dheireadh, thilg am Bodach a’ chlach
don taobh. Leum e a-mach agus ruith e
air falbh.
Chaidh na fir a-steach. Bha an
uamh làn ionmhais. Chuir na fir
saighead anns an talamh. Bha sin
airson am fosgladh a chomharrachadh.
Ruith iad às dèidh a’ Bhodaich. Thuit
am Bodach. Chuir na fir an grèim e.
Dh’iarr am Bodach orra gun a
mharbhadh. “Thoir m’ ionmhas ach na
toir mo bheatha,” thuirt e. “Ma
mharbhas sibh mi, chan fhaigh sibh m’
ionmhas gu bràth.”
“Amaideas!” thuirt na fir. “Ciamar a bheir e an t-ionmhas bhuainn nuair a tha e marbh?”
“Thug mi crodh, biadh is ionmhas bhuaibh,” thuirt am Bodach, “ach cha do mharbh mi duine. Am fear a bheir beatha duine air falbh, cha bhi e beartach a-chaoidh.”
Cha robh na fir ag èisteachd ris. Rinn iad teine mòr. Thilg iad am Bodach don teine.
Thill iad don uaimh. Ach cha robh sgeul air an t-saigheid no air a’ chloich. Bha na ceudan saighdean ann. Bha iad air feadh na beinne. Cha do lorg na daoine an uamh. Agus cha do lorg iad an t-ionmhas.
Bhon uair sin, chunnaic feadh-ainn a bha a’ coiseachd air a’ bheinn a’ chlach mhuilinn. Thug iad muinntir an àite ann airson a faicinn. Ach cha robh sgeul oirre. Agus, nuair a tha tàirn-eanaich air a’ Mhòr-bheinn, tuigidh sibh gur e sin guth a’ Bhodaich. Tha e ag iarraidh air daoine gun a dhol faisg air an ionmhas – a bhuineas fhathast dha fhèin agus don bheinn.
