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Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Aonghas agus Brìde ann am Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend le Dòmhnall Alasdair MacCoinnich. B’ e Aonghas mac na Cailliche Beura. Cha tigeadh aois air oir bhiodh e a’ fuireach fad a’ gheamhraidh ann an Eilean Uaine an Iar far nach tig seann aois air duine.

Chunnaic Aonghas Brìde ann an aisling an toiseach. Bhruidhinn e ri Rìgh an Eilein Uaine mu a deidhinn. Thuirt an Rìgh, ‘’S e Brìde a chunnaic thu. Nuair a thig an samhradh, bidh i ri do thaobh mar Bhanrigh an t-Samhraidh. Ge-tà, tha do mhàthair airson cumhachd a bhith aicese cho fada ’s as urrainn. Cha leig i leat a dhol faisg air Brìde. Fan thus’ an seo gus am bi na flùraichean a’ tighinn an-àirde.’

‘Feumaidh mi dhol a lorg Brìde an-dràsta,’ ars Aonghas. 

‘Tha am Faoilleach ann,’ fhreagair an Rìgh. ‘Chan eil e iomchaidh.’

‘Cuiridh mi geas air a’ mhuir agus air an tìr,’ thuirt Aonghas. ‘Bheir mi trì latha iasaid bhon Lùnastal don Fhaoilleach.’ Rinn e sin agus bha trì latha àlainn aca, ged as e am Faoilleach a bh’ ann. Chleachd Aonghas na làithean sin airson Brìde a lorg. Cha robh e soirbheachail, ge-tà, agus thill an droch shìde. B’ fheudar do Aonghas tilleadh dhachaigh.

’S ann nuair a bha flùraichean an earraich air nochdadh a dh’fheuch Aonghas a-rithist. An turas seo, bha e soirbheachail. Lorg e Brìde anns a’ chaisteal far an robh i am bràighdeanas. ‘Bho seo a-mach, bidh daoine a’ cuimhneachadh an latha seo mar Latha Brìde,’ ars Aonghas. Agus ’s e sin an latha a bhios na Gàidheil a’ comharrachadh fhathast mar a’ chiad latha dhen earrach.

Thàinig sìthichean airson fàilte a chur air Brìde. Chuir Banrigh nan Sìthichean geas air Brìde. Dh’atharraich i an t-aodach a bh’ oirre don t-seòrsa a bu shnasaile. 

B’ e am bigean-Brìde a’ chiad eun a chuir fàilte air Brìde. Thuirt a’ Bhanrigh gum biodh an t-eun sin an uair sin aithnichte mar ‘eun-Brìde’. Agus, air a’ chladach bha a’ phioghaid-mhara a’ seinn le toileachas. Bhon uair sin, tha na Gàidheil air a bhith eòlach air an eun seo mar am µþ°ùì»å±ð²¹²Ô no Gille-Brìde. 

Phòs Aonghas agus Brìde ann an lùchairt Banrigh nan Sìthichean. Bha na daoine agus na h-ainmhidhean toilichte. Ach cha robh a’ Chailleach Bheura toilichte. Nuair a chunnaic i am feur a’ fàs bha an cuthach oirre. 

Bha each dubh aig a’ Chaillich. Leum a’ Chailleach air muin an eich agus dh’fheuch i ri Aonghas a lorg. Ach theich Aonghas agus Brìde. Ged a bha an t-earrach air tighinn, chruthaich a’ Chailleach gaothan gus am biodh coltas a’ gheamhraidh ann fhathast. An toiseach bha an Fheadag. Bha clachan-meallain na cois. Mhair i trì latha. Chaidh caoraich agus uain a mharbhadh leis an fhuachd.

An uair sin, bha a’ Ghobag. Bha i mar ghob eòin, a’ gobachadh air a h-uile rud. Mhair i naoi latha. An uair sin, bha an Sguabag ann. Bha a’ ghaoth cho làidir ’s gun do reub i geugan far nan craobh. Ach an do bhuannaich a’ Chailleach Bheura? Chì sinn nuair a chuireas mi crìoch air na stòiridhean seo an-ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: Dòmhnall Alasdair MacCoinnich: Donald Alexander Mackenzie; aisling: dream; am Faoilleach: ‘the wolf month’ (originally mid-January to mid-February); am bràighdeanas: in captivity; lùchairt: palace; gaothan: winds; an Fheadag: ‘the whistle’; a’ Ghobag: ‘the sharp-billed wind’; a’ gobachadh air: pecking; an Sguabag: ‘the sweeper’.

Abairtean na Litreach: Cha tigeadh aois air: he wouldn’t grow old; oir bhiodh e a’ fuireach fad a’ gheamhraidh ann an Eilean Uaine an Iar far nach tig seann aois air duine: because he would live all winter in the Green Isle of the West where nobody grows old; tha do mhàthair airson cumhachd a bhith aicese: your mother wants to have power; cha leig i leat a dhol faisg air X: she won’t let you get close to X; fan thus’ an seo gus am bi na flùraichean a’ tighinn an-àirde: stay here until the flowers are appearing; cuiridh mi geas air X: I’ll put a spell on X; bheir mi trì latha iasaid bhon Lùnastal: I’ll take three borrowing days from Lammas (August); thill an droch shìde: the bad weather returned; b’ fheudar do Aonghas tilleadh dhachaigh: Angus had to return home; thàinig sìthichean airson fàilte a chur air Brìde: fairies came to welcome Bride; dh’atharraich an t-aodach a bh’ oirre don t-seòrsa a bu shnasaile: her clothes changed to the most attractive sort; nuair a chunnaic i am feur a’ fàs bha an cuthach oirre: when she saw the grass growing, she was livid; bha clachan-meallain na cois: it was accompanied by hailstones; chaidh caoraich agus uain a mharbhadh leis an fhuachd: sheep and lambs were killed by the cold; cho làidir ’s gun do reub i geugan far nan craobh: so strong that she ripped branches from the trees.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: am bigean-Brìde: the linnet. Two birds have particularly strong connections to Bride. One is the linnet whose name literally means ‘the little bird [bigean is from beag-eun] of Bride.’ The ‘sea magpie’ (pioghaid-mhara or pioghaid-mar in Strathspey), known in English as the ‘oystercatcher’, is also connected to Bride; it is known as the µþ°ùì»å±ð²¹²Ô (‘B°ùì»å-±ð³Ü²Ô’) or ³Ò¾±±ô±ô±ð-µþ°ùì»å±ð, depending on location or dialect. Both species of bird are said to sing to welcome the return of Bride, goddess of Spring.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: cho fada ’s as urrainn: as long as possible.