The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #40395   Message #578206
Posted By: weepiper
23-Oct-01 - 02:07 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: S oro londubh bui
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'S óró londubh buí
Hi Matthew,
The word 'gruagach' in Scottish Gaelic is kind of interesting. Here's the dictionary definition:
gruagach, -aich, -aichean s.f. 1) Young woman, maiden, virgin. 2)in derision, Man with long hair. 3) Bridesmaid. 4) Bridegroom's maid. 5) (rarely) Chief of a place. 6) Supposed household goddess. 7) s.m. Brownie. The word is presumably derived from 'gruag', wig, hair of the head, especially of a female, anything resembling hair.
I don't know enough about Irish Gaelic to compare properly but it sounds like meaning 7) above is the one correlating to your 'enchanter'. The Brownie is a sort of household spirit which people in the Highlands used to believe would help out and watch over the family if he was kept happy by leaving a bowl of cream out for him at night and so on, and would cause trouble if he was shown disrespect...
Of course it might not be a supernatural reference at all here if a meaning like 2) above is what's meant!
Slan leibh