Caoineag
Encyclopedia
Caoineag is a Scottish spirit, her name meaning ‘the weeper’ and one of the names given to the Highland Banshee
, Caointeach is another.
Within Celtic mythology, she is a variant of the Bean-Nighe, known as the 'Washer at the Ford' and belonged to the class of Fuath
, evil water spirits. Unlike the Bean Nighe
, she is heard but never seen, and cannot be approached to grant wishes.
She is closer to the Irish banshee, Bean Sidhe and a possible transitional phase of the stories. The Caoineag is heard wailing in the night near a waterfall before a catastrophe happens within her clan, and it is said that those who hear the sound of the Caoineag’s mourning are doomed to face death or great sorrow.
in Carmina Gadelica
, says that before the Massacre of Glencoe
, the Caoineag of the MacDonalds was heard to wail night after night.
Banshee
The banshee , from the Irish bean sí is a feminine spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld....
, Caointeach is another.
Within Celtic mythology, she is a variant of the Bean-Nighe, known as the 'Washer at the Ford' and belonged to the class of Fuath
Fuath
A Fuath is an evil, Gaelic mythological water spirit. In Irish Gaelic, the word "fuath" means "hate".Its name is sometimes used as a regional variance for Kelpie or Uisges in Northern Ireland or the Bean-Nighe. The Scottish use the name to refer to generic water spirits who inhabit the sea,...
, evil water spirits. Unlike the Bean Nighe
Bean Nighe
The bean nighe , is a Scottish fairy, seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld. She is a type of bean sìth .-Legends:...
, she is heard but never seen, and cannot be approached to grant wishes.
She is closer to the Irish banshee, Bean Sidhe and a possible transitional phase of the stories. The Caoineag is heard wailing in the night near a waterfall before a catastrophe happens within her clan, and it is said that those who hear the sound of the Caoineag’s mourning are doomed to face death or great sorrow.
Caoineag in mythology and folklore
Scottish folklorist Alexander CarmichaelAlexander Carmichael
Alexander Carmichael was a writer and folklorist, best known for his multi volume work Carmina Gadelica.-Life:...
in Carmina Gadelica
Carmina Gadelica
The Carmina Gadelica is a collection of prayers, hymns, charms, incantations, blessings, runes, and other literary-folkloric poems and songs collected and translated by amateur folklorist Alexander Carmichael in the Gaelic-speaking regions of Scotland between 1855 and 1910...
, says that before the Massacre of Glencoe
Massacre of Glencoe
Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, an infamous massacre took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in...
, the Caoineag of the MacDonalds was heard to wail night after night.