麻豆社

Fhuair mi post-d bho dhuine 脿 Inbhir聽Nis. Thogadh m脿thair an duine ann聽an Inbhir Nis cuideachd. Thogadh i聽ann an sg矛re ris an canar Marc-Innis.聽Bha a鈥� Gh脿idhlig be貌 ann am Marc-Innis nas fhaide na sg矛re sam bith eile聽ann an Inbhir Nis. Cha robh G脿idhlig聽aig m脿thair mo charaid. Ach bha聽faclan G脿idhlig anns a鈥� Bheurla aice.聽Latha a bha seo, bha mo聽charaid a鈥� tadhal air a mh脿thair. Bha聽cnap air amhaich. B鈥� e rud ris an聽canar cyst ann am Beurla. Choimhead聽a mh脿thair air a鈥� chnap. Thuirt i,聽ann am Beurla, gur e farach a bha聽ann. Farach.聽Bha mo charaid a鈥� cuimhneachadh聽an fhacail sin o chionn聽ghoirid. Bha e a鈥� smaoineachadh gur聽e facal G脿idhlig a bha ann.聽Choimhead e anns na faclairean聽G脿idhlig. Cha robh farach ann. Ach,聽ann am faclair Dwelly, tha farachdonn聽agus farach-dubh ann. Tha an聽d脿 rud sin a鈥� ciallachadh Lus nan聽Cnapan. 鈥橲 e Lus nan Cnapan a鈥櫬燝h脿idhlig air Common Figwort no聽Scrophularia nodosa. Tha na cnapan聽air freumhaichean an luis. 鈥橲 ann 脿s a聽sin a tha nodosa a鈥� tighinn cuideachd聽鈥� tha nodules air.聽An cuala sibh riamh mun聽Doctrine of Signatures? B鈥� e sin rud聽anns an t-seann aimsir. Nuair a bha聽p脿irt de lus coltach ri ball-bodhaig聽duine, bha daoine a鈥� smaoineachadh聽gun robh an lus a鈥� d猫anamh leigheas聽air tinneas air a鈥� bhall-bhodhaig.聽Anns an t-seann leabhar The Gaelic聽Names of Plants le Iain Camshron聽(ochd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a tr矛) seo聽na sgr矛obh e mu Lus nan Cnapan:聽鈥�..from the resemblance of its roots聽to tumours ... it was esteemed a聽remedy for all scrofulous diseases.鈥澛燘ha Lus nan Cnapan, Scrophularia聽nodosa, na leigheas airson tinneas air聽a bheil scrofula ann am Beurla. Ann聽an scrofula (no tinneas an r矛gh ann an聽G脿idhlig) bidh cnapan air amhaich an聽duine a tha tinn.聽Uill, seo mo smuain. Tha聽farach a鈥� ciallachadh cnap. Mar sin,聽bha farach-dubh is farach-donn aig聽cuid air Lus nan Cnapan. Bha Lus聽nan Cnapan na leigheas airson聽tinneas an r矛gh 鈥� tinneas anns an robh聽cnapan a鈥� nochdadh air an amhaich.聽Ma tha smuain agaibh fh猫in air sin,聽nach cuir sibh fios thugam?

I got an email from a man who聽belongs to Inverness. The man鈥檚聽mother was brought up in Inverness聽also. She was raised in an area聽called Merkinch. Gaelic was alive in聽Merkinch longer than in any other聽area of Inverness. My friend鈥檚聽mother didn鈥檛 speak Gaelic. But she聽had Gaelic words in her English.聽One day, my friend was visiting聽his mother. He had a lump on his聽neck. It was a thing called a 鈥渃yst鈥澛爄n English. His mother looked at the聽lump. She said in English that it was聽a farach. A farach.聽My friend was remembering聽that word recently. He was thinking聽that it was a Gaelic word. He looked聽in the Gaelic dictionaries. Farach聽wasn鈥檛 there. But, in Dwelly鈥檚聽dictionary, there are farach-donn聽and farach-dubh. Both of those mean聽Lus nan Cnapan. Lus nan Cnapan is聽the Gaelic for the Common Figwort聽or Scrophularia nodosa. The lumps聽are on the roots of the plant. That鈥檚聽where nodosa comes from also 鈥撀爐here are nodules on it.聽Have you ever heard of the聽鈥淒octrine of Signatures鈥�? That was聽a thing in olden times. When a part聽of a plant was like a human organ,聽people were thinking that the plant聽was curing [would cure] a disease聽affecting [on] the organ. In the book聽The Gaelic Names of Plants by John聽Cameron (1883) here鈥檚 what he聽wrote about Lus nan Cnapan:聽鈥�..from the resemblance of its roots聽to tumours ... it was esteemed a聽remedy for all scrofulous diseases.鈥澛燣us nan Cnapan, Scrophularia n貌dosa,聽was a treatment for a disease聽called scrofula in English. In聽scrofula (or 鈥渢he king鈥檚 disease鈥� in聽Gaelic) lumps appear on the neck of聽the person who is sick.聽Well, here鈥檚 my thought. Farach聽means a lump. Thus, farach-dubh聽and farach-donn were some people鈥檚聽names for Lus nan Cnapan. Lus nan聽Cnapan was a cure for scrofula 鈥� a聽disease in which lumps appear on聽the neck. If you yourself have a聽thought on that, won鈥檛 you let me聽know?