麻豆社

An cuala sibh riamh mu Sheachd聽Cadalaichean an t-Saoghail? 鈥橲 e sin聽The Seven Sleepers of the Earth. Seachd聽Cadalaichean an t-Saoghail. Bha mi a鈥櫬爈eughadh leabhar mun Mhonadh Ruadh.聽Bha bodach ann a bha na stalcaire. Bha e聽a鈥� bruidhinn ris an e貌laiche-n脿dair,聽Seton Gordon. Dh鈥檉haighnich e de聽Ghordon gu d猫 bha anns na Seachd聽Cadalaichean.聽Gu m矛-fhortanach chaidh d矛reach聽aon dhiubh ainmeachadh. B鈥� e sin eun聽beag 鈥� a鈥� bhr霉-gheal. 鈥橲 e wheatear no聽stonechacker a chanas daoine ris ann am聽Beurla. Bha am bodach ag r脿dh gun robh聽a鈥� bhr霉-gheal a鈥� cur seachad a鈥櫬爂heamhraidh ann an Alba. Bha i a鈥櫬爁aighinn cadal a鈥� gheamhraidh.聽Carson a bha am bodach a鈥櫬爏maoineachadh sin? Uill, chunnaic e an聽t-eun sin aig beul tuill anns an talamh.聽Bha sin as t-earrach. Bha e a鈥櫬爏maoineachadh gun robh an t-eun a鈥櫬爐ighinn a-mach 脿s an toll. Bha an t-eun聽a鈥� d霉sgadh aig deireadh a鈥� gheamhraidh.聽Cha robh Gordon ag aontachadh聽ris. Bha fianais ann, thuirt e, gun robh a鈥櫬燽hr霉-gheal a鈥� dol gu t矛rean c猫in anns a鈥櫬爂heamhradh. Bha esan a鈥� smaoineachadh聽gun robh an t-eun d矛reach a鈥� gabhail聽fois aig beul an tuill. Chan e聽鈥渃adalaiche鈥� a bha ann.聽Tha, no bha, F猫ill nan Seachd聽Cadalaichean anns na h-eaglaisean. Ach聽chan e na h-aon Chadalaichean a tha聽ann. Bha an fh猫ill st猫idhichte air聽tachartas ann an Ephesus timcheall na聽bliadhna 250 AC. Bha seachdnar聽Chr矛osdaidhean air an glasadh ann an聽uamh. D脿 cheud bliadhna 脿s d猫idh sin聽chaidh an lorg. Bha iad fhathast be貌.聽Bha iad d矛reach air a bhith nan cadal. B鈥櫬爄ad na daoine sin na Seachd聽Cadalaichean. Bha iad ainmeil. Thuirt an聽Eaglais gur e m矛orbhail a bha ann.聽Chan e sin an rud a bha am聽bodach a鈥� ciallachadh, ge-t脿. Bha esan a鈥櫬燽ruidhinn mu na seachd creutairean a tha聽a鈥� cur seachad a鈥� gheamhradh nan cadal.聽Cha d鈥� fhuair mi liosta de na creutairean聽sin 脿 Alba. Ach fhuair 脿 Eilean聽Mhanainn. Agus innsidh mi dhuibh d猫聽tha anns na Seachd Cadalaichean聽Manainneach an ath-sheachdain.

Have you ever heard about Seachd聽Cadalaichean an t-Saoghail? That鈥檚聽The Seven Sleepers of the Earth.聽Seachd Cadalaichean an t-Saoghail.聽I was reading a book about the聽Cairngorms. There was an old guy聽who was a stalker. He was speaking聽to the naturalist, Seton Gordon. He聽asked Gordon what the Seven聽Sleepers were.聽Unfortunately only one of them聽was named. That was the small bird聽鈥� the br霉-gheal. People call it a聽wheatear or stonechacker in English.聽The old man was saying that the聽wheatear was spending the winter in聽Scotland. It was hibernating.聽Why was the bodach thinking聽that? Well, he saw that bird at the聽mouth of a hole in the ground. That聽was in spring. He was thinking that聽the bird was coming out of the hole.聽The bird was waking at the end of聽the winter.聽Gordon wasn鈥檛 agreeing with聽him. There was evidence, he said,聽that the wheatear was going to聽foreign lands in winter. He was聽thinking that the bird was just聽resting at the mouth of the hole. It聽was not a 鈥渟leeper/hibernator鈥�.聽There is, or was, the Festival of聽the Seven Sleepers in the churches.聽But it鈥檚 not the same Sleepers. The聽festival was based on a happening in聽Ephesus around the year 250 AD.聽Seven Christians were locked in a聽cave. Two hundred years after that,聽they were found. They were still聽alive. They had just been asleep.聽Those people were the Seven聽Sleepers. They were famous. The聽Church said that it was a miracle.聽That鈥檚 not what the bodach was聽meaning, however. He was talking聽about the seven creatures that spend聽the winter hibernating. I didn鈥檛 get a聽list of those creatures from Scotland.聽But I did from the Isle of Man. And聽I鈥檒l tell you what the Seven Manx聽Sleepers are next week.