THE people believed in omens of birds and beasts, fishes and insects, and of men and women. These omens were innumerable, and a few only can be mentioned.
The fisher would deem it a bad omen to meet a red-haired woman when on his way to fish; and were the woman defective in mind or body, probably the man would return home muttering strong adjectives beneath his breath. On the other p. 179 hand, it was lucky for a girl to find the red hair of a woman in the nest of certain birds, particularly in the nest of the wheatear.
'Gruag ruadh boirionnaich, |
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The red hair of a woman, |
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MOCH maduinn Luan, Agus meigead eunaraig, Agus cuthag liath-ghorm, Feasgar finidh Mhart, Agus an clacharan fionn Searrach seann larach Dh’ aithnich mi fein ’n an deigh |
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EARLY on the morning of Monday, And the kid-like cry of snipe, And the grey-blue cuckoo, On the fair evening of Tuesday, And the ashy wheatear The foal of the old mare And I knew from these |