Highland Scottish Folklore and Beliefs

Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada: Formac Limited, 1975. Presumed First Printing. Wraps. good. Contains 8 full-page black and white drawings, as well as a bibliography containing 23 sources. Document is 45 pages long, and measures 5.5 inches long by 8.5 inches high. Major C.I.N. MacLeod was born in Dornie, Scotland. His father was the local schoolmaster and he was a graduate of Celtic Studies programs in Glasgow and Edinburgh. He emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1959 and took up the recently established post of Gaelic Adviser to the Nova Scotia Department of Education. His role in this position was to train Gaelic teachers and establish a form of curriculum that could be used in adult Gaelic language classes. He was hired to establish the department of Celtic Studies at St. Francis Xavier University in 1958, a position which he held until his death in 1977. While at the university, he cooperated with Helen Creighton in producing the book, Gaelic Songs IN Nova Scotia. The contents of this book range from the pre-Celtic period up to the present day. Topics include Pre-Celtic Elements: Customs, Rites, Beliefs; The Earliest Names; Totem Beliefs; Holy Wells; Water Cures; Sacrifices; Witchcraft; Omens; Witches and Fairies; Highland Folktales: Origin, Style, Contents; The Ceilidh; The Bards, Blood Brotherhood; Folk-Heroic Poetry; Tales of the Feinn; The Sagas; A Folktale; Respect for Women; Death Omens, and Phantom Funerals; Nature Worship; Death Beliefs; Evil Spirits; Divination; and The Sailor's Vision. Clan MacLeod is a Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan, who are known in Gaelic as Sìol Tormoid ("seed of Tormod"); the Clan MacLeod of Lewis and Raasay, who are known in Gaelic as Sìol Torcaill ("seed of Torcall"). Both branches claim descent from Leòd, who lived in the 13th century.