The water bull, also known as ''tarbh-uisge'' in
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
, is a mythological Scottish creature similar to the
Manx ''tarroo ushtey''. Generally regarded as a nocturnal resident of moorland
loch
''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots language, Scots and Irish language, Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is Cognate, cognate with the Manx language, Manx lough, Cornish language, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh language, Welsh w ...
s, it is usually more amiable than its equine counterpart the
water horse
A water horse (or "waterhorse" in some folklore) is a mythical creature, such as the , , the and kelpie.
Name origin
The term "water horse" was originally a name given to the kelpie, a creature similar to the hippocamp, which has the head, ...
, but has similar amphibious and
shapeshifting
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, Magic (paranormal), sorcery, Incantation, ...
abilities.
The water bull is said to reproduce with standard cattle, the resulting
progeny distinguishable by the small size of their ears. According to some myths, the calves of water bulls and ordinary cows ought to be killed at birth by any method other than drowning – they cannot be killed by drowning – to avoid bringing disaster to the herd. Conversely, in northern areas the calves are considered to be of superior quality.
Etymology
Lexicographer
Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries.
* Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries.
* Theoreti ...
Edward Dwelly
Edward Dwelly (1864–1939) was an English lexicographer and genealogist. He created the authoritative dictionary of Scottish Gaelic, and his work has had an influence on Irish Gaelic lexicography. He also practised as a professional genealogis ...
translates ''tarbh-uisge'' from the
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
as "water bull, sea bull or cow" with the addition of "fabulous" within parentheses. The Celtic term for a bull is fairly consistently rendered as ''tarbh'' in Scottish Gaelic; ''tarroo'' is the
Manx variation and ''tarw'' is the Welsh equivalent. ''Uisge'' is the Scottish Gaelic word for water, river or stream.
Folk beliefs
Description and common attributes
Belief in the existence of water bulls persisted in Scotland until at least the last quarter of the 19th century. As with many mythological creatures, descriptions are imprecise. The water bull is able to
shapeshift
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...
into human form, and live on land or in water. It can be a monstrous, malevolent black beast, especially when described as a ''tarbh-uisge'', but not as nasty as the ''
each-uisge
The each-uisge (, literally " water horse") is a water spirit in Scottish folklore, known as the each-uisce (anglicized as ''aughisky'' or ''ech-ushkya'') in Ireland and cabyll-ushtey on the Isle of Man. It usually takes the form of a horse, an ...
'' or water horse. It can also be amiable and sometimes helpful. It differs from the Manx ''tarroo ushtey'', which is more likely to be a resident of
marshland
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...
.
As in the case of
kelpie
A kelpie, or water kelpie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Each-Uisge''), is a shape-shifting spirit inhabiting lochs in Scottish folklore. It is usually described as a black horse-like creature, able to adopt human form. Some accounts state that the kelpie ...
s and water horses, most myths about water bulls are about males of the species. Occasionally a water cow is mentioned, as in the Highland tale set at
Borrodale on
Skye
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...
, where a water cow was reputed to reside in a small loch. Canine carcases left out to trap the beast were ignored. Sir
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...
also refers to a water cow in a story about an attempt to drain Loch na Beiste to kill one believed to be living there.
The Manx water bull mating with an ordinary cow usually results in the death of the cow after she produces a dead and "rude lump of flesh and skin without bones", whereas its Scottish counterpart produces live calves whose only deformity is apparent in their ears. The bulls have no ears themselves and therefore produce calves with only half ears, described by
folklorist
Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...
and
Tiree
Tiree (; gd, Tiriodh, ) is the most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The low-lying island, southwest of Coll, has an area of and a population of around 650.
The land is highly fertile, and crofting, alongside tourism, and ...
Minister
John Gregorson Campbell
John Gregorson Campbell (1836 – 22 November 1891) was a Scottish folklorist and Free Church minister at the Tiree and Coll parishes in Argyll, Scotland. An avid collector of traditional stories, he became Secretary to the Ossianic Soci ...
as "knife-eared". Water cows living at
Leverburgh
Leverburgh ( gd, An t-Òb is the second largest village, after Tarbert, in Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Leverburgh is within the parish of Harris. In 1971 it had a population of 223.
History
In his 30s, English businessman William ...
produce offspring with disfigured crimson or purple-coloured ears.
Folklorist
John F. Campbell noted a story told on
Islay
Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The isl ...
, one of the
Inner Hebridean islands, which demonstrates the usefulness of having a water bull. Just after a calf was born to an ordinary cow, an elderly lady, later identified as a
witch
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...
, advised the herdsman to keep it separate from the other cattle, presumably after she noticed its deformed ears and suspected it was a water bull. She instructed the herdsman to rear the calf on milk from three different cows and to keep it confined in a stable for a minimum of seven years. Years later, a young woman was grazing cattle at a nearby loch when she was approached by an attractive man. He struck up a conversation with her and shortly afterwards the pair sat on the grass with his head resting in her lap, but as he fell asleep she discovered
seaweed
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
entwined in his hair, a sign that he was a water horse. She started to run back to the farm. Her suitor awoke, shapeshifted into his true equine form and chased after her. As the woman ran towards the farm, the witch shouted to the herdsman to release the water bull from the stable. The two creatures fought until they fell into the sea. The water horse never returned, but the remains of the bull were found the following day.
Capture and killing
Accounts of snaring and destroying the beast are rare, as it is not generally considered to be a threat. In 1819
John MacCulloch
John MacCulloch FRS (6 October 1773 – 21 August 1835) was a Scottish geologist. He was the first geologist to be employed by the government in Britain and is best known for his pioneering texts on geology and for producing the first geologica ...
, a noted
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
, described how inhabitants around the areas of
Loch Awe
Loch Awe (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Obha'') is a large body of freshwater in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such ...
and
Loch Rannoch
Loch Rannoch (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Raineach'') is a freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is over long in a west–east direction with an average width of about , and is deepest at its eastern end, reaching a depth of .Tom Weir. ...
tried to capture a water bull by shackling a sheep to an oak tree as an enticement, but the
tackle was not strong enough. Another story describes a farmer and his two sons hunting a water bull. The farmer's
musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...
was filled with silver
sixpence coins as the beast can only be killed with silver.
According to
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed a ...
scholar James MacKillop, because the calves of water bulls and ordinary cows might bring disaster to the herd, they are supposed to be killed at birth; it is impossible to kill them by drowning, so other methods have to be used. Conversely, stories published in 1937 by the clergyman George Sutherland suggest these hybrids are considered to be of superior quality to normal pedigree cattle in the far north of Scotland.
Origins
The bull appears to have had a sacred role in a number of
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
cults. The animal was viewed positively by the Celts as an image of fertility and abundance; one tribe, the Taurini, even adopted the bull's name. It is unknown how it came to be associated with bodies of water in the form of the water bull, but historian and
symbol
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...
ogist Charles Milton Smith has suggested that such mythological creatures might originate with the water spouts that can form over the surface of Scottish lochs, which can give the impression of a living form as they move across the water.
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{Scottish mythology, state=collapsed
Scottish folklore
Scottish legendary creatures
Scottish mythology
Water spirits