Taghairm, sometimes interpreted as "spiritual echo," or calling up the dead, was an ancient Scottish mode of

divination Divination (from Latin ''divinare'', 'to foresee, to foretell, to predict, to prophesy') is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout history ...

. The definition of what was required varied, but often involved torture or cruelty to humans or animals and sometimes included animal

sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...

. The Scottish writer Màrtainn MacGille Mhàrtainn describes three different ways of consulting spirits common in the Scottish

Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebri ...

in the 17th century. All involved acts which were supposed to summon spirits or demons in the form of animals which would answer questions concerning the future. In one version of the taghairm said to be one of the most effective means of raising the

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

, and getting unlawful wishes gratified, the ritual included roasting cats alive, one after the other, for several days without tasting food. This version of the taghairm supposedly summoned a legion of

s in the guise of

black cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...

s, with their master at their head, all screeching in a terrifying way. The ritual is described in Gustav Meyrink’s book on John Dee, ''The Angel of the West Window.''Meyrink links the ritual to perhaps a fictional goddess, “the Black Mother, Isaïs.” Meyrink, p. 70. An 1825 text described a different technique: A similar description was given for taghairm in Trotternish in a 1772 account of the region, and a number of closely matching accounts with hides and waterfalls can also be found, with some additionally including the diviner being beaten for a while with a pole or a staff after being covered by the animal skin. Scottish historical novelist 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 ...

scornfully described a third method in a footnote to his influential poem '' Lady of the Lake''. He further adds that it could involve another situation "where the scenery around him suggested nothing but objects of horror." However, Scott could not speak

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 ...

and his concepts of Gaelic culture were sometimes distorted. Other variations practiced have been recorded, and the same name has also been applied to other ritual customs. One variation of the ritual was said to summon a demonic cat called Big Ears, who would grant the summoners answers to their questions and fulfill their wishes. The last ceremony of this kind is said to have been performed on the island of Mull in the beginning of the seventeenth century, and was recorded in the London '' Literary Gazette'' of March 1824.Briggs, Katharine (1976). ''An Encyclopedia of Fairies''. Pantheon Books. pp. 23 ("Big Ears"), 388-9 ("Taghairm"). .

Other regions

The animal skin and waterfall method of divination was also known in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

References

{{Wiktionary Cruelty to animals Divination Scottish folklore