The Cailleach (Witch) of Ben-y-gloe
by M. G. Lewis
In the year 1773, two poachers set forth from the Braemar country in quest of deer ; the weather had been lowering for some time, and when they arrived at Tarff Side, they were overtaken by a snow storm ; it was not, however, severe ; and when it cleared up, the wind being north, they soon got a parcel of deer out of the forest of Atholl : these made a long start, as they always do when the wind is in that quarter ; thus the men had them quite away from the preserved part of the forest, and in a situation where they were not likely to be interfered with.After considerable manoeuvring, which occupied the greater part of the day, they wounded a hind, and traced her a long distance by her blood-drops on the snow. In the mean time, as the day drew near a close, the wind rose, and the snow-blast returned with greater violence; and having been intent on following the traces of the wounded deer, they had wandered about till they were completely lost. In this condition they heaped up a few stones and turfs, and having their plaids, and some oat- cake and whiskey with them, passed the night without any very serious inconvenience.
The dawn brought no alleviation to their anxiety ; the winds howled, and the snow fell, so that no outline of mountain or landmark could be seen. It was now no longer a question of killing deer, but of saving their lives. The wind, which continued north, was their only guide ; and by turning their backs upon it, they avoided the brunt of the storm, and had hopes of reaching Glen Tilt or the strath of the Tay. The snow had drifted in such masses, that they were unable to pursue any decided line, and it was so deep in all places where the wind had not acted upon it, that their advance was very slow and laborious.
The small stock of provisions which they took out with them was exhausted; the wind got more into the east a change they were not aware of so that in turning their backs upon it, they travelled towards the west instead of towards the south, as they fancied they were doing.
At length, when night was setting in, they saw a deep and unknown glen of joyless aspect before them; they descended into it, to avoid the bleak winds of the summits, and had proposed to put up a few stones and turfs for shelter during the dark hours. Whilst they were looking for a convenient spot, to their great relief they discovered a shieling, deserted, as they imagined, as buildings in such remote places usually are in the winter. What, then, was their surprise, when, upon approaching the door, it was at once opened, even without their knocking?
A woman presented herself, of a wild and haggard aspect; told them she had been expecting them, and that their supper and beds were ready. Even so they found it the pot was boiling, and bannocks and oat-cake were placed upon the table, and also two plates, for the expected guests. There was something so extraordinary about this old woman, that it operated as a sort of fascination, and the men's eyes were continually turned upon her. She had large features, long lank hair, and small grey eyes, deeply sunk, and conveying a striking expression of vice and cunning ; she halted on one leg, and chaunted a wild song, in an unknown language, while she was pouring out the kail.Tired and exhausted as the men were, the whole thing appeared to their superstitious imaginations so much like witchcraft, that although half famished, they could scarcely bring themselves to eat. Fear came upon them, when she waved her long sinewy arms, and darkly hinted that she had power over the winds and the storm, muttering at intervals some unintelligible sentences ; then at once holding up a rope, with three knots tied in it,
If, quoth she, I louse the first, there shall blaw a fair wind, such as the deer-stalker may wish.If I louse the second, a stronger blast shall sweep o'er the hills.
And if I louse the third, sic a storm will brack out as neither man nor beast can thole ; and the blast shall youle down the corries and the glens, and the pines shall fa' crashin' into the torrents, and this bare arm shall guide the course o' the storm, as I sit on my throne of Cairn-Gower, or the tap of Ben-y- gloe.
Weel did ye ken my po'er the day, when the wind was cauld and deidly, and all was dimmed in snaw, and ye see that ye was expectit here, and ye hae brought nae venison.But if ye mean to thrive, ye maun place a fat hart, or a yeld hind in the braes of Atholl, by Fraser's Cairn, at midnight, the first Monday in every month, while the season lasts, the laird's ghaist will no meddle wi' it.
If ye neglect this my bidding, foul will befall ye, and the fate of Walter of Rhuairm shall o'ertake ye ; ye shall surely perish on the waste; the raven shall croak your dirge ; and your banes shall be pickit by the eagle.
Awed, superstitious, and depressed as they were by fatigue, the poachers were not backward in giving the promise, though it is not very probable that they ever performed it. They passed the night in deep sleep, and it was late before they rose from their beds of heather, when they asserted that their hostess had vanished.
The snow-storm having ceased, they found their way into the track which led to Blair, and got into the strati i of the Tay. This is supposed to have been the last time that the witch of Ben-y-gloe held converse with mortal man; but those who were less given to superstition, be- lieved that the woman had been expecting her own friends, who were probably also poachers detained by the storm, and that she had made use of the above artifices in order to obtain venison.
Days of Deer Stalking
William Scrope, 1883
The Wife of Ben-Y-GhloeDonald and Big John (Domhnull's Iain mor) were out deer-hunting on the lofty mountain of Ben-y-ghloe, in Athol in Perthshire, when a heavy snowstorm came on, and they lost their way. They came to a hut in a hollow and entered. The only one in was an old woman, the like of whom they said they had never seen. Her two arms were bare, of great length, and grizzled and sallow to look at. She neither asked them to come in nor go out, and being much in need of shelter, they went in and sat at the fire. There was a look in her eye that might 'terrify a coward,' and she hummed a surly song, the words of which were unintelligible to them.
They asked for meat, and she set before them a fresh salmon trout, saying,
"Little you thought I would give you your dinner to-day."
She also said she could do more, that it was she who clothed the hill with mist to make them come to her house. They stayed with her all night. She was very kind and hospitable. She told her name to them when leaving, that she was 'the wife of Ben-y- Ghloe.' They could not say whether she was sith or saoghalta (Elfin or human), but they never visited her again.
Superstitions of the Highlands
John Gregorson Campbell, 1900, p 125