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- DictionaryBodach/ˈbəʊdəx/
noun
- 1. a man, especially a peasant or an old man.
- 2. a ghost; a spectre.
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Bodach is a figure from Irish and Scottish folklore who is often depicted as an old man. In Scottish folklore, Bodach is sometimes portrayed as a specter or a bugaboo. The word has been used by authors such as Sir Walter Scott in his works to describe supernatural beings.
The term “Bodach” has its roots in Scottish Gaelic and simply means “old man” or “old husband.” In the context of folklore, it is used to refer to a malevolent supernatural being or spirit rather than an actual elderly man.
- Tigh Nam Bodach
- The Bodach and Cailleach Stones
- The Coming of Samhain
- The Folk Tale Behind Tigh Nam Bodach
- Blessing and A Curse
- Links to The Nine Maidens
- Other Local Traditions Relating to The Stone Figures
- Other Bodach Connections
- Bodach and Cailleach Features Together
- Changing Roles For The Bodach
The shrine literally means ‘The House of the Old Man’. It is not, however, a house in the common sense of the word. Rather it is a miniature stone bothy or sheiling with a turf roof. Nor is this the original structure. The stone walls need to be reconfigured every few years. What is it that compels the locals to take care of this place? Perhaps it ...
There are seven stones altogether. The tallest of the stones, with a feminine torso and slender neck, is said to represent the Cailleach. In ancient times, the Cailleach was worshipped as the Goddess of Winter and Creator of humankind. Around her are ranged her spouse, the Bodach, the Nighean (their daughter) and another four stones said to represe...
With the coming of Samhain, the ancient Gaelic festival we now celebrate as Halloween, the stone figures are returned into the shieling to spend the winter months undercover. They are brought outside again each year, with the coming of Beltane.
The unique ritual has deep roots in folklore. According to Doctor Anne Ross: “The fragments … which have survived orally tell of an event which happened ‘many years ago’ when, in an unusually fierce snowstorm, an unnaturally large man and woman were seen coming down the mountain-side of the upper glen. They asked the people who were still settled t...
Thus, the Cailleach and the Bodach provided a blessing through the year to that which people found most precious – their land, cattle, families and clan. However, there is also a Geas or Taboo attached to the stones. If anyone is to mishandle the stones or remove them from their house “very bad things” will befall them.
The first published reference to the site in a Perthshire history book from 1888, states : “Shielings in the area were in use until after 1782 and the inhabitants regularly thatched it. Within there were twelve stones resembling human beings, perhaps associated with St Meuran and his eleven disciples” (Campbell 1888). Some believe the writer avoide...
Local author and traditional storyteller Jess Smith has said: “Water stones mould rather than break up or go jaggy, so they can take on the form of a human or an animal, and there is power in them.” Smith spent much of her childhood on the road around Glen Lyon: “We heard about the drovers throwing meal and bread to the stones or their cattle would...
Interestingly, there are other Bodach and Cailleach stones in other locations. On the Island of Gigha, the most southerly of the Hebridean Isles, stand another pair of stones similar in size and shape to the Glen Lyon stones. Similar legends are given to them. Surely this is no coincidence. Throughout Scotland, landmarks are named after the Bodach....
In the Cairngorms, the mountain Am Bodach is paired with the nearby A’Chailleach. Then there are two distinctive rocks off the coast of Cape Wrath which share these names. So widespread are their names that it seems that these were ancient deities venerated through the local landscape. Where the Cailleach’s name was used, the snow encircling the hi...
When Christianity arrived, the early missionaries blended the ancient beliefs with the new religion. Brìde was beatified to become Saint Brigit. The Cailleach and the Bodach were vilified. The Cailleach became an old hag, jealous of the spring and the Bodach became a bogeyman who would snatch the unwary from the safety of home and hearth. In other ...
The Bodach, roughly pronounced “BOH-dahk,” finds its place in Northern European folklore as a creature of the night, a harbinger shrouded in enigma and mystery. It’s often depicted as an old, dark figure—less a solid entity and more a wisp of shadow, ethereal yet profoundly unsettling.
Quick Reference. [Ir., churl, clown; ScG, old or churlish person; cf. OIr. botach, serf, peasant]. A form of the bugbear or bug-a-boo in Scottish Gaelic and Irish folklore which in recent years has served only to torment naughty children.
11 hours ago · Bodach an Chóta Lachtna. [Ir., churl or clown in the grey coat].Character in a number of folk-tales in the Fenian Cycle, some of which bear his name as a title. The Bodach is huge and ugly, but he helps the Fenians in a foot-race with a challenger, sometimes called ‘Ironbones’.
Define bodach. bodach synonyms, bodach pronunciation, bodach translation, English dictionary definition of bodach. n 1. Scot an old man 2. Irish a mysterious and malevolent spirit, often appearing as a premonition of death or disaster Collins English Dictionary –...
