Beithir

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The Beithir is a large serpentine creature in Scottish mythology. Probably the mythological figure of great grass snakes as that grass snake ( Natrix natrix ) or European eels ( Anguilla anguilla ) due.

etymology

The word beithir means "lightning, big snake, wild animal, bear" in Scottish Gaelic. In Irish and in the older Scottish Gaelic language it can also mean “bear”, although the word “mathan” is more common today. Since the “bear” denotes strength in Celtic , the term was also transferred to the “warrior”, which is why it can also be a metaphor for “warrior”. The scientist James MacKillop believes that the word beithir was derived from the Old Norse word for "bear" ("bjǫrn") or "lightning". However, this reference is more of a speculation.

mythology

The Beithir is considered to be one of the Fuath . It is reported that these can be observed when flashes of light can be seen in the sky.

Although the creature has a long tail, it cannot be compared to the wild dragons in Germanic mythology. A mountain south of Glencoe is called "Ben Vair" or "Ben Vehir" and is said to remind of a Beithir who sought refuge there.

John Gregorson Campbell wrote that one had to remove the head of a snake from its torso so that the two parts would not reconnect, thereby bringing them back to life as Beithir.

In the Celtic Review of 1908, the folklorist EC Watson writes that the Beithir is an inhabitant of mountain caves and mountain basins, describing it as a "poisonous and destructive creature". He believes that popular belief is related to the fact that lightning looks like a snake.

Fantasy games

The Beithir's creature is often used in fantasy games where it represents a dragon-like, snake-like being. She appears as "Behir" in Dungeons and Dragons, but also as "Starving Beithir" in HellRealm.

Topographic terms

  • Beinn a'Bheithir: Hiking trail from Ballachulish over the Munros ridges, Scotland
  • Beinn a'Bheithir: "Blitzberg" (1024 m), south of Ballachulish, south of Loch Leven , Glencoe , Scotland

bibliography

literature

  • Theresa Bane: Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology, McFarland 2013, p. 53, ISBN 978-1-4766-1242-3
  • Gary R. Varner: Creatures in the Mist: Little People, Wild Men and Spirit Beings Around the World: A Study in Comparative Mythology, Algora Publishing 2007, p. 129. ISBN 978-0-87586-545-4
  • Eberhart, George M .: Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology, ABC-CLIO 2002, p. 44. ISBN 978-1-57607-283-7

Dictionaries

  • Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Alexander MacBain, Eneas Mackay, 1911
  • Faclair Gàidhlig Dwelly Air Loidhne, Dwelly, Edward (1911), Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan / The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic-English Dictionary (10th edition), Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, ISBN 0-901771-92-9
  • Malcolm Macleannan: A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Acair and Mercat Press 1993, p. 35, ISBN 0-08-025713-5
  • MacKillop, James: “beithir”, A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (online ed. 2004), Oxford University Press
  • “Beithir” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913-1976

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Malcolm Macleannan: A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Acair and Mercat Press 1993, p. 35, ISBN 0-08-025713-5
  2. ^ Theresa Bane: Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology. McFarland, Jefferson (North Carolina) 2013, ISBN 978-1-4766-1242-3 , p. 53.
  3. ↑ http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095456325 (accessed August 24, 2017)
  4. ^ Gary R. Varner: Creatures in the Mist. Little People, Wild Men and Spirit Beings around the World. A Study in Comparative Mythology. Algora Publishing, New York 2007, ISBN 978-0-87586-545-4 .