Hebrides Road Ways Isle of Harris and Lewis Two on the Loose TRAVEL HUMANITIES PHOTOS

The Name "Hebrides" - Ebudae, Haebudae, Suoregar

2010-10-01T11:15:00.003-04:00

Ebudae: From Roman Maps

Often, names reflect a place's history, or prominent persons, conquerors, or events. The Hebrides if seen from the Norse angle (Viking era 850 ff), is the Southern Islands, or Suoregar, see Etymology Online, as opposed to the Northern Islands, the Orkney Islands off Scotland's northern tip. All the R's mixed with the more traditional name from Roman times, Ebudae or Haebudes.

Hebrides is seen by some as an apparent scribe's misspelling from the more ancient "Ebudae" or "Haebudes" -- adding the r. But a look at the Roman source suggests that the R comes from the Viking name, incorporated. Suoregar and Haebudes or Ebudae.

Commercial sites can offer cultural information that the cultural sites miss. Find the translations of Enya songs from the album at ://www.pathname.com/enya/shepherd_moons.html/ The name Ebudae, according to that site, comes from the Latin, from old Roman maps .Enya, Shepherd Moons, Ebudae as Roman Name

Enya has a lovely, haunting song called "Ebudae" from the album Shepherd Moons (no, we get nothing for this approval of a nice song) at Enya, Ebudae, Youtube. Hear the lower tone drone.

Waulking songs:

Old Hebrides Culture: The Shepherd Moons site also identifies the song as a "waulking song"-- traditional to the western Hebrides, a song sung by women fulling cloth. Fulling is a beating of woven wool cloth in water so it shrinks and becomes felt.

Search for Gaelic waulking songs. "Orain Luadh" -- includes the fulling concept. Find them in Wales, Scotland, and for a historical, etymological overview, see Silicon Glen, Scotland, Waulking

Outside: St. Clement's Church, Rodel, Harris

2006-11-20T13:42:00.006-05:00

St. Clement's Church, Rodel, Harris

Here is Harris Island - St. Clement's Church at Rodel. See ://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/rodel. It was dedicated to Alexander MacLeod, in the Gaelic known as Alasdair Crotach of Dunvegan, in 1528 (he died twenty years later). See ://www.treasuredplaces.org.uk/gallery/detail.php?id=82&view=&region=10

How to get there:

We used the car-ferry from Portree, Isle of Skye, see the map at www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usmapindexes/westhighlands.html, in the late afternoon. We arrived at Tarbert, Harris, www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usmapindexes/westernisles.html, just at dusk.

If you look at that map, the dotted line for the Sound of Harris Ferry is the one from Portree, I think. Just over two hours. Do spend time on that little map site. Click on the sights for the best overview of Harris and Lewis.

Do arrive the night before if you have a major site to see. We avoid taking prime morning or daytime on ferries. But arrive before full dark so you can get to an overnight place more safely. We had made a reservation at a B&B before leaving Portree, near where we wanted to be first thing in the morning.

There is a long road from Tarbert to Rodel. We hesitated driving it at nightfall, but prefer a full morning for sightseeing. Be very careful. There was a moonscape-rock-boulder twisty road through steep-sided places to Rodel. People drive methodically, and headlights give you warning. Still, dicey drive. Just go slow around the curves. If this makes you nervous, just sleep over in Tarbert.

See www.visithebrides.com/islands/harris/

At the middle course on the St. Clement's tower, is what some would call a sheelanagig. See the home website for the cataloguing of these at www.sheelanagig.org/, and you can see the telephoto lens close-up: there. It is a woman giving birth.

Sheelanagig at St. Clement's Church, Rodel, Harris

These sheela-na-gigs are usually Irish or English forms, some celtic and pre-celtic, others seen as fertility-type forms at crossroads or on buildings, or at churches. This one is from much later. Holdovers from earlier religions perhaps, but not to be dismissed lightly.

St. Clement's Church is 15th Century, but the sheela-na-gig looks far older, and some sources say that older components like these were incorporated in the newer structures. It certainly to me is not the virgin and child as some sites say, see //www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/rodel.htm. She is not sitting with knees together there. Novelists - secret traditions of safe havens for fleeing figures from the holy land? You pick your own explanations.

There is a long tradition of sheelanagigs - many are almost grotesque, others simply showing a fact of life and in a dignified and not exaggerated way.

Note at the site that they call the form on the tower outside "virgin and child." Not so fast. That form would not be sitting with knees apart. See www.sheelanagig.org/. We all see what we want to see, and it certainly keeps attention away if you just tell people it is another virgin and child. See post on sheela-na-gigs, the outside of St. Clement's here.

More blogs about Hebrides Road Ways.

Inside: St. Clement's Church, Rodel, Harris

2006-11-20T11:25:00.003-05:00

Interior, St. Clement's Church, Harris, the Hebrides. Knight or royalty, tomb.

Resting place, Knights, other headstones, frescoes still visible. This was the home of the MacLeod clan.

Christ on Cross, Interior window, St. Clement's Church, Rodel, Harris, The Hebrides

Interior, St. Clement's Church, Rodel, Harris.

Headstones, vine-patterns, interior at St. Clement's Church, Rodel, Harris, The Hebrides

Tomb of a MacLeod? Interior, St. Clement's Church, Rodel, Harris, The Hebrides

The Church was built in the 1500's. Old headstones and knights. Splendid old tombs - people seem short. This is the resting-place for MacLeods. St. Clement's, Rodel.

We took the Golden Road back toward Tarbert. See an interactive map of the Isle of Harris and Lewis at ://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usmapindexes/westernisles.html/ Click on the sights on the map to get the best overview.

Stornoway - the Ferry Place to mainland Scotland

2006-07-13T09:22:00.001-04:00

Stornoway is the port where you get the ferry from Lewis back to Scotland, to Ullapool. See http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/lewis/stornoway/index.html; and www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usmapindexes/westernisles.html. There also is an airport here.

The Isle of Lewis borders with Harris. Fine fishing town, great seafood. The main town is Stornoway - see www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/lewis/stornoway/index.html.
Fine walk out the long pier.

Callanish (Calanais), Lewis: Standing stones

2006-06-23T08:30:00.002-04:00

Standing Stones, Callanish or Calanais

These are from Calanais, see comparison at www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/lewis/calanais/index.html, on Lewis, the Hebrides. We are doublechecking, because these may be Orkney (Callanish had many more stones, but these could be just the sea view). See //www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/c-nish.htm. See also www.stonesofwonder.com/callanis.htm and //www.isle-of-lewis.com/history/standing-stones.htm".

Either way, we preferred the wild setting of the outlying stones, rather than the manicure of Stonehenge. There also is a comfy visitors' center here.

Viewpoint: These things are more impressive when it takes some pilgrimage to get to, and not just be available for an easy drive up on the motorway. Walk out there, feel the wind and the salt. Think. Fold your arms and look out a long way back.

Amhuinnsuidh Castle -

2006-06-23T08:22:00.002-04:00

Our photo has disappeared. Until we locate it, see www.castles.org/Chatelaine/AMHUINN.HTM" for Amhuinnsuidh Castle. This is out a long way down a road that has no connection to another road back, so be prepared to backtrack.

We thought from the map that it is open to tourists, as any other castle. When we got there, however, it was rented to some artists who were very friendly and let us use the restroom, take a quick look and leave. Would not miss the road out there. How else see the island?

Link storage area - for later use

2005-12-15T20:35:00.000-05:00

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