A New Charm for an Ancient Tradition
St Fillan’s Healing Stones in their bed of river wrack at The Old Mill.
I place these stones in the water,
To lay them in the wrack
Taking the charm of Fillan,
The charm of life
The charm of sound mind
The charm of healing.
The charm that was given by Fillan for thy good health.
Putting stone to head.
Putting stone to heart,
Putting stone to bone,
Putting stone to sinew,
Putting stone to body, between chest and sole, one, two, three.
I bathe these stones in the water and lay them in the wrack.
To cleanse and keep them as blessed by Fillan.
For the next full year from this day.
For sound mind,
For sound body
For peace.
***************************
The new charm for Killin has been commissioned by The Old Mill Killin and created following extensive research to try to see if there were any traditional recorded words or sayings, spoken word charms or blessings associated with the tradition of lustration: of washing the stones in the Falls of Dochart annually and re-bedding them in fresh river wrack.
The Falls of Dochart.
Writer Amanda Edmiston (Botanica Fabula) has worked with the Old Mill Killin on intergenerational projects (Story Spinning and The Schools 65th birthday celebrations), in the village for the past three years and has previously talked to older residents in the community and former residents further afield, gathering oral histories of the village for her project the Kist in Thyme, which took social history and stories of Scottish folk traditions to The National Museum of Rural Life and The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford amongst others and contributed elements to Amanda's first book: The Time Traveller's Herbal.
Unfortunately, none of these projects offered any further traditions associated with the stones other than the still observed Christmas Eve washing and re-bedding. Older oral histories contained in the School of Scottish studies archive were the same. Former mill owner Graham Wilson and Killin's William Walker were both recorded in 1964 as saying they only knew of the tradition as it stands today and whilst there are mentions of the healing traditions surrounding the stones recorded in the studies and research of MacLagan, MacNeill and others, they do not add anything other than what we already know.
To this end Amanda has written the new blessing with regard for historic form and patterns associated with words that can transmit a little magic and meaning to objects and situations.... you may spot that there are three verses, each is six lines long and Fillan is mentioned in each verse, so three times, the words also ask the listeners to subconsciously start feeling better and. to consider the power of the stones to enhance their health, so without even realising, the charm will have started to work as the words are spoken and heard!
Sources informing the piece include the 9th or 10th century Merseburg incantation, which has recorded variants in Ireland, Orkney and Shetland associated with healing sprains. The collected works of Alexander Carmichael held in the Carmina Gadelica (1900), in particular the Lustration (associated with washing or cleansing with water) and the Charm of Lasting Life, which both had elements appropriate to the many healing possibilities for Fillan's stones.
“Bidh mi a’ cur na clachan, seo san uisge
Gus an cur anns an ealchainn
A’ gabhail seun Fhaolain
Seun na beatha
Seun na h-inntinn fuaim
Seun na leighis
An seun thug Faolan, airson do shlainte mhath
A’ cur cloiche gu ceann
A’ cur cloiche gu cridhe
A’ cur cloiche gu cnàimh
A’ cur cloiche gu lùitheach
A’ cur cloiche gu colann, eadar com agus bonn, aon, dhà, trìIonnlaididh mi na clachan sin anns an uisge, agus
A’ cur mi iad anns an ealchainnA ghlanaich agus a chumail mar a bheannaich Faolan
Airson na h-ath bhliadhna iomlan, bhon latha seo
Airson inntinn fuaim
Airson colann fallain
Airson sìth
”
Amanda is hugely grateful to Stirlingshire based teacher Gaelic speaker and choir leader Mhairi MacKay for translating her poem, from English into Gaelic and hopes that everyone takes this new piece of writing in the spirit in which it us intended, to carry on the traditions, innate beauty and healing associated with our ancient folklore, memories and stories.
Airson sìth, For peace.
Christmas Eve 2024
Amanda Edmiston 2024
