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The Galley
The Galley comes in
various forms; it may have its oars in action or crossed in saltire;
it may have a flag, a cross or a flaming beacon at the masthead; it
may or may not have a crew of various numbers; it may be in, or out
of the water; its sails may be furled or unfurled and it may have a
salmon crammed into the same quarter swimming under it.
Two of its most famous appearances are as the Galley of the Isles
and as The Galley of Lorne used by two of the lines of Somerled's
progeny - the MacDonalds and the MacDougalls.
But it was earlier in use on the seals of the Isle of Man and there
can be little doubt that this is the symbol of Norse Royal power.
Sir lain Moncreiffe, indeed, derives it from the symbol used to
denote the male embodiment of the old pagan goddess-spirit Nerthus -
the Earth Mother - from whom the old Peace-Kings of Uppsala claimed
descent and whose symbol was a crescent-moon-shaped Galley. This may
be taking it a bit far - I don't know - but the galley was the real
instrument for the application of power in these seas for many a
century and its own symbolism, I should have thought, was powerful
enough.
The Hand
This, too, appears
in different guises. It may be on its own or it may be holding a
cross - usually a cross crosslet fitchy - or, in the case of the
Clan Chattan, sometimes a heart or a dagger.
But it is still The Red Hand?
Best known today as The Red Hand of Ulster, this is the ancient
heraldic device of the O'Neills, once High-Kings of Ireland who
traced their descent from Neil of the Nine Hostages.
In conjunction with the Cross it implies a connection with St.
Columba himself a scion of the O'Neills - The O'Donnell being the
Coarb and Chief of the Kindred of St. Columba.
Niall of the Nine Hostages, if indeed he existed, was early enough,
but the Red Hand even predates him in literature since it appears on
one of the anners o the Fiann in Ossianic poetry.
The Salmon
This is a most
mysterious symbol and one which is clearly of great importance.
Salmon appear frequently in early Celtic mythology as a symbol of
Wisdom and Knowledge. They are also a symbol of eternity with their
mysterious return to their birthplace from the outermost ocean where
they recommence the life cycle - also for their strength and beauty.
Their Knowledge springs from their having eaten the red hazel nuts
of Wisdom that fall into the water of the sacred wells from the
hazel trees that surround them - the red spots on the salmon's belly
derive from this.
This knowledge can be passed on by eating the flesh of the salmon A
famous instance of this was the case of Finn MacCool, the mythical
leader of the Feinn, the war-bands of young men whose deeds are
commemorated in the heroic poetry that is said to spring from the
composition of Finn's son Ossian. His great rival was Diarmid whose
death he eventually encompasses.
And of course there is the famous story of Somerled himself' whose
decision to take on the Norse is said to have been taken as a result
of his finally catching the salmon that had long eluded him.
In many civilisations it is the serpent who is endued with magical
powers but in Ireland there are no snakes and it is the salmon that
takes its place. They have connotations with immortality and when an
Irish King defeated another, a ritual killing of the fish in the
vanquished king's stew-pond took place.
Even today, the salmon is a Royal Fish and Salmon fishing rights are
retained by and dispensed by The Crown
Clearly it is a powerful symbol. To my mind there is a pagan feel to
it; I do not think it is the txoua of early Christianity and wonder
if it is not a reference to the Old Religion of the Celts, or more
accurately, to a person or family connected with it.
On a different note, I have been told by Professor Per Andraesson
that although the salmon is a rarity in Norse heraldry he has seen a
coin dating back to Jutland in the 8th century which has both a
salmon and a galley on it. And even today its use is clearly
important to status. When MacCailein Mor goes to the Oban Ball he is
clad in a doublet decorated with silver salmon as is Maclean of
Duart. And the Campbell chief also displays the mysterious salmon
semee on his Standard.
I mentioned earlier the Campbells of Inverawe and the six salmon
that decorate the border of their gyronny coat. |
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