226 WHALE 



mhara^ n)en-iiiara,mial-l)uirn, inial-nihara,mial-mhor, mial-moir (Ir.), 

 mial-mor-mara (leviathan), nior-mhial or mliil, morvil (Old Brit.), 

 muc-bhioracli, muc-nihara, muc-sgideil ; Ore, ore-rad (Ir.), oreab ; 

 Parn ; Reasuall, roehuaidh, roreual, rorual ; Siome ; lire. 



Bottlenose, bueker; Chaffer (round-lipped), craspic, crespeis ; 

 Feyadin, finner, fin whale, fyardeng ; Gal Ian (Lewis) ; Herring- 

 hog, huddone, huddum, hwael (A. S.), hwel ; Narwhal ; Pike- 

 headed bottlenose ; Qual, (juhale ; Tymbrell ; Unicorn-fish. 



The Teutonic type Hwala, any large fish ; the sense is " roller," 

 closely allied to word "wheel." The word "leviathan," as applied 

 to whale, is said to be from a word signifying to twist, curve, etc., 

 more in the case of "eel" or "sea-serpent," however; orcab 

 signifies the son of the waters. Arc, ore, tore, urc, signify a 

 whale ; Orkney is ore ey, whale island ; arcamh or airc-have, 

 signifies the swine or whales of the ocean ; innis thorc, innse 

 ore, the island of whales (Orkney), or innistore, properly innistorc. 

 The words " Blagh-mhial, bleid-mhial, or bleidh-mhial " are merely 

 compounds of the words "blagh" (obs.), puff, blow, and "mial," 

 an animal, the puffing or blowing animal. The Lowland Scottish 

 word " blaw " and English " blow " both come therefrom. " Orca " 

 is the old Armorican for water ; while " mial-buirn," as is seen, 

 means " water-animal." The round-lipped whale is called grampus, 

 also chaffer ; if fishers are bothered by its following their boat, a 

 coin thrown out at it causes it to disappear — a stone or piece of 

 wood has been found, however, to be equally effective. The 

 sperm-whale is, in Irish, called " mil-moir," and the sperm itself 

 "ambra," or "Silni an mil moir, siol na mial' moire." The monks 

 of Dunfermline had a grant from Malcolm IV. of all the heads 

 of the whales, called " Crespeis," caught in the Firth of Forth ; the 

 tongues were the king's perquisite. In Sean dana we read, " Bha 

 nuallan thonn mu Innse-orc." There was a sound (howling) of 

 waves round the islands of whales. Milton uses the word " ore " 

 in " An island salt and bare, the haunt of seals and ores and sea- 

 mews' clang." 



The Gaelic term " muc-sgideil " signifies a small whale or 

 " splasher." The word or term " orc-rad " for a whale is to be 

 found in Saltair-na-rann. In the Senchtis mor the bones of the 

 whale are described as a necessity for making of the backs of 

 sieves and saddle-trees, or hoops, where there is no timber. The 

 life of the whale is said to average 400 years, but no foundation 

 for this is given. 



Seachd roin, sath mhial-mhor-mhara, seachd mial-mor-mara, 

 sath cirein-croin. 



Seven seals a whale's feed, seven whales a ceeran crone's. 



Note. — The former, at least, must mean some other great 

 "sea monster," as whales do not feed on seals, nor can they 

 swallow such. 



