S3 



•says Achaius assumed the thistle in combination with the rue : 

 the thistle, because it will not endure handling ; and the rue, 

 because it would drive away serpents by its smell, and cure their 

 poisonous bites. The thistle was not received into the national 

 .arms before the fifteenth century. 



C. palustris — Marsh-thistle. Gaelic: cluaran leana {cluaran, 

 a, thistle ; lean, a swamp ; 



" Lubadh cluaran mu Lora nan sion." — Ossian. 

 Let the thistle bend round Lora of the storms. 



Cluaran, a general name for all the thistles ; also Giogan. 

 "Welsh : ys gallen. Manx : Onnane. 



C. lanceolatus — Spear-thistle. Gaelic: an cluaran deilgneach, 

 the prickly thistle (deilgne, prickle-thorn). 



C. arvensis — Corn-thistle. Gaelic: aigheannach, the valiant 

 -one (from aighe, stout, valiant Feochdan (O'Reilly). 



C. marianus — Mary's thistle. Gaelic: fothannan beannuichte. 

 Irish : fothannan beahduighte (Latin : benedictus), the blessed 

 •thistle (so called from the superstition that its leaves are stained 

 with the Virgin Mary's milk) ; fothannan, foghnan, fonndan, a 

 thistle. Fofannan breach, Bearnan breech (Threl), and fofannan 

 Muire, all names for this thistle. (C. benedictus was the "blessed 

 thistle.") 



This Gaelic name for thistle is variously spelt in old Irish 

 jmthann, "raw or rough twig" (Macbain). The thistle is 

 frequently mentioned in Gaelic poetry. 



' ' Leannaibh am foghannan. " — Ossian 



Pursue the thistle-down. 

 " Feadh nan raointean lom ud 



Far nach cinn na fotK nain. " 



Among these bare hillsides, 



Where the thistles will not grow. 



M 'Donald has another name, cluaran bir, the gold thistle. 



' ' Gaoir bheachainn bhui 's ruadha 

 Ri diogladh chluaran bir." 

 The buzzing of yellow and red wasps 

 Tickling the golden thistle. 



It is uncertain to which thistle, if any, the reference is made, 

 unless it be to Carlina vulgaris, the carline thistle. Cluaran, 



