Fòram na Gàidhlig

Hello all,

Hoping that there may exist a term in Gealic for a "clan storyteller", i.e. the story teller of the clan.

I suppose just the phrase "The Storyteller" would work, but wondering if there may exist a term specifically used for one who relates the history or genealogy of a specific clan.

Any help would be most appreciated!!

Thanks!

Mike S

OK - Guess I posted too quickly!

Does the term "Seanchaidh" work in this sense??!!

Thanks!

That's the one.

You'll have to settle for just "storyteller" -- "storyteller of the clan" is untranslatable as there's no word in Gaelic for "clan".

That may sound weird seeing as we all know the word "clan" comes from the Gaelic "Clann". But (for example) "Clan Campbell" is an anglicisation of "Clann Caimbeul" -- literally "children of The-Guy-With-The-Crooked-Mouth". Get rid of "Caimbeul" and you're just left with "children". So if you try to literally tr*nsl*t* "clann storyteller" you're left with "children's storyteller".

So as I said, just stick with the one word.

The Gaelic for clan is actually cinneadh.

'Storyteller' can be Seanchaidh or Sgeulaiche

So you could have Seanchaidh/Sgeulaiche a' Chinnidh.

As Níall says, the word clann means children, NOT clan.

Uill, I ain't no expert (or even wypert) on Gaelic tradition etc., but I've definitely come across the term "Shannachee" (i.e. Seannchaidh) as an ancient and venerable term for a traditional teller of Celtic (and, probably, pre-Celtic) mythology (stories) in the Goidelic-speaking world (nowadays, Ireland, Scotland, Man and, maybe, Nova Scotia). So, to qualify such a person with "clan" would usually be superfluous (e.g. would only be necessary if you were referring to the fact that the storyteller always smoked a pipe charged with Clan tobacco).

Thus, yes, one can tr*nsl*t* "clan" into Gaelic - but it's irrelevant to do that if you're already using a term that means "traditional storyteller".

Thanks all - I've been looking more into the word seanchaidh/seanchaidhean - I think "clan" is more or less inferred - I wasn't looking sepcifically for the worl "clan" to be included, but some cultures diferentiate between just someone who tells stories and someone who tells the stories, history, genealogy, etc. of a specific clan or tribe of peopel. Didn't know if Gaelic made the difference.

Thanks for the help!

BTW - do I have the plural correct?? Seanchaidhean ??

Yep, that's correct

chaidh post-d a chur timcheall le comman ceilteach an oilthigh agam 's e a' bruidhinn air taghaidhean 's ag innse cò na h-àiteachan a tha rin lìonadh, "shanachie" nam measg.