The Naughty Little Book of Gaelic

Michael Newton, Arden Powell

• Publisher: Cape Breton University Press
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781927492758
• Topic: Ciencias sociales
• Subtopic: Costumbres y tradiciones

Scottish Highlanders, and their descendants all over the world, are no better and no worse than any other people where "sinful" behaviour is concerned. Standards of morality and social conventions changed dramatically during the 19th century – and most of the people engaged in recording and commenting upon Highland life and tradition were puritanical ministers and priests who left out the racy bits. So, while there are many useful books that provide a wide range of Scottish Gaelic vocabulary to express many aspects of daily life – except, for the most part, the topics covered in this book.

Sex

The relatively large size of human genitalia (in contrast to those of other mammals) indicates that evolution reflected and reinforced a strong human interest in sex, even if cultures have surrounded it with taboos to prevent us from taking our natural instincts too far.

Since entering the Gaelic world in the 5th century, Christianity has been trying to reshape moral standards and social behaviour. Although religion had a profound influence, the Gaels were never a prudish people. There was a Gaelic – indeed, a Celtic – tradition of composing poems in praise of genitalia (male and female) which spanned several centuries, one example of which is given below.

Religious pressures on secular Gaelic society increased dramatically from the late 18th century onward and drove sexual material underground. Even the church’s pathological desire to control behaviour and compile catalogues of sins and punishments acknowledges the overwhelming power of human sexuality.

Terminology

Genitalia

bigein — genital (male or female)

boicionn — foreskin or vaginal folds

breall — lump, glans (male or female)

croiteag — genitals, especially female

gobhal — crotch

Female G...