Gormshùil Mhòr na Maighe

Gormshùil Mhòr na Maighe (‘The Great Gormula of Moy’) was a wise woman from Lochaber. There are various stories about her with myriad variations on each telling. She had second sight, and hunters and fishermen would seek her blessing for a successful outing. She is said to have saved the life of Cameron of Lochiel when she warned him that a meeting with the Duke of Atholl over setting the boundary between Lochaber and Perthshire was a trap and he should take more men to defend himself- and so it turned out. Another story recounts that she sunk a ship of the Spanish Armada that had reached Tobermory Bay on Mull- this is the legend depicted in this painting. In some versions she takes the guise of a black crow...

According to legend Gormshùil died when she accidentally drowned in a burn between Gairlochy and Achnacarry when attempting to catch a salmon in the burn. In some versions she was en-route to save her son wrongfully arrested and about to be hung by the same Duke of Argyll whose life she had saved.

As contributed by Laura Howell

Image: aintign and collage on canvas. Artist is Laura Howell

This story and image were submitted as part of a collaboration with the UHI West Highland Creative Arts programme.