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Gruagach (Uamh nan) [Jura]

Jura, Argyllshire.

A sea cave at the foot of a low cliff off a sandy beach. Accessible by land only at low tide. Despite its remote vlocation, the cave is suppoesedly a popular spot for exploring and is home to a variety of marine life.

Uamh nan Gruagach - Applies to a cave situate on the West coast of Jura, immediately East of Ruah' a' Chaiginn Liònta; and about ½ a mile North East of Beinnein Liath, Signification - Cave of the Spinster.

Alternative Names: None recorded.

Notes: Gruagach translates either as Hairy Goblin or Fair Haired Young Woman (or both) depending on which version of the legend you read (or hear).

A gruagach is a local land spirit in Scotland, who is said to look after cattle in the summer pastures, to make sure they don't wander off and come to any harm. It seems that to a certain extent the gruagach has come to be conflated with a brownie (or Glaistig), which is probably not too much of a stretch considering the fact that they are both helpful to humans (with caveats), and will both take themselves elsewhere if you give them clothes. [Tairis]

Gruagach - "Long-haired one." A brownie who haunted farms and byres. It was never seen except for its shadow on the wall as it flitted about. The gruagach is usually perceived as a long-haired, well-dressed female, but in parts of Skye, the fold-frequenting gruagach is a tall young man, with long yellow hair, and in the attire of a gentleman of a bygone period. He has a slatag (little switch) in his hand. This gruagach was attentive to the herds and kept them from the rocks. He was to be found in every gentleman's fold (buaile), and, like the glaistig, milk had to be set apart for him every evening in a hollowed stone, called clach-na-gruagach. Unless this was done no milk was got at the next milking, or cream would not rise to the milk's surface. Others say that milk was only placed in the gruagach stone when going to and returning from the summer pastures and when passing with milk.

One of the gruagach's favorite tricks was to untie the cattle in the byre, which would bring out the milkmaid, especially if she had forgotten to leave an offering of milk. On entering the byre, the gruagach was heard laughing and tittering in corners. Beyond this diversion he seemed to have been generally harmless. He sometimes walked alongside of people, but was never known to speak.

A gruagach was found in Troda, an island off the east coast of Skye. Stones where the libations were poured out may still be found at Holm, East-side, and Scrorrybreac, near Portree. A female gruagach or glaistig followed the herds in Breas; the stone in which her portion of the milk was poured is in Creagan na Glaistig an creag mhor Mhic Cuinn (Macqueen's Big Rock).

The Gaelic name for the tooth fairy is gruagach nam fiaclan. [Encyclopedia Mythica]

"The long-haired one," from the Gaelic gruag, a wig. The gruagach was a fairy being with protective duties in Scottish legends, apparently of either sex, but generally female. The gruagach was particularly associated with cattle, and milk was laid aside for him or her every evening-otherwise no milk would be given at the next milking. Usually this being was of a beneficent nature, although it occasionally made mischief by loosing the cattle so that the herders had to get up, sometimes several times during a night, to tie them up. This apparently caused the gruagach much impish delight.

Among the many stories of fairies, there are tales in different parts of Scotland about the gruagach. It seems that this fairy commonly had long hair and was well dressed, whichever sex it happened to be. [Encyclopedia.com]

Some sources conflate the stories of McPhie's Cave and Uamh nan Gruagach attempting to merge the two stories.