Literary notes about taisch (AI summary)
Literary usage of "taisch" spans a spectrum from the supernatural to metaphorical, lending depth to narratives steeped in folklore and cultural tradition. In some works, it represents a ghostly apparition or vision—qualities underscored by its Gaelic roots as a spectre and a form of second sight ([1], [2], [3]). At times, it fuels ambiguity in character perception, inviting readers to question whether a presence is human or something uncanny ([4], [5]). Moreover, the term is interwoven with cultural belief systems and personal odysseys, reflecting both the persistence of ancient lore and the modern skepticism toward spectral tales ([6], [7], [8], [9], [10]).
- In the Erse it is called Taisch ; which signifies likewise a spectre or a vision.
— from Life of Johnson, Volume 5
Tour to the Hebrides (1773) and Journey into North Wales (1774) by James Boswell - sgéinnidh , twine, flax or hemp thread; taisch , the voice of a person about to die, second sight, Gael.
— from Rustic Speech and Folk-Lore by Elizabeth Mary Wright - In the Earse it is called Taisch; which signifies likewise a spectre, or a vision.
— from A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland by Samuel Johnson - he asked himself, with a start,—‘a woman, or a taisch?—a Christian soul, or an ugly spirit?
— from Lady Kilpatrick by Robert Williams Buchanan - I should have put it down to a kind of inverted taisch , certainly to nothing stronger.
— from Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Daniel Turner Holmes - {291} It may surprise many southerners to know that the belief in taisch is not by any means extinct.
— from Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Daniel Turner Holmes - I am afraid the vast majority of taisch tales are dreadful nonsense.
— from Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Daniel Turner Holmes - Taisch has taken me a long way from Dunvegan, of which I meant to say something.
— from Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Daniel Turner Holmes - "Is it to be a mute vision, Allan?" again said Graham; "or see you any signs of a taisch ?"
— from Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 15 - A good deal is said of this Taisch , or “Second Sight,” in Dr. Johnson’s “Journey to the Hebrides,” and some striking anecdotes are told.
— from Curiosities of Superstition, and Sketches of Some Unrevealed Religions by W. H. Davenport (William Henry Davenport) Adams