Cain bairns
Cain bairns or kain bairns were infants who, according to Scottish superstition, were seized by warlocks and witches, and paid as a tax or tithe to the Devil.[1][2][3][4] Càin is a Gaelic word for a tribute, tax or tithe, and is the origin of the Lowland Scots term "kane",[5] while "bairn" means a child.[6]
The word was in use along the Scottish Borders, according to Walter Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.[1]
It is unconnected with Cain in the Bible.
Notes[]
- ^ a b Mackay, Charles (June 25, 1888). "A Dictionary of Lowland Scotch: With an Introductory Chapter on the Poetry, Humour, and Literary History of the Scottish Language and an Appendix of Scottish Proverbs". Ticknor – via Google Books.
- ^ Buchan, John (1927). Witch Wood. ISBN 978-0755117215.
- ^ Warrack, Alexander (1911). A Scot's Dialect Dictionary. ISBN 978-1902407098.
- ^ Murray, John (1874). The Ballads and Songs of Scotland. ISBN 9780999255889.
- ^ "Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND :: kane". Dictionaries of the Scots Language. 2004. Archived from the original on 2018-12-24.
- ^ "Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND :: bairn". Dictionaries of the Scots Language. Archived from the original on 2015-04-05.
References[]
- MacKay, Charles (1888). A Dictionary of Lowland Scotch. Ticknor.
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