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The Wounded Cateran by Robert Carrick
The term cateran (from the Gaelic ceathairne, a collective word meaning "peasantry") historically referred to a band of fighting men of a Scotland Highland clan; hence the term applied to the Highland, and later to any, marauders or cattle-lifters.[1] An individual member is a ceithernach or catanach, but Walter Scott calls an individual a cateran (e.g. in Rob Roy, Chronicles of the Canongate). According to Randy Lee Eichoff it derives from Old Celtic 'cat' (battle, war) and 'nach' (man, fellow) Catanach means war-man, warrior. Its plural is ceithern or ceithrenn or caithereine or kettering or kettenring and several other spellings.
They are mentioned in the Dunkeld Litany:
A cateranis et latronibus,
a lupis, et omni mala bestia,
Domine, libera nos.
From caterans and robbers,
from wolves, and all evil creatures,
Lord, deliver us.
Magnus Magnusson states that some Highland chieftains retained substantial private armies of professional soldiers, known as 'ceatharn', to be used against their neighbours[2]
Problems arose when the third royal son of King Robert II, Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan (the King's Lieutenant for areas of Scotland north of the Moray Firth) began using a force of 'caterans' himself. Subsequently, the word 'cateran' came to refer to those Highland bandits or malefactors.
Caterans feature in many Scottish novels and short stories, notably Hamish MacTavish Mhor in Walter Scott's 'The Highland Widow'.
Stories of the Cateran cattle-raiding tradition of the Scottish clans can be found in 'School of the Moon' by Stuart McHardy.
^One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cateran". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 512.
^Magnusson, Magnus (2000) Scotland, The Story of a Nation, page 211
The term cateran (from the Gaelic ceathairne, a collective word meaning "peasantry") historically referred to a band of fighting men of a Scotland Highland...
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Museum Ben Lawers Blackhall Roman Camps Blair Atholl Mill Blair Castle Cateran Trail Cairngorms National Park Castle Menzies Clan Donnachaidh Centre Cluny...
symbolic traditional and ceremonial weapon of the Highland Cathairean (cateran or warrior), is worn by officers, pipers and drummers of Scottish Highland...
northern side of the B951, which forms part of the 64 miles (103 km)-long Cateran Trail. Built in 1844, it is a Category C listed building. Highbury House...
its fundraising activities: The Cateran Yomp – The annual Cateran Yomp sees participants trek across the 54 mile Cateran Trail in Blairgowrie, Perthshire...
considered the start and finish of the marked 64-mile (103-kilometre) Cateran Trail long-distance walk which follows a circular route through Glenericht...
Wood and Dunsinane Hill, famous from Shakespeare's Macbeth Blair Castle Cateran Trail Dirnanean House Drummond Castle Dunkeld Cathedral Edradour Distillery...
the site is for sale. The village also provides a stopping place on the Cateran Trail waymarked long distance footpath which provides a 64-mile (103 km)...
Huguenot insurgency in the beginning of the 18th century in the Cévennes Cateran - Scottish clan warriors and marauders pre-18th century. Çetes - Muslim...
deliberately disregarding charges regarding his personal conduct. Buchan's use of cateran supporters drew criticism from Northern nobles and prelates and demonstrated...
Island 198.75 1409 Bird Island 0.017 0 Black Island 0.05 0 Border Island Cateran Bay 3.066 0 Cid Island Bench Point, Gilling Point 2.95 0 Cowrie Island...
forested shores. The name Katrine has also been hypothesized to represent cateran, from the Gaelic ceathairne, a collective word meaning cattle thief or...
(disambiguation) Battle of Culloden Jacobite risings Eilean Munde Lochaber axe Cateran Raids of Urquhart Rannoch Moor and the Loch of the Lost Sword. Mac an Tàilleir...
shinty stick. Also in use in Scotland the derived camanachd, shinty. Cateran From ceatharn [ˈkʲʰɛhərˠn̪ˠ], fighting troop. Ceilidh From céilidh [ˈkʲʰeːlɪ]...
Pitlochry. The Dirnanean estate is situated adjacent to the 64-mile waymarked Cateran Trail. Dirnanean's steading house, lime kiln and shepherd's house are all...
world literature" and studded his articles with such words as "esurient", "cateran", "cisisbeism" [sic], and "erethism". Tynan and the actor Harold Lang co-wrote...
Scotland's Great Trails pass through the park: the Speyside Way and the Cateran Trail. A skiing and winter sports industry is concentrated in the Cairngoms...
leadership of the clan passed from kinsman to kinsman. Ardchattan Priory Cateran Dun-le-Catti, Hill of the Cats in Daviot and Dunlichty Dunlichity Church:...
Churchmen and burgesses made repeated complaints about the attacks of raiding caterans, the most notable being the burning of Elgin Cathedral by Alexander Stewart...
singer of Middle of the Road Cartoone, band Nicola Cassells, soprano The Cateran, rock band The Cathode Ray, alternative band Ceilidh Minogue, ceilidh band...
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Austria Zeller Ache, a river in Upper Austria Ache, 1989 album by The Cateran "Ache", 1992 song by Jawbreaker from Bivouac "Ache", 1992 song by No Doubt...
Lives. A collection of poems titled Dancing Underwater, was published by Cateran Press in September 2009. He is so far perhaps best known for his biographical...
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