dòbhar-chù

The "king" of all the lakes and father of all otters, according to Scottish Gaelic folklore. On land he can kill man and beast and drink their blood. His snout is powerful enough to break rocks. The animal goes at the head of every band of seven, or nine, otters and is never killed without the death of a man, woman, or dog. The animal has a white spot below the chin, on which alone it is vulnerable. Some say the white spot was under the otter's arm pit and about the size of a sixpence.

Its skin has magic power, and a piece of it keeps misfortune away from the house in which it is kept. It will also render a soldier invulnerable in battle. In Raasay and the opposite mainland, the magic power was said to be in a jewel in its head, which made its possessor invulnerable and secured good fortune.

It is called also the King Otter (Rìgh nan Dòbhran).

❧