Brave - What is Young MacGuffin Saying? Translation

So, after seeing Brave several times, it appears Young MacGuffin, who speaks only Doric  (a dialect of English), has just three lines.

The first one is in the scene where the suitors are presented.

He says, "If he was a wee bit closer, I could lob a caber at him, ye ken."

If you know even a little about Scotland, then this one is pretty straight forward.

If you don't, I'll explain a wee bit here: Do you remember in the Highland Games scene when one of the men throws a a log that looks rather like a telephone pole? Well, that log is a called a"caber." The Caber Toss is a traditional Scottish game.
"Ken" is the Scot's word for "know."

Young MacGuffin's second line is right after Elinor turns into a bear and Fergus hears her roar and runs up the stairs to go bear hunting. I honestly can't understand it. To me, to sounded something like "Since yer sayin it I wasna anya say it myself. Og dae gahere wa a liɾle." (I'll go out there and watch a little?!) I'm missing words, possibly have it totally wrong...

Anyhow, just before his line, Lord MacGuffin says, "We haven't had desert yet."

His third line is in the scene where Merida walks into the room in the middle of the battle and then speaks with the lords. When she tells them she thinks they should all be able to find love for themselves the suitors each pipe in.

Young MacGuffin says, ""It's jist nae fair makin us ficht for the hand o the quine that disnae want any bit o it. Ken?" (Found on MetaFilter). The same person who posted this line also posted a translation: "It's just not fair making us fight for the hand of a girl who doesn't want anything to do with it. You know?"

The first and third lines and translations I found in a comment by gnuhavenpier on MetaFilter.  (Scroll down)

The second one, I was trying to figure out by listening to the movie. Doric speakers, please help!!!

I wrote more about Young MacGuffin and Doric in my post: Brave -What is Young MacGuffin Saying?

Brave - What is Young MacGuffin saying?

(For a translation of the lines please see: Brave - What is Young MacGuffin saying? Translation)

In Disney's Brave, no one (in the film and that I know in the audience) can tell what Young MacGuffin is saying. My question is, could he be speaking Scottish Gaelic? The flavor of the words sounded like Gaelic, but I couldn't be sure.

So I looked it up online. Well, the flavor is Gaelic, but he is technically speaking English! IMBD, among other sources, reports that he speaks the Doric dialect (of English).  This is the dialect of the Scottish hometown of the voice of Young MacGuffin,  Kevin McKidd. (The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter )

Kevin McKidd told The Hollywood Reporter, "It definitely is a fanaticized version of Scotland but I think that they did capture the essence and spirit of the landscape and spirit. The humorous and wildness but warmth still exists, really captured that, kind of a love letter to Scotland in a way. I think the landscapes they created were almost more beautiful than Scotland."

There are other interesting facts amongst the trivia. Seems like this was a film of firsts:
IMBD Brave Trivia

Want to learn more and see samples of Doric?
Wikipedia entry on Doric

Brave - a Mother and Daughter Movie / a Film about Family

Bagpipes, clans, kilts, haggis, highlander cattle, a Clydesdale horse (named Angus),"stubborn," fighting between the clans, highland games in which is featured the caber toss, tug-o-war, and Scottish dancing. These are all elements of Scottish culture that were woven into the Disney-Pixar film, Brave.

However, beneath the exterior is a tale that touches on the relationship between many mothers and daughters of just about any nation. The family is one that mirrors many across America. At any rate, I can certainly see mine. It's the mother who runs the family. She is an intelligent perfectionist and visionary who "knows" how everything must be done and what everyone should pursue in their lives.  Fortunately for me, my mother is better at listening than Merida's.  Like Elinor, my mother tries to keep everyone "civilized" when the rest (father included) are goofing off at the dinner table and trying to get her to let us have desserts!  Dad gets himself a big bowl of ice cream and my brothers say, "Dad did it, so why can't we?"

The father, Fergus, is big and strong, loves his family and is a great protector. However, he is lacking in leadership and courage in dealing with family affairs. He didn't know how to handle the betrothal of his daughter. He didn't know how to tell her that suitors were coming and that she was about to be betrothed to one of them and he didn't know what to say to the clans when they arrived. His favorite past-times are fighting and storytelling. He doesn't know how to lead unless it is into a battle. There are many fathers who are good at doing their job to sustain their families but don't know how to approach relationships their daughters have with men.

The mother, Elinor, is the one who ran things, she knew what to say and had expectations for everyone. When her husband got involved in a brawl (and was having a grand ole time) she just gave him a look and he knew she was disappointed. So then, he started making sheepish excuses and then simply said, "I'm sorry."  




Merida, the daughter, doesn't like being ruled over by her mother. It's typical, the daughter doesn't want to be the perfect lady her mother tries to get her to be. Merida wants to run free, have adventures, explore nature, ride, and practice arms!

The triplet brothers are funny little things. They are loved by all in the family despite their pranks. 

Both the mother and daughter had to learn lessons.  This is one of the best things about the film. Many films undermine parental authority, but this one shows both as making mistakes.  It also shows how hasty, desperate actions can lead to events no one wants. How horrible would you feel if your mother turned into a bear and may remain a bear forever because of your actions, accidental as they may be? 

Brave is a great film because it makes you think.

They say, "you never know what you got til it's gone."

Let's not let that happen in our lives. We can do this by learning from Merida and her family.

I am happy to say that the film has a happy ending! Merida and Elinor have a healed relationship. A brighter future is in store for Merida, her family, and the lads from the other clans!

All pictures are downloads made available by Disney on their website: http://disney.go.com/brave/index.html#/downloads/standard/

Stone of Destiny

The Stone housed in the coronation chai

          The Stone of Scone, also called, The Stone of Destiny, is a rock on which the kings of Scotland are crowned.  The English stole it from the Scots and began crowning their kings on it too, thereby making the King of England the King of Scotland also.
          Stone of Destiny, a 2008 film, tells the story of the recapture of this Scottish symbol.  In the 1950s, a handful of Scots set out to bring back the stone and awaken patriotism and passion in their fellow Scotsmen.
          Throughout the film, Robert Burn's beautiful ballad, Scots Wha hae, plays in the background. Sometimes it whispers through the scenes light and delicate; sometimes, when it is played on the bagpipes (the epitome of Scottish music), it marches with strength and vigor.
         This song (my favorite) is very appropriate for the theme of the movie.  It is about the Scottish fight for freedom from the English led by William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.  It is a passionate song about standing up to tyranny and fighting and dying for freedom. The film is also about the Scottish fight for freedom.  By retrieving the stone, these men and women hoped to bring hope and pride to the Scottish people and encourage them to join the nationalist cause that was seeking to gain greater sovereignty for Scotland.
         The music winds through the movie, highlighting the same old fight (England Vs. Scotland), the same old problems (cowards and traitors), and the same old passion (the willingness to lay down one's life to liberate one's country).
          One verse of the song reads, "wha can fill a coward's grave, wha will be a traitor knave, wha sae base as be a slave? Let him turn and flee!" (See glossary below).  In the film, Bill excused himself from making the attempt by saying that he was about to graduate and get married and did not want to put his future on the line in an attempt to rekindle the Scot's dream of freedom. By no means a traitor, he would rather be a "slave" so he figuratively turned and fled.

          The stone thieves stood staunchly around the stone knowing the police were on the way to arrest them, almost smiling as the wailing sirens approached.  My heart sang Burn's lyrics:

 "By oppressions woes and pains

 by our sons in servile chains

we will drain our dearest veins

but they shall be free."

          They sought a better future for Scotland, putting their lives on hold: "we shall drain our dearest veins." They submitted to "oppressions woes and pains,"  in hopes of Scotland's future freedom: "but they shall be free."
         Currently Scotland is in control of all her internal affairs while England controls her foreign policy. Yet, Scotland's yearning for sovereignty has not died: steps towards a complete separation of Scotland are currently in the works and the movement recently gained more support. 
Read Sky News' blog post (titled Scots Wha Hae!) for more information: http://blogs.news.sky.com/boultonandco/Post:bdd69b74-a49a-4b85-9fd3-fffc3a94c89f

IMBd Stone of Destiny page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1037156/

Scots wha hae lyrics: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotlandssongs/secondary/genericcontent_tcm4555675.asp

Scot's Dialect Glossary

wha -- who

hae --have

sae -- so

Brownies

Today I'm going to tell you about brownies! When you hear the word "brownie" what do you think of? Probably a luscious dense chocolaty cake-like rectangular prism, perhaps with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or drizzled with chocolate syrup. Well, that doesn't really have anything to do with literature, so that's not the kind of brownie I'm talking about.  If you think of little uniformed girls from the youngest division of Girl Scouts, then I'd say you were closer to today's topic. For a brownie is indeed a small person who does good, but they're not Girl Scouts.  Brownies are small people of folk lore who "adopt" a house and perform chores at night. In return the family puts out simple food for him, such as fresh milk, an oat cake, or a bowl of porridge on the hearth. The brownie usually stays hidden from site and although they are seldom seen they should never be taken for granted or angered, I repeat: NEVER. Their needs are so simple yet they are fussy creatures.  I heard a story where a man was boasting to a friend about how his brownie did everything for them and that he did not need to work any more and assumed that the brownie would always be at his service.  The brownie was so angered he left. Also, when a brownie is angered he turns into a bogart. The bogart will wreak havoc on the household before leaving the place and no longer serving that family.  As I said, their needs are simple: respect and food.
Any changes in the way you treat a brownie may result in his turning into a bogart or else his peaceful departure as a brownie. One book I read told that even changing the arrangement of his food may anger him into a bogart.
Even an extra act of kindness may send the brownie off in search of another household. Seeing the weather growing colder, a girl made some wool garments for Aiken-Drum (the brownie) and left it with his porridge.  He did not become a bogart, but he left the town because he had been paid with clothes. (This story is called, "The Brownie of Blednoch" and appears in "The Book of Elves and Fairies" from Dover Publications.)
Brownies live in Scotland, so unless they've immigrated, probably the only brownie doing chores around your house is your helpful girl scout. Also, if traveling in Scotland I'd be careful about talking about how delicious brownies are, or you might have some angry bogarts on your hands...
Well, I hope this has been an informative discussion on these over-looked but helpful little people and their evil side: the bogart.