Brahan Seer, The (sixteenth century)

Scottish prophet located rather indefinitely in the Highlands and the Scottish Islands. His name is given as Coinneach Odhar, in Gaelic, or as Dun Kenneth. His powers are said to have come from his scrying stone, a gift of the fairy-folk. When he first looked into this, just before a meal, it showed him that the food was poisoned.
He may be identifiable with a man of his name who was arrested for witchcraft in 1577, on the estates of the earl of Seaforth. Tradition connects the Seer’s most famous prophecy and his death with the Seaforth family. When the earl was away, allegedly on business, the Seer told the countess that her husband was visiting another woman. She had him put to death: he was correct, but his knowledge must have come by unhallowed means and, in any case, he had no right to talk to her like that. He found time to retort by predicting that the last of the Seaforths would be deaf and dumb and his sons would die before him. This happened during the lifetime of Sir Walter Scott. The original prophecy may, of course, have been invented or improved retrospectively.
The same applies with greater force to other prophecies attributed to the Brahan Seer. He is supposed to have foretold the battle of Culloden in 1746, when Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) was defeated. He is even supposed to have foretold railways.
See also
Peden, Alexander; Scrying; Thomas the Rhymer
Further Reading
Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain. London: Readers Digest Association, 1973.
Wallechinsky, David, Amy Wallace, and Irving Wallace and others. The Book of Predictions. New York: William Morrow, 1980.