fi lm J ulia-1301‘

s §onietg

FOR COLLECT ING AND PRINTING

RELICS OF POPULAR ANTIQUITIES , &c.

ESTABL ISHED IN

THE YEAR MDCCCLXXVIII.

PUBLICATIONS

THE FOLK-LORE SOCIETY

COUNTY FOLK-LORE

VOL. 111.

PRIN TED EXTRACTS N o . 5

EXAMPLES OF PR INTED FOLK-LORE

CONCERNING THE

ORKNEY SHE’

I‘

LAND ISLANDS

COLLECTED BY

G . E* §LA C KAND EDITED B Y

NORTHCOTE W. THOMAS

What kin d o f a coun try o f guisards an d gyre-carlin e s is th is ?

SCOTT, Tbe Pirate .

fln blizluh for tlu g out-Eo n § n ciztg by

DAVID NUTT , 5 7—5 9 LONG ACRE

LON D O N

PREFACE.

THE materia l fo r the following pag es was brough t together

some years ago by Mr. G. F. Black, and would have been

pass ed through the press by him but for his absence from

En g lan d . Mr. Black having gone t o reside in the Un ited

S tates s ince he placed h is co llections in the hands o f the

Co unci l for publi cation , the Society is indebted to Mr. N .

W. Thomas fo r undertaking the duty of editing the MSS .,

as wel l as fo r some additio nal matter,and fo r the care he

has bes to wed o n the whole wo rk. The Council des ire toexpres s their thanks to the compilers of the vo lume

, t o Mr.

Gilbert Goudie, Mr. A . K Will iamson , and the Rev.Thomas Mathewso n , for notes communicated to Mr. Black,an d to thos e owne rs o f copyright works wh o have per

mit ted extracts therefrom t o appear in th e ensuin g pages .

I t may perhaps be well t o remind members of the scope

an d o bject o f the series of County Fo lklore volumes ;namely

,to bring together in an acces s ible form the

scat tered no tices o f local folklore which occur in lo cal

reco rds , o ld t0pog raph ie s , travellers’ diaries, miscellaneo us

perio dica ls,and o ther such out-o f-the-way sources . I t is

des igne d t o form a reco rd o f th e past , n o t a dwcript io n o f

th e present. Hence info rmatio n from ora l or modern

sources is o nly exceptio nal ly used o r quo te d in its pages .

vi Pr eface .

The present volume , therefo re, borrows no thing from the

interes ting little work o n Ske tlan d Folklo re by Mr. John

Spence, o f the Schoolhouse, Vas sa , Shetland

(Lerwick : John son and Greig, reviewed in Folklore ,XII. , 3 3 0. Th e two boo ks i l lus trate and supplement each

other. Bes ides info rmation about the prehis to ric an tiqu i

ties o f the Shetlands , Mr. Spence gives a detai led account

o f the supers tition s and cus toms co nnected with fishing,anecdotes of trows , s elkie s

,witches , and Finns

,some

not ices o f fes tival customs,and a go o d deal o n medical

magic, with some incantations and wo rd-charms , and

upwards of a hundred and fifty pro verbs . He informs us

(p. that “Forker’s Pig,” the bowl s tolen from the

Trows,describ ed by Mr. Edmo n ds to n and Mrs . Saxby in

the pass age quo ted infra , p . 3 0 , is n ow i n h is poss ess ion ,but he does not men tion the belief recorded by them ,

that

the ointment in the “pig was never exhaus ted .

One curious point about the fo lk lo re o f the islands may

be noted. With two exceptions only (infra , pp. 3 5 ,

n o item o f plant-lore has been recorded by any writer

consulted .

The Norwegian Earldom of Orkney and Shetland,ma in ly

inhabited by a Scand inavian population s ince the time of

its colo nisation from Norway in the n in th centu ry, was n o t

annexed to S cot land til l the fifteenth . Th e No rn lan

guage continued to be the ordinary speech of the peopleduring the s ixteenth century, l ingeri ng in Orkn ey to the

end o f the seventeenth , and in Shetland to the middle o f

the eighteenth . We find the witch-trials o f the s eventeen th

century conducted in the native Law-t ing ,and the doom :

pronounced by the native Demps ter, though th e official

Preface .

record of the proceedin gs is couched in l iterary Lowland

Scottish. Even to this day the o ld Norn Yule-tide

festival prevai ls over the Scottish Hogman ay. With a past

so simple, so well ascertain ed , an d differing so entirely

from that of any other part o f the United K ingdom , the

modern parl iamentary county o f Orkney and Shetland

affords a s ingularly favourable field for the inves tigation of

that ethno logical s ide of folklore, to elucidate which is the

prin cipal object o f the County Series .

By order of the Co un ci l .

E. W . BRABROOK , Pres ide n t 190 1.

For accoun t of th e Uph e llyA’or Yule -tide fe s t ival as n ow

celebrated at Le rwick, se e Folklore, vol. xiv., p. 74.

CONTENTS .

PAGE

LIST o r AUTHORITIES,

PART I .

SUPERSTITIOUS BEL IEFS AND PRACT ICES .

INORGANIC NATURAL OBJECTS, 1 - 12

Ho ly Place s— Sto n e s— Ho ly We lls an d Lo chsBuildin g s— S ea.

PLANT SUPERSTITIONS,

ANIMAL SUPERSTITIONS,

12—20

I n s e cts— Birds -An imals— Fish an d Reptile sSpo n g e s .

GOBLINDOM,zo—so

Brown ie s , fairie s— Luridan — Wilkie— Po lte rg e is tVarious .

W ITCHCRAFT, 50- 1 3 9

Ge n e ral— Fo rmulae— Trials .

LEECHCRAFT, 140—1 52

Ge n e ral— Spe lls— Charms .

MAGIC AND DIVINATION, 15 3-161

An cie n t We apo n s— S torm-rais in g

— Misce llan e ous— Spe lls— Coun te r Charms— Divin atio n .

SUPERSTITIONS GENERALLY, 161- 193

Misce llan e ous— Se a an d Fishin g— Se lkie s .

PART I I .

TRADIT IONAL CUSTOM S .

FEST1VAL CUSTOMS,

CEREMON1AL CUSTOMS,Weddin g

— Fun e ral.

GAMES,

LOCAL CUSTOMS,

PART I I I .

TRAD IT IONAL NARRAT IVES .

TALES,

Sag as— Marche n — Cumulative Tale s .

BALLADS, SONGS, AND MUS IC,

PLACE LEGENDS AND TRAD1T1ONS,

DRAMA,

PART IV.

FOLK SAYINGS .

COUNTING-OUT RHYMES,

PROVERBS,

LOCAL TEE, TUE, OR NICKNAMES,

APPENDIX.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS,

NAMES,

GLOSSARY,

2 16-2 18

2 18-2 19

220-228

263-265

265-268

27 1-4 77

PRINCIPAL WORKS REFERRED TO .

Abbotsford Club M scellany. Trials fo r Witchcraft , Sorce ry an d Supe rs ti

tio n in Orkn ey.

”Prin ted in M iscellany of the Abbotsford Club, v. i.

pp. 1 3 3-186.

Barry. H is to ry o f th e Orkn ey Is lan ds , in cludin g a view o f th e Man n e rs an d

Customs o f the ir an cie n t an d mode rn In habitan ts , &c. By Rev. Dr.

Ge o rg e Barry. 2. ed . with co rre ct io n s an d additio n s by Re v . JamesH e adrick. Lo n do n , 1808 .

Be n , jo . Descriptio In sularum Orchadiarum, in An n o 1529. By JO.

Be n [i.e. John Be lle n de n }. Forms App. v n. of Barry’s History, 2. ed .

PP. 4 3 7-50 0

Blin d, Gen t leman’s Mag azin e . New Fin ds in She t lan dic an d We lsh Fo lk

lore .

”By Karl Blin d. Published in Ge n tleman

’s Mag azin e , v. cclii.

March, April, 1882 .

Blin d, Nme teen tlz Ce n tury. Discove ry o f Odin ic So n gs in She t lan d. By

Karl Blin d. N in eteen”: Cen tury, 1879, v. v. pp. 109 1-1 1 1 3 .

Blin d, Con temporary Review. Sco ttish, She tlan dic, an d Ge rman ic Wate r

Tale s .

”~By Karl Blin d. Con temporary Review, v. xl. pp. 186-208 ,

3 99-423

B lin d, A rc/zceo log ical Review. A Grimm’s Tale in a She t lan d Fo lklore

Ve rsio n . By Karl Blin d. Arcfia olog ical Review, 1888 , v. i. pp.

Blin d, N ew Review. She tlan d Fo lk-lo re an d th e o ld faith o f th e Teuto n s . By

Karl Blin d. N ew Review, v. xi. pp. 612-623 .

B ran d. A New de scriptio n Of Orkn ey, Ze t lan d, Pigh tlan d-Firth, an d Caithn e ss . By Re v. John Bran d. Edin burgh, 170 3 .

Buckley. Ve rtebrate Faun a o f the Orkn eys . By J . A . Harvie Brown an d

Buckley. Edin burgh, 1894 .

Burg ess . Some She t lan d Fo lklo re . By J . J . Haldan e Burg e ss . Scot t islz

Review , v. xxv. pp. 91-10 3 . Paisley, 1895 .

Clzamoers . Popular Rhyme s o f Sco tlan d. By Robe rt Chambe rs. New

ed . Edin burgh,

x Prin cipal Works R eferred to .

Chambers’sjourn al. She t lan d Marriag e . Chambers

’sjourn al, Edin burgh

1860 , vo l. xii. pp. 3 83 , 3 84 .

Con n’

e . She t lan d : Descriptive an d His torical an d Topographical De scriptio nof that Coun try. By Robe rt Cowie , M .D. 3 . ed. Abe rde en , 1879.

Dalyell. The Darke r Supe rstitio n s of Sco t lan d. By John Graham Dalye ll.

Edin burgh, 18 3 5 .

Den n ison . Th e Play 0’de Lathie Odive re . By W. Traill De n n iso n .

Pub lished in th e Scottish An tiquary , v. viii. pp. 5 3 -58.

Den n ison . Orkn ey Fo lklore . Se a Myths . A se rie s o f pape rs by W.

Traill De n n iso n , published in th e Scott is lc An t iquary , vo l. v. pp. 68-7 1 ,

1 3 0-3 3 , 167-7 1 ; vi. 1 15-12 1 vii. 18-24 , 8 1 , 1 12-120 , 17 1-177 .

Doug las . Sco t tish Fairy an d Fo lk Tale s . Se lected an d Edited with an

In troductio n by Sir Ge o rg e Doug las . Lo n do n , 11.d.

Edmon ds ton , Glossary. An Etymo log ical Glossary o f th e She t lan d an d

Orkn ey Dialect . By Thomas Edmo n ds to n . Edin burgh, 1866.

Edmon dston , Slietlan d . A view o f th e an cie n t an d pre se n t state o f the Ze tlan d

Is lan ds in cludin g the ir Civil, Po litical , an d Natural His to ry, An tiquitie s ,&C. ByArthur Edmon ds to n , M .D. 2 v. Edin burgh, 1809 .

Edmon dston , Sketches . Ske tche s an d Tales o f th e She t lan d Islan ds . By ElizaEdmo n ds to n . Edin burgh, 1856.

Edmon dston an d Saxby. Th e Home o f a Naturalist . By Rev. Bio t

Edmo n ds to n an d his siste r, Je ssie M . E. Saxby. Lo n do n , 1888.

Emerson . Po e tical De scriptio n s o f Orkn ey, M .DC.L11. : The Characte r o f

Orkn ey. By J . Emerso n . Prin ted, Edin burgh, 183 5 . [A scurrilouswork , but co n tain in g some items of Fo lklo re . ]

Fea . Pre se n t State o f th e Orkn ey Islan ds co n s ide red . By Jame s Fe a.

Prin ted at Ho lyroodhouse , 177 5 .

Fea . Th e Prese n t State o f th e Orkn ey Is lan ds co n side red. By Jame s Fea.

Edin burgh, 1884 .

Fergusson . Ramble s in the Far No rth . By R. Me n zie s Fe rgusso n . 2 . ed .

Pais ley, 1884.

Fothm'

rg ham. Orkn ey Charms . By F. [W. H . Fo the rin gham . ]In No te s an d Queries , 1 se r. vo l. 11. pp. 220 , 22 1 . (In 1848 Mr.

Fo the rin gham commun icated the se charms to th e Socie ty o fAn tiquarie s

o f Sco t lan d (MS . Commun icat ion s , vo l. viii. , 1842 with th e s tate

me n t that they we re foun d amo n g th e family pape rs o f th e Traills o f

We stray. )

Frazer's Mag . Man n e rs , tradit io n s , an d supe rstitio n s o f th e She tlan ders .

[A summary o f the in fo rmatio n o n the se po in ts in Hibbe rt , Bran d, Old

an d New Stat . Accts . , Witch Trials , e tc. ] Fraze r’s Magazin e , 1846 ,

VOLm v’ pp' l 47 ' 158 s

Prin cipal Wores R efe rred to . xi

Gom’

e . Summers an d Win ters in the Orkn eys. By Dan iel Gorrie . z ed.

Lon don [1869].

Can die .

She t lan d, 1740-1803 ; with se lection s from local records an d orig in aldocume n ts re latin g to the district . Edited by Gilbert Goudie , F.S.A.

Soo t . Edin burgh, 1889. [Sco t tish Histo ry Socie ty Publicatio n s ]

Ham . A da cription o f th e She t lan d Is lan ds , comprisin g an accoun t of

their Ge o logy, Scen ery, An tiquities, an d Superstition s. By Samue l

Lauren son , Pro . Soc. A n t . Soot . On certain Be lie fs an d Phrases of She tlan d Fishe rme n .

”By Arthur Lauren son . In Pmceedin g s , Soci ety Of

AM M ¢&NM , 1874, v. 11. pp. 7 11-7 16.

Low. A Tour through th e Is lan ds OfOrkn ey an d Sche tlan d, con tain in g Hin tsre lative to the ir An cie n t , Modern , an d Natural History. Co llected in

1774 . ByRev. Ge org e Low. Kirkwall. 1879Low, Faun a . Faun a Orcaden sis . By Rev. Ge o rge Low. Edited byW. E .

Leach, M.D. Edin burgh, 18 13 .

Macbeatk. The Orkn eys in Early Celtic Times . By J . M . Macheath .

Macben rie . Gae lic In can tatio n s , Charms an d Bles sin g s Of the Hebrides .ByWilliam Macken zie . I n vern es s , 1895.

Maitlan d Club M iscellany. Acts an d S tatutes o f the Lawtin g , Sh eriff,

an d Jus tice Courts within Orkn eyan d Ze t lan d, 1602 in Mait lan d

Man e /i . Ge ographical e lucidation s o f the Sco t tish an d Irish loa l n ames

occurrin g in th e Sagas. I. The Orkn eys . ByP. A. Mun ch. Mémo ires

de la Société Royale de s An tiquaires de No rd, 184 5-49, pp. 208-265.

New Slan t . Acct . The New Statis tical Accoun t of Sco tlan d. 15 vo ls. Edinburgh, 184 5. (Th e Accoun ts o f Orkn ey an d She t lan d fo rm v. xv. , eachwith separate pag in atio n . )

old S tat Acct . S tatistical Accoun t of Sco tlan d . 2 1 v. Edin burgh , 1791-99.

Reid. Art Ramble s in She t lan d . By John T. Reid, Edin burgh, 1869.

Rog ers . Social Life in Sco t lan d from Early to Recen t Time s. By Rev.

Charles Rog e rs , LL.D. 3 v. Edin burgh, 1886.

Saab) . Th e Birds o fShe t lan d. ByHen ry L. Saxby. Edin burgh, 1874.

Scott . The Pirate . By Sir Walte r Sco t t . Edin burgh, 189 1.

saw . The De scriptio n of the Isles o fOrkn ay an d Ze t lan d. By Sir RobertSibbald . Edin burgh, 17 1 1.

S in clar. Satan’s In visible World Discove red. By Georg e Sin clar. Reprin t

ot ed. of 1685. Edin burgh, 187 1.

xii Pr in cipal Works Refe rr ed to .

S tewart . She t lan d Fireside Tales ; or the Hermit of Trosswickn ess . ByG .

S. L. [t.e . George Stewart , Le ith]. Edin burgh, 1877 .

Tetgn mout/t . Sketches of the Coas ts an d Is lan ds o f Sco tlan d. By LordTeig nmouth. 2 v. Lo n do n , 18 3 6.

Thomas , Pro. Soc. An t . Soc. A She tlan d Ballad. By Capt. F. W. L.

Thomas . Proceedin g s of Me Socie ty of An t iquaries qf Scotlan d, 185 1 ,

v. i. pp. 86-89.

Tudor . The Orkn eys an d She tlan d ; the ir past an d prese n t state. By Joh nR. Tudo r. Lo n don , 188 3 .

An accoun t of the Is lan ds o f Orkn ey. By James Wallace . l et .

«1. Lon do n , 1700.

ERRATA.

Pp. 1-8o , passim for Edmo n sto n ren d Edmo n ds to n .

P. 5 5 , lin e 3 , for Sin clair read“ Sin clar.

P. 65 , lin e 12, for“ bame

”read

“ be cam .

”

P. 159. lin e 29 , fo r“49 n read

P. 195 , lin e 22,for

“ San ds tin ey. Alths tin ey read”San d

s t in g . Alths tln g .

"

PART I.

SUPERSTITIOUS BEL IEFS AND PRACTICES .

(a) SUPERSTITION S CONNECTED WITH

[ NORGANIC NATURAL cz'

s .

HOLY PLACES.

Un st . Sw in an es s is cons idered to o sacred to put

spede in t i l,”fo r there the s e a-kings were wont to co n

tend, and many bloody battles were fought there. A

man chanced to delve a small bit of verdant turf inSwin an e s s , wherein he sowed corn in hopes of reaping arich harves t ; but when the corn grew up it was found thatthe s talks were fi l led w ith blood (cf. I. It and I I . a ),

and the ears dro pped s alt tears in the place o f tenderdew.

— EDMONSTON and SAXBY, p. 224 .

Un s t . Field of the Dead — There is a piece o f groundat Burrafio rd (and another near Notwick) known by thatname

,which mean s field o f the dead . Th e ground is

uncultivated , and the traditio n is that no one mus t putspade in it , or misfortune will certain ly befal l that individual . Once a woman dared the o ld belief

,and dug up a

portion of the death-rig. Shortly afterwards her bes t cowdied . No thing daunted , the rash dame delved next year,and actual ly sowed corn on the spot . Then her husbanddied

,an d after that sh e let the rig alane.

Th e suppos ition is that the death-rigs are battlefields .

EDMONSTON and SAXBY, p . 224 .

A

2 Supers titious B eliefi a n d Practices .

Hills . Fo r hills as residence o f fai ries s ee I . d ; see al so

I . d, “Wilkie’s Knolls.”

STONE .

Orkn ey, Bun n ie . Tire S ton e of Odin — A young manhad seduced a girl u nder promise Of marriage , and sh e

proving with child, was des erted by him : The yo ung manwas cal led before the ses s io n ; the elde rs were part icu larlyseve re. Being asked by the min is ter the cause o f SO muchrigour, they answered, You do not know what a bad manth is is ; he has broke t he promise Of Odin. Being furtherasked what they meant by the promise of Odin, they puthim in mind o f the s tone at Stenhouse, with the round ho lein it ; and added , tha t it was cus tomary, when promiseswe re mad e, for the contracting parties t o join handsthro ugh this hole, and the promises s o made were cal ledthe promises of Odin — PRINCIPAL GORDON Of the ScotsCo l lege at Paris in A rcbmolog ia S eo tica ,

vol. i. p. 263 .

[S ee als o I I. b,

It was said that a chi ld passed through the hole whe nyoun g would never shake with palsy in Old age. Up to

th e time o f it s des truct io n , i t was customary to leave s omeo fl

'

e rin g on vi s it in g the s tone,such as a piece Of bread , or

cheese, o r a rag, o r even a s tone — CAPT. F. W. L .

THOMAS in Arche olog ia , vol . xxxiv. p. 10 1.

Th e Odin s tone, long the favouri te t ryst ing-place insummer twi l ights o f Orkney lovers , was demolished in 18 14by a sacri legious farmer, wh o used its material t o as sisthim in the erectio n o f a cowhouse. This misgu ided manwas a Ferry-Lower (the name fo rmerly given t o s trangersfrom the south), and h is wanton des truction o f the cousecrated s tone s ti rred so strongly the resentment of th e

peasantry in the dis trict that various uns ucces s ful attemptswe re made to burn his house and hold ings about his ears .

GORR1E. p. 14 3 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

4 Supe rs titious Be liefs an d Practices .

There is another tale, o f a more tragic nature, related o f

this walking stone. One stormy December day a ves selwas sh ipwrecked upon the shore of Birsay, and all handssave o n e were los t. The rescued sailo r happened t o fin drefuge in a co ttage close by thi s s to ne ; and hearing thes tory .o f i ts yearly march

,he res o lved to se e fo r himself al l

that human eyes might be able to dis cover. In spite Ofal l remonstrances he sall ied forth on the last n ight o f theOld year ; and , to make assurance doubly s ure, he seatedhimself on the very pinnacle of th e s tone. There heawaited the events o f the n ight. What these were n o

mo rtal man can tell ; fo r the firs t mo rning o f the newyear dawned upon the co rpse o f the gal lant sai lor lad, andlocal report h as it that th e walking s tone ro l le d over himas i t proceeded to the loch.

— FERGUSSON , pp. 54 , 5 5 .

West ray. Noun /read R ock — A t the No up-head inWestra is a rock surrounded with th e Se a, call

’

d Less,which the inhabi tants Of that I s le say, has this s trange

propert ie— that if a man g o upon it , having any I ro n upo n

him ( If it were an I ro n Nai l in h is shoe) th e Se a wi llins tantly swe l l in s uch a t empe s tous way, that no boat cancome near to take him o ff, an d that the S e a wi ll n o t besett led ti l l the peece Of Iron be flun g into it. I bein g thereto make an experiment o f i t, Offered a shi l l ing to a po o rFellow to go upo n the Rock with a peece of I ro n , but hewould not do it Upo n any t erms — WALLACE, l s t cd . , pp .

27 , 28 ; an d ed. p. 60 . [The second edit ion omit s th e

words I f it were an Iron Nai l in h isFo r other legends as to S tones ,v. III.d

,

“PLACE LEGENDS .

HOLY WELLS AND Locus

Sh et lan d. H eg'

abm‘

i n — There is a fine spring well nearWat lie , cal led He ljabriin ,

and the legend o f it is th is — Awandering packman (o f the Claud Halco class) was

H oly Wells an d L ac/u. s

murdered and flung into He ljabriin . Its water had alwaysbeen known to pos sess healing power, and after becomingseas oned by the unfortunate ped lar’s remains , th e virtue inthe water became even mo re efficacious. People camefrom far an d near to procure the precio us fluid . All who

to o k it away had to throw three sto nes,or a piece Of

white mo ney,i nto th e well, and the water never failed

t o cure disease — EDMONSTON and SAXBY, p. 2 16.

The waters Of a copio us spring, cal led Yclaburn o r

H iclaburn ( tire burn of lim it/t ), although pure from al lm ixture, are es teemed, i n the neighbourhood , to be highlybeneficia l to health. [I n a fo o tnote it is added] A customformerly prevailed , fo r persons to throw three s to nes

,as a

tribute t o the source o f these salubrious waters, when theyfirst approach it . A cons ide rable pi le has thus been raised .

But the reputatio n o f the spri n g begins to decl ine,and the

superst i tious Offering is n ow no lo nger so rel igious ly paid .

01d S tat . Acct , vol . v. p. 185 .

th at . [Here] is a pure s tream that h as long been celebra t e d for it s suppo sed sanative vi rtues . It was Of late yearsusua l t o walk to its source, and on an adjoin ing s i te Ofgro und to throw three s ton es. This cus tom is s o o ld, thata cons iderable pi le has been raised by the se Ofl

'

e rin g s butas the influen ce Of the water g od h as lo ng been on th ewane

,th e ackn owledgment is n ow much less frequently

paid . I t was also usual, after the sacrifice to the deity hadbee n made, to drink o f the water o f the spring

,which

in sured health t o th e ze a lo us imbiber. Hence th e s treamacqui red the name o f Ye laburn o r H ie laburn , that is , theBurn o f Health — H IBBERT, p . 409 .

Main lan d. A mile o r two to the north-west of H illswick,

amo n g the hi l ls, is a very small pool named Helga Water,o r the Water o f Health. The po ol Of Helga Wateralso appears to have been fo rmerly vis ite d by the natives

6 Supe rstitious Be liefs an d Practices .

with superstitious views,an d with perhaps the same

mysterious ceremon ies as were used from time immemorialin Orkney, such as walking round it in the course o f thesun , o bserving s t rict silence in their perambulations, takingup water in their hands and cas ting it o n thei r he ads .

H IBBERT,pp. 5 24 , 5 2 5 .

Westray. S t . Tredevell’

s Lodz, i n Wes tray, is held bythe People as Medicinal , where upon many dis eased andinfirm Persons resort to i t, some saying that thereby theyhave got good A s a certa in Gentleman’s S is ter upon theI s le, who was n o t able to go to this Lo ch witho ut help,yet returned wi thout it

,as l ikewis e a Gentleman in the

Coun trey who was much distressed, with sore Eyes , went tothis Loch and Washing the re became sound and whole,tho

’ he had been at much pains and expe n ce to cure themformerly. With both which Pers o ns , he who was Ministerof the place for many Years

, was well acquainted, and toldus that he saw them both befo re and after the Cure : Thepresent Min is ter o f Wes tra , told me, that s uch as are ableto walk

,use t o go s o many times about the Loch, as they

think wil l perfect the cure,befo re they make any use o f

the Water,and that without speaking to any, for they

believe, that if they speak , this wil l marr th e Cure : A lso hetold that on a certain Morn ing n o t lo ng s ince, he went tothis Loch , and found s ix so making their circuit, whomwith some difficulty he Obl iging [them] to speak, said tohim , they came there for their cure. [Brand goes on tospeculate o n the cures recorded, and is in doubt 'whetherto att ribute them to imagination or t o the “Aid an d

ass is tance of Satan .

” He further says] Yet I hear, thatwhen they have done all, that is usual for them to do ; asgoing about the Loch

,washing their Bodies or any part

thereof,leaving someth ing at the Loch , as old Clouts and

the like S1C. I t is but in few, in whom the effect of healingis produced . As for this Loch’s appearing l ike Blood ,

H oly Wells an d L ac/t s . 7

before an y disas ture bofal the Royal Family, as somedo report , we could find n o ground, to beleive any s uchthin g — BRAND, pp. 5 8 , 59 .

Strom y. Well of K ildin g uie .-[Of a chalybeate] spring

cal led the Well of K ild in guie , Tradition says, that it washeld in s uch high repute when the Orkney Islands belonged to the Crown of Denmark that people o f th e firs trank came from Den mark and Norway to drink the waters .

Towards the south-eas t at about two miles dis tance, thegreates t part o f the way con s is ts of a flat s and alo ng th ese a-shore ; there is a place cal led Guiyid n , on the ro cks o f

which that Species o f s e a weed called dulse, is to be fo undin abundance ; which weed , is cons idered by many to be adelicious and wholesome mo rs e L The drinking of th esewat ers, the moderate exercise of walking over two miles o fdry level groun d, gathering and eating duls e o n the rocks .

they being exposed to a wholesome sharp sea breeze, fromwhatever quarter the wind could blow ; this happy com

bination Of circums tances was found s uch a sovere ignremedy fo r the numberless complaints Of those, wh o inancient times resorted to th is famous watering place, thatit gave rise t o a proverb which is s ti l l retained in thisis land, viz .,

“Th e Well of K ildin guie , and the dulse o f

Guiyidn , can cure all maladies except black death.— Tha t

is can cure al l maladies which are n o t abso lutely incu rable.

01d S ta t . Acct,vol. xv. p. 4 17 .

Toward the east coast, amo n g the rocks, are threemineral springs almo s t close together, differing in s trength ,though of the same nature ; and s uch confidence do thepeople place in thes e springs (which, together, g o under thename of the Well o f K ildin guie ), an d at the same time intha t seaweed named Dulse , produced in Guiydin , (perhapsthe bay Of Odin), as to have given rise to a proverb, Thatthe Well o f K ildin guie and the dulse of Guiydin will cureall maladies but Black Dea tlt .

”— BARRY, p. 5 3 .

8 Supe rs titious Belief} an d Practices .

Plot ta. Wun s ter Well — In the is land of Flotta, upon ajutting point called the Rhone, there is a small mineralwell , to which medicinal properties are attributed . A bottleOf water from this well , which is cal led “Wun s ter Wellfrom an old Episcopal clergyman who resided near bywhen the Episcopal church was recogn ised in Scotland ,was cons idered sufficien t to cure certain diseases. Thebe arer o f the bottle had n o t t o speak, however, to anyperson o n his way back

,else the vi rtue wo uld be gone.

FERGUSSON , p. 2 14.

Fo r an other well s ee under BUILDINGS .

BUILDINGS.

Orkn ey. To many Of th e Old places of worship, especial lysuch as have been dedicated t o part icular favourite saints ,they s ti ll pay much veneratio n

,visiting them frequently

,whenthey are s erious ly melancholy

,or in a devout mood

,repeat

ing with in the i r ruinous walls prayers , paternos ters andfo rm s Of wo rds , o f which they have l ittle knowledge.When they co ns ider themselves in any imminent danger

,

they invo ke the aid o f,thes e saints , an d vow to perfo rm

services, o r present oblations t o them. o n co nditio n thatth ey interpos e success fully in their behalf ; and they aregenerally very punctual in performing these vows.

BARRY, pp. 3 4 7-48

Westray. S t . Tredwell’

s Chapel — These Chappe ls l thepeople frequent

,as fo r o ther ends , so fo r Prayer, they plac

ing a kind o f Merit therein when perfo rmed in such places ,an d this they Observe more than private Retirements ; a n di f they be under any S ickness , o r in any danger, as at S ea,they wil l vow so to do . A n d when they g o t o the Chappe lsto pay the Vows taken on , they use t o lay several Stones ,’[That is , the n ume rous chape ls , mo s tly n ow in ruin s , scatte red over the

is lan ds an d be lo n gin g to pre-Reformation time s ]

9

one above ano ther, according to the number o fVows whichthey made ; some of which he aps we s aw in S t . Tredwe ll'sChappel . A n d no ne mus t g o empty handed, but leavebehind them something, e i ther a pcice of Mo ney, o r o f

Bre ad,o r a S tone, which they judge wil l be sufiicie n t .

BRAND, p. 59

[Brand furth er o bserves that i t is especial ly during Lent,and mo re particu larly o n Eas ter Sunday, that thes e vowsand devotio ns are o bserved . P.

Such was the veneratio n entertained by the inhabitantsfo r this an cient Saint, that it was with difficu lty that thefirs t Presbyt erian min is te r o f th e parish could res trainthem

,of a Sunday mo rni n g, from paying their devotions

at th is ruin,previous t o their at tendance on publ ic wo rship

in the reformed church . Wonders , i n the wayof cure o fbo di lydisease

,are s aid to have been wro ught by this Sain t , whose

fame is n ow passed away, and name almos t fo rgot ten.N ew S tat . Acct , Orkney, pp. 1 17 , 1 18 .

On the Wes t s ide o f Papa Wes tra , between it andWes lra ,

there is a Ho lm ,

1 wherein once there was a lit tleChappe l i n which they say there were seven S is tersburied , who were Nuns , and des i red t o ly in this Holm ,

about whose Grave s th is Chappel was bui lt. Abo ut a yearag o , there were see n several times at midday, abo ut 20 Menwalking o n that Ho lm , amo ng whom there was o n e higherand greater than the res t, who sometimes s to od an d lo o kedinto the Chappel, this my Informer with a hundred Peo plei n the I s le ofPapa saw

,wh o could attes t the same : A fter

which appearance the re was a Boat cas t away o n that Holmwith 4 Men in her, wh o were al l lo st — BRAND ,

p . 5 1 .

Un st . Cross K irk — Cross K i rk , o r S t . Cruz, is s ti llaccounted a ho ly place, and occas ional pilgrimages aremade to i t by s ome of th e o lder inhabitants .

N ew S ta t . Acct,Shetland , p. 40 .

[Pro bably th e Ho lm ofAikern es s ]

1 2 Sufie rs tz’

tz’

ous Beliefs an d Practice s .

fo r in that manner ; and if h is wishes are real ised, hes crupulo usly performs h is vow. There are the ruins of anold church in the paris h of We e sdale , cal led Our Lady

’

s

Chan /z. which is suppos ed to poss ess a s ti l l greateri n fluence in this respect than any l iving be ing. Many arethe boats which are said t o have arrived s afe at land , inconsequence of a promise to this effect, where death, wi thout such an intervention

,appeared inevitable. Several

coins have been fo und , at different times , concealed in thewal ls o f this Lo retto o f Zetland .

EDMONDSTON , She tla n d , vo l. 11. p. 7 5 .

Daemon . In aquilo nari parte ist ius paro ch iae i n mari estn a t ivum Saxum ubi homines man ibus e t g e n ubus quamdifficillime asce n dun t ad cacumen illic e s t sacel lum quodn omin atur (th e Bairns o f Brugh).Co n fluun t huc ex d ive rs is in sulis , h omin e s , juve n e s , pue ri,

s enes,se rvi, in n ume rab ile s , ve nti vero , nudis pedibus , ut

prius dixi, orantes asce n dun t ubi nul lus pre te rquam unusad s acellum un o tempore venire potes t Illic e s t fo ns puru se t n itidiss imus quod quidem mirabile e s t : Tunc homines ,g e n ubus flexis , man ibusque co njun ct is , difiide n t e s Deumes se, orant (the Bai rn s o f Brugh) multis in can tatio n ibus ,projicie n t e s lapides e t aquam po s t t e rg o ra, e t ci rca sacel lumb is t e rve gradientes , hui ta o ratio n e d

'

omum redeun t aflir

mant es s e vota habuis se .

-JO. BEN , apua'BARRY , p. 44 3 .

Fo r supersti t ion s connected with the s e a, I . 5, Supers t it io n s gen erally.

(b) PLANT S UPERSTITIONS.

Fo r Fairies riding o n bul rushes s ee I . d .

(c) ANIMAL SUPERSTITIONS.

Bea— S ee I . e , Trial of E lspeth Curs e tt e r.

She t lan d . Spawn — One of the Shetland rimes , s im i lar toS cotch, En gl ish and German ones [to the lady bird]

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

14 Supe rs tition s Be liefs an d Pract ices .

Lark.— Thoughout the whole of Shetland , the skylark

is held almo s t as sacred as the redbreas t is with us ;

therefore it is but seldom that ei ther the bi rds o r the i reggs are dis turbed. In some parts o f the no rth is les , whenthe reaso n o f the forbearance is sought, the usual reply is ,Wee] , if ye look under a laverock

’

s to ngue, ye’ll s e e three

spot s , and they say that every one is a curse upon him

that inte rferes wi’ it .”— SAXBY , B ird s, p. 88 .

Lark — No one in Shetland would eat a lark ; there arethree black s pots o n its tongue

, an d fo r every lark you eatyou get three curses.

N o tes an d Queries , 6th series , vo l. ix . p . 26.

[cf. Kain dl,D ie Huzule n

,p.

Orkn ey. Th e lark some call our Lady’

s H e n .

BRAND, p . 6 1.

Orkn ey. Boys wi l l not dis turb larks’nes ts , the bird beings t i l l called Our Lady’s Hen .

”— BUCKLEY, p. 122 .

L in e d — S ee I . e , Trial o f Elspeth Curs e t t e r.

Sh e t lan d . Owl— Th e o ld wives say that a cow wil lgive blo o dy milk i f it is frightened by an owl, and wi ll fal ls ick an d die if touched by it — SAXBY, B ird s, p. 5 1.

Raven — [It is] the belief that the raven is immediatelya t t racted to a house where a co rpse is lying.

SAXBY, B irds , p. 128 .

Orkn ey. Rook — Rooks are reckoned ominous i f theyappear. Peo ple expect a famine to fol low soon after.

Fo r Sparrow v. Sparrow-tell ing.

W/zea tear.— This bird , for what reason I can not say,

seems t o be pro scribed in Orkney. Young and o ld

des troy both nes t s and birds of it an d this not for any

A n imals . 1 5

o ther end but the seeming effect s o f wanton cruelty, as itseems quite a harmless creature — Low, Faun a, p . 7 3 .

Th e prejudice agains t these birds seems to have diedout — BUCKLEY , p. 96.

Shet lan d. Wre n — I was once told this bird was t oo

much l ike a mous e t o lay eggs — SAXBY, B irds , p . 14 3 .

Ca t . Ca ts , ra ts,a n d mice aw Ming certain localities .

Th e common mouse [is] commo n everywhere, except in afew o f th e less er is land s , which our co untry sages tell usgravely are privi leged , and neither cat n o r mouse wil l l ivein them

,even tho ugh brought thither. They add further

,

the earth o f these is les brought thence kills them whereverth ey are. When an hones t gray-headed man to ld me this

,

I de s ired to le t me have a little o f the earth o f h is is le t omake the experiment, but this he wo uld by n o meansgrant ; this wou ld , i n h is opin io n , t ake away th e vi rtuefrom the rest — Low, Faun a, p 26

En hallow. Ca t — In the I s lan d o f Enhallow it is wel lknown that a Cat will not l ive. Th e e xpe riment hathoften been tried by putting these creature s asho re uponth is Is land, but they always died in Co nvuls io n s , i n a veryshort tim e — Rats wil l n o t l ive in th e I s lan d o f Eday andnone of them was ever seen there, i n the memory o f man .

FEA. p. 4 3 .

Voila. There is a little I sle o n the Wes t s ide o f Wmcal led Vaila ,

wherein there is n o Cat , neither wi ll anys tay tho brought in, as hath been done fo r trial, but wil lquickly be gone, they either dyin g or betaking themselves to Sea , they endeavour to sweem to the nextI s le : Yet about 50 Years ag o there was one seenupon this I s le, abo ut that t ime when a Gentleman theProprietor thereof was To rmented and put t o death by theWitches , but never any were seen since, save what werebrought in fo r tri al , as n ow sa id . The reason of this I

16 Supe rstitious Beliefs an d Practices .

cou ld n o t learn from the Min is ters, who gave the information , it is l ike because o f th e A ir, o r the smell of somethingupon the I s le, tho not perceivable by th e Inhabitants, whichagreeth n o t with the Temper and Cons titution o f theseanimals — BRAND , p. 1 10 .

S ee also under Mouse .

She tlan d. Ca t Un lucky — The cat is more frequentlys po ken of by different names than anything else. A lwaysregarded as mo re particularly unlucky " than any otheran imal , the fisherman had a s pecial horror of it ; but i tdoes not appear why he should have been at s uch pains toname it in so many vario us ways .

LAURENSON , Pro . S oc. A fi t . Scot , vo l. x . p. 7 15 .

S ee also I . i, SEA.

"

Fo r Cat s ee also I . cl, Elfs lzot .

She t lan d. There are no Ve nemous beasts found inShe tla n d , no Asks , no Adde rs , n o Frogs

, n o Snai ls, n o

Rats, i f these be bro ught the re by Ships , they wi l l n o t liveo ver a year or two .

— S IBBALD, p. 2 1 .

Great Have l-y. M ous e , ra t — A smal l uninhabited is le ,co ncern ing which there is an id le t raditio n that n o mouseo r rat w il l l ive in it , and that it s gro und is of such v irtue ast o kil l vermin tho ugh removed for the purpose to any o therplace — Hms s k r , p. 4 56.

Have l-y. H e re doth n o Mo use nor Rat l ive , yea i ts Mo ldor Ground , hath such a vert ue, that if it be carried to placeswhere Mice and Rats abo und , it will presently ki ll them ,

which hath often times been prove d — S IBBALD, p . 57 .

En hallow. Rats and m ice it is as sert ed wil l not l ivethe re — MUNCH , p. 24 3 .

Haven , Raccoon , Uya. [Thes e] three is les are supposedto po sses s some magic charm about thei r soi l which prevents thei r ever being infest ed with mice — TUDOR, p. 172 .

Am'

mals . 1 7

North Bon d duy. Nec ranae, glires, nec bufones hicco lun t ; e t si navis hic adduxe rit , glires cito pe reun t quas iveneno.

— Jo . BEN , ap. BARRY, p . 4 3 7 .

Ra t — Sometimes, when the Ships are lying n igh Land ,the Rats wi l l come ashore

,which, when any of the

Holla n ders or others s e e , they look upon it as Fatal to theShip out of which they come, pretending that her endsome way or o ther will shortly approach A n d likewise itis o bserved that these Rats wil l not live above 3 or 4years in that Land t o which they come. Some o f our

S e amen tel l us o f the like as t o thei r Ships ; I t is talktalso that thes e Creatures wil l leave Houses befo re anydismal accident be fal them. What ground there is eitherfo r the one o r the o ther I know not

,but if true it will be

hard,I suppo s e, to give the reas on thereo f.

BRAND,pp . 1 1 1, 1 12 .

S ee als o under Ca t .

Burrs. an d Hascusay. M ous e — In the Is les o f Burraand Haskashy n o Mice are t o be found, yea if theytake some dust or Earth out of these Isles to o ther placeswhere they are, they wi l l fors ake such places , where thedus t is laid . I t may be fo r th e l ike reason , why no Catscan o r wil l l ive in Vaila— BRAND,

p . 1 1 1.

S ee als o under Ca t .

[Cf. Proc. Royal Iris/z Ac.,i i i. 63 1 Grimm, Aberg laube ,

No . 3 67 ; 6 10610 , xxvi i . 104 . Th ere is some ground fors uppos in g that these beliefs as to cats , rats , mice avo id ingcertain localities is a fact of natural history

,not o f

folklore. There is, however, n o reason to s uppose that allthe statements in the text are strictly true ; the subs tratumo f fact is overlaid with fancy.]

Orkn ey. Lama— Whe n the firs t lamb seen for the seasonis white, the omen is fortunate, and the appearance of ablack lamb is unlucky— N ew S tat . Acct

,Orkney

,p. 14 3 .

a

1 8 Supers tit ious Beliefs an d Practices .

Shet lan d. Lama— Early-d mpped lambs are n o can ny,and omino us o f evil. —A n tiquaria n Adag i , p. 13 6.

Paula. S h ep — Here as in Fair I s le and perhapselsewhere in Shetland, an object ion is felt t o sell ing theyoung female sheep, which is supposed t o be unlucky asdimin ishing the stock. They do not object to sel l themale — J . KERR

,in Good Words , 1866, p . 54 5 .

St . An drews. Eel— [Of a small Loch in the pa rishof S t . A ndrews Low says i t is] inhabited by Eelson ly, but these are altogether despised by the countrypeople, who ne ver eat any o f them, owing t o a ridiculousnotion they have of their being bred from the tai l hairs o f

a Stalio n and their resemblance to the Serpent in e race.LOW, p. 58 .

S e e als o I .f [Cf. Globe s , iv. 3 3

Dummy, Frog , toad—{ This island] is believed torefuse t o breed or support frogs, toads, o r any otherkind of disgust i ng o r noxious an imal — BARRY, p. 67 .

Nunquam ranae, bufones, nec alia terres tria mala hics unt — Jo . BEN, apud BARRY, p. 44 3 .

Fo r snai l s ee under I . a, “BU ILDINGS L] ;jarmdice .

Sh et lan d. Turbo t .— The turbo t of commerce, proper,is seldom captu red o n our coasts. A lthough I havebeen a fis herman fo r many years , I have never seen o n e

caught,while the o ther (hal ibut) is very plentiful. Now

,

I have never yet heard any explanat ion of th e derivationof Holy Buttje

,or t h e ho ly fluke ; and the ques tio n is,

what was it holy to ? Was i t hal lowed o r consecrated to

some deity ? A n d next, what deity was it l ikely to beI have very s trong pres umptive proof that the fish

was held sacred t o some o n e , or some thing, from the superstitio n s attaching to i ts capture. A n air o f mys teryalways s urro unded its capture , that dis tingu ished it from

A n im ls . 19

that o f other fish. No sooner did the man at the l inefeel a turbot (hal ibut)—and h is presence at the bottom ofthe sea was easi ly recognised by h is manoeuvres— thanthe event was the signal for silence, and s igns took theplace of words. Th e u tmos t freedom al lowed o n suchoccas ions— and that on ly when any doubt hung over itwas to ask the ques tion on ly in an undertone : “Is i t afish , tin ks du or is du i’ da grun d —meanin g Do you

think you feel a fish ? o r has the l ine got foul o f thebo ttom If the former was affi rmed , it was on ly by a n odo f th e head, and then a silent activity took pos s ession ofthe crew, over whom a spell seemed to hang ; and wo ebetide the greenhorn that spake or uttered tlze n ame of tlze

fis lz Should s uch a calamity happen,as i t sometimes did

with the uni n itiated , and should the turbot (hal ibut) be los tafter th e offen ce, th e fisherman in ques tio n was solelyblamed for the loss, and for a time h is l ife was mademiserable by the rest .I have learned ano ther fact in regard to th e turbot

namely, th at th e blug g a-banes ” the (breas t-bones ) o f

the turbot were always pres erved in some s e cret chinkin the wall o f a fish e rman

’

s cottage, in order to i n s ureluck.

A nother fact I may mention is the kinn-fish, thatis , the cheek-fle sh , of the turbot is never eaten , but alwayscut out raw. I t is a pecul iarity, and never observedin th e case of o ther fis h — KARL BLIND (from informationsupplied by Ro bert S inclair), Ge n tleman

’s M ag u in e , 1882 ,

PR 4 70, 47 1°

Un s t . Bon es — It is l ucky to catch a turbo t , and luckwil l follow the fishermen who do s o if they attend to whata turbot once said :

Wash me cle an an d boil me we e l,Pick me bon e s , but diam: bum tfiem.

”

EDMONSTON and Saxs v, pp. 227 , 228.

20 Supers tit ious Beliefs an d Practices .

Dun roun ess . Spon g es — Sponges are foun d upon theshore in great plenty, shaped like a man

'

s hand,an d called

by the people Trowie G loves .

01d S ta t . Ace t ., vol . v n. p. 3 96.

S ee also I . e , Witch M e tamorplzos is , Lugg'ie , Trials ,

Fo r Fes tival D ishes s ee FESTIVAL Cvsroms , YULE.

(c) Goe uzvp 0M .

Sh e tlan d. Brown ie s , Trows , Fa iries — No t above 40 o r 50

Years ag o , almos t e very Family had a Brouny o r evil Spi ri tso called , which served them

,to whom they gave a Sacrifice

for h is Service ; as when they Churned their Mi lk, theytook a part thereof and sprinkled every corner of the Housewith it fo r Broun ie s use

,l ikewise when they Brewed , they

had a s tone which they called Broun ie s S ton e , where in therewas a l ittle hole, into which they poured some Wort for aSacrifice to Broun y. My Info rmer a Minis ter in th e

Country told me, that he had conversed with an o ld Man,

who when young used to Brew, an d so metimes read uponhis Bib le

,to whom an o ld Woman in the Ho u se said

,that

Broun y was displeased wi th that Boo k he read upo n , whi chi f he continued to do

,they would get n o more service o f

Bron ny ; But he being better ins tructed from that Boo k ,which was Bron nies Eye -sore and the object o f h is wrath ,when he Brewed , he wo uld not s uffer any Sacrifice to begiven to Broun y, whereupon the 1s t . and 2d. Brewings we respilt spoi lt] and fo r no us e , though the Wort wroughtwell, yet in a li ttle time it left o fi

'

working and grew coldbut the 3 d. Browst or Brewing he had A le very go od

,

though he wo uld not give any Sacrifice to Bron ny ; wi thwhom afterwards they were no more troubled I had a lsofrom the same Informer, that a Lady in (fas t n ow deceas edtold him, that when she first too k up House, she refused togive a Sacrifice to Bron ny upon which the 1s t . and 2d .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

22 Supers titious Be liefs an d Practice s .

Broo n ie paid them a vi s it,and they were careful not to go

near any of the corn which he had been guarding, as it wasobserved that he o bject ed to being o verlooked , and resentedsuch interference by laying tfie screws in Icerda (i.e . scattering the com s tacks). Bro o n ie seemed to have taken awhole neighbourhood unde r h is protection , and was seengliding from yard t o yard in the cold even in gs, castin gh is spel ls upon the crop . The people felt sorry fo r

Bro o n ie , exposed to the chill n ight air, so they made acloak and hood for him , an d laid it in a yard which hefrequented . Bro o n ie took the well-intentioned gift as anoffence, for he was never seen again .

EDMONSTON and SAXBY, pp. 202, 20 3 .

Witches and fairies and their histo ries , are still very frequent in Sch e t lan d, but Brown ies seem , within this cen tury,to lo s e ground — Low,

p. 82 .

Sh et lan d. A girl who was wont to run to the fairyknowes , and call to the Trows to come and fetch her to se etheir wo nderful home, did this s o frequently

,that at las t

the i rritated Trows breathed upo n her,and sh e became

paralysed in the l imbs , and remain ed so al l h er l ife .

EDMONSTON and SAv , p. 202.

A n y woman who has been fo rtunate en o ugh to se e aTrow affi rm that he always appeared to walk— o r ratherskip— backwards . He seemed to have no difliculty in

do ing so but g o t over the ground as quickly as i f he hadbee n mo ving alo ng like an ordinary mortal .

EDMONSTON and SAv , p. 20 3 .

Un s t . There was a girl , whose mo ther had been takenby the Trows at the gi rl’s birth, wh o grew up to be alovely creature, with golden hair. Such hair had neverbeen seen in Un s t, s o lon g, soft shining. It fell i ngolden waves about her, and s uch an unus ual mode o f

wearing it created much wonder. N0 maiden— not even a

Goélzlea'om . 2 3

chi ld— ever permitted he r hair to fal l as i t pleased exceptthis girl

,and folks did say that whenever she tried to bind

it to her head the bright locks refused to obey her fingers ,an d s lowly untwined themselves unti l they became n aturalringlets again . The gi rl was a sweet s inger— and sin gingis a fai ry gift— an d she would

‘wander about, l il ting merri lyto herself, whi le neighbours wondered, and young men lo sttheir hearts . I t was believed that the gi rl was under theSpecia l care of the Trows , fo r everything seemed to besmooth before her, an d her golden hair was called “theblessing'

o’ them that loves her. But it happen ed that

a witch began to cove t the maiden’s lovely lo cks , ando n e day, when the girl lay down among some hay and fel lasleep

,the witch cut o ff all her beauti ful hair. Th e poo r

young thing retu rned to her home shorn of h e r glo ry, andafte r that she pined away. All the song had died from herl ips

,all the smile had go ne from her young face. But when

she lay dead, in her teens, folks said that h er golden hairbegan to grow again , a nd had grown to its former lengthand beauty ere th e co ffin -lid was closed upon her. Thewitch did n o t triumph, fo r the Trows , who had loved andwatched over the mo therles s girl , took pos sessio n o f themalignant old bag and punished her as sh e des erved . She

was compel led t o wander about their haunts and to l ive inthe mos t s trange manner. Sh e was haunted day and nightby evi l creatures . When ever sh e tried to s leep the Trowswould come and make s uch queer nois es that sh e co uld n o tres t. Sh e co ntinued in that s ta te ti l l extreme old age ,when she was spiri ted away altogether.

EDMONS‘

I‘

ON a n d SAXBY, pp. 20 3 , 204.

Un st . There was a woman cal led Katheri ne Fordyceand sh e died at th e birth o f her fi rst ch ild— at leas t folksthought sh e died A neighbour’s wife dreamt sho rtlyaft er Katherin e’s death that sh e came t o her and said “ Ihave taken th e milk of yo ur cow that you co uld n o t g e t ,

24 Supe rstitious Beliefs an d Practices .

but it sh all be made up to you you shal l have more thanthat if you wil l give me what you wil l know about soon.

”

The good wife would n o t promise , having no idea whatKatherine meant, but shortly afterwards she unders tood itwas a chi ld o f her own to which Katherine referred. Th e

child came and th e mo ther named it Kath erine Fordyce ;an d after it was ch ris tened th is Trowboun d Katherineappeared to the mother again and told her all shouldprosper in her family while that chi ld remained in it. She

told her also that sh e was qui te comfortable among theTrows but could n o t get out unless somebody chanced tos e e her and had presence o f mind enough to cal l o n God’sname at the moment. Sh e said her frien ds had fai led tosain her (guard by spells) at the time o f her chi ld’s birth ,and that was how sh e fel l i nto the power of the Trows.Pros perity came like a high tide Upon the good wife’sho usehold unti l the chi ld Katherine married . On the girl'swedding n ight a fearful storm came on ;

“ the like had n o’

been minded in the time 0’ anybody alive.” The Broch

was ove rflowe d by great seas that rolled over the Skerriesas if they had been beach stones . The bride’s father losta number of h is best sh eep, for they were lifted by th e

waves and carried away and “some fo lk did say that oldmen with long white beard s were s een s t retching their palehands out of the s urf and taking hold of the creatures .

"

From that day the good w i fe’s fortunes changed fo r theworse. A man name d John N isbet saw that sam eKatherine Fordyce once. He was walking up a daalnear her old home, when it seemed as if a hole opene din the side o f this daal . He looked in and saw Katherinesitti ng in a “queer-shaped armchair and she was nurs ing ababy.

” There was a bar o f iron stretched in front to keepher a prisoner. Sh e was dre ssed in a brown poplin gown— which fo lk knew byjohn

’s des criptio n to be her wedding

d ress . He thought sh e s aid,

“O Johnnie ! what’s sent deizere ?

”A n d he answered , A n d what keeps you here ?

”

Gobliaa’om. 2 5

An d sh e said, We ll I am wel l and happy but I can’t get

out , for I have ea ten their food ! ” John N ishet un fo rtunately did n o t know o r forgo t to say Glide be aboot Wis ,

”

and Katherine was unable to give h im a hint an d i n amoment the whole scene disappeared .

EDMONSTON and SAXBY, p. 207 .

Once a girl in a peat hill saw a l ittle grey womangoing wandering as if in s earch of someth ing and makin ga noise like s co lding

,only she us ed a “hidden tongue.”

All day she was seen go ing about the peat banks and thegi rls an d boys employed there g o t frightened a l ittle,feelin g sure sh e was n o g iide .

”A t las t about s unset, o n e

resolved t o speak to the woman , but it happened that thesun went down as the girl g o t near enough to address theTrow-wife. Then something drew the girl’s atte ntio nanother way fo r o n e moment and when she looked again ,the creature had disappeared . I t is well known , you s e e

,

that if the sun ris e s whi le a Trow is above the gras s , he orsh e has not the power t o return home, and is day bound ,and must s tay o n the earth in s ight of man ti l l sun set.”

One Saturday n ight a boy was s leeping o n a shakedown near the fireplace, as s ome unexpected gues ts hadturned him out of h is usual place o f repose. Now theTrows require that every heart h shal l be swept clean onSaturday n ight, that no o n e shal l be fo und near it andabove all that plenty o f clean wate r shall be found in thehouse. Unfortunately al l these things had been neglected,so that when the Trows came they were natu ral ly muchen raged and made such a noise that the boy awo ke. Whatshould he s e e but two Trow-wives seating themselves notfar from where he lay. One carried a baby, the lovel ies tlittle creature that ever was seen

,o nly that i t had three

eyes instead of two— the extra o n e being in the middle o f

the forehead . The Trow who was n o t baby-en cumberedsought for clean water but alas ! found none, and re venged

26 Supe r s titz'

ous Beliefs an d Practices .

herself by taking the firs t l iquor sh e came across, wh ichchanced to be a keg of Swan : (Swam is the water thatcovers sowe ns, and is used to thin the sowen s, or as a drink.)Pourin g some o f the Swat“ into a basin , the Trows washe dthei r baby in it and then the baby’s clothes

,and then

poured the mess back into the keg, saying “Tak ye datfor no hae in ’ clean water ae da hoose.” They then sa t

down close by the fire, hanging the baby’s clothes o n thei r

feet, spread s aid feet out before the blazing peats an d

drie d the garments in that way.

Now the cute boy who was watching their procee ding skn ew that if he kept h is eyes fixed upon them they couldnot go away. A ccord ingly he kept staring and lis t en ingto their conversation in hopes of hearin g something wort hremembering. But the Trow-wives began to fidg e t , beingdesirous o f departing before sun rise, and at last o n e o f

them s tuck the to ngs in the fire and made them red«ho t .A s soon as the tongs became glowing she se ized them, an d

approachin g the boy pointed a blade at each cc,grinnin g

at h im in the mos t hideous manner, while sh e bro ught thehot tongs in alarming proximity t o the wakeful urchin’sface. Of course he blinked and screamed and the Trows,taking advantage of th e moment when h is eyes were

Next mo rn ing when the fo lk of the house w ent to takesowen s from the keg for breakfas t, there was nothing leftbut dirty water.— EDMONSTON and SAXBY, p . 209 .

Marie K irs tan was fetched t o a Trow’s wife an d

when sh e was there she saw them roll ing up something toresemble a cow. Sh e co ntrived to throw her bunch o f

keys into the heap without the Trows seeing her do so .

When sh e got home she found her own cow dead as h e rhusband had omitted to sain the byre.” Sh e told him t o

o pen th e beast an d he wou ld find her keys there ; accordin g ly he did so , which proved that the cow had been

27

changed . When the Trows take anythi n g they alwaysl eave some resemblance o f the stolen property in its

place.On another occasion when K irs tan was among theTrows, she had t o dress a baby and one o f th e greymen brought a box of curio us ointment wi th which th e

child was to be anoi nted . While doing so K irs tan

chanced t o put up her hand to her eye and left someo f the Trow'

s ointment o n i t. From that time her s ightbecame so keen that sh e could s ee a boat on th e oceantwen ty miles away and could tel l the pos ition an d featureso f every man in i t. But sh e had “ taken the vi rtue fromtheir o in tment." So o n e day a Trowman met her o n thehill , and says he “Ye travel l ight and brisk for sae auld awife.” Never s uspecting who he was , Kirst an answeredIt

’s my gude sight that helps me alang.

”A n d which

eye do you se e bes t upon , g iide wife ?”asked the Trow.

Kirst an told him readi enough and he instantly put h isl i ttle finger to the eye sh e had indicated and sh e was blindo n it ever after. Marie K irs ta n said that whenever sh e wasfetched the Trows press ed her to eat but sh e would n o ttouch thei r food. They even marked a cross upo n th e

butter they s e t before her, thinking to beguile he r i n thatway, but nothin g wo u ld tempt her t o partake, knowingthat i f sh e did so , sh e would be in their power, and the ywould be able to keep her as long as they liked. A t

ano ther time when she was required professional ly, theTrow who fetched her, took her in his han ds and mutteredSafe there, safe back, and Kirs tan found herself over t hesea in another is land . When matters were sa t isfacto ri lyco ncluded in the Trow’

s domes tic circl e he told her tofollow him and he brought her back th e same way. Herhusband never knew that she had been farther than h e rown kai lyard unti l he d isco vered that she was co ld andweary an d that her clo thes were damp from the s e a-spray.

K irs tan ! he exclaim ed , “Glide be aboot de l Whars

2 8 Supers titious Beliefs an d Practices .

do been Then her tongue was loosened an d she told heradven ture.

— EDMONSTON and SAXBY, p. 2 1 1.

One fine morning very early a young fisherman got u pt o s e e how the sun ro se, fo r by that he could tel l if it wasto be a day for the haaf

,an d he saw two grey-clad boys

going alo ng the road below th e house. He thought theywere beach boys and that they were o ff to thei r workearly ; but when they came beno rth the house they le ftth e road and went up t o where a cow was lying on thegrass . They walked Up to the cow’

s face, then turn eddown again runn ing, and the cow ran , fol lowing as faras her tether would allow. A neighbour coming to hisdoor

,also t o see how the sun rose, saw the same boys

and the cow and it appeared to him that al l three ran

over the cl iffs . A n d that same day the cow died , so i twas evident the Trows took the real cow and it was but asemblance of h e r that was left to die.

EDMONSTON and Saxsv,p. 2 1 3 .

Two married bro thers were l iving in o n e house,and the

wife o f one was expecting to become a mo ther. He r

brother-in -law, bein g informed o f what was go ing o n ,took

up a fishing rod an d s e t o ff to the Craigs (crag-fishin g ) tobe out o f th e way. He had to pass a plan t ie cru, thefavouri te haunt o f many Trows

,and when he got there he

saw a number of them go ing as if towards h is ho use.Jaim ie ins tantly turn ed back, fo r he knew that they hadpower at s uch times , and the rain in g might be neglected.

Hurrying home he went and o pened his trunk,took out a

Bible, laid it n ear the door, and left the key in the lock.

Making sure that n o door or box was locked in the house

(for that angers the Trows and they have power when akey is turned), and exhort ing the glide w ives assembled n o t

to allow their patien t to g o past the fireplace, Jaimie walkedo ff, intend ing t o vis it a neighbour ins te ad o f ventu ring nearthe plan t iecrii again . But by that time the Trows had got

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 o Supe rs tition s Beliefs an d Practices .

which he supposed to be a kn ee cap. I t was formedof bone, smooth ins ide. He was told to use it alon gwith the Trow-cap, and his directions for use were asfollows :The patient must go out fasting— speechless— must

utter n o word— mus t g o t o a well flowing east. Theperson who accompanies the patient must carry the cap,ins ide of which mus t rest the she ll . The cap must bedro pped on the water and allowed to fi l l i tself as it gradual ly s inks. When ful l i t must be lifted out and a littleo f the water poured into the shell . The patient then takesa s ip from the shell ; then the region o f the heart and thet op o f the head are sprinkled

,and the remain ing water i n

t he shell is thrown over the patient’s head upon the groun d.

This is repeated three times . No words mus t be spokenunti l the patient and attend ant retu rn to the dwelling.

Then the person wh o officiated says , “ I hae used themeans— Lord put in the blessing,

” and the patien t mus treply “Amen .

— EDMONSTON and SAXBY, p. 2 15 .

She t lan d. There is o r was n o t lon g ag o ,in Yell a little

brown jar,known by the name o f Farquhar

’

s pig, whichcontained a s ubstance resembling lard mixed with tar .

This oin tment was used for hurts o f any kind and wasneve r known to fa il i n curi ng those who applied it in fait h.The curious thing about thi s pig ”was that the ointmentnever became less . I t was taken from the Trows in the

J same way that the cap was captured . Property belongingt o the Trows has frequently came into the possession o f

individuals, and always brings luck with it. Once awoman found a copper pan

,which was identified by

them that ken the like ” as a Trow’s ke tt le and while itremained in that woman’s house sh e was very lucky.

A nother woman wa lking through the daale of M idWick

,fo und a Trow’

s spoon. I t was s i lver, beauti fu l lycarved and s trangely shaped. Overjoyed the finder put her

Goblz'

udom. 3 1

prize in her pocket, but immediately a strange drows in es sbegan t o oppres s her, resting on the wayside she fellfast asleep. When she awoke the spoon was go ne.

En mo n sro n and SAXBY, p. 2 16

Whe never it was suspected that Trows were in the byremilking the cows , someone tried to hear them doing it,

”

becaus e that bro ught luck to the byre ; but if the listen erattempted to loo k

,woe betide that over-curious mortal .EDMONSTON and SAv , p . 2 17 .

Sh et lan d. When a chi ld was n o t“thriving, and yet did

n o t have the look that stamps the Trow-s tricken bairn ,i ts mother went the round of her neighbours to beg ninewomen’s meat for the ailing babe. Three kinds of eatables were given to her by n ine mothers o f healthychi ldren

, an d with that food the little invalid was fed . Thiscure never failed , un less the chi ld had fal len into thepower o f the Ferry-folk.

EDMONSTON and SAXBY, pp. 2 17 , 2 18 .

[A fter a wreck ] Some people saw th e six menwh o had been in the boat at the s outh end o f the is land

,

near a well-known Trow haunt. They lo oked jus t as theyhad been in l ife

,only for th e kind o f s omething in their

faces that was n o’ j ust earthly altogether. A n d o ften

after that they were s een— always the s ix of themwalking with their faces aye tu rned to the s e a. Sometimes they appeared in the daytime and sometimes atnight, but no on e had the courage to speak to them unti la sensible woman did so . They were pas s ing near herhouse and sh e exclaimed , Oh ! what is this P Then sh e

called the skipper by h is name an d he spoke, but h is voicewas l ike a clap of thunder and she could n o t unders tandhim. Sh e said, Moderate your speech, for I

’m n o’ fit to

s tand it.” Then the man spoke quite natural ly,and the

3 2 Supers tition s Beliefs an d Practice s .

firs t he said was ,“What is i t that goes before the fac e

of the A lmighty ? an d sh e replied ,‘

Jus tice an d judgmen t of Thy thro n eAre made th e dwe llin g place

Mercy, accompan ied with truth ,Shall g o be fore Thy face .

’

A ft er that the man convers ed jus t as i f he had been aliveand h e told her that whe n their boat came o ff th emo uth o f the fio rd , Madge Coutts (a witch who dis l ikedthem) came into the bo at and seated hers elf on the thwartan d they knew by her lo o k that sh e had ‘designed fo r theirl ives .

’ They hoped t o get rid o f her by s triking her wi ththe ir Luggie-s taff (large fi sh-clip) and actual ly succeededin turn ing her over the gunwale

,but i n a momen t sh e

dived under the boat an d g o t i n o n the other s ide inthe form o f a large black ox . Putting down her horn ssh e s truck them into the bo at an d drew out the [le s s e n

(board adjoin in g th e keel to which the binders of a boatare attached) and then o f course the boat went to piece s .

The skipper said he co uld n o t res t because of sometransact io n that was not quite ho nes t between himself anda brother, and he begged the women to s e t it right th atthe brother m ight have his own . Sh e did so and the s ixmen were seen no mo re. I t was remembered that uponthe day o f the acc ident Madge Coutts was seen going in ather own chimney in the form o f a grey cat

,and that

immediately afterwards a s ulphur-tainted smoke was seenas cen ding — En mo n sro n and SAXBY, p. 2 19 .

Sh et lan d. B a Trow’

s Bun dle — It was a common belie fthat the trows were in the habit of surreptitious ly carrying 06 men , women , and chi ldren , and le avin g in their s teadsome imbeci le or fearfully deformed creature. Sometimes,as in the following case, they left behind an effigy o f theabducted person . Occasio n ally

,too , they took a cow or

other domestic an imal o f wh ich they might have need, an dleft in place of it a lifeless mass of matter. A t o n e time

Goblmdom . 3 3

there were several folk in Shetland who did a very lucrativebus iness in supplying charm s to preven t and various co n

t rivan ce s to remedy s uch fel l d isaster. Now and then itdid occur that a lay person too k it upo n himself to dealsummarily with a case, without consulting a pro fes s io n alexo rcis t.One winter n ight an o ld cro fter in the parish o f Wal ls

was away from home o n a sho rt jo urney. When he wasretu rn ing across the hi lls i n the darknes s and had got downclose t o h is “ hi l l-g rin n d ,

” that is,the gate in the outer

dyke of h is croft, whe re the enclosed lan d borders o n thehills ide

,he met a gang o f

“ trows carrying a bundlebetween them. He felt a thri ll of apprehens ion as he sawthe bundle

,but he allowed them to pass and hurried o n

down towards h is cott age.As soon as he had entered h is cottag e door he saw that

h is wife was gone, and that the “ trows” had left an effigy

instead of her, in her accustome d chai r. Quick as thoughthe seized the effigy and flung it into the fire. The fire inthe “but-end

,o r l ivi ng-room o f a Shetland co ttage

,is

usual ly in the middle o f the floor . The smoke,o r at leas t

a go od deal o f it , escapes through a round ho le in the roof,which ho le is cal led da lum .

”

The effigy at once took fire, rose in the ai r, flam ing, amid aclo ud o f smoke, and van ished through the lum .

”A s it dis

appeared,the wife walked in at the cottage door

,safe and

sound and ever afterwards the Trows to o k care to avoidmolesting this man or his family.

— BURGESS, pp. 102, 10 3 .

Yell. Da Park at Wz'

n d/ms .— There was a man i n

the is land o f Yel l to whom,i t s eems

,the “trows ” s tood

in a relation somewhat s imilar t o that in which they s toodto the “gildman o

’ Taft ” in Fe tlar. This man had afield near Win dhous e . Th e fie ld was on high grou n d

,and

therefo re in a s ituation very much exposed . The seasonwas far advanced , and the weather had begun to get cold

3 4 S eparstz'

h'

ous Beliefs an d Practices .

a n d we t . The farmer was afraid that the co rn mig ht g e tla id ,

”that is, flatt en ed out and m ined, by th e hig h win dsXand heavy rains , and o n e n ight he earne st ly wished aloud

that the field was in a baan d ” (cut down), even if it co s thim the best ox in h is possession . I n this case it se ems thatnobody either saw or heard the “trows " at work

, but in

the morn ing the field was shoarn , and the ox was de ad.

BuRGESS. p. 100 .

Fet lar. Da Fem'

e’

s Bres s Pam— the trows ” had bee nheard o n several occas ion s milking the cows in the hymnat Taft. But some among “Da Gild Folk ” eviden t lydid not think it right that the folk of Taft sho u ld bedefrauded o f their milk . One aftern oon the “gildman ”

o’ Taft was at a place called Urie with butter. He was

riding upon a red horse , and lead ing behind him a grey o n eladen with the butter. A s he was pas s i ng a hil l ca ll edS takkabe rg he heard a voice saying :

Du’at rides da ridd an rin s da g reyGe n g haem,

an in ta da byre , an say

Varn a, vivla, tail a t ivlal s faain i da fire an brun t h er.

”

When Taft g o t home he went to the byt e and care fullyrepeated the words he had heard . A s soon as he had do n eso the trow that had been operating o n the co ws

,flu ng

down a litt le, curious ly-shaped brass pan o n the “ brigbs tae n s and saidO care an dul l dat’s my baim at

’s faain i da fire an

brunt her.” The “ hil l-lady apparently went home atobce

,and the trows were never again heard mi lking the

cows in the byre of Taft. The g lidman took the li ttl ebrass pan i n to the house an d kept it for good luck. Every,nig ht it was carefully hun g up on a nai l with a piece offlesh or of some sort of food inside of it. I t remaine di n the family for a lo ng time. But one n ight it wassomehow neglected . Nex t morn ing it had vanished , an di t was never seen agai n — BURGESS, pp . 96, 97 .

Goblimlom . 3 5

Paula. [A dissenting clergyman] when walking acrossthe is lan d, observed a group of islanders dancing about,and throwing brands o f fire at something. On reaching the spot, he he ard them repeating an old Nors eincantation ; saw a young quey in their mids t, at whichthey were throwing the brands of bu rning peat

,and was

to ld that “the trows had taen the quey to the hills , andthat they were driving the trows away w1 the burn ingpeats , to g et the cow back.

”-RE ID,

p. 3 3 .

A belief in the exis tence o f Brown ie , the tutelar sai n t ofhusbandry

,is beginning t o be exploded but the fai ries or

trows have s ti l l a local habitatio n and a name.

”They

o ccupy small s tony hil lo cks o r kn ows , and whenever theymake an excurs ion abro ad

,are seen , mounted o n bulrushes

,

riding in the air. I f a perso n sho u ld happen to meetthem

,without having a bible in h is pocket , he is directed

to draw a circle round him o n the ground, and in God’s

name forbid their nearer appro ach , aft er which theycommo nly disappear. They are said to be very mis

ch ie vous , n o t on ly shoo ting cattle with their arrows,but

even carrying human beings with them to the hi l ls Childbed women are sometimes taken t o nurse a prince ; andal though the appearance of the body remain at home,yet the immaterial part is remo ved . Such persons areo bs erved t o be very pale and absen t ; and it is general lysome old woman who enjoys the facu lty of bringing bodyand soul together.

EDMONDSTON,S izer/a n d, v. 11. pp . 7 5 , 76.

Orkn ey. Evi l spirits also cal led fairies are frequentlyseen in several o f the I s les dancing and making merry, andsomet imes seen in armour.— BRAND,

p . 6 3 .

So firmly is the bel ief o f Fairies implanted among thecountry peo ple that it wi ll be a very difficul t matter t opersuade them from it. A right shrewd farmer told me

0 2

3 6 Subcrslitious Beliefs an d Practices .

he observed o n a know cal led Burying} near his house i nHarray, o n a Chris tmas day, a large company dancing an dfrol icking, but upon h is walking up they al l d isappeared .

Low,p . xlii.

Pet lar an d Yell. I n Fe tlar and Yell there are severa lru ins of water-mills i n very remote s ituations

,when mil ls

could have been built much nearer ; and there are variouslegends of their having been deserted o n account of fairie sd is turbing them ; of an old man being found dead in one ;o f an o ld woman being to rn t o piece s by spirits Wenyadapla in Gyodin ali, in Fe tlar,— a t ruly lo nely spo t.

KARL BLIND, Gen tlema n’

s Mag , 1882, p. 3 69.

She t lan d. A medical friend info rmed me, that a few yea rsag o he was reques ted to visit a yo un g woman , who wassaid to be dangerous ly i l l . He acco rdingly went, and foundher i l l of a fever

,caught in co nsequen ce o f having acc i ,

dentally fallen asleep in the middle of the day”on the to po f a l ittle hil l . Th e pat i ent died, and her father, to thelast moment o f her li fe

,obs tinately

’

persis ted in declarin gthat the fairi es had taken pos ses sio n o f his daughte r, andleft an inan imate mass in her s tead . Every effo rt to co nvince him of h is mis take was i neffectual ; and he eve nsmiled at the fo l ly o f those who could themselves believe

,

and endeavour to pers uade him o f the truth o f a co ntraryo pinio n . In cases where a perso n had been pa ralytical lyaffected , and lo st the us e of an arm or a l imb, the peoplebelieve that the fairies have taken away the sound membe r,and left a log in i ts place. They have even seared theaffected l imb with a hot iro n

,and, from the want of sensa

tion in the part , have triumphantly boasted of the correctnes s of their opin io n .

1 Buryin g .

” This mound is kn own as th e Broch o f Burrian . Its ex

ploratio n has yie lded a rich co llect io n of an tiquitia which are n ow in th e

Natio n al Museum in Edin burgh ]’Noo n an d midn ight are th e periods of th e daywhe n the pe ople con sider

themse lves mo st liable to be seized upon by the fi irios .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 8 Supers titzous Beliefs an d Pract ices .

by which the arrow en tered , and which i s n o t i n this caseto be found (for i t mu s t be remarked that it is only whe nit falls short that the arrow is picked up). Sh e the nwashes the part wi th mighty ceremony and expects a cure.

LOW, pp . 7 , 8 .

I have met with s everal o f them here, and many ad ismal ta le o f the effects o f them , and their pretended uses

A n hones t gentleman (in o ther th ings,li ttle given to

scruples), affirmed he heard o n e of them rattle after him onh is s tai rs , which he picked up l— LOW,

In tro . p . xli i .

Many of them [z.e . Elf-shot have been for ages safelyguarded and kept inviolate, from a deeply-rooted co n vic

t ion that, if parted with or lost, “ good luck ” would n o

lo nger be the heri tage of those through whom the heirloomhad changed hands .

I t is not ye t two decades s ince a friend g o t for me a finespecimen of a fairy dart ,

” from a young woman wh oreceived it from her grandmo ther with the s trict injunctio n

,

“ that sh e was n o t to part with it ; that, i f sh e did,the

fairies would take herself, and her luck wo uld be gonefor l i fe.”

Some years ago I learned in cidentally an ins tance whichoccu rred towards the end o f las t century, where o n e o f

thes e arrowheads was believed by its owner to have beenthe handiwo rk of the elfs ,

” or fairies .

” I t was owned byan Orcadian who wo re it n ight and day for the greaterportion o f a long life. Th e old man resided in what wouldthen have been cons idered an isolated dis trict of the group.

I t had come to him as a heirloom , and he had worn i tfrom youth to extreme old age, suspen ded by a co rdro und the neck, supers titious ly as a charm . On n o accountwou ld he part with the heirloom , affi rming that, if he d ied ,the “ fai ries ” would come and take him bo d ily away

, so

that he would never be seen or heard of again. When hebelieved himself dying, he left strict injunctions tha t his

3 9

heirloom should be buri ed with him,he leaving n o

descendants .— MACBEATH, pp. 2 3 , 24 .

Dun rossn ees . A notio n is prevalent in the parish [o fDun ro ss n e ss ], that whe n a cow is suddenly taken il l

,she

is elf-shot— that is , that a kind o f spirits called “ trows,

”

different in their nature from fairies , have dis charged as to ne arrow at her, an d wo unded her with it. Though nowound can be seen external ly, there are different persons ,bo th males and females , who pretend t o feel it in th e

flesh, and to cure it by repeating certain words over thecow. They also fo ld a sew ing-needle in a leaf taken froma particular part of a psalm-book , and s ecure it in th e hairo f the cow, which is cons idered , n o t only as an infal l iblecure, but which also serves as a charm agains t futureattacks — N ew S ta t . Acct , Shetland, p . 14 1 .

Sh et lan d. When a cow has calved,i t is the practice

with some, as soon after as po ss ible, to s e t a e at o n herneck and draw it by the tail to the hinder part o f the cowand then to s e t i t o n the middle of the cow’

s back,and

draw it down the one s ide and pul l it up the other,tai l

fo remos t, that the cow may be preserved while in a weaks tate from being carried away by th e “ trows .” This isenclos ing the cow, as it were, i n a magic ci rcle.As the trows are said to have a particular rel ish fo r

what is good,both in meat and drink ; so when a cow

or she ep happens t o turn s ick or die,i t is firmly believed

that they have been sho t by an e lfin -arrow,and that the

real animal has been taken away and something of atrowie breed subs titut ed in its place. An d some who havebeen admitted into the interio r of a trow’

s dwel ling,as sert

that they have beheld their own cow led in to be s laughtered,

while,at the same time, their friends o n the surface of the

earth saw her fal l by an unseen hand o r tumble over aprecipice. Some times , also, the trows requi re a nurse oftheir chi ldren

,for it would appear they too have a time to

4 0 Super stitiorcs Beliefs an d Practices .

be born and a time to die,and therefore females n ew ly

confined mus t needs be watched very narrowly, l es t the ybe carried o ff t o perform the office of wet-nurse to sometrowlin g of gentle blood , who has either lost its mother, o rwhose s tation among her own race exempts her from thedrudgery of nurs ing her own ofl

'

sprin g .

J There is o n e place in the pari sh, cal led Tro lhoulan d,

” aname which indicates the s upers ti tious no tion s with whichit is associated : i t s ign ifies “the high land o f the trows .

”

The internal reces ses o f knoll s are cons idered the favou rit ere s idences o f the trows , and they are seldom pas s edwithout fear and dread by the inhabitants of the upperworld . A n d when

,after nightfal l , there may be a acces

sity fo r pas s ing that way, a l ive co al is carried t o ward o fftheir attacks — N ew S tat . Acct , Shetland, p. 142 .

Papa Stout . A t certain times a cow wil l grow s i ck.

The idea is o ften entertained that sh e has been shot bythe Trows . A highly valued cure under these circums tances , is t o take a cat, ho ld it by the tail , and scratch thecow from the tail to the head with t he cat’s claws .

REID, p. 24.

Shet lan d Ba Trow-sec t Com— A go od man y years ag o

a cro fter in the parish o f Dun ro ssn e ss had a cow thats uddenly turned i ll and seemed about to d ie. He at onces ent fo r an old woman who was celebrated as a “

trowis t,”

an d who was consequen tly t h e V.S .

”usually cal led i n o n

s uch occas ions . The o ld woman came, and the crofte rtook a co ll ie ” and went w ith her into the byre. Two o rthree members o f the fam ily accompanied them . Thecro fter held the “ col lie ” while the o ld woman carefullyexamined the extensive su rface of the cow. A t last she

disco vered a small dimple i n its skin j us t opposite its

heart. She then bade al l the persons present come an d

feel the dimple so that they should be satisfied that it wasthere. This concluded he r examination.

Goalin a'om. 4 1

My bairn , sh e said, turn ing‘to the man

,

“da trows isshot her. Haes du a Bible i da hoos e at du cud bringme ? The cro fter sent h is s o n into the cottage for theBible. The o ld woman took it and s lowly turned o verseveral o f its leaves . Sudden ly sh e tore o n e out .

“ I sal l talc a vers e,” sh e said,

o o t 0 dis leaf,an whatin

a verse dat is no ne know s bit me,for it

’

s a s ae cre t , an demat wid be weel sud never middle wi’ things at dey kenn o She tore the efficacious verse o ff from the leaf andro l led the tiny scrap o f paper hard up into a pel let whichsh e pressed in to the dimple o n the cow. A fter wai ting fora l ittle while sh e withdrew the pel let, and taking it, thetorn leaf, and the muti lated Bible , sh e went into thecottage where sh e got her usual remuneration in the fo rmof gifts . Then sh e went home. In a few days the cowwas well again — BURGESS, pp . 99 , 100 .

Trows — The Shetlander s ti l l sain s o r ble ss es himself as he pass es near thei r haunts in o rde r . t o get rid o f

th e fearfu l vis itants . They are described at the presentday as a peo ple o f small s tature

,gaily dress ed in habili

ments o f green .

They have the power o f mul tiplying their species : thusa female o f th e is land o f Yell

,wh o some ye ars ag o died at

the advanced age o f o n e hundred ye ars o r mo re, o nce metsome fai ry chi ldren

,accompan ied by a l i t t le dog

,playing

l ike other boys an d girls o n the t o p o f a hi ll . A t anothertime whils t in bed

,sh e had o ccas io n to s tretch he rs elf up

,

when seei ng a little boy,wi th a white n ightcap o n h is

head , s itting at the fire, she asked him wh o h e was . I amTrippa

’

s so n ,

” answered he. Upo n hearing which the go odwoman saiuca

' herself,and Trippa

’

s s o n immediatelyvanished .

Several Shetlanders , amo n g whom are warlo cks andwitches

,have en joyed a communio n wi th the guid folk

and by a special indulgence have been transported in the

4 2 Super s titious Beliefs an d Practices .

ai r, whenever occas ion served , from o n e is land to another.I n their vis its to Tro lhoula n d [near Big se tt er Vo e ] o r an yother knoll of a s imilar descriptio n , they have been allowe dto enter the in terior o f the hi l l at one s ide and come out o fi t at the other ; and in this subterranean journey have beendazzl ed by the splendour exhibited within the recesse sth rough which they have passed . They report that all thein terio r wal ls are adorned with gold and s i lver and thatthe domestic utens i ls of the place, pecul i ar to Fairylan d ,tw emble the s trange implements that are sometimes foun dlying abroad on the hil ls. Then there are innumerablestories told of Trows who in their rambles have carelesslyleft behin d them utens i ls of a shape unknown to humanco ntrivance. Sometimes the dairymaid observes a fai rywoman in the act o f milking th e cows in the byre uponwhich she sains herself when the evi l spiri t takes soprecipitous a fl ight as to leave behind her a copper pan o f

a form never before seen .

v The Trows of the hills have a rel ish for the same kind o ffood that afl

'

o rds a s ustenance to the human race an d

when for some festal o ccasion they would regale themselves with good beef and mutton , they repair t o theShet landers ’ scatho lds o r town-mails and employ elf arrowsto bring down their victims. [They always hit] noneof their arrows ever glanced as ide. When the TmWs areso successful as to shoot one o f the bes t fatlings that is tobe met with , they delude the eyes o f its owner with thesubs titutio n o f some vile s ubstance possess ing the sameform as that of the an imal which they have taken away,and with the semblance of it s sudden death , as if it wereproduced either by natu ral or violent means. I t is on thisaccount that the bodies of animals which have perished byaccident are condemned as unlawful food . A Shetlanderof the present day affi rms that he was once taken into ahi l l by the Trows , when the first o bject he saw was one of

his own cows bro ught in for the purpose of furn ishing a

Goalin a'om. 4 3

savoury supply fo r the banquet. So precarious at thesame time was the man’s in dividua l pres ervation, that heconsiders himself as indebted fo r i t to the gracious pro t ect ion o f a fai ry lady, under whose special favour he had beenadmi tted t o the cave . On returning to h is friends whomhe had left o n the earth’s surface, he learned that at themoment when with h is own organ of vis ion he hadobserved the cow conveyed into the interior of the hill ,o ther earthly eyes had beheld the animal i n the act offalling over the rocks . In this i ns tance then the real cowhad been abstracted and an i l lusory image left in it s place

,

lacerated and dead .

A good man in the is land o f Un s t had an earthen po tcontai ning an unguent o f infall ible power, which he al leg edwas obtained by him from the hills and , l ike the widow

'scruise, it was never exhausted o f its contents .

These sprites are much addict ed to mus ic and dancing.

A Shetlander, while lying in bed, heard one morn ing beforeday-l ight th e no ise o f a. large company o f Trows pas s i n ghis door, accompanied by a piper. Having a mus ical earhe readi ly learnt the air that was played , which he wo uldafterwards repeat, cal l ing it by the name of the Fairy Tune.The s ite where the dances by th e guid folk are held , is , asi n o ther countries , t o b e detected by the impres s ions i n theform o f rings which their tiny feet make in the grass ; andwithin such unholy precincts i t is hazardous for a Chris tianto e nter.Th e Trows are addicted to the abs t raction o f the human

species. A l tho ugh vis i ts fo r such a purpose are t o beparticularly dreaded at midnight or noon , yet to ch ild-bedwomen who may be designated fo r wet nurses t o somefai ry infant o f qual ity the latter ho ur is by far th e mos tformidable. On this account it is s til l a matter o f duty n o tto leave in so fearfu l an hou r mothers who give s uck butto pray that the influence of the demon of noon may beaverted . Chi ldren also are taken away to the hi l ls i n

4 4 Supe rst it ion s Belief} an d Practices .

order to be playfel lows to the infant offspring o f theTrows . When an imme s s io n prevai ls that any ch ild-bedwomen o r infan ts, pining away with dis ease or betraying amental fatuity are beings of a bas e e lfln bre ed , s ubst itutedby the Trows i n the place of thos e whom they may havetaken to the hills, n o i nducement can persuade a fami ly toafl

'

o rd the objects o f commiseration entrus ted to their care,th e att entio n which the s ituatio n demands . No r o n s uchmelancho ly occas ions are there wanting persons whopretend to the power o f entering the caves of the fa iriesand o f res toring the human beings who may be immured in them. A warlock of the parish o f Walls issaid to have amassed a co ns iderable sum o f mo ney byass uming such influence over the demons o f the hil ls.When the limb o f a Shetlander is affected with paralysis ,

a suspicion often arises that it has been either touched byevi l spirits , o r th at the sound member h as been abstractedand an insens ible mass o f matter subs tituted in it s place.A tailor n ow l iving reports that he was employed to wo rkin a farmho use where there was an id iot

,who was supposed

to be a being left by the Trows in the place of so meindividual that had been taken into the hills. One n ightwhen the vis itor had j us t retired into his bed , leaving thechangeling as leep by the fires ide, he was s tartled by thesound of mus ic ; at the same time a large compan y o f

fai ries entered the room and began to bes ti r themselves ina fes tive round . The id iot s uddenly jumped up and injoin ing their gambols showed a familiari ty wi th the movements of the dance that no ne but a s upernatural inhabitantof the hil ls could be s upposed to pos sess Th e o bs ervergrew alarmed , rain ed himself, upo n hearin g which all theelves immediately fled in mos t admired diso rder ; but o n e ofthe party

,a female, more disco ncerted than th e res t at this

inhospitable interruption to thei r sports, to uched the tai lo r’sbig to e as sh e left the room, when he los t the power o f everaft erwards moving the joint — H IBBERT,

pp. 44 4-4 5 I.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

46 Supe rs titzbus Belief } an d Practice s .

is the Devi l in the shape of s uch Creatures , whethe r i t beso or not as they apprehend , I cannot determine. How

ever, i t seems to be more then probable, that evil Spiri tsfrequen t bo th Se a and Lan d — BRAND,

p. i i 5 .

Strom y. Mo n s tri maximi nomine Tro icis saepissim e

coeun t cum mulie ribus illic co le n t ibus , quod cum ego illiccolu i, mulier illic erat formosa mari tata colono forti ; ipsavexabatur spi ritu maximo

,invito marito, co n cuban tibus

i n un o thoro, e t n aturalite r co n cubuit cum mul iere

, e t

vide batur. Mulle r tandem macera facta e st prae dolore :Ho rtatus sum ut vacare t precat io n e e le emo syn a e t

jejun io quod e t fec it ; durante anno s iccin e turbata e s t .

Descriptio is tius mo n s tri haec e s t .

In dutus e st algis marin is , tot o co rpore, s im il is e s t pulloequin o convo luto pi l is , membrum habet simile equin o e t

t e s ticulos magno s .— JO. BEN apud BARRY, p . 4 3 9 .

Orkn ey. Luridan .— Luridan a fami liar d id for

V many years inhabit the Is land Pomo n ia,the larges t of the

Oreades i n Scotland, s upplying the place o f Man-s ervantand maid-servant with wonderfu l dil igence t o theseFami lies whom he did haunt, sweeping their rooms, an dwashing their dish es and making their fires before anywere up i n the morning. This Luridan affi rmed, That hewas the genius A s tral, of that I s land , that h is place or

res idence i n the dayes o f Solomon and David was atJerusalem That then he was called by the J ewe s Be le lah ,

and after that he remained Long in the Dominion o f

Wales,i nstructi ng their Bards in Brittish Poesy and

Prophes ies,being called Urthin , Wadd, E lgin : A n d n ow

said he,I have removed hither, and alas my continuance is

but short, for in 70 years I must res igne my place toBalkin ,

Lord of the Northern Mountains Discours eupon Divils and Spi rits i n the 1665 edition of REG INALDSCOT’

S Din ar/en'

s of Wz'

tckcraft , bk. i i . cap. iv. (Nicho lso n’

s

ed, p.

Goélz’

n dom. 4 7

[The Boo k of Van ag as tus the Norwegian says thatLuridan the spiri t o f the air travels at the behes t of theMagician to Lapland and Finmark , and Skrickfin ian , evenunto the fro zen ocean . I t is h is nature to be always atenmity with fire

,and he wages continual war with the fiery

spirits o f the Mo untai n Hecla.”— Quarte r{y Review, 18 19

20 , vol. xx . p.

Wes tray. Wilkie 's K n olls — {Of two burial mo unds

( in o n e of which an urn was fo und) near Pier-o—wall ,Wes tray, known as Wilkz

'

c’r K n olls ] the Orcadian s can

give no information who this Wi lkie was . But thereis a tradition prevalent that all the natives o f Wes traywere in the habit o f dedicating to him daily a certain proportio n of mi lk. This mi lk was poured in to a hole in th e

centre of o n e of the tumuli. I t is also'

said that if anyeither refus e d o r neglected to give him this portion o f

milk,that their clothes or other articles which might be

expos ed,would be s tolen ; that they , and their cattle,

would be in danger of being infl icted with disease, whiletheir houses would be haunted by him . Th e natives s tillseem much afraid for Wilkie’s influen ce, although they nolonger dedicate to him oblatio ns of mi lk. I t is s tillcu s tomary fo r th e natives to frighte n their children tosilence by tel l i ng them that “Wilkie’s coming.

”— M .S . Le tter

by J . PATERSON on Orkn ey An tiquities , dated 18 3 3 , i n theL ibrary o f the Society of Antiquaries o f Sco tland .

Mys teri ous N ois es — The common people o f this districtremain t o this day so credulous, as to think that fai ries doexist ; that an inferior species o f witchcraft is s ti ll praetis ed , and that hous es have been haunted, not only informer ages , but that they are haunted , at leas t noises areheard, which cannot be accounted for on rational principles ,even in our days . A n in stance o f the latter happened o n lythre e years ago, in the house of John Spence, boat-carpenter,which house s tands within th e dis tance o f a quarter

4 8 Superscz'

liow Beliefs an d Practices .

o f a mile from the manse o f Stro n s ay. I n th e monthof Apri l , 179 1, this carpenter h ad almost complete da bo at

,which he had on the s tocks : He, his wife, h is

se rvant, and h is children, o n e night sometime aft er the ywere laid in bed

,heard a noise resembling what he had

been accustomed to make when driving nai ls into th e boat.I t cont inued a long time. He suppo sed it to be boys ,who having come that way at a late ho ur, we re amus in gthems elves . A t l ast he g o t up, and went out with an intention to reprove and d ismis s them. The noise ceas e don h is go ing out of doors t o the boat, which s tood hardby his ho use but he could neither se e nor hear anybody.

The noise was heard by all the family, not only that n ight,but many nights after n o t nightly, i n cons tant succes sion ,but at i rregular in tervals. Whi ls t the boat lay on thes tocks

,i t was s ti l l apprehended that the noise proceede d

from it, although n o marks o f s trokes could be decerned ,even after it had b

'

een newly covered over with tar, with inand without, when the leas t touch wil l make an impress ion .

The mistres s of the house and the chi ldren were alarmedat her earnest reques t

,the refore, in o rder to remove

effectually the supposed cause of the noise,the boat wh e n

finished, was s ent home, which happened to be a place o nthe o ther s ide o f the is land , from which place the nois ecould not reach the carpenter’s house. Yet 10 ! and behold !the same no is e continued even when there was no boat o nthe s to cks , and that for no less than four months ; an d as

the time elaps ed, th e noise increased with sti l l louder andquicker s t rokes , unti l i t came to resemble the s tro kes oftwo men hard at work o n a smith’s anvil. I t uttered atlas t, n o t only the sounds o f much fat igue, when me n areemployed in such work

,but moans of great dis tress.

All which seemed to this fami ly to proceed sometimesfrom o n e quarter, and at other times from another quarterwithin thei r house. Some of the neig hbours were broughtto s leep in the house, in order to d iscover the delusion o r

4 9

imposition , if any such existed. The same noise, at theusual time of the n ight, was heard by these neighbours aswel l as by the family. The mast er of the house himselfbegan at last to be somewhat alarmed ; but, putting histrus t in God, he resolved to address this supernaturaldisturber, and to ask what it meant o r what it wantedAccordingly, in the month o f A ugus t following, onenight after he had lain some time in bed with h is wife andchildren , upon hearing the last mentioned aggravatednoise, accompanie d with dismal groans. he sat up in h isbed, and solemnly co njured it, in the name of the HolyTrin ity

, to speak, if it had anything to say t o him .

I narticulate sounds of a fault e rin g tongue unable tospeak , accompanied with d ismal groans , were heard.The no ise soo n after ceased , and did not retu rn anymore to dis turb th is family. Th e preceding account themin is ter frequently heard from the said John Spence, an dalso from his wife, when separately examined by him onthis s ubject, on which o ccas io ns they always appearedgrave and serio us — 01d S ta t . Acct , v. xv. pp. 4 3 0-3 2.

Papa Stout . Supe rn a tural Crea tures — The is landers saythat abo ut a hundred years ago there was a s pecies o f

Supernatural beings i n Papa S tour so n ume ro us an d evendangero us , that a pers o n co uld not g o beyond th e towndyke after twelve o’clock at noon . A t Yule time and atweddings they would col lect i n s uch numbers as to checkth e pro gress of the stro nges t men , and sometimes bruiseand kil l them— RE ID , p. 24 .

Kirkwall. Auld Ha t tie — When t h e Rev . Mr. Yule wasincumbent o f K i rkwall Cathedral, he was in the habit o frebuking any person who did not behave wel l duringservice. On one occasion he publickly rebuked agirl fo r smilin g during the s ermon . Being afterwardsint errogated hy the minister as to her pecul iar behaviourthe girl rep li ed that if he had seen what sh e had he

so Supe rs titious Beliefs an d Practice s .

would have laughed too . What did you see then ?asked Mr. Yule. “ I saw auld Clut t ie up in the rafters,sitting across a beam

,writing down the names of everybody

that was asleep during the sermon . His paper was verysmal l and being soon filled up he tore a piece from the tai lo f h is shirt ; but even that proved too smal l. So he

endeavoured to s tretch it out a little mo re by pull i n g itwith h is hands and teeth ; but h is s trength was too muchfor the rag, so that it tore, and h is head came dun t again s tthe rafters above, and in h is anxiety he le t the whole dropdown . That’s the caus e o f my laughter. “Wo nderfu lvision ! wonderful vis ion ! said the d ivine .

FERGUSSON, p. 224 .

(e) WITCH CRAFYZ

Orkn ey. The belief i n witchcraft s ti l l prevails here, as inother parts of the kingdom . The character o f Norna, i n thePirate , was drawn from a l iving original in Orkney. Theold s ibyl is indebted, fo r the fame which sh e has acqu i red ,

to a vis i t from the great Novel is t , when he arrived atS tromness , where sh e then dwelt. She has s ince removedher residen ce to one o f the smaller is les. I t has been hercus tom to sel l t o the whalers charms of various kinds, aspreservatives from the winds, during their arduous voyages.

She has given , i t is said, at various times , in dubi tableproofs of supernatural power : o n one occas io n , having discovered that sh e had j us t been robbed of some ge e se by thecrew o f a brig, sh e anticipated it s exit from the Sound byspeedi ly crossi n g the hil l, and taking up her pos itio n o n thebrow of a beetl ing cl iff

,denounced, by al l her go ds , the ill

fated bark to destruction . The s e a ins tantly o pened andswal lowed up its victim . On another occas io n , she hadreceived some offence from a yo ung fisherman

,and pre

dicted that ere a year had pass ed away h is body should liel ifeless on the beach : the prognos tication was ful ly verified.

Tmc n mour n , vo l. i . pp. 286, 287 .

PVz'

tcAcraft . 5 1

Sh et lan d. Witchcraft is still beli eved by the peasantryto exist in Zetland and some o ld women live by pretending to be witches, for n o o n e ven tu res to refuse what theyas k. About s ix years ago [c. 1802] a man entered aprosecution in the sh e rifl-court at Lerwi ck, against awoman for witchcraft . He stated that sh e uniform lyassumed the form of a raven, and in that character ki l ledhis cattle, and prevented the mi lk of h is cows from yieldingbutt e r. The late Mr. Scott, then sh e rifl

'

-substitute, permitt ed the case to come into court, and was at great painsto explain the fo l ly and even criminal ity of such proce edin g s

— EDMONDSTON , S lutlarid , vo l. i i . p . 74 .

Orkn ey. For mula of old us ed in Orkn ey to acquire

witclccraf t — Mr. Dennison wrote it down nearly 50 yearsag o

’

from the recital of an old Orkney woman— granddaughter of a noted witch . The formula to be gonethrough to o btain w itchcraft (or , as Mr. Dennison says, inplain Engli sh, a fo rmula for givi ng one

'

s self to the Devi l)was as followsThe person wish in g to acqui re the witch’s knowledge

mus t go to the se a-shore at midnight, mus t, as he goes ,turn three times agains t the co urse o f the sun ,

must liedown flat on h is back with h is head t o the south, and onground between the l ines of high and low water. He mus tgrasp a s tone in each hand , have a s tone at the s ide o f eachfoot

,a s tone at h is head, a flat s tone o n h is ches t, an d

another over h is heart ; and must lie with arms and legss tretched out . He wil l then shut his eyes , and slowlyrepeat the fo llowing Incan tation

O,Mes te r Kin g 0

’a’that’s ill,

Come fill me wi’ th e warlock skill,An ’ I sall se rve wi’ all me will.Trow tak’me g in I sin n o !Trow tak’me gin l win n o !

Trow tak’me whin I cin n o l

5 2 Superstitz'

ous Beliefs an d Practice s .

Come tak’me n oo , an ’tak’me a’,Tak’ lig hts an ’ live r, pluck an

’

ga’

,

Tak’me , tak

’me , n oo, I say,Fae de how 0

’de head tae de tip of de taeTak’a’dat

’s oo t an

’ in 0’me ,

Tak’ hide an ’hair an ’a’ tae thee ,Tak’he rt an ’barn s , fle sh, ble n d, an ’bun s,Tak’a’atwe e n de s e eve n s tiin s

Ide n ame 0’de muckle black Wallawa l

The person must l ie quiet fo r a little time after repe at in gthe I ncantation . Then ope ning his eyes , h e should turno n h is left side, arise and fl ing the s tones us e d in th e

operation into the s e a. Each s tone mus t be flung s in g ly ;

and with the throwing o f each a certain maledictio n wassaid . Mr. Dennison’s informant profes sed to have forgotten the terms o f the malediction

,but he rather suspe ct ed

she cons idered th e imprecations too shocking to re peat .MACKENZIE, p. 4 .

She t lan d. H ow Women could become Wz'

tclzes .—Wh e n

it is ful l moon and midnight the aspirant after n u

hallowed power goes alone to the s ea-shore and l ies downupon the beach below tlze flood-tide mark. Sh e then putsh e r left hand under the soles of her feet and the right han don the top o f her head and repeats three times, “Th e

muckle mais ter Dei l tak’ what’s atween dis twa haun ds.”

The devi l then appears and clenches the bargain withshaking of hands. When this is done there is no retracting. The woman is h is s lave, and he gives her power o nland and s ea— EDMONSTON and SAXBY, p. 206.

Witch Me tamorplzos z’

s .— I was told once of a witch who

had taught her daughter some tricks of the trade,”an d the

girl,proud o f her knowledge

,changed herself into a rave n ,

according to th e maternal direct ions. But in learning howto become a bird, the girl had forgotten to receive th ei ns tructions necessary fo r returning to mortal mould, an dwould have remained a raven if her mother had n o t

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

5 4 Supe rs t itious Beliefs an d Practices .

home. As he was going up the gaet o r foot path to h iscot tage door he looked behind him

,but he could see

noth ing of the witch. Just as he was about to l ift the latchhe heard quick footsteps near him, and, turn ing round , hesaw the o ld crone standing by his side. She laughed ands aid“L ift du da s n ek

,and lat me look at K e e t ie . They

went into the house and the o ld woman walked up clo seto the bed in which the s ick wife lay and loo ked at her.Then sh e turned to the man and s aid“Yae, I can se t her ipo fit again , but what haes du ta

gie ? ’ There happened to be in the house at the time anold s i l ly kind of man who us ed to wander abo ut, beggin gamong the neighbours .

“ I kno n o ,

” repl ie d the husband , “excep du taks da

auld man at ’s i’ da but-room yun druat da fire .

Ke ttie sal l be able ta geng furt an mylk da kye aforeda ouk is oot

,

” said the old witch,and she wen t out. Next

morn ing th e o ld wanderin g man was fo und dead on thehills ide not far from the co ttage, and from that time thewife g o t quickly better.— BURGESS , p. 99 .

Tin gwall:“Lugg ie the Witclz.— About a M ile from

Tin gwal to the No rth , there is a Hi l l cal led the Km; ofK ebis ter

,or Lugg ie

’

s K n ow,nigh t o which H i ! there is a

House cal ledK ebz’

s te r,where a Varlet or Wizard l ived, com

mouly des igned Lugg ie , concern ing whom it was reportedthat when the S e a was so Tempes tuous , that the Boatsdurs t n o t go o ff to the Fishing, he used to g o to that Hi llor Know, wherein a hole, i nto which he let down h is L in esand took up any Fish he pleas ed, as a Cod or L ing, &c. ,

which n o o ther co u ld do but himself : A lso when Fishingat Se a, he would at h is pleas ure take up any ros ted Fis hwith h is L ine, with the In trals o r Guts out of it, and so

ready for h is us e This was certainly done by the Agencyof evi l Spiri ts, with whom he was in Compact an d

5 5

Covenant. He being convicted o f Witchcraft was burntn igh to S calloway.

— BRAND, pp. 1 10 , 1 1 1.

Cf . S INCLA IR, pp. 2 3 7-8 .

TRIALS .

Orkn ey. Trial of K a t/re f in e Cara} , juue , 16 16.— A n

al leged Satanic precept was,to make a wres ting thread ,

and give it in the name o f th e Father, Sone, and the HolicGais t, and say, Bone t o bone, syn n ew to syn n ew,

andfle sch e to fle sch e , and bluid t o bluid , i t wald mak onywrest o fman o r beas t haill.”— DALYELL, p. 1 18 .

I n her trial i t is mentioned that earth taken from thespot where a man had been s lain

,was prescribe d for a hurt

o r an u lcer.— 1bid ., p . 126.

When sh e wandered among the hi l ls “at the doun goingof the sun , ane great number o f fairie men mett hertoge ther with a mais ter man.

”— 1bid.,p. 5 3 6 .

Trial of Tuomas Cars , 6 April, 164 3 .— Being ful l of dis

pleas ure with James Paplay, he predictively brus t furthin thes spe ich e s , thow art now the highes t man that everthow salt be ! Thow ar go ing to shear thy com e, but i tsall never doe yow good ! Thow art going to sett hon swith thy wyfl— ye sal l have no joy on o f o n vth e r : Ylesal l n o t keip yow and hir, ye sall have such ane meit-wi l land sall have nothing to eat, but be fai n to eat grass vn de rthe s tanes and wair vn de r the His neighboursnot on ly co n fi rmed the utterance of these predictions, butthat they came to pass — 1M , pp . 492-9 3 .

Trial cf M arable Couper, 1624 — 1. I n the firs t, ye, thesaid Marable Co uper, ar in dyt it and accus it for ai rt andpairt o f the vse in g , comit t in g , and practis ing of the dive lishand abomin able cryme of Supers t itioun , Witchcraft, andSo rce rie , i n that, at M id-somer, four ye iris syne or thairby,Dauid Mowat in Ban kis i n Birsay, have in g mareitMargaret Co rs toun , they haid th rie new callowit kyne,quhairo f the said Margaret wan t it the pro fl

’

e it ; and sus

56 Supcrsh'

trbus Beliefs an d Pract ica .

pe ct in g yow, scho eame to yow an d repm it yow , callin g .

Ban hched witche , quhyhad ye tan e the proM o f h ir kyn e ;

quha an sue rit hir, that i t sauld be sevin ye iris o r any

witche tuik the profl'

e it zgan e from hir kyn e . Qubair»

vpoun fo llowit that the n ixt yelt , the said Dauid an d

Marg aret had thrie kyn e .quhairo f the ane de i t in a llowin g ,

an d the calff tan e out o f hir wombe ; th e n ixt callowit an e

calfl'

, and never gave milk ; and the thrid thir four ye irispast never tuik bull : An d at the Can dleme s e fte r, thesaid Margaret meiti ng with yow at your awin do re , an defter many wo rdis and flyt t in g , the said Margare t haue in gst rucken yow ifor the lose that scho had of h ir kyn e ,ye said to hir, that by the lose o f hir kyne scho sould wantworth the best horse that was in Birsay : A n d at t he Beltane thaire ft e r, scho had ane kow that de i t, and tua youngbeas t is. Quh ilk ye did not o n lie be your witchcraft andd ive lrie , bot gave yourse lff furth to haue skil l to do thin gie.I I . Immediatlie efte r the tyme forsaid, the said DauidMowat, haue in g met yow cumin g to your h ous with an e

stoup of ail l, quhairo f ye caus it him t o drink , an d thatsame night efter, he co n t ract it se ikn e s , and fyft e n e dayisthair efte r ye came to vis ite him

, quha said , ye wald layyour lyff for him , and that he wald ly yit ane mo net h seikor he war heall ; quba co n t in wit seik, according to yourspeiche, and never sl ipit, and at the sext oulkis e n d hebecame heall , be your witchcraft an d d ivelrie .

I I I . In harvest four ye iris syn c or thairby, quhe n thesaid Dauid firs t gaid to his barne wi th his new corne, yecam to his bous, and quh e n he gaed to the ki l l ye cameag an e , and quh e n the said Margaret was grind ing ane lo cko f beir on the que rn is , ye came to the hous and said yewas come to get your kiltre is that he had borrowit ; andhe

, have in g bo rrowit name, was we rrie ang rie, and said hewas euer cume rit with yow, and thouch t to have dung yow ;and quhen he saw yow, he had n o power to ding yow ;bot reprowit yow, fle t wi th yow, and bad yow away ; qub a

Trials . 5 7

gaid away : Bot efter, beith the said Margaret and hi rservan d could not gar the quern is gang about, and thething that was ground was lyk dirt ; and goin g to themyln e with the rest, i t was lyk dirt as the vth e r : A n d

James Spens your gud brother, being servant with them ,

and thay geving yow the wyt e, he cam to yow and reprovit

yow, an d in co n t in e n tlie the rest o f the me i ll was ass e gud andfair as could be pos sible, be yo ur witchcraft and dive lrie .

IV. Vpoun Monday befo r Fas tin g is evin thaire ft e r, yecame to the said Dauid h is bous

,and efter mony wo rdis

and flyt tin g , he gaue yow ane cuff, and pat yow t o th e do re,and ye s uo re that he so uld repent that s traik ; and fourdayis efter he haue in g put se x m e illis of ait tis vpoun h iski l l to dry, the kill tu ik fyre and brunt, and the com es thathe g o t sa iff he t uik to A lexander In g sayis ki ll, quh ilk lykwayis tuik fyre and brun t, be your witchcraft and dive lrie .

V. A t Alh allowmes thrie ye iris syn e, the said MargaretCo rs toun haue in g co n tract it s e ikn e s dwyn ed be s pace offoure mon e th is , and could get n o men dis at hame, n o r quh e nscho wes brocht to the toun of K i rkwal l and sua return inghame ag ain e , and going to A lexander Philipis bous byyour bous , ye was standin g at your dore, and the s aidMargaret ending in wo rdis and flyt tin g with yow,

cal ledyow ane banished witch e , and said giff scho deid, schosould lay hir dead vpoun yow ; and ye said to hir, schomicht haue reprowit yow quye t lie g ifl

'

scho had o n y thingto say to yow ; and ye tu ik hir in to your h ous , and tuikane b irstan e s tane and pat it i n the fyf e, and hate anedrink o f ale with it, and gave hir to drink ; quhairby as beyour witchcraft and dive lry, ye cast the se ikn e s , so be thelyk dive lrie and witchcraft scho gat hir health.

VI . [Once] the said Margaret Co rs toun cumin g to yourhous efter A lexande r Ph ilipis wyti and ye disco rdit, andbein g in your bed, ye layed by the lap of the claithes , andlut hir sie be syd yow, as it haid been ane great bag lyk aneswyn e s bledde r, great at the ane end and small at the vth e r,

6o Supers t itious Belief } a n d Practice s .

barrel ! o f new ai l! standing o n ane chest head A n d at th e

A lhallowme s efter, scho repro ve an d yow fo r your ban ingand swearing, and that ye sould have gevin your se lff so tothe devill, ye said ye haid nothing to do with the devi l! bo t

quh e n ye lay in gis sing of your sone Robie, yo ur companiecame and tuk you away, and that thay fetche yow,

and year with thame ewe rie mone anse.X. A n d g e n e rallie , ye, the said Marable Couper, ar

in dyt t it and accusit as ane comoun witch e , for airt andpairt vse in g , comitt in g , and practis ing of the abominablecryme of Supersti tion , Witchcraft, and So rcerie , and ingo ing with the divell, quhom ye confes t takis yow away ilkmone anes and

,in geving yo ur s e lff furth to haue sic con

s tand kn awledg e ; thairth row abus e in g the people, an d

wron ging and s laying man and beast, and sua not o n liereput and haldin an e comoun an d notorious witch e , bo tbei n g convict i n an e J ustice Court of befor, i n ce rtan e

pointis of witchcraft, ye was adjudg it to be ban ishit th eparochin o f Birsay of your awin consent

, an d n o t to be s e n enor found within it, vn de r th e paine o f taking the cryme ofwitchcraft Vpoun yow : A n d thairfo r

,and seing ye have

maid your co n t in walle res idence in the said parochin se nsyne

,ye aucht and so uld of new ag an e vn de rg o the tryall

o f ane assyse , and be adjudg it and co n dem n it t o the death,

for the causeis forsaid, and in example o f vth e ris to do th elyk ; and your gu id is and gear to be e sch e it and in bro ch tto his Maje s te is vs e

,conforme t o the lawis and daylie prac

tique o b se rvit i n s ic caiss is .

Curia jus ticiariae vicecomitatus de Orkn ey, teuta apud

joamzem Buclzauuaue , auuo Domin i 1624 .

[Sh e was found gui lty o f mos t o f the charges before the

The Judge accept is the de te rmin atioun o fthe Assyse , and

Trials. 6 1

o rdain is the pannel l to be tane be the lockman , hir handsbund , and be caried to the head of the Lo n ,

the place ofexecution , and thair to be knet t o ane s taik, wiried to thedeath , and brunt in asses. Quhilk Donald Kenner

,

demps ter, gave for dome.Abbo tsford Club M iscella ny, vo l. i . pp. 1 3 5-14 2.

Tria l of K a tlzeriae Crag ie , alias Es tquoy , 1640 .-Ye , the

said Katherein ar in dyt ed and accus it for vs in g andpractis in g o fWitchcraftis , Sorceries, and Divin atioun s , andin gevin yo ur se l furth t o haue sick craft and knowledge,and in compan ie and so cie t ie with the de vill, and thairthrow abusan d the peo ple.

I . In special ! in come in g to Jo n e t Crag ie , spouse toRobert Ro bso n e , alias Cos tas , hi r h ous , the said RobertRo b so n e being deadlie seik, an d n o n that e vir cam tovis it him expected that he co uld recover from that s icknes se ye cam t o h ir hous befo r daylight

,and spak t o h im

(who at that time knew nothing that wes done or Spokenb e syd him for h e avie s ickn e sse ) on this man er :

“Whatn ow,

Robbie, ar ye go ing to die ? I g rant that I prayedil l fo r you, and n ow I s ie that prayer hath taken effectA n d le ivin g o f farder speaking t o him, ye said to th e said

Jo n e t Crag ie o n th is maner : Jo n e t , i f I durs t trust i n

you, I sould know qubat lye th o n your guidman , andho ld is him doun at the grund ; I s uld tel l whether it werane hil l-spi rit, a kirk-spirit, o r a water-spirit

,that so

troubles him.

” The said J ouet Crag ie an sue rit yow again ,scho e sould nevi r reveal ! any thin g vpo n yow, if ye helpedhir guidman . Whairupo n ye replyed to hir, Well, or themorne at evin I sall w itte whether it be a hi ll-spiri t, a

kirk-spirit, o r a water-spirit, that troubles him . The n ixt

morne th aire ft e r, [ye] th e said Katharein cum to the said

Jo n e t’

s ho us e befor day, an d brocht with yow thrie s tones ,which ye put on the fyf e, whe r they co n tin owed all theday ti l l e ftir sone sette ; and th an ye took thame out o fthe fyre , laying thame vn de r the thresho ld of the doore,

r:

62 Supers titious Beliefs a n d Practice s .

where they co n tin owed al l night til l vpon the marrowtimeous befor sun rysin g , ye took thame Vp frome vn de rthe said doore threshold, and taking a ves h ell filled withwater, ye put the s to nes th airin se ve rallie , o n after anothe r ;o f which s tones, being thus put into the said water heyow, the said Jo n e t Crag ie hard o n o f thame chirme andchurle in to the water, wharvpo n ye said t o the sai d Jo n e to n this man er : “

Jo n e t , i t is a kirk-spi ri t wh i ch trouble thRo bbie your hus band .

”Thaire ft e r ye gave the vessel wit h

the water to the said Jon e t , whairun to ye haid put thethrie ston es , and direct ed her t o wasch h ir husband thai rwith.

I I. I tem,for putting o f vth e r thrie s to nes into the fyre ,

qubair they co n tin owed all the day also , till sun se t t e , atwhich tyme ye did tak them out , and layed thame againvn de r the threshold o f the dure, quhar thay co n t in owed allthat n ight, till vpo n the mom tyme ous lie , befor sun

rys in g , ye did again tak vp the said thrie sto nes fromvn de r the said doore thresho ld, and did tak a ve sh e ll, as yedid the day before, fi l led with water, wherein again ye putthe thrie s to nes se ve rallie , o n after ano ther. o f which fo rsaid s to nes, being thus put in the water be you, the said

Jo n e t hard thame aga in , the secund tyme , chirme andchurle in to the water ; and thairefte r gave hir the said ve ss ellwith the water, and caus it her wasch hir husban d wi th it asecund tyme .

I I I . I tem , ye ar in dyted an d accus it the thridtyme , in takin the s tones and putting thame vn de r thethre shold o f the doore all that n ight, and in the ves sellwith th e water vpo n the morn in g th e rafte r, as was donebefo re, and o n e of the stones chirmed and churled in thewater, as twyce before it had do ne, but wold n o t geve thesaid Jo n et the vessell wi th the water to wasch hir husban d,as scho haid done befor at yo ur dire ctioun ,

but ye didwasch him with the water your self.IV. I tem ,

ye ar in dyt ed and accus it for the de vilrie

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

64 Superstit ious Beliefs an d Practice s.

VI I. I tem, ye ar in dyt ed and accus it for goin g t o

Jo n e t Sclaitte r’s hous,William Flais , in Grage, he r husban d,

be ing lyaud seik, and said to her, “Jouet, if ye wold haue

your husband re ssaue some litt ill heillth (for he will neverre co ve r of that se ikn e s quhilk he is lying in), ye a ll gowith me about the Crosse K i rk of We sbuste r, and the

Locke ofWe sbust e r, befo r sun rysin g ,” and de syrit hir to

ke ip si lence and not to speak a word.

Th e Judge abso lvia the pannell.Abbotsford Club M iscellany, v. i . pp . 164

-169.

Katherine Crag ie , alias Es tayuoy, are in dytit and accusit

I . I n speciall. in that [in ] March 1642 ye iris .

James Caith n e s i n Rowse y, having gone over to Westrayfor doing sum of his e ffairis thai r, and culd n o t get hometymeous lie to his hon s, for i l l weather ; i n the me an tyme ,

quhill his wyifwas thinking long for hir husban d is homecumming

,ye cam to hir

,and said to hir, “Give me an e

pe ice o f cloath , als much as wi l l be ane pai r o f han dshouse ,

and your husband s al l get fair weather to come homesho rtlie , before ye get your supper ” ; and vpoun themorne

,the weather becam fai r and the said James cam

home.I I . Ye ar in dyt it and accus it that Thomas Corse bei n g

lying deadlie seik, and in al l menis j udgment quba saw himwithout hop to l ive langer, and being for the tyme se n s les ,

not kn owe in g qubat was done or said to him , ye cam to h ishous, and said to Margaret Craigie, his wyif, that the saidThomas wold not die of that se ikn e s ; and ye assurit hirthairof, and ye brocht with yow thrie stanes to the hous ,quhilkis tymon s in the mo rn e in g , ye laid in th rie cornerieor n ookis of the hearth , quh e r the samen co n tin wit ti l labout day-setting ; and then ye did , with your awinhandis tak vp the thrie ston es from the ir several ! place s,

Treats . 6 5

and laid thame behind the do re al l n ight ; and tymo n s i nthe mo rn e in g , ye did tak vp these thrie cold s tones, and

put thame in ane vessel l, with water, when th e said Margarethard o n o f thes e s tones chirme and churle in the water, but asyit ye told her n o t qubat spi rit t rub lit hir husband. Efterward

ye cam with the water,and washed the said Thomas Corse

thairwith , at quh ilk tyme he was so se n s le s that he kn ew notqubat was done t o him efter as ye haid waschen h im thefirs t tyme

, ye again took the thrie stanes, and ve it thame thesecund an d thrid tyme , as at th e fi rst, and washed him witht h e water, as at the firs t and quh ill ye war wasching himth e thrid tyme , he bame somquhat sen s ible, an d knew thatye war was ching him

, quh ich he pe rce avit not the twofo rmer tymes ye did wash him . A n d imme diat lie the sameday, tyme ous i n the mo rn ing, efter as ye haid washen himt h e thrid tyme , ye de syrit the said Margaret Craigie h iswyif to g o e abo ut the loch with yow fo r gett ing o f hir hus

handis health ; but the said Thomas Co rse begin i n g atthe same tyme t o recover and to be com sens ible, hearingyo ur speich to h is wyif, s tayit hi r, that shoe wen t n o t with

yow.

I I I. I tem , ye ar in dyt it and accus it i n thatThomas Irwin g , yo unge r, being veric seik in Quo n dale ,quh a irfra he was fl i tting

,he was brocht in to Jo n e t Sklat eris

bo us i n Gog are, h e avilie dise as it with a se n s le s n es , that heknew not quhat was s aid or do ne to h im ye cam to t he saidJouet Sklat e ris h ous , and kn owe in g that the said Thomaswas lyi n g se ik in h is bo us

,ye said that it was the se a trow

o r spirit that was lyi n g vpoun him , which might weil ! e n uchbe flye d away, and efter th is, ye went and brocht with yowth rie s to nes , an d laid thame in th rie cornerie o r nooks of

the hearth, from mo rn ein g t ill n ight, then ye took thamevp in your hand , and laid thame behind the dore all nightt ill tymon s in the mo rn e in g ; at which tyme , ye too k vp theth rie co ld s to nes and put thame se ve rallie into a we sch ellwi th water, qubair th e said J o n e t hard o n of th e s tones

66 Supers tit ious Beliefs an d Practices .

chirme and churle . Thaire fter, ye took the water an d

washed the said Thomas thairwith ; but he was so se n s le s

that he knew not that ye haid washen him . This yedid with the s tones an d water thrie several! tymes an d

mo rn in g is tog ith e r to him ,and efter, as ye haid washen

him the th rid tym,immed iatlie that same night fol lowing

ye causit him to ryse out o f h is bed vn dir s i lence andcloud of night, to go with yow to the sea s chore, forbiddinghim to speak at al l, be the way, ti l l your re turn e to th ehous of Cogar, and so ye went be fo ir, an d the said Thoma sfo llowit yow, and be the way he was sore affrayed andmany tymes thocht not to haue gone further with yow ;

but ye speaking nothing only beakn ed to him with yourhand to g o e fo rdward with yow to the appoyn tit place. Soye went wi th the said Thomas doun beneath the bridge o fSavaskaill, at the sea schore , wh er ye did tak th rie loo ffullo f water, and did cast the samin ower his hea d , and afterwardis he re turn it with yow to the hous of Cogar, be fo irany of the house war ris en out o f thair beddis and eve rie

day th aire fte r he co n vale scit and b ecam better of h isse ikn e s .

IV. I tem, ye ar in dyt it and accus it , that ye bein gin Margaret Craig ie s hous , the said Margaret haid an e

young quoyak calfe, whilk did e at ane beat o f lin t vn to

yow, quhairvpoun , ye being veric an grie, said to the saidMargaret, “ye sall nevir milk h ir ; dog is sall eat hir.

Kn owe ye not qubat be cam of Rowie Flawis kow, quh ilk

did eat my courtch ?”

(for it was of treuth , that efter thekow had cattin your curch , shoe nevir did moir good).Efter these your wo rdis , the calfe be cam a beast of thrie

yie ris auld, we n t’

to the hi l l qubair i t died , was nevir fo undtil l the dog g is haid ca t ti n .

V. I tem , ye ar in dyt it and accus it , That vpoun aneSaturday in winter, when Wi ll iam Flawis i n Cogarwas lying seik, ye cam to Henrie Yo rs toun e s bous , andlodg it thair al l n ight, and arose tymous in the mo rn e in g ,

Tr ia ls. 67

being Sunday, a l itle be fo ir the break o f day,being veric

tempes tuous weather with s now and s le it, the said Henrieand Katherin Win dwik h is spous , and thair chi ldren, bein gall as yet in thair heddis , ye s o ught ane garter from ane ofthe bairn e s , but they vn willin g to ryse, re fus it yow : As yewer go ing out o f the hous, ye wold haue haid ane o f thebairn e s to haue s t e ikit the dore eft e r yow , but the bairn e svn willin g t o ryse, de syrit yow to draw t o the samen efteryow, quh ilk ye wold not do e . Vpoun Monday, i n themorn e in g , th e said Katherin Win dwik went to ThomasCo rse h is hous to vis i t him , th i n king that he was e ath e r

dead or veric ne i r, and n o n that haid s ein him the nightbefo r thoght that he culd escap, an d quh e n shoe cam in toh is bo us , s ie in g the said Thomas lying in h is bed laughing,and yow s itting in the hous, st e ppit i n by, to g o e neir toThomas Corse, qubair he lay, and in the bygoing, ye spak

quye tlie to hir in h ir ear o n this maner, “qubat s ikan e

mo rn e in g , think ye, haid I yesterday ? quba an sue rit yow,

“quhy, qubat g lan g o ir war ye doing in that il l weather ?

”

Ye said to hir ag ain e , I was about the loch with J o n e tSklat e ris , spous t o William Flawis , but it is fo r n o stead , itwill never mend hir.” These th in g is began t o be rumo rit ,and the s e ss ioun being acquan t it thairwith , the saidvmquh ile Henrie Yo rs toun was cited, and de clarit thesame n do ne by yow

,and told to him be h is wyif. A fter

wardis , ye being lodgin g in Es sen Cors e h is houe , shortefter, ye said Henrie Yo rs t oun h e s bein makin g re po rtiso f me, but er ane ye ir be at ane end he sal l find it

”; and

so it fel l out,that the s aid Henrie Yo rs t oun contracted

great s e ikn e s , an d died with in the ye ir efter , as ye haidwe n ted your anger ag ain e s t him , an d efter the death of thesaid Hen rie Yo rs toun , the said Ess en Co rse told the s aidKatherineWin dwik your ire full wo rdis vt t ered ag ain e s t hi rsaid vmquh ile husband ; and this also cumming to the

knowledge o f the s e ss ioun , and being cited to declair quhathe knew thairin ; but er the se ss ioun day came, the said

68 Super stit ious Beliefs a n d Practice s .

Essen , taking with him h is sone,ane yon g boy to the

craig e s t o draw fish, but the said Essen Corse was takin outwith ane swelling sea and drowned

, an d the chyld escaped

Quhilk was done be your witchcraft and devilrie .

VI . I tem , . quh e n William Flawis i n Cogar wasIyan d seik, ye took Jouet Sklat te r, h is wyif, an d MargaretIrwin g , his servant woman , with yow, qubair ye direct thesaid Jo n e t to fol low yow, and caus it th e said MargaretIrwin g fo l low the said J o n e t , and went about the lochin this o rdour, and about the four n o okis o f the kirk yai rd ,and none o f yow spak ane wo rd all the while

,quba ir in

your progress and regress,ye re turn it i n that same maner,

ye the said Katherin going sti l l be fo ir. A t las t,cumming

t o th e hous, ye e n t e rit in the bous firs t, and s t eppit in to

th e se ller quhair th e said William Flawis was lyin g seik,and the s a id J o uet Sklatt e r an d her woman fo llowit yow,

an d quh e n ye and they e n terit in the sel ler, ye than beganto speak, and bad the sa id Margaret lay he r han d inWil l iam Flawis

’ hand,qubair he was lyin g, quhairat the

said Margaret began t o fear some mis chief intendit again s th ir, an d was veric loth to do it yi t, at las t, shoe took himby the hand veric s le n derlie ; this do ne, ye bad the saidMargaret gang but the hous , quhairat the s aid Margaretbecame veric fearit , and we ipit , and sat doun ,

and woldo n owayis s t irr

,n o r g o e firs t out. Thairfo ir, ye went out

firs t your s e lff ; an d quh e n th e lass cam but the hous , yebegan to flyt with h ir becaus shoe wo ld n o t goe first out.After thes e th in g is , vpoun ane vth e r day, quh e n the saidMargaret haid come in from hir work, the said Will iam ebeing lying seik

,sho e fand yow s tanding vpoun the floo re ,

holding something clos e be tuix your handis, and ye cam

t o hir, and held the samen to h ir left ear, an d said to hir,

hearest thow that ? and the said Margaret hard sumth in g

chakin g werie quye tlie at hir ear, then shoe askit yow

qubat it was shoe hard and ye an suerit, it was ane s tanewhich was clowe n , and water haid en t e rit in be tuix bo th

Trials . 69

h alfis o f it, and it was the water that pized within thes tone.VI I . I tem ,

ye being dwel l ing with Thomas Corsewyf, Margaret Craigie said, i f it happin t yow t o b e out ofthe house in the farthe st pairt o f the yle, al l that shoe woldspeak in hir awin house, mos t se cre t lie and privatlie , ye atyou r firs t home cumming to the hous , ye wo ld te l l her o fit : Quh ilk reve lat ioun and fo irkn owle dg e ye haid o f thed e vill

, your mais ter.VI I I . I tem , quheh ye dwelt with KatherinWin dwik,

spous to Gi lbert Mowat, i f i t had ch an ched yow to havebein furth at work

,or haid bein in the farthes t pairt o f th e

yle,though sho e suld even [do] a thin g nevir so se cre t lie ,

and it had bein but t o heat a drink to her self quye tlie ,quhairo f shoe thought thair was none that culd havek n owledge

,yet

, quh e n ye cam home ye wo ld tel l h e r of it

Quh ilk reve lat ioun and fo irkn owe ledg e ye haid o f th e devill,your maister.

IX. I tem , quh e n Magn us Harcas was t o rme n t it

w i th ane in to lle rable paine in his l eg, ye cam to him qubairhe was lying

,and de syrit to s ie his leg, quba let yo u sie

i t, and ye s t rakit your hand t e n d e rlie vpoun i t ; so i t fel lout , that immed iatlie efter, as ye went furth , the grea tpai n e s lackn it , and ay be cam better : Quh ilk was do ne beyour witchcraft and devilrie .

X . I tem, when Magnus Craigie in Skaebrek was

veric s eik, Jo n e t In g sg e r, h is wyif, go ing to Hun cle t, t o

seik sum help fo r him ,and by the way sho e me t with yow,

an d told yow o f her husban d is se ikn e s,and ye said vn t o

hir that ye haid Ursulla Alexan de ris snood, quh ilk ye haidke ipit s ince ye put hir in hi r w inding sh e it , an d said vn tohir that ye wold give it hir, and caus e bi n d it abo ut hirhusban d is waist , and if it war the dead manis sting whicht rublit him, i t wo ld cui r and h e ale him . Ye said also thatBessie Spen ce hes ay ane sore head, i t is ay pained , an dshoe wold faine have this snood fra yow to wear in hir

7 o Supers titious Be liefs an d Pract ice s .

head,for this sn ood is good for thame that have sore

h eadis : Quh ilk sho res sauit from yow ,and band it about

hir husban dis wais t.XI . I tem ,

That Katherin Barn ie, vpoun anecertain day quh e n ye wer out o f the h ous , did g o e to yourh e avie

, quhair i t d id hing vpo n the wal l , to s ik fo r anespindle, and thairin fand , bound in a kn ott wi th in a clou t,th rie grassis , whilk shoe reve ilit to Annabell Murray, sumtyme epous to Magnus Corse, quba re ve ilit ag ain e to hirmother Margaret Craigie, and shoe to ld Hairie In g sg e r h ir

husband th airo f, quba to ok with him Thomas Craigie inSavaskail (being both e lde ris ), they went and found thethrie grassis bound in a knot and lying in your h e avie , andsh o rt efte r, the said A nnabel l Murray co n tract it ane lin g rin gdisease, and nevi r recoue rit thairo f quhill sho died .

XI I . I tem , quh e n Katherin Ethay,spo us to John

Work in Eg ilschae , was co n tract it in marriage and proclaimit i n the kirk with him , and be fo ir they wer mairyittoget her, ye cam to her and said, qubat now ar ye going todwe l l in Eg ils chae , tak my coun sale with yow, and ye bewyse, and ye sall not spe id the worse ; quh en ye ar goingout of Rowsay to your awin hous to Eg ilschae , rememberto tak home with yow the wash cog, and the catt of thish ous with yow to your awin house.

[This time sh e was found guilty, and underwent theu sual sentence ]

A bbo tsford Club M iscellany, vol . i. pp . 17 1-180 .

[Pre fixed to Katherine Craig ie’

s second trial a re thefollowing jottings]In presen e of Mr. George Graham , David Hert, S im

bist er, and the Chambe rlan e .

Katherine Craigie de po n it that Margaret Ranie alias

To dlock , heille a kow o f John Bell is in Quoyskn owis o f theban e schaw.

A n d that Cristan e Poock, lait se rvitour to Hen rie

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

7 2 Supe rs tit ious Beliefs an d Practices .

Trial of Elspe th Curse tter , 1629.-Being refused access to

the hous e o f a man in Birsay she “sat doun be fo ir the

dure, an d said , ‘ i l l might they al l thryve , an d il l mightthey spe id

’ and within 14 dayes thaire ft e r, h is best ho rsefell in that same place qubair scho sat

,and brack all

h is bones , and h is th ie bone gaid throw h is bowel ls to thevth e r syd o f him .

”— DALYELL, pp. 3 3 , 3 4 .

She recommended a ma n t o carry the bones of a bird inhis clothes to preserve h is health : Ge t the bones o f anet equhyt , and carry thame in yo ur clothes. — Ibid . ,

p . 1 50 .

Like the fly of Plautus overseeing everything, E lspethnarrating e ve rie particul ar disch , and qub at was spoken

”

at a banquet, declared as her causa scien tiae , that she wason the buird i n the liknes o f a bie .

" p. 564.

Trial of joue t Dreve r a n d K a the ren e B ig la n d— Curia

Capitalis Vice comitalus de Orkn ay e t Ze tlan d ten ta inK i rkwal l per ho n o rab ile s viro s He n ricum S tewart deCarlo n gyie e t Mag is trum Wilie lmum Le vin g s toun Vicecom ites deputato s dict i Vice comitatus die vij Jun ij16 15 .

The quh ilk day Jo n e t Drever and Kath e re n e Big la n d

alias Grewik bein g pan n ald in dytit and accus it fo r airt partvse in g committin g and pract izein g o f the abhominable anddive lishe cryme o f witchcraft contened in the particu larand several! po in tis o r dittays gev in in ag an es thameCompe irit Robert Co ltart pro curatour fiscal ! and de syrit

pe rso n es to be put t o the kn awledg e o f ane as syse .

Th e said pe rs o n e s being receavit swom e an d admit t it

past a! tog idde r furth o f court and ryplie advys it in e n t e rit

ag an e fand and de lyve rit al l i n ane voice fo r the mo s t partthe said Jo n e t Drever be the mouth o f Ro bert Me n te th

chan celar To be co nvict and g iltie o f the fos tering o f anebairn e i n the hil l of Wes tray to the fary fo lk callit of hit

o ur guid n ichbouris A n d in have in g carnal ! deal ! with hirA n d have in g conversation with the fary xxvjze iris byganeI n respect o f her awin co n fe s s ioun A n d s icklyk fand and

Trials . 7 3

de lyve rit for the maist part be the mouth of the saidchancelar the said Kath ere n e Big lan d To be convict and

g iltie of witchcraft fo r s tanding in the s tyle or the kirkzaird of the croce kirk of Wes tray with drawin kn yflis i nher hand quh ill Marioun Tailzeo ur hir mother and vth e rist hat we s i n hir companie cam furth of the said kirk th e

mos t part of ane nicht Item co n victis and fyles the saidKath e re n e for laying o f ane duyn in g and quo t ide an

se ikn e s upon Will iam Big lan d i n Swartmiln hir mas terI tem fylit the said Kath ere n e fo r practize in g o f th e saidd ive llisch e cryme o fwitchcraft I n going furth under clud ofn icht about Can de lme s las t and bringing in to the saidWil liam h is bous of wat tir as appet i t An d wesch in g o f thes aid Wil liam h is back the rwith A n d laying him dounsaying he wald get guid res t and lying doun be tuix himand th e dor having re fuiss ed t o ly in any uther place An d

th e s aid Will iam have in g walkn it with fear and cry in gand fe illin g a thing lyke a ruche sche ip abone him Insaying to him be not afl

'

rayit fo r i t is the evil ! spre it thattrublit yow that is going away A n d i n taking o f the saidWilliam upo n e the mo rne at n icht efter sun setting underthe ban kis and we sch in g o f him with salt wat t ir at thattyme An d fyve o r s ix v th ir n ich t is the re ft e r quh ill here ceavit h e althe be hir un laufull and dive lisch e airt ofwit chcraft Item fylit the said Kath ere n e in laying of thes eik n e s the said Wi l l iam had upo n e Robert Broun his

se rvan d quba co n t in ewit therin almost mad tuo dayis

quh ill schoe cam and g raippit h is pulses and brow ands traikit h is hair backwards and saying he wald be weil !A n d cas ting o f th e same s e ikn e s imme diat lie upo n th e

said Will iam Big lan d An d the said Kath e re n e beingchalle n g it within the said I le th e rfo r fo r takin g o f the saidse ikn es af the said Robert and cas iin g the same ag an e

upon the said Wil l iam In saying ifWilliam Big lan d l ividschoe wald die A n d thairfo ir God forbid he le ive Efl e r

quha is deliverance the Judges de ce rn is and o rdan e s the

7 4 Supe rs tition s Beliefs an d Pract ices .

s aid Jouet Drever t o be tane upon th e mo rne be tuix 3 an d

4 houris eft er nune and s curdg it fra the end o f the saidt o un to the uther A n d thaire ftir t o be ban isched thecun tre An d nevir to re turn e under the pane o f death A n d

s iclyke de ce rn is and o rdan e s the said Kathe re n e Big lan d t o

be tane to the heid o f th e lone the morne at twa e fte rn un eA n d thair to be han d to a s taik and han g it to the deathand burnt to asch e s An d dome gevin h e irupo n e .

M aitla n d Club M is ce llany , vol . i i., pp. 167 , 168 .

Shet lan d. Trial of jon ka Dyn e is , 16 16 .-Being o ffended

with one n amed Olave, sh e fell out in mos t vyle curs in g is

and blas phemo us e xclama tioun is , sayin g, That with in fewdayis h is bones so uld be raiking about the ban kis and sa ,

within an e short space tha ire ft e r he perished be scy, be hirwitchcraft and devilrie .

"Next addres s in g h is mo ther,

gat Ge e lis ane knee! to hir hairt , quh e n hir sone Ola dyit lwithi n few dayis she sal l get ane o th ir : an d s o within fourtein dayis thaire ft e r hir vth ir sone Mans perished be s ey,

”

DALYELL , p . 3 4

Being ques ti oned after a vis ion , could not give answer,b o t s tude as if bereft of h ir se n ss is .

— Ibid. ,p.

The husband of Jonka Dyn e is being in a fishing boat atWalls, s ix miles from her res idence at A i th, and in peril,sh e was fund and s ei n s tanding at hir awin h ous wall , inane trans , that same hour he was i n danger ; and bein gtrappit , she could not give an swer, bot stude as bereft o fhir s e n s s is : and quheh sh e was spe irit at quhy she we s so

movit , sh e an swe rit, gif our boit be not tyn t , sh e is i n greathazard— and was t ryit so t o be .

”— 16id. , p . 4 74 .

Ge e lis , the oversee r of Cultmalyn die’

s wife, fai led to

obtain the products o f m ilk, after a quarrel wi th JonkaDyn e is. Therefore,

“ the hail! weme n o f H ildiswick werdesyrit, as the forme we s , to ki rne, quba come andkim et, and we s no butter. The said Jonka being de syrit,

Trials . 7 5

an d having abse n tit h irse lf sun drie tymes, and flein g

half a myll frae hi r bous ; and being fo llowit and fundbe the said Ge e lis, sche fan ye it hir self seik, and was bluidi ng at mouth and nois — quha b rouch t hir back ag an e ,

and compe llit hir t o kirne— at quh ilk tyme we s go tt ins ext e in merkis butter, quhair be fo ir we s gottin bot sevin .

”

A lso , having got more butter from one cow than a neighbour o btained from fifteen

,he u rged hir to kirne with

h im , efter mo ny ho is ting wo rdis , quba thaire ftir gat h isbutte r.”— Ibid . , pp . 6 3 0

-3 1 .

Orkn ey. Trial of joh n Faw , g rim-y,

16 12 .— I—Ie gave the

gips ies’ vocation as“ the g e ve in g o f thame s e lfis furth fo r

so rce rie, g ive aris of we irdis, declare ris of fo rtown is , and that

they can h elp o r hinder the pro fl'

e it o f the mi lk o f be s t iall."

laid , p . 2 3 5 .

West ray, Orkn ey. Trial qf jon e t Forsytlz, 1629 .— In trat

upon a pannell Jo n et Forsyth , vag aboun d, dochter toumquhile Wil l iam Fo rsyth in Howrn e s within the I s le ofWestray fo r the Witchcraftis underwritten .

I n the firs t ye the said Jo n e t ar in dyt it and accus it forairt and pairt of the abominable supe rs t itioun and supe rs titio us abus ing and d isceve in g o f th e peo ple within the saidIsle and for practe is in g o f the wicked and de vil ish pointisof witchcraft and devilrie done by yow. I n man er at thetyme and in the places e ft e rspe ce fe it . A n d i n giv i n g yours e lfi

'

furth to have sutch craft and kn awledg e thairo f.

Thairth row abusing th e people, viz. fo r s lae in g o f four

g rys s’

s to Manss Pe it e rso n e sumtyme i n Kirbus t e r beingdwe lin g at the said Manss house for the tyme be yourwitchcraft and devilrie Quhairby Mareoun Flet be cattingof the said g rys s

’

s swallit and becam de craipit in bear s eidtyme four or fyve ye iris sene an d being confronted withthe said Mare oun ye could not denn y.

I tem ye ar in dyt t it and accusit for devi lish and abomin

able bewitching of Robert Reid in Coat in Gaird in casting

7 6 Superst ilious Beliefs an d Practice s .

se ikn e s upoun him , he being upoun th e s ea ,in s ick sort

That the men that wer in the bo lt wi th him were forcit tobring him on shore for fear o f death A n d ye bei n g o n th e

shore at h is arryvall He challe n g it yow for h is se ikn e s andthre it e n ed yow In thir words : g ifi

'

he gott not his healthag ain e I t sould be wo rs n o r enough with yow Quhairupounye wash it him with salt watter Quhairby he re cove rit an d

cam to th e se a I n health upoun the morne.

I t em ye ar In dyt t it and accus it for the devi lish andabominable bewi tching o f Thomas Po rt in Gaird In cas tingse ikn e ss upoun him in februar s ex yeiris sene or tha irbyAn d being challe n g it ye cam to vis i t him and curit himbeing de adlie dis eas it and g o t mail ! and com es fo r yourepaines , and cus t h is s e ikn e s upoun Michael ! Re id i n Hews e a

h is meir quh ilk deit as the said Thomas grew quho ll, An d

ye being accus it th airupoun be the said Michael ! i n voretyme h is wyfi

'

and ye being chyd in g tog idde r ye could n o t

de nny and the meir bei ng oppin it thair was nothing inplace of his heart bot ane blob of watter.Item ye are in dyt t it a n d accus it for going to the s e a

about midsomer sex ye irs sene or thairby at full sea quhe nth e s tarrs we r in the firman e n t and took ane can full o f sa ltwatt er and th airby and be your devilisch practe is ye tookaway the pro fe it of Johne He rkas ky.

I tem ye are In dyt t it and accus it for com i ng to J amesRe n da llis house in Midbie at Fe s tre n s evin fo ur yeairis seneo r th airby and having sought ane piece o f flesh, and gettingbot ane littil piece ye were e vill co n t e n t it and said that yesould get ma ir flesh o r ye cam again e , quh ilk being hard bethe said James wyff, quba repro vit yow notwiths tanding beyour with craft and devilrie , vpoun the morne bewitch it tuaof his ky quh ilk took s e ikn e s -and dei t wi thin aucht dayesand o ther thrie within ane quarter o f ane yelt .

I tem ye are In dyt t it and accusit for that the same ye irTh e said James Re n dalls wyfi

'

, haivin g wan tit the pro ffe it o fhir butter

,ye cam to the h ous , and being challe n g it be hir

Trials . 7 7

for it being s it ting be the fyf e-syd ane beey cam fle in gabout youre head quhilk o ye tuk and de syrit the guidwyfl

'

to put under hi r ki rin and sh e so uld get her pro fl'

e it ag ain e ,

an d be caus the said James took the beey and cus t it in th efyre ye was angrie and said although he wald n o t giffyou credit o th e ris wyld g ifl

'

youcredit.Item

,ye are In dyt t it an accus it for that ye cumin g to

the said James’ barne about Ca n dleme s th rie ye irs is seneor th airby, de syrit an e lock com e fra Edward Rendal l h iss o ne

,quba said tha i r was nane th re achin and ye said ye

may give me ane lock, and he ple as it out of the cassieunder th e un threach in corne, quh ilk we s not sene, an d

be caus he re fus itt to geve yow went to the barne yai rd andfaddomit ane o f the best s tacks in the yaird about contrairto the sunns cours quh ilk the said Edwa rd seing tald hisfather

,and when the said s tack was cast i n the hail com es

laickit the subs tance and never d id him guid be yor so rce rieand witchcraft .I tem

,ye ar In dytt it an d accusit That thrie ye iris since orthairby ye cumin g to William S etter h is bo us in Halbreck

at Fe s tre n se vin , and seeking ane piece fles h h is wyfl'

re fus it

yow quhairwith ye was angrie and depairt in g , be your witchcraft and devilrie he lo s it ane great number o f his sh e ip,

sume by runn ing on th e s e a an d o th e ris dein g upo un shore.I t em

,ye ar In dyt t it and accus it for cumin g to Gi lbert

B ereas als We s tray in Po ldrit hi s bous at th e t ime forsaidand selkin g ane piece flesh

, sa id to h is wyfl'

g ifl'

sh o wald

g ifl'

yow ane piece flesh ye wald g ifl' her ane guid sh e ip

luck as ye haid given to sun dre is in the I le quhom ye hadmaid up. A n d sh o re fusan d to geve yow any flesh andsayin g sho wad tak hir to God’s luck ye depairt ed angrieand the said Gilbe rt is wyfl

'

have in g told it t o J o hnWalt e ris

wyfl ye re turn it and reprovit the said Gilbe rt is wyfl' and

said that sho so uld repen t that sho told it , quhairupo n helo sit Twe lfl

'

ho t ss and me iris within ane halfl'

ye ir efter beyour witchcraft and so rce rie .

r

7 8 Supe rs lilious Beliefs an d Practices .

Item ,ye ar In dyt t it and accusit fo r that Marjorie Reid ,

spoo s to James Drever in Swartmyln e bei n g seik and yecumin g to the h ous and sh e challenging yow fo r hir se ikn esan d gevin yow an e look com e ye took the se ikn e s o f hi r

quhairby she was quho l! upoun the morne be yo r witchcraft and devilrie .

Item , ye ar In dyt t it and accus it th rie o r fo ur ye iris s i nceye cumin g to Jouet S in cla iris h ous in Clet and selkingamas the said Jouet said sh o g o t litill guid by gevin amast o s ick folk as sho an d that sh o wan tit the pro ffe it o f an e

meil l o fmalt that sh e was brewing be fo ir Yule quba an srithir that ye knew quha did it and that sho was ower reddleto geve ane drink of her wort and the said Jouet and herse rvan ds have in g forgot that any haid got t in any wo rt yesaid ye knew quba had go ttin ane drink of it and calledh e r to memo rie that Ch ris tan e Reid in Glett cam in anemaid errand , se ikin g wo ft to an e wo b and g o t ane drinkand so took the profl

'

e it o ff the wort wi th her and shespem n g at yow how ye knew that ye said ye knew i t wellenough and being spe irit qubair ye was then and how yeknew it ye said that ye was lying in your bed aboveTowquoy and knew it weil l enough and being spe irit

qubair ye gat that kn awledg e ye confest ye gave anewoman callit Mo n ipe n n ey Three quarteria o f lyn in g fo r

leam e in g o f yow.

I tem,ye ar In dytait and accus it fo r that sex ye iris sene

o r thairby i n vo re ye faddomit ane s tack o f bear of sevi nfaddome pe rt e in in g to Michael! Reid and that ye tookaway the substance o f the com es th airo f and gave it t oRobert Reid in Coat of Gaird an d being challe n g it bethe said Michael! for it ye took twa me illis o f it backag ain e from the said Robert and gave it him and beingchalle n g it be the said Robert Reid , ye took the pro ffe it ofthe res t of the stair fra the said Michael! quhairin thai rwas sevin thrave and an e halfl

'

quh airo fl'

he got noth ingbot shellin gs and gave it to the said Robe rt.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

80 Super s tit ious Beliefs an d Practices .

The witnesses wer admitt it and maid faith quhairupo nthe procuratour fishall askit actis .

Walter Pe it e rso n e in Gara bewes t depones that Mareo un e

Flet tald him that she slew the g ryss’

s bot will n o t say o f

his conscience that sh e was the doer o f i t , and deponedanent Robert Reid that he knew noth ing ho t as he said to

him and th e res t that was in the bolt.Michael ! Reid in Dyksyd deponed an ent Ro bert Re id

The said Michael ! depo ned afl‘irmat ive anent the takinof the s e ikn e s of Thomas Po rt and cas ting the s ame on h ismeir and that sh e was the dead of the meir.John He rcus in K irbus t e r deponed that efter the pannel ltook the salt watter and gave it to Ge ills I rving he wan t itthe profl

'

e it of h is ky by it and st orit never ane calfl'

offyft e n e ky be the space o f thrie ye irs .

The said Michael ! Reid deponed that he saw hir tak thesalt watter and four with him and that sho gaid to Ge illsIrvin g is bous with it ho t qubat sho wrought by it he kn awsnot— [also affi rms about the fathoming the bei r s tak,

” theconversation of Jo n e t with h is wife, and the breaking ofMichael Balfour’s collar-bo ne ]James Rendal l in M idb ie de poned that he knew that shespak the words and be her words he kept the skaith of thedeath of h is be ast is and deponed affirmative anent the beeyconforme to the dittay. A n d deponed that sh e was the instrument of the want of the subs tance o fh is com es. MargaretMarwick, spous to Hercules Grot in Clet, deponed that showas wi th the gu id wyfl

'

o f Clet and deman dit with hir o f thesaid J o n e t Fo rsyth and that sh e an s rit co n forme to the dittay.

[Fo und gui lty and ordained to be taine be the lo ckmanand co n veyit to the place of execution with her hands bundbehind her back and worried at ane s taik to the dead andbrunt in

From copy of the MS . of trial by the late GeorgePet rie, K i rkwal l.

Trials . 8 1

Orkn ey. Trial of Clari stian Gow , 1624 — The min ist erofWe s tray

’

s servant applied to Christ ian Gow to cure hismas ter’s horse , who vs it this charme.”

Thre e th in g e s hath th e fo rspokin ,Heart, tun g , an d eye , almo s tThrie th in g e s sa ll th e me n d ag an e ,

Fathe r, So n e , an d Holie Gho st .”

DALYELL, p. 27 .

Will iam Myln e being de id lie seik, and the windingscheit laid at his heid to be put o n him ,

”Chris tian Gow,

by ganting and whispering o ver the said ed perso ne,maid him that he in s tan tlie became who l l and weill .

1M , p. 124 .

Tm1 of K atherin e Gran t,162 3 .

— Sh e went to HenryJanies house with a stoup in hir han d , with the boddomeforme st , an d sat down ryg h t fom ent the said Henrie

,

an d g an tit thryce on him — and going furth he fo llowithir ; and be ing o n the brig s tan e , scho lukit ouer hershoulder, and turned up the quhyt o f her eye

, quhair

by her divilrie , their fell ane great wecht upoun him,that he was forcit t o s e t his back to the wall ; and whenhe mme in, he thouch t the bous ran about with him ;and th e ire ft e r lay seik ane lang time.”

1M , pp. 7 , 8 .

She direct ed Chris tian , the wife o f Thomas Smith, shebeing de idlie seik

,

” to fi ll a vessel with se a-water betweensunse t and days e t, and putt ing three s tones in it, careful ly to preserve s i lence. But

,meeting her husband

h e commanded her to speak,when he was seized im

mediately with her d istemper, an d i n peri l of h is l ife.

Being suspected of infect ing a child with a a e sh ewas summoned to the house, an d o n arrival she des ired acap o f water, with ane kn yf, and when scho gat it, she

8 4 Supe rs tition s Be liefs am‘i Practices .

same, assuirin g him that they wald delat e him fo r witchcraft. Imme diat e lie thaireft er he cam t o th e ho ns, an d

that aill that tastit o f n ath in g bo t watter o f be fo ir wessufficient guid ai ll , and gif thair haid bein ten be rt ell isthairo f it haid bein sauld , or be zeid out of the hous . I tem ,

that have in g aft and dyve rs tymes de syre it the len of an esch e re t sh e illin g fra James Hunto n in qubahave in g de n yit the same hes co n t in uallie se n syne dwyn itin se ikn e s laid o n him be h is dive lrie and witchcraft. Item ,

fo r this ye ir on Beltane day las t in the mo rn e in g , he cuming to William K irkn es

’ bous, and de syre in g an e cash ie o f

hay fra him, quh ilk being given to him , immed iatlie thai reft er that same day ane foil ! of the said William K irkn e ss isdied , an d o n the morne ane meir with foil ! lykwaye s dyit , andhis hail ! guidis hes co n t in uallie de cayit se n syne be h isdive lrie and wit chcraft. I tem

, that he and h is dochterhave in g ane lamb going in Mans Futtspurre s com e, andabout his hon s, cumin g i n to the said Mans, his stable, h isho rs s trampit vpo n the leg of the s aid lamb an d brak it,fo r the quh ilk the s aid Will iam prayit e vill for the sa idMans , and that same ye ir h is four hors and h is o xe n died ,quh ilk we s do ne be h is dive lrie and witchcraft.

ROGERS , v. i i i . pp. 299-3 00.

Helen Hun te r, [ w oma n in Brag /z, 164 3 .-[To ascertai n

whe ther the properties of mi lk were abstracted by onedeceased o r s urvivi n g, sh e directed the owner to milk thecow o ver an inverted cup, in the pai l , when the rise o f

a bubble o n removing the cup i nd icated a del inquentdeceas ed .]— DALYELL, p. 5 14 .

[Spinn ing a black ro ck is alluded to as pern icious tocattle, but no part icu lars given .]— Ibid ., p. 2 56.

Trial of jo n e t [ rt/Mg , 16 16.— The devi l while in the form

o f a woman , o n hearing Chris t’

s name uttered ran out atthe hol! of the door lyk a black catt.”— Iaid . , p. 5 54 .

Trial of Hele n e Isbm ter, 163 5 .— It was charged agains t

Trials . 8 5

her that in Paba, the g laid having s lain e some fowles,ye

comman dit him to s it downe o n the rigging o f the house,quba sat till he d ied .

”Th e charge does not seem to have

be e n pro ved ; but the culprit was convicted of charmin gmice into a s tack, where al l were fo un d dead : and she

confessed havin g pronounced some words to expel themfrom thei r previous haun t — laid , p. 270 .

A man was utterly ru ined by nine knots cast o n a blueth read , and given to h is s ister.— Ibta., p. 3 07 .

Sh e t lan d. Trial of Ka tkerin e jouesdacb ter, 16 16.-It was

alleged again s t her that she “wish e it i n her min d that

her husband’s in firmitie s might be trans ferred to a s tranger.

Sh e was also accuse d o f bein g able t o trans fer dis easemerely by wishes an d grasping the hand o f the intended

She s aw the Trowis ryse out o f th e kirkye ard o f

H ildiswick, and Ho lie cro s s K irk o f Esch e n e s,and o n the

hil l cal led Gre in faill.”

They came to any house wherethere was “ feast i ng, o r great m irrin e s and spe ciallie at

Yule.”— Ibid., p. 5 3 2-3 3 .

[Cf II. a ,

Orkn ey. Trial of james K n a rs toun,163 3 .

— He came tocure a woman in Dairsay o f the “ bain sch aw

” bringing“ane li tle pig o f oyle, maid o f Me killwo rt , as he himselfalle g it .

” He took s uch water as was in the house, “andwashit hir fe it fra hir kneis do un , and hir airme s

,nobo dy

being be syd bo t ane l i tle sone of h is awin . Th e watterbein g in ane dafl

'

ok, shoe pe rceavit that thei r was twa orth rie s tones i n the watter, quh ilk h e took and pat about hirkneis, and vs it some few wordis . Efter as he haid wash ither fei t an d airme s , he dryit them ,

and rubbed o f the oyleag ain e quhilk he had brocht wi th him , b e ffo r the fyreand be caus the oyle was not s tark e n uch, he gat some

86 Supe rslilious Be liefs aua’ Pract ice s .

aquavit e to mak it s tarker the next time. Repetit ion o f

this remedy within fifteen days cured the patient.16121, p. 15 3 .

He took “ane s tone for the Ebb,another fo r the H i ll,

and the thrid fo r the K i rk-yaird : and thaire ft er be se ith in gof thame fyre ho tt in water, and laying of thame above thelin tell of the doore for the space o f ane nicht and mo reand then taking and puting o f thame in an e tub ful l o f coldwater, vs in g s ome wordle kn owe n vn to h imse lfl— thairby

to unders tand be qubat s to ne that s uld mak the bul leri n gand no ise, as is mais t fairfull to be sei n , [be] qubat spiritit is th at the person d is e as it h e s the disease : and so to

cal l thame home again e .

”— Ibid ., pp. 508-9 .

Fo r “cuirin g of dyve rs and sun drie pe rso un e s , water

was taken at midnight from S t . Mary’s well at Kirkbus t e r,and the patient washed betwee n dawn and s unrise, whe reinthe diviner, pro bably cas t melte d lead , throw the bowleof ane pair of che iris th rie sun drie tymes, at i lk timesaying thi r wo rd is , ‘ i n the name o f th e Father, Sone, andHol ic Gho s t ’ — Ibid., p. 5 1 1 .

The issue of dis tempers was divined from liquified

subs tances , s uch as lead o r wax congealed in water.Patrick Hobie’s daughte r being s ick, he had prom ised tocas t her heart-caik of lead quh e n shoe su ld come t o him .

Ibid , p. 5 1 1

While leadi n g peats darknes s o verspread the sun a n d

tha irwith a mons tro us cloak cam fle in g and buzin g about,an d e n trit in at h is mo uth ,

and he fe l l to th e ground on h isface an d grew blew— it was als great as ane o f the l ittl ebirds that fle is in the ye ird .

”— 1bid. , p. 565 .

Trial of Cirs ta n e Le isk, 164 3 .— A fter o fl

'

e n d in g andwrangl ing wi th Cirs tan e Le isk , a man immediately

“ fel lde idlie s ick that he cou ld not s tir him .

” When brought bymenaces t o the hous qubair he lay, and shoe lookin g o nthe said A lexander, he pre se n t lie s tart to h is fei t , and wentto the foot-bal l .” p . 59.

Trials . 8 7

A man s ickened while sh e spread h e r hand over h isback. When this was repeated, the pa in ceas ed “andimmediately he became whole. — Ibid , p. 6 1 .

Tria l qf Oliver Leas t , 16 16.— Ou a cow giving a

deficiency o f milk, grass from the spo t whereon the pails tood , was to be thrown among th e milk to avert recu rrence of the l ike p. 126 .

16 16 .

— Magnus L i n ay charged with , &c. , i n asmuch thathis sone bein g ke ipin g h is ky, an d sufferi n g thame to go inRobert Grayis com e in Wat le , the said Ro bert fin ding h isky in his corne, gave h is sone ane cufl

'

, quhilk the saidMagnus pe rce avin g fle itt wi th the said Robert thairfo ir,and assuirit him that he so uld repent that s traik, and thatsame day being about lambme s tua ye iris syne or thairby,

the bes t ho rs that he had dyit , and h is hai l ! be st iall, hors,n alt , and sh e ip h e s dyit , and n ath in g th ryve s with him se n

sync — ROGERS, vo l. i ii . p. 3 00 .

They were accused of having accompanied the Egyptians

[Gyps ies], and of having lern it to take the pro fl'

e it o t

thair n yg h tbouris co rn is and ky o f the saids Egyptians, asthe captan e o f thame declarit ."— DALYELL, p. 2 3 6.

Trial of Cirs ta in Marwick, 164 3 .— While a woman was

milking her co w Cirs tain lo okit i n ower the duir, qubairvpoun th e calf died pre s e n t lie , and the kow fel l s eik, thats choe wo ld n ether eat nor yield m ilk.

" p. 5 .

While Margaret Craigie was recovering, Cirst ain Marwick “

s traikit hir hand ower the said Margaret's breas tand that same night sh e died — laid ,

p. 5 2 .

Trial of Ka t/serif: M iller ,29 M ay, 16 3 3 .

— A womanlabouring under an extrao rdinary disease

,compel l ing her

to “cre ip on hands and feit,

” recovered presently andreceived as good health as ever

,fro m the hand o f Katherin

M il ler laid o n her head — laid ,p. 6 1 .

8 8 Supe rs t it ious Beliefs an d Practices .

to Swan in H ildi n vztk— In the first, you the said Mario nPeebles al ias Pardo n e , is in dyt it and accus it for the s in fuland damnable reno uncin g o f God , your Fai th and Baptism ,

giving and casting of yourse lf, body and soul in the handso f the Devi l, fo l lowing, exercis ing, us ing and practis i ng o f

the fe arfull an d damnable craft of Witchcraft, So rce rie ,

and Charming,in man ner, fo l lowing, viz .

I n the first, you are In dyt it and accus it fo r coming inthe month of Imvjc [ 1600] and th irty years , to thehouse of John Banks i n Turvise t te r

,an d Janet Robertson

h is s pouse, with a wicked , devi l ish and mal icious inten tionto cas t Witchcraft and S ickness upo n them ; and mis s ingth e said Janet there, fo r go ing to Surs e tt e r, where sh e thenwas , and after cu rs ing and scolding he r, tellin g he r thatsh e should repent what sh e had done t o your daught erand good-so n . A n d for that immediately wi th the wo rd ,ye, by your devil ish art of witchcraft, did cast s icknessupon th e said Janet, who, immed iately upon yo ur departure , fell i n an extraordinary and unkindly s ickness , andlay eight weeks

,taking her show s an d pains by fits

,at

midday and midn ight, and so continued mos t terriblytormen ted ; her said s ickness being castin upon her byyour said devi l ish w itchcraft, during the said space, untilth e sa id John Banks came to you and threatened you, atwhich time ye gaif him a gull ion o f s i lver, to hold h is peaceand co nceal th e same, promis ing t o him that noth ingsho uld ai l h is wife. An d thereafter, for that ye sen t heran e cheese o f the breadth o f ane loof, compos ed by yoursaid devil ish art of witchcraft, with ane junke-roll, anddes i ring her the said J anet to eat the same, when (whereofthe said Janet refused to eat), ye t immediately she grewwell, but two of her kine died , the said s icknes s beingcastin upo n them by your said wicked an d de v i l ish art o f

2. Like as also, you are in dyt it and accus it, for that by

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

9 0 Supe rslz'

lious Belief} an d Practice s .

whereby h is l i fe was i n great peri l], yet saved to theadmiration o f all the beholders. A n d ye being accusit fo r

takin g the said occasion and cryme upon you,an s e rit that

it was not fo r h is gud, but for Helen Thomson his spo us

gud that he was s avit.

5 . Ye t he said Marion are in dyt t it and accus it fo r thatye d id cas t an e te rrible and fearful mad n e s and s ickn e s

upon ane Madda Scuddas-doug h t e r, your awi n friend,b ecaus sh e wold n o t byd with you, quhairo n sh e co n tin uit

mo s t t e rriblie t o rme n t it , an d throw the tormen t o f the saidd isease, sh e was caus it many time s to run upo n her awins is ter that keepit her, and divers, so as t o have devo ritthem in her madn e s , and so co n tin uit a ze ir and half aneze ir, ti l l sh e , being coun sallit , ran upon the said Marionand drew blood o f you, within James Halcro s Hows ,biting twa of your fingers ti l l they bled , whereupon thesaid Madda Scudda-doug h ter re co ve rit of her diseas e, andcame to her ryt s in ce s .

6. Ye the sa id Marion Pardoun ar in dyt t it and accus it

for that James Halcro in Hildiswick having a cow that yealledged had pushed a cow o f yours , ye in reven ge thereof,maid the said J ames his cow milk nothing but blood ,whereas your awin cow had no harm in her milk ; whereupon they suspectin g you, shewit th e said bloody milk toMarion K ilt i yo ur servant, quba de syrit of you the samebloody milk fo r Goddis caus to shew you, and sa id s h e

houpit the cow sould be wei l quh ilk having gotten , andcoming therewith t o your hous , and shawing it t o you

,

thereafter the cow grew wei l , thairby shewing and provingyo ur sa id dev i l ish practyce o f the art o f wi tchcraft .

7 . Ye the said Mario n are in dytit and accusit fo r that

you having anno 1642 zeira hyrit an e cow fro m A ndrowSmith, younger in H ildiswick, which ye keepit fra the bu ll,when she wald have taken bull, and the said A ndro gettingknowledge thereof, caus it the same to be brought t o thebul l and bu llit agai nst yo ur will . The next year when she

Trials . 9 1

calved,ye took away h er pro fi

'

e it and milk, so that sh e

milke d nothing but water, quhilk s tin ked an d tasted o f

sham a lo ng time , till that youcommin g by the said A nd roh is hous , he suspecting you, caus ed you to milk her andlook to her, aft er which doing, immed iat lie th e s aid cowsmilk cam to i ts own nature .

8. Ye the said Marion ar in dyt t it and accus it fo r that yecoming by ane pies o f grass quhairin Andro Smith elder inVide fie ld had s ix kine t ede rit, quhairin til ye went, and out ofwh i lk grass , ye and your so n , aft er ye had louait and takenthe kyne

,fel l in scouldin g with and abus it the s aid A n dro,

and said to him that he sould not have so many kine to eatgrass and milk the next ze ir ; acco rding to the quhilkwo rd is , sa i t fel l out thereafter ; fo r that by your saidwicked an d dev i l ish art o f witchcraft , the said hail kynedied be fo ir the next half ye ir, all fat and gud like by thatsame order

,as they were lous it by yo u o n tedder, beginning

at the fi rs t cow, (quh ilk was an e black cow, qlk ye lousit ,

qlk died 20 days befo re Yule, fat and tydie,) and s o furthin succession the rest , by your ad devi l ish witchcraft.

9. Ye coming t o the said A ndro Smyth e lder,and

de syrin g him le n you ane of h is bars , to go to Urafirth to

lead pe at is , qlk he re fusit to do,ye out o f a wicked and

mal icious heart said to him that he would repent it ;quh e reupo n ye by yo ur sd wicked and devi l ish airt o f

witchcraft, an d for cutting o f your malice, and for keepingo f your said devil ish prome is , within aught days thereafterdid ki l l ane of his best wo rke hors. and within half ane ze irthereafter other three of h is sd hors ; thairby shewing baithin your words and deeds

,your w i cked and devi lish skil l

concerning the practis e o f the fursd devilish and abhominableairt o f witchcraft.10. Ye being suspe ct it to have castin sicknes s upon the

said Andro Smith elder his oy, qro f she lay long be n umedan d sen seless, ye coming tyme fo irsd to the h ous o f

Ove rure , and the y challenging an d quarrelling you therefor,

9 2 Supe rs tit ion s Beliefs an d Practice s .

ye fel l into cursing and swearing and went to the dore,qr

an e calf was s tand ing in the dore be syd yo u, qrupo n inyour sd wicked and devil ish mali ce, be your sd detes tablecraft o f witchcraft , ye did cas t s ickness that it pre s e n tlierun mad, cracy, and died .

1 1. Ye the said Mario n are in dyt tit an d accus it fo r

coming to Andro Erasmusso n ’s house in Eshan e s s , qr b ehavin g ane cow th ree days calved be fo ir

, qrupo n as yeluikit , ye immediately be ai rt an d de vilrie cast s icknes s thatshe immed iatlie crap t og idde r, tha t n o lyfwas looked fo rher ; til l they sent fo r you, and causit you lay yo ur handupon her, qrupo n scho then imme diatlie re co ve rit

,and was

wei l .12 . Likeas [ye the sd Marion] to cullour and e xt e n uat

your sd craft , alledgin g that ye wan t it th e profit of yourkyne, qlk was not true, but o n lie to tak occasion , by yo ursd wicked and devi lis h airt of the profit of the said Androhis kyne

,came t o h is bo us i n Ju ly th e re ft e r

,and efter

cu rs ing h is wyf, quba shawed you the mi lk of her kyne,de s irit her to caus Us la S in clar, h e r servant woman , t o g owi th you to the kerne

, qlk she did. Qrby ye touk awayw ith you the pro fe it of the sd A ndro his kyne unti l thespace o f thro t t e in dayes ; ti l l the sd Andro his wyf wen t to

your bous , and shewit you the mi lk and butter, and maidpublicatio n yro f to t he n ybours , and imme diat lie thereaft e r

g at back her pro fe it o f baith h er milk an d butter .Ye ar in dyt it and accus it for that ye cam to

Thomas i n Urab is t e r, and de syrit a quoyach cow o f h is offour ye ir old to hyre , qlk was with calf then , whereof hemaid you half a grant

,but not the ful l

,unti l he co u ld

advise with h is Mrs,the gud wyf o f Urafirth , quba wo u ld

not co nsent, and be caus ye gat her n o t , ye outsco ldit himand wer veric angrie. A n d in revenge o f his sd refusal ,immediat lie yraft e r ye cas s e e kn e s upon the ad cow, qlk

being at the hil l w ith uth e ris o f his kyn e, scho tuik a wodroam or madh es and cam scouring hame frae the rest to the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

9 4 Super stitious Beliefs an d Pract ice s .

Halcro in H ildiswick, where Andro Bro un then wis fo r thetime, and fal li ng into conte s t, and fie t t in g with him aboutl inching ane boat

,ye

,bei n g e nraged , set your ve n efical

malice agains t him ,and curait him with many wicked and

execrable words,and by your damnable and ve n e fical

heart wish it and cravit i l l may so befal l him whereupon byyour deve lish ai rt and craft o f witchcraft ye bewitched him,

and cast s ickness upon him immediately that he fel l i n adeadlie s ickn ess and diseas — That upon Munday n ext here»after, he did contract sa vehement and deadlie diseas andsickn ess, to rme n tit the reby fra the croun o f h is head to thesole of his fute, that there was n o lyfi

'

expe ct it o f him .

Quh airfo r his n ybe rs , kun wing your det es table brute o f

witch craft, and your pouir at your said practis ing, and thaton whomsoever your curs ed charm fel l , sum notable andextrao rd in ar m isch iefi

'

and e vile fo llowit t o yame, they d idadvys him to send for you, to shaw that there wis na lyfi

'

for him, and that they al l suspe ct it you for castin g thesamin upon him . Quhairupo n , aft er many din ye llis t o cum

and s e e him , at las t you cam t o him, quh e n shewing you his

diseas and s ickn e s , tog idde r with the rackin g pain thereof,imput it by him and uth e ris to be your act and do ing,A ndroth ae rfo r prayit you to lay your hand upo n him , wh ich youwo ld n o t do

, n o r be na in tre att i nather o f him nor o f yourn ybure s moved thereto ti l l that they all that wer in thebo us , being wearied of your refusal , wen t furth grivet, and

prayit you for Goddis caus e to lay your hand upon him ;an d then at last

,being movit theret o

,us ing your said vene

fical and damn ab il charms and witchcraft, ye did unco verh is leg

,and pat your finger thereon , and o n the ground

three s e ve rall tymes,to and fra qrby immediatlie , by yo ur

said ai rt o fwitchcraft and charms , he fel l, and said h is peinand diseas was de so lvit frae the crown of h is head t o theso le of his fute ; at g lk tyme he was before her tut e h sa

h eavyly diseas ed frae top to to e , through all h is body, withswe l ling in h is bandes, lykwise armis , leges and knees, that

Trials . 9 5

he was unable to move o r turn himself in the bed but afteryour said tuteh

,he became able to s it up, and turn himse lf

i n the bed , and within twa dayes , was fullie re co ve rit , andwent furth . Quhilk sudden re co ve rie , to g idde r with yourfo rme an d manner of charming, and cure in g o f be your saidtuteh and charmes being spread abrod amang your n ybe rs ,and the said cumin g to your ears, about 14 days after hisreco ve rie , ye said to your n ybbe rs e mg race o n them thathad bewitched you,

. that wald n o t witch you o e r the banks

quhairupo n immed iat lie again he fell again in the sd s ickn e s wo rs than be fo ir, and payn e t away with s ic extreme t ie

o f s ickn e s , that he sent you ag ain e ,de syrin g meat out o f

your hand ; and after lo ng in tre at ie , ye wald n o t cum tohim with it, leas t yo ur witchcraft and charmes again so uldcum t o lyt , but s end wt Swe n e your husband , ane banno ck,after lo ng s tryvin g be twix the sd Swe n e and you , qlk ofyou s ould give the s amin t o him qlk be having eaten , heagain re cove rit pre s e n tlie thereafte r, and the sd s ickn e s wascas s in be you upon ane cow, perta in ing also to Andro, qlkthen died .

I tem , ye the sd Mario n ar in dyt tit and accus it fo r that,you bearing and dead lie and ve n e ficall malice in yo urheart agains the sd umquill Edward Halcro i n Ove rure ,and in criss in g your ma l ice and dive lish i ntentio nes of yo urwicked heart

,and taking occas io n t o renew and bring yo ur

wicked inten t ion by your sd wicked airt o f witchcraft, towork h is ruyin e and death ,— (being s e t o n edge be a spe itchspoken be him to the ad Swe n e your husband, when he wascas t in pe at e s to him in Voir las t year, as the sd A ndroBrown also was castin pe at is to h im , having callit to yo ursd husband , and bade him g o t o you, to de syre you to goto yo ur pobe, the de vill, and bid him loose ane kno t, thatthe sd A ndro Brown myt be able, being then veric waik ,to cas t out h is bank of pe a t e s —

qrupo n ye and the sd

Swe n e being angrie, await t in g yo ur occas ion to practiseyour said abominable airt and craft of witchcraft, to dis troy

96 Supers litzbus Be liefs a n d Practices .

and put down the sd Edward Halcro , and having co ve n an titand co n ve rs it wi th th e dcvill to bri n g the saim to pass , (asane declaratio n o f umquh ill Jve n it Fraser, witch, whom youde syrit the devill to mo ve her to as s is t you doth prove,qlk she both before and after her co nvictio n did t e s t ifiie ,)ye be your sd w icked detes table, abhominable and deve lishairt o f witchcraft , be ing trans fo rmed in the lykn e s o f an

pellack quhaill, (at the [counsel o f th e said Swe n e ,] and beyour consen t an d wish

,th e dcvill changing your spirit, qlk

fied i n the same quhaill and t h e said Edward being atsey with [o ther three men], al l fo ur in ane fishi n gboat-coming fra the s ey at the no rth ban kis of H ildiswick

,

on an e fai r mo rnin g. ye d id cum under the said bo at an do ve rturn it her wi th ease, and drown ed a n d de vourit thamein ye se y, right at the shore, when there wis n a dan geruth e rwayis , n o r hazard to have cass i n them away, i t beings ik fair widder, as said is . Lykwais when the s aid umquillEdward wis fund with the said umquill 1 and youand the sa id Swin o your husban d wir sent fo r, and broughtt o se e tham e , and to lay yo ur hands o n thamedayis afte r said de ath and away cas ting, quhaire thei r bluidwas evanished and de so lved from every natura l cours o r

caus to shie and run , the said umquill Edward bled at theco llir bain or craig bane and the said in th e handand fingers , gushi n g out bluid thereat to the great admiration of the beho lders an d reve lation of the judgment o f theA lmytie . A n d by wh ich lyk occas io n is an d miraculousworks o f God , made man i fe s t in murders , an d themurde rers , whereby be many frequent occas io n e s broughtto light, and th e murde re rs be the sd proof brought toj udgment, convicted and con demned , not o n lie in th iskingdom , also this co untrie, but lykwayis in mais t fo rrinChris tiane kin g domis and be so manie frequent precede n t is and pract is i n g o f an d tuitch in g murde ris andmurde re ris n o tourlie known , so that th e fo irsaid murder

The gaps are in th e origin al .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1cc Supe rstitious Beliefs an d Practices .

thairthrow abuse an d the people, i n maner following : An dthairfo ir

,and for vsin g and practe is in g o f the sa id ah

homin able supe rs t it ioun , aught an d suld be adjudg it t o thedeath, i n example o f vth e ris to doe the lyk.

I . A n d in special,ye ar in dytit and accus it for airt and

pairt of the abhominable supe rs t it ioun , i n that about aughto r n yn e ye iris s ince,Will iam K irkn e s in Pow, being biggingh is bear s tak, ye cam to him,

and offered him ane gras s , asye callit it, but t o h is appearance, nothing but ane li t le

quan t itie of quhyt mos s o r fogge, and ba id him put it inhis s tack, afii rm e in g that it suld mak him keip the pro fe ito f h is co rn is , so that none suld be abill to tak i t from him,

which,notwiths tandi n g, he re fus it to do e , saying that he

saw no profit in it ; quhairvpo un ye wen t away disconten te d.I I . I tem , ye ar in dyt it and accus it , That about the tyme

forsaid, ye being in s-woman in the said William K i rknessbous , as he was ryse in g i n the mo rn e in g , he hard yow sayt o your do gh t e r, wha was o n lie w i th yow in the fyre h ousye being in the me an tyme drying com e wi th an e ho tt s toneone ane fiakkit

,I am drying this com e to [the] devill ; and

with that word, he s tepped out of the cel le where he lay,and saw incontinent the s to ne and the whole corne ye ward rying, flie throw the bo us , so that thai r culd be nevir anebit of the s tane, or an e pickle o f the co rne, be sein ag ain e .

Quh ilk was done be yo ur wit chcraft and devilrie , and quh ilkye o fi

'

e rit in ane sacrifice to the dcvill your maister.I I I . Item, ye ar in dyt it and accus it , That about aught

ze iris s ince o r thairby, Ro bert S inclair o f Nether Ge rsan d ,

being impotent at that tyme, as he gaue it out h imse lfi

'

,ye

gaue Margaret S inclair, n aturall dochter to the said Robert,some liquour like water in ane s toup, and direct it hi r t o putit twa o r th rie se ue rall tymes i n h is meat, and be havingsuppit tha iro f, within ane night, o r at mos t twa, after, hefand h imse lfe re s to rit to h is woun t it vigour and abilit ie ;

and Wi lliam K irkn e s hearing how the said Ro bert wasre s to rit , jes ting with yow,

askit yow h ow ye ha id helped

Tria ls .10 1

Robert S inclair h is father in law ? ye an swe rit , I f he haidcum to yow be fo ir he was marri ed , ye suld haue h e lpit himthan alsweil l as ye haue done n ow ; quh ilk was be yourw itch craft and de vilrie .

IV.— I tem , ye ar in dyt it and accus it , That,l

ye iris s ince o r thairby, Ro bert S inclair in Ge rssan d , beingefter he haid married h is secund wyif, sore t rub lit in h issle ip w ith apparit ioun e s o f h is fli rs t wyifi

'

,which wexit him

and d isquie tit him veric much, he was advys it be yow t o

g o e to his firs t wyfis grave, and t o chairg e hir to ly s til l andtruble h im n o mo i r.V. I tem , ye ar in dyt it an d accus it , That about nine

ye iris s ince o r thairby,John Kirkn e s in Housg ar, being

h e avilie dise as it , ye cam t o h is bous , and s aid t o h is wyif,Your husband h e s the be an schaw ,

and gi f ye wil l I ca n helphim : Quhairvpoun h is wyif cam to him , and de syrit him toryis , and cum

'

to th e fyre h ous , quh ich he did at h is wyifisde syr, and ye said to him, Guidman , if ye wil l, I sall ch arme

yow o f the boneshaw : A n d he con sen ting, ye g roppe d all

the joyn t e s o f one o f h is sydes with her [your] hand, andspake certain wo rdis ower him ,

and caus it Katherin K irkn e s , h is servant woman for the tyme

,repeat e verie wo rd

efter yow , at your dire ct ioun ,in pre s e n s o f h is wyif and

servant woman .

VI . I tem , ye ar in dyt it an d accus it,That, ye iris s i nce

or th airby, ye charmed E lspeth S i n clair, spous to WilliamKirkn e s , of th e boneshaw (as ye callit i t) ; and that ye vsitbe syd wo rdis , n yn e blue s ton es , quh ilk shoe did put i n anevessell wi th water, twitching her joyn tis wi th each o f theseve rall s tones , which ye ke ipit i n your lap,

and went fourthwith ; and efter washed her with the water that was in thewease l] i n which the s tones lay.

VI I . I tem , ye are in dyt it and accusit , That, ye iris s inceor thairby,

ye charmed Hen rie Sowie, se rvitour to A lexander L i nklater in Housg ar, of the boneshaw ; and that ye

Blan k in th e o rig in al .

10 2 Supe rs titious Beliefs an d Practices .

caus it ane so ne o f the said A lexander repeat the charmeafter yow and that ye vsit wate r and stones, as is aforesaid.whilk was alreddie confes t be yow ; and the sa id Henrie,be ing vn ab ill to s t irr out of h is bed fo r the space o f fourtein dayis be fo ir, reco ve rit h is health , and was ah i l l fo r hiswork wi thin twa dayis efter, as ye haid said the charmeower him whilk was done by your witchcraft and d e vilrieVI I I . Item , ye ar in dyt it and accus it , That, ye iris s ince

or thairby, that ane of Alexander Lin klatt e ris child re n in

Housg ar being le an e and i l l lyke, ye said that the child haidthe hart cake and that gi f ye ple as it ye wold cast th e ha rtcake, and s ie what wold becom e o f him ; which ye d id inthis maner : Ze to o k ane pott with water in i t, and laid thetonges athwart the mo uth of the pott, and than laid anecodd aboue the to nges

,and set the chi ld o n i t ; thaire ft er

ye took ane seif and s e t [it] on the ch ildis head , and s e t an e

co g g e ful l of water in the se ive , and then laid ane wollsch eir on the co gg is mo uth, and then ye took lead and puti t in ane iroun lamp, and me lt it i t, and powrit it thro w theboul o f th e sch e ir into the water thrie seve rall tymes devin ing throw the lead whither the child wo ld reco ver ornot ; and quh e n ye ha id do ne al l, ye gaue the chi ld anedrink of the said water, and said he wo ld be weil l [but asyit th e child is n o t].IX. Item

,ye are in dyte d and accus itt That, ye iris

since or thairby, ye vs it the haill part icular charme abouewritten, in al l poyn t is , with ane child of Robert S in clairisi n Nether Ge rsan d.

X . An d g e n e rallie , ye are in dytit and accus it for airt an dpai rt of the vs in g an d practe is in g o f Witchcraft is , so rceries ,divin at ioun e s and charmes , as part icularlie abouewrit t e n ;

and in geving your s e lff furth to haue s ik craft and knowle dge

,thairth row abuse an d the peo ple ; and that by yo ur

curs in g is and imprecat ioun e s , ye wro n g e both man andbeast. Quh ilk evillis ar brocht to pas be the power andworking of the de vill your mais ter : An d thairfo ir ye aught

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

10 4 Superstitio n s Beliefs an d Practices .

I tem ye ar In dytt it and accus it fo r cum in g at Can dlme slas t to Edward Gray in Howakow bous a n d s haki n yourblanket as it wer ag an e s the bous and Pat rick G ray h is sonehaving cum furth an d seing yow cald h is fathe r and fearingyour e vill wen t to the barn e and geve yow ane look comeand on mo nday nicht thaire ft e r Tua me iris d e i t both atonce in the s table and that the said Pat rick to o k s e ikn es

the same ho ur he saw yow and dwyn e d th rie quart e ris of

ane ye ir an d deit, and ye being send fo ir b e fo ir h is dea th tose e him

,He being dead be fo ir and have in g laid h is death

on you, how shone ye cam in the cors having lyin ane guidspace and not having bled any, Immed iat lie bled mutchbluid as ane s uir token that ye was the autho r o f h is de athI tem ye ar In dyt t it and accusit for cum in g To William

Work in Efaday h is h ous o n Hallowevin fo ur ye iris s ene oryr by and knocking at h is door They wo ld n o t let yow inn o r geve yow lodg ein g Quba de pairt in g mu rmuri ng andmisco n ten t h is wyfl

'

pairt it with chi ld upon the mo rne.I tem ye are In dyt t it and accus it fo r that in be ar seid

tyme the las t ye ire ye cumin g to Jo hne Spence in Uppe t t ounh is bo us and th e said J o hn s Wyfi

’

being call ing ane ca lff tothe gras s ye cam in and was angrie that sho so uld havecalled out the calfi

'

quh e n ye com in and turn e in g yow twys

abo ut o n th e flo o r ye went out and Immediat lie t h e calfi'

being ane ye ir o ld took s e ikn e s an d deit be yo ur witchcraftand s o rce rie .

Item ye ar In dytt it and accus it for tha t on San tt Thomasevin four ye iris sene or yr by ye cumin g t o Wil liame S cottin Po ldrit h is bous and knocking thrie s eve rall tymes at thedoore and an e hour be twix every tyme and ye not gettin inwent away murmuring. Thrie dayes eft er the gu id wyfi

'

becam mad and four be as t is dei t the same ye ir and an e oxfel l over the craig and deit of the fal l .I tem ye ar In dyt t it and accus it for that on Can dlme s e vin

fyve ye iris sene ye cam to Gi lbert San die in Isbis ter hish ous and saught ane plack of s i lver in almis fra h im for

10 5

his me aris that they might be weil l over the ye ir, as ye saidDavid Henrie haid done that day

,Quba said to yow that

he haid nather s i lve r corne nor mcal l to spair bot baidhis wyfi

' geve yow th rie or four s to kis of kaill and benegane away The said Gilbe rtis wyfi

'

followed yow with thekaill but ye wo ld n o t tak thame. A n d upo un the secondday efter h is bes t ho rs s tanding on the floor be cam woodan d fel led himself and dei t and the thrid night thaire fte rh is best meir de it.I tem ye ar In dyt t it and accus it fo r cumin g to th e said

Gilbe rt is bo us in sp ring tyme las t and the said Gilbe rt iswyfi

'

wald n o t let yow in,and ye going away to o k the

pro ffe it o f hir milk be your witchcraft and s o rce rie .

I tem ye ar In dytt it and accus it fo r yt ye cam to JohneBewis hous in Waa tua ye iris sene and so ught almiss and

g o t name, and ye said he sould repent it , and about nooneh is bes t kow have in g fa l len in ane myre and tane out behim h is wyff and se rvan ds sho wald not stand , and ye cumi ng tha ir put th rie caris o f bear having firs t spit o n thame

,

in the kowis mo uth an d said t o them that cam to bear hithome that they n e idit n o t mak yt trave ll and ane littell

quhyll efter th e kow being almo s t dead and n o t able todraw ane foot to hir, rais with [out] help and gaid home beyo ur witchcraft and devilrie .

Item ye ar In dytt it and accus it for that fyve or sex

ye iris sen e , ye cam t o David Quoyn ame ikill his fathershous at the making o f h is yull banket and g ot almis and ytthey wold not sufi e n e yow to abid all n igh t qlk ye tald toMargaret A lebus te r that they re fus it yow ludg in g an d saidit was gu id t o wit i f ever th e guidman of the h ous souidmak ane o ther Yull bankett and wi thin fi'yft e n e days co nt ract it se ikn e ss an d deit be yo r witchcraft and de vilrie .

I tem ye are In dyt tit and accus it fo r yt th rie ye iris seneo r yr by ye cam to David Quoyn ame ikill mo th e ris bousand g o t na almis and sh e being feared that e vill sould

befall h it as did to o the ris be fo ir night— sh e fe llit h irse lfi'

106 Supers titio n s Beliefs an d Practice s .

upoun the lin te ll s tane of h it byre and deit wi thi n th rie

dayes and h er s e rvan d man also be your witchcraft 8rd e vilrie .

I tem ye ar In dyt tit and accus it fo r cumin g t o Michael lFirth is bo us in A le bust e r i n Spring tym e last

,and getting

n o almis be caus the milk was suppit , ye said ye might haueke ipit milk t o me, and they said they knew n o t of hir cuming, A n d the next day efter an e calfi

'

deit and now quhehhe was convoying yow to Birs say He askit yow at the S lapof Birss ay if ye knew anyt hin g o f the death o f his calff yean s rit haid he n ot bene s o cald to yow nane of your calfli ssould not have deit this ye ir.

I tem ye ar In dytt it and accus it that sex ye iris sene o r yrby tha t Jo hne Renda ll i n Brek haid tua calffis lying o n thegre in and ye askit giff both thes e calffis wer his and saidthey wer ane w fo r the firs t year an d ane of the calffis de i tbe fo ir n icht be your witchcraft and de vilrie .

I tem ye are In dyt t it and accus it for cumin g to JohneTurk in Midland h is hous about Witsun day las t to getalmis and h ave in g gottin ane drink o f n ew a i l l ye was n o tcontent and be fo ir ye was tua pair but tis from the ho n s theail l left working and the said Johne have in g sought yowane day or tua efter bro ught yow t o h is bous ag ain e an d

took [yow] in to h is s eller and ye spitit amo ngs t the ai l land said ye so uld warrand him got si lver fo r eve rie dro pof it .Item ye ar In dyt t it and accus it fo r yt aucht ye iris sene

ye hanting to Andro Matches bous in Sun diehous, hewan t it the pro fi

'

e it o f h is milk and having comple n it To S irJo hne Buchanan Shrefi

'

for the tyme o f how ye met the s aidA ndro upoun the mo rne and said he sould repent yesterdayes work and the same day ane ox S trick o f his dei t an dabout thrie quart eris o f ane year efter Th e s aid A ndrohave in g cum t o Evie to the Ses s io n o f th e K i rk to comple n eof yow

,ye met with him thrie dayes efter and said t o him

He was alwaye s deallin g with you and comple n in g yow and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

10 8 Supe rs titious Beliefs an d Pract ices .

to cur it be praying to yo ur Walliman , and yt thair is nane

yt geves yow almis bot they wil l th ryve ather be se a o r

land if ye pray to yo rWalliman .

A n d g e n erallie ye the said Jouet Rendal l al ias R igga arIn dyt t it and accus it for airt pairt o f the said abomin

able supe rs t it ioun and s upers ti tious abuse in g and dis

ceave in g of the people and in use in g and pract e is in g o f

witchcraft and so rcerie and in gevin yor se lfi'

furth t o havesutch e craft and kn awledg e thairby abus ing the peo ple an dsua reput halden . A n d yr fo ir and for the pointis o f

dittay commit t it be yow I n maner above writtin aucht andsould underly the law and be adjudg it t o the death fo r thesame and I n example of o th e ris t o do the lyk A n d yo r

guids and gear e sh e it 8: ln brouch t t o h is majesties useco nforme t o the act of p

’

liame n t and comon law and daylie

pract e is obs e rvit in s ick caiss is .

CUR IA VICECOMITATUS e t JUSTICIARUE de ORKNEY e t

ZETLAND tenta apud Birssay in aula ibid .,per honora

bilem vi rum mag is trum J o an n em D ick vicecomitem e t

Jus t iciarium deputat d ict . Vicecomitatus undecimo diemensis No vembris 1629 .

Th e qlk day the sd she re f deput chus it Mr Haric A itkinin[terim] Clerk, Ro b . S co l lay in . pro curatour fishall,

Thomas Young in . Officer.Compe irit Wm Scollay pro curatour fishall and producit

the d it taye s de syrin g thame to be red and the pannellaccus it yrupo un .

Th e pannell present confes t that Walliman cam to hir

firs t in N ico l l Jockis bous in Halkla n d and sho maining ytsho was poor and haid no thing. He said to hir yt sho

sould le ive be almiss and that thair was nather man norbeas t seik that wer not de adlie be the hand of God bot sh egetting almis s an d praying to Walliman he wald haill

109

thame, and if sh e got n o almis s he wald be angrie a n d maktha i r be as t is die.Confes t the second point of dittay anent Manss Works

wyfi'

th at sho sd sho sould re pent it and yt Walliman garedthe kow fall over the craig, and e ft . sho was re provit yt

Walliman gared the sd Manss wyfi'

die.Co nfes t the thrid po int that the com e sho got was bot

shillin g is and yt sh o was not co ntent and yt Walliman

s lew the m e iris and the man and as he prome ise d he wastrew to h it .

Co nfes t the fourt point that s ho was miscontent that WmWork wald n o t geve hir lodging and yt Walliman was

angrie at it and gare d h is wyff pairt w ith chyld.

Confe s t the fyft point and yt Walliman gared th e calff

die .

Confes t the sext point that they wo ld not let hir in andgot na almiss and Walliman was angrie at it and gared h isWyfl

'

run mad an d the beast d ie.

Co n fes t the s e ve n t po in t yt Gi lbert Sandie wald gevehir no thing an d yt Walliman wro ught co nfo rme to th e

dittay.

Co nfes t the aucht po i nt and yt Walliman took away th e

pro fi'

e it o f th e ky.

Confest the n yn t po i nt yt sho put bear in the kowismo uth bot de n n yis sho spat o n i t.Co nfes t the ten t poin t yt sho sd to Mart Ale bus t er co nfo rme t o the dittay, and yt Walliman ke ipit prome is .

Co nfes t th e e lle vin t po int that sho got n o almiss fraDavid Quoyn ame ikills wyfi

'

.

Co nfes t the twe lfi'

point anent the calfiis that sh o got naalm is s an d giff they deit Walliman did it.Co nfes t the th re tt in po int anent J o hn Turk’s ai l l that it

was h o t l ittle she g o t and yr fo ir Walliman to o k away the

pro ffe it of it.Co nfes t th e fi

'

ourt e n e poin t anent Andro Match is .

Confest the fyft e n e point anent Man ss Quoyn ame ikills

n

1 10 Supers titio n s Be liefs a n d Practices .

wyfi'

and yt sh o s ould have ather mair or less milk o r sh e

cam ag ain e becaus sho got na almiss .

De n yit the se xt e n e point anent Manss quoyn ame ikills ox.

De n yit the sevin t e n e po in t.Confes t the ha illin g o fWm Re n dalls ho rss .

Confes t the res t of yt po int o f dittay.

De n n yit the generall .Th e pfishall de syrit that th e pannell myt be put t o the

t rye ll o f ane assyss .

The pann el l pres ent cou ld alege no thing in the co ntra ir.

[Fo urteen names given .]

That the assyss was laufulie swom e and admit tit butobjection o f the pannell. The pfishall askit actis and

pro t e s t it for erro r.The procuratour fishall producit Manss In erair, ManssWork, Wm . Work , J o n . Spence, Wm . S cott ie, Gi lbertSandie, Jo n . Sandie, Mans s Wo od

,David Quoyn ame ikill,

Michaell Firth , Jon . Turk, A lexr Matche s , A ndro Matches,and Man ss Quoyn ame ikill i n witnesses .

The A s sys s pass ing out o f Judgmen t chus it Hew Halcro

chancelar.Manss Wood and Gilbert San die deponed yt they wer

send fo r t o bear home the kow bot Jouet Rigga was cumin gfra the kow befo ir they cam yr.

Michael l Firth in A lebus t e r deponed yt g uben he wascumin g t o Birssay with hi r o ut o f the s lap sho confest toh im conforme to the dittay that if he haid geven hir almisshis calfi

'

haid not deit.Andro Matches depones that sh o spak these words conforme t o his point of dittay and that these th in gis be ehim .

Mans s Quoyn am eikill depones anent the ox that sh o saidhe sould have co lopis anew to geve be fo ir sho cam again e

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 1 2 Supers titious Beliefs an d Practices .

of Cath n e s fi’

o r ce rt an e poyn tis o f ditt ay of witchcraftunderwritten That is to s ay I n the firs t for airtpart us ing committing and practising o f the abominableand d ivile sch cryme of w i tchcraft in g ive in g ear and cred iteto th e gl llus ioun e s o f the De ve ll Quhairby scho fe n ye it h irs e lf’f dumb A n d illudit and de ce ave it h is Maje s te is subje ctisi n maner underwrit ten viz I n th e firs t fo r that sho con festth at quheh shoe we s ane young las of tue lfye iris o f age o r

th e rby and haid wan de re it out of Cath n e s quh e r sho weshom e to Lochquhabe r ye cam to Allane McK e ldowies

wyfe quba we s yo ur ant A n d have in g reman e it with h e r heth e space of aucht weekes quho due lt w ith h ir husband in aLoch That sh e upon ane day being out of the lo ch in theco n trey and return ing and bei n g at the Lo ch syd awaiting

quh e n th e bo it s ould fetch hir in That thair cam tua ment o her ane cled in blak and the uther with ane grein tartan eplaid about him A n d that th e man with the plaid said toher sh e wes ane pre tt ie A n d he wald lerne h er to k en ands ie o n y thing sh e wald de syre The uther man s aid shewald no ch t keep coun se l l and fo irbaid him He an sue rit hewald warrand hir A n d sh e be ing de syrous to knaw saidh ow could sh e ke n that A n d he said Tak an e eg and ros tit A n d tak th e swe it o f it thre So n dayis A n d w ith o n wash inhandis wash her eyes quh airby sh e sould s ie and knaw onythin g sh e d e syrit A n d t o persuade hir he dire ct it her t oane aun t t is h ous of hir awin quba we s ane widow that haidane oy that we s w ith chyld to an e uther wyfi

'

is husband o nkn awe n to o n y A n d quh e n sh e cam sh e s ould l uik in hi rface and tel l h ir sh e is w ith bairn e t o an e uther wyfe s hus .

band A n d sa with in a short space th e re ft er going to hirAun t t is bous h ow sone sh e saw t he young woman sh e saidsh e we s with bairn e as the man had s aid to h it A n d shoedenying s aid t o hir sh e wald repent it w i thin a sho rt spaceThaire ft e r th e young woman cons idering th at sh e knew hi res tait de syrit sum cure at hi r that sh e micht part withbairn e Quba an sue rit sh e could give her nan e Bo t

1 1 3

remembering that she we s cum in t o A llane McKe ldowie s

h ous that day that the tua men came to hir That he have.

i ng spe irit at her quhat men tho is wer that wer with hir atthe Loch syd A n d qubat they haid said to hir A n d sh e

de nyin g he fo irbaid you to fe ar Fo r they wer fre in dis o f

his quh a wald do hir n o hurt A n d that he knew qubatthey said t o hir So sh e remembrin g that Allane had skil lsh e said t o the young woman that he wald help hir Quh e rupoun sh e and sh e gaid together to the Loch A n d spak withhim quba re fus it to give h ir o n yt h in g t o s lay the bairn eAn d thaireft e r within tua ye ir s he bure her fi rs t bairn e

quh ilk we s go t tin be ane James M itchae ll at the K i rk o f

Murth lie upoun Spey within Balve n y A n d being d e lyve riti n hir s is te ris bo us the blak man cam to her that firs t cameto hir at Lo chquhabe r A n d callit him s e lfi

'

ane fa rie manqub a we s sumtyme her kinsman callit Jo hne S tewart qubawes s lane be Mc Ky at th e doun go ing o f the s oone A n d

th e rfo r nather deid n o r le ivin g bo t wald ever go be tuix theheaven an d the earth quba delt wi th you tua n ycht is andwald never let her s le ip pers uading h is to let him ly withhir wald give you a guidly fe A n d to be dum fo r have in g

teach e it her to s ie and ken o n y th ing s h e de syrit He saidthat gif sh e spak gen t lemen wald tro uble h is and gar hirgive re ass oun e s fo r hir doings Quhairupoun sh e mych t bechalle n g e it and hurt A n d upo un the thrid n ych t that hecom to hi r sh e being as le ip and laid h is hand upoun hirbreis t and walkin t her A n d th aire ft e r seme it t o ly wi thher A n d upoun the mo rrow she haid n o power o f hirto u n g n o r could nocht speik quhairth row hir brother danghir with ane branks quhill sh e bled becaus sh e wald nochts peik and pat ane bow s tri ng about hi r head to gar herspeik A n d thaire fte r tuik her three s e verall tymes So ndayis to the kirk and prayit for hir Fra the quh ilk tyme

sh e s ti l l co n tin ewit dumb go i n g about and de ce ave in g th epeople Synding tel l ing and fo ir shawing thame qubatthey had done and qubat they sould do A n d that be the

1 16 Super s tition s Be liefs a n d Practices .

said Marrioun an sue rit and said , Le t him allone, fo r he wi l ln o t be be le iwit . I tem , i t is deponed be Margrett Smie t o n ,

spous to James Fell , that that n ight that ye we r i n thes to ckis , Catherine M i l ler s aid t o Mario un Layland, Th e

ple ague o f God wpo n thy oy, fo r gif yea had do ne that

quh ilk I had ye, he hadd no tt beine t rowb lin g ws n ow.

Lykwayis , th e s aid Marrioun Layland did wasch the feito f James Dauidso n e s cat in to h is bait water

,be caus he

co u ld n o t g e t n o fisch that ze ir,thin kin g thairby and

saying, that the said James i n tyme comm in g wo ld getmore fisch in res pect o fi' hi r wo rk in wasch ing o ff the ca tisfeit i nto his bait watter ; an d quh e n scho had wasch in th e

cat thairin , did take the wate r quh e irin the cat waswasch in , and did cas t it after him quheh he did g o t o th es e a.

Lykewayis , the xxiiij day o f March, Magnus Smythde po n it , that the boy pre s e n t lie wpo n e the mo rn ing therafter told the said Magnus that he did sie the dewill, andto ld him the quhilk fasch io un . Lykwaye s , th e same dayDauid Jock and h is wyti t ryitt and co n fe s s it that Wpo nfyve o r sax ze ir s i n ce

,that the said Marrioun cam t o the

said Dauid Jok his ho use, and the said Dauid was go ingto the s e a, and was making mon e that he had n o t luck t oget fisch that ze ir : The said Marrioun an sue rit and sai d.that that might be e as s illie mendit, an d callit for the thingthat g e id about the fyre , .quh ilk was th e cat

,and said that

scho wold wasch the cat h is head and feit into the watter

quh e rin the bait was to be ke ipit , and said that scho woldt ake that watter and cas t it t about him and wpo n h im ,

an d

i nto his s e a ca schie , and into his bait coubb ie ,and quh e n

he cam t o the s e a he sch ould g e t fisch .

Farther, it is de po n it be Margret and Elspet San diso n e s ,that the said E l spet vpo n fyue o r sax ze ir since, co n trakitane de adlie diseas e, in so farre that scho was s e n ce le s andmyn dle s for ane long speace ; the said Marrio n e cam to

th e said Elspe t is ho use, and made ane watter, quh ilk scho

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 1 8 Super s tition s Beliefs an d Pract ices .

Tice las t day of M arcb .

Co n i pe irit Helin Hamilt oun,spouse to James Keith , and

depo n it , that s cho and hir haill fammillie was s trait it withdrouth for the space o fi

'

xx dayis o re ane moun th , that n o

drink co uld quench thar dreuth ; quhairfo r th e s aid Helinan d her husband alledg it the said Marrioun fo r the greatth ris t that thay had . Wpo n ane Sunday the said Marrioun

cam to the said H e lin s house,and had ane muchkin o ff

smal l-ai l l with hir into ane chapping can , and o ffe rit it tothe said Heline and hir famillie to drink ; and the saidHelin re fus it to drink it, bo t the said Marrion wrg it it mo reand mo re vpo n hir, and said that scho had ane sons ie handan d h ir mo ther b e fo ir hir day, and made eue rie ane o ff

them to drink thairo ff and immediatlie thairaft e r thai rthris t was cas it, an d th e h e auie wych t that was wpo n themwas cas it during the time o f their thris t and dreuth .

The s amen day, Williame Fo thrin ghame , benorth ,depo n it be him ,

that the said Marrioun cam t o his hous e toget almis , and h is wyfi

'

not being at le asur t o g iwe h e ralm is , scho went to the do re, and did say, going t o thedore

,that scho should loss e alse mikill sch o rt lie ; and aucht

dayis after that h is bes t cow d iet.

Quh ilk day, de le t it by Margret Thoms o n e spou se t oJames Ro lo say,

t o James Cok i n Lopn e s , N icol l K in g an dMagn us Skea, quhilk are t h rie e lde ris o ff our se s sioun , thatth e said Marrioun cam to S tro n say, to the said Marg re t is

house,and the said Margret had n yn e ky quh ilk was n o t

riddin and scho said to hir, Giwe me almis , and be fo ir th isday fyft e in dayis i lk kow in zour aucht sall be riddin ;

quhilk almis scho gave hir, an d be fo ir that day aughtdayis , i lk kow that scho had was riddin .

l e 7 day ap pa ll 163 3 .

Quh ilk day, an n e n t the dittayis ofWichcraft given in tothe se s s ioun , when Catre in Miller compe irit , Hew Peace

1 19

and Wrsalay Fe a,his spouse

,and de po n it , that wpo n ane

sax ze ir s ince,that the sa id Vrsalay wan t it the pro fe it o ff

hir milk, and the said Wrsalay sent hir servant woman andmilkit the said Cat tre in Mille ris kow,

and did put it in toher kirne ; and immed iat lie quh e n scho kirn it the mi lk,scho g o t ix markis bu t ter, quh air b e fo ir, o ff alse mikillmilk , alse mony dayis milk, alse mo ny me alt itis o ff milk ,

during the time that scho wan t it h ir pro fit,did n o t g e t bot

tua markis butte r ; and quh e n scho had t h e bes t, scho g o tnot ho t tua markis butte r ay and quhill that scho g o t th emilk o ff her cow ; an d four and xx houris after the saidWrsalay co n trak it an e de adlie disease, quh ilk co n t e n in t

for the space o f sax we ikis and at the end o ff th e sax

we ikis,the said Marrio n e cam to the said Wrsalay and

de syrit ane drink o ff milk from the ki rne,and said ifi

'

scho got it scho sho uld g e t h ir health, and scho gavehir an e drink o ff milk, and scho was pre s e n t lie bettero ff hir disease, and lo s it the profit ofl

'

hir milk,and wan tis

i t as zitt .

Farthe r de po n it , be Margare t Orro k , laug hfull daughterto Will iam Orro ck, that th e said Wi lliam had an e ho rs e

quh ilk was seik the said Catre in bad t h e sa id Margret g e tthrie sun drie sorti s o fi

'

filln e ris,and put them wi thin an e

s iwe, an d s ift them ouer th e bak o f the ho rse quh ilk wasseik, and he wo ld be bai l l.

Tee 14 day of Appryll 16 3 3 .

Depo n it be Barbaray S inclair, spouse t o the said Wil liamOrro ck, that s cho had ane kow that was s tanding haill into the byre, and t he saidCatre in cam in to the said Barbarayishouse to puik sum hair, and pre se n t lie the kow fell seik ;quh e n scho g e id away wi th t h e com e that s cho was

kn okin g , and that wo rd did rys that th e cow was seik, thesaid Catre in cam to the ho use ; and quh e n scho cam inan d sau th e cow , scho was re s t o rit to health ag an e , and dideat hir meat weill e n ug h.

1 20 Supers titious Beliefs an d Practice s .

T/ce 19 day of Appryll.

Depo n it be Margret Browne, Spo us e to William Flet,t hat qubair the said Margre t d isco rd it w ith Catre in e Miller,th e said Margret co n t rakit a n e de adlie diseas ; and schosaid to the sa id Margret , e vill might thow put the ye ir affthe thairaft e r scho co n trakit ane s e n s le s n e s qui lkco n t in uit fo r the space of an e halff ye ir ; an d at the halfi

'

ye iris end , the said Margret cam t o hir, and the saidCa tre in tuik her by the han d , and imme diat lie got hirhe al th , and ay s ince was wei l l.The samen day compe irit Cat re in Sowe n t s , and depo n it

b e fo ir the s e ss ioun e , that the s aid Catrine Mil ler wro n g ithir, in respe ct that scho faun d fault with hir, b ecaus s chodid take ke all out 06 hir mais te ris yaird, and hir daught erdid tak keall out 0 5 the yai rd , and did g o e h e ome toCatrine Mille ris hous e with the ke all, and told hir motherthat the said Kait rin e So uan e s fand fault with hir fortakeing away o f the ke all the said Catrine Mi lle r sent h irdaughter bak t o th e hous e wi th the ke all

,and did cas t the

ke all upo n the said Cat ri ne Sowe n e s breis t, being n urisch

t o John Browne in th e tyme,an d pre s e n tlie scho lo s it hir milk

fo r the spe ace o f xiiijdayis ; an d at th e isschow o ff the xiiijdayis, the said Catrine M i l ler cam to th e house quhair then urisch wa s

,and to ld the guidwyff o ff the house that scho

had dre amit , that iff scho wold g iwe hi r daughter almis , th en urisch showld get hir milk ag ain e ; and quh e n scho gotalmis , scho get hir mi lk ag ain e alse weil l as i t was be fo ir.

Th e samen day compe irit Dauid Peace, and depo n it , thatth e s aid Cat rine M ille r h ad ane sone ke ipin g h is ky,

an d

be caus that he did put away the boy from the ky,s cho

s a id that he should rew it,and immed iat lie ane o fi

’

the kyd ici t, and scho rt after

,the res t dic it als o .

Tlee 2 1 day of Appryll.

Depo n it be James Fe a, bailz ie , that the said Catri neM i l ler had ane sone ke ipin g Johne Broun e h is ky and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 2 2 Supe rs titious Beliefs a n d Pract ices .

say about tua o r three ye ire s s ince, i n simer, and askingalmis fra Andro Couper

,s kipper o f an e bark

,he said to

yow, Away , wich , carl ing, devil , a farthing ye noll fa

quhairvpoun ye departe d very o fi'

e n dit , and inco ntinentlyhe go ing t o s ic, the bark being vn de r saill, he ran mad, andwold have luppin over burd , an h is son e s eing h im , g at h im

in h is armes, and held ; quh e rvpo n the s e ikn e s imed iatly

left him,and h is sone ran mad ; and Thomas Pat e rso n e

seing him tak th e madnes s , and the father to turn e wei ll,a n e do g be ing in th e bark, took the dogg and b ledded himVpo n the sone h is shoulders

,and t h e rafte r keis t th e said

dog mad, quh airby these in the bark wer saifed ; quh ilk being

do n e , all the doggers at the sch[o re ] [torn in

M S ] lan dlye ris for feir gaue yow abundan t ly ; quhilk al lwe s do ne be yo ur witchcraft and [dive lrie ] : Quhilk yecan n o t deny.

[Sh e was sentenced to be wo rried at a s take and afterwards burnt to ashes ][On th e back o f the dittay agains t Marion R icha rtmen t io n is made of a woman that took g irss and ba ik aban n ok

,and give it to th e go o dman o f Papa h is grieve,

quha de i t ; and the dog th at g o t the ban n o k deit. Th e

ban n ok we s fo r ke ipin g thair pro fit e .

”

E len Forster can mend bai th the h e artcake and beanschaw,

and put down h o rss to the goodman of

A bbo tsford Club M i scella ny, pp. 16 1, 16 3 .

Orkn ey. Trial of Ag n es S cot tie , 16 16.— Agnes Scottie

was charged with committ ing and pract is e in g the devilish ea n d abominable cryme of witchcraft in tha t sh e

,vpoun ane

Sonday b e fo ir the so ne rys in g , about fas tings-evin, cameto an e wall b e syde J ames Co rrig illis bous

,and tha i r

wasch [ed] hir face and ce rtan e partis of her clayth is ; andRobert Gadie pe rsave in g hir, qub a we s servant to t h e

said James, co n trac t it pre s e n t lie ane trembling andshuddering in h is flesh, tuik s e ikn e s , and th aire ft e r dyit.

1 2 3

Item ,fo r that s even ye iris syne o r thairby, sche

have in g dis co rd it with vmquhill William Tailze ouris

s ister, quba comin to repro ve h it fo r hir evill spe ich e s

agan e s hir s is ter, in quhais face sh e spat,being o n a

S o nday ,— th e said William imm ediat lie thaire ft e r conce ave it a great fear and trembl in g in h is fles ch , co n tract its e ikn e s

,and dyit on Weddin sday thaireft er. I tem

,for

that N icoll Smyth have in taki n ane cottage fra the gudman of Brek, quh ilk we s in h is pos sess io n , and h ave in gtran spo rt it h is cornes thair

,sh e cam about hallowme s

,

being washing hir claithes,and laid thame o n h is com e,

and no cht o n hir awin , and s e t ane co g ful l o f watt erin the said Nico llis way, quba i n the cum in g by cus t o uirth e samen , thaire ft e r co n tract it an e great s e ikn e s . H is

vmquh ill mas ter, callit Mans Matthes, cuman d to reprovehir fo r h is manes s e ikn e s , efter sh e haid tuckit him andgiven h im mony injurio us wo rdis , he co n ce ave it ane greatfear and trembl ing, co n tractit se ikn e s , and within sevindayis thaireft e r dyit .

— ROGERS, vo l. i i i . p. 298 .

Amids t various suspicious proce ed ings, wherein washin gherself an d her clothes were included

,sh e “pas t the

boun d is of hir groun d , and thair sat doun plaiting hir feitbe tuix the merchis .

”— DALYELL , p . 44 8 .

Trial of William S co t t ie , vag abozmd, warloclu,164 3 .

A cow being drawn out o f the byre as dead, Wil liamScottie “

s traikit the kow alo n g the head , and then drewh is hand vpoun the cattis head , and sho e fel l dead .

”

a 109

He put h is hand o n the s ufferer’s “so re syd, and after

vpo n e the hearth s tone, which cured h er in an hour.1bicl., p. 12 5 .

Coming to William Okilse tt e rs , he “yeid abo ut hisbous twys o r th rys with e rwardis : and again , he bein gin Patrick Gare ochis ho n s, yeid and cum with e rwardis

1 26 Supe rs t it ious Beliefs an d Pract ice s .

Hay, Orkn ey. Elspet Smit/e, a w itch , 167 2 .— With

respect to taking away the s t rength o f ale the y give th ewitch the same power, as the curio us reader may se e by thefo llowing ext ract from an o ld Ses s io n Regis ter o f Hay“4 th Augus t, 1672.

— After preaching s e dr. the min r. andelders This day compeared E lspet Smith and gave in acomplaint upon Mare o n Man g ie fo r s landering her as

guilty of witchcraft, in saying that the said Elspit Smithcomplainer, by sending for ane pynt o f ai l l from the saidMere o n sell ing th e same

,Did thereby take awa the fru it

an d fu s ion o f ane duss o n o f pyn ts or thereby that remai n edin the vessel &c ”— Low, p. 6 n o te .

Sh e t lan d. H ele n S tewart , a w itclz.— In Shetland a fewyears agoe , a Judge having condemned an o ld Woman andher daughter call ed Helen S tewart fo rWitchcraft, sent themt o be bu ru’d . The Maid was so s tupid, that sh e was

thought to be po sses sed . Wh en she had hung some l i tt let ime o n the Gibbet, a black Pitclzy-like ball fo amed out o fher mouth : and after the fire was kind led , it grew to thebigness o f a Wal n ut, and then flew up l ike Squibs into theair

,which the Judg e yet l ivi n g attes ts . I t was taken to be

a vis ible s ign that the Devi l was go ne out o f h e n — FromRelation Anent Majo r Weir,

"1684 , in S INCLAIR , p. 2 3 1 .

Orkn ey. Trial of A rt ie Tailseour, alias a o R ow a,

1624— In trat vpoun pannel l , An ie Tailze our, al ias a a

Rowa, to vn de rly the law befo r S ir Joh n n e Buchan an e o f

Sco t t iscraig , K n yg h t , j us tice, and sch ire ff-principal ofOrkn ay,

at the ins tance o f Robert Chalmer o f Ryss ay,

pro curat iour fischall o f the said sch ire ffdome,fo r ce rtan e

pointis o f Witchcraft, So rce rie , and Supe rs tit ioun , at theleas t beh aue in g hir s e lfi

'

t o haue sic skil l and kn awle dg e ,thairth row abus ing the pe ople as fo llowis .

I n the firs t, ye the said A nie Tailze our ar in dyt t it andaccus it fo r airt and pai rt of the vs e in g , comitt in g , andpractis ing o f the dive lisch e and abhominable cryme o f

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 28 Smrstitzbn s Be liqfs an d Practice s.

an d diue lrie .

IV. Item, ye ar in dyt t it an d accn s it for the foms aid

a ymg in that ye be in g deman d it be Mr Thomas M an d

kyn e an d gaue it to vthe ris , ye an sue rit , it was to tak thrie

hairis o f the kowis tailh thrie o f h er memb e ris an d thrie o f

hir papis , and ga n g thrys e wode rward is about the kaw, andstraik h ir in th e le ft syd, an d cas t th e hair in th e kirn e , an d

say th rys e , Cum butt e r,cum,

”an d sua th e i sould haue th e

haill profi'

e it o f th at fiock, quha ir that kow was : Quhilk yepractise be the dire ct ioun o f the diue ll.

V. I tem , ye are in dyt tit an d accus it fo r th e cryme fo rsa id , in that, about mid somer, tyve yeiris syn c, James Eg o ,smyth, his wyti, haue in g tane ane lcik o f your beir, ye saidscho sould repent it, and imme diatlie ane meir deit to hirworth xx lib. : A n d be caus scho wald n o t g eue you an c

so up m ilk o f ane new callowit kow,ye said so sould scho

find it ; and pre s e n tlie the kow deit : A n d i n winter las t,ane fo ill o f the said James , haue in g e att en an c schaue o f

youris , ye prayed God n o r the fo ill burst an d beall ; quh ilkschort lie came to pas, and th e fo ill deit be your wit chcraftand deue lrie .

VI. I tem , ye ar in dyt t it and accus it fo r the cryme forsa id , i n that, i n Maij Imvjc and auch t e n , ye being cum toIver De irn e s hous , ye said that Hew Peace was an c hauey

hand vpoun yow, and that he was get t i ng ane quh ip fo r it ;and g id

'

he wald n o t let you alone, he wald get war yitA n d the said Hew h is wyfi

' being in fo rmit thairo f, he be ingdis eas it of ane byll, he cam and tuich ed the byll, quhairbyhe was bai l l wi thin fourt ie aucht houris , quh ilk, t o hisopinion , could n ot have bene in ane quarter o f ane ye ir, beyour witchcraft and diue lrie .

VI I . I tem , ye ar in dyt tit and accus it fo r the said cryme,i n that, in November Imvjc and tue n tic ane, ye being inThomas Mure of Quoykan ke ris hous , ye came t o him in

1 29

the n yg h t , he being in his bed ,and it being an c great

s t o rme , and bad him ryse vp and gang about the scho ir andh e sould find fisch e ; and he being sue ir t o ryse

, yc vrg it

him, and said he s ould find an c quh aill at th e Wes t Ban kis ,quh ilk he did find : Quh ilk ye fo rtald be yo ur witchcraftand dive lrie .

VI I I . I tem , ye ar in dyttit and accus it for the s aid cryme,in that, i n barn es t th rie ye iris sync, William Spens wyti,haue in g rcfus s it you ane schaue of com e, ye tuk th e pro ffcito f his com es from him and gaue it t o h is bro ther

,James

Spens , be your witchcraft and diue lrie .

IX . I tem , ye ar in dyt t it and accus it for the cryme fors aid

,in that

,i n s omer thrie ye iris syn c or t hairby, vpoun our

Lady day in harue s t , ye came and so g h t o n e lo ik o f beir fraWilliam Namlan dis wyfl

'

, an d sch o rcfus s in g you, ye castse ikn e s vpoun hir, quha lay almo s t an c half ye ir ; and

quh e n , be th e pe rsuas ioun o f h is do chter, yc cam to his

hous, and gaue hir ane piece of bannock to eat , scho

pre se n t lie grew bail l , be your witchcraft an d diue lrie :

Quh ilk ye cannot deny.

X . I tem , ye ar in dyt t it and accus it fo r the said cryme,in

that, in May las t , Mare oun Paulso n e,spo us t o James

Fo thrin ghame i n Burnes , in Sanday, haue in g tane an c luikmcall furth of your pock, ye prayed that scho sould s n all

that eat your mcall quhairvpo un th e said Mare oun

swalle d ,

'

and n ow is dead , be your witch craft and diue lrie .

XI . I tem ,ye ar in dyt t it a n d accus it fo r th e cryme fo r

said,in that, fyve yeiris syn c o r thairby,

ye being in JohneFle t t is bous , and haue in g bro ch t in s ome of Ann ie Peace

’

s

pe atis , and brunt thame, and scho finding faul t with yow,ye

said scho sould n ever bum e th e res t ; and sua tha ir ro ise

an c great s to rme that same n yg h t, an d th e se a came vp an d

did was che al l the res t of the pe at t is away, be your witchcraft and diue lrie .

XI I . I tem ,ye ar in dyt t it an d accus it for the said cryme,

in that, efter Yule las t, ye bei n g in Robert Is i ng M illaris

1 3 0 Supe rs titious Be liefs an d Practice s .

bous , in Sanday, an d ane lass of h is ke ipin g ane halsne,haue in g ane luik thrid in h ir hand, ye so g h t the said thri d,and the lass re fus sit , quba pre s e n t lie tuik s ick an c fran is ie ,

that scho almo s t cuis t the bairn e th rysc in the fyrc ,g ifi

'

scho had n o t bene stayed ; and that the fran is ic

co n tin wit quh ill ye gatt the th rid , be your witchcraft anddiue lrie .

XI I I . I tem , in that, efter Yule las t, ye haue in g cum toth e said Ro be rt is myln e , and h aue in g so g h t an c luik o f

me all fra thame that was grin ding , and lykwayis fra hims clfi

”

,an d ye being refusait, pass ing away murmuri ng and

speaking t o your s e lfi'

the said Ro bert haue in g put o n themyln e with th e same cornes , quhairo f thair was ane pai rtgrund

,fo r al l h is skil l he could n o t mak th e myln e to gang

that day, be yo ur w itchcraft and diue lrie .

XIV. I tem ,ye ar in dyt t it and accus it for th e said cryme,

in that ye being bro g h t out of Eth ay, be S tevi n Tailycouri n Papa Was tray, cam to his hous , and efter aucht dayish aue in g so g h t ane pc i ce butter fra th e said S tevi n

’

s wyfi'

,

an d scho rcfus s in g yow,Vpoun th e morne efter, th e kow

wald n o t suffer an e to milk hir : A n d ye being challan g it

and de lait it to th e kirk, and s trait lie flig h t e red with anetedder the tyme of the s e ss ioun , quh e n the se s s ioun ra ise,ye was s tanding at the e n d of the kirk lou se, nanc being tohelp yow ; and th e said S tevin’s wyfi

'

th aire ft e r in co n t i

n e n t lie co n tract it s e ikn e s , co n t in wit seik qubil ye came an dcharmed h ir, falddome in g the woman , laying an c hand t o

h ir head , and an c o ther to hir fute co rs lin g is , saying ,

Mo th e ris bliss ing t o th e head , mo th e ris bliss ing t o th e

feit,and mo th e ris blis s ing to the heart ,

" i n plai n e sco rn e ;

fo r th e wyf’f co n t in wit seik an d deit

,be your witchcraft and

d iue lrie .

XV. Item ,ye ar in dyt t it and accus it, i n that, in Jun ij

las t, yc be ing tane to J o hn Chalmcris, ofi’

iccr, ye prayedh im to let yow gang o r else ye sould rune o n the se a anddrowne you ; and g ift he wald keip yow that n yg h t

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 3 2 Sufiers titzbus Beliefs an d Practices .

VI . Hew Peace,pres ent , maid : fayth co nfo rme t o the

dittay. Th e pannell confes t s cho tuich ed th e byll. Fyllis .

VII. Th e n yg h tbouris in Sanday buir it t o be trew,and

Mr Thomas Mus ter,pres e n t, de clarit that Thomas Murc

s uir in their ses s io n,and s cho said , g ifi

'

he re ve ild it he souldrepent i t, and that he is co n tin wallie seik sen syne. Fyllis .

VI I I . Will iam Spo n s maid fayth co nfo rme to the dittay.

Becaus h is bro ther haid tua mells , and he haid bot fourschave s bein g growing in an c rig. Fo r the co rne, ryfii s

claus o ore . Th e panne l l de n ye t .IX . Th e pan n el l de n ye t. Fyllis .

X The pannell de n ye t .

Mr Thomas Cok, pres en t, de clarit that the said Mare oun ,

in h is pre s e n s and Jo hn Richarts o n cs , maid fayth that th esaid Mare o un depo n it confo rme to th e dit tay. Fyllis .

XI . Th e minis ter de clarit that John Flet suir the dittayin pre s e n s o f the S e s sioun . Th e pannell de n ye t . Fyllis .

XI I . Robert Millar, present, maid fayth conforme to th edi ttay. The pan ne l l de n yct Fyllis .

XI I I . Robert Millar maid fayth co nfo rme to the dittay.

Th e panne l l de n ye t . Fyllis .

XIV. Th e pannell de n ye t . Fyllis .

XV. Mr Thomas Cok d eclarit that he s ure it in theSe ssioun . Th e pannell de n ye t . Fyllis .

XVI . Fyllis .

Curia Jus t iciaria ,Vice comitatus dc Orkn ay e t Zet land,

te n ta apud K irkwal l i n templo S t i. Magn i ibidem ,

per h o n o rab ilcm Dominum J o an n e n Buch an n an c dcSco t t iscraig , M i l item , Vice comit em Prin cipalem eiusdem ,

ct Edwardum S inclair de Es s in quoy, eiusDeputatum, decimo quinto d ie mens is Julij1624 .

The quh ilk day compe irit Robert Chalmer, pro curatourfischall, and de syrit the dit tayis to be put to the kn awledg eof ane As sysc.

The pan nell , pre scn t ,'

could alledge n o rcas o n ab ill causi n the contrair.

1 3 3

As s1sa.

[Fift e cn names given .]That the A ssys c was re ccavit and suo rn e th e pro curatour

fischall askit in s t rume n t is .

The A ssysc, pas s ing out o f j udgment, nominate JamesFea in chan se le rA n d reentering ag ain e , th e haill Assysc, al l in ane vo ice,

Fyllis hir in th e haill po inti s o ff dittay abo ue writ t in ,

spe ciall and generall , except th e firs t pai rt o f ThomasLo g e is d itt ay an e nt th e catt is ; and an e n t Wil l iam S pens ’

dittay anent the corne ; quhairan e n t th ey ryf claus e ore ,

an d remit tis s e n t e n s to the j udge and dome to thedemps ter. JAMES FEA , Chan ss e le r.

SENTENCE

Th e judge o rdan is th e pannel l t o be tane be lockman,

hir handis bund behind hir bak, and tane be the lokmanto th e Lo n -head

,an d wirried at an e s taik, an d brunt in

as s es Quh ilk Do nald Kenner, demps ter, gaue fo r dome.

Abbo tsford Club M i sce lla ny , pp. 14 3 -149 .

Stromn ess, Orkn ey. Trial of Ka tlzrin e Taylor .— Sa tura

'

ay ,

july las t , 1708.— Aft e r Praye r S edr. , M in is ter an d e lde rs

Th e said day the minis te r reported that be ihg i n fo rmedthat Kathri ne Brown , spo use t o William S t e n sgar in Souths ide, had been employing o n e Kathrine Taylor, a cripplebeggar woman in S t romne s s , to co me to h e r house and washth e said Wil l iam

,who had been lo ng s ick and afflicted in

h is bed , that by h e r So rce rie an d charming he might cometo h is health

,an d that th e said Kathrine Brown coming t o

a commo n S lap o n the high way, carrying the water wherewi th th e said Will iam was alle g it to be was he d, i n a largeS toup, upo n th e twenty fourth o f June las t

,about o n e o r

two hours in the morning, and emptying th e said Sto up in

1 3 4 Supe rs tition s Beliefs an d Pract ices .

the said S lap wherefore he had appointed t o Summo n ycsa id Kathri ne Brown and her Husband to thi s Dye t . Th e

said Kathrine and her Hu sband being cal led compeared,and both o f them being accused . de n yed the charge, andthe s aid Kathrine s tin d e n yed that sh e had been at thecommo n S lap abo ve written , whereupon the wi tnesses beingcal led , compeared .

John Mo re so n to Wil liam More in Ycldab re c o f theage o f twenty fo ur years , bein g admitted and deeply swo rnpurged o f malice and partial co unsell , depo ned ; That hesaw Kathri ne Brown upo n the twen ty fourth day o f Junelas t mo re than an hour befo re sunris i ng, empty a s toup o fwater in the above men tio ned S lap, and be coming to th e

said S lap did find a S tone and feal o n the s aid water,o r where it was spi l led and as he was coming near he s awth e said Kathrine gather up her coats , and run away mo s tspeed i ly. A n d that he sus pecting some de vilrie did breakdown a s lap in ano ther place o f the dike and pas s ed o ver.

George Lan g skail Deponed , That upon the twentyfourth of Jun e he pas sed thro

’ the s lap fo remen t io nedbefo re s unris ing and that he saw water in th e said s lap

,

an d a li ttle while after h is pass ing the same he was o ve rtaken by bodily indispo s i tion 1 tho’ he would not blameth e said Kathrine Brown therefo re.After several things had pas sed in the Ses s ion we are

told That the said Kathrine Brown and her Husbandconfessed that the said Kathrine Taylo r was calle d andcame t o thei r house, and all Sh e did was to say o ver hal f ado zen words out of a psalm like a prayer bes ide th e

Husband .

Th e Sess io n appo inted Kathrine Taylo r to be summonedto answer fo rus in g So rce rie .

1The mean in g of this inn — They imag in ed th e pe rso n who we n t n ext thro ’

the gatewaywas in fected with the dis ease which had n ow le ft the o the r.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

x3 8 Supers tit ious B elzcfl a n d Practices .

wo rd is , rai f the curt ch afl'

h er heid and pat i t vn de r hir belt,shuik hir hair abo ut hir [head], and ran to the LadieChappel] hard by, and wen t th ryse about it vpoun hir bai rkne is, prayan d curs in g is and maled ict ioun e s lych t vpoun

fo r the woman , and cast h is left fute shoe over the bous ,a n d gif it fel l t o the h ous l he wald spe id ,

and gif fra thebo us he wald nocht. I tem , i n that in beir s eidtyme

a ye ir syn c, Pe ter Ho llan dis wyfe come to the said H e le n ,the said Pe ter being seik, and askit at h ir quidder o r nochthi r hus band wald die o r le ive . Th e said Helen comman dit hir to tak h is left fute shoe and cast i t ouir th ebo us

,and said gif the mouth o f i t fell up he wald le ive , and

g if do un he wald die. I tem , for that hir dochter have in gcum to the gudwyfe th e said Will iam ,

and thaire fte r comet o the sa id Will iam h is hous, and zeid 83 . about h is fyirsyde , and did t h e lyk ; and thaire ft e r cumin g furth qubairh is guid is we s pas turing

,said thir wo rdis to thame fo llow

ing - (Gle ib wind luik in the air of the lift , and never havepower to eat meat). Swa it fell out that h is be as tisdwyn e it away daylie be hir divilrie . I tem, i n doing o f thelyk to David Wo d in Mars e t te r, ane ye iris syn c o r thairby.

I tem , i n that Adame Be wis , in being a youngman , and owan d hir dochter, sche de syrit him to mak tuaco rss is , and lay in the watter ane fo r the man an d thevth e r o fWall, and de syrit sum meall and a drink of milk,quh ilk being o fferit to hir, s che de syrit that the milk andthe m e all mych t be baike it t o g ith e r, quhilk being done,the gudwyfe o fWa l l gave hir th e half th airo f, quh ilk shecaryit to the said Helen, hir mo ther, and thaire fte r th e kowthat gave the milk lo s t hi r mi lk

,and gave o n lie bluid,

quh ill Hallowme s being half a ye ir thaire ft er.

”

ROGERS , vo l. iii. pp. 3 02, 3 0 3 .

A cow almo s t suffo cated by fall ing into the mire,was

preserved by three cars o f barley spit upon , put into hermouth .

— DALYELL, p. 3 89 .

[1 Le . with th e toe po in tin g towards the house .

Trials . 1 3 9

Trial of Ag n es Yulloclz or Tulloc/x, 16 16.— Agains t

Agnes Yulloch [o r Tulloch] was charged the abominablecryme of witchcraft, inasmuch that Marjo rie Swo n ay,

being charg eit to the toun fo r s in drie poyn tis o f witchcraft ,s che said to the said Ag nes Zullock, gif sh e come nochthome agan e , mak hir t o pas that same way,

fo r said sh e ,‘Ye have als guid skil l as I .’ I tem

,for that sa lang as

J ames Swo n ey in t e rt e in it hir in h is house h is com es andguid is pros perit, bot als o o ne as s h e went out o f h is bo us ,he los t baith the pro fe it o f h is com es and guidis be hi rdivilrie and witchcraft . I tem

,fo r that Oliver Faquoy,

andMarioun Sclatt e r, h is wyfe , th rie yie ris syne o r thereby

,

pas s ing to the hous o f Sco rn e t o ane arfl'

, the said Agn e sbeing thair. The guidwyfe o f Sco rn e being s e ik, the saidMarioun Scla t te r

‘

fan d falt for h ir bein g thai r. Qubaimmed iat lie tuik se ikn e s , an d tha ire ft e r s e nd for the saidAgnes

,and re cove rit h ir health be hir divilrie . Item

,for

that sum evill spe iches bein g be twix Marioun Lin cle tt e r,

spous to Henrie Growg ar i n Birsay, and E lspeth Browne,spo us t o David Mair thair, the said Agnes come to thesaid H e n rye s bous , and thair fleat w'“ the s aid Marioun

Lin cle t t e r, quba immed iat lie th aire fte r co n tractit s e ikn e s

and dyit . The guidwyf of Lan g skaill, re pro ve in g hirth airo f, sche lykwayis fell seik , and lay fourt e in dayis , andhave in g send fo r the said Agn es , th rea t t in in g to dilait hir,the said Agnes tuich e in g hir, sche recove rit hir health.

ROGERS , vo l. ii i. pp. 3 0 1 , 3 02.

St romn es s. Bess ie M iller, 18 14 — A t the vi l lage of S tromnes s , l ived , i n 18 14 , an aged dame cal led Bes s ie Mi ller, wh ohelped out her subs istence by telli ng favourable windst o mariners .

[A n acco unt o f her is given by S ir W. Scott, who seemsto have vis ited her.]— SCOTT, TIre Pirate , no te G.

Fo r Witches s ee a ls o un der I . g , I . is, SEA.

”

14 0 S ape rstit ious Belief s an d Pract ices .

(f ) LEECH CRAFII

Orkn ey. [The natives have a] multitude o f charms ,that are s t i l l in practice, fo r ki l lin g sparrows that des troyth e early co rn e xpelli n g mice an d rats that infes t ho usesfo r s ecuring the succes sful brewin g o f ale, an d churn ingo f milk ; as we l l as those that res pect women in labourand marriage ; and tho se that are made use of fo rprocuring good luck

,curing the diseas es of sheep,

ho rses , and black cattle, and drivi ng away too th ach ,

haemo rrhagy, co nsumptio n , and o ther dis tempers .

BARRY, p. 3 49.

Several other Charms also they have, abo ut theirMarriage

,when Women in Travel , when their Cow is

Calvin g, when Churn ing their M i lk, or when Brewi n g, Orwhe n their Children are s ick, by takin g them to a Smith

(wi thout premo nishing him) who hath had a Smith t o h isFa the r, a n d a Smith to h is Grandfather ; and o f severals uch like Charms , we had an acco unt from the Minis ter, asl ikeways h ow thes e Charms were perfo rmed but o f theseenough — BRAND, pp . 62 , 6 3 .

Worms as caus e of di sease — Some have a way ( if theybe t o cure any ake in g o r inward pain in any part o f theBo dy) to draw out several l it t le wo rms out of the partaffected (whereo f I had occas ion to see s ome ) wherebythey remove the pain ; Others there be also that usecharms fo r the curing the Heartake and R icke ts .

WALLACE , p . 67 .

Orkn ey. There is a Charm likewis e they make use o f fo r

th e To o th ach , whereo f I had the fo l lowing ins tance from anH o nes t Man wo rthy of Credit. Some years ag o , there wasone who used this Charm , fo r the abating the pain o f o n e

living in Eda , to rmen ted therew i th , and tho’ the Actio n

then was at a distance, the Charmer not being present with

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

14 2 Supe rst ition s Beliefs an d Practice s .

Fo re spo ke n Water — that is wat er into wh ich someth inghas been dro pped, supposed t o poss es s magical po wers ,and o ver which an Incantatio n has been pro no unced ,pro bably a reminis cence o f Holy Water. The articlesdropped in th e water were

,as a ru le, three pebbles of

different co lours gathered from the s e a shore. Th e charmwas co ns idered most potent when one sto ne was j et black

,

ano ther white, and the remain ing red, blue, o r greenis h.

A n incantatio n was then muttered o ver the wate r, therecit er commencing by saying the wo rd Sain ,

” and a t the

same time making the s ign o f the cross o n the s u rfaceof the water. Th e i n cantatio n was as fo l lows :

In th e n ame o f H im that can cure o r kill,This wat e r shall cure all e arthy ill,Shall cure th e b lo od an d fle sh an d bo n e ,Fo r ilka an e the re is a st o n e ;

May sh e fle g all trouble , s ickn e ss, pa in ,Cure witho ut an d cure within ,Cure th e heart, an d ho rn , an d skin .

”

The pat ien t fo r whom th e Fo re spoken Water wasprepared had to drink a part o f i t ; th e remainder wassprin kled o n h is person — MACKENZIE, pp. 3 5 , 3 6.

When the Beas ts as Oxe n , Sheep, Ho rses, &c., are S ick,they sprinkle them with a Water made up by them ,

whichthey call Fore-spoken Wa ter ; wherewith likeways theysprinkle their Boats , when they s ucceed and pro sper n o t intheir Fishing. A n d es pecially on Hallow-Even , they us e tos ein o r s ign their Bo ats and put a Cro ss of Tar upo n them ,

which my I nformer hath o ften seen . Their Hous es alsosome us e then to sein — BRAND, p. 62.

The people of Hoy are very much given t o supers t it io n , and an universal belief of witchcraft prevai ls amongthem , which by no arguments can be rooted out even fromamo ng people o therwise not a li ttle sagacious . They put agreat deal of trus t in th e cure of dis eas es by spel ls andenchantments, also they give great power to witches to

L eec/zcraf t— Spells . 14 3

inflict these by th e same means ; and this is n o t co nfinedt o themselves, but extended t o their goo ds and cattle,which they imagine witches have power to hurt, o r at le as tto take away thei r milk, butter, or che ese, &c , by theirmagical incantations. They are afraid o f hurt either inpers o n o r goods from an evi l eye

,and have particu lar

ceremo nies to avert th e malign ity o f it, but pretend to makea mighty mys tery o f their rites . They also fear an e v ilto ngue

,and there are not a few ins tances of poor creatures

fal ling il l thro ’ mere imagination upo n bei n g curs ed by anenemy. Nobody mus t praise a chi ld o r an ythin g they s e t

a value o n, fo r i f anythi n g evil afterwards be fals i t, these

poor ign oran t creature s w i l l be s ure to attribute t o th e

tongue that spoke o f it , and very probably quarrel on thataccoun t. This they cal l fo respe aking, and pretend t o cureperso ns so forespoken by washing them w i th a water compo unded with great ceremo ny

,the recipe o f which our

female sag es, the only admin istrators, make an impenetrab le secret ; however thes e s upers titious notions are n o tco nfined to Hoy alone, but are spread up and down thewhole co untry, and to be fo und mo re o r less in everycorner of it .— Low,

pp . 6, 7 .

S ee a lso I . e , TRIALS ,

”

pas s im.

San day, Orkn ey. Wormy Lin es — To o thach e i n Sandayis called TIze Worm from a no tio n the country peo ple havethat this painful affection is caus ed by a worm in the to othor jawbone. Fo r the cure of this dis ease the fol lowin gcharm , cal led Wormy Lin es , is w ritten on a s l ip o f paper

,

which mus t be sewed into s ome part of the dress o f theperso n affected , and mus t be carried about with him as lon gas the paper las ts

Pe te r sat o n a marble s to n e we e pin g ,

Chris t came pas t an d said, What aile th thee , Pe te r ? ’‘O my Lo rd, myGod, my to o th do th ache l ’Arise , 0 Pe ter, g o thyway, thy t oo t h sha ll ache n o mo re

FOTHERINGHAM, p. 22 1.

14 4 S r¢ers titious Be liefs an d Practices .

TIre Wris tmg or Wres ting' T[t read — The following

charm was used for the cure of Sprains . A l inen thread istied around the inj ured part, after the solemn repetition ofth e charm

Our Saviour rade ,

His fo re -foo t sladeOur Saviour lich tit down .

Sin ew to s in ew, ve in to ve in ,

Jo in t to jo in t , an d ban e to ban e ,M e n d thou in God’s n ame 2”

During the time of repeating this charm nine knots mustbe tied o n the thread, at regular dis tances, and to ensuresuccess the charm sho uld be repeated at every knot.

FOTHERINGHAM ,p. 22 1.

Sh et lan d. When a person has received a sprain , i t iscustomary t o apply t o an in dividual practised in cas tingthe ‘wresting thread.

’ This is a thread spun from blackwool, on which are cast n ine knots, and tied round a sprainedleg o r arm . During the time the operato r is putti n g thethread round the affected limb , he says , but in such a toneo f voice as n o t to be heard by the bys tanders , nor even bythe person operated upon

The Lo rd rade ,

An d th e foal s ladeH e lig hted .

An d h e rig hted.

Se t jo in t to jo in t,Bo n e to bon e ,An d sin ew to s in ew .

Heal in th e Ho ly Gho s t’s n ame 1”

N ew S ta t . A cct , Shetland , p. 14 1.

Orkn ey. A thread, having on it n ine knots, was ti edround th e sprained part A s the thread was being tied thefol lowing Incantation was mutte red

N in e kn o ts upo’this thread ,

N in e ble ss in g s on thy head

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

14 6 Supe rs tition s Be liefs an d Pract ices .

Swey or Sweyin g . To reli eve the Swey this charm isemployed

,and mus t be repeated by a wise one in private :

“A dead wife out of th e g rave aro se ,

An d throug h th e Se a sh e swimmed

Throug h th e Wate r made to th e cradle

God save th e Bairn burn t sair lHe t fire , coo l so o n in God’s n ame I

FOTHERINGHAM, p. 22 1 .

Burn — To cure a burn , th e fo l lowing words are used

He re come I to cure a burn t so reIf th e dead kn ew what th e livin g e n dure ,

Th e burn t so re would burn n o more .

”

The operator,aft er having re peated the abo ve, blows his

breath three times upon the burnt place. The above isrecorded to have been communicated t o a daughter wh ohad been burned , by the spirit o f her deceased mother.

New S ta t . Acct , Shetland , p . 14 1 .

Shet lan d. Rin gw orm — Th e person afflicted with ringworm takes a little ashes between the forefinger andthumb

,three success ive mo rn ings

,and before having taken

any food and holding the ashes t o the part affe cted ,

Rin gwo rm ! rin gwo rm red !

N e ve r maye s t thou e ithe r spread or spe ed

But aye g row le s s an d le ss ,An d die away amo n g th e ase .

A t the same time, throwing the l ittle ashes held betweenthe forefinger and thumb into th e fire.

N ew S ta t . Acct , Shet land , p. 14 1.

Orkn ey. S temming blood— Fo r suppres s ing hemorrhage

,

as spitting o f blood, bleed ing from the no se, bleeding froma wound, &c., the following charm is solemnly repeatedonce

,twice, or o ftener, according to the urgency o f the

L eeckcraf t— Spells . 14 7

case, by some old man or woman acco unted mo re sagacio usthan the ir neighbours. It is not t o be repeated aloud , norin the presence of any one but the patient :

“Thre e Virg in s came acros s Jo rdan San d,Each with a bloodykn ife in h e r han dS tem blo od, s tem te t he rly s tan d lBlo ody No s e (or Mouth, &c.) in God

’s n ame me n d l ”

FOTHERINGHAM ,p . 22 1.

They have a Charm , whereby they s top exces s iveblooding in any, whatever way they come by it, whetherby o r w ithout Extern al Viole nce . Th e n ame of thePatient being sent t o the Charmer, he sai th over somewo rds (which I heard) upo n which the Blo od ins tantlys to ppet h, tho

’ the blo oding Pat ient were at the greates tdis tance from th e Charmer. Yea upo n the saying o f

these words , th e Blood wil l s top in the blooding Throatso fOxen or Sheep, to the as to nishment of Spectato rs .

BRAND, p. 6 1.

A you n g woman who was troubled with the too thache

[received] from an o ld beldame a little paper parcel whichwas warranted to effe ct a cure . Th e afflicte d o n e was

reques ted to wear the charmed packet roun d her neck.an d o n n o account t o Open o r examine it. Sh e o beyedthe instructions of the “wis e woman ,

” and an immediatecure was th e result. But this yo ung daughter o f Eveyielde d to the spiri t o f curio s ity when rel ieve d of her pain

,

and proceeded fo rthwith t o o pen the mys terious packet .I t conta i n ed an account o f a miracle as cribed t o Chris t,but n o t to be fou n d in th e New Tes tament. No so oner,however, had she satisfied her curios ity at the expenseof her promis e tha n the to othache returned with aggravatedpa in , and the des ecrated charm was fo und to have los ti ts heal ing v i rtue.No tes Queries , 7 th S e n ,

v. v. p. 262 (citing the Orkn ey

1 5 0 Sufie rs tit ioas Be liefs an d Pract ices .

be the half o f their goods and chattels, but he mus t n o t touchmoney. He appoints

,however

,a particular place , where a

Danish coin , wo rth fivepe n ce , cu rrent in Ze tland , is to belaid (as many as they l ike— th e mo re the better, no doubt)this money is for the fairie s, who come, i t is asserted, andtake it away ; but the poor, hones t o perator mus t not, andwil l n o t finger it

,otherwise his trouble wo uld come to

nought, and the spel l which bo und the pati ent would befirmer than ever. This o peratio n o f casting the heart isperformed to this day in some parts of the Zetland Is les

,

and implicit bel ief placed in its effi cacy. The pat ient mus twear the lead , which has been used , i n h is bosom , fo r s ometime after the o peratio n .

No te to Harley Rading to n ,a no vel , i l lus trative of Shet

land manne rs,published about 1820 . Quo ted by H IBBERT,

p . 60 3 .

S ee al so I . e , Trial of ] . K n a rs toan .

jaun dice — About the Walls of these o ld Chappe ls are

found S n ails, cal led Shell-Snails , which they dry an d

pulverize , min gling the dus t w ith their drink fo r the Jaundice, by which means these wh o labo ur under their s ickn es si n 3 . o r 4 . days t ime wil l recover o f th e same, but if they le tth is dus t ly for a Year, wi thout making use o f it , it t urnet hinto small l iving Cre at ures o r Vermine, which they dry an dbray over again , i f they make an y further use o f i t.

BRAND, p. 108 .

S ee als o I . a,BU ILDINGS.

Ye ll, Shet lan d. Cure of K ing’s Evil — As a substi tute fo r

th e actual l iving finger of royalty, a few crowns an d halfcrowns o f the co inage o f the firs t Charles , careful ly handeddown from father to so n

,have been effectual both here , and

in every o ther parish in Shetla n d , towards removing th isdisease, and that to an ex tent which may appe ar somewhatincredible to many. Be this as it may, there are fewlocalities in Shetland in which a living evidence is n o t t o be

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 5 2 Supers titious Be liefs an d Pract ices .

act ually known it in use . The modus operan di was for thewould-be mo ther to wash h er feet in burn (i.e .

“ runn ing ”)water, i n which the s to ne was laid. I rather th ink therewere some o ther fo rmal iti es , but these I have unhappi lyfo rgo tten . The s to ne was said to have been brought fro mI taly o rigi n ally— th is , n o doubt, being calculated to makeit seem mo re valuable. Un l ike mo s t charms , i t was n o t

pres erved in o n e family, but pass ed from the hands o f o n ewise woman t o ano ther, the trus t being o nly relinquishedwhen th e ho lder was on her death-bed .

"— GEO. F. BLACKi n Proceed . S oc. A at . S co tla n d , vol . xxvi i . pp. 4 52, 4 5 3 .

S ee als o I . a ,

“BU ILDINGS.

”

Orkn ey. Eels /lia — [The skin o f an eel] is s tripped off andworn t o prevent the cramp — BARRY, p. 3 02 .

Sh etlan d Tli ree Waves — Wate r taken from the tops o fthree waves was i n She tland believe d to cure toothache.

ROGERS, vo l. iii. p. 2 17 .

S ee a ls o S ea ,Tlzircl Wave .

”

Dog’

s Saliva — If a cow is o ff her food , o r a ca lf does n o t

take kin dly t o chewing the cud ,some wise woman is s ent

fo r who works up a dough ball o f oatmeal, and aft erplacing it in a dog’s mouth , compels th e cow or calf t oswallow it .— TUDOR, p. 169 .

Kirkwall an d St . Ola. Tran sfere n cew— In the time ofsicknes s or danger they often make vows to this or theother favo uri te saint, at whose church o r chapel in theplace the y lodg e a piece o f money as a reward for thei rpro tection ; and they imagin e that if any person steals orcarries o ff that money, he wi l l inst antly fall i n to the samedanger from which they , by their pious o ffering, had beenso lately del ivered .

— 01d S ta t . A s st , v. vi i . p. 560

S ee al so I . e , Trial of K . Gran t ,”e tc. S ee also a n te

,

Spit ting ,

”Cure for S t itc/l . Fo r Leechcraft, see also

I. a ,HOLY WELLS,

” " BU ILDINGS La, pas

-rim ; I. e ,

Da Witclt ’s Fee,” and pas s im.

M agic. 1 S3

(g ) MAGIC AND DIVINATI01V.

Northmavin e .

“Tlmaderbolts (S ton e Axes ).— A few ofthe people are in poss es s io n o f the ancien t battle-axe ,which is careful ly concealed in so me part of the house

,an d

supers t it io us ly preserved, an d it is commo nly cal led athunderbolt. The write r of this paper has o n e i n hisposs ess io n

,which was obtained from a parishioner, as a

great favo ur.— New S tat . Acct , Shetland , p. 7 5 .

Sh e tlan d The smooth s to nes termed thunde r-bo l ts— a

suppo sed safeguard aga in s t l ightn i n g— are s t i l l po sses sedby o n e o r two , and highly prized — REID, p . 3 1.

Thunderbo lts— o r batt le -axe heads are occas io nal lydug up. I lately purchas ed a go o d specimen o f th is

ancie n t s to ne weapo n . The go od-w i fe o f the ho use,wh o

parte d wi th it mo st reluctan t ly, an d o nly after a prettygood price had been offered , informed me it had beendug up in the commo n , a sho rt time before , whereit had fa l le n from the skies duri n g a thunde rst orm ,

andthat her husband

,who was from home, would be very

angry with her for s e l l ing the thunderbo lt, as it brought

goo d luck to the ho us e — COWIE, pp . 296 , 297 .

Sh e tlan d. [A s to ne axe, 9} inche s lo n g, n ow i n the

Sco t tish Natio nal Mus eum o f A n tiquit ies , Edinburgh , was]found in the va lley o f Tingwal l near Scal loway, Shetland , in the end o f las t ce ntury. I t was acqui red by thedo no r from an age d peasant woman in Scalloway who

believed it to be a “thunderbolt,

” and o f efficacy inaverting evi l from the dwel li n g in which it was kept.

Pro . S oc . A n t . S co t , v. xi i . p. 599 .

Sh e tlan d. A Trow’

s Sword.

” —[On l o th Apri l 1876,there was presented t o th e S co tti sh Natio nal Museum o f

A ntiqui ties] a small bro nze knife or dagger, w ith tang,4 i nches in lengt h , found at No rdho use, Sulem , No rth

1 5 4 Supe rs t it ious Beliefs a n d Practices .

mavin e, Shetland , and lo ng used as a “ trow’

s swordfo r magical purposes . [No further particulars given .]

Pro . S oc. A a t . S co t , v. xi. p. 4 7 1 .

STORM-RAISING.

She t lan d. A lo n/w it , Abonjin it — On another occas io na vessel o f suspicious appearance was o bs e rved nearingthe s ame is land . She did not anchor

,but when sh e had

g o t c lo s e enough a bo at's crew o f a rmed men was sento n sho re. Th e freeboo te rs scoured the is land , and seizedall the fowls— ducks , hen s , and geese— that they co uldcome acro s s . Some o f t h e inhabitants ven tured to remo ns trat e but the men repl ie d

It'

s ducks an d hens to day ; but it'l l be oxen and cows

t o -mo rrow.

” They then returned to their ship,and sh e

sto o d o ff t h e sho re.Th e is lan ders knew they could make n o res is tance. I ntheir despair they s e n t two o f the mos t in fluential men toan o ld woman , wh o was known o ccas ion ally to do somethi n g in th e black art, tho ugh Sh e did not court thereputatio n o f a witch. They told their t ale and sh e

repl ie d“Abo njm it , abo nj1n it l I canna du ony g ud, an I canna

du muckle herm ; bit ye can geng an tel l da fo lk ta makfas t di r bo ats and tak wee l aboot dir grains 0 corn . Themen de parted and secured their boats, s tacks of corn , andal l loose pro perty abo ut t he is land. That n ight a wilds to rm burs t o n th e A tlantic, and in the mo rn ing the is lesmen saw the dreaded vessel founder i n the o ffing.

BURGESS, p. 10 3 .

C] : I . a,Natty/read R ock.

Witc/t es ’M ode of Wrecking S trips — Mr. George S in clair,

n ow o f Dunedin, New Zealand , write s to me o f Shetlands to ries about “witches o n the sho re

, who , by means o f

wooden cups , wreck bo ats at sea. The cups are put into a

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 5 6 Supers tit ion s Beliefs an d Practice s .

“Robbin cam ower da vaana wi’ a sh ii n ii Twabb ie ,

To o bie , Ke e like n , Ko llickin , Palktrick alan ks da robin .

Giiid sober da wind .

— STEWART,p. 200 .

Ra in Cite rn i .— When a peat fire is n e arly co nsumed, s omeo f the brands o ften remain s tand ing in an upright in th e

l ight white ashes by which they are s urro u n ded . A n d itwas the fancied resemblance which tho se bran ds bore toperso n s , an imals, ships , &c.

, which furn ished th e fire -readerwith the means of fo rete l l ing eve n t s . On e so l itary uprightbrand

,resembling a man o r woman , was always called a

gues t,”i.e . a s tranger o r vis ito r from a dis tance . I f it

could be gues sed who th e person might be , and if welcome,the brand was l ifted in the to n gs an d placed in the cen t reOf the fi re , and o ther brands he aped aro un d it but if t heperson was looked upon as an intruder, the brand was

dipped in a tub o fwater, so tha t th e i ndiv idual re presen tedmight g e t a dren ching o f ra in if h e o r sh e a ttempted thejourney— STEWART, pp. 2 3 5 , 2 3 6.

Takin g away an d recove rin g M ilk a n d Butt er Profi ts .

That a perso n may take away a n d pro cure fo r herself thesummer profits o f h e r n e ighbo ur’s cows , i t is the pract ice t o

g o clandes tine ly and pluck an handful o f grass from th e

roof o f th e byre, and give it to h e r o wn co ws , the rebysuppo s ing that the milk an d butte r which sho uld havebeen her neighbo u r’s , wi l l by this means become hers .

A n d ,i n order to regain the pro fits which are suppo sed

to have bee n taken away , it is usual to milk in privat ea cow belo nging to th e pers o n who is suspected of havin gtaken them

,and the reby t o g e t t hem

oback.

N ew S ta t . A cct , Shet lan d , p . 142 .

Harves t — In S caplia abo u t a mile from K irkwall t oSouth-Wes t it is said the re was kept a large and ancientcup,which they say be lo nge d to S tMag n us , K ing of Norway

with which ful l o f s o me s trong drink, their Bisho psat their first Landing were pre sented ; which if they drank

Spe lls . I 5 7

out they highly praised him and made themselves to

believe that they sho uld have many good and fru itfulyears in h is time. This Buchan n a n relates and as Mr

Wallace o bserves is s t i l l bel ieved the re — BRAND,p . 46 .

Fo r o ther charms s ee I . a , BUILDINGS I. c, Tur

bo t”

; I. d, I . e , TR IALS “SEA

”; I I . a,

“YULE .

Fo r s i lence durin g magical ceremonies s ee I . a , HOLYWELLS.

”

SPELLS .

Un st The fol lowing verse it is sa id wo uld preserveyoung people from being le d by evi l Spi rits i nto the wayo f s inners

Clapa, clapa suda

Bo och s in a schdl in a i da

Bauta de ema kjo ta schinSwa la clove n a vje n ta in

Roompan pfiman sfida”

EDMONDSTON and Saxsv, p. zo 1.

The fol lowing o r rather was a poten t spell agains tmaled ictio n

Bis, Bis, Byo l

Bulva re eka tyo

Tak la ig en ,

S log an veg g in

Bulva re e ka tyo .

”

Ibiai, p. 20 1.

Sparrow Tellin g .— In Papa Stour the

sparrows are very destructive to th e corn, and the PapaS tourian s bel ieved t hat the beadle of the kirk had thepower of tell ing the sparrows away so as never toreturn , fo r which they paid him a fee. The “SparrowBeadle s ti l l lives i n the island, though he has n o t beenemployed in his sparrow-tel l i ng” capacity for a few years .

I t mus t have been rather an amus ing s ight to have seenand heard him going round the com -fie lds us i ng a variety

I 5 8 Supe rs tition s Be liefs a n d Pract ice s .

o f s trange gesticulations, crying “Co o s h-sh-ah , Hoosh-sh-ahawa’ fra d is too n , an

’ never come again .

”— REID, p . 25 .

S ee al so I. e , Trial of H . Isbis ter .

”

Shet lan d Aga in s t Eag les . There are also in thisCoun t rey, as we ll as in Orkn ey many Eagles which des troythe ir Lambs , Fowl s , &c. Fo r the pre venting o f which,s om e when they s e e the Eagles catching o r flee ing awaywith their prey, us e a Charm by taking a s tring whe reonthey cas t s ome kno ts

,and repeats a fo rm of wo rds , which

being do ne th e Eagle lets her prey fall,though at a great

dis tance from the Charmer, an in s tance of which I h adfrom a Mi n is ter, wh o to ld me, that abo ut a Month befo rewe came to Z e tland, there wa s an Eagle that flew up w i tha Co ck at Scalloway, which o n e o f these Charmers s eeing,presently took a s tring

, (his garter as was supposed,) and

cas ting some kno ts thereupon wi th the us ing th e ordinarywo rds

,the Eagle d id let the Cock fal l into the Se a.

BRAND, p. 1 17 .

S ee also I . d,

“Da Trow’

s Dart I. e , Tran sformation

Formula,

” I .f , LEECHCRAFT and a n te ,

“Rain Clearm,

”e tc.

Orkn ey. Clmrn ing . Three heated sto nes and “n ineAve Maryes were a charm used in the churn ing o f

butter. [Th e all us ion is o bscure.]— EMERSON , p . vi i i .

South Ro n aldsay an d Bun ny. The exis ten ce o f fai riesand witches is serious ly believed by some, who, in ordert o protect themselves from thei r attacks , draw imagin arycircles

,and place knives i n the walls of houses. The

wo rst consequence of th is s uperst itious bel ief is, that whe na person loses a horse or cow

,it sometimes happens that

a poor woman in the neighbourhood is blamed , andknocked in some part o f the head, above the breath ,unti l the blood appears — 01d S ta t . Acct , v. xv. p. 3 1 1 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

160 Sape rst itious Beliefs an d Practice s .

Papa Stout . Iron — To ward o ff the “dark power ano ld razor is kept in the byre, and a piece o f s teel fas tenedto the cow’

s head is s upposed to have a benign res ult.REID, p. 24

S ee al so I . a ,

“STONES I. ft ,

“SEA,Nogg le , Charms

I I . a , YULE.

"

Fo r other co unter charms s ee I . d ,Da Trow

’s Dar t .

She tlan d. Turn ing the S ieve Aug . JonatArchbald is dempt to quite hir s e lff with the saxt e r

aith e fo r the t urning o f ane s iff and ridd ill for ane pairsch e iris quh ilk we s tane fra hir guidman and failye in gthairo f to pay sax me rkis and to un de rley the law thairfo ir

as wi tchcraft — Minutes o fDistrict Co urt held at Sumburgh ,Dun ro s s n e ss , quo ted in GOUDIE, pp. 18 5-6.

(7 Aug . Nicole in Culye s e t te r is dempt t o quiteh imse lff of the turn ing o f s ieue and the sch e iris and thatwith the saxt e r aithe and failye in g thairo f to pay vjme rkis and to underly th e law thairfo ir as witchcraft.

Ibid , p . 187 .

S ifting your S itter.— Take a s ieve

,keys , a pa i r of

s cis s ors , a comb and a b it of s i lver. Open two or threedoors , and al l the be tter i f the re are four, and if theyare o ppo si te each o ther. The person who wants to seeh is or her future husband or wife looks out the outerdoor

,and then turns the s ieve thre e times with the sun ,

and then three times agains t the sun , repeating thefo l lowing each time they tu rn it

l s ift, I tift ; 1 Sift , 1 rift ,

I s ift dis n ig ht for (Ice ,

An d he (o r she ) it is to be my true lo ve ,

Le t them appe ar pre se n tly.

MS . communication from Rev . THOMAS MATHEWSON ,Burravoe

,Yel l

,dated Jun e l g th , 189 3

Divin a tion . 16 1

Trem ing tire S leeve — J . D. was married to C. T. : theyhad a daughter cal led May

,who had a number o f sweet

hearts, but she loved an Un st lad the best One n ight sh ean d another girl went to the barn , shut the do or, and put alarge s to ne t o the ins ide

, we t their shirt s leeves , hung themt o the fire, and wen t to bed . About midnight there was agreat noise at th e door, but it was s ecure

,and after a while,

the appearance o f two men came in through the roof,turned the shirt s l eeves

,and went out again through the

roo f. Th e o n e that tu rned May’s s leeve was T. M . A ftert hat May had n o more love fo r her Un s t lad ; and ultimately she and T. M . were wed — MS . communicationfrom Re v. THOMAS MATHEWSON ,

Burravo e,Yell

,dated

June 19 th , 189 3 .

Fey Folk— It is a practice with some to burn the s traw

on which a co rpse h as lain,and to examine very narrowly

the ashes , from a belief that the print of th e individual’

s

foo t, who is next t o be carried to th e grave, will be discovered . Th e s traw is s e t o n fire when th e body is lift edan d the funeral compan y are leaving the house .

N ew S tat . Acct, She tland, p. 14 1 .

S ee als o, I . e , Trial of M . Greiwe,

” and “Trial ofM Skebzlrter and an te Rain Charm.

”

(119 S UPERSTITIONS GENERALL Y.

Ban dst in g . I nnumerable ins tances of supers tition yetremain amo ng the people of the lower class , eg . some o f

them neither eat nor drink on Sunday ti ll after divineservice. Others bel ieve that if two i nfants , that have g o tn o teeth, me et in the same ro om

,one o f them w i l l d ie

immediately after. I f you pra ise their chi ldren o r cal lthem fat, they thin k you their wo rs t enemy, and suchchildren are certai nly doomed to die — LOW,

p. 8 1.

Orkn ey. There are many other particulars o f th is kindof fol ly s ti l l remain ing among the mo re ignoran t vulgar, as

16 2 Supe rs tz'

lzous Be liefs an d Pract ices .

charming diseases from one to another ; fo retell ing eventsby dreams ; deaths by de ath lig h t s , death-drops , and deathwatches , or by Ghosts here called Gaufers . LOW, p . 8 .

Byn hauow. Time after Sun s et . —Fabulan tur h ie antiqu iquod , s i me tan tur s e g e t e s po s t s o l is o ccasum ,

subito man atcruor de calamis frume n to rum (cf. under Holy Places

”

)ali i dicun t s i equus liga tus fueri t s o le decidente facilevagatur un d ique per n octem fine alicujus s i vero n o n

cernere hic po s ses corum fict itias e t fabulosastrad it io n e s .

— JO. BEN apud BARRY, p . 442 . [Th e gaps arein the MS .]Fo r time after Sunset of. I . e , Trial of K . Gra n t .

Damsay. Eye Brows .— Fabulan tur quod aliquan do super

ci l ia aufe run tur i n ter spatium unius ho rae ,de in de ve ro

re st ituun tur. p. 44 3 .

Orkn ey. Lucky Days a n d M on ika— Some days of theweek are more fo rtunate to begin any bus ines s o f impo rtance o thers would spo i l i t completely ; and, in th is respect,even some months are much preferable to others.

BARRY, p. 3 48 .

S ee also “WEDDINGS “SEA,below,

“Luck an d

Un luck.

”

Sh e tlan d. Coun t in g— Counting the number of sheep , o f

cattle, of ho rses , o f fish , o r of any of a man 's chattels,

whether animate o r inanimate,has always been co nside red

as productive of bad luck.

— TUDOR, p. 17 3 .

Un et . N ame taboo .— It was co ns idered very rash— eve n

s infu l— to mention th e n ame o f a dead person, as theindividual was l ikely “ to appear to the o n e who hadnamed him. A lso it was con s idered unsafe to name peoplewho were believed to have d e al i n gs with the unseen wo rld .

EDMONDSTON and SAXBY, p. 187 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

164 Supe rs tit ious Be liefs an d Practice s .

I f they kil l cattle, they must do i t at the growing of thatluminary ; from an idea that if delaye d ti ll the wanin g, themeat will be o f an inferior quality— BARRY, p. 3 4 8 .

[They fi rmly believe] that if they did otherwise , the beefwould dwindle in the pot.

N ew S ta t . Acct , Orkney, p. 14 3 .

Se e also I I I . 5 , “WEDDINGS .

"

She t lan d. Freemason ry— Freemasonry is almo s t un i

versally bel ieved , by the lower clas ses o f peo ple in Ze tland ,to confer o n the poss essors o f the s ecret the rare faculty o fdetecting theft. Some curio us occurrences of this ki n dhave take n place, where a general threat o f applying to amast er-mas o n to disco ver the culprit, has been fo llowed byres titution , duri ng th e n ight , o f the things which had beens tolen .

— EDMONDSTON , S he tla n d ,v. ii. p. 7 8 .

Th e followi ng document, which th e m inister obtainedposses s io n of at the church door, before it was made public,was issued and s igned by fo ur members o f the MortonLodge of Freemasons i n Lerw ick

At a meeting he ld in M o rto n Lodge , at Lerwick, upo nthe 18th day o f August 18 15 , it was repo rted and fa i thfullydeclared upon oath

,by M . B. in Eas ting parish in She tland ,

that an woollen web, the pro perty o fM . B shirts an d o therthings also of great value belonging to M . B. ; as a lso,many suit s of mutches ,which belo nged t o M . B . al l thes e,as abo ve s tated , has been s to len from the green of C. durin gth e firs t part of this present mo nth . Not ice is herebygive n

,that crue lty fo rms n o part o f mas o nry, ye t jus t i ce to

the injured party mus t be done, and that if thes e th ings s os to le n are n o t returned back befo re the next meet ing o f

maso ns upo n that bus ine ss,o r at furthes t, i n fifte e n days

from this date, a ca lamity o f a severe nature may fal l o n al lthat parish in which th e present cro p may be blas ted bys to rm ,

an d th e person o r person s gu i lty shall be publ icklyled throw the parishes in the neighbourhood o n day light

,

Supe rs tit ion s Ge n e rally. 16 5

and that by evil spiri ts n o t see n by others. This paper tobe intimated at the kirk door, that no ne may plead ig n o rance. G iven under our hands at Lerwick, by au thority ofth e Morton Lodge .

”— N ew S ta t . Acct , Shetland , p. 14 3 .

Weatlzer Prog n os tics .— Everyth ing loo ks large in an east

w ind .

In severe w inters the white swan vis its the Orkneys .

Its coming forete l ls continued severity.

When hens are o bserved t o pick and pluck themselvesmore than usual , rain is near.

A n hones t man and a no rth-we s t wind generally g o tos leep together.”

No te — Thi s is a common saying,and impl ies that if the

wind is from the north-wes t in th e e arly part o f the day, i tw il l veer o r fal l in th e even ing. The West ing appears tobe impo rtant, for in Orkney the saying is Tlee w es t w in d

is a g en tlema n , an d g oes to beat— SIR ARTHUR M ITCHELL ,

Popular Wea tlzer Prog n os t ics of Sco tlan d.

Sh et lan d. A cat “ g aan in i’ da lift ,

”that is

,looking up

i nto the sky, fo retells w i nd.

“Sle e pin

’

upo’ her ham s,

”

that is,s leeping with the back o f her head t urned down ,

indicates a calm — BLIND, Ge n t’

s M ag ,1882 , p. 3 6 1 .

Vats -g aa rin ,a halo around the sun ,

perihel ion , suppose dt o in d icate bad weather, espe cial ly rai n .

EDMONDSTON,Glo s sary, s .v.

Cats-cramme oés , clouds over the sky having somethingof the appea rance o f hairs s tre aming from a n animal’s tai l.

lord ,s .v.

Sh e t lan d . Luck— On no s ubject are they more supers t it ious than in what relates t o fishing. Some of the moreskilfu l prophets can fo re t e l, from the kno ts in the bottomboards of a boat, whether it wi l l be lucky to fish o r n o t ;

a n d whether i t wi l l be overset under sai l, o r be o therwise

166 Supe rs tzt ious Beliefs an d Practices .

cas t away ; and boats have been rejected , and torn up,i n

consequence o f such a pro phecy. When they g o to thefishing, they carefully avo id m e eting any pers o n , un les s i tbe one wh o has lo ng enjoyed the reputation o f being lucky ;nor, when the bo at has been floated

, is i t deeme d safe toturn it but with the sun . I f a man treads o n th e tongs i nthe mo rn in g, or be asked whe re he is go ing , he nee d n o t

go t o th e fishin g that day. When at s e a , the fishermenemploy a nomen clature pecu l iar t o the occas io n , andscarce ly a s in gle thing the n retain s its u sua l name. Mo s tof their names are o f Norwegian origin , fo r th e No rwaymen w e re reported to have been s ucces s ful fishe rs . Certainnames mus t n o t be mention e d whi le they are s etting thei rl ines , especial ly th e mi n ister an d the cat and man y o thersequal ly unmean ing.

EDMONDSTON , Ske tla n d ,vol. 11. pp. 7 3 , 74,

Charms — It is quite a commo n pract ice among th e

Zetland fi shermen,when out at the Izaaf o r deep-sea

fi shing, t o s tick the blade o f their knives into the mas tt o bring luck . Ano ther plan is t o spit into the mouth o f

the las t caught cod ; and the co n sequence, they say,is

th at it wil l be fo l lowed by a fish equal ly large o r larger.Sometimes it is rather amus ing t o h ear an o ld grey-hairedfisherman exclaim , while haul ing fo r cod , Pu

’ do on cod icome on co d l o r interj ectio ns of s imi lar impo rt.

Fs acuss ou, p. 169 .

Papa Stout . The fishe rmen cons ider a piece o f s teel o rs i lver coin abo ut the i r boat o r l ines a valuable safeguardagains t w itchcraft — REID,

p . 24 .

Scc also I .j, Forespokea Wa ter.

Sh et lan d. Our fishermen ins tead o f po uring a cup

of ale into the se a to forespeak good luck, me rely us e

s ign ificant toas ts at conviv ia l meetings . Death to dahead dat weers nae hair ” (th e fish ).

Frazer’s Mag s, p . 497 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

168 Supers tition s Beliefs an d Pract ice s .

Kirkwall an d St Ola. I n many days o f the year they wil lnei ther go to sea in search o f fish ,

n o r perform any sort o fwork at home. On going t o sea they wou ld reckont hemselves i n the most imminent danger were they byaccident to turn their boat in o ppos i tion to the s un'sc o urse — Old S ta t. A ect .

,v. vii . p. 560 .

Orkn ey. I n going to se a they turn the boat in thedirectio n of the s un’s cours e. To move in th e o ppos iteway wo uld be cons idered improper if n o t dangerous .

N ew S ta t. Acct ,Orkney, p. 14 3 .

Sh et lan d. The fishermen, when about to proceed t o th efishing, thin k they wo uld have bad luck, if they were t orow the boat wi thershin s about. They always cons iderit neces sary to turn her wi th the sun . Neither do theygive the same name to mo s t of the things i n the bo at , andto seve ral on shore

,by which they are usually known .

N ew S ta t . Acct , Shetland , p . 14 1.

Orkn ey. Th e fishermen o bserve the curious practice o f

turn ing their bo ats in th e di rectio n o f the sun , when theylaunch i t ; avoid whis t l i ng, and the mention o f themin is ter’s name

,as unlucky omen s

,and ins tan tly desist

from their i nte ntion of fishing if ques tioned as to thed irection in which they are going.

TEIGNMOUTH , vol. 1. p. 286 .

S ee also I I I . b, WEDDINGS.

Un st . Luck an d Un luck.— [The people here] dont l ike

their way sho uld be cros sed when they go a fishing ,particu larly by th e minis ter.— LOW, p. 162.

Sh e t lan d . Saturday is looked upon as a lucky day forthe smacks to s ai l fo r the Faroe fish in g — TUDOR, p . 166.

Tlee S ea a Witch — One o f my Shetland co rrespon den t swrite s Th e s e a ,

’said an o ld woman who was regarded

as a good autho ri ty in our occu lt lo re,‘ is the greatest wi tch

in all the world .

’

BLIND, Ge n tlema n’s Mag azin e , 1882 , p. 3 65 .

S ea an d B is/ling . 169

Tide s — An old man named John Georgeson gave h isvers ion o f the cause of the tides . Namely, that away farout i n the se a, near the edge o f the wo rld, there lived amonstrous S e a-S erpe nt that too k abo ut s ix hours to drawin his breath , an d s ix hours t o le t it out wh i ch s uffi cientlyaccounted fo r the rise and fa ll o f th e waters .

BLIND, Gen tlema n

’

s M aga zin e , 1882, p . 3 62 .

S e e al so I I I . b, WEDDINGS .

"

Drown ing Person s — Two th ings may be mentionedwhich are to this day bel ieved in and acted on by livingmen . A t any rate, within l iving memory they have innumerous cases been known as certainly as anything can

be. One of these is the belief that i t is “unlucky, o r mo recorrectly

,

“ forbidden ,” to save a person from drowning.

The real grounds o n which this bel ief re s ts are difficult t oascertain . S irWalter Sco tt and so me others account fo rit by the explanat ion

,that it was imagine d that t h e

rescued wou ld afterwards injure his rescuer, and that hewas fated t o do so . But from what I have with diffi cultylearned

,I rather believe th e no tio n is that the man who

preven ts ano ther fro m drowning wil l himself perish ins tead— that the s ea wil l have it s prey, and if a man deprives i tof i ts victim

,he himself mus t supply the victim’

s place.

This is clearly a pagan bel ief pure and s imple. Th e evi lspirit— o r th e g od o f the s ea, go od o r evi l— mus t have hissacrifice ; if you hinder h im , you awake his anger, wh ichanother vict im alone can appease . I t is told how a mann o t on ly decl ined to put o fi

'

h is boat to res cue anotherdrowning clo se inshore, but took the o ars out so as to

prevent it being us ed for this purpose ; how three menstood an d looked at their neighbour drowning before theireyes, an d then tu rned around and walked homewards ;how anot her pulled past a floating woman and paid n o

he ed . These things have happened w i th in forty years , andmany other similar case s i n every dis trict o f th e co u n try.

LAURENSON ,Proceed. S oc. A n t . S cot , vo l. x . pp. 7 1 3 , 7 14 .

1 7 0 Supers tit io n s Beliefs a n d Pract ice s .

Word-taboos A pecul iari ty in fish e rme n’s observances

is their cus tom o f proscribing certain words and names o f

persons or th ings as fo rbidden to be ut tered whi le at se a.

Promin ently amo ng thes e are the o rdinary term s relatingt o the church , the min is ter, o r h is abode ; an d from thisthe inference may be drawn that at an early period it wasbel ieved that the mention of the new fai th and its pries tswas hateful to the s ea-g o d, an d l ikely to bring h is displeasure ou those who named it. Later, when the En glishto n gue was displacing the Norse o f the is lan ds , th e o ld

wo rds were employed in s tead of the new when it wasnecessary to mention tho s e fo rbidden o r un lucky things ,and thus , as i n a dead lan guage, these fish e rme n

’

s wo rdsand phrases were preserved and handed down t o the

pres ent day.— LAURENSON , Proceed. S oc. A n t . S co t , vol . x .

P 7 14»

S ee al so an te, Luck, and I . c, Tn rbo t .

”

To use ordinary wor'

ds brings il l-luck [at sea]. Thenthe se a has t o be called “holy toyt . A boat is spoken o fas a fair.”— N ew Rev. p. 62 1 .

Fo r other fishing cus toms, etc. , see I .j, LEECIICRAFT,

I I . a , Fis/zern zen’

s Foy .

”

Orkn ey. I n Orkney, s elkie was the po pular name for s ea l.Seals we re popularly divided into two classes ; namely, firs t,the common seal, here ca l led tang fis h , which had no powert o as sume the human form . These, l ike other inhabitantso f the s e a, were cal led fish . To the o the r clas s belo nged al lseals larger in s ize than the Pnoca m

’

tn lin a ; s uch as thegreat seal , ro ugh seal

,Green land seal

,cres ted seal , and

gray s eal,— al l o f which have been seen in Orkney

waters. A n d i t was this clas s o f larger seals that werecal led “

selkie fo lk,” becaus e they had the power o f

ass uming the human form . The bel ievers in this myt hwere never at a los s to account fo r i ts exis tence ; but th e

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 7 z Supe rs tit ion s Beliefs an d Pract ices .

Writers on the subject, trus ti ng to i ncorrect versions ofo ld s to ries , have often con fo unded mermaids and sealstogether, and have often treated the two as identical .Hibbert in h is va luable work o n Shetland has fal len

into this error, and has been followed by mo s t otherswhose writings on the subject I have seen. This erro r iseas i ly accounted for. Mos t o f those

'

writers were n u

familiar with,and had not fro m chi ldhood lived amo ng th e

peasan try ; had n o t sat fo r lo ng winter evenings by thecottage fireside lis ten i n g t o the often ‘ ted io us and longwinded , but spontaneous flow o f o ld tales , fro m the l ipso f men and women who believed in the tru th o f what theyt o ld ; and, more essential s ti l l

,tho se narrators had n o t

a doubt but t hat their fi res ide hearers bel ie ved in whatthey heard .

N0 Orcadian peasan t wo uld lay bare the treasures o f h iswild lo re be fo re the eyes o f a s trang er. The peasan tbelieved, often correctly, that educated peo ple held h islo re in co ntempt. When they asked ques tions o n o ld

subjects , he suspected their o n ly object was to make himand h is s tories object s fo r amusement . I n asking fo r o ld

lore amon g the Orkney peasan try, 'I s uspect the proverbmust be read , Seek and ye shal l n o t fi n d it .

”

But to retu rn, the seals when in human shape were

gene ral ly seen o n a dry, but se a-surro unded rock, wherein groups they lay basking in th e s unshine

, o r gambo l l i ngabo ut in the sunny atmos phere , with their s kins lyi n gbes ide them on the rock. The mome n t that any dis turbance arose, o r alarm was given , the whole flock flung theirs ea garments o n , and leaped into the s e a.

I t was o n ly at certai n periods an d condi tions o f t h e

tide in which the seals had power to assume the humanshape. But these periods were a subject of dispute amongmy oral authorities .

Versio ns of the s tory I am now to tell were at one timerife in every Orkney is land and some of them have

I7 3

already appeared in print. The man who told me th istale was a native o f North Ro n aldshay, was wel l read inEnglish l iterature, an d s o fam il iar with Shakes peare thatan y s ix l ines o f that author you quoted he would tel l

you from what play yo ur quotation was taken . Thoughabove s uperstitious belief in

,he poss es sed an inox

haus t ible st ore o f o ld-world tales . He often as s is tedme in clearing up some diffi culty in Orkney folk-lo re.

The goodman o f Wastness was well-to-do,had his

farm well-s tocked , and was a good-lo oking and wellfavoured man . A n d th ough many braw las ses i n theis land had s e t thei r caps at him , he was not t o be caught.So th e yo ung las se s began to treat him with co n tempt,re garding him as an o ld young man who was del iberatelycommitting the unpardo nable sin o f cel ibacy. He didn o t trouble h is head much about the lasses , and whenurged by h is friends to take a wife, he said, “Womenwere like many another th ing in this weary world, on lysent for a trial t o man and I have trials enon eh wi thoutbeing tried by a wife “ I f that ould foo l Adam hadnot been bewitched by h is wife, he might have been ahappy man in the yard o f Edin to this day.

” The o ld

wife of Longer, who heard him make this speech , saidto him

,

“Take do o heed do sel l,doo

’

ll may be do sel lbewitched some day. Ay,

” quoth he,

“ that wil l bewhen do o walks dry shod frae the A l ters o

’

Seen ie todae Boar of Papa .

”

Well,it happe ned o n e day that the goodman of Was t

ness was down o n the ebb (that portion of the shore leftdry at low water), when he saw at a l ittle dis tance anumber o f se lkie folk o n a flat rock. Some were lyingsunn ing themselves , while others j umped and played aboutin great gle e. They were

.

all n aked , and had skins as

white as his own . The rock o n which they spo rted haddeep water on its s eaward side, and on its sho re s ide a

shal low pool. The goo dman of Wastness crept unseenM

17 4 Supe rs titio n s Beliefs an d Practice s .

t ill he g o t to the edge o f the shal low pool ; he then roseand dashed through the pool to the rock o n its o ther side .

The alarmed selkie folk seized their seal skins, and, i nmad has te, jumped into the sea. Quick as they were, thegoodman was also quick , and be seized one o f the skin sbelon ging to an unfortunate damsel, who in terror of fl ightneglected to clut ch it as she sprang in to the water.The selkie folk swam out a little d i stance, thenturn ing, set up their heads and gazed at the goodman .

He noticed that o n e o f them had not the appearance o fs eals like the rest. He then too k the captured skin underh is arm

,and made for home , but before he got out o f

the ebb, he heard a mos t doleful sound o f weeping andlamentati on behind him . He turned t o se e a fair womanfollowi n g him . I t was that one of the selkie folk whoseseal skin he had taken . She was a pitiful sight ; sobbingin bitter grief, ho ld ing out both hands i n eager supp l ication , while the big tears fol lowed each other down her fai rface . A n d ever and anon sh e cried out , O bonnie manif there’s onie mercy i’ thee human breast, gae back mes kin ! I e inno’, e inno

’

, e inno’ l ive i’ th e sea without it. I

e inno’, einno’

, cin n o’ bide among me ai n folk without my

ain s ea l skin . Oh , pity a peur dis tressed, forlorn lass, gindoo wad ever hope for mercy th e e s e l

’ l ” The goo dmanwas not to o soft-hearted, yet he could not help pityingher in her do leful

,plig h t . An d with h is pity came thesofter passion o f love. H is heart that never loved womenbefore was conquered by the s ea-nymph’s beauty. So ,

after a good dea l o f higglin g and plenty of love-making,he wrung from the sea-lass a reluctant consent to l ivewith him as h is wife. Sh e chose this as the leas t of twoevi ls. Without the skin she could not l ive in the se a, andhe absolutely refused to give up the skin.So the sea-lass went with the goodman and stayed

with him for many days, being a thrifty. frugal , andkindly goo dwife.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 7 6 Superstition s Be liefs an d Practice s .

delight. The goodman was rowing home, an d saw themboth from his boat. H is lost wife uncovered h er face , andthus she cried to him : Goodman o’ Was tness, farewe e ltae thee ! I l iked dee weel, doo war g eud tae me ; hit Ilo

’

e better me man 0’ the s e a ! A n d tha t was the las t he

ever saw or heard o f his bonn ie wife. Often d id he wan deron th e s ea-shore, hoping to meet h is los t love, but nevermo re saw he her fair face.No t only did females of the fin fo lk sometimes become the

temporary wives of men , but males o f the wat ery race frequently formed ill icit connection with fair ladies o n land.

These gentlemen never abode fo r an y lengt h o f time o n

shore. They only came o n land to indulge un lawfu l lo ve.An d as when dives te d o f thei r se a skins they were handsome in fo rm and attract ive in manners , they o ften madehavoc amo ng tho ughtless girls

,and sometime s i ntruded i nto

the sanctity o fmarried life.Many wild tales were told o f the amo ro us co nnection

betwee n fai r women of earth and those M ph ib ious

gentlemen . I f a young and fair girl was lo s t at s ea ,

sh e was not drowned , but taken captive by selkie folkor fin fo lk. A n d in o lden times mothers used t o s in ,

that is,t o pain t the s ign of the cro s s on the breas ts o f their

fair daughters befo re go i ng by s ea to the Lammas Fai r. Ifa beau t ifu l girl grew Up to womanhoo d without the en joyment o f matrimonial bl iss, sh e sometimes indulged in il l icitamo urs with one of th e selkie fo lk. Again , if a ma rriedwoman found her husband unfai thful to her , sh e wo uldrevenge herself by secret intercourse with a marine lo ver.

Amo ng many wi ld ta les o f the kind , I give one said tohave happened in the las t bygone cen tury. The name o n lyo f our hero ine is changed, because her descendants are sti llamong us ; and if any of them shou ld read these l ines, letthem not th ink that aught offen s ive is intended. I f thelady was their an cestor, s he was also a near relative o f

ancestors of mine.

I7 7

Urs i l la was the daughter o f a laird belonging to one ofthe o ldes t families in Orkney. She was handsome an d

pre tty , but had a s tern ness of manner, and that firmness offeatures which o ften presents a mascul ine exterior infemales o f No rse blood, and o ften hides

, as with a fi lm o f

ice, a loving heart within .

Ursi lla was not one to wait patiently ti l l some o n e turnedup to o ffer h imself as her husban d . I ndeed, had any onepresumed to approach her as a lover

,she would have treated

him with haughty disdain,regarding h is bold presumption

as sufficient gro und for h is rejection . Sh e determined n o t

to be chos en , but to chose fo r herself. Her cho ice fel l o n ayoung hands ome fellow, who acted as her father

’

s barn-man .

But sh e knew that any disclo s ure of her pas s io n wouldmo rtal ly ofl

'

e n d her old father an d bitterly mortify hisfamily pride, and might lead him to dis inheri t her. So sh e

lo cked up her lo ve in her own breast kept watchful eye onthe obj ect o f her love, and treate d him to a full share o f thesco ld ings sh e daily bes towed o n the servants.When , however, her father d ied , and her tocher was safe,

she dis closed her pas s ion to the young man , and commandedhim to marry her— a command which he was too gallant todi sobey. Her marriage excited among the gentry greatindignatio n to think that one o f their clas s sho uld marrya farm servant ! Urs i l la treated their contempt withindifference sh e made a good ho usewife, managed herho us e well , and also, i t was said , managed her husband andthe farm .

So far I have given what I believe t o be a t rue accounto fUrs i l la, having had it from descendants o f her relatives .

What fo l lows I bel ieve to be an imaginary tale, invented bygo s s ips , in order to acco unt for a strange phenomeno nvis ibly seen on her des cendants : and it is only given toi llus trate one of the popular beliefs .

Ye s , Urs i lla was married, and all went wel l and happy,so far as outward appearances showed yet Urs i l la was n o t

1 7 8 Supers tition s Beliefs an d Practice s .

happy . I f disappointed in her husband, sh e was far to oproud to acknowledge it, knowing that the gentry wouldon ly say in deris ion

,

“Sh e shaped her own cloth , let her

wear her il l-fittin g dress. Whatever the caus e might be,there was a terrible want— a want that Urs i lla felt bitterlyA n d sh e was n o t the woman to sit down and cry o versorrow sh e determined to console herself by having intercourse with o n e of the selkie fo lk.

Sh e went at early morning and sat on a ro ck at high-tidemark, and when it was high t ide she shed seven tears i n these a . People s aid they were the only tears sh e e ver shed .

But you know th is is what one mus t do if she wants speechwith the selkie folk . Well, as the firs t glimpse of dawnmade th e waters gray, sh e saw a big selkie swimming fo rthe rock. He rais ed h is head , and says he to her, “What

’

s

your wi ll with me,fair lady ? ” Sh e l ikely to ld him what

was i n her mind and he to ld her he would vi sit her at theseven th stream (spring tide), for that was the time he couldcome in human form . So , when the time was come, hecame ; and they met over and over again . A n d , doubtles s

,it was not for good that they met s o often . A n y way,

when Urs illa’s bairns were born

,every one of them had we b

hands and webbed feet,l ike the paws of a selkie. A n d did

n o t that tel l a tale ? Th e midwi fe clipped the websbetween every finger

,and between every to e of each bairn .

Sh e showed the shears that sh e us ed to my grandmo the r.”

So said the narrato r. A n d many a cl ipping Urs i l la cl ipped,

to keep the fin s from growing togethe r again and the finsn o t being al lowed to grow in their natural way, grew intoa ho rny crus t in the palms o f the hands a n d so les o f th e

feet. A n d th is horny subs tance is seen in many o f

Ursilla’s descendants to this day.

Whatever may be tho ught of this tale, its l as t sentence isqu ite true. The horn sti l l appears in feet and han ds o f

some of the lady’s descendants . One, two, or three in afami ly may sh ow the abnormal horny subs tance ; whi le

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 80 Superstition s Beliefs a n d Practices .

sub-marine and supra-mari ne world , i f it were n o t for theextraordinary power that they inherit

,o f entering the skin

o f some animal capable of existing in the s e a,which they

are en abled to occupy by a sort o f demoniacal possess ion .

One shape that they put o n is that o f an animal humanabove the wais t, yet terminati ng below in th e tai l and fin sof a fish , but the mos t favourite form is o f the larger sea lo r Haaf-fish fo r, in possessi ng an amphibious nature, theyare enabled n o t only to exis t i n th e o ce an

,but to land o n

so me rock where they frequently l ighten thems e lves oftheir s e a-dress

,resume thei r pro per shape, and with much

curios ity examine the nature of the upper wo rld belongingto the human race. Unfortunately, however, each mermano r merwoman poss ess but one skin

,enabling the individual

t o ascend the seas , and i f, on vis iting the abode o f man , thegarb sho uld be los t, the hapless being mus t unavoidablybecome an in habitant o f our earth — H IBBERT, p . 566.

Va Sk errie s, Sh et lan d. The Ve Skerrie s are, according topopular beli e f, the particul ar retreat of the fair sons anddaughte rs of the sea , where they are defended by a ragingsurf, that continua l ly beats around them, from the o btrus ivegaze an d interference of mortals ; he re they release themselves from the skins within which they are inthralled

,and

,

assuming th e most e xquis ite human form s that ever wereopposed to e arthly eye s

,i nhale the upper atmosphere

des tined for the human race,and

,by the moon's bright

beam s,enjoy their midnigh t revels.

A s the green-hai red den izens o f the ocean are mortal,

the v is i ts that they pay the upper wo rld are not alwaysunattended wi th peri l . But the greatest danger to whichthese rangers of the s e a s ee m liable are from the mortalhurts that they receive, upo n taking on themselves thefo rm of the larger s eals o r Haaf-fish fo r when shot unde rthis shape, the blood no sooner issues forth from the wound ,and mixes with the ocean ’s brine, than it poss esses the

S elkies . r8 1

supernatural power o f cau s ing an awful swell an d break ofthe s ea , i n the vicin i ty o f the spot where the victim , from asense of the pain infl icted , has been s een to dive. On theVe Skerries the inhabitants of s ubmarine depths are l iableto considerable peril, whenever the n atives of Papa Stourrepair thither

,at certain times of the year

,for the purpose

of attacking the seals , as they l ie in the hollow of a certa incrag. A s tory is told o f a boat’s crew that landed withthis des ign at one o f the S tacks — they stunned a numbero f thes e an imals , and , in this s tate, s tripped them o f theirskins , w i th the fat attached to them ,

— left the carcases o nthe rock, and were about to s e t o ff fo r th e shore o f PapaSto ur, when s uch a tremendous swell aro se

,t hat every one

flew quickly t o the bo at, and we re s uccess fu l in entering it,except one man

,who had imprudently l ingered behind .

The crew were unwi l l ing t o leave a companion to perishon the Skerries

,but the surge increas e d so fas t, that after

many unsucces s ful attempts t o bring the boat clo se i n tothe s tack the unfortunate Wight was left to h is fate. A

stormy n ight came o n,and th e des erted Shetlander saw n o

prospect befo re him but of peris hing with co ld and hunger,or of being washed into the s e a by the breakers whichthreatened to dash o ver the ro cks . A t length, he perceivedmany o f the seals

,who in the ir fl ight had escaped th e

attack o f the boatmen — they appro ached the ske rry,dis ro bed themselves of thei r amphibio us hides, andappeared like the sons and daughters o f the ocean . Theirfirs t o bject was t o ass is t in the recovery of their frien ds ,who ,

having been s tunned by clubs , had , i n this s tate, beendeprived o f thei r skins . When the fled animals hadregained thei r s ens ibi l ity

,they as sumed their pro per form

'

o f mermen or m e rwome n ,and began to lament in mourn fu l

lay,wild ly accompan ied by the s torm that was ragin g

around,the lo ss o f their se a-dress , which wo uld preven t

them from enjoying the i r native azure atmosphere, andcoral mans ions that lay below the deep waters of the

r8 z Supe rstz'

tzbus Beliefs an d Practice s .

Atlantic. But their chief lamentation was for Ollavit in us ,the so n o f Giog a, who, havin g been stripped o f his seal’sskin , would be for ever parted from h is comates, and co n

demn ed to be an outcast inhabitant o f the upper world .

Their song was at length broken o ff, by o bservi ng o n e oftheir enemies viewin g, with shivering l imbs , and lo o ks ofcomfortless despair, the w ild waves that dashed over thes tack. Giog a immediately conceived the idea o f renderin gsubservient to the advantage of her so n the peri louss ituation of the man. Sh e address ed him with mildnes s ,propos ing to carry him safe o n her back across the s e a toPapa Sto ur, on co ndit ion o f receiving th e seal-s kin of

Ollavit in us. A bargain was s truck, and Gio ga clad herself in her amph ibious garb ; but , the Shet lande r, alarmedat the s ight o f the s tormy mai n that he was to ride through,prudently begged leave o f the matron, fo r h is bett erpreservatio n

,that he might be allowed t o cut a few ho les

in her shoulders and flanks in order to procure , betweenthe skin and the flesh

,a better fasten ing fo r h is hands and

feet. The reques t be ing complied with , the man graspedthe neck of the seal

,and committing himself to her care,

she landed him s afely at Acres Gio i n Papa S tour ; fromwh ich place he immediately repaired t o a skeo at HamnaVo e , where the skin was depos i ted, and hono urablyfulfi l led his part of the contract by affo rding Gio g a themeans whereby her son co uld again revis it the ethe realspace over which the sea spread it s green mantle.

H IBBERT, pp. 567-569

Sh et lan d . Tice Grea t S z'

lkie of S ale Skerry.— A nother

version o f the foregoing story is given by Capt. F. W. L.

Thomas , according to which the silky who rescu ed theman was not the mo ther but the mate of the o n e who s eskin was to be restored . Two holes are cut in the S ilky’sskin by the rescued man to hold on by, and the truth ofhis story is proved some weeks afterwards to the in credu

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 84 Supe rs t itio n s B elzefs a n d Practice s .

“Ao ’ thu sa ll marry a proud gun n e r,

An ’a proud gun n e r I’m sure b e

’ll be ;

An’th e ve ry firs t scho t tha t e re h e schoo ts ,He ’ll schoo t baith myyoun g so n an d me .

”

Capt. F. W. L . Thomas in Proce edin g s of tire S ocie ty ofA n tiquaries of S co tlan d, 18 5 1 , vol . i . pp. 86-89 .

S ee I I I . c, Ballads , “Ballad 0’

dc La tln'

e 0am” .

Un st , Sh et lan d. Sometimes mermen an d me rwome n haveformed connubial attachments with the human race. A

s tory is told of an in habitant of Un s t , who, i n walking o n

the sanday margin o f a vo e , saw a number o f thes e being sdancing by moo n light

,and several s eal-skins s trewe d

beside them on the gro und . A t h is approach they immediately fled to secure their garbs , and takin g uponthemselves the fo rm o f seals , plunged immediately intothe sea . But as the Shetlander perceived that one skinlay close to h is fee t, he s natched it up, bore it swiftlyaway, and placed it in conce alment. On return ing tothe shore he met t he fairest damsel that was eve r gazedupon by mortal eyes , lamenting the robbery, by which sheshould become an exile from her submarine friends , anda tenant o f the upper world . Vainly sh e implored theres titution of her property ; the man had drunk deeplyof love, and was inexorable,— but offered her protectio nbeneath his ro o f as h is betro thed spouse. The me rlady,

perceiving that sh e mus t become an inhabitan t o f th e

earth,fo und that sh e cou ld not do better than accept o f

the offer. This s trange connubial attachment subsistedfo r many years , and several children were th e fru its o f it ,

wh o retained n o further marks o f their o rigin than in theresemblance which a sort o f we b between thei r fingers ,and a particular be nd of their hands, bore t o the forefoot o f a seal,— this peculiarity being posses s ed by thedescendants o f the fami ly at the presen t day. TheShetlander’s love for h is me rwife was un bounded ; but h isaffection was coldly returned. The lady wou ld often steal

S elézes . r8 5

alon e to the dese rt s trand, and o n a s ignal being given,

a large seal would make his appearance, with whom shewould ho ld

,in an un known tongue, an an xio us conference.

Years had thus gl ided away, when i t happen ed that oneo f the chi ldren , in the course o f h is play, found concealedbeneath a s tack of com a seal’s skin , and, delighted withthe prize, ran with it to his mother. H er eyes gl ist enedwith rapture,— sh e gazed upon it as her own

,—as the

means by which she could pas s through the ocean thatled to her native home

,— she burs t forth into an ecstasy

o f joy,which was only moderated when sh e beheld h e r

children,whom sh e was n ow about to leave

,and

,after

has ti ly embracing them , fled with al l speed towards th ese a-side. The husband immediately returned

,-le arned

the dis co very that had taken place,— ran to overtake hiswife

,but o nly arrived in time to se e her trans formation

of shape completed,— to see her in the fo rm o f a seal

,

bound from the ledge of a rock into the sea. The largeanimal o f the same kind with whom she had held a secretconverse soon appeared, and evidently congratu lated her,in the mos t tender manner

,on her escape. But

,before

sh e dived t o unknown depths , sh e cas t a parting glanceat the wretched Shetlander, whose despairing lo o ks excitedin her breas t a few tran s ient feel ings o f commiseration .

“ Farewell ,”

said sh e to him ,

“and may al l good atten d

you. I loved you very wel l when I resided upon earth,

but I always lo ved my first husband much better.”

Thw e i n habitants of a submarine wo rld were, i n th e

later periods o f Christian ity, regarded as fal len angels , whowere compelled to take refuge in the seas : they had

,

therefore, the name o f S ea-Trows given to them , as belonging to the dominion o f t h e Prince o f Darkness.

H IBBERT, pp. 569. 570 .

Sh et lan d — From their shyness, thei r great s trength, an dthe singu lar intel ligence of thei r aspect, the Shetland

1 86 Supe rs t it ious Beliefs a n d Practices .

fishermen imagine seals to be fal len spiri ts i n m e t empsy

ch o sis , enduring in the form of seals a mitigat ed punishment. Fo r th is reason , however eagerly they may beki lled for the sake of their valuable skin s and blubber, i t isgeneral ly done not witho ut compunction an d misgivings , itbeing supposed that they are bo th powerful t o inj ure andmalevolent to reven ge. [A young fisherman caught o n eand skinned it, afterwards tossing the carcas e in to the se a ;thereafter joinin g his companio ns who were wai ti ng forhim .] Meanwhile the seal having only been s tunned andstripped , soon revived to feel particularly cold, and s tillmore d is co n solate at h is changed an d disfigured condi tion.Sad and miserable he wandered through the wate rs lamenting

, an d in th is plight he retired to the neighbourhoo d of acoral bower, where a mermaid had her abode . Th e latteroverheard the sad plaint o f the cruel ly used s eal , and aft erkindly soothing, asked if sh e could help him . S elkie

imagi ned sh e might,but on ly by regaining fo r him the

covering ofwh i ch he had been so ruthlessly bereft. Whereupon , th e kind and gentle being darted o ff on her com

passionate and friendly errand .

Now the spoiler’s consc ience had by this time sorelysm i tten him for having destroyed the seal that morn ing ;he bel ieved some evi l would as s uredly overtake h im ;

he muttered many a prayer and many a vow, and carefullyconcealed his fault from his comrades , givi n g them to

unders tand, that he had obtained the much covete d skinfrom an an imal found dead on the sho re. How horrifiedthen was b e , when a hook on their fish in g-l ines drew intotheir boat a mermaidEagerly he implo red the other men to rel eas e her

i nstantly ; but they over-ru led his wishe s, from the co n

vict io n that they would obtain a considerable reward forsuch an extraordinary capture. The mermaid was therefore co nsigned to a secure p lace in the boat, and laidcare fq on tire skin of the s eal

, that very prize fo r wh ich

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

18 8‘

upe rs tit ious Beliefs an d Pract ices .

the Water, which as they could discern , had the Face o f

an old Man , with a long Beard hanging down ; firs t i tappea red at some d istance from them , and then comingnearer to their Boat, they had a clear sight o f i t ; Thes ight was so very strange and afl

'

rig h t in g , that al l i n theBoat were very des i rous t o be on Land , th o the Day wasfair and the Sea calm ; a Gentleman declaring, (as aMin ister in Company with them , and s aw this s ight informed me), that he never saw the like, tho he had travel ledthrough many Seas.I heard another remarkable story like unto this , tha t

about 5 Years s ince, a Boat at the Fishing drew her L ines,and one o f them , as the Fishers thought, having some greatFi sh upon it , was wi th greater difficul ty than the restraised from the Ground , but when raised it came moreeasi ly to the surface of the Water upon which a Creaturel ike a Woman presented it self at the s ide o f the Boat

,i t

had the Face, A rms, Breasts , Shoulders , &c. Of a Woman ,and long Hai r hanging donn the Back, but the nether partfrom below the Breasts , was beneath the Water, so thatthey could n o t understand the shape there o f : Th e two

Fishers who were in the Boat being surpri sed at thisstrange s ight, o n e o f them unadvised ly drew a Knife

,and

thrus t i t i n her Breast, whereupon sh e cryed ,as they

judged , Alas , and the Hook giving way she fel l backwardand was n o more seen : The Hook being big went in ather Chin and out at th e upper Lip. The Man who thru s tthe Kn ife into her is now dead , and, as was observe d ,never prospered after this , but was s ti l l haunted by anevi l Spirit, i n the appearance o f an o ld Man , who , as hethought

,used to say unto him, Will ye do sac/t a thin g

wlro K illed tire Woman ; the other Man then in th e Boatis yet al ive in the I s le of Burra. Th is a Gentlemanand his Lady told me, who said they had it from the

Baillie of that place to which the Boat did belong : I tbeing so strange I enqu ired at severals thereanent, which

S e lé ie s . 1 89

tho many were igno ran t of,yet some said that they had

heard thereof, and judged it to be very true.BRAND, pp. 1 1 3 , 1 14.

Sh etlan d A mermaid had the i ll-luck once to be caughton a hook , and dragged into a bo at . Sh e begged fo r liberty:and promised , i f the me n le t her go, that any wish theymight cho se should be granted . The skipper thereupondropped the mermaid over the gunwale

,and as sh e dived

to her home sh e sang gleefully

Muckle gude l wid yougie ,An d mair Iwid ye wish,There’s muckle e vil in th e sea,

Scoorn we e l your fish .

”

Ch e ate d ,an d by a mermaid l cried the skipper, an d only

o n e o f the s ix me n be lo nging to the boat took any no t iceo f the sea-maiden’s injunction . But one did scoom weelh is fish

,and fo und a splendid pearl among the scoomin g .

EDMONDSTON and Saxsv, p. 228 .

Sometimes they catch with th e i r Nets and Ho o ksTriton s , they call t hem Skoupiltin s and Mermaids , but theseare rare and but seldom s e en — SIBBALD,

p. 9 .

Sh e tlan d. N ogg le .— There is a trow called a

Neo g le ,”somewhat akin t o the water-kelpie o f other

lands , wh o makes h is appearance about mill s, particularlywhen grinding

,i n the shape o f a beautiful poney [s ic].

That he may attract the attention o f the person wh o

acts the part o f the mil ler, he seizes and holds fast thewheel of the mil l ; and , as is natural , the miller goesout to examine in to th e cause of the stoppage ; when , tohis as ton ishment, a beautiful poney, saddled and bridled ,is standing, and ready to be mounted ; who but an o ld

mil ler could let slip such a fair Opportun ity fo r a ride ?But if he should neglect warn ings , and unguardedly puthis foot in the s ti rrup , h is fate is s ealed . Neither bit o rbrid le avai l him anything. Ofl

’

goes the poney, bog orN

190 Supe rs titious Beliefs an d Pract ices .

bank arrest not his course , t il l in th e deep se a he throwsh is rider, and himself evanishes i n a flash o f flame. But

so me mil lers are proof agains t the tempta tio n , having beentaught caution by the fate of others ; and in stead of

tak in g a ride, salute h is Ne og le sh ip with a fiery brandthrough the l ight

’

n ing-tree hole. which makes him in»:

mediately scamper away— N ew S ta t . Acct , p. 142 .

With regard to the legendary attributes o f the Nug g le ,

he was bel ieved to be more deceitful than courageous ;and h is s o le bent s eemed to be to play mischievo uspranks o n the human race. I am n o t aware of anyShetland wo rd that connects th e name wi th water, butthe traditio n is that the Nug g le was never found at anydis tance from the water ; generally frequenting a fo o tpathnear a lo ch or a burn o n which water-mills were built.The object the Nug g le had in frequenting footpaths n ea ra loch , was t o o fl

'

e r h is services t o an y unsuspect ingwayfarer who might feel d isposed to take advantage of

them, in o rder to facil i tate h is progres s,if likely to be

benighted . I n form he was exact ly l ike a po ny, w iththe exception of his tai l

,which was said t o resemble

the rim of a wheel, but wh ich h e cunnin gly kept con cealedbetween h is hind legs , when he meant to victimise an y

pedes trian ; and wo e be to the man who bes trode himwithout examining that appendage ! I t was n o t s tatedwhether he used h is tai l as a means o f lo como tio n o r

n o t ; but no sooner had he felt the weight o f h is victim ,

than with l ightn ing speed he flew into the water, an d

the eques trian found hims elf submerged beyond h is depth,

and if he ever gained the sho re, i t was n o faul t o f theNugg le . He did n o t, however, attempt attack ; but itis said when the rider got his head above water , hesaw him disappear in cloudy vapour o r blue flame.This was one of his pranks , th e other was al leged

to be played o n peo ple grinding corn at the water-mill.A ll o f a s udden the mi l l would stand s till, while the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

19 2 Supers t itious Beliefs an d Practice s .

I n an account o f the Nugg le obtained from ano thercorrespondent i t is stated that :“The Water Nug g le — also called in some parts of

Shetland , the Sho epult ie — resembles the Scotch WaterKelpie strongly in almos t every particular, save th e ta il ,

which he knew how to use on certai n occas ionsas a propel ler.

BLIND, Con temporary Review,188 1, pp. 189-19 1.

A n ancestor of George Henderson , o f Burravo e s , who

dwelt i n Une t, was wont to rise early. One morninghe ro se early, and went o ut fo r a walk . On h is wayhome, he was coming along the edge of a lo ch, andwished that he had s ometh ing to ride on . A n d he sooncame to a white mare

,and he jumped on her, and ro de

her along the loch, and she always sought toward s theloch, and he tried to keep her from it. But as theyrode along, she grew so pers is tent that he came o ff, andshe went on the loch and over the water in a blue low.

”

KARL BLIND, Gen tlema n

’s M ag azin e , 1882 ,

p. 3 69

Paula, She t lan d. One noted spirit,— the “Nyg e l,

”o r

Nig le”was supposed to appear near s treams o f runn ing

water, and particularly about water-mills, where, i n then ight, he seized an d held fast the water-wheel with h isteeth , unti l he was driven away by brands o f fire thrownat him . In colo ur and s ize he varied, but behoved alwaysto be shaped like a quadruped,— to have glaring eyes,terrible teeth , and a tai l l ike the rim of an immense wheelturned up over h is back. I t is said that he once entereda dwelling and expelled the inmates

,after wh ich the

place was n o t o ccupi ed fo r th i rty years — REID, p. 3 1 .

[Mr. G. F. Black has been informed by a nat ive of Fo ulathat until wi thi n recent years i t was commo n for mo thersin putti ng their chi ldren to bed at n ight t o caution them“Now be good or the Nog gle wi l l come and take you

S cit ies . 19 3

Delt in g , She t lan d. Dey wir great s tories aboot daNyug l whan I was young. Dey said ’

at da Nyug l widstop da water mil ls . He wid grip b ed 0

’ da fedirs 0’

da tirl an’ s top da mil l . A n’ dey wid s lip fire do on da

lig h t n e e n’ tree-hole

,i r s t ik a knife ita da g ro t i. (Da

widen bush e e n i’ da un de rs t e e n ,’

at da spindle kam up troo,dey caad dat da g ro t i.) A n as syii n as da knife kem ita da

g ro t i, da Nyug l wid s lip an’ flee. A n’ dey wid s e e him

t o o . He wiz lek a horse ; gre, it some colo ur lek dat.A n

’ dey wid s e e him upo’ da daylight. I f dey wir gyain

’

a lang a loch , he wid come ta dem, gyain’ da sam way.

A n’ he wid come upo

’ dem ; an’

some wiz fiil'

enough t o

ride him . A n’ if dey did , he ran upo

’ da lo ch wi’ dem, an’

dey g o t a do okin’

. I r if d ey said da neem 0’

Gyiid, he widvan ish. He aye vanished in a fire. — KARL BL IND, Gen tle

ma n’

s M ag azin e , 1882,p. 3 70 . Written down from the

recitation o f an o ld man in De lt in g , Shetland.

Wh als ay, Sh e t lan d. There was a man in Whalsay, who

did n o t belie ve in Nyo g le s , o r fairie s , o r spirits . A n d o n e

n ight he was at the krezlgs at Skura, and had drawn hisoz

'

c'

a'i o f piltaks . A n d ere long, o n h is way home , he came

t o a black horse, and he went o n him . A n d th e ho rsebegan t o run ,

until he was going so fas t that the man didn o t know whether h e was o n the earth or in the a ir. A t

las t he took h is knife and drove it into the ho rse, and hewent from under him , and went over the banks in a blue“low .

— KARL BL IND, Ge n tlema n’

s Mag azin e , 1882 , pp.

3 69-70 .

S ee also I I . a , “YULE.

PART II.

TRAD ITIONAL CUSTOMS .

(a) FEST] VAL CUSTOMS.

Sh et lan d Their Fest ivals are Christmas, Newye arsday,Uphaliday (the las t day o f Yule), Bonny Sunday, PeaceSunday (Eas ter), Jo hnsmas s (J . Baptist’s), Lambmas s

,

Candlemas s, Hallowmass , e tc , and to each o f these theyannex particular ceremonies mos tly drawn from the Papisht imes — Low, p . 82.

Holy Days— Besides the wel l-known fes tivals s t i l l recog

n ised , and the legal term-days of Christmas, Candlemas,Lammas , Whitsunday, Martinmas , Pasch-Sunday, and S t .John’s Day (December, there are s ti l l dated Lawren ceMass (Augus t Ko rsmas ( 3 d May and 14 th September),Pastern Eve (befo re Lent), Catheri ne Mass (zan d December), Boo Helly (fifth day before Chris tmas ), Ba in erSunday (first day before Chris tmas ), A n t in mas (twentyfourth day after Chris tmas ), or Uph e llia Day, So lomon

’

s

Even (3 d No vember), Sow-day ( 17 th December), Martinbullimas (S t . Swith in’s Day), Jo hnsmas s (a4 th J une ).

LAURENSON , Proceed. S oc. A n t . S co t , vol . x. , p. 7 16 .

S a in ts’

Days— Several o f the I s les have their Sain ts ’

Days which some do supers titio us ly observe. There is o n e

day in Harvest, on which the more ignorant, es pecial ly inRo usa , say, i f any work the R idges will blood .

BRAND, p . 6 1.

(Cf. I. a , HOLY PLACES , I . It , SUPERSTITIONSGENERALLY.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

196 Tradit io n al Cus toms .

Shet lan d. Solomon ’s-Avon (Even), November 3 d. asupersti tion of ill-omen con nected w ith this day.

EDMONDSTON , Glo ssary , s .v.

S orority— In a part of the parish o f Sandwick, every

family that has a herd o f swine, ki l ls a sow on the 17 th

day of December, and thence it is called S ow-day. Thereis n o trad ition as to the origin o f thi s practice.

Old S tat . Acct , vo l. xvi. p . 460 .

Westray. Yule — One cust om in this parish, and commo nto Orkney at large

,is that o f al lowing the servants four o r

five days l iberty at Christmas , t o enjoy themselves . Onlythe mo s t neces s ary part o f domes tic work , with dueattentio n to the bes tial o n the farm , is do ne o n thes edays. The mast er of the house has, al so, t o keep up awel l fu rn ished table fo r al l h is servants at that season .

A nother practice pecul iar to th is place is , that o f

observ ing punctually those days in the Roman calendar,on which eating and drinking are practised with moreliberality than us ual .— N ew S ta t . A cct , Orkney, p . 127 .

Yule was n o t one festival , but a s eriesof them , and that period is s ti l l named by the Shetlandersthe Yules .

The Yules began with Tul-ya’

s e’

e n , which was s eve ndays before Yule-day. On that n ight the Trows receive dpermiss ion t o leave their homes in th e heart o f the earthand dwell, i f i t so pleas ed them , abo ve ground. On e

of the most impo rtant o f all Yule-tide observances was

the “ sain ing ” required to guard life or property from th e

Trows. I f the pro per observances were omitted th e greyfolk were sure to take advan tage of the opportunity.

A t day-s e t on Tul-ya’s e’en two s traws were plucke d

from the stored provender and laid , i n the fo rm o f a cro ss,at the s t eg g ie leading t o the yard where the stacks of hayand corn

, 8 m,were kept. A hair from the tail of ea ch

Fest ival C“s tems . 19 7

cow,o r

“beas t o’ burden, was plaited together andfaste ned over the byre door, and a “ lowing taan d ” wascarried through the barn and other out-houses .

He lya’s night fol lowed Tul-ya

’

s e’en. On Helya’s

n ight milk bros e was partaken of, and ch ildren werecommitted to the care o f Midder Mary.

”

A Shetlander told me sh e remembered when she was alittle gi rl s eeing th is ceremony performed by her o ld

grandmother. “Minnie raise up frae the fire and gaed tothe cradle where our in fant was s leeping. She spread herhands ower the cradle-head and said , loud out

Marymidder had do h aun d

Owe r abo o t fo r s le e pin ’o baun d,Had da las s an d had da wife ,Had da bairn a

’ its life .

Marymidde r had de baun dRoun d da in fan t’s 0’ oo r laun d.

’

Then Minnie came to the bed and said the same ower us ,and a’ the time sh e was do i ng sae, auld da

’

was standingraking the peats back and fore upo n the h earth s tan e , andsaying some wo rds ; but we never g o t to ken what it washe s aid.

”

Dec. zo tb .— Thammasmas s e'en was five nights befo re

Yule-day, an d this e vening was suppo sed t o be pecul iarlyho ly. No wo rk o f any kind was done after day-s e t

,and

un like al l other evenings o f Yule-tide— n o amusementswere allowed . The smal lest deviation from what wascons idered orthodox o n th is occas ion was sure t o brin gbad luck.

Th e very babe un bo rnCrie s oh dul l dulFor th e bre akin g 0

’Thammasmas s n icht ,Five n ichts afo re Yule .

”

Byan a’s Sun day — The S unday preceding Yule-day was

cal led Byan a’

s Sunday. That eveni n g half a cow'

s headwas boiled and eaten fo r s upper. The fat skimmed o ff the

19 8 Tradit io n al Cus toms .

water was made, with burs tin into brose. The sku l l wascareful ly cleaned , a candle s tuck in the eye-socket, andthen it was set aside for us e later in the season. Yule e’enwas the great time of preparation for the crowning fe stivalof all . Though the fami ly might be very po o r indeed

,they

always contrived to have a piece o f fle sh-meat ” to cooko n Yule e'en .

A fter the ord inary bread was baked, a round oatcakewas kn eaded for each chi ld, differing in s ize as the youngones difl

’

e red i n age. These cakes were pinched into pointsround the outer edge, and a ho le was made in the centre ,and they were named emphatically Me Yule-cakes .

Each member o f th e family washed their who le person ,

and donned a clean ( i f poss ible, n ew) garmen t , in whichthey s lept that night. When the hands o r fe et were putin t o the water “ three l iving coals were dropped into th e

wate r,else th e Trows too k the power 0 ’ the feet or hands .

"

Cf. I . e, TR IALS .

"

Th e ho use was careful ly tidied,

n o un kirs n thing s le ftin s ight,

” and al l soiled water thrown away. All lo cks we reope ned, a lamp was left burning al l n ight, and an “ ironblade was laid o n a table near the do o r.Before dayl ight o n Yule mo rn i n g the gudeman of the

house got up and lit th e candle, which had been s tuck inthe eye s o cke t o f the cow’

s skul l. Then he proceeded wi ththis unique candles tick to the byre and fed the beasts

,

givi ng to all a l it tle better food than usual , wh ichthey we re expected to cat by the l ight o f that cand le .

The ne xt thing th e gudeman did was“ to go round

to the fo lk o f the hous e with drams,

” and even thebairns were bound to tas te, i f nae mair,

” while to al lhe s aid

Yule gude an d yule g earFo llow de tre w da year.

”

Breakfas t was eaten by artificial l ight, and on th is occas ionmany a bit o f hoarded candle was produced by the young

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

zoo Tradition al Cas toms .

disappe ared there glided into the barn two tiny creatu res,s cantily atti red , with wide-open eyes, bare feet , an d smilin gl ips , which said never a word. A sho ut arose from theyo uths and maidens as sembled

,and the older folks laughed ,

while o n e fisherman cal led out, Come awa’ my lambs , andye sal l hae a reel as weel as the be s t 0

’

wis . The fiddlers t ruck up the Shoals o

' and the two l i tt leun invited gues ts tripped merrily up and down , their smal lbare feet keeping wo nderful time and executin g such marve llous s teps that the merry-makers declared they mus thave been taught by the Trows . When the re el was at it sheight

,the dancing fas t and furious , the young mother

re tu rned t o the barn , an d no sooner did sh e catch s ight o fthe tiny couple than sh e exclaimed : “Gu id save me, thebairn s ! ” No trow can remain visible when a pious wordis spoken . No so o ne r had the Guid save me ” pas s ed herl ips than the l itt le s t rangers van ished through the crowd att h e do o r. Of cours e

,some jokes were toss ed at the mo ther,

wh o, howeve r, de clare d that sh e had left her boys as l eep in

bed , and never dre amt o f their fol lowing her. There wassnow o n the ground

,and s now was fall ing

,although it was

a moo n light evening. A n ancient dame muttered :“The

lambs ’i l l take cauld — a remark which o f co urs e to uchedth e yo ung mo ther’s he art, and sh e has tened after herchildren . But whe n sh e reached her own hous e they weren o t there. No , n o r were they to be found in any neighbourin g ho use. A n d fo r half an hour the paren ts and all

the merry party s earched for th e children , but wi thou ts uccess . Then folk began to whisper t o o n e another of thewonderfu l s teps the l it tle couple had danced , and o f thecurious si lence they maintained though evidently enjoyingth e dance. A t las t an aged woman asked the weepingmother if she had “ looked weel to da s ain in gPI never thought o f that,

” cried the terrified girl ; andthen a’ folk kent i t was Trows that had ta’en th e form 0

’

jock’s pe erie boys.”

Fes t ival Cus toms . 20 1

There was n o mo re dancin g that n ight . No , nor formany Yules after in that to o n , fo r next mo rn ing the babyboys were found dead in each o ther’s arms in a great, softsnowdrift which fi l led a ravine not many hundred yards .

from their home. A n d every o n e affirmed that thecalamity occurred through th e parents having omitted tosair: their o ffspring o n Yule e ’e n .

One Yule a large party had assembled at the Moo lapun d ,

after the evening was half s pent they found th at th edrink was aboot do ne

,fo r double the numbe r 0 ’ folk had

come than was expected .

“Lads,”said the man of the

house, s ome 0 ’ you will hae to gang ower the hil l fo r someliquor.” A n d ye’ll meet the Trows about the Moola-burn l”

cried a saucy damsel.“Is du n o feared ta speak 0

’ the grey-folk whispered ayouth in her ear. No

’ I,

”said the las s .

“Then come wi’ me to th e Moola-burn , he said , “andsee them linking ower the braes.” As they left thehouse an old woman muttered : Gude preserve them ; i twas a fule thing 0

’

Erecta [the young woman’s name] to

speak l ike you about them that is o o t th is night.”

Long, lo ng did the fo lks wait , and many were the wrathful words uttered at Jo s ey’s delay. A t las t he came— andcame alone. Nay, mo re, he reeled in , flo urishing two

empty whisky bo ttles and shouting madly :“The Trows

hae g o t the drink, and they’ve g o t the las s as we el !

Vainly did the men s trive t o el icit info rmation from Jos ey.

He was u t terly mad with dri nk,and could o n ly shout

,

Th e Trows hae taen my lassA n d (said sh e wh o to ld the s to ry) Josey spakd the

wird o’ truth for a’ that ; for pui r Erecta was lying in theMolla-burn , weet and wan , when her brith e rs fand her.

Sh e had in her hand a bulwand , and that ye ken is

what the grey-folk use for hors es . Sh e was dead , puirlass

,and a’ for speaking lichtly o’ them that has power

at s ich times. A s for Josey, he never d id mair gude frae

20 2 Tradition al Cn s ton zs .

that n icht, and afo re the Yules cam' round agai n he wasdead too .

Yule week proper is the period between Yule-day andNe vfr

’day, an d during that week n o person ought to

prosecute their o rdinary e mployment the penalty fo r so

do ing is bad luck fo r a year.Some fishermen went to sea o n the fourth day 0

’ Yule,and the fi rs t thing they brought up on their l ines was ahideous mons ter— half fish , half horse. This creature toldthem that

Man wha fis hed in Yule we ekFo rtun e n e ve r mair did s e ek.

”

On New’

r’day work o f every kind was begun . Men

went t o the fishing, if on ly fo r an hour girls began s ewingand kn itting if o n ly fo r a few s titches ; a bit of s immo ndwas wo ven ; a turf was turn ed ; a s tone se t up ; a shi l li nglaid by ; a to rn garment was mended a new one shapedth e byre was cleaned out ; the fishing gear was repairedeverything pertaining to thrift was got under weigh tobegin the year weel .”

From that day unti l “Twenty-fourth night work an d

play went hand in hand , and the merry s eason sped to i tsend amid much enjoyment. On Twenty-fourth night thesmal l family part ies became enlarged , and los t much of

their domestic as well as supers titio us elemen t The yo ungpeo ple of many hamlets clubbed together an d . spe n t theevening in the house of some o n e who owned a large ba rn

,

where dancing was vigoro us ly carried on . A n old rhym ewarned the youn g men t o

Mak’th e mais t o’o n y chan ce

,

Yule is t ime to drin k an d dan ce .

N ew’r’mas lucky lin e s so od brin g .

Twe n ty-fourth n ig ht, g e t th e rin g .

Gie th e lass a kis s, an d min d

Time an d time are easy tin ed.

”

On Twenty-fourth night the doors were all opened,and

great deal of pantomimic chas ing and drivin g an d

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

20 4 Tradition al Cn s toms .

blackened by the dense smoke, of s ix o r eigh t tar barrelsin succes s io n . On the appearance o f daybreak

, at s ix A.M .,

the morning revel lers put o ff their coarse garments—wellbegrimed by this t ime— and in turn become guizards .

They as sume every imaginable fo rm o fCost ume— tho se o fsold iers , sailo rs , High landers , Spanish Cheval iers , &c.

Thus disguised, they ei ther go in pairs , as man and wife, o ri n larger groups

,and proceed to cal l on their friends

, to

wish th em the compl iments o f the season . Fo rmerly, theseado les cent guizards us ed to seat themselves i n crates

, an d

accompanied by fiddle rs , were dragged thro ugh th e town .

The crat e , however, has fo r some years fallen into d is us e.

A fter the revels of the morn i ng, they generally grow prettylanquid ere evenin g arrives. Old New Year’s Day ( 12thJanuary), is kept s imilarly to Christmas , but the re joicingsi t cal ls fo rth are usual ly on a smaller scale.

COWIE, pp . 1 3 6, 1 3 7 .

Shet lan d Christmas day, old style, call ed Yule day, is

held i n great veneratio n by al l the peasantry of Zetl and .

No ind ividual wi l l then engage in any kind of labour, andif a dro p o f spiri ts can be o btain ed by any sacrifice, it mus tbe had to hai l the mom o f that happy day. Lo ng beforedaylight, the fiddlers present themselves at the do o rs o f

the houses, playing a tune called the day dawn [S ec I I I . c] .Thi s tune has long been con secrated t o Yule day

,

and is never played o n any other occasion. The firs t dayo f the New Year, o ld s tyle, is also much respected , but notin so enthus iast ic a manner as the former.

EDMONDSTON. S h etlan d , pp. 66, 67 .

I n the olden time, on the last n ight of the old year, fiveyoung lads

,co nsisting of a gentleman , a carryi n g horse,

”

and three o thers, all disguised , went from house to house,singing what they called a New

'

r Even’s Song, an d

co l lecting pro visio ns fo r a banquet o n New Years n ight.The gentleman ” wo re a cap made of s traw, with h is name

Fe stival Cn s toms . 20 5

lettered on the fro nt, a collar o f straw round h is neck, abelt o f s traw ro und his wais t, and a band o f s traw roundhis right arm . I t was h is duty to s ing, which he didstandin g outs ide the doo r ; and whe n the song was finished ,

if invited , he would enter the ho use and in troduce himselfasVan de rdigan come from Dro n th e im,pro n oun ced Do rn to n .

Fo r this song sec III. c, SONGS.

”

Fo r guizards see al so I I . b, WEDDINGS.

On Christmas Eve, New Year’

s Eve, and Uphelya— thetwen ty-fourth day after Yule and that o n which theHoly o r Ho l idays are suppos ed to be “ up -the youthso f Lerwick. atti red in fantas tic d ress es g o

“guis ing ” aboutthe town in bands , visiting their friends and acquaintances .

On one o r other o f these occasions a torchlightpro ces sion forms part of the revelry. Formerly blazingtar-barrels were dragged about the town , and afterwards ,with the firs t break o f morning, dashe d over the knab intothe sear —RAMPIN I, i n Good Words , 1884 , p . 747 .

Th e S traw S uits are s ti l l in some parts of Scotlandworn by the peasantry in order t o disgu ise themselveswhen going from ho use to house at Hallowmas o r Martinmas and at Chris tmas. Those disgu ised are sometime stermed in Sco tland “

gyzart s” and also i n so me localities

“sk e kle rs , but I have not as certained the meaning o f thelatter term . Th e s traw helmet is us ually ornamented wi thlong s treamers o f ribbons of differe nt colours . One o f thepieces surro unds the neck and covers the shoulders , thelarger co vers the middle and the narrow bits are anklets.The face is covered partially with a coloured handke rchief.The maskers go from house to house, and if poss ibleaccompanied by a fiddler, performing the mo s t grotesquedances , expecti ng a dram o r small gratuity. The cus tomis fast dying out it is n o t easy t o procure a complete su it .The dresses exhibited were made in the town o f Fe tlar.

T. EDMONDSTON, i n Proc. S oc. A n t. S co t. [ 1868viii. 4 7 1.

206 Tradition al Cn s toms .

( t ) CEREMONIAL 0USTOM S .

Sh et lan d . When a courtship is somewhat advanced , thelover pays a visit to h is mis tres s on Saturday n ight, andgeneral ly remains a day o r two in th e house. This is cons ide red as an Open avowal of h is intentions , and it isoccas ional ly repeated unti l the marriage ceremony gives t oh is arms the object o f h is choice. The weddings generallytake place in the winter time, and as the guests come froma distance

,the en tertainmen t sometimes las ts fo r s everal

days in succes s ion . I t is a commo n practice fo r severalyoung men to disgu ise themselves

,and vis i t the company

thus as sembled . Such a party is known by the appellationo f Guisards . Their faces are masked

,and their bod ies

covered with dress es made o f st raw , o rnamen ted with a.

profus io n o f ribands. Each of them has a particu larcharact er to support, but none s peak, s o that the perfo rmance is a kind of pantomimical masquerade. The perso nwho direct s their movements is cal led the S t adle r

,and he

is always the best dressed of the party. They are kind lyreceived , and dance with every person presen t, in s uccessio n .

A s the accommodation of the Zetland Cottar houses 18 byn o means great, the mode o f lodgin g the compan y duringthe night is s ufficiently s imple

,and I bel ieve pecul iar. A

quantity of s traw and so me blankets are spread over thefloor o f the barn , and all l ie down and repose together likethe chi ldren of the same fam ily.

EDMONDSTON , Sbe tlan d, vol. pp. 64 , 65 .

Before describing a Shetland wedding, we may s tepaside into a cottage by the banks of a quiet vo e i n th e

parish of Walls. The family of our humble heroine,Mary

,

whom the occasion has i nvested with a temporary importance, is awaiting the vis it o f her Jamie, who is coming tha t

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 10 Tradition al Cn s tom s .

wi th seeds and sugar, cal l ed the brid e’

s-cake ,

”o r dream

in g-bread ,

” broken into smal l pieces, w hich s h e throws overthe head of the bride.Dinner is now on the table— a din n e r, I b e lie ve ,

peculiarto Shetland weddings . The fire has be en rem o ve d from thecentre of the floor, and the table, formed o f ch e s ts , e xten dsthe whole l engt h o f the house, and is cove re d w i th whitecotton . The din ner consists of a savo ury d ish o f “

s tove,”

made o f five o r six fat newly-s laughtered sh eep ,cut into

small pieces with an axe, an d boiled in the larg e st “ kettle”

i n the neighbourhood it is seasoned with s a l t, pe pper, and

carraway seeds , and served boil ing h o t in huge dishes,around each of which are laid a numbe r o f cow’

s-hornspoons. The company are seated each Op po si te h is own

partner grace is said and fo rtunate is he w h o h as secureda spoon with a long handle , s i nce in a fe w m i n u t es thesho rt-handed o nes become encased in a m ass o f muttonfat. Oat-cakes are eaten along with the s tove ,

”an d a

glass o fwhisky co ncludes the repas t. Te a, o r th e bride’s

piece,”is generally over about six o’clock th e flo or is

cleared, th e fiddler is elevated on the top o f a ch es t, an d

danc i ng commences . About nine o’clock, co mm o t i on andwhispering being observed among those neare s t th e door,the fiddler s tops , dancing ceases, and the hone s t man "

informs the company that the “guis e rs have arri ved . On

the best man announcing that there is plen ty o f bo th meatand drink for al l comers— five gal lons o f wh is ky i t may beyet untouched— the fiddler is told to play up th e guisers ’

spring,” when in walks a tall, s lender-looking m an ,

calledthe “ scuddle r,

”h is face closely veiled wi th a wh ite cambric

napkin,and o n h is head a cap made o f s traw, i n sh ape like

a sugar-lo af, with three loops at the upper extrem ity , filledwith ribbons o f every conce ivable hue, and hangi ng downs o as nearly to cover the cap. He wears a white sh i rt

,with

a band o f ribbons around each arm , and a bu n ch o f ribbonson each sho ulder, with a petticoat of long c l ea n st raw.

2 1 !

called “gloy,” which hangs loosely. The moment he enters

he gives a snore, and having danced fo r a few minutes,another enters, called the gen tleman ,

”somewhat s imi larly

att ired he, too, havi ng danced , a third , cal led the fool ,”

appears, and so on til l all are in . A n d i t is really a stranges ight to s e e s ix tall young men dre ss ed thus fantastical ly,and dancing with so much earn estn es s . They are carefulto speak not a word lest they reveal their identi ty ; andnot a sound is heard but the music o f the fiddle

,the rus tl e

of the s traw petticoats, th e thud o f their feet o n theearth ern floor, the laughter o f the fool,

” and the whisperso f the bride’s maidens guess ing who the guis ers may be.

Dancing is kept up by the company ti l l far on in the smal lhours , and s upper is at las t an n o unced— a s imple repas t o fso wans and milk ; after which the y retire fo r th e n ight.About ten am. they reass emble

,have breakfas t, walk in

proces s ion for two or three hours,take dinner, and then

finally separate — REID,pp . 60-62.

[Thi s descri ption of a Shetland marriage was wri ttenby Mr. Robert Jamieson , Schoolmas ter of Sandness ]

Orkn ey. During the winter seaso n , i t was customary tocarry on a perpetual success io n o f merry-makin gs , cal ledbal ls. Every marriage was th e occas ion o f two— thebride’s frie nds being at the expense o f the wedding-feas t ,and the best man feeling himself cal led upon to give tirebark-fi art

,which occurred a mo nth o r two aft er the

wedding,and in which he was ass is ted by contribut ions

from some of the o ther young men in the immediateneighbourhood . Bes ides these regular meeti ngs , a greatmany more were added to fi l l up the vo id .

N ew S ta t . Acct , Orkney, p . 1 r3 .

Sh e t lan d . Th e country weddings take place in th e

win te r time, and are attended by a large number o f

persons from all parts o f the ne ighbouring dis tricts.

2 12 Tradition al Cus tom .

Dancing begin s in the evenin g, and is con t inued till thesmall hours o f the morn ing are ge t tin g l arge again ,

interrupted by brief but frequent inte rvals fo r drin king.

The festivi ties over fo r the n ight, the dan c e rs in stead ofreturn ing to their homes , adjourn to th e ba rn o f theirhost’s cottage, which s erves as a dormi tory , the me mberso f each sex being alternately ranged alon g th e flo or, ona huge couch o f s traw. Until very recen tly t hese festivitie s were continued over three days, but n ow t hey are

confined to one. The people enter quite i n no ce n tly in tothese “barn bundlings,

” as they are term ed, a n d boths tatis tics and the testimony of respectabl e pe rson s whohave taken part in them , prove that noth in g immoraloccurs — COWIE, p . 102 .

Orkn ey. There was a cu stom among the low er class of

people in this country which has en tirely s ubs i d e d wi thinthese twenty or thirty years . Upon the first day o f everynew year th e common peo ple n from al l parts o f th e cou ntry.met at the K irk of S tain house [Sten n is] , each personhavin g

'

pro vis io n for four o r five days ; they con t i nuedthere for that time dancing and feasting in t h e k irk . Thismeeting gave the young people an opportunity o f seeingeach other, which seldom fai led in making four o r fivemarriages every year ; and to secure each o t her’s love

,

ti ll an opportunity o f celebrating their nupti als , the y hadresource to the fo l lowing solemn engagemen t s —The

parties agreed s tole from the rest o f thei r co m pa n ions,and went t o the Temple of the Moon, where th e wo man,in presence o f the man , fel l down o n her knees a n d prayedthe god Wodde n (for s uch was the name of th e g o d theyaddres sed upon this occas ion) that he would e na b le her toperform al l the promises and o bl igations sh e h ad an d wasto make to the young man present, after which t he y bothwent to the Temple o f the Sun , where the ma n p rayed inl ike manner before the woman , then they repa i re d from

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 14 Tradition al Cn s toms .

privi leges of bidden guests an d are t re at e d with g reatcivility. A t the e n d of every dance eve ry m an must bis:

h is female partner.— Cltamocr: ’s journ a l, 18 5 9 , p . 3 84.

South Bon aldsay an d Sum y. No couple chus e s t o marryexcept wi th a growin g moon, and som e e v e n w ish fo r a

flow ing tide — Old S ta t . Acct , v. xv., p. 3 1 I.

Orkn ey. The pe ople n ever marry but wh e n th e moo n is

growin g. Were they to do so , when it is wa n in g , the

marriage bed would be barren . Thursday is th e daygeneral ly fixed fo r marriage.

N ew S ta t . Acct , Ork n ey, p . 14 3 .

Kirkwall an d St . Ola. They do n o t marry but in the

waxing o f the moon . They would co n s id e r it as an

un happy omen were they, by any mean s , dis appo in t ed ingett ing themselves married, o r their ch i ldre n b apt ized on

the very day which they had previous ly fixe d in t h e ir min d

fo r that purpose — Old S ta t . Acct , v. vii., p. 560 .

Sh e t lan d. Among the peasantry in Shet lan d marriagesalmos t invariably take place o n Thursday.

MACKENZIE, p . 74.

Orkn ey. Thursdays and Fridays are th e days in whichthey incl ine to marry and they anxious ly an d sc rupulouslyavo id doing it at any other time than wh e n t h e m o o n iswaxing — BARRY, p. 3 4 8 .

Divorce — It was l ikewise usual, when husban d an d wifecould not agree, that they both came to th e K i rk o f S tain

house [Stenn is] , and after entering into th e kirk th e o n e

went out at the south and the o ther at th e n ort h d oo r,by

wh ich they were holden legal ly divorced, an d fre e t o makeanother choice — LOW,

In tro , p. xxvi .

2 16 Tradit io n al Cus toms .

Orkn ey. Funeral ceremonies in Orkn ey are much thesame as in Scotland. The corpse is laid out aft er bein gs tre tch t o n a board ti ll it is cofii n e

'

d fo r buria l. I kn ow notfo r what reason they lock up all the cats o f th e h ouse, an dcover al l looking glasses as soon as any pers o n dies.

LOW’

S H is tory of Orkn ey (MS ) quote d in GOUGH,

S epulclzral M on umen ts , I I . ccv.

Un s t . Fun eral cus tom — When they s e e a fun era l, theyl ift three clods and throw them one by o n e after th e corpse,but can ass ign no reason fo r so doing — LOW, p . 162.

(c) GAMES .

Sh et lan d. Forfeits .— Th e fol lowin g descriptio n o f a game

o f fo rfeits,which used to be played on win ter e v e n in g s, n ot

however so far as the authors are aware, spe cia l t o anypart icular day o f the year, or to any fes t ival, h e ath en or

chris tian . A lowan tan ud (a blazing peat), o r an ythingthat would do duty as a lighted torch, was he ld fo rth byNo . I of the players towards No . 2, the fo l low in g bei n g theform of rhyme pas s ing between them

No . I.. Whaul buyme Jocky-be -laun d ?No . 2. What an ’h e de e s ata me haun d ?No . I. De back sall bear da saidle baun d ,

Owe r s tocks an’s tan e s

An ’dead me n’s ban e s,

An’a sall lie upo n dyhe e d at an e s ,

If do le t s me jan ty Jo cky edde r de e o r fa l”

This is repe ate d with th e utmos t rapidity, a n d if conclude d befo re th e torch g oe s out

,No . 2 mus t i ns t a n t ly seize

it. He the n turn s to No . 3 with the same i n t e rrog atory,“Whaul buy me Jo cky-b e -laund ?

” repl ied t o as b efore.He in who s e hand the to rch goe s out pays t h e forfeit,whatever may have been fixed . I [Rev. B. Edm o n ds to n ]

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

Tradit ion al Cus toms .

K ing -come-a-lay.

— A game played by boys : two s idess trive fo r the mastery as to which party can secure mostprisoners fo r the king.

— Ibid., s .v.

Poula. Put ting tlzc S ton e .— In the Church-yard observed

a large round s tone which I could just easi ly l ift, formerlyof great use to th e inhabitants. This was th e Puttin gS to ne o f the is land , an d here the whole comm un ity me t onSunday afternoon, the yo unger s ort t o t ry th eir s trength,at putting, th e elders as spectators and reciters o f an cien tmatches at putting, nay sometimes mixed in the d ivers ion .

They have a fixed s to ne, wh ich is the s tandin g go al, and I

o bserved several marks , by driving s tones in to th e earth,which they told me was the di stan ce where such an d suchan old man

,n ow gone, threw the Puttin g S ton e , at the

same time lamenting that n ow none in the is le could comeup with them — LOW,

p. 1 14 .

Un s t . There is o n e species of dance which seemspecul iar to themselves , in which they do n o t proce ed fromo n e end o f the floor to the o ther in a figure

, n o r is it afterth e manner o f a Scotch reel but a dozen o r so fo rm themselves into a circle, an d taking each o ther by th e han d,perform a sort o f circular dance, o n e o f the company all thewhile s inging a Norn Vis ick.

— LOW,p . 163 .

(a'

) LOCAL CUSTOM S .

She tlan d. Wa t tle — The wattle was a tax impos ed o n

every fam i ly, paid in barley to the fond o r bai l ie. I t is saidto have had it s o rigin from pres ents made to a pious lady,sent over by the Bishop of Orkney to bless th e pastures , ino rder to the increase o f the flocks .

N ew S ta t . A cct,Shetlan d

,p . 63 .

R iding t/zc Hag rie . The heritors of a parish are saidto ride the Hag rie when examining th e scat tald

marches — EDMONDSTON, Glossary, s .v .

L ocal. 2 19

an d Weisdale . Beating tlzc Boun ds .

The Bai l ie, o r chief magistrate, went along th e marches ,accompanied by some of the most respectable people o fe ach parish, who were all well acquainted with the divis ion ,

and with them some yo ung boys , o n whom they bes toweda good flogging at particu lar places

,in o rder that they

might remember th e Marches , after which they receivedsome l ittle reward. I have heard some old people whowere present, describe what too k place at these ridings o fthe marches , cal led riding the Hagra.

”

N ew S ta t . Acct, Shetland, p. 64.

SAGAS.

Shetlan d. H ow Wome n were promated to tltc Place ofH on our a t tlzc Table — A Dan ish rover, followe d by a largenumber o f fierce attendants , made a descent upo n Un st , ata time when th e greater number o f the “fightin g men ”

were from home . Those le ft were chained an d compelledto act as s lave s , while, harde s t o f all , the con quero r and hisfollowers too k po s ses s io n o f the Shetlander’s h o us es an d

wives . But the women did n o t tamely submit t o s uch as tate o f affairs . They co n co cted a plan and kept the s ecretti l l al l was fully matured . Then , o n e night, at a pre co n

ce rt e d signal, they s imultaneo us ly murdered th e s leepingDanes , an d fre ed their lawful but ens laved husba n ds . As

a reward for this action , an d to commemorate th e occas ionwhen women kept a secret, the wife was hencefo rth tooccupy the honoure d pos t at the t op of the board .

”

EDMONDSTON and SAXBY, pp . 22 8 , 229 .

Weir. Vig r n ow Weir was the homes tead o f th at famousOrkn ey-man Ko lbe in Hrug a. In the t raditions

[of the natives] Ko lbe in has become a fabulous pe rson age,a giant who cas ts s tones and rocks at churches .

P. A . MUNCH , in M om . dcs A n t . da N ord,184 5-1849,

P 2 3 9

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

22 2 Tradition al Narra tive s .

make it, but the Picts kept the secret of how t o do i t thems elve s . By an d by the Norsemen came un expe ct ed ly an dkil led al l the peace-loving Picts except o n e man and hisso n . They were spared th at the co nquerors m ight be iastructed in the art o f brewing spirits from heathe r-tops . At

firs t both the Picts refused to tell but after torture wasapplied the father said , K i l l the lad and then I

’l l tel l you.

’

The S ea-kin gs did as the father des i red . Now ,

’

said hetriumphantly, you can ki ll me, s low o r fast ; it is a l l o n e .

You shall n ever learn the s ecrets o f our race from th e lasto f the Picts. My so n might have been tempte d t o revealthem but there is no fear of that n ow

Kill s low o r kill fas t ,De ath man come at las t .’

A n d that was th e end o f the Picts i n Shetland .

EDMONDSTON and SAXBY, p . 222 .

m om .

Orkn ey. A s s ipa t tlc a n d tlze M es ter S toorw orm .

DOUGLAS,pp . 58-7 2 . [Cf also S co t tis lzA n t iqua ry , vo l. v.

pp. 1 3 0

Sh e tlan d. M in d t/zc Crocked Fin g er.

DOUGLAS, pp. 1 2 3 , 4 .

Orkn ey. Nuckelavec.— DOUGLAS, pp. 160 .

[Nuckclavca— In plain En glish the name m ean s “D evilo f the S e a.

”Den nis i n S co t t is lzA n t iquary , vo l. v . p. I

Rousay, Orkn ey. Pcerifool— There was o nce a king andqueen in Rousay wh o had thre e daughte rs . Th e kingdied and the queen was l iving in a smal l ho us e w ith h e rdaughters . They ke pt a cow an d a kai l yard th e y fo undtheir cabbage was al l being taken away. The e ldes tdaughte r said t o th e quee n , sh e would take a blanket abo uth e r and would s it an d wat ch what was g oing away w i ththe kail. So when th e n ight came sh e wen t out to

M arc/ze n . 2 2 3

watch. In a short time a very big giant came into th eyard he began to cut the kail and throw it in a big cubby.

So he cut til l he had it wel l fi l led .

Th e princess was always asking him why he was takingher mo ther’s kail. He was s aying to her

,if sh e was n o t

quiet he would take her too.

A s soo n as he had fi l led h is cubby he took her by a legand an arm and threw her on th e t op o f h is cubby o f kai land away home h e went with h e r.

When he got home he told her what wo rk sh e had to dosh e had to milk the cow and put her up to the hi lls calledBlo odfie ld, and then sh e had t o take woo l

,and wash and

t eas e it and comb and card , and spin and make claith .

When the giant went out sh e milked th e cow and puther t o th e hi l ls . Then sh e put o n the po t an d madeporridge t o herself. A s sh e was supping it, a great manypeerie yel low-headed folk came running, calling out to

give them some. Sh e saidLitt le for o n e , an d le s s fo r two ,An d n eve r a g rain have I fo r you.

When sh e came to wo rk th e wo o l, no n e of that workcould sh e do at al l .The giant came home at n ight and found sh e hadnot do ne her wo rk. He to ok her and began at h e r head ,and peeled the skin o ff all th e way down h e r back and overher feet. Then he threw h e r o n th e couple s amongth e hen s .

Th e same adventure befel l th e second girl . If h e r s is tercould do l it tle with the wo o l sh e co uld do les s .

When the giant came hom e he fo und h e r wo rk n o t done .

He began at the crown o f h e r head an d pe eled a s trip o f

skin all down her back and o ver h e r fe e t,an d threw her o n

the co uples be s ide h e r s is ter. They lay there and could n o t

speak nor come down .

Th e next night the younges t princes s said sh e wo uldtake a blanket about h e r and g o t o watch what had go ne

224 Tradition al Narr ative s .

away with her sisters . Ere lon g, in came a giant with abig cubby, and began to cut the kai l .Sh e was asking why he was taking her mother’s kai l .He was saying if she was not qu iet he would take her too .

He took her by a leg an d an arm and threw her on thetop of his cubby and carried her away.

Next morning he gave her the same work as he hadgiven her sisters .

When he was gone out sh e milked the cow and put h e rt o the high hills . Then sh e put on the pot and madeporridge to herself. When the peerie yel low-headed fo lkcame asking fo r some sh e t o ld them to get something tosup with. Some g o t heather cows and some g o t brokendishes ; some got o n e thing , an d so me another, and theyall got some of her porridge .

A fter they were al l gone a peerie yellow-headed boycame in and asked her if sh e had any work to do ; he coulddo any work wi th wool . Sh e said she had plenty

,but

wo uld never be able to pay him fo r i t. He said al l he wasaski n g for it was to tell him h is name. She thought thatwou ld be easy to do, and gave him the wool.When it was getting dark an old woman came in andasked her for lodging.

The pri nces s said sh e could not give her that, butasked her if sh e had any news . But the old woman hadno ne, and went away to l ie out .There is a high knowe near the place, and the old woman

sat under it fo r shelter. Sh e found it very warm . Sh e wa s

always climbin g up,and when she came to the top she

heard someone ins ide saying Tease , teasers , tease card ,carders , card ; spin, spinners , spin , fo r peerie fool , peeri efool is my name ” There was a crack in the knowe, andlight comin g out . Sh e looked in and saw a great manypeerie folk wo rking, and a peerie yellow-headed bo y

running round them call in g out that.The old woman thought she would get lodging if sh e

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 26 Tradition al Narratives .

They couped it about him when he was un der t h e window,

an d that was th e end o f the gian t .Take n down from the recitation o f an Orkn ey woman by

Mr. D. J . ROBERTSON. Printed in Lon gma n’

s M ag azin e ,

vo l. xiv. pp. 3 3 1-3 3 4 .

Lun n a, Sh e t lan d. TIro n : an d Willie .

DOUGLAS , pp . 1 3 4-1 3 7 .

Fo r stories o f Swan-maiden type sec I . lz, SELK IES .

CUMULATIVE TALES .

Sh e t lan d.

DA PLECH AN’

DA LOOSE SHACKIN DIR SH EETS .

Da Flech an’ da Loose l ived tag edde r in a h o o s e

A n’ as dey shook dir sheets ,

Da Fle ch shii snappered , an ’ fel l 1 da fire ,A n

’

n o o da Loose she greets .

Da Crook he saw da Loose g re e t in’

, an’

s ays h e ta daLoose Loose ! Loose ! why is du g re e t in

’

Oh da Fle ch an’ I we r’ shackin ’ wir she e ts .

Da Plech shii snappered an’ fell 1 da fire .

NOO what can I du bit greet ? ”

Oh ! dan I ’l l wig -wag back an’ fore ! ” says d a C ro ok.

Sae da Crook wig-wag g it , an’ da Loose she gre tt.

Da Shair saw da Cro ok wig-wag g in’

; an’

s ays h e ta daCrook Crook Crook why is duwig-wag g in

’

P

Oh ! da Fle ch an d da Loose wer’ shackin ’

d ir s h e e tsDa Fle ch shii fe l l i’ da fire an’ brunt.A n

’

n o o da Loose sh e greets , an I wig-wag .

Oh ! dan , says da Shair,I’l l jump o’er da flOr.

”

Sae da Shair sh e jimpit ; da Crook wig-wag g it ; a n’

da

Loose sh e grett.

Cumulat ive Tale s . 2 27

Da Door he saw da Shair jimpia’

; an’says he ta da

Shai r Shair ! Shair ! why is dujimpin’

o’

e r da flOr ?

Oh ! da Plech an’ da Loose wcr’ shacki n dir sheetsDa Fle ch fel l i’ da fire, an

’ da Loos e sh e greets.Da Crook wig-wags , an

’ so I j imp.

”

Oh ! dan I’l l jangle upo’ my barrs .

Sae da Door j ingle-jangled ; da Shair he jimpit ; daCrook wig -wag g it an

’ da Loose she grett.

Da Midden he saw da Door j inglin’ ; an’ says he ta da

Door Door ! Door ! why is du j ingle-jang l ing upo’

dy

barrs

Oh ! da Flech an’ da Loos e wer’ shackin ’ dir sheets ,Da Flech fel l i’ da fire, an

’ da Loose she greets.Da Crook wig-wags ; da Shair he j impsA n

’ I jingle-jangle upo’ my harrs .

“Oh ! dan,

” says da Midden,

“ I’l l scrieg o’

e r wn

maeds .

”

Sae da Midden he scrieg it ; da Door j ingle-jangled ; daSh ai r he jimpit ; da Crook wig -wag g it ; an da Loose sh egrett .Da Burn he saw da Midden scrieg in

’

, an’ says he ta da

Midden Midden ! Midden ! why is du s crieg in’ o’er wi’

maeds ?

Oh ! da Flech an’ da Loos e wer’ shackin ’ dir sheets,Da Flech fel l i’ da fire, an

’ da Loose sh e greets ;Da Crook wig-wags da Shai r he j impsDa Door j ingle-jangles ; an

’

sac I s’crieg O er w1 maeds.

Oh ! dan I ’l l rin wimple-wample.

Sae da Burn ran wimple-wample da Midden he scrieg itda Door he j ingled ; da Shair he jimpit ; da Crook wigwagg it ; an

’ da Lo o s e she g re t t .

Da Loch saw da Burn rin n in’ wimple-wample , an

’ says

2 28 Tradit ion al Narra t ivcs .

he ta da Burn Burn ! Burn ! why is du rin n in’

w implewample

Oh ! da Fle ch an’ da Loose wer’ sh ack in ’

dir s he ets,Da Fle ch fell i’ da fire, an

’ da Loo s e s h e g re e ts .

Da Crook wig-wags da Shair he j imp s ;Da Doo r j ingle-jangles ; da Midden s crie g s o

’

e r wi’

maedsA n

’sae I rin wimple-wample.

Oh ! dan I’l l swall o ’e r my brim .

Sae da Loch he swalled an’ he swe l led da Burn ran

wimple-warflple ; da Midden he scrie g it ; da D oor hej ingled da Shair he jimpit ; da Cro ok w ig

-w ag g it ; an’

da Loos e she grett— when doon comes da Fliid , a n’

sweepsawa

’ da Hoos e an’ da Lo ose, da Crook an’

da S hair, daDoor an’ da Midden, wi

’ da maeds , a’doon i

’

da m iiddow

whare da Burn ran wimple-wample. A n’

s ae e n ds dastorie 0 ’ da Plech an’ da Loos e — Commun ica te d by Mr.KARL BLIND to the A rclza olog ical R eview , v o l. i . pp.

3 46-3 5

(c) BALL/IDS, SON GS, AND M USIC .

BALI-ADS.

Foula Sh e t lan d. Tkc Earl of Orkn ey an d tlze K in g ofN orway s Daug lztcr .

— The fo l low in g song is th e m o s t entireI co uld find , but the disorder o f some Of th e s ta n zas w i l lshow that i t is n o t wholly so . Th e subjec t is a s trifebetween a K ing of No rway and an Earl o f Ork n e y

, o n

acco unt of the has tymarriage Of the Earl with th e K in g’sdaughter in her father’s absence. Here it is w ort hy t o beobserved that mos t o f the fragments they have are o ld

his torical Ballads and Romances , this kin d o f Po etry b ein gmore greedily swallowed and retentively pre s e rv e d bymemo ry than any others , and mos t fitted to th e g e n ius o f

the Northerns . In this ballad I cannot answ e r fo r th e

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 3 0 Traditio n al Narrat ives .

A n geve Dro t n ig n kedu pust e rOn de kin firsan e furuTwo rare wo ederWhitran é kidn .

I n kime rin JarlinU klapasse Hildin a

On de kidn quirt oVult doch , fie gan vara moch or fly din.

Elde vi lda fieg an varaFy min u alt s inA n s n amn uwo

So minyach u ere min heve Orkn eyar kinge ro .

Nu di skall taga dor yochwoA n d u ria do r to s tran dan e n irU yilsa fy minu avonBlit an ear n e cumi i dora band .

Nu Swaran Ko n ig n

So mege gak honon i muthiWhath ear d i ho gane mierI daute buthe.

Tre t t l merke vath ru godleDa skall yach ger yoU al l de vara sonna les sSo l inge sin yach l iva mo.

Nu linge s tug an ko n ig nU l inge wo an swoWo rdig vaar dogh muge soneYacha skier fare moga so minde yach angan u

rost wath comman mier to landa.’

‘Staun s marke d thus seem to be co n fuse d, some havin g to o much, o the rstoo litt le to re n de r the verse comple t e .

’This verse se ems to be pert of an in te rmediate stanm , perhaps to be plao ed

betwe en m e n d 1 3 .

Ballads.

Nu swara Hilug eHera geve honon scamTaga di gi ld firre Hildin aSin yach skall l iga do r fram.

Estin whaar u feur fe t ig nAgonga kadn i slug eFeur fe t ig n s in gongaKadn i plug e .

Nu s t e in de rin Jarlin

U l inge wo an swoDese mo eke Orkn e arSo lunge san yach lava mo .

Nu eke t e g aran san

So t Ko n in g n fyrin dinU alt yach an H ilhug inWidn ugare din arar.

Nu Swarar an fraun a H ildin aU dem san idne i froDi s lo do r a bardag an aDar comme ov s in mo.

Nu Jarlin an g e n g e rI vadlin framU kadn ar s ina m ienGeven ske g e r i Orkneyan .

Han u cumminIn u vodle rdin

Fionde fans leverVel bum e mun .

Nu frun a H ildin a

On g e n g e r i vadlin framFy di yera da ov man dumDora di spidlaiki mire man.

2 3 1

2 3 2 Tradition al Narrat ives .

Nu sware an Hilug eCrego g evan a scamGayer an Jarlin frin deDin an u fadlin in .

Nu fac an Jarlin dahug eDar min de an engin g roA n eas t an s huge ciFong e dn ar u vaxh edn e mo re neo.

Di lava mir gug n aYift bal yagh fur o landeGipt mir nu fruan H ildin aVath g odle u fas ta ban de.

Nu bi ll o n heve da yalsGuadn é bore u da kaduS ina kloyn a bera do skall

Fo n frun a H ildin a verka wo s ino ch e ls in a villya.

’

H ildin a l iger wo ch aldo n a

U o dukrar u grotheM in du buga til l bridle vs inBo n lo the r u duka dogha.

NuH ildin a o n askar feyrinS ien di gava mier l iveOu skin ka vinOu guida vin.

‘

Duska skin ka vin,u guida vin

Tinka dogh eke wo

Jarlin an g oug ha here din .

’

Watha skilde tinkaWo Jarlin gouga here minH ien minde yagh inga fo rlsko n aBera fare kera fyrin min .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 3 4

with the K i ng’s daughter o f the country. As their passionhappened to be reciprocal he carried her o ff in her father’sabsence, who was engaged in war with some of his distantneighbours. On h is ret urn , he fol lowed the fugitives toOrkn ey, accompan ied by h is army, to revenge o n the Earlthe rape o f his daughter. On h is arrival there H ildin a

(which was her name) firs t spied him ,and advised her now

husband to go and attempt t o pacify the K i ng. He did so,and by h is appearance and promises bro ught the K ingso o ver as to be satisfied wi th the match. This , however,was o f n o long s tandin g ; fo r as soon as the Earl

’

s back wast urned

,a courtier cal led H ilug e to ok great pains to change

the K i ng’s mind,fo r i t seems H ilug e had formerly hoped to

s ucceed with the daughter himself. H is proj ect took,and

the matter came t o blows ; the Earl is killed by H ilug e ,who cut o ff h is head and threw it at h is lady, which shesays vexed her even more than h is death, that he sho u ldadd cruelty to revenge. Upon the Earl’s death Hildin a isfo rced to follow her father to No rway

,and in '

a l i ttle timeHilug e makes h is demand to have her in marriage o f herfather ; he consents, and takes every method t o pers uadeHildin a, wh o with great reluctance agrees , upon conditionthat she is al lowed to fi l l the wine at her wedding. Thisis eas i ly permitted, and

'

H ild in a infuses a drug wh ich soonthrows the company into a deep s leep, and aft er orderingher father t o be removed , set s the hous e o n fire. The flamesoon ro uses H ilug e , who piteous ly cries fo r mercy ; but thet aun ts he had bes towed at the death o f the Earl of Orkneyare n ow bitterly returned , and he is left to perish in th e

flames .

”

Such is the subj ect of the ballad, which m ight have beenbuilt o n a t rue s tory, though n ow lo s t. I t however showsthe g enius o f the people, th at though they were cut 0 3

from the res t of the wo rld the y had amusemen ts, and thesecorresponden t to the man ners o f the No rth e rn s . Mosto r all o f their tales are relative to the history o fNorway

Ballads . 2 3 5

they seem to know little o f the res t o f Europe but by name ;No rwegian transactions they have at their finger ends .

Low, pp. 107-1 14 .

[Mr. Black has succeeded in res toring nearly th e wholeo f the above text in Icelandic, an d hopes to publish it witha trans lation at an early date ]

Orkn ey. The Play of t/ze Lady 0divere .— This ballad was

at o n e t ime represented as a drama. This fact influencedme in adopting o n e o f it s o ld names , namely play, inprefe rence to o ther names , by which the ballad was known— such as rhyme, ballan , teel. Th e ballad was alwaysdivided into fi t s , but I have been to ld that it s divis ionswere once called by ano ther name, which I have bee nunable to discover.A few s tanzas o f the bal lad appeared in the transactio ns

[s ie, Proceedings] o f the Scottish Antiquarian Society,communicated by Captain Thomas , R .N.

, and heard byhim in Shetland .

I t is n ow well-nigh fifty years s ince I firs t heard parts o fth is bal lad , fo r forty years I have been g athering up

fragmentary scraps of it from many o ld peo ple in differentparts of Orkney. I t is right to say, that while theutmos t care has been taken to preserve the original, and toselect the bes t from the vers ions recited to me, I have o ftenhad to fi l l in a wo rd

, sometimes a l ine, in order to makethe sense clear o r to complete the s tanza. I f theballad contains an y moral , it is probably the enfo rcemento f an o ld bel ief once current here. Th e belief that toswear the Odin oath was sure to bring succes s tothe swearer in the firs t place

,and was mos t certain

t o bring on bitter disappoi n tment in the end. I maysay here, it is n o t l ikely that Chris t is meant by thephrase, “him that hung o n tree but rather that Odin isi ntended.

24 0

The kn ight’s awa’ i’ de morn in gray,He bed no fo r a fare weel fay,

What nae bot hie kens nae bo thie can say,Bit de lathie ’s left i’ peeriejoy.

Her bonnie een bli nked so sae bright,Her reed an’white grew white an’ gray

A n’ i lka day shii wised fo r nicht,An

’ i lka n icht shii w ised fo r day.

I heard a lathie ba’an her bairn'

A n’ aye sh '

d ro ckit, an’ aye shii sang,

A n’ teuk sae hard apo

’ de verse,Til l de hert wi thin her bothie ran g.

Ba lo o,ba 100 , m e bonn ie bairn ,

Ba 10 l i l l ie, ba lo o lay,S leep du, me peerie bonn ie budo !Du little kens dee mither’s wae.

A lo o r l I dinno ke n dee faither,Alo o r, alo o r l me waefu

’

s in

I dinno ken me bairn ’s faither,No r yet de land dat he lives in .

Alo o r, alo o r l ca’d sal l I be

A wicked woman bae a’ men ,Dat I , a married wife, soud baeA bairn tae him I d ii n n o ken .

Dan ap an’ spak a grimly gest,

Dat s tfid s ae lech at her bed fee t ,0 here am I , de e bai rn

’

s faither,A lto I ’m n o

’ dee husband sweet.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

24 2

Me pee rie bairn I’ll safely ferry,To I hae nathe r sh ip o r s kift,Wi’muckle care tae Soo lis-S kerry,Afore de si n’s hich i’ de lift .”

Bit who sall I me youn g son ken ,An

’

who sall I me bairn know ?O’ a’ de selkies i’ So o lis—Skerry,He

’

s be de m iddlemaist o ’ dem a’.

H is megs s all a’ be black as scut,H is cro o pan white as driven s n aw,

Ah' I beside him , l ike the sam

’

I wiis tae die i’ times

Me ain gudeman a warrio r proo d,

A n’

aye a st ival n ave his he ;

A n’ he may prick o r club me bai rn ,When h e ’s a s elkie i’ de sea.”

I fear n o dat,I fear bit d is,

Dat cock-e ra comes an’ fian ds me here ;Bit come what may, I come agen ,A n fetch me bai rn i’ ac half year.

Fo r dan he’l l be a s e eve n e th stre am ,

A n’ dan a man agen I ’l l be,

An' tak me bonnie peerie ba i rnA

’ tae de boons o ’ S oo lis-Ske rrie .

”

Whin de sax munts were come an’ ge en ,He cam tae pay de noris fee ;

The tane 0 ’

h is hands was fu’ o gowd,

De tither fu’ 0 ’ white monie.

De lath ie’

s taen a gowden chain ,Her wadin boon fae Odivere

,

Shil tied hid roon her bairn ’s hars,

Hid for her sake shii bade him wear.

Ballads .

I ’m come tae fetch me bairn awa

Fare weel,fo r doo’r an ith e r’s wife,

I wad dee wi’ a gowden ring,A n

’bide beside dee a’ me life.

Do o wad n o’

, whin I wad gudewifeI win n o , whin doo

’r willan n o o,

Dat day do o tint doo ’l never fian dHe

’

s late, h e’

s ower late tae rue.

De lathie lived a lanely life,

A n’ aften loo ks apo de sea,

S ti l l lipe n an her firs t luve tae fian d,Bit jub ish that can never be.

Sae Odive re’

s come heem ag e e n ,

Wi’muckle s to re 0 ’warly gare ;A n

’ he, h is lathie, an’

h is me n ,

Mak h e lliedays wi’

biilie s rare.

Dey danced an’san g, dey tald deir teels ;

A n’

syne sat doo n tae drink an’ dine,

Wi’ joles of flesh, fuman cogs ,A n

’ wallie horns o’ b lud-reed wine.

A e day says Oddie tae h is men ,“ I doch t gin here we langer l ink,We’l l a’ grow fat as butter basA n

’ dee wi’ fouth o’ maet an drink.

H id’

s we’l l e n ouch a peerie whileI kin n o thole it lang ava

,

Let’s hunt de otters o n de sho re,A n

’

start de morn at blink 0’ da .

24 3

Dey hunted otters o n de shore,A selkie ran oot o ’ a g e o ;

A n’ Odivere he teuk n o langTae fell him wi’ a mester blow.

De n oot an’ spak, een 0’

h is men ,Far hae I s ailed an

’ muckle seen ,Bit never gowd o n selkie’s hars ,Til l n oo I see’d wi’ baith me e e n .

Dae bur de selkie tae de ha’

An’ never a word said Odivere ,

H is face wiis black an’ lowed h is een ,To he d iid nather ban o r sware.

Co’ doon , co

’ do o n ! Lathie OdivereCo

’doon, an’s e e me farly fang

,

Ye’s read tae me d is ridd le rae

,

Bae a’ de sants dat ever sang !

De lathie shu cam doon tae se e ,

Dey meed sae muckle steer .

Here’s de gowd chain ye g o t fae me,

Tell me, gudewife, who cam hid here ?

A lcor, aloo r ! me bo nnie bai rn,Me bairn ! What am I bo rn to se e ?Me malis e n l ie o n de handDats wrouch t dis deed o’ bliid o n dee !

Dat lathie wi’ her torn hai r,Shii wiis a dolefu l s icht tae s e e ,Her g re e t in

’ lo od an’ saban sair,

Her erms aro o n d de deed selkie.

Your bai rn l gudewi fe, nae bai rn o’ mine,

A n’ yet ye wiir me wedde d wife,

I do ob t, when I've been far fae heem ,

Ye’r led a wicked woman’s l ife.”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

246 Tradit ion al Nar rat ive s .

“Ye le e ye ym ye le ean limme r l

Whar e r we dran k abiin e dem a’

,

Duwe e l fard face l toas te d aye

Awa ye limmer s hi t fae me !

A n’

wape d hid o n Oddie’s cro on ,

Wi’

n ae licht, tm w hole o r bore ;

Dat fo r ha fats an’

s infu’ de e d,Shd s

’

ud be taen an ’ brunt tae mWithoo t o r mercy, o r reme ed .

Alo o r, alo o r ! de doolfu’ day !

I’ de red het fire I man be brunt !O wae s me hert an’ m a me.

Ballads .

O gin me faither been i’ l ife,He wad hae do o rly fouch t fo r me.

Deid mither’s ghest wul du no comeA n

’ set dy doolfu’ do chter free ?

Whin I lay o n dee cother breestA n

’

du de peerie bairn diid riis ,Du l ittle touch t dy bonnie bairnWad be a cinder i’ de as s ! ”

Than up an’spak San Imravo e ,

A n’ a lo o d an’wa l lie cry gae h e

Ye selkie fo lk,t o No rawa

Ca’ a’ de whals i’ de No rt Se a !

De day afo re dat lathie fai rWiis tae be brunt wi’ muckle woe,

A cry wiis raised around de ha’

Whals, whals ! i’ i lka bay an

’

vo e .

"

Dan Odive re an’ a’ h is men,

Ran tae de ca’ wi’muckle speedA n

’ dare wiis rowin’, t o otin

’

, yowlin

An’ no ise dat micht hae raised de deed .

Dey rowed an’ rooted a’ de day

,

Bit never a whal got fo r der pa ins ,A n

’ i’ de mirkin heem dey geed,

Wi’ swe e an lae vs an’ t iftan banes .

A n’ whin dat d 'ey cam tae de ha’,Dey g o t a g luf ye may be s iir,

Fo r i lka do or s t iid o pe n wide,A n

’ de door 0 ’ de toor lay o n de flur.

A n’ dey ran ap, and dey ran do o n ,

A n’ glowered aboo t wi’ a’ deir een ;

De lathie fai r wiis clean awa’

,

A n’ never mair bae mortal se en .

2 4 8 Tradit io n al Narratives .

A n’

Odive re’

s a lanely manAn

’ weary 0’ his s icker skath eA n

’ aye an’ sare he rues de dayHe ever tuk de Odin aith.

Tae menye-singers tanks we gaeTae menye-singers drink we aWti r foys dey w’

dr no wirt a strae,Witho o t deir s angs an’ ballan s bra .

DENN ISON , Sco t t ish A n t iquary ,v. v i i i . pp. 5 3 -5 8 .

Un st , Sh et lan d. Un s t Vers io n of“K in g Offeo .

EDMONDSTON'

and SAXBY, pp. 194-198 . I t is unnecessary

t o reprint this ballad,which has been repri nted by the late

Prof. Child in his Co l lect ion of “English and ScottishBallads ,

” pt. 1,p. 2 17 .

S ee als o Prof. BUGGE’S article, Harpe n s K raft i n th e

A rkiv fo’

r N ordis é Filolog'i, n y. foljd ,

bd . 3 , pp. 1 16-1 19 .

THE FOULA REEL.

[The Air se t by s s Kan ? of Edin burg h,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 50 Tradition al Narratives .

N ine lan g nichts , i’ da n ippin

’ rime,

Hang he dare wi’ his nacked l imb.

Some, dey leuchBut idde rs gret.”

BLIND ,N in e tee n th Cen tury,

1879, p. 109 3 .

Communicated by A rthur Laurenson .

I t is wel l t o no te that th e disco veries o f “Odinic fragmen ts in the Shetlands are utterly i l luso ry. A poem ina fragmentary and co rrupt co n ditio n , in fact in an advan ceds tage o f decompo s itio n , is taken down in the twelfth centu ryjus t as it is fad ing out o f traditio n and it is believed th atthis very fragment (covering, it is to be observed , by amiraculo us co incidence, a space included in the fragmentwe already have) can be s ti l l o n reco rd in the nineteen thcentury , a fragm e n t which yields no th ing new,

no freshwo rd o r idea — Cre dat Judaeus Ape lla Le t us remember,pu t ting as ide al l o ther poss ibi li t ies , that Re s e n ius

’ printedtext

,with a Latin translation , has been accessible fo r more

than two hundred years .

VIGFUSSON , Camus Poe t ieum Boreale , v. i . Intro. p. lxxiv.

THE FINFOLK’

S FOY some .

l

O’ blithe is de land dat’s fae man far awa !Whar wae smolic h is lair

,an’wae lauch at h is la'.

Whar hens never kacke l, and co cks never cra’

;

Whar n icht s never mirke n,an’ days never da’.

Whar wo lfs never wirry,an’ winds never b la

Whar fros t s never s turtan an’ rains never fa .

Whar bae s ts n ever peris o’ hunger i’ s n aFo r de g run d

’

s never kive re d i’w inte r ava.Whar mus i c de saftes t an sweet e s t o ’ a’

,

[In a foo tn o te Mr. De n n iso n says : Amo n g myjuve n ile papers I foun da copy o f th e Fin fo lk

’s foy so n g ; but as , whe n a boy, I added some lin e s to

th e o ra l orig in al, an d as I n ow , a t a dis tan ce of n e arly ha lf a ce n tury, can n o t

dist in guish be twe e n my tin kerin g an d the origin al lin e s, it would be un fair toprese n t th e lin e s as a g e n uin e pro duct o f traditio n . Howeve r I g ive it,such as it is. It is the o n ly in s tan ce o fcon tin uous rhyme s I have me t withamo ng our rude n ative ve rse s .

”—S eott is/z An t iquary, vo l. vii. p.

Son g s an d M n s ie . 2 5 1

Ploughs oot ever mair fae de Fin fo lk’s ha’,A right bonnie bigging witho o t spot or fla’,0

’ crys tal his reuf, and o’ coral h is wa.

Whar dance bonnie las ses weel buskit an bra,W i’ faces de faires t dat een ever sa,

’

A n der no vero skake s em i’ co o rt in ata’

A n dat, gin ye try dem ,dae l vero senn sha’.

Whar wi’ sorcery wae saften de Mes ter Fiend’s cla’,A n mester de poo r 0’ h is me s t e rfu pa’,Whar

,wur flocks are de fishes wae fos ter an ca ,

Wur flocks need nae b euls an wur bae s t s need nae sta’.Wae sleep tae de s o o n d o

’ de sea’s lullabaFo o

’

saftly an sweet sings the sang 0’ h is swa !

Wae fi l l n o wur waems wi’ what’s rotten o r ra’,Wae find n o de wark and wae hae no de se aFo r l ice o r fo r yuk nather kum wae n o r cla.

Wur herts are n o sh ilpid wi’e nvy o r g a

Wae are bald jol ly fel lows A n whateve r befa’

Tae a brim fe eman ho rn , wae sall never say n a.

A n n o o , o r wae bid ane anither ta ta,Tae drink a g eud nicht, s irs , wae s inno be sla

,

Lets s ipe o o t wur horn s , and a lang brae th weel dra,To s o ope l wur wasan s an Open wurja,Fo r de warld an her feuls , let us lauch a gae fa !A n fo r Fin fo lk ah e em let us gae a ha ha !A n fi n is

’wur sang wi’ a wall ie hurra

DENN ISON in S cot tish A n tiqn ary,vol . vu. p. 8 1 .

FRAGMENTS .

She t lan d Saina poba wer-aLectra mavie, Lectra mavie,Saina poba wer-aLect ra mavie dre n g ie .

Daala s tuy-ta s to n g a raraOh— bade e a, o h— bade e a,

2 5 2 Tradition al Narratives .

Daala s tuy-ta s to nge raraOh— bade e a moyn ie .

Wh e r der isno te pshagTo pshag , t o pshag ,

Where de r isno t o pshagShakda co le o Gamb lie .

Shetlander can tel l what thes e l ines mean .

En n o n n sro n and Saxn v, pp. 199 , 20a

Bun ye s i ts upo tappa ti rlCalye inta bamba birl,Ba h ilkie to o nie ;Ladyco bi lka tilta,Ro o n in condie cong ga loo !Ba h ilkie to o n ie.

EDMONDSTON and Saxs v, p. zoo .

THE DAY DAWN .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 5 4 Tradition al Narrative s .

Gudewi fe gae to your kebbock-cre elWe’re a’ Qu e en Mary’s men

,

A n d see thou co unt the kebbocks weel,

A n d that ’s befo re o ur Lady.

Gudewife gae to yo u r g e aldin g -vatWe’re a’ Queen Mary’s men

,

A n’ let us drin k til l o ur lugs crack,An

’ fetch us ane an’ fetch us twa,A n

’ aye the merrier we’l l gang awa’,A n d that’s before our Lady.

Gudewife g ae to your butter-arkWe’re a’ Queen Mary’s men

A n’ fetch us here ten bismar mark

Se e that ye gr ip weel in the dark ,A n d that’s befo re our Lady.

May a’ your mares be weel t o foalWe’re a’ Queen Mary’s me n ,

A n d every ane be a s ta ig foal,

A n d that’s befo re our Lady.

May a’your kye be weel to calveWe’re a’ Queen Mary’s men

A n d every ane a queyo ck calf,A n d that’s before our Lady.

May a’ your ewes be weel to lambWe’re a’ Queen Mary’s men

A n d every ane a ewe and a ram,

A n d that’s befo re our Lady.

May a’ your he n s ri n in a reelWe’re a’ Queen Mary’s men

A n d every an e twal at her heel,A n d that’s before our Lady.

S ong s an d M us ic. 2 5 5

Here we hae brocht our carryin g o ho rse

We’re a’Queen Mary’s menA mo ny a cu rse licht o n his co rse ;He’ll eat ma ir meat than we can get

He’l l drink mair d rink than we can swink,A n d that’s before our Lady.

I t was the cus tom for compan ies of men to go fromho u se t o house on New Year’s Eve s inging in full chorusthe [above] song.

A t the conclus ion o f the song the minstrels were entert ain ed with cakes and ale, and sometimes a smoked goosewas se t before the compan y. The s inging-men at s tartingwere few i n number

, but every house vis ited sent forthfresh relays

,and the cho rus waxed in volume as the

number o f voices i ncreas ed . The “carrying-horse,”

mentioned in the las t verse, was the clown or jester of

the party, who suffered himself to be beaten with knottedhandkerchiefs , and received double ratio ns as the rewardof h is fol ly.

— GORRIE, pp. 3 3 4-3 7 .

[Another ve rs ion from th e parish o f De e rn e ss , differings lightly from t he above

,is given by Chambers , in his

Popular Rayme s of S co tla n d . He s tates that the songhad been placed befo re him in a form not the mo stsat is factory to an antiquary

,but the best that circum

s tances admitted o f— namely,with a number o f verses

compo sed as much from imag ination as from memo ry, tomake out something like the whole piece.” On the co nclus io n o f the song, Chambers adds : “The inner doorbeing o pened

,a tremendous rus h took place towards the

interior. The inmates furnished a long table wi th all

sorts o f homely fare,an d a hearty feas t took place, fo l lowed

by copious l ibat io ns o f ale,charged with al l sorts o f go od

wishes . The party would then proceed to the next ho use ,where a similar scene would be enacted . Heaven knowsh ow they contrived to take so many s uppers i n o n e

2 56 Tradition al N arrat ives .

evening ! No s l ight could be more keenly felt by aDe e rn e s s farmer than to have h is ho use passed over unvisited by the New-year s ingers.

CHAMBERS , pp. 166

The following are th e'

wo rds of the New’r Even’s So ng

(s ee I I . a, as remembered by an o ld dame in

Shetland

Gude n ew’

r even , gude n ew’

r n ight— S t . Mary’s menwe ;

We’re come here t o crave our right— before our leddie .

K ing Hen ry h e ’s a huntin’ gane,— S t . Mary’s men

we,

An d ta’en'

wi’

him his merry young men— beforeleddie .

“I’

ll tel l ye how our,lady was dressed

,— S t. Mary’s men

are we ,If ye’ll gie tae us some 0’ yer bes t— before our leddie .

Sh e had upon her well-made head— St. Mary’s men arewe

A crown o f gold, an’ it fu’ braid— before our leddie .

Sh e had upon her middle sma’— St . Mary’s men are we

A si lver belt an’ i t fu’ bra’— before our leddie .

She had upon her fingers ten— S t. Mary’s men are weRings 0 ’ gold

,fu

’mony an ane— before our leddie .

“She had upon her weel-made feet— S t. Mary’s men arewe

S i lver s lippers, an’ they fu’ neat— before our leddie .

Gude man , gang in your g auin -geel— S t. Mary’s men are

we

An’ gie’s a ca n or two 0

’ ale—before our leddie .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

260 Tradition al Narrative s .

In this o ld Fabrick o f our Lady/s Chureli , the re is a Ston elying about 4 foo t lo ng, and 2 foot broad , but n a rrower an dround at the two ends , upon the s urface o f which Ston e,there is the prin t o f two fee t, co ncern i ng which the

Supers titio us People have a Tradition , that S t . M ag n us,

when he could n o t get a Bo at o n a time t o carry him overPig lztla n a

’

Firth , took this Stone, and s etti n g h is Feetthereupon , pas sed the Fi rth safely, and left th e S ton e inthis Church , which hath continued here ever s in ce.

BRAND , p. 60

San ds t in g . S tan ding S ton es a t Wes t Skeld — Thes e twostones are said t o be the metamo rphos is o f two wizards orgiants , wh o were o n their way t o plunder and murder th einhabitants o fWes t Ske ld ; but, n o t having calculated theirtime with sufficient accuracy, befo re they co uld accomplishtheir purpo se, o r retrace their s teps t o thei r dark abodes ,the firs t rays o f the mo rn ing sun appeared, and they wereimmediately trans fo rmed , and remain to the pres en t timein the shape o f two tall mo ss -grown s to nes o f t e n feet inheight — N ew S tat . A cct , Shetland , p. III.

Rousay. S ton e lzurled by g ian t— Here may be noticed a

huge slab o f s to ne, n o t unlike tho se in the circ le o f S tennes s , w ith a very wo nderful his tory attached to i t. I n thedays o fmiracles and o ther supernatural appe arances therelived a mighty gian t named Cubbie row bes ide th e FittyH i ll o f Wes tray. He seems to have had a feel i ng o f

enmity towards s ome unlucky individual, and was determined t o punish him s evere ly. A ltho ugh h is fo e had fledt o Rousay, a dis tance o f about eight miles , the giant tookup h is po s itio n in Fitty H i ll ; and seizing th e hugeslab, he hurled it at h is e nemy acro ss th e interven ingsound. The marks o fCubbie row’

s fingers are to be seenupon that s tone unto this day.

— FERGUSSON , pp. 1 29 , I3 0 .

Un s t . Saxie and Herman we re two Un s t g ian tsSaxie holding as h is special territory the hi l ly pro mon tory

Place L eg e n ds an d Tradit io n s . 26 I

o f Saxafio rd on the east s ide,and Herman that of

H e rman e s s on the wes t side, o f Burrafio rd , the geologicalfo rmation o f their respective domains being total lydifl

'

e re n t . They seem to have quarrelled perpetually,and many sto ries o f these quarrels are told. The mo s tno teworthy seems to have been the occas io n when , us i ngthe rocks fo r weapo ns, they contrived to leave a record o f

their exploits which wi ll las t fo r al l time. A huge boulderwhich Saxie flung rises to the surface o f the water close t othe shore o n the He rman e s s s ide o f the fio rd, and is cal ledSaxie

’

s Baa and the rock which Herman hurled at h isfoe is bedded in the clifl

'

s o f Saxfio rd, and goes by thename o f Herman’s He llyac.

”Saxie

’

s Kettle is a basin inthe rock, i nto which the water rises from below, bubblingand hiss ing as i f it were boi ling. Once Herman asked theloan o f this kettle in which t o boi l an ox, and Saxie saidhe would lend it only o n co ndition that they should g ohalves . Said Herman,

I’ll radde r ree ve rut

As g ie da half 0 fit ”

A pitched battle was the co nsequence o f Herman’s refusalt o pay fo r the loan o f Saxie

’

s Kettle, but it is n o t knownwho got the best o f i t.

EDMONDS’

I‘

ON an d SAXBY, pp. 22 5 , 226.

Gia n t’

s S tepping -S ton e .-S igger-hil l is benorth Co lvie

del l, and o n the s lope there is a large flat s tone eight t oten feet square. There was a giant who l ived in thatneighbourho od cal led S igger, and he put a rock in thes e a for a craig-seat— that is , a seat where he could placehimself conveniently fo r fishing. But the water was deep

,

an d the giant did n o t l ike wetting h is feet, so he thoughthe would place a s tepping-stone between the shore andScarva-Skerry. He went up the hi l l, and found a largeflat stone sui table fo r his purpose

,but as he was returning

262 Tradition al Narrat ives .

s tagg e ring un de r the weight of the enormouswife (the guy-karl) came out , and s e eing him , soexclaimed ,

o h, Sissie. Sissie.

Mo n y an evil s tan e

Has lain o n dy rigg ie”!

With that the giant tripped and fell, and the s to ne o n

top of him— and he died there ; and there h e had to l ie,fo r n o o n e was able to take that s to ne o ff h im.

EDMONDSTON and SAXBY, pp. 224 , 225 .

Fo r Place Legends see also under I . a , HOLY PLACES ,STONES,

” BU ILDINGS.

”

(e) DRAMA .

Shet lan d . Sword Da n ce — S ee S ir Walter Scott, TbePirate , Note P, given as from an o ld manuscript, whichalso includes a description of the swo rd dance itselfand th eepilogue. Fo r the Sword-dance s ee also Hibbert, Desm }tion , pp. 5 56-560 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

264 Folk Saying s .

A man co nsidering himself unjus tly blamed for not doingwhat he co ns idered had been beyond his power, and s o

feeling aggrieve d repl ied

Foo co o da qu in a coo dn a ?Cooda dae mair o r a co od , cooda ?

[Eng. How co uld I when I could not ? Could I domore than I could , could I

Communicate d to Mr. Black by Mr. A . K . WILLIAMSON ,

a native o f Shetland .

Gam m a . The peo ple o f this smal l spot, a s touthardy race

,by al l accounts the wildes t in Shetland . Tradi

tion s candal is es them much with regard to thei r human i ty,particularly in en tertain ing strange rs . I t became prove rb ial, when o n e wanted to dismiss a s tranger, o r tho ughthe stayed to o long, to use the Co n in g sburg e n phrase inNorn : “Myrk in e Lio ra, Luce in e Liunga, Tim in eGue st in e gue n g n a

“ It’

s (mark [mirk]) dark in th e

chimney, but it’s l ight thro’ the heath , it

’s still time fo r th es tranger to be gone.”— Low, p. 180

S ee als o Appendix .

Orkn ey. There use d to be a very common proverb cire nlating in these is lands to the effect that Gifl

'

Bess ie say itis wei ll it is wei l l.” The Bessie referred to was o n e Bes s ieSkebis te r, who had the power of informing fishermen andtheir wives whether any o f their boats were in danger o rn o t. This woman was strangled and burned fo r

vario us offences , o n e o f which,

was that o f riding o n theback of a certain James San d ie so n , and flying with himthrough the air to Norway and Zetlan d , with a brid le inh is mouth — FERGUSSON ,

p. 3 5 .

[The inhabitan ts o f Sound , a vi l lage nearLemrick] pique themselves o n in habiting the exact spot of

Prove rés . 265

ground held by their ances tors fo r centuries, an d lookdown upon the Le rwe g ian s , exclaiming

Soun d was Soun d whe n Le rwick was n o n e ,An d Soun d will be Soun d whe n Le rwick is do n e .

”

COWIE, p. 1 3 0 .

Se livo e at a certain season , z'

.e . a week or twobefore Lambmass , swarms with such a glut o f Mackre l inbo atfulls . I n windy weather a bit of red rag isvery good bait, which affords us a proverb that “womenan d mackre l are eas i ly caught by a red clout.

Low, p. 8 5 .

Harray. Le t be an d I ’l l let be, as the Harra-man saidt o the lobs ter.”

The inland situation o f the parish of Harra exposes itsinhabitants to the imputation of ignorance of maritimeaffairs

,an d

,con sequently, to the ridicule o f their brother

is landers. A Harra man is said, when he saw for the firs ttime a lobster which had just dro pped from a basket

, to

have immediately laid his hand o n i t, when the animalseized him , and in fl icted upon h im a severe gripe. Theexclamatio n which he made us e of has pass ed into aproverb, and is employed when o n e man

,quarrell ing with

another, wishes him to desis t.TEIGNMOUTH , vol . i. p. 274,

LOCAL TEE, TUE, OR N ICKNAMESEach dis trict in the is lands has its own Tere-n ame , o r

nickname. Traditio n says that many o f these n ames datefrom the building of the cathedral, and were given fromthe provisions the several detachments brought with them .

Thus the Papa Wes tray folk are known as Dun dz'

es (poorcod), the Wes tray people as Auk: (th e common Guillemot),and th e inhabitants of Walls as Lyres (Manx Shearwaters).Many of these names are of respectable antiquity.

TUDOR, p. 204,

266 Folk Sm'

ug s .

Orkn ey. Lis t of TW

De e rn ess—S ka tz Rampla z

Orphir Yearm'

ng r. Yea rnings, the s tomach o f a calf use dto curd le the milk in cheese-making.

S andwick— A$1: Pat ties .

B array— Craor. [Fo r the origin of this n ame see under

Birsay— Dog : o r Hoes (s pecies of small shark).Evie— Could Karl

Walls— Ly n : (Manx Shearwaters)Burray

— Ot'

ly Bog'

z'

er.

South Ro n aldsayGrimne s s— Grutier.

Ho pe— Swan k: (Richardson’

s Skuas).Widewall Witdus .

Sandwick— Birkia .

South Parish Tcracks (Lapwings).

Gairsay— Buckior (the large whelk used for bait).

Veira o r Wyre e dks .

Eg ilsay— Burrtr

‘

n -lmnpr. [Burstin is com dried in a kettleover the fire ]

Kon say— M ares . The inhabitants o f this island are so

cal led, because, at leas t so says traditio n , when the ywan ted to establ ish a breed o f horses on the is land

,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

Folk Sayin g s .

We isdale an d Nesting— Go a ts , Cut Swine .

Lun n as t in g— Hoes , Do g -fish .

De lt in g— Sparls , from the intes tines o f a s he e p fi l led withchopped meat and suet, heavily season e d w i th pepperand salt, and smoke-dried .

No rthmave n -Lio er Mugg ies o r Ulie Co ils . Mug g ie s,from the s tomach of a cod fi l led with its l iv e r an d thenboiled .

Whalsay— Piltocks (Saith in their second ye ar).Yell— S heep Tkiew s , o r s imply Tlzie 'ves .

Fe t lar— Russ io Foals— Ungroomed year-o ld colts , withtheir firs t coat s hanging in unkempt mass es aboutthem.

Un st— M idde n S lues , meaning dirty an d lazy people.They are also sometimes s tyled the H o n e s t Folk ofUn s t, but this latter appellat ion mus t b e con s idereds arcastic — TUDOR, pp. 6 12-61 5 .

APPENDIX.

1 . PH YSICAL CHARACTERISTICS .

The Co n in g sburg h e rs 1 present both physical an d mentalpeculiarities, which entitl e them to be cons idered a dis tin cttribe from the res t of the Shetlanders . Having harsherfeature s , larger muscles , and a broader “build

” than theircountrymen , they are said more to resemble Saxons thanScandinavians . Tradit ion assigns to them a large proportiono f Spanish bloo d. I t may be diffi cult to recognise in h imI berian features , but there is n o doubt the modern Coningsburgher has much of the excitable nature o f the Spaniard.

COWIE, p. 1 19 .

Nolt lan d, Wes tray. Close to the shore I passed a hamlet,the dwellers in which are n ick-named Don s, be ingdescended, it is ave rt ed, from seamen o f the Span ishA rmada, who were wrecked o n Fair Is le, and who migratedto Wes tray. The families so designated have certainly aswarthy complexion and an Iberian cast o f countenance.

GORRIE, pp. 182-3 .

We ir, Ork n ey. [I n the churchyard at Cubb ie row] mos to f the [old] graves are seven feet long, which is n o t t o bewondered at

,s ince the present inhabitants are many

of them above the ordinary s tature.BARRY, pp . 65 , 66.

S ee also IV. 6.

S

2 70

Orkn ey. I n general, they have no fami ly s u rnames, butt o their own Chris tian name each of the sons and daughtersjoins that o f the father ; the former adding to it son , thelatter daughter. This as may eas i ly be conceived , is anawkward and mos t inconvenient custom, rendering itd ifficult, and frequently impossible, to est ablish thei rpropinquity to any of thei r relations that die abroad .

HALL , Travels in S co tla n d, vol . 11. p. 525 .

She tlan d. The fo re-name “A rthur is common in

Shetl and now, but I rather think it is only a seventeenthor eig hteen th centu ry corrupt fo rm o f the Old NorthernOttar.” Last century Otto,

”o r Otho

,

” or Ottie,"was

a frequent fore-n ame here ; and n ow n o case of it occurs. Inour Northe rn Is les it has even been Judaised into “Hosea

,so

that Otto Ottoson was transmuted into Hosea Hoseason — so written but pronounced Os ie Os ie so n .

"

K. BLIND, N in e teen tk Cen tury, 1879, p. 1 1 12,

quo ti ng A rthur Laurenson of Lerwick.

Sun day, Orkn ey. The oldest names among them areTorfs, Tullachs , Muirs , Swan eys , Peas — BARRY, p. 59.

Orkn ey. A large proportio n of the names of persons, aswell as of places , are of Norwegian derivation . Ingeneral, however, while family names ind icate No rse l ineage,the fami ly faces exhibit more of the Scottish than th e

Scandinavian type — GORRIE, p. 3 4 3 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

27 2 Glossary.

But tire hous , towards the outer apart Dacl, theywill they’

ll).me n t. Do ert , dart , arrow.

Bat-room, oute r room. Dafi k, a larg e woode n dish o r tub .

But ter-ark, but te r-tub . Dan g , beat , struck .

Dat’s , that is .

Ca’d, ca lled.

Cdft , bought .Co ld , co ld.

Co ld, vb . called.

Cop, com , a small woode n cup.

Cos/t ie , cassie , cozy, cazzie , a straw

baske t .

Cour , cure .

Chokin g , makin g a clin kin g n o is e .

Cuppin g -co n , a quart pitche r.Ckoppit , kn ocked .

Ckirmc a n d ckirle , emittin g mourn fulsoun ds .

Cirma (c hard), can n o t .Clo , to scratch.

Cloak , a be e t le .

Clout , clo th.

Clowers, clove n .

Codd, a pillow.

Coft , caft , bought .Cog , a circular wo ode n dish.Coit , pe ttycoat.

Collie, an iro n lamp.

Corbie , rave n .

Corssis , cro sse s .

Cot/tor, warm, sn ug . Fa’

, fall.Coupcd, ove rturn ed. Faddome , to measure , to e n compass

with th e arms .

Esto it , s tate , co n ditio n .

Ea se , a larg e an d very ho t fire .

Ewcric, every.

Creel, a larg e baske t .Cn

'

n g lo, a low straw stoo l.Croopan , th e trun k of the body of

man o r an imal.Cal ly, a small co s/lie .Cm

’

s t , cas t .

Culyc, to cuddle .

Cure/l, curtch , courtck, lin en cap for

th e head.

Do , dc, the .

Ded, daddy, fathe r.Dec, die .

Dem, them .

Dempt , judg ed.

Der , they are .

Dilait , accuse .

Din g , be at, s trike .

D ir, der , the ir.Doo . Se e Du.

Doom, judgme n t .Door , s tubborn .

Doo’r , youare .

Du, doo , thou.

Diff ; b lun t .Da l, so rrow.

Da re , doo r.

Duyn in g , dwin in g , was tin g away.

Dy, thy.

Facm, fo am, pe riphrasis fo r the sea .

Fo n d, foun d.

Fan g, an ythin g take n in hun tin g or

fishin g .

Fanye it , fe ig n ed .

Fo rd, favoured.

Farly, wo n de rful.Farrel-creel, cake -baske t.

Fasckioun , fashio n .

Faslzcd, troub led, bo thered.

Fats , faults .

Glossary. 27 3

Glo n g oir, probablymean t for g lamoir ,Faus , false . witche ry.

Foal, turf. Glowered, ( 1) scowled, (z) lookedFedirs 0

’ do t irl, the paddles or earn es t ly.

blades o f the water whee l. Gloy, th e straw of oats.

Gluf , a sudde n frig ht .Fey, death doomed.

G’a‘pfi t’ gripped .

Flakkit , straw mat fo r dryin g corn . Grectin’

, we epin g .

Grun dy, grue some .

Grun d, groun d.

fl itt in g , movin g , chan g in gdeuce . Guid, good.

Flor, floo r. Guidis , g uids , live stock.

Flougks , flows . Gully, a larg e kn ife.Flu

’

d , flood. Gutkalan d , the Ho ly Lan d,

Flyt , sco ld. Go d’s Lan d.

Gyain , go in g .

Foy, feas t , fe s tival .Fro ,frae , from. Hoof; de ep sea , g e n erallyun de rs tood

as mean in g de ep-sea fishin g .

”

Fuma n , foamin g , s treamin g . Haars , hin g e s .Furl, forth. Hac, have .

Fusion , stre n g th.Futlt , abun dan ce . H o illcd, healed .

Fyit , vb. tr. feed. Ho le , ka ill, who le .

Fyllis , fin ds guilty. Ho ljlin , a hobbledehoy.

Han ds/louse, g loves .

Ho rn s , brain s .

Go’

, gall. Hars , n eck.

Gac, g ive. Harskit , cardialg ia.

Gard, se id, we n t . Hart-cake , cardialgia.

Gan tit, yawn ed. H edder, heathe r.Gare, cause , make ; go red, made . Heed, head .

Gouin -gzel, ale-kirn . He t , ho t.

Geo ldin g-uo t , fe rme n tin g

ovat. H ie/z, high.God, we n t away.

Gers , grass.

Gie , g ive . H is , its ; the re be in g n o n euter.

Hol’

, ho le .

Gin (g hard), if. How 0’dc kcad , crown of the head.

Gis , a de ep ravin e which admits th e Hu'

meen . burn in g , twilight.

Gissin g , childbed. I in .

Cluid, a kite . Illudi t , dece ived.

2 74

[For “pom

joles , larg e piece s of meat ; figura

tive ly, larg e an d clumsy.

juoisk, to be doub tful o f, an d ye t tosuspect th e occurre n ce ofth e eve n t .

Koil, keall, co lewort.Kebbock, a chee se .

Keirt , cas t .

Xen , kn ow.

Ken s, kn ows .

Killog ie , the vacan t space be fore th e

fireplace in a malt-kiln .

Kirn e , to churn .

K irn it , churn ed.

K ivered, cove red.

K n ot , kn it tog e the r, tied .

K n okin g , huskin g barley in a larg eho llow s to n e .

Kre igs , craig s , rocks .

Ky, cattle , milk cows.

La , law.

Lassie, a youn g woman or grown g irl.Latkie , lady.

Laug kfull, lawful.Lawman , Pre s ide n t of the Thin go r local parliame n t.

Leek, low.

Le n , loan .

Leukan , lookin g .

Libod, castrated.

Lift , sky, firmame n t .

Likn es , like n ess , semb lan ce .

Lehman , expectin g .

Liz/s , palms o f th e han ds .

Lon e , a lan e .

Looj’

ullis , han dfuls as much as can

be lifted in th e ho llow of th e han d.

Look, lock, loik, luik, han dful .Louder-horn , a larg e horn used by

fishe rme n in foggyweathe r.

Low, flame .

Lem/ed, burn ed, flamed.

Loun'

n g-taan d , a burn in g peat .

Glossary.

Luck, like .

Lug , ear.

Lugged, w ed, havin g ears .

Lugke , laughed.

Luik, han dful .Lum, chimn ey.

Mad , made .

Mair , more .

Man , mus t .

Meg s , fo repaws or fin s o fa seal.M eill, a we ight .Menye

-sin g ers , min n e-sin g e rs .

M erckis , boun daries .

Merefow, achillea mille fo lium.

M erk, a Sco ts co in .

Met , measured.

M idde n , refuse -heap.

M idder , mo the r.

M in n ie , g ran dmo the rused fo r mo the r.

Min ted, in sinuated.

M iny, man y.

M irkin , twiligh t .

some times

Muckle , much, larg e , great .M iiddow,

meadow.

Neem, n ame .

s opie , bitin g , fro sty.

Nollfa shall n o t g e t .

Nourris , n urse .

Nous t , lan din g-place fo r a boat .

o f.

On ozoayis , in n o wise .

Ony, an y.

Ootmouc/tt , exhaus ted by hun g e rhard labour.

Or , ere .

Oak, week.

Owercome , chorus of a so n g .

Ow, g ran dchild.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

276 Glossary.

Sn eek, latch ofa door.Sow ie, lucky, fortun ate , pleasan t .Soopel, to make flexible .

Sope , a sup.

SM , spoke .

S tack, a high precipitous rock in the

Staig , a stallion .

Stark, stro n g .

S teekit , ste ikit , closed, shut .Steen , s to n e .

Steg ie , s teps in th e side of a ston e

wall .Stake , foun datio n .

Stir/a] , s tifi'

in a loo se way, s tro n g .

Stoup, a wate r bucke t .

Strampit , trampled.

Stems , sto n e s .Sturtan , co n g ealed.

Sn e ir , afraid, un willin g .

Swa,“th e low pro lo n g ed n o te o f

wave s heard at a distan ce .

”

Sweean , smartin g .

Syn e , afte rwards .

Syz‘

i n , so o n .

Tae side to Me t ither , o n e side to th e

o the r.Ta

’en , lan e , take n .

Tee-n ame , n ick-n ame .

Tell, coun t .

Tequkyt , lin n e t .Tile streen , ye s te r

o eve .

Tilin g , parliame n t .7M osan , thousan d.

Th aw , twe n ty-four sheave s o f corn .

”rew /tin , thre shed .

Tb i d, ( 1) thread, (2) third.

Tiffan , achin g .

Timmer, woode n .

Trawy, trow-like .

Tfyir, proved.

Turk/cin g , touchin g .

Tulyie , a fight, to fight .Twal, twe lve .

Viseck, a ballad son g .

Vis tie , ajourn ey.

Voe , a n arrow in le t of the s ea.

Voir , se ed time .

Tin t , los t ,Tirl, a subs titute for the trun dle o f a

mill.To, though.Tot her, dowe r.

Tarms, rope s .

Trappit , questio n ed.

Travellye , a sudde n an d vio le n t fall.Tme, thre e .

Udaler, o n e who ho lds his prope rtyby un in terrupted successio n . without an y charte r, an d withoutsubjectio n to feudal se rvice o r

ackn owledgme n t o f an y supe rior.Umquli ile, n mqu/lill, deceased.

Unfl erdie , un wie ldy, un able .

Un kirs n , un clean .

Un tbreae /lin , un thre shed.

Wad, wade, would.

Wadin , weddin g .

Wad n o’

, would n o t .

Wae , we .

Waefu’wo e ful.

Waems , th e be lly.

Wald, would.

Wale , choo se , se lect .Walkn it , awake n ed .

Wallie , larg e , ample .

Waped, flun g with vio le n ce .

War, we re .

War, seawe ed.

War, water , worse .

Glossary. 27 7

Wardfi re , a fire built o n a high hill Witte , to kn ow.

as a sig n al or alarm. Wad, wood, wad, mad, in san e .

Wo rk, a fatal disease on ce commo n inOrkn ey. Wall scbier , shears for clippin g

woo l.Wad, would.

PVyt , blame .

Wfin mrn elled, turn ed upside down .

W/io, how.

Wi’with.

YM ’ we“l’

eir ,yeiris , year, years .

Win n a, will n o t.W'

iried, worried, stran g led.

M thersfiin s , in a directio n co n trary

to the sun . Zeid, we n t .

Yull-ban k”, Chris tmas feas t .

[ In a short g lossary of o ld Nors e words curre n t in She tlan d, given byMr.

Laure n so n in his pape r, are th e fo llowin g : ban e/loos , odan lzoos , church ;Kirser, fi ttin g , ven ga , foodin , voaler , all mean in g cat ; matratla

-stilnad,

min is ter’s house upstan da , boydeen , prestin volga , the min is te r h

’

rkam cken ,

the buried dead in churchyards ; trulla-scud , a witch oarmn , to bewitch.

Proceed. Soc. An t . Scot . , vol. x. p. 7 r4 .]

GLASGOW : PN N‘

I’

BD AT THE UNIVERSKTY PRESS BY ROBERT liACl-BHOSB AND 00 .