Evil eye in the western HighlandsMaclagan, Robert Craig
Religion
Evil eye in the western Highlands
Maclagan, Robert Craig
Evil eye; Folklore; Superstition
Of course the Evil Eye is as lively in Ireland as on this side of St.
George’s Channel; but the following experience of a native of county
Cork, an educated, reliable woman, the wife of a member of the lower
ranks of the Civil Service, while staying in Jura, is interesting.
Desiring a drink of water one day she called at a house, the mistress
of which met her at the door and invited her to come in to have a drink
of milk. When she went in she found a girl churning. After sitting for
a minute or two Mrs. M. would have left, but was urged to wait for
a little to taste the new butter off the churn on a scone. She sat
a while, and the girl continued at the churn, evidently working as
hard as she could, perspiring, and yet there were no signs of butter.
Mrs. M. innocently remarked, “Dear me, I never thought churning was
so difficult.” The woman and girl looked at each other, but without
speaking. The girl continued churning, until at last her mistress said,
“You may put the churn past, you will get no butter off it to-day.”
Shortly after Mrs. M. left without having tasted the butter, but
beyond that thinking nothing of the circumstances. About two months
afterwards, while walking in the same direction, she called at the
same house. When going in she noticed the girl again at the churn, but
making a rush with it to the other end of the house. Mrs. M. observed,
“Oh! Mrs. Mac., I hope I am not interfering with your work. I see J.
going out of the way.”
“She is churning, and is going away with the churn, for the last time
you were here she did not get one bit of butter off the churn.”
“I am sorry to hear that; I am sure I did nothing to keep the butter
from coming.”
“I do not know; she got none at any rate, that’s all I can say.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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