Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland: Collected Entirely from Oral SourcesCampbell, John Gregorson
History
Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland: Collected Entirely from Oral Sources
Campbell, John Gregorson
Folklore -- Scotland
An incident similar to that of the bunch of eels is told of a Glaistig
that came at nights and worked in the smithy at Strontian. The smith
was very much annoyed at the noises in the smithy at night, and at
finding in the morning tools mislaid and the smithy in confusion. He
resolved to stay up and find out the cause. He stood in the dark,
behind the door, with the hammer on his shoulder ready to strike
whatever should enter. The Glaistig came to the door, accompanied by
her bantling, or _Isein_ (_i.e._ a young chicken). The chicken thought
he heard a noise, and said, “Something moving, little woman.” “Hold
your tongue, wretch,” she said, “it is only the mice.” At this point
the smith struck the old one on the head with his hammer, and caught
hold of the little one. On this, the _Isein_ reproached his mother by
saying, “Your old grey pate has got a punching; see now if it be the
mice.” Before the smith let his captive go, the Glaistig left a parting
gift—that the son should succeed the father as smith in the place till
the third generation. This proved to be the case, and the last was
smith in Strontian some forty years ago.
ON HIANISH, TIREE.
About a hundred years ago one of the tenants of this farm, which
adjoins Baugh, wondering what made his cows leave the fank (or
enclosure) every night, resolved to watch. He built a small turf
hut near the fold to pass the night in, and sat mending his _curain_
(shoes or mocassins of untanned hides), when a woman came to the door.
Suspicious of her being an earthly visitant, he stuck his awl in the
door-post to keep her out. She asked him to withdraw the awl and let
her in, but he refused. He asked her questions which much troubled him
at the time. He was afraid of a conscription, which was then impending,
and he asked if he would have to go to the army. The Glaistig said
he would; that though he made a hole in the rock with his awl and
hide himself in it, he would be found out and taken away, but if he
succeeded in mounting a certain black horse before his pursuers came,
he might bid them defiance; and he was to tell the wife who owned the
white-faced yellow cow to let the produce of the cows home to their
master. The man was caught when jumping on the back of the black horse
to run away from the conscription, and after service abroad, came back
to tell the tale.
IN ULVA.
The Glaistig of Ardnacallich, the residence of the Macquarries of Ulva,
used to be heard crying “Ho-hò! ho-hò! Macquarries’ cattle are in the
standing corn near the cave! The bald girl has slept! the bald girl has
slept! ho-hò, ho-hò.” The ‘bald girl’ was no doubt a reference to her
own plentiful crop of hair.
IN IONA.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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