SUPERSTITIONS CONNECTED WITH THE SUN, ANIMALS, TREES, PLANTS,
SACRED EDIFICES, &C.
THERE is but little trace of superstitions connected with the great
objects of Nature, the mountains, rivers, glens, sea, &c., which were
probably regarded by the ancient inhabitants of Man merely with dumb
awe and reverence. But of their adoration of the Heavenly Bodies which
supplied them with light, and of the animals, trees, and plants, which
supplied their daily needs, there are significant traces.[103] Their
religion, like those of all primitive races, was, in effect, a vague
worship of the phenomena of nature, which they regarded as living
powers. Now, of all the phenomena which are visible to man, the Sun is
at once the most awful, beneficent, and mysterious. It is the source of
light and warmth, and, when it departs, darkness and cold follow. With
darkness, fear and death are associated, and with light, joy and life.
And as the sun is the source of light, it was considered the originator
and generator of life. The worship of the sun was a very widely
extended cult, a cult of which we have remains, even at the present
day, in the ceremonial observances at no less than four festivals
during the year. Of these, the one perhaps most distinctly connected
with solar adoration is the procession to the tops of the highest hills
on _Laa Lunys_ (the first of August, see p. 120); and as the connection
between the sun and fire is naturally intimate, so it is not improbable
that the fires called bonfires, which still light up the hill-tops
on the eves of the great festivals of _Boaldyn_, of Midsummer, and
of _Sauin_, have some connection with sun worship. A further reason
in support of this contention is afforded by the undoubted fact that
the practice of lighting these fires at such a time is evidently a
very ancient one, as in the eighth century, when the Christian synods
vainly endeavoured to put it down, it is described as having been in
vogue from a remote period. We have (in Chapter VI.) also referred to
the practice of leaping over these bonfires, and of driving cattle
through them; of rolling the fire-wheels, and of lighting fires to
the windward of fields. We have given the popular notion that these
ceremonies were performed with a view to driving away Fairies, Witches,
and all evil influences; and have alluded to the wide-spread notion
of the purifying power of fire. But, as we have just indicated, it is
probable that their object, in the earliest times, was the worship of
the sun; and it would seem that primitive man imagined that he could
thus influence or charm the sun into providing him with a due amount
of sunshine for his own welfare and that of his animals and crops; and
it would seem, also, that as the flames of these bonfires mimicked the
sunshine, they were supposed to promote fertility, for, as we have
already seen (in Chapter VI.) the crops were supposed to flourish
only as far as the bonfires were visible. These bonfires, according
to the testimony of Julius Cæsar, were used by the ancient Celts for
sacrificing human beings; and from another source we learn that it was
considered that the fertility of the year would be in accordance with
the number of victims. The funeral pyre of Balder, himself the sun-god,
being lit on Midsummer-eve, is significant of the same custom among the
Scandinavians; and, when we remember that the Gaelic Highlanders, as
late as the middle of last century, pretended to burn a man on their
_Need_-fires, a sign of the reality of the burning at an earlier epoch,
we may conjecture that a similar practice once prevailed in Man.
The Moon and the Stars, as mitigators of darkness, were also recipients
of adoration, but in a much less degree. As regards the moon, with
the exception of the belief that too much gazing at it would deprive
those who did so of their senses, the only superstitions left are in
connection with amatory questions. For it was supposed that, if the new
moon were invoked in due form, the applicant would learn in a dream the
identity of his or her future partner. But it was absolutely necessary
that this invocation, the words of which are unfortunately lost, should
be addressed to the moon in the open air, as, if it passed through
glass, there would be no response. It was also supposed that the best
time for marrying, or engaging in any important undertaking, was when
the moon was full.
As regards Animals, Trees, and Plants when, in previous chapters, any
mention has been made of the superstitions connected with them, we have
for the most part merely given the popular explanation of the sacrifice
of the former, and the use of the latter, on such occasions as the eves
of _Boaldyn_, _Sauin_, and Midsummer, _i.e._, as being charms to ward
off the influence of Fairies and Witches, or to expel disease; and,
in the absence of such explanation, we have refrained from giving one
of our own. But in this chapter, where all the superstitions on this
subject have been brought together, we propose to briefly investigate
their true primary connection, which, as already stated, is probably
with the earliest known form of religion, _i.e._, that of the worship
of the phenomena of nature.
It seems highly probable, indeed, that the belief in the efficacy of
such charms against Fairies and Witches, was encouraged by the early
teachers of Christianity as a means of diverting the minds of their
converts from their worship of nature or its spirit, personified by
animals and trees. Animal worship was at one time prevalent in every
part of the world; and it is clear that man considered some animals at
least superior to himself. A mild and distant reflex of this opinion
may possibly be found in the popular modern belief that some animals
“are wiser than Christians.” Dogs, for instance, are supposed to be
able to forecast a coming death, to recognise Witches, when men cannot,
and to understand human speech; and horses are accredited with seeing
ghosts when invisible to men. The luckiness or unluckiness connected
with certain animals is also possibly a remnant of this belief. It was
unlucky to meet a cat on New Year’s morning, but on other occasions
there seems to have been no particular significance attached to
this animal, though there was a hazy notion that it was, especially
if black, the companion of Witches. Magpies were lucky or unlucky,
according to the number of them that were seen. The popular distich on
this subject is:—
One for sorrow, two for death,
Three for a wedding, and four for a birth.
Ravens, too, had an uncanny reputation, but this may have been,
originally, because they were supposed to be Odin’s messengers; while
to see a hare cross a road was deemed very unlucky.
It is also possible that a survival of a belief in animal superiority
may have originated the confidence which still exists in their weather
wisdom (see p.148). After what we have stated with reference to the idea
of the superiority of some animals entertained by primitive man, the
undoubted fact that he sacrificed them will seem very curious at first
sight. But when we learn that this was thought to be the very highest
honour he could pay them, and the greatest kindness he could do them,
the aspect of the question is changed. It is true, of course, that
there were animals worshipped by some tribes which its members would
not venture to kill. This cult is called _Totemism_ as each tribe is
supposed to be of the kindred of its _totem_ or sacred animal, and to
kill, or kill and eat it, would be the height of impiety.[104] On the
other hand, there were animals which were worshipped on account of
their being killed and eaten. But they were not killed and eaten on
ordinary occasions, but only on certain festivals. And, as they thought
that all things must die, the gods included, they supposed that they
did particular honour to and conferred a benefit upon the victims they
sacrificed, by relieving them from the suffering and weakness attendant
upon old age; while the benefit to themselves was gaining a communion
with the Deity by eating his body and drinking his blood. A remnant
of this form of sacrificial worship perhaps occurs in the Manx custom
of “hunting the wren.” For we have seen that this bird was highly
honoured, being called almost universally the “king of birds”, and yet
once a year it was ceremonially slain, and its feathers distributed,
so that each might receive some benefit from its divine virtue. This
divinity of the wren is also indicated by the former practice of the
Manx fishermen not to go to sea without a dead wren to protect them
from storms (see p. 133).
The procession of the _laare vane_, “white mare”, on twelfth-night, and
at the harvest festival,[105] may also have some connection with animal
worship. For it seems probable that in Man as in St. Kilda, the “mare”
once possessed a hide, that pieces of this hide were plucked off like
the feathers of the wren, and that they were supposed to have similar
virtues. On Hollantide-eve, too, the last night of the old year, a
calf was sacrificed, as we have learned from the old ballad sung on
that occasion. And the bonfires at _Boaldyn_, Midsummer, and _Sauin_
formerly consumed sacrifices either of men or of beasts. But we have
not to go to tradition for instances of animal sacrifices, or even to
such ceremonies as the slaying of the wren, of which the symbolical
meaning has been lost; for we know, on the testimony of those now
living, that lambs were burnt in Man less than 50 years ago, and that
not even according to popular superstition for the discovery of Witches
or the expulsion of disease, but, in the words of the informants, _son
oural_, “for a sacrifice.” It seems possible, too, that the practice
of burning animals to discover Witchcraft, &c., really originated from
their being burnt for sacrificial purposes. In all these sacrifices
the notion of laying the sins of the people on the sacrificed was
probably present, and we have this more nearly represented in the
recent custom already alluded to,[106] of throwing diseased cattle,
like scapegoats, out to sea, so as to ward off the disease from their
fellows.
The curious superstition about the unluckiness of letting blood,
especially that of a king or person of high rank, fall on the ground,
may also have some sacrificial meaning. We have a historical instance
of this in Man, for it is remembered to this day that when _Iliam
Dhone_, William Christian, was shot at Hango Hill in 1662, blankets
were spread where he stood, so that not one drop of his blood should
touch the earth.
The equally curious notion that all nail and hair cuttings should be
carefully destroyed may have some connection with this species of
superstition, though the reason popularly assigned for this precaution
is that it is to prevent the Witches getting hold of them, and so
gaining power over their owners. Hair was formerly supposed to have
great sanative virtues, but why it was formerly considered obligatory
to hang a criminal by a hair rope, as the following story related to
Train will show, does not appear:—
“A malefactor, who had been condemned to suffer the extreme penalty of
the law, was taken from Castle Rushen to the place of execution, where
a great concourse of people were assembled from all parts of the Island
to witness a spectacle of rare occurrence. By an old customary law, it
was ordained that a person convicted of felony should be hanged by the
neck in a hair rope; but in the case alluded to one of the constituted
authorities had given orders privately that a hempen halter should be
substituted.... The innovation was discovered by some of the spectators
just as the convict was suspended from the fatal tree. The populace
instantly became so infuriated ... that they not only had well-nigh
killed the executioner for not publicly resisting such an infringement
of the ancient statute, but also, having cut down the felon in the
agonies of death, they even ... again hung up the dead body in a hair
halter.”
The prevalence of superstitions connected with Trees in past ages will
not be wondered at when we remember that Europe was formerly almost all
one vast forest. Its primitive inhabitants lived in small clearings
in this forest, and they must have been greatly impressed, not only
by the immensity of their surroundings, but by the great changes
produced in them by the seasons. The first approach of Spring, with
its budding leaves, must have filled them with wonder and joy, and the
approach of Winter, and the consequent decay of vegetation, must have
inspired them with equal wonder and sorrow. We cannot be surprised
then if they adored their mighty surroundings, and attributed their
natural changes to the agency of Deities or Spirits. In the Isle of
Man, trees seem always to have been rare, and perhaps this is why there
are so few tokens of any tree worship, though there are some signs of
an adoration of the reproductive power of Nature. Thus the invitation
to Bridget, on the first of February, to repose upon a rush or straw
couch,[107] is probably the remains of some ceremony connected with
the first revival of vegetation in Spring. On May-Day,[108] as we have
seen, branches of trees, especially of the Mountain-Ash, were strewed
upon the thresholds, a custom which is now supposed to be practised
as a protection against Fairies and Witches, but which was probably
formerly a method of invoking the reproductive power of Nature. For
trees were supposed to produce fertilising effects on both women and
cattle, and, according to Camden, the Irish “fancy a green bough of
a tree fastened on May-Day against the house will produce plenty of
milk that summer.”[109] We have already seen that the _Cuirn_ tree, or
Mountain-Ash, was regarded with special veneration. It was planted,
in common with the Thorn and the Ash (_unjin_), by the sacred wells
in Man. Some of these trees are still to be found in these positions,
and votive offerings have, within living memory, been placed on them.
The _Cuirn_ tree was considered an antidote to witchcraft, though this
scarcely explains why a stick of it was substituted, on Good Friday,
for the ordinary iron poker. Another significant ceremony, as showing
the adoration of nature, was the combat between winter and summer
which took place on May-Day (_Laa-boaldyn_); the latter, which was
represented by a young girl, decorated with leaves, being victorious,
and thus typifying the victory of Nature’s reproductive power.[110] In
the Isle of Man winter was represented by a man in winter garb, but in
some countries the defeated champion was dressed to represent death,
so that the contest was still more significant of the triumph over
decay. The Midsummer celebrations seems also to have been connected
with Nature as well as Sun worship, being intended as charms to promote
the fertility of the crops. The sacrifice of Balder, too, who was both
Oak-god and Sun-god, as typified by the bonfires which were formerly
made of oak wood, is significant of this connection; as is also the
probability that this was the day on which the _Druadh_ cut the
mistletoe, and thus enabled Balder to be slain.[111] For the oak which
was thus burned was universally considered the noblest of trees, and we
have seen that the object of ceremonial sacrifice received adoration.
But it is in our harvest festival that we have retained the most
characteristic survival of the adoration of the reproductive power of
nature, or of its spirit. For the last sheaf,[112] called the maiden,
and the little sheaf taken from it, called the harvest doll, were the
objects of much ceremony, and the fact of their being preserved till
the following harvest would seem to indicate a belief that the corn’s
life could thus be continued from one harvest to the next, and so
ensure lasting fertility. It may be noted, too, that the ceremony of
the _laare vane_, or white mare,[113] may have had some connection with
the last sheaf, as this sheaf is in some counties in England and Wales
to this day called “The Mare.”
The following superstitions about Animals and Plants are probably not,
except as regards the Weather-Lore to be derived from them, connected
in any way with Nature worship, so that the popular explanation of
their origin will suffice:—
The Hedge-hog and the Hare were tabooed, from their supposed connection
with Witches, who took their forms upon them. The former animal
was supposed to draw milk from cows, and the latter had a very bad
reputation, though no specific misdeeds were attributed to it.
Mr. P. M. C. Kermode writes as follows concerning superstitions about
the Hare:—“Here, as elsewhere, it is the object of superstition, and
seems to be a favourite form to be assumed by a Witch. Thus, while
labourers have been at work in a field they would see the dogs pursuing
a hare which would presently be lost to sight, in a few moments the
dogs would be observed to bark and whine around a man well-known to all
and suspected of being a Witch. Of course it was he who was pursued,
and, being hard-pressed, was forced to assume his normal form, to the
mystification of the dogs. Again, a man whose cattle were suffering
from some unknown cause would learn that a hare might be seen at a
certain hour every day in a particular spot. Suspecting the meaning
of this he would load his gun, having as the only sufficient bullet a
broken silver coin, and go in pursuit. Having shot the hare, he would
follow his dogs, and find them howling by the side of a stream, while
an ugly old crone would be seated on a boulder in the midst of it
nursing her broken leg and muttering curses. Again, dogs will give
chase to a hare, and, upon approaching it, stop suddenly and refuse
to go further, even though encouraged to do so. This, of course, is
because they recognise a Witch.”[114] This belief that a Witch when she
had turned into a hare could only be shot with a silver bullet was very
general. The following incident, which is said to have occurred about
30 years ago, will illustrate this:—A suspected Witch was successfully
convicted in the parish of Andreas by a sportsman, who, seeing a hare
crossing a field, fired and wounded it, and, when getting over a hedge
to secure his prey, he found that he had shot an old woman, who was a
reputed Witch.—_Oral._
At table, no one will turn a Herring; but, when one side is eaten,
the bone is taken away, so that the rest can be eaten: for to turn
the Herring would be tantamount to overturning the boat into which
it was drawn from the ocean if it then chanced to be at sea. When a
Cow had newly calved, she was driven over a burning turf to protect
her from evil influences. Anyone removing into a new house formerly
put in a Cock before taking possession, in order to thwart any bad
wishes that may have been expressed by the last inhabitant. There was
a superstition to the effect that the cross-bone of the head of a
_Bollan-fish_ would prevent anyone from straying from the most direct
road to any place to which he wanted to proceed, either by day or
night. Manx sailors seldom went to sea without one of these bones in
their pocket to direct their course at night or in hazy weather.
There is a firmly-rooted belief in the weather wisdom of animals; and,
apart from superstition, there is some reason for supposing that their
faculties in this respect are more acute than men’s. It is said that,
during the earthquake in the Riviera, in 1887, animals—especially dogs
and cats—were seen stealing out of the towns before the first shock
was felt. But, on the other hand, they frequently make mistakes, as,
for instance, when birds nest in an inclement spring, and consequently
lose their offspring. The following weather prognostics from animals
are still esteemed in the Isle of Man.[115] We may divide them into
prognostics of Storm, Rain, and Fine weather. _Storms_ will ensue when
Seagulls come inland and Rooks fly to the mountains; when Cattle and
Sheep seek shelter, and when the Porpoise,[116] or Herring-hog, is
seen gambolling round ships at sea. _Rain_ will follow when Sparrows
chirp, when Rooks and Herons[117] fly low, when Rats and Mice are
restless, and when many Bees return to the hive and none leave it.
_Fine weather_ is certain when Bats fly about at sunset, when Rooks,
Herons, and Larks fly high, when Seagulls fly out to sea, when Bees
are seen far from their hives, and Spiders spin their webs in the open
air. The few remaining weather prognostics from other sources may be
also conveniently discussed here. If the Hawthorn and Blackthorn have
many berries the ensuing winter is expected to be severe. Clover is
supposed to close up its leaves at the approach of a storm. A clear
Sunrise betokens fine weather, and so does a red Sunset; but a pale
Sunset is a sign of rain. The old Moon in the arms of the new is a
certain forerunner of storms. A Halo round the moon means rain. When
the Cumberland mountains are clearly seen, rain is expected.[118]
The following quaint tales about animals, though they do not
come strictly under the head of Superstitions, may certainly be
considered as belonging to Manx Folk-Lore:—The _Ushag-reaisht_, or
Mountain-plover, is a favourite both in song and legend. The following
ballad about it has been sung by Manx nurses as a lullaby, to the
same tune as that of “Here we go round the Mulberry Bush”, for many
generations:—
1 _Ushag veg ruy ny moanee doo[119]
C’raad chaddil oo riyr syn oie?
Chaddil mish riyr er baare y dress,
As ugh my cadley cha treih!_
Little red bird of the black turf ground,
Where did you sleep last night?
I slept last night on the top of the briar,
And oh! what a wretched sleep!
2 _Ushag veg ruy ny moanee doo
C’raad chaddil oo riyr syn oie?
Chaddil mish riyr er baare y crouw,[120]
As ugh my cadley cha treih!_
Little red bird of the black turf ground,
Where did you sleep last night?
I slept last night on the top of the bush,
And oh! what a wretched sleep!
3 _Ushag veg ruy ny moanee doo
Craad chaddil oo riyr syn oie?
Chaddil mish riyr er baare y thooane,[121]
As ugh my cadley cha treih!_
Little red bird of the black turf ground,
Where did you sleep last night?
I slept last night on the ridge of the roof,
And oh! what a wretched sleep!
4 _Ushag veg ruy ny moanee doo
Craad chaddil oo riyr syn oie?
Chaddil mish riyr eddyr dad guillag,
Myr yinnagh yn oikan[122] eddyr daa lhuishag.
As o my cadley cha kiune!_
Little red bird of the black turf ground,
Where did you sleep last night?
I slept last night between two leaves
As a babe ’twixt two blankets quite at ease.
And oh! what a peaceful sleep!
We have also a legend about this bird in connection with the _Lhondoo_,
or Blackbird;—
It is said that once upon a time the haunts of the _Lhondoo_ were
confined to the mountains, and those of the _Ushag-reaisht_ to the
lowlands. One day, however, the two birds met on the border of their
respective territories, and, after some conversation, it was arranged
to change places for a while, the _Ushag-reaisht_ remaining in the
mountains, till the _Lhondoo_ should return. The _Lhondoo_, finding the
new quarters much more congenial than the old, conveniently forgot his
promise to go back. Consequently the poor _Ushag-reaisht_ was left to
bewail his folly in making the exchange, and has ever since been giving
expression to his woes in the following plaintive querulous pipe:
_Lhondoo vel oo cheet, vel oo cheet?_ “Blackbird are you coming, are
you coming?” The _Lhondoo_, now plump and flourishing, replies—_Cha-nel
dy bragh, cha-nel dy bragh!_ “No never, no never!” The poor
_Ushag-reaisht_, shivering—_T’eh feer feayr. t’eh feer feayr!_[123]
“It’s very cold, it’s very cold!”
Another form of the same story is as follows:—The _Ushag-reaisht_
complains _giall oo dy horagh oo reesht_ “you promised you would come
back”; _ta’n traa liauyr, as cha vel oo ayns shoh_, “the time is long
and you are not here.” But the _Lhondoo_ replies _Cha jig dy bragh_,
“Will never come.”
The following is a quaint fancy derived from the notes of the
Blackbird’s and Thrush’s songs. The blackbird whistles _Gow as smook_,
which is Anglo-Manx for “go and smoke.” The thrush replies _Cha vel
thumbaga aym_ “I have no tobacco”, or literally “There is no tobacco
at me.” To whom the blackbird again—_kionney, kionney_, “buy, buy.”
The thrush is then forced to confess—_Cha vel ping aym_ “There is not
a penny at me”, and receives very bad advice—_Gow er dayl_, “Go on
trust”, but he closes the controversy by saying, _Cha der ad dou er_,
“They won’t give it me!”
The following tale is told of the Herring:—
HOW THE HERRING BECAME KING OF THE SEA.
Long ago the fish bethought themselves that it was time for them to
choose a king in case there might be disputes among them, for they
had no Deemster to tell them what was right, so they came together to
choose a king. No doubt they all tried to put on their best appearance.
It is said that the Fluke in particular spent so much time in putting
on his red spots, that when he arrived he found the election was over
and that the Herring had been made king of the sea. Upon hearing this,
he curled his mouth on one side and said, “A simple fish like the
Herring, king of the sea!”; and his mouth has been on one side ever
since. It is perhaps on account of this importance of the herring that
the Deemsters, in their oath, swear to execute the laws of the Isle “as
indifferently as the herring’s backbone doth lie in the midst of the
fish.”
There is a curious tradition that _all_ the following creatures pass
the winter in a torpid condition. They are seven in number, (though,
as will be seen, some of the names vary), and they are consequently
called _ny shiaght cadlagyn_, “the seven sleepers”, having, however,
no connection with the more famous seven of Ephesus. They are
_Craitnag_, “the Bat”; _Cooag_, “the Cuckoo”; _Cloghan-ny-cleigh_,
“the Stone-chat”; and _Gollan-geayee_ “the Swallow”; which are found
in all the lists; the others being _Crammag_, “the Snail”; _Doallag_,
“the Dormouse”; _Foillycan_, “the Butterfly”; _Shellan_, “the Bee”;
_Jialgheer_, “the Lizard;” and _Cadlag_, “the sleeper”, a mythical
animal.
We now come to the superstitions about Trees and Plants. The _Cuirn_
has already been discussed. The Thorn tree also, especially when it
grew to a large size, was regarded with veneration, there being a very
strong prejudice against cutting it down. It was supposed to be a
favourite haunt of the Fairies, and there are numerous anecdotes still
current of their being seen dancing in its branches.
The Elder tree, or _Tramman_, was vulgarly supposed to have been the
tree upon which Judas Iscariot hanged himself, and it was possibly on
this account that great reliance was formerly placed on its sanative
and mystical virtues. It was used as a charm for protecting houses and
gardens from the influence of Sorcery and Witchcraft, and, even at the
present time, an Elder tree may be observed growing by almost every
old cottage in the Island. Its leaves, like those of the _Cuirn_, were
picked on May-eve, and affixed to doors and windows to protect the
house from witchcraft.
It was supposed that if you trod on the _Luss-y-chialg_,[124] “Plant
of the prickle”, or St. John’s wort, after sunset, on St. John’s Eve,
a fairy horse would rise out of the earth and carry you about during
the whole night, only leaving you at dawn. The _Luss-ny-tree duillag_,
“Plant of three leaves”, or Shamrock, was said to be a cure for
toothache, and the _Luss-ny-ollee_,[125] “Plant of the cattle”, was
efficacious for sores in the mouths of cattle, as well as for toothache.
The _Luss-yn-aacheoid_, “Plant of the sickness”, or Purple
Meadow-button, was reckoned a preservative against the “Evil Eye.”
The _Luss-y-chellan_ is an herb which was said to keep milk from
turning sour, and butter from being discoloured.
The _Luss-ny-kiare-duillag_, “Four-leaved clover”, was efficacious
against the wiles of Fairies or of Witches, and so was the
_Bollan-feaill-Eoin_, “John’s Feast day plant, or Mugwort.”[126] This
yellow weed was gathered on Midsummer-eve, and made into chaplets,
which were worn on the heads of man and beast, who were then supposed
to be proof against all malign influences. Of the metals, Iron was the
only one invested with magical power. This notion probably took its
rise from a dim tradition of the period when the people who had iron
weapons overcame the earlier people of the stone and bronze ages. The
Fairies, as should be noted in this connection, were always supposed
to have used stone-headed arrows, the numerous flint arrow heads which
are found being supposed to be their weapons. The magical power of
iron, referred to above, is demonstrated in some of the legends already
given about the virtues of magic swords, and it will also be remembered
that an iron tongs sufficed to protect a newly-born baby from the
Fairies. In the days when iron was rare, it would either be an object
of veneration, or be viewed with suspicion. Mysterious virtues are, in
fact, attributed to it in the popular stories of many nations. Even at
the present day, a horse-shoe is hung up over the entrance door of a
house, a stable, or a cow-house, as a protection against the powers
of evil. We have already referred to the strange superstition against
using an iron poker to stir the fire on Good Friday. It is remarkable,
in this connection, that iron knives were never made use of by savages
in their sacrificial ceremonies, because they supposed that the spirits
objected to this metal. But for this very reason that the spirits
objected to it, it was used, as we have already seen, as a protection
against them. It is possible that the superstition against cutting a
child’s nails during the first year of its life may be connected with
this objection of spirits to iron.
The virtues of Salt[127] as a protection against Fairies, Magicians,
&c., were universally recognised. If milk were taken from a house, it
was considered necessary to put a pinch of salt in it, and this must
be done by the mistress to prevent the luck of the house going with
it. Fishermen will not lend any salt out of their boat, as to do so
is considered unlucky. Salt was also strewed about the threshold if
a woman were approaching her confinement, in order to drive away the
fairies. It was put into a child’s mouth at birth, and laid on the
breast of a corpse.
A white Stone was considered very unlucky, and nothing will induce the
fishermen to use one as ballast.
SUPERSTITIONS CONNECTED WITH SACRED EDIFICES.
In the first part of this chapter we have discussed the superstitions
which probably originated in the primitive Nature religion, and we
may now briefly refer to those which have had their origin in other
religions, especially the Christian. They are, for the most part,
connected with churches and _keeills_, and all ancient monuments
supposed to have been used for religious observances, which have
always been regarded with superstitous awe. Any sacrilege against
such edifices has always been considered by the Manx people as a most
serious sin which would bring certain punishment on the offender.
In the words of Bishop Wilson, “They have generally hated sacrileges
to such a degree that they do not think a man can wish a greater curse
to a family than in these words:—_Clogh ny killagh ayns corneil dty
hie mooar_, i.e., ‘May a stone of the church be found in the corner of
thy dwelling-house.’” Many stories might be told to illustrate this
feeling, but we must content ourselves with a few specimens.
About one hundred years ago a farmer, in the parish of Jurby, during a
violent storm of thunder and lighting, drove his sheep into one of the
ancient _keeills_. It was afterwards observed that he lost all the
lambs of that flock in the ensuing spring, and that many of them were
born monstrosities.
Not long ago a small windmill was erected for driving a threshing
machine, a portion of which was built of stones from an adjacent
_keeill_; but immediately it was set to work it went with tremendous
fury, and shook the whole of the premises, and had in consequence to be
taken down. The owner of the farm on which this windmill was situate
lost four head of cattle and three horses by disease within a very
brief period. All these calamities were attributed to the use of the
stones from the sacred edifice.
A portion of the roof of the _keeill_ on the Rhyne farm in Baldwin was
removed to a farm-house, but such unearthly noises resulted that it was
soon restored. A somewhat similar story is told of a stone which was
taken from St. Luke’s Chapel in the same neighbourhood to a farm-house,
but it had to be taken back, as those who lived in the house could not
sleep at nights for noises, sometimes resembling a calf bleating, and
at other times like a cart of stones being upset. At one time it was
placed on the earthen fence of an adjoining field, but the fence would
never stand, and the stone had to be removed again to the chapel.
Some years ago a farmer began levelling the _keeill_ on Camlork farm,
but he at once “took a pain in his arm, and had to stop work some
days.” Afterwards he continued his task, assisted by his wife and
daughter, the consequence was the two latter died soon after, and the
man became insane, and expired after living in that state for some time.
About thirty years ago a farmer put his sheep to graze in a field in
which there was a stone circle, the result in the following spring
being the same as in the case of the man who drove his sheep into a
_keeill_. About the same period two men were employed to remove the
stones from the circle at The Braid, in the parish of Braddan, in order
to build a wall with them. No sooner had they commenced operations than
one of them was seized with a terrible pain in one of his legs, and the
other was similarly afflicted in one of his arms. They at once desisted
and went home, but the leg of one and arm of the other were crippled
and useless for the rest of their lives. Stories are also told of
ploughs being broken without any apparent cause, when they were driven
too close to one of these circles. Even to appropriate a portion of
an old cist was sacrilege, as the following tale will show:—A man had
been tempted to take a large stone slab that formed the top of an old
cist for a lintel. No sooner had he done this than his cow sickened and
a calf died, and, more curious still, one of his hens was found dead
on her nest. He at once recognised that this was a just punishment for
the sacrilege he had committed and restored the slab to its original
position. After this, of course, all went well.
Even sacrilege of a milder kind was resented, as will appear from the
following show:—Some thirty years ago the churchwardens of Maughold
decided to put two steps to the communion rails of the church, instead
of one, which was very high. The labourers in taking away the old steps
disinterred a number of bones, which were left exposed during the time
that two of them were absent at dinner. The third, who remained and
took his mid-day (_munlaa_) dinner in the church, distinctly heard
sounds of whispering or murmuring (_tassaneagh_) all over the church.
When his fellows returned, they at once re-interred the bones, when the
whispering ceased.
But in the following, on the contrary, which is of quite recent origin,
there seems to be no resentment at all:—There was an old Roman Catholic
Chapel at the south end of Douglas, near the Castletown-road. When
this chapel was pulled down, a house was built on its site. The woman
who occupied this house with her husband, and who often used to sit up
waiting for him to return home till a very late hour, declared that
every night when the clock struck twelve she distinctly heard the
tramp of many feet entering the room where she sat. Then there was
silence, and after a time the sound of feet again. Doubtless this was
the arrival of the ancient worshippers at midnight mass, and their
departure from it.
As a proof of the simplicity and piety of the Manx, Vicar-General
Wilks, writing in 1777, states that they do not usually reckon the time
“by hours of the day, but by the _traa shirvaish_, i.e., the service
time, viz., nine in the morning, or three in the evening, an hour, two
hours, before service time, &c.”
Other superstitions connected with religion have already been
mentioned. They are the bowing of the sun on Easter Sunday morning; and
the lowing of the cattle and blooming of the myrrh plant at midnight on
Christmas Eve; the making of the branches of the _cuirn_ into crosses
on May-eve; the notions that the influence of Christ is a protection
from Fairies, &c., at Christmas time, and that children were more
especially liable to evil influences before baptism.
[Footnote 103: The question of the real origin and significance of
the ideas of primitive Man on these subjects is still obscure, and
the views given must be regarded as merely tentative. For an able
account of this question see “The Golden Bough”, by J. G. Frazer, M.A.
(Macmillan & Co.), from which the writer has derived some valuable
hints.]
[Footnote 104: Thus it was taboo for Cuchullin to eat his namesake, the
dog.]
[Footnote 105: Footnote missing in original.]
[Footnote 106: See p. 92.]
[Footnote 107: See p. 106.]
[Footnote 108: See p. 110.]
[Footnote 109: It seems probable that the practice of making these
branches into crosses is probably of Christian origin, and, therefore,
comparatively speaking of recent date, though it must be remembered
that the symbol of the cross was known before Christianity existed.]
[Footnote 110: See p. 112.]
[Footnote 111: According to the well-known myth, the beloved Balder was
invulnerable till pierced by the mistletoe.]
[Footnote 112: p. 122.]
[Footnote 113: pp. 104, 122.]
[Footnote 114: Manx Note Book. Vol. I., pp. 126‒7.]
[Footnote 115: NOTE.—It will be noticed that most of them are
common to many countries.]
[Footnote 116: _Yn Pherkin vooar_ in Manx.]
[Footnote 117: _Coar-ny-hastan_—“Crane of the eel” in Manx.]
[Footnote 118: There are some other bits of weather Folk-Lore which
have become proverbial, and will be found under the heading of
Proverbs.]
[Footnote 119: The first and third lines in the first three verses are
repeated three times, but in the last verse the first line only is
repeated.]
[Footnote 120: _Crouw_, “a bunch growing on one stem or
stalk.”—_Cregeen._]
[Footnote 121: _Thooane_, “a rib or lath on the roof of a house, under
the scraws.”—_Cregeen._]
[Footnote 122: _Oikan_, “The gradations from infancy to manhood are
marked by a copious variety of terms: _Oikan_, _Lhanoo_, _Paitchey_,
_Poinnar_, _Stuggyr_, _Scollag_, _Dooiney_.”—_Rev. W. Gill._ _Oikan_ is
the first stage of all.]
[Footnote 123: These words “_T’eh feer feayr_” exactly represent the
Plover’s shrill and piteous whistle.]
[Footnote 124: Hypericum perforatum.]
[Footnote 125: Pinguicola.]
[Footnote 126: Artemisia Vulgaris.]
[Footnote 127: See stories of “Fairy Dogs”, ch. III.; “Magician’s
Palace”, ch. V. and “New Year’s Eve”, ch. VI.]
[Illustration]
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