Xxii. The Ridere Of Riddles : p. 36 XXII. THE RIDERE (KNIGHT) OF RIDDLES. From John Mackenzie, fisherman, near Inverary. THERE was a king once, and he married a great lady, and she departed on the birth of her first son. And a little after this the king married another one, and he had a son by this one too. The two lads were...
Kirkcudbright : KIRKCUDBRIGHT. Kirkcudbright, "Tuesday", "Feb". 1859. MY DEAR MARY,--I went to Johnny Nicholson last night, and he told me the following fairy story. I must give it in his own words:-- 1. "You have been often at the Gatehouse," said he, "well, you'll mind a flat piece of land near Enrick farm; well...
Xxxii. The Barra Widow's Son : p. 121 XXXII. THE BARRA WIDOW'S SON. From Alexander MacNeill, tenant and fisherman, then at Tangual, Barra. THERE was a poor widow in Barra, and she had a babe of a son, and Iain was his name. She would be going to the strand to gather shell-fish to feed herself and her babe. When she w...
Xliv. The Widow's Son : p. 307 XLIV. THE WIDOW'S SON. From John MacPhie, South Uist, and Donald MacCraw, North Uist. THERE was a poor fisher's widow in Eirinn, and she had one son; and one day he left his mother with a lump of a horse, and a man met him with a gun, a dog, and a falcon (gunna cu agus seobhag); and he said...
X. The Fine : p. 85 X. THE FINE. THE Feen were once, and their hunting failed, and they did not know what they should do. They were going about strands and shores gathering limpets, and to try if they should fall in with a pigeon or a plover. They were holding counsel together how they should go to get game...
Untitled : POPULAR TALES OF THE WEST HIGHLANDS BY J. F. CAMPBELL Volume II [1890] This is the second of four volumes of Campbell's collection of Scottish folklore. For the most part this volume is a continuation of the same sort of material in volume I, presenting folklore which has themes and motifs similar...
Xlii. The Tale Of The Soldier : p. 290 XLII. THE TALE OF THE SOLDIER. From John MacDonald, travelling tinker. THERE was an old soldier once, and he left the army. He went to the top of a hill that was at the upper end of the town land, and he said-- "Well, may it be that the mischief may come and take me with him on his back...
Xxi. A Puzzle : p. 33 XXI. A PUZZLE. From Kenneth M'Lennan, Turnaid, Ross-shire. THERE was a custom once through the Gldom, when a man would die, that the whole people of the place would gather together to the house in which the dead man was--Tigh aire faire (the shealing of watching), and they would be...
Lvii. The Tail : p. 494 LVII. THE TAIL. Told about thirty years ago by John Campbell, piper to his pupil, J. F. Campbell. THERE was a shepherd once who went out to the hill to look after his sheep. It was misty and cold, and he had much trouble to find them. At last he had them all but one; and after much...
Xxxvii. The Brollachan : p. 203 XXXVII. THE BROLLACHAN. From Widow M. Calder, a pauper, Sutherland. IN the mill of the Glens, MUILION NA GLEANNAN, lived long ago a cripple of the name of Murray, better known as "Ally" na Muilinn. He was maintained by the charity of the miller and his neighbours, who, when they removed...
Xx. The Three Wise Men : p. 28 XX. THE THREE WISE MEN. From Donald MacIntyre, Benbecula. THERE was once a farmer, and he was very well off, but he had never cast an eye on the women, though he was old enough to be married. So one day he took the horse and saddle, and rode to the house of another farmer, who bad a daughter...
Xlv. Mac A Rusgaich : p. 318 XLV. MAC-A-RUSGAICH. From John Dewar, April 1860. THERE was (at) some time a tenant, and he was right bad to his servants, and there was a pranky man who was called Gille Neumh Mac-a-Rusgaich (holy lad son of Skinner), and he heard tell of him, and he went to the fair, and he took a straw...
Badenoch : BADENOCH. The Badenoch account of the fairies is much the same. I have received eight stories from a Highland minister, who has been kind enough to interest himself in the matter, at the request of the Countess of Seafield. These show, that according to popular belief, fairies commonly carried off...
Lii. The Knight Of The Red Shield : p. 451 LII. THE KNIGHT OF THE RED SHIELD. From John MacGilvray, Colonsay. THERE was before now a king of Eirinn, and he went himself, and his people, and his warriors, and his nobles, and his great gentles, to the hill of hunting and game. They sat on a hillock coloured green colour, where the sun...
Xli. The Widow And Her Daughters : p. 279 XLI. THE WIDOW AND HER DAUGHTERS. From Mrs. MacGeachy, Farmer's Wife, Islay. THERE was formerly a poor widow, and she had three daughters, and all she had to feed them was a kailyard. There was a great gray horse who was coming every day to the yard to eat the kail. Said the eldest...
Title Page. Part 02 : POPULAR TALES OF THE WEST HIGHLANDS ORALLY COLLECTED WITH A TRANSLATION BY THE LATE J. F. CAMPBELL NEW EDITION VOLUME II ALEXANDER GARDNER OF PAISLEY AND LONDON [1890] Scanned , April, 2004. John Bruno Hare, Redactor. This Text Is In The Public Domain. These Files May Be Used For Any Non-commercial...
Xl. The Son Of The Scottish Yeoman Who Stole : p. 253 XL. THE SON OF THE SCOTTISH YEOMAN WHO STOLE THE BISHOP'S HORSE AND DAUGHTER, AND THE BISHOP HIMSELF. From Donald MacLean, Grassmarket, Edinburgh. Written in Gaelic, and translated by the Rev. Mr. MacLauchlan. THERE was once a Scottish yeoman who had three sons. When the youngest of them...
Devonshire : DEVONSHIRE. The same is true of Devonshire. In May 1860 I was told that many of the farmers "are so superstitious as to believe in PISKIES;" they are "never seen, but they are often heard laughing at people in the dark, and they lead them away." My informant said that when he was young he used...
Xxxv. Conall : p. 148 XXXV. CONALL. From Alexander MacNeill, tenant and fisherman, Barra. THERE was an old king before now in Erin, 1 and a sister of his, whose name was MAOBH, had three sons. The eldest of them was Ferghus, the middlemost Lagh an Laidh, and the youngest one Conall. He thought he would make...
Xxiii. The Burgh : p. 47 XXIII. THE BURGH. From Alexander M'Donald, tenant, and others, Barra, July 1859. FOUR were watching cattle in Baileburgh (Burgh F Farm). They were in a fold. The four were Domhnull MacGhilleathain, Domhnull Mac-an-t-Saoir, Calum MacNill, and Domhnull Domhnullach. They saw a dog. Calum...
Xxv. The Isle Of Pabaidh : p. 51 XXV. THE ISLE OF PABAIDH. From Alexander M'Donald, tenant, and others, Barra. July 1859. THERE came a woman of peace (a fairy) the way of the house of a man in the island of Pabaidh, and she had the hunger of motherhood on her. He gave her food, and that went well with her. She staid th...
Xlviii. The Tale Of Sgire Mo Chealag : p. 388 XLVIII. THE TALE OF SGIRE MO CHEALAG. From John Campbell, Strath Gairloch, Ross. THERE was once a young lad, and he went to seek a wife to Sgire mo Chealag; and he married a farmer's daughter, and her father had but herself. And when the time of cutting the peats came on, they went...
Title Page : In short, this notice of fairy belief might be extended to fill volumes; every green knoll, every well, every hill in the Highlands, has some fairy legend attached to it. In the west, amongst the unlearned, the legends are firmly believed. Peasants never talk about fairies, for they live amongst...
Man : MAN. The Manks fairy creed is again the same. Similar beings are supposed to exist, and are known by the p. 81 name of FERISH, which a Manksman assured me was a genuine Manks word. If so, fairy may be old Celtic, and derived from the same root as Peri, instead of being derived from it. The fairies...
Xxvi. Sanntraigh : p. 52 XXVI. SANNTRAIGH. From Alexander M'Donald, tenant, and others, Barra. July 1859. THERE was a herd's wife in the island of Sanntraigh, and she had a kettle. A woman of peace (fairy) would come every day to seek the kettle. She would not say a word when she came, but she would catch hold...
Xviii. The Chest : p. 9 POPULAR TALES OF THE WEST HIGHLANDS. XVIII. THE CHEST. From Mrs MacGeachy, Islay. BEFORE this there was a king, and he wished to see his son with a wife before she should depart. His son said he had better go for a wife; and he gave him half a hundred pounds to get her. He went forward...
Bearnairidh : BEARNAIRIDH. There was in Bearnairidh in the Harris, a man coming past a knoll, and taking the road, and he heard churning in the hill. Thirst struck him. "I had rather," said he, "that my thirst was on the herdswoman." He had not gone but about twenty rods away when a woman met him, and she had...
Xlvi. Maciain Direach : p. 344 XLVI. MAC IAIN DIREACH. From Angus Campbell, quarryman, Knockderry, Roseneath. AT some time there was a king and a queen, and they had one son; but the queen died, and the king married another wife. The name of the son that the first queen had, was Iain Direach. He was a handsome lad; he...
Xxiv. The Tulman : p. 49 XXIV. THE TULMAN. From Alexander M'Donald, tenant, and others, Barra. July 1859. HERE was a woman in Baile Thangusdail, and she was out seeking a couple of calves; and the night and lateness caught her, and there came rain and tempest, and she was seeking shelter. She went to a knoll with...
Xix. The Inheritance : p. 24 XIX. THE INHERITANCE. From Donald Macintyre, Benbecula. THERE was once a farmer, and he was well off. He had three sons. When he was on the bed of death he called them to him, and he said, "My sons, I am going to leave you: let there be no disputing when I am gone. In a certain drawer...
Xxxvi. Maghach Colgar : p. 181 XXXVI. MAGHACH COLGAR. From Alexander MacNeill, Barra. FIONN, the son of Cumal. FIONN MAC CUMHAIL was in Eirinn, and the king of Lochlann in Lochlann. The king of Lochlann sent MAGHACH COLGAR to Fionn to be taught. The king of the SEALG sent to him his own son, whom they called INNSRIDH...
Xliii. The Sharp Grey Sheep : p. 300 XLIII. THE SHARP GREY SHEEP. From John Dewar, labourer, Glendaruail, Cowal. THERE was a king and a queen, and they had a daughter, and the queen found death, and the king married another. And the last queen was bad to the daughter of the first queen, and she used to beat her and put her out...
L. The Three Questions : p. 406 L. THE THREE QUESTIONS. From the Brothers MacCraw, North Uist, 1859. THERE was once, long ago, a scholar; and when he had done learning, his master said that he must now answer three questions, or have his head taken off. The scholar was to have time to make ready, and being in a gre...
Xxxiv. The Origin Of Loch Ness : p. 147 XXXIV. THE ORIGIN OF LOCH NESS. From Mr. Thomas MacDonald, now gamekeeper at Dunrobin. WHERE Loch Ness now is, there was long ago a fine glen. A woman went one day to the well to fetch water, and she found the spring flowing so fast that she got frightened, and left her pitcher and r...
Xlix. The Cat And The Mouse : p. 404 XLIX. THE CAT AND THE MOUSE. 1 From Hector MacLean, Islay. 1. THUIRT an luch bheag 's i 'san toll, "D 'm fonn a th' air a' chat ghlas?" "Fonn math is deagh shaod Gum faodadh thusa tighinn a mach." 2. "S mor m' eagal romh na dubhain chrom, A th' agad ann am bonn do chas Mharbh thu mo...
Ross : ROSS. The Ross-shire account of fairies is again much the same. The people say very little about them, and those who have been kind enough to note stories picked up amongst their less instructed neighbours, have only sent fresh evidence to prove that the fairy creed is the same there as everywhere...
Xxx. The Two Shepherds : p. 94 XXX. THE TWO SHEPHERDS. THERE were out between Lochaber and Baideanach two shepherds who were neighbours to each other, and the one would often be going to see the other. One was on the east side of a river, and another on the west. The one who was on the west side of the river came...
Xxviii. The Smith And The Fairies : p. 57 XXVIII. THE SMITH AND THE FAIRIES. From the Rev. Thomas Pattieson, Islay. YEARS ago there lived in Crossbrig a smith of the name of MacEachern. This man had an only child, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years of age, cheerful, strong, and healthy. All of a sudden he fell ill; took...
Xlvii. Fearachur Leigh : p. 377 XLVII. FEARACHUR LEIGH. From Sutherland. NOW Farquhar was one time a drover in the Reay country, and he went from Glen Gollich to England (some say Falkirk), to sell cattle; and the staff that he had in his hand was hazel (caltuinn). One day a doctor met him. "What's that," said he, "th...
Sutherland : SUTHERLAND. In Sutherland the fairy creed is much the same as elsewhere in Scotland, but there is a generic term for supernatural beings, which is rarely used in West Country Gaelic. Here are a few of a large and very good collection of Sutherland stories. 1. Duncan, surnamed More, a respectable...
Xxxi. Osean After The Feen : p. 113 XXXI. OSEAN AFTER THE FEEN. From Barra. OISEAN was an old man after the (time of the) Feen, and he (was) dwelling in the house of his daughter. He was blind, deaf, and limping, and there were nine oaken skewers in his belly, and he ate the tribute that Padraig had over Eirinn. They were...
Xxxiii. The Tale Of The Queen Who Sought : p. 141 XXXIII. THE TALE OF THE QUEEN WHO SOUGHT A DRINK FROM A CERTAIN WELL. From Mrs. MacTavish, Port Ellen, Islay. THERE was before now, a queen who was sick, and she had three daughters. Said she to the one who was eldest, "Go to the well of true water, and bring to me a drink to heal me."...
Li. The Fair Gruagach, Son Of The King Of Eirinn : p. 424 LI. THE FAIR GRUAGACH, SON OF THE KING OF EIRINN. From Alexander MacNeill, fisherman, Ten Tangval, Barra. THE Fair Chief, son of the King of Eirinn, went away with his great company to hold court, and keep company with him. A woman met him, whom they called the Dame of the Fine Green...
Xxxix. The Three Widows : p. 232 XXXIX. THE THREE WIDOWS. From Hector Boyd, Fisherman, Barra. THERE were three widows, and every one of them had a son apiece. Dmhnull was the name of the son of one of them. 1 Dmhnull had four stots, and the rest had but two each. They were always scolding, saying that he had more grass...
Xxxviii. Murachadh Mac Brian : p. 209 XXXVIII. MURACHADH MAC BRIAN. From Donald Shaw, old soldier, Ballygrant, Islay. THERE were three men in the land of Ceann Coire, in Erin--that was Moorchug MacBreean, and Donachug MacBreean, and Breean Borr, their father. They got a call to go to dine in a place which they called MAGH O...
Xxvii. Cailliach Mhor Chlibhrich : p. 56 XXVII. CAILLIACH MHOR CHLIBHRICH. From W. Ross, stalker. THIS celebrated witch was accused of having enchanted the deer of the Reay forest, so that they avoided pursuit. Lord Reay was exceedingly angry, but at a loss how to remedy the evil. His man, William (the same who braved the witch...