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diff --git a/40290-8.txt b/40290-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3075b00..0000000 --- a/40290-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9746 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Testimony of Tradition, by David MacRitchie - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Testimony of Tradition - -Author: David MacRitchie - -Release Date: July 21, 2012 [EBook #40290] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TESTIMONY OF TRADITION *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -THE TESTIMONY OF TRADITION. - - -BY THE SAME AUTHOR. - - ANCIENT AND MODERN BRITONS: a Retrospect. - 2 vols., demy 8vo, 24s. - - ACCOUNTS OF THE GYPSIES OF INDIA. Collected - and Edited. With Map and 2 Illustrations. - Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. - -London : Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Ltd. - - -[Illustration: THE BRUGH OF THE BOYNE, NEW GRANGE, COUNTY MEATH. -(_From the South._)] - - - - -THE - -TESTIMONY OF TRADITION - - -BY -DAVID MACRITCHIE - -AUTHOR OF "ANCIENT AND MODERN BRITONS" - - -_WITH TWENTY ILLUSTRATIONS_ - - -LONDON -KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRÜBNER & CO., LIMITED -1890 - - - - -LONDON: - -PRINTED BY WOODFALL AND KINDER, - -70 TO 76, LONG ACRE, W.C. - - -PREFACE. - - -A large portion of this work has already appeared in the form of a -series of articles contributed to the _Archæological Review_ -(Aug.-Oct., 1889, and Jan., 1890), but these have here undergone -some alteration and have been supplemented to a considerable extent. - -With regard to the correctness of the deductions drawn in the -following pages from the facts and traditions there stated, there -may easily be a difference of opinion. And indeed one writer, Mr. -Alfred Nutt, in the course of a very learned dissertation on the -Development of the Fenian or Ossianic Saga,[1] has expressed his -dissent from the theories advanced in the articles referred to. It -would be out of place to enter here into a consideration of the -grounds of Mr. Nutt's objections, even if that did not demand an -undue amount of space; but it may be pointed out that the articles -upon which his criticism is based only state very partially the case -which even the following more enlarged version is far from -presenting fully. But what is of much greater importance is, that -the theory which I have here endeavoured to set forth has the -peculiar advantage of possessing a tangible test of its worth. What -that test is will be readily seen by every reader. If the result of -future archæological excavations should be to confirm tradition (as -it is needless to say the writer of these pages believes will be the -case), the question then will be one, not of interpreting tradition -so that it may square with current beliefs, but of modifying or -altering these beliefs, where they are distinctly in disagreement -with tradition. - - -FOOTNOTE: - -[1] Appended to the collection of "Folk and Hero Tales from -Argyllshire" which forms the second volume of the series entitled -"Waifs and Strays of Celtic Tradition" (London, 1890; published by -the Folk-Lore Society). - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - PREFACE v - - - CHAPTER I. - - Shetland Finns--Orkney Finnmen--Finn Localities--Kayaks - and Kayak-men--An Orkney Kayak of 1696 1-11 - - - CHAPTER II. - - "Zee-Woners"--Piratical Mer-folk--Landsmen and Mermen-- - Iberian Skin-boats--Boats made by Norway Finns--"Marine - People" of the Hebrides--Probable Finns in Galloway 12-25 - - - CHAPTER III. - - "Inhabitants of the Isles of this Kingdom"--The Isles in - the Seventeenth Century--"Barbarous Men" 26-32 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - Homes of the Finns--Norwegian Suzerainty 33-38 - - - CHAPTER V. - - Finnish Influence in Norway 39-42 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - The Feinne--The Battle of Gawra--The Feenic Confederacy 43-50 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - Feens or Cruithné--Fin in the Kingdom of the Big - Men--Dwarfish Tyrants 51-57 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Pechts or Dwarfs--Pechts' Houses--Earth-Houses in - Greenland--"Interlude of the Droichs" 58-65 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - How the Pechts Built--Pecht-lands--The Builders of - Corstorphine Church--"Unco wee bodies, but terrible - strang" 66-74 - - - CHAPTER X. - - Strongholds of the Feens--The _Broch_ and the - _Sith-Bhrog_ 75-79 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - Fians and Fairies--Tenth-Century Fairies--Continental - Fians and Fairies--Finn and his Dwarf in Sylt 80-88 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - Witchcraft of the Trollmen--The King of the Sidhtir of - Munster--The "Great-Beamed Deer" of the Feens--Reindeer in - Scotland in the Twelfth Century--Pechts and Fairies 89-100 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - Hollow Hillocks--The Settler and the Mound-Dwellers-- - "Hog-Boys"--Maes-How--Interior of the Chambered - Mound--A Dwarf's House in Sylt--The Little People in - Scotland--Fairy Mounds 101-118 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - The Brugh of the Boyne--The Brugh as Described in - 1724--Gaels _versus_ Dananns--Dananns, Fir Sidhe, or - Fairies--Cruithne=Feinne--Inmates of the Brugh--Plunder - of the Boyne Hillocks in 861--_Sith Eamhna_--Tales of - Adventures in "Weems"--The Dowth Mound 119-140 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - Goblin Halls--The Castle Hill of Clunie--Tomnahurich, - Inverness--The Palace of the King of the Pechts--Pecht - Localities--The Fairy Knowe of Aberfoyle--Chambered - Mounds 141-155 - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - Scott's "Rob Roy"--Shaggy Men--Red Fairies of Wales-- - Brownies and Forest-Men--The Ainos--A Hairy Race--Modern - "Pechts"--Cave-Men--Dwarf-Tribes and Reindeer--_Pÿgmei - Vulgo Screlinger Dicti_ 156-175 - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - Platycnemic Men--_Ur-uisg_=_Mailleachan_ 176-180 - - - Appendix A.--_The Brugh of the Boyne_ 181-189 - - Appendix B.--_The Skrælings_ 190-193 - - Index 195-205 - - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - THE BRUGH OF THE BOYNE, NEW GRANGE, COUNTY MEATH _Frontispiece._ - - KAYAKKER IN HIGH SEA _To face page_ 12 - - WIGWAMS OF THE JURA ISLANDERS IN 1772 " 24 - - MAES-HOW, ORKNEY " " 108 - - SECTIONAL VIEW AND GROUND PLAN OF MAES-HOW " 108 - - THE INTERIOR OF THE "HOW" " 109 - - SECTIONAL VIEW OF THE BRUGH OF THE BOYNE " " 120 - - DOORWAY OF THE BRUGH " 121 - - ENLARGED SECTIONAL VIEW OF PASSAGE AND CHAMBER, - BRUGH OF THE BOYNE " " 122 - - GROUND PLANS OF PASSAGE AND CHAMBER, BRUGH OF - THE BOYNE (From Drawings of 1724 and 1889) " " 124 - - EASTERN RECESS OF CENTRAL CHAMBER, BRUGH OF THE BOYNE " " 126 - - DOWTH (_Uaimh Feirt Bodan os Dubath_), COUNTY MEATH " " 136 - - PLAN OF DOWTH " 137 - - PLAN OF PASSAGE AND CHAMBER AT DOWTH " 138 - - BEE-HIVE CHAMBER, DOWTH " 139 - - KNOWTH (_Uaimh Cnoghbhai_), COUNTY MEATH " " 140 - - THE DWARFS OF GERMAN FOLK-LORE " " 164 - - AN AINO PATRIARCH " 168 - - AINO OF 1804 " 170 - - A "GOOD FAIRY" OF TRADITION " 173 - - - - -THE - -TESTIMONY OF TRADITION. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -In one of an interesting series of papers on "Scottish, Shetlandic, -and Germanic Water Tales,"[2] Dr. Karl Blind remarks as follows:-- - - It is in the Shetland Tales that we hear a great deal of - creatures partly more than human, partly less so, which - appear in the interchangeable shape of men and seals. They - are said to have often married ordinary mortals, so that - there are, even now, some alleged descendants of them, who - look upon themselves as superior to common people. - - In Shetland, and elsewhere in the North, the sometimes - animal-shaped creatures of this myth, but who in reality - are human in a higher sense, are called _Finns_. Their - transfiguration into seals seems to be more a kind of - deception they practise. For the males are described as - most daring boatmen, with powerful sweep of the oar, who - chase foreign vessels on the sea. At the same time they are - held to be deeply versed in magic spells and in the healing - art, as well as in soothsaying. By means of a "skin" which - they possess, the men and the women among them are able to - change themselves into seals. But on shore, after having - taken off their wrappage, they are, and behave like, real - human beings. Anyone who gets hold of their protecting - garment has the Finns in his power. Only by means of the - skin can they go back to the water. Many a Finn woman has - got into the power of a Shetlander and borne children to - him; but if a Finn woman succeeded in reobtaining her - sea-skin, or seal-skin, she escaped across the water. Among - the older generation in the Northern isles persons are - still sometimes heard of who boast of hailing from Finns; - and they attribute to themselves a peculiar luckiness on - account of that higher descent. - - * * * * * - - Tales of the descent of certain families from water beings - of a magic character are very frequent in the ... North. In - Ireland such myths also occur sporadically. In Wales ... - the origin from mermen or mermaids is often charged as a - reproach upon unhappy people; and rows originate from such - assertions. In Shetland the reverse is, or was, the case. - There the descendants of Finns have been wont to boast of - their origin; regarding themselves as favourites of - Fortune.... - - * * * * * - - But who are the Finns of the Shetlandic story? Are they - simply a poetical transfiguration of finny forms of the - flood? Or can the Ugrian race of the Finns, which dwells in - Finland, in the high north of Norway, and in parts of - Russia, have something to do with those tales in which a - Viking-like character is unmistakable? - - * * * * * - - Repeated investigations have gradually brought me to the - conviction that the Finn or Seal stories contain a - combination of the mermaid myth with a strong historical - element--that the Finns are nothing else than a fabulous - transmogrification of those Norse "sea-dogs," who from eld - have penetrated into the islands round Scotland, into - Scotland itself, as well as into Ireland. "Old sea-dog" is - even now a favourite expression for a weather-beaten, - storm-tossed skipper--a perfect seal among the wild waves. - - The assertion of a "higher" origin of still living persons - from Finns ... would thus explain itself as a wildly - legendary remembrance of the descent from the blood of - Germanic conquerors. The "skin" wherewith the Finns change - themselves magically into sea-beings I hold to be their - armour, or coat of mail. Perhaps that coat itself was often - made of seal-skin, and then covered with metal rings, or - scales, as we see it in Norman pictures; for instance, on - the Bayeux tapestry. The designation of Norwegian and - Danish conquerors, in Old Irish history, as "scaly - monsters," certainly fits in with this hypothesis. - - * * * * * - - But however the Finn name may be explained etymologically, - at all events Norway appears in the Shetland tales, and in - the recollection of the people there, as the home of the - "Finns." And this home--as I see from an interesting bit of - folk-lore before me--is evidently in the south of - Norway.... - - "Before coming to this important point, I may mention a - Shetlandic spell-song ... [which] refers to the cure of the - toothache; the Finn appearing therein as a magic - medicine-man:-- - - A Finn came ow'r fa Norraway, - Fir ta pit töth-ache away-- - Oot o' da flesh an' oot o' da bane; - Oot o' da sinew an' oot o' da skane; - Oot o' da skane an' into da stane; - An dare may do remain! - An dare may do remain! - An dare may do remain! - - In this, though not strictly and correctly, alliterative - song, the Finn is not an animal-shaped creature of the - deep, but a man, a charm-working doctor from Norway.... - Presently we will, however, see that the Finns of the - Shetlandic stories are martial pursuers of ships, to whom - ransom must be paid in order to get free from them. This - cannot apply ... to a mere marine animal or sea monster: - for what should such a creature do with ransom money?... As - to their animal form, Mr. George Sinclair writes:-- - - "Sea monsters are for most part called 'Finns' in Shetland. - They have the power to take any shape of any marine animal, - as also that of human beings. They were wont to _pursue - boats at sea_, and it was dangerous in the extreme to say - _anything against them_. I have heard that _silver money - was thrown overboard to them_ to prevent their doing any - damage to the boat. In the seal-form they came ashore every - ninth night to dance on the sands. They would then cast off - their skins, and act _just like men and women_. They could - not, however, return to the sea without their skins--they - were _simply human beings_, as an old song says: - - "'I am a man upo' da land; - I am a selkie i' da sea. - An' whin I'm far fa every strand, - My dwelling is in Shöol Skerry.'" - - * * * * * - - There are many such folk-tales in the northern Thule. A - man, we learn, always gets possession of the Finn woman by - seizing the skin she has put off. One of these stories says - that the captured Finn woman would often leave her husband - to enjoy his slumber alone, and go down amongst the rocks - to converse with her Finn one: but the inquisitive people - who listened could not understand a single word of the - conversation. She would, it is said, return after such - interviews with briny and swollen eyes. - - The human family of this Finn were human in all points - except in hands, which resembled web feet. Had the foolish - man who was her husband burnt or destroyed the skin, the - Finn woman could never have escaped. But the man had the - skin hidden, and it was found by one of the bairns, who - gave it to his mother. Thereupon she fled; and it is said - that she cried at parting with her family very bitterly. - The little ones were the only human beings she cared for. - When the father came home, he found the children in tears, - and on learning what had happened, bounded through the - standing corn to the shore, where he only arrived in time - to see, to his grief, his good wife shaking flippers and - embracing an ugly brute of a seal. She cried:-- - - "Blissins' be wi' de, - Baith de and da bairns! - Bit do kens, da first love - Is aye da best!" - - whereupon she disappeared with her Finn husband and lover. - - * * * * * - - ... I here give what Mr. Robert Sinclair says of the - capture of Finn brides by Shetlanders: - - "Each district, almost, has its own version of a case where - a young Shetlander had married a female Finn. They were - generally caught at their toilet in the tide-mark, having - doffed the charmed covering, and being engaged in dressing - their flowing locks while the enamoured youth, by some - lucky stroke, secured the skin, rendering the owner a - captive victim of his passion. Thus it was that whole - families of a mongrel race sprang up, according to - tradition. The Finn women were said to _make good - housewives_. Yet there was generally a longing after some - previous attachment; if ever a chance occurred of - recovering the essential dress, no newly formed ties of - kindred could prevent escape and return to former - pleasures. This was assiduously guarded against on the one - side, and watched on the other; but, as the story goes, - female curiosity and cunning were always more than a match - for male care and caution; and the Finn woman always got - the slip. One or two of these female Finns were said to - have the power to conjure up from the deep a superior breed - of horned cattle; and these always throve well. I have seen - some pointed out to me as the offspring of these - 'sea-kye.'" - - In answer to my question, the Shetland friend lays great - stress on the fact of the Finn woman being wholly distinct - from the Mermaid.... - - * * * * * - - Of the Finn man my informant says:-- - - "Stories of the Norway Finns were rife in my younger days. - These were said to be a race of creatures of _human origin_ - no doubt, but possessed of some power of enchantment by - which they could, with the use of a charmed seal-skin, - become in every way, to all appearance, a veritable seal; - only _retaining their human intelligence_. It seems that - any seal-skin could not do; each _must have their specially - prepared skin_ before they could assume the aquatic life. - But then they could live for years in the sea. Yet they - were not reckoned as belonging to the natural class of - 'amphibia.' As man or seal they were simply Finns, and - could play their part well in either element. Their feats - were marvellous. It was told me as sheer truth that they - could _pull across to Bergen_--nearly 300 miles--in a few - hours, and that, while ordinary mortals were asleep, they - could make the return voyage. Nine miles for every warp - (stroke of the oar) was the traditional speed...." - - Here, then, the Finns are men of human origin; remaining - intelligent men in their sea-dog raiment; coming from - Norway; not swimming like marine animals, but rowing - between Shetland and Norway--namely, to the town of Bergen, - which lies in the southern ... part of Norway. As strong - men at sea, they row with magic quickness.... Each one of - them ... must have his specially prepared skin.... There is - nothing here of the swimming and dipping down of a seal. - -We have followed Dr. Karl Blind so far. But, while recognizing the -value of his statements and comments up to this point, it is -necessary to give only a modified assent to some of his subsequent -deductions, and to flatly deny the correctness of others; because -his researches in "Shetlandic folk-lore" have clearly been too -limited in their extent, or rather, he has omitted to check those -traditions by any possible contemporary records. Some of those tales -were received from a Shetland woman "who strongly believed in the -Finns, and declared herself to be a descendant of them.... She was, -she said, the 'fifth from the Finns,' and she attributed great -luckiness to herself, although she was as poor as poor could be." -One of her stories is of her father's great-grandfather; and as this -ancestor of the woman's is not spoken of as a "Finn," it would seem -that she was "fifth from the Finns" through another branch of her -lineage. But, at any rate, this progenitor in the fourth degree -cannot have belonged to a much later period than the middle of the -eighteenth century. However, we shall see these Shetland Finns more -plainly described if we turn to the latter part of the seventeenth -century. - -In "A Description of the Isles of Orkney," written by the Rev. James -Wallace, A.M., Minister of Kirkwall, about the year 1688, one reads -as follows:-- - - Sometime about this Country [Orkney] are seen these Men - which are called _Finnmen_; In the year 1682 one was seen - sometime sailing, sometime Rowing up and down in his little - Boat at the south end of the Isle of _Eda_, most of the - people of the Isle flocked to see him, and when they - adventured to put out a Boat with men to see if they could - apprehend him, he presently fled away most swiftly: And in - the Year 1684, another was seen from _Westra_, and for a - while after they got few or no Fishes, for they have this - Remark here, that these _Finnmen_ drive away the fishes - from the place to which they come. - -Again, in Brand's "Brief Description of Orkney, Zetland, etc." -(1701), it is stated:-- - - There are frequently _Fin-men_ seen here upon the Coasts, - as one about a year ago on _Stronsa_, and another within - these few Months on _Westra_, a gentleman with many others - in the Isle looking on him nigh to the shore, but when any - endeavour to apprehend them they flee away most swiftly; - Which is very strange, that one man sitting in his little - Boat, should come some hundred of Leagues, from their own - Coasts, as they reckon _Finland_ to be from _Orkney_; It - may be thought wonderfull how they live all that time, and - are able to keep the Sea so long. His Boat is made of - Seal-skins, or some kind of leather, he also hath a Coat of - Leather upon him, and he sitteth in the middle of his Boat, - with a little Oar in his hand, Fishing with his Lines: And - when in a storm he seeth the high surge of a wave - approaching, he hath a way of sinking his Boat, till the - wave pass over, lest thereby he should be overturned. The - Fishers here observe that these _Finmen_ or _Finland-men_, - by their coming drive away the Fishes from the Coasts. One - of their Boats is kept as a Rarity in the _Physicians Hall - at Edinburgh_. - -This last fact was first stated by Wallace (1688; previously -quoted), who remarks: - - One of their Boats sent from Orkney to Edinburgh is to be - seen in the Physitians hall with the Oar and the Dart he - makes use of for killing Fish, [and it is stated by Mr. - John Small, M.A., &c., in his edition[3] of this book that - the boat spoken of was "afterwards presented to the - University Museum, now incorporated with the Museum of - Science and Art, Edinburgh"; and a note appended to the - second edition also states that "there is another of their - boats in the Church of Burra in Orkney."] - -Wallace's book has also a note ascribed to the author's son, to the -following effect: - - I must acknowledge it seems a little unaccountable how - these _Finn-men_ should come on this coast, but they must - probably be driven by storms from home, and cannot tell, - when they are any way at sea, how to make their way home - again; they have this advantage, that be the Seas never so - boisterous, their boats being made of Fish Skins, are so - contrived that he can never sink, but is like a Sea-gull - swimming on the top of the watter. His shirt he has is so - fastned to the Boat, that no water can come into his Boat - to do him damage, except when he pleases to untye it.... - -There is, it will be seen, some difference of opinion as to the -place whence these Finn-men came. The Shetlandic folk-lore indicates -Bergen, on the south-western coast of Norway; Brand regards Finland -as their home; while Wallace takes a still wider range. This last -writer (who is the first in point of time) says this of -them:--"These _Finn-men_ seem to be some of these people that dwell -about the _Fretum Davis_ [Davis Straits], a full account of whom may -be seen in the natural and moral History of the _Antilles_, Chap. -18." At first sight, and according to modern nomenclature, the -connection between the Antilles and Davis Straits seems very remote. -But it must be remembered that the traditional country of "Antilla," -or the "Antilles," probably included the modern Atlantic seaboard of -North America; and that, when that territory was invaded by the -Norsemen of the tenth century, it was found to contain a population -of exactly the same description as those "Finn" races--people of -dwarfish stature, who traversed their bays and seas in skin-covered -skiffs.[4] However, Wallace's theory is obviously untenable. It is -most improbable that any Eskimo of Davis Straits would attempt the -trans-Atlantic passage in his tiny _kayak_, supporting life on the -voyage by eating raw such fish as he might catch. Indeed, the feat -is almost an impossibility. Moreover, it is quite clear that those -Finn-men were voluntary and frequent visitors to the Orkneys, and -(more especially) to the Shetlands; and the "Fin-land" from which -they came is stated by the Shetlanders to have been no further off -than Bergen, on the Norwegian coast.[5] - -It is quite evident that "the Finns of the Shetlandic story" -formed a branch of the "Ugrian race of the Finns"; and that some of -them "came ow'r fa Norraway"--whether as "wizards," or as fishermen, -or as pirates (for they figure in all these characters). The -description of their skin-covered canoes is of itself quite -sufficient to show that those "Finns" of Orkney and Shetland were of -the Eskimo races. So that those "sea-skins," without which the -captive Finn women could not make their escape, were simply their -canoes. And the exaggerated stories of the speed with which the -Finns could cross from Shetland to Bergen have their foundation in -the fact that those little skiffs can be propelled through the water -at such a rate that the hunted Finn was enabled to "flee away most -swiftly" from the clumsier boats of his pursuers. The speed of the -kayak is very clearly illustrated in an account of the doings of one -of "these people that dwell about the _Fretum Davis_," who was -brought to this country in 1816, and who, in that year, showed the -great superiority of his skiff in a contest with a six-oared -whale-boat at Leith. "He paddled his canoe from the inner harbour," -says the _Scots Magazine_ of that year (p. 656), "round the Martello -Tower and back in sixteen minutes, against a whale-boat with six -stout rowers, and evidently shewed his ability to outsail his -opponents by the advantages he frequently gave them, and which he -redeemed as often as he chose." This, it will be seen, was simply a -repetition of the scenes described a hundred and twenty years -earlier, in the Orkney and Shetland groups; the chief difference -being that those earlier Eskimos had their home in Europe, and not -in any part of the western hemisphere. Of course, the Shetland -belief that the Finns could "pull across to Bergen in a few hours," -and that "nine miles for every warp (stroke of the oar) was the -traditional speed," is obviously an exaggeration. But the distance -(which is nearer 200 than "300" miles) might almost be traversed in -the course of the long midsummer day of those northern latitudes--by -such seafarers, and in such craft.[6] - -But, while the "seal-skin" of the traditional Finn was primarily his -skin kayak, it is likely enough that he is also remembered as the -wearer of a seal-skin garment; and that from this has arisen the -confusion of ideas regarding this magic "skin." "His boat is made of -seal-skins, or some kind of leather," says Brand, in describing the -Finn-man; but he adds that "_he_ also hath a coat of leather upon -him." And Dr. Wallace tells us that the Finns "have this advantage, -that be the seas never so boisterous, their boats being made of fish -skins, are so contrived that he can never sink, but is like a -sea-gull swimming on the top of the water." And he continues: "His -shirt he has is so fastened to the boat that no water can come into -his boat to do him damage, except when he pleases to untie it." Dr. -Rink, in referring to the kayaks of those "Finn-men" who inhabit the -regions surrounding the Fretum Davis, uses similar terms: "The deck -alone was not sufficient; the sea washing over it would soon fill -the kayak through the hole, in which its occupant is sitting, if his -clothing did not at the same time close the opening around him. This -adaptation of the clothing is tried by degrees in various ways -throughout the Eskimo countries, but it does not attain its -perfection except in Greenland, where it forms in connection with -the kayak itself a water-tight cover for the whole body excepting -the face."[7] But, in making this last statement, Dr. Rink is -speaking of the nineteenth-century representatives of this race; and -in ignorance of the fact that the "Eskimos" of the North Sea had -long ago realized the necessity for this waterproof covering.[8] - -This waterproof "shirt" is also specially mentioned in connection -with the Finn kayak that the two Scotch writers of the seventeenth -century refer to. Wallace, it will be remembered, says of the Orkney -Finn-men that "one of their boats sent from Orkney to Edinburgh is -to be seen in the Physicians' Hall, with the oar and the dart he -makes use of for killing fish." At the time when Wallace wrote, in -or about the year 1688, there is no doubt that the boat was so -deposited. But, although the second writer, Brand, makes the same -statement, it is evident that he only did so on the authority of his -predecessor. Because, four or five years before Brand's book -appeared, the Finnman's kayak had been presented by the Royal -College of Physicians to the University of Edinburgh. The way in -which the Physicians' College had obtained the boat was through the -president of the college, Sir Andrew Balfour, eminent as a -physician, botanist and naturalist, and a great collector of all -sorts of curiosities. At his death in 1694, his collection passed to -the University of Edinburgh, by bequest. But, for one reason or -another, the Finnman's boat still remained in the Physicians' -College. This will be seen from the following extract from the -Minute Book of that College, which records the transfer of the boat -to the University of Edinburgh, two years after Sir Andrew Balfour's -death. The date of the Minute is 24th September, 1696.[9] "The qlk -[whilk] day y^e colledge considering y^t dr Balfour's curiositys are -all in y^e Colledge of Edr & amongst them y^e oars of y^e boat & y^e -Shirt of y^e barbarous man y^t was in y^e boat belonging to y^e -Colledge of physitians & y^t the same boat is likly to be lost they -having noe convenient place to keep it in doe give the s^d boat to -y^e colledge of Edr ther to be preserved & y^t it be insert there -y^t its gifted by y^e royall Colledge." - -From this extract we gain the additional information that the -"Shirt" or "Coat of Leather" of the "barbarous man" himself had also -found its way to the University Museum of Edinburgh; presumably -through Sir Andrew Balfour also, or perhaps through his friend and -colleague, Sir Robert Sibbald (known as the author,[10] _inter -alia_, of a "Description" of the Orkney and Shetland Isles).[11] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[2] Contributed to _The Contemporary Review_ of 1881, and _The -Gentleman's Magazine_ of 1882. - -[3] A reprint of 1883: William Brown, Edinburgh. - -[4] _Antiquitates Americanæ._ _See_ Appendix B. - -[5] It may be from them that an inlet at Bergen is called "_Fens_ -Fiord." Bergen is so much associated with the "Finns" of Shetlandic -tradition that it is at least worthy of notice that a special caste, -known as _Strils_ (pronounced "Streels"), who are very primitive in -character, and who are regarded by the neighbouring Norwegians as of -a different stock from their own, still inhabit the numerous islands -that protect Bergen from the ocean. "They speak Norwegian after a -fashion of their own, but it is very difficult to understand them, -and there is reason to suppose that their idioms have a Samoyede -root." ("Bergen," by Lieut. G. T. Temple, R.N., in _Good Words_, -1880, p. 767 _et seq._) - -[6] A recent visitor to the Greenland branch of that family states -that "a skilled Eskimo can, in his kayak, go even eighty miles in -one day." The length of the day is, of course, an important matter. -Dr. Nansen, the traveller referred to (who made the above statement -in his paper read before the Scottish Geographical Society at -Edinburgh on 1st July, 1889) gained his experience of kayaks during -winter, when the Greenland day is very short. If the eighty miles -were done _then_, the speed is marvellous. It is so, indeed, in any -case. When Dr. Nansen reached Godthaab in October, the nearest -Europe-bound ship was lying at a place 240 miles to the south, and a -"kayaker" was despatched thither to try and detain the vessel, which -was to sail in the middle of the month. Though unsuccessful in his -mission, he reached the vessel in plenty of time. The dates of his -journey are not given. But the mere fact of the man being thus sent -as an express messenger argues that a very high rate of speed was -relied upon. - -[7] "The Eskimo Tribes," Copenhagen, 1887, p. 6. - -[8] It may be mentioned that the variety worn by the Alaskan Eskimo -is not of seal-_skin_. It is described as a "peculiar waterproof -coat called a camalinkie, made from the entrails of the seal, and is -nearly as fine as tissue paper, almost every inch of it being -quilted, to strengthen it. The Aleut wears this curious garment when -seated in his canoe." ("Seal Hunting in Behring Sea"; contributed to -the _Scotsman_ of Sep. 20, 1889, by Edward C. Richards.) - -[9] For this extract I am indebted to the courtesy of the President -and Council of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. - -[10] More correctly, the editor and publisher of a previous MS. - -[11] It is an unfortunate circumstance that, owing to the lamentable -indifference of the custodiers of the Finnman's canoe subsequent to -the year 1696, it seems impossible to say whether or not that vessel -is still preserved. In 1865 the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art -became possessed of the collection of the University, and in that -collection were two kayaks, with regard to which nothing definite -was known at the time of transference. If the University "preserved" -the Finnman's kayak, as the College of Physicians expected, then it -must be one of these two, as these were the only kayaks in the -University Museum in 1865. (In the hope of obtaining a definite -solution of this question, I have given a description of that kayak -which appears to be the most likely to be the Finnman's, in a paper -read before the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland on 10th February, -1890.) - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -Anyone familiar with the shape of the long, narrow, skin-covered -skiff of the Eskimo (which, as has just been pointed out, is -completely "decked," with the exception of the round aperture in the -middle, where the rower sits--his legs being thrust in front of him, -underneath the "deck,") will see that when the Finn had fastened his -seal-skin garment to the sides of the aperture, he and his boat were -one. Thus not only could "no water come into his Boat to do him -damage," but he appeared (to people unacquainted with his anatomy) -as some amphibious seal-man--"a selkie i' da sea," as the Shetland -rhyme goes. This resemblance is even further borne out by the -ability of the kayaker to overset himself and his kayak, and then to -re-appear on the surface of the water, without either himself or his -skiff suffering any injury, as both were impervious to water. This -feat is evidently a delight to the kayaker, and the Eskimo already -referred to as having displayed his skill at Leith in the year 1816, -performed this manoeuvre many times, to the great astonishment of -the onlookers. Thus the Finnman of the North Sea, who presumably -indulged in this amusement, like his representatives in Greenland -to-day, was thereby rendered still more like a creature of the deep, -"a perfect seal among the wild waves," as Dr. Karl Blind -remarks.[12] - -[Illustration: KAYAKKER IN HIGH SEA.] - -It is to the apparently amphibious nature of this peculiar people, -that one may trace much--if not all--that has been recorded of -mermen and mermaids; who, in other words, were seamen and seamaids. -The conventional mer-man is portrayed as visible above water from -the waist upward. And that the kayaker presents a similar appearance -may be seen from a description given of an Eskimo flotilla by one -who has had personal experience of the Hudson's Bay regions,[13] -wherein it is stated that, at some distance from the land, "the low -kayaks" of the Eskimos, being almost quite flush with the water, "it -seemed as if their occupants were actually seated on the water." The -accompanying spirited sketch by Mr. A. R. Carstensen of a modern -Eskimo, as he appears "when the waves come upon him with all their -fury," helps much to make one realize the appearance of the Orkney -Finnman, whether in storm or in calm.[14] It is easy to see how a -race of "_zee-woners_" such as these could gradually become -remembered as an actually amphibious people. - -Those legendary mermaids who are described as using combs and -mirrors were plainly allied to these Finn-women. It is manifest that -no amphibious woman (the possibility of whose existence is not here -denied) would carry a mirror and a comb about with her; or that -she--whose chief element was the water--would be for ever engaged in -the mad task of arranging hair which every plunge in the sea would -disarrange most effectually. But those female Finns, whom the -amorous Shetlanders captured before they could regain their -skin-canoes are described as "engaged in dressing their flowing -locks" at the eventful moment: a most natural proceeding on the part -of any woman who has just landed from a sea-voyage (whether these -particular women had come all the way from Bergen, or which is -likely--from some outlying island of the Northern groups). The -_reality_ of those merwomen of Shetland is manifest throughout the -tales relating to them. They bear children to their Shetland lovers; -they "were said to make good housewives;" and their descendants in -the Shetland Islands to-day are, presumably, as "real" and human as -any of Her Majesty's subjects. That most of those unwillingly-wedded -Finn-women tried to regain their liberty at the first opportunity is -seen from the repeated statement that the Shetland husband was -always careful to hide the "sea-skin" of his Finn wife. But, in many -cases the Finn-woman appears to have decided to throw in her lot -with her Shetland husband and people. - -Although Bergen was latterly the home of those Finns who came to -Shetland, it is most probable that many of the stories regarding -them related to a time when they still retained possession of -certain districts in the Shetland islands. When they were -"frequently" seen off the Orkney coast, quietly fishing, it is most -improbable that their homes were among the Fiords of Norway--more -than two hundred miles away. It seems clear that they retained their -hold upon Shetland longer than Orkney; but even in some parts of the -latter archipelago they were apparently pretty much at home in the -year 1700. This was the date of the Rev. Mr. Brand's tour, and a -remark of his leads one to such a conclusion. It must be remembered -that those Finns were regarded as wizards and witches by the more -ignorant classes: "the belief that witches and wizards came from the -coast of Norway disguised as seals was entertained by many of the -Shetland peasantry even so late as the beginning of the present -century." And they were regarded as, in some sense, supernatural -beings. Now Dr. Blind, in suggesting that the "skins" of the Finns -may have been (as in one aspect they actually were) their outward -garments, "made of seal-skins, and then covered with metal rings or -scales"--in assuming this, Dr. Blind is quite in agreement with a -statement made by Brand in 1700; which is to this effect, that -"supernatural" beings were, at the date of his visit, "frequently -seen in several of the Isles (the Orkneys) dancing and making merry -_and sometimes seen in Armour_." It ought not to be forgotten that -although the Finn fisherman "fled away most swiftly," when chased by -a considerable party of his foes, yet "it is worthy of note that the -supposed object of [the Finn invaders] ... was _plunder_;"[15] that -"they were wont to pursue boats at sea;" that "_silver money was -thrown to them_ to prevent their doing any damage to the boat;" and -that "it was dangerous in the extreme _to say anything against -them_."[16] Whether such attacks were made in their small -skin-canoes, or whether they used larger vessels, it is evident that -they were formidable marauders; and that, as Dr. Blind suggests, and -as the Rev. Mr. Brand records, those Finn pirates were "sometimes -seen in Armour." - -But neither the belief in Mer-men, nor the existence of -traditionary pedigrees deduced from such people, forms a distinctive -characteristic of the Shetland Islands. Just as there are -Shetlanders who trace their lineage to one or more ancestors of Finn -blood, so are there similiar family traditions in many parts of the -British Islands. "It is believed that there are several old Welsh -families who are the descendants" of Mer-folk; and similar examples -are found "in the traditions of the O'Flaherty, O'Sullivan, and -Macnamara families."[17] "The inhabitants of the Isle of Man have a -number of such stories, which may be found in Waldron;"[18] and the -tale of Macphail of Colonsay and "The Mermaid of Corryvreckan" is -not the only Hebridean illustration of this feature. The references -that are made to mermaids in the prefatory remarks to Leyden's -version of the Corryvreckan story are quite in keeping with the -Shetland traditions. That is, there are certain attributes ascribed -to those mer-women which, on the surface, are incredible; but which -the knowledge that is given to us by Brand and Wallace renders quite -intelligible. The "train" or "tail" of the mermaid has only to be -translated "canoe" or "kayak," and what was formerly nonsense -becomes sense. For example, the statement that "the mermaid of -Corrivrekin possessed the power of occasionally resigning her scaly -train," is only a jumbled reminiscence of the fact referred to by -Dr. Wallace who, when speaking of the mer-men, says: "His -[seal-skin] shirt has been so fastened to the Boat, that no water -can come into his Boat to do him damage, except when he pleases to -untye it, which he does ... when he comes ashore." In the other -phraseology, he "possessed the power of occasionally resigning his -scaly train." - -In the remarks prefacing Leyden's "Mermaid" (in The Minstrelsy) it -is stated that "mermaids were sometimes supposed to be possessed of -supernatural power." The Shetland peasantry, also, believe (or did -believe) that "_witches_ ... came from the coast of Norway disguised -as seals." And "Ranulph Higden says 'that the _witches_ in the Isle -of Man anciently sold winds to mariners, and delivered them in -knots, tied upon a thread, _exactly as the Laplanders did_.'"[19] At -one time--if not now, Lapland was regarded as a stronghold of -"magic." Butler in referring to one of the things "in which the -Lapland Magi deal" makes selection of this practice of "selling -winds" to sailors;[20] the "Magi" being (in this detail) feminine. -But the British Islanders have practised many "Lapp" mysteries: and -there is a distinct "Ugrian" element among the British people; -neither of which facts are at all at variance with the traditions -that derive the descent of many modern Britons from sea-faring -tribes of "Finns" and other Mer-folk. - -One account[21] states, with regard to the mer-woman, that "the -sailors pretend to guess what chance they had of saving their lives -in the tempests, which always followed her appearance." Apparently, -this refers more particularly to Norway. In the Channel Islands a -similar belief exists regarding the mer-man, who is styled "the King -of the _Auxcriniers_." "_Il est le baladin lugubre de la tempête_," -says M. Victor Hugo, in describing this mer-man of the Channel.[22] -The probable explanation of this belief is that, when a tempest was -threatening, those solitary rovers--knowing that their fragile -"sea-skins" could never outride a heavy storm--made hastily for the -nearest coast. Indeed, when one looks at those delicate little -vessels, wholly dependent upon the thoroughness of the stitching -that unites the various pieces of skin together, one can only wonder -at the daring of the people who ventured in them a hundred miles and -more from any land. "Nothing but a plank between one and Eternity" -is not so dangerous as it sounds; for planks can float one when the -worst happens. But what is to be made of half-a-dozen bits of -whalebone or wood, with one thin covering of seal-skin stretched -over them? The giving of a stitch, or the smallest fracture in the -skin--and both skiff and skiff-man are under the water. - -To point out the various characteristics of the traditional mer-men -and mer-women, and to suggest an explanation of each, is more than -need be attempted here. But it is enough to remark that the mere -fact that marriages between "men" and the mer-folk were possible and -frequent, is quite sufficient to prove that there was no radical -difference between the two races. When one reads of mer-women -bearing children to land-men, and "making good house-wives" to them; -or, when one learns that the mer-men were given to "deceiving -women," then one may feel pretty certain of their humanity. - -It has been noticed that one of their skin-boats, or kayaks, was -"kept as a Rarity" in the Museum at Edinburgh, and that another was -preserved "in the Church of Burra in Orkney."[23] There are many -British traditions of such boats in connection with such people; -although the names by which those skiffs are popularly remembered -are as unreasonable as the "scaly train" of the Finn-woman of -Corryvreckan. In Sutherland it is said that those people used to -cross the Dornoch Firth in "cockle-shells;"[24] while one man -records having seen them quitting the coasts of the Isle of Man "in -empty rum puncheons," in which vessels he "saw them scudding away as -far as the eye could reach."[25] It is very likely that those -traditional "witches" who went to sea in "sieves" were also -identical with those who came from the coast of Norway "disguised as -seals;" and that the _sieve_ was nothing else than the _kayak_. - -That the Finns of Orkney and Shetland used the long, narrow _kayaks_ -of the modern Esquimaux and Samoyeds is unmistakable: and the same -shape of skiff has probably been employed by British and other -European "mer-men" for an immemorial period. But other varieties of -this kind of boat have been used. For example, the natives of those -islands and promontories which form "the Rosses" of Donegal are -described (in the years 1753 and 1754) as using seal-skin boats; but -their shape does not seem to have been identical with that of the -kayak. "Their boats" (says a visitor to the "Rosses" at that -date[26]), "called curraghs, were oval baskets, covered with -seal-skins; and in such weak and tottering vessels they ventured so -far out as was necessary to get fish enough for their families." - -These _curraghs_, it would seem, were nearer those still used in -Wales (and also by the Mandans of the Upper Missouri) than the long, -covered-in skiff of the Arctic tribes. Or, perhaps, they resemble -those _curraghs_ now used in Ireland, which differ chiefly from -ordinary "boats" in their frames being covered with skins in place -of planks. In his Gaelic dictionary, Armstrong states that "the -_curach_, or boat of leather and wicker," was "much in use in the -Western Isles (Hebrides), even long after the art of building boats -of wood was introduced." As he says that Islemen "fearlessly -committed themselves, in these slight pinnaces, to the mercy of the -most violent weather," it seems most likely that the "decked" kayak -is the kind of which he is speaking, and when he gives a diminutive -form of _curach_ (_curachan_), and defines it "a little skiff; a -canoe," it is almost certain that he has in view the "kayak" of the -Finn-man. - -Whichever of these two terms may be assumed to indicate the kayak, -it is scarcely conceivable that the Hebrideans would "fearlessly -commit themselves to the mercy of the most violent weather," in an -_open_ skin-boat. But this is what the _kayakers_ do. "They do not -fear venturing out to sea in these boats in the greatest storms," -says Hans Egede, referring to the Eskimos of the eighteenth century, -"because they can swim as light upon the largest waves as a bird can -fly; and when the waves come upon them with all their fury, they -only turn the side of the boat towards them to let them pass, -without the least danger of being sunk."[27] Referring to the same -usage of the Orkney Finnman, Brand says that he does this, "when _in -a storm_ he seeth the high surge of a wave approaching." And -Wallace's annotator has the same remark: "They [the Finnmen] have -this advantage, that _be the Seas never so boisterous_, their boats -being made of Fish Skins, are so contrived that he can never sink, -but is like a Sea-gull swimming on the top of the watter." - -It appears impossible to ascertain a time when skin-boats were _not_ -used in Europe. In speaking of the Oestrymnic Isles and their -inhabitants, Dr. Skene quotes the following account of their -vessels, as given by Rufus Festus Avienus, a writer of the fourth -century:-- - - "They know not to fit with pine - Their keels, nor with fir, as use is, - They shape their boats; but, strange to say, - They fit their vessels with united skins, - And often traverse the deep in a hide." - -As Dr. Skene points out, these Oestrymnic Isles were identical with -the _Cassiterides_, (_i.e._, "Tin Islands,") and, under either name, -were famous for their tin mines. But, in identifying them with the -Scilly Isles, Dr. Skene is manifestly in error; as all evidence on -this point tends to show that the Oestrymnides, or Cassiterides, -formed a group of islands lying off the Spanish coast, which, at -some period during the Christian era, became submerged. The -fourth-century writer quoted "says that the northern promontory of -Spain was called Oestrymnis, and adds, 'Below the summit of this -promontory the Oestrymnic bay spreads out before the inhabitants, in -which the Oestrymnic Isles show themselves.'" The testimony of -Diodorus is to the same effect: "Above the country of the -Lusitanians, there are many mines of tin in the little islands -called Cassiterides from this circumstance, lying off Iberia, in the -ocean." So also Strabo, who states that "the Cassiterides are ten in -number, and lie near each other in the ocean, towards the north from -the haven of the Artabri."[28] All this is consistently borne out by -the map of Spain ("from the Latin Ptolemy, 1478") which Mr. Elton, -who calls Dr. Skene's deduction in question, appends to his "Origins -of English History."[29] In that map, it will be seen that, -according to Ptolemy, the Cassiterides--ten in number--lay off the -Spanish coast, north-west of Cape Finisterre, and that that portion -of the mainland was inhabited by the Artabri. Among all these -writers and geographers, therefore, there is entire agreement; and -none of their statements have any reference to the neighbourhood of -the English coast.[30] That these islanders did not know the art of -building vessels of wood, and were accustomed to cross the sea in -skin-boats, is regarded by Dr. Skene as corroborative of his belief -that they were British and not Iberian islanders. "But the Iberian -coracles were as well known as those of the Britons," says Mr. -Elton;[31] and of this we ought perhaps to see a survival in the -"_curo_, a small boat used on the Garonne," which Armstrong compares -with the Gaelic _curach_. - -Of the presence of the skin-boat in British waters there is ample -evidence, and it would be superfluous to enlarge upon this. There -is, moreover, evidence that certain "trans-marine nations" came _to_ -Britain in such craft, in early times. And, half-way between the -opening centuries of the Christian era and the period of the Orkney -Finnmen, there is a reference which suggests the skin-boat among the -Finns of Norway, although it does nothing more than suggest. In the -_Heimskringla_ (Saga xiv) it is stated that Sigurd Slembe and his -followers passed the winter of 1139 in a cave at Tialdasund, the -sound which separates the Lofoten Isles from the Norwegian mainland, -and that on that occasion the Finns (or Lapps, as they are -indifferently called) constructed two large boats for them. These -boats were of fir, but the peculiarity about them was that not a -nail was used in their construction. Like the framework of the -modern kayak, the various parts of these boats were fastened -together by _sinews_,[32] a method which, as the saga shows, was -certainly not that of Sigurd and his people, who remark upon the -absence of nails. Thus, although this incident shows that those -Finns of the twelfth century were able to build boats of wood, yet -their method of joining the timbers suggests the affinity which they -otherwise bear to the Eskimos. But, while their own boats may have -differed from those they built for their visitors, there is nothing -in the passage to support this assumption.[33] - -That the round _curach_ or _coracle_, covered with skin, and -similar to that still seen in Wales, was in use in the north of -Scotland in the early part of the last century, is testified to by a -letter quoted in the _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland_, 1880-81, p. 179-80, from which it will be seen that the -tradition already referred to--that the dwellers on the shores of -the Dornoch Firth used to employ "cockle-shells" as ferry-boats--is -nothing but a fanciful and imperfect resemblance of this particular -kind of _curach_. The _curachs_, however, in which the Western -Islanders "fearlessly committed themselves ... to the mercy of the -most violent weather" cannot have been of this shape. But either -variety of skin-boat was undoubtedly the property of the one race of -people. Among the Eskimos, also, there is considerable variety. We -are told, for example, in a description of the Aleutian Islanders -during last century, that "their vessels consist of two sorts," of -which one is the _kayak_, propelled by the double-bladed paddle, -while the other is large enough to hold thirty or forty people, and -has "oars on both sides." But both kinds are skin-covered. The -Eskimo tribes have also the smaller open skin-boat, capable of -holding eight or ten people. And this, like the similar skin-boat of -the British Isles, has sometimes sails. These facts are therefore -quite consistent with the belief that the European tribes using this -variety of Eskimo boat used also the slender, decked canoe or -"kayak." - -Enough, then, has been said to indicate the presence of those -skiff-people in various parts of the British Islands, and in various -parts of Europe. It may be that the latest _authentic_ records of -British Esquimaux are those given by Brand and Wallace, in the end -of the seventeenth century.[34] True, the Shetlandic (and perhaps -other) traditions bring us down to later dates. But traditions are -necessarily uncertain. However, we do know that the waters -surrounding the Orcadian and Shetland groups were fished in by -Esquimaux tribes so recently as the year 1700[35]; and we also know -from tradition, that these same "Finns" or "Finn-men" "were wont to -pursue boats at sea," and to demand a money-tribute from the -fishermen whom they chased. (In turn, they themselves were pursued -by the islanders, when they made their appearance singly, near their -coasts.) That they were feared by the islanders is evident from the -Shetlandic legends; and it will be noticed that those Shetlanders -who are understood to have Finn blood in their veins "look upon -themselves as superior to common people." All this suggests that -those straggling "Finn-men" of the year 1700 were really the -representatives of a decayed caste of conquerors. The fact that they -are remembered as wearing armour places them before us as a -distinctly military race; and "the Darts they make use of for -killing Fish" were probably the least important of their weapons. - -The non-Finnish Shetlanders who overheard the captive woman talking -with her friends "could not understand a single word of the -conversation." It is not necessary to assume that this denoted more -than a mere dialectic difference; accent being a wonderfully -important consideration in cases of this sort. That Finn settlements -were often conterminous with districts occupied by those who -regarded the Finns as enemies is suggested by the existence of a -"Finns' Town" in Orkney, and a "Finn Town" in Donegal.[36] - -Of course, those Finns must have one or many historical names. -It is probable that they constituted a large proportion of -the population of the Outer Hebrides. One of the stories -relating to such people is of a mer-woman who "fell in love with -a young shepherd, who kept his flocks beside a creek _much -frequented by these marine people_"--the locality being somewhere -on the Manx coast. "She frequently caressed him" (the account -continues--somewhat superfluously), "and brought him presents of -coral, fine pearls, and every valuable production of the ocean."[37] -Now, this woman may easily have been one of those "marine people" -who inhabited various parts of the Hebrides, and who used the -skin-skiff of the Esquimaux "even long after the art of building -boats of wood was introduced." The coral and "fine pearls" which -this mer-woman brought to her Manx lover may have come from no -greater distance than the Island of Skye: since Martin tells us that -the people of that island used to adorn their garments with "fine -stones" and "pieces of red coral"--the latter article being found in -"great quantity" on the shores of the Lewis. At that time the -islanders of Jura dwelt in turf-covered wigwams identical with those -used by modern Lapps; as may be seen from the illustration here -copied from Pennant's second "Tour." And the people of Harris were -described in the following terms, in the early part of this -century[38]:--"In general the natives are of small stature,... -Scarcely any attain the height of 6 feet, and many of the males are -not higher than 5 feet 3 or 4 inches." "The Harrisian physiognomy" -is thus detailed: "The cheek bones are rather prominent, and the -nose is invariably short, the space between it and the chin being -disproportionately long. The complexion is of all tints. Many -individuals are as dark as mulattoes...." The population thus -described was greatly mingled at the period when these latter -observations were made; but there is nevertheless strong evidence of -the possession of Ugrian blood in the people thus portrayed. And -their boats and dwellings do nothing to contradict this theoretical -connection with the races we now know by such names as Lapp, Finn, -Samoyed, and Eskimo. - -[Illustration: WIGWAMS OF THE JURA ISLANDERS IN 1772. -(_From Pennant's Second Tour._)] - -The author of the "Gallovidian Encyclopædia" gives also a hint of -the existence of such a population in Galloway: when (under the name -"cutty glies") he refers to "a class of females," whom he describes -as "little" and "squat-made," and to whom he assigns (without -exception) the amorous nature of the Manx mer-woman just spoken of. -And, as the Gallovidian chronicler lived near the inlet known as -"the Manxman's Lake," it is not improbable that this also was "a -creek much frequented by these marine people"; and that, in short, -Mactaggart's "little, squat-made females" were of the same stock as -the Mer-women of the Isle of Man and the Hebrides, and the -Finn-women of the Northern Isles. - - NOTE.--For additional information on the subject of - skin-boats, and the races connected with them, see pp. 174, - 178-9, _post_, and Appendix B. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[12] This peculiar feat is mentioned by Drs. Rink and Nansen, as -well as in connection with the Greenlander of 1816. Another "kayak" -custom may here be noticed. Brand stated of the Orkney Finn-man, -that "when in a storm he seeth the high surge of a wave approaching, -he hath a way of sinking his Boat, till the wave pass over, least -thereby he should be overturned." This manifestly does not refer to -the deliberate overturning for amusement, in calm weather. But Hans -Egede, in describing the Eskimo kayakers of Greenland, during the -eighteenth century, is evidently speaking of the usage referred to -by Brand, when he says: "They do not fear venturing out to sea in -these boats in the greatest storms; because they can swim as light -upon the largest waves as a bird can fly: and when the waves come -upon them with all their fury, they only turn the side of the boat -towards them, to let them pass, without the least danger of being -sunk." (Quoted in the _Scots Magazine_ of 1816, p. 654.) - -[13] Mr. R. M. Ballantyne; "Ungava," chap. xx. - -[14] This illustration appears in Mr. Carstensen's "Two Summers in -Greenland." London, Chapman & Hall, 1890. - -[15] _Gentleman's Magazine_, March 1, 1882. - -[16] _Contemporary Review_, September, 1881. - -[17] _Contemporary Review_, August, 1881. In the _Archæological -Review_ (June, 1889, pp. 219-220) Mr. G. L. Gomme gives various -references of this kind, Irish and Shetlandic. One instance -describes the "Merrow" ancestress as "half fish and half woman," -which corresponds with the Shetlandic "sêlkie-wife," or seal-woman. -More extreme still is the tradition that the Irish clan of Coneely, -like the natives of Burra Firth, in Unst, are actually descended -from "seals." - -[18] Preface to Leyden's "Mermaid," in "The Minstrelsy of the -Scottish Border." - -[19] "Letters from the Isle of Man." London 1847; p. 59. - -[20] The allusion in "Hudibras" bears more specially on the custom -of selling the winds in bags or "bottled;" which is a variation of -the Manx practice. - -[21] The preface to Leyden's "Mermaid." - -[22] "Les Travailleurs de la Mer." - -[23] This boat, and all memory of it, seems quite to have vanished -from Burra. (See "The Orkneys and Shetland," by J. R. Tudor, London, -1883, p. 341.) - -[24] Mr. J. F. Campbell's "West Highland Tales," vol. ii. p. 64. - -[25] "Letters from the Isle of Man." London, 1847, p. 63. - -[26] Quoted in the "Annual Register" of 1788; "Manners of Nations" -pp. 77-80. - -[27] See foot-note, pp. 12-13, _ante_. The expressions of Egede and -Armstrong, however, are obviously exaggerated, as no kayak could -weather a really violent gale. - -[28] These citations from Avienus, Diodorus, and Strabo are taken -from Skene's _Celtic Scotland_, I., 165-168. - -[29] London, 1882 (Plate I.) - -[30] In assuming the Oestrymnides, or Cassiterides, to be the same -as the Hesperides, Dr. Skene again shows that the locality referred -to is the Iberian coast. For the writers of the second and sixth -century whom he quotes state that the Hesperides are inhabited by -Iberians, and are situated "near the sacred promontory where they -say is the end of Europe." Now, in Ptolemy's map, above referred to, -"the sacred promontory" (_Sacrum Prom[=o]tori[=u]_) is Cape St. -Vincent; which would place the Hesperides at even a greater distance -from England than the Oestrymnic Isles. The islands called -_Londobries_ and _Deorum Insulæ_ on Ptolemy's map may be those -referred to. Neither they nor the Oestrymnic Isles exist at the -present day; but in questions of ancient history the fact ought -never to be overlooked that the surface of the earth is constantly -undergoing changes,--at one place the sea encroaching upon the land, -at another retiring from it. - -[31] _Op. cit._, p. 20, _note_. - -[32] Dr. Rasmus B. Anderson says "deer sinews," while Dr. Joseph -Anderson states that the original word may either denote "sinew," or -"sen-grass." - -[33] Misled in some measure by Mr. Laing's too free translation, -wherein the expression "skin-sewed Fin-boats" is used, I had -assumed that these two vessels were really large open skin-boats, -like those of the British Islanders and the Eskimos. But I am -indebted to Dr. Joseph Anderson for pointing out that the passage -distinctly states that the boats were of wood, and that the allusion -is to the "sewing" alone. As an article contributed by me to the -_Archæological Review_ (Vol. IV., Aug. 1889) contains this erroneous -assumption, I take this opportunity of stating that my inference is -contradicted by the original passage, with which I was not then -acquainted. Additional references, however, supporting the belief -that skin-boats were then and subsequently used in Norway, will be -found in Appendix B. - -[34] I am informed by Professor Kaarle Krohn of Helsingfors that the -modern Lapps employ light skiffs, which they propel with a -double-bladed paddle. But this vessel, which is so light that one -man can carry it on his head, is made of wood, not _skin_, and is, -moreover, open--not decked, like the kayak. - -[35] Brand. - -[36] And perhaps by many other names of like nature--such as -_Finsbury_, _Findon_, _Finhaven_, _Fincastle_, etc. - -[37] This is quoted from "Waldron's Works," p. 176. - -[38] This description is given at p. 550 of Dawson's "Statistical -History of Scotland." - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -It is clear that those popular traditions and records, as well as -the indisputable statements of Brand and Wallace, indicate two very -different kinds of people, who, sometimes fighting, sometimes -inter-marrying, occupied territories that were, in many cases, -conterminous. That they were often enemies is evident. The Finn-man, -when alone, was hunted from the non-Finnish islands by the natives: -and, on the other hand, he was "wont to pursue boats at sea," and to -demand tribute from the fishermen--when his superior arms, or the -number of his comrades, warranted him to do so. - -Now, there is documentary evidence of this state of things during -the seventeenth century; though the localities therein referred to -are the Northern Hebrides, rather than the Orkney and Shetland -Isles. But the description corresponds, in everything else, with -that given by the Islesmen of the North-East. We are told[39] that, -in the year 1635, certain sections of the Hebridean Islanders "comes -in troupes and companeis out of the Yles where they dwell to the -Yles and Loches where the fishes ar tane and there violentlie -spoyles his Majesteis subjects of their fisches and sometimes of -their victualls and other furniture and persewes thame of their -lyffes, breakes the schooles of thair herring and comitts manie moe -insolenceis upoun thame to the great hinder and disappointing of the -fishing, hurt of his Majesteis subjects, to the contempt of his -Majesteis auctoritte and lawes," etc. This--even to the detail that -they "by their coming drive away the Fishes from the Coasts"--is an -exactly similar account to that given, in the same century, to Brand -and Wallace, and in the present century (but relating to about the -same period) to Dr. Karl Blind. In the one case, the scene is the -North-Western coasts of Scotland: in the other it is the -North-Eastern. But the kind of people described are pretty evidently -alike. - -In either case, too, the Mer-folk or Finn-men are not spoken of as -subjects of the Modern-British kingdom. The Proclamation of 1635, -quoted above, does not regard "some of the inhabitants of the Yles -of this kingdome," as being "his Majesteis subjects." The phrase, -"Yles _of this kingdome_" does, indeed, imply something of a common -nationality; but, as a matter of fact, certain portions of -North-Western Scotland were not strictly under the rule of Charles -the First, at that period. That this was so may be seen (if nowhere -else) in the papers relating to those territories, of dates ranging -from 1574 to 1635, which are quoted in the _Collectanea de Rebus -Albanicis_ (pp. 100-121). One of these is a letter written by -Charles I. "to the Privy Council of Scotland directing an inquiry -into the exactions by the Heritors of the [Hebridean] Isles from -those engaged in the Fisheries; and the bringing in of Foreigners by -the Heritors." And this letter runs as follows: "Whereas it is not -unknown to you with what care we have intendit the good of the -Association of the Fischings within thess our Kingdomes _for the use -of our subjects_[40] and that we will be provident to protect _them_ -from the exaction of the _heritours in the Yles_, who as we are -informed without warrant exact sundrie dewteis from them to their -great prejudice, bringing in strangers and loading the vessells with -fisches and other native commoditeis contrair to our lawis," etc. -The letter then commands the Scotch Privy Council to learn "upon -what warrant they ["the landislordis of the Yles wher the fisching -is"] tak thess dewteis." In the Report made, six months later, by -the Commissioners appointed by the Privy Council, regarding "the -duteis exacted be the Ylanders frome his Majesteis subjects of the -associatioun resorting in these parts," it is stated: "_that it was -the ancient custome_[2] ... to everie ane of thame in whose boundis -the herring fishing fell oute, _to exact of_[41] everie barke and -ship resorting thereto" such-and-such a tribute, in money and in -kind: "Being demandit by what warrand they uplift the saids -exactions and dewteis foresaids, they answer that they ar heretours -of the ground and so may lawfully take up satisfactioun for ground -leave and ankerage; it being ane ancient custome and in use to be -done past memorie of man." - -Through all these documents of this period there runs a feeling (not -distinctly formulated) that "his Majesteis subjects"--"his Majesteis -frie liegis"--"the haill inhabitantis of The Burrowis of this -Realme"--were terms that did not strictly apply to "the heritours in -the Yles." And that these latter--though nominally the subjects of -the British monarch--still exercised a kind of semi-sovereignty in -their own territories; enforcing tribute from "his Majesty's free -lieges," and carrying on commercial relations with "foreigners," -contrary to the wishes of Charles himself. That these independent -rights were to some extent recognized by Charles may be gathered -from his own expressions in the documents referred to. And the -existence of this antagonism to British law was quite distinctly -acknowledged by Charles' father (James) when, in the year 1608, he -issued his instructions to a Commission "appointed for the -Improvement of the Isles;" wherein he states his "desire to remove -all suche scandalous reproches aganis that state, in suffering a -pairt of it to be possessed with suche wild savageis voide of Godis -feare and our obedience."[42] - -Nor was this independence confined to the mere exacting of a -tribute, according to "ancient custom," from those fishermen who, -themselves coming under the denomination of "his Majesty's -subjects," resorted occasionally to the coasts of the North-Western -Isles. The Report of 1634 showed that this tax was rigorously levied -by those Island kings when the alien fishermen arrived within the -"bounds" of certain islands. But they did not content themselves -with this. The Proclamation of the Scotch Privy Council of the -following year (1635) begins by stating that "the Lords of Privy -Council ar informed that of lait ther hes been manie great -insolenceis committit be some of the inhabitants of the Yles of this -kingdome not onlie upoun his Majesteis subjects hanting the trade of -fisching in the Yles but upon the Lords and others of the -Association[43] of the Royall Fishing of Great Britane and Ireland; -whiche Ylanders comes in troupes and companeis _out of the Yles -where they dwell_ to the Yles and Loches where the fishes ar tane -and there violentlie spoyles his Majesteis subjects of their fisches -and sometimes of their victualls and other furniture and persewes -thame of their lyffes," etc. This statement reveals quite plainly a -condition of enmity between "his Majesty's subjects," and certain -sections of the Hebridean population. And the traveller, Pennant, -furnishes additional proof of this state of things, in describing -the condition of society in the Island of Skye (or its vicinity) at -about the period under consideration. "Each chieftain (he tells -us--and the "chieftains" of whom he speaks were presumably "his -Majesty's subjects")--each chieftain had his armour-bearer, who -preceded his master in time of war, and, by my author's account in -time of peace; for they went armed even to church, in the manner the -North-Americans [the colonists] do at present in the frontier -settlement, and for the same reason, _the dread of savages_." Of -which "savages" there are many traditions still extant in the -legendary lore of the West Highlands. - -Of more historical nature is the evidence of Buchanan, who, in -describing the Inner Hebrides, during the seventeenth century, -states that the island of Pabbay, close to the Skye coast, was -then "infamous for robberies, where the thieves, from their -lurking-places in the woods, with which it is covered, intercept the -unwary travellers." Of the island of Rona, lying a little to the -northward of Pabbay, and, at that time, "covered with wood and -heath," he says: "In a deep bay it has a harbour, dangerous for -voyagers, as it affords a covert for pirates, whence to surprise the -passengers." To the west of Skye, and in the Outer Hebrides, there -was the island of Uist, containing "numerous caves covered with -heath, the lurking-places of robbers." Off the mainland coast to the -north-east of Skye, lay "the island Eu, almost wholly covered with -wood, and of service only to the robbers, who lurk there to surprise -travellers;" while "more to the north lies Gruinort (says the same -writer), also darkened with wood, and infested with robbers." That -is to say, all of these districts _belonged_ to certain races who -waged war against other populations in that archipelago; and who, in -all probability, were the "savages" referred to by the traveller -Pennant. - -It is not only this latter writer and James VI. of Scotland who -refer to certain North British populations in the seventeenth -century as "savages." Nor are such people only visible in the -Hebrides at that date. "In a curious old book called 'Northern -Memoirs; calculated for the Meridian of Scotland,' written in the -year 1658,"[44] the following short description occurs with -reference to the district of Strath Navar, in the north of the -county of Sutherland:-- - - "The next curiosity to entertain you with, is the county of - Southerland, which we enter by crossing a small arm of the - ocean from Tain to Dornoch. So from thence we travel into - Cathness and the county of Stranavar, where a rude sort of - inhabitants dwell (almost as barbarous as Cannibals), who, - when they kill a beast, boil him in his hide, make a - caldron of his skin, browis of his bowels, drink of his - blood, and bread and meat of his carcase. Since few or none - amongst them hitherto have as yet understood any better - rules or methods of eating." - -Here, then, is a community of people, "almost as barbarous as -Cannibals," in the estimation of a civilized writer of 1658. But -none of the expressions of this kind, used by writers of the -seventeenth century, will strike modern men more strongly than that -applied to the Finn-men of Orkney in the Minute Book of the -Edinburgh College of Physicians. To the civilized Scotch of two -centuries ago those Finn-men were simply savages,--"barbarous men." -The term "savage" is always a relative one; and what one -civilization regards as savagery is really the fag-end of an earlier -civilization. Nevertheless, the seventeenth-century Finn-man -represented what must necessarily appear to us as a "savage" state -of society, if that word is to have any meaning at all. And the -predominant castes of Orkney and Shetland and the mainland of -Scotland were quite in unison upon this point. The Edinburgh -physicians, as a matter of course, regarded those kayakers as -"barbarous men," just as we regard their Arctic kindred to-day. The -same view was taken by the predominant castes in the Inner Hebrides, -at the same period, and apparently with regard to the same race of -people. At that period, therefore, the seventeenth century, we see -the higher castes of Scotland asserting themselves against an -"Eskimo" race that threatened the safety of the more civilized -populations all along the northern and western fringe of the -country. - -Even last century, something that modern nomenclature calls "savage" -was visible in these north-western localities. On one occasion, when -Dr. Johnson and his irrepressible biographer were exploring those -north-western islands, the natives who rowed their boat seemed, to -Boswell, "so like wild Indians that a very little imagination was -necessary to give one an impression of being upon an American -river." One of them, he tells us, was "a robust, black-haired -fellow, half-naked, and bare-headed, something between a wild Indian -and an English tar" (of the eighteenth century). And some of the -McRaas of the mainland he describes as being "as black and wild in -their appearance as any American savages whatever."[45] - -Other tokens of "savage" customs might easily be adduced. For -example, decaying specimens of the rude "dug-out," the most -primitive of all canoes--a mere hollowed log--are now and then found -in the depths of some Highland loch, or peat-bog; and are rashly -pronounced to be "pre-historic;" whereas these very canoes were in -common use in the north and west of Scotland less than two centuries -ago.[46] However, neither this species of canoe, nor the vague -references of Boswell, point unmistakably to the Ugrian or Mongoloid -castes whom we are here considering; although it is not unlikely -that these latter were one and the same as the "wild Indians" and -the owners of the "dug-outs." - -What is certain is that, when, in the October of 1599, one of the -ships belonging to the Fifeshire colonists of the Lewis was about to -start on its homeward trip, it was surrounded by "a fleet of small -vessels peculiar to those islands," and the natives, swarming on -board, put to death all except the captain.[47] Now (although the -act was simply a legitimate incident in the warfare of the time and -locality), these islanders were the people whom King James spoke of -as "wild savages." And it is tolerably certain that their "small -vessels" were those "slight pinnaces" of skin that Armstrong says -were "much in use in the Western Isles"--in other words, the -_kayaks_ of the Eskimos or Finn-men. It is not unlikely that the -resemblance to the modern Eskimo was very close in many details. For -example, the West Highland traditions tell of "savages" who played -the game of chess; which fact in itself argues decidedly a form of -civilization. Now, although the art of carving chessmen is extinct -among modern Hebrideans, the traditional accounts were quite borne -out by the discovery, in this century, of the now famous Lewis -chessmen, "in all fifty-eight pieces, ingeniously and elaborately -carved from the walrus tooth."[48] Consequently, it would appear -that the Finn-man occasionally hunted the walrus, in which pursuit -he no doubt employed "the Dart he makes use of for killing Fish:" -exactly like a modern Eskimo. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[39] In a "Proclamation by the Privy Council of Scotland regarding -the Fishing in the Isles"; given at p. 111 of "Collectanea de Rebus -Albanicis." - -[40] Not italicized in the original. - -[41] In this instance the italics occur in the original. - -[42] "Collectanea de Rebus Albanicis," p. 115. - -[43] In a letter to the Privy Council of Scotland, of 15th July, -1632, Charles refers to this Association as "of new erected by us." - -[44] See _Blackwood's Magazine_, 1818, p. 674, whence the above -paragraph is taken. - -[45] Others of the same tribe were "as comely as Sappho;" and the -inference is that, ethnologically regarded, these were totally -different from the others. It must be remembered that the mere -surname, borne by all the members of a Highland clan, did not imply -kinship. The word "clan" was originally used to denote only the -blood-relations of the chief; but latterly it was applied to the -whole community. And that the commonalty was frequently composed of -men of a wholly different stock from their chiefs may be seen from -the fact that the former are specially distinguished as "the native -men" (_i.e._, aborigines) in several clan documents. - -[46] See Armstrong's "Gaelic Dictionary," s.v. _Biorlinn_; also -"Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," 1880-81, -pp. 179-80. - -[47] Anderson's "Scottish Nation," vol. iii. p. 49. - -[48] Dr. Daniel Wilson's "Old Edinburgh," vol. i. p. 29. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -But, admitting the existence, at so recent a date, of a visibly -"Eskimo" caste in some parts of the Hebrides, what evidence is there -that any of these people found their way to Shetland? One writer, we -have seen, brings the Shetland Finns all the way from Davis Straits, -another draws them from Finland, and the Shetlanders themselves say -that they "came ow'r fa Norraway," especially from the neighbourhood -of Bergen. The correctness of this last belief need not be -questioned, as regards some of that caste. But it has been suggested -in the foregoing pages that many of those "Finns" who persecuted the -Shetland fishermen were those kayak-using Hebrideans who avowed -their ancient right to despoil and to exact tribute from others, not -only when fishing among "the Isles where they dwell," but in other -waters. - -We read[49] of raids made in the Orkneys and Shetland, during the -latter part of the fifteenth century, by "bands of Islemen" (_i.e._, -Hebrideans), "Irish, and Scots, from the woods"; which last term -strongly suggests the "robber" denizens of the thickly-wooded -islands spoken of by Buchanan two centuries later. The raiders were, -no doubt, heterogeneous. But the piratical kayak-men were surely -among them. There are many traditions extant in some parts of the -north-eastern archipelagos regarding these raids--in the island -of Westray, in Orkney, for instance, where, at a certain "Fitty -Hill," there was once a great fight between the Westray people -and the invading Lewismen, all of whom were slain. Now, this Fitty -Hill is associated strongly with the people recognizable as "Finns," -or at least was so in the year 1701, according to a writer -previously quoted (Brand, p. 57), and both he and Wallace (who wrote -in 1688) mention the frequent visits of Finn-men to the Westray -fishing-grounds. Indeed, the _kayak_ preserved in Edinburgh seems, -according to the latter writer, to have been one of those secured by -the Orkneymen; who probably made sure that the Finn himself should -have no further use for it. - -Thus, it is a simple historical fact that certain castes of the -Hebrideans, whose practice of despoiling and exacting tribute from -others was a thing beyond question, were very frequent visitors to -the Orkney and Shetland groups, whose natives they did their utmost -to overawe. And, as the skin skiffs of the Hebrideans were of such a -description that the skiffmen "fearlessly committed themselves in -these slight pinnaces to the mercy of the most violent weather," -they were well qualified to sing the song of the Finn-man: - - I am a man upo' da land, - I am a selkie i da sea. - -Indeed, the concluding lines of that verse are peculiarly -appropriate to the Hebridean. For the "shöol skerry," which is the -rocky islet of _Sule_ or _Sula_, lying about forty miles N.N.E. of -Cape Wrath, formed a very convenient refuge for him when "far from -every strand," during his voyages between Shetland or Orkney and the -Hebrides.[50] - -And it is in this aspect, as tyrannical sea-rovers, that the "Finns" -are often remembered in Shetlandic tradition. It was their custom to -pursue the boats of the Shetland fishermen, and to exact from them a -tribute in "silver money." So much were they dreaded that "it was -dangerous in the extreme to say anything against them." The original -feeling of respect must have been very strong, since it has survived -into the present century. - -This, of course, relates to the Finns considered as men and as -fighters. The other side of the question shows us the Finn-women, -and also the Finn-men in peaceful guise. And here, too, it is -evident that those people were by no means regarded as an _inferior_ -race by the non-Finnish section of the Shetlanders (whatever that -non-Finnish element may have been composed of), for those who claim -a "Finn descent" at the present day regard this line of their -ancestry as wholly superior to that which, for want of a better -word, may be called "Shetlandic." - -The Finn-women, we are told, very frequently became the wives of the -islanders: and, consequently, they became the mothers of -"half-breed" families--that is, in those cases where the husband -himself was of a wholly different stock. In some instances, owing to -a Finn connection in the previous generation, such children may have -been more Finnish than anything else. Many of the Finn wives seem to -have cast in their lot altogether with their Shetland husbands, to -whom they brought dowries of cattle which--according to the peasant -tradition--they "conjured up from the deep," of which the probable -interpretation is that they caused them to be sent across from -Bergen. Peaceful memories of the Finn-men may also be traced in such -things as the rhyme of the medicine-man who "came ow'r fa Norraway" -to conjure the toothache out of some unhappy Shetlander. - -But these references, and apparently all the more recent of the -Shetlandic traditions, point to Norway, and not to the Hebrides, as -the home of the Finns; and it seems quite clear that the Bergen -neighbourhood was a stronghold of this Mongoloid people within -recent times. - -Mr. H. Howorth,[51] in discussing these Mongoloid, or Ugrian -people, remarks: "The Finns and Laps have been pushed back in -Scandinavia to a very small portion of their ancient holding. In -Livonia, in Esthonia, and in three-fourths of European Russia the -Ugrians were, even in the eleventh century, the preponderating -population"; that is, Esthonia and Livonia then formed a part of -"Finland," and the Gulf of Riga was a Finnish sea. We are not given -a date as to their "preponderance" in Scandinavia; but, if they were -so numerous in the east Baltic districts during the eleventh -century, it may be assumed that they were also of considerable -importance in the Scandinavian peninsula at the same time, and even -much later. - -There is, at any rate, a very interesting reference to Finns of -Swedish nationality, made in connection with these Finns of Orkney. -A last-century reader of Wallace's "Description of Orkney" (whose -occasional comments upon that book are included in the reprint of -1883) gives, as his opinion, that the "Finnmen" of Orkney, in the -years 1682-4, belonged to "the Finns, or inhabitants of Finland, -part of the kingdom of Sweden." Whether this writer meant the Finns -of Esthonia and Livonia, or of Finland proper--for all these -provinces were under Swedish rule in the seventeenth century--it is -evident that he went too far afield for his "Finnmen." But what -really is important is the statement which he goes on to make, -incidentally, with regard to the Finns of Sweden. "They had," he -says, "a settlement in Pennsylvania, near the freshes of the river -Delaware, in the neighbourhood of the Dutch, who were the first -planters here" (and he gives as his authority "The British Empire in -America," vol. i. p. 309). - -Now, this colony of Swedish _Finns_ is clearly that which is -otherwise spoken of as a colony of _Swedes_. When William Penn took -possession, in the year 1682, of the territory which has ever since -been associated with his memory, those "Swedes" were already settled -there. "'He was hailed there with acclamation by the Swedes and -Dutch,' says one authority, who informs us that the Swedes were -living in log cabins and clay huts. The men dressed in 'leather -breeches, jerkins, and match coats,' the women in 'skin jackets and -linsey petticoats.'"[52] Those _Swedes_, then, of 1682, are -identified by an eighteenth-century writer with the Swedish _Finns_ -of that period, and at the same time with the contemporary Finns of -Orkney: who, also, according to Brand, wore "coats of leather." And -their "log cabins and clay huts" were probably very much like the -sod-covered dwellings of modern Lapps. - -It is an interesting picture. Because this is plainly an infusion -of unadulterated "Eskimo" blood, among the Pennsylvanians of that -date, which is quite independent of the representatives of that -family at present occupying Greenland and the northern parts of -British North America. It is "Eskimo" blood that was "European" only -two or three centuries ago. And it is quite likely that many modern -Americans whose descent is drawn from those seventeenth-century -colonists of Pennsylvania, referred to as "Swedes," have some of -this blood in their veins. That they may have inherited a further -share of it through other channels--"British," and perhaps also -"Dutch"--is quite probable. - -There is something very suggestive in the Shetland accounts that, -several generations ago, Shetland fishermen were frequently -terrorized into paying "silver money" as tribute to people who are -said to have come across from Bergen. Many portions of the -north-eastern corner of Scotland appear to have been within the -diocese of Bergen, and to have owned the authority of that province -up to very modern times. Of this there is ample evidence in -title-deeds and other documents. This, of course, was a survival of -the Scandinavian suzerainty over the extreme north and west of -Scotland, which in the fifteenth century was actual sovereignty, as -regards Orkney and Shetland; while, for the Hebrides, the Scottish -monarchs had to pay a yearly tribute known as "The Annual of -Norway." And at an earlier period still, the Sudereys, or South -Hebrides, and the Isle of Man, were included in this tributary -kingdom. It is certainly worth considering whether the withdrawal of -the legendary "marine people" from the Isle of Man, and their -gradual disappearance (as "marine people") from the whole western -and northern extremities of Scotland, which seems to coincide very -closely, in time, with the decay of Scandinavian authority in these -localities, ought not to be regarded as signifying that that -authority was rooted in Mongoloid supremacy. - -However, our present purpose is not to guess at the name or names -by which these people must be known to history, but to emphasize -their existence as a Mongoloid race. That the present British people -show traces of such a line of ancestry is the opinion of many modern -ethnologists. In his "Origins of English History" Mr. Elton -recognizes a type "not unlike the modern Eskimo," as existent in -certain parts of England. Mr. J. F. Campbell, in his "Popular Tales -of the West Highlands," contends strongly for the past existence in -that locality of a race akin to modern Lapps. And the Iberian -theorists discern a similar type in "the small, swarthy Welshman," -"the small, dark Highlander," and the "Black Celts to the west of -the Shannon." The question of complexion is, of course, but of minor -importance, since it is anatomical structure that determines -affinity. The modern Eskimo races themselves show this, for they -include all shades, from dark or olive to actual red and white; -although plainly of one general stock. - -They exhibited an American-Eskimo chief, "as a Rarity," at some of -the eastern seaports of Scotland, a few years ago. But it is -probable that a considerable number of the spectators were looking -at a man who almost exactly resembled one or more of their own -ancestors, not many generations back; not only in the style of his -dress and in his general appearance, as he shot his slender kayak -across their waters, but also, to a very great extent, in his -physical features. And it is much the same with many millions of -Europeans (and their offshoots), who, chiefly through intermixture, -and partly on account of altered conditions of life, are no longer -recognizable, to a superficial observer, as in any degree connected -with this "Eskimo" stock. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[49] _See_ pp. 59, 378, and 485 of "The Orkneys and Shetland," by J. -R. Tudor; London, 1883. - -[50] The ballad of "The Great Silkie [_i.e._, Seal] of Sule Skerry" -is given by the late Captain Thomas, on pp. 88-89 of the -"Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. i. -(First series). This "great seal" figures in the song as the father -of a Shetland woman's child. It may be added that this islet lies -about thirty-five miles in a northerly direction from the Strath -Navar referred to on a previous page. - -[51] In the Ethnological Society's _Journal_, vol. ii. No. 4. - -[52] This is taken from an article on the Founding of Philadelphia; -contributed by the Rev. Dr. Stoughton to _The Sunday at Home_, 1882. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -When the twelfth-century Norseman, Sigurd Slembe, with his twenty -followers, spent a whole winter with the Lapps or Finns, as stated -in the "Heimskringla" (Saga XIV), it is evident that the two sets of -men were in intimate association. Their life at that time is thus -described in Sigurd's song: - - "In the Lapland tent - Brave days we spent, - Under the grey birch tree; - In bed or on bank - We knew no rank, - And a merry crew were we. - - "Good ale went round - As we sat on the ground, - Under the grey birch tree; - And up with the smoke - Flew laugh and joke, - And a merry crew were we." - -It was at that time, also, that the Lapps made for Sigurd those -"sinew-fastened boats," in which he and his party voyaged southward -in spring. In these accounts there is no mention made of the Lapp or -Finn women, but their presence there must certainly be taken for -granted. And there is no reason for supposing that they were less -friendly to their guests than the Finn men were. There are -evidences, indeed, that the Ugrians and the non-Ugrians of -Scandinavia, of either sex, were on a friendly footing two centuries -before Sigurd Slembe's day. When Eric, the son of Harald Haarfager, -was in Lapland on one occasion, he there found his future wife, -Gunhild, living in a hut with "two of the most knowing Laplanders in -all Finmark." She had come there, she said, "to learn Lapland-art," -in which these two Lapps were deeply versed. The way in which she -entrapped her hosts, and went off with Eric, is described in the -Saga (Harald Haarfager's, chap. xxxiv), and it argues something for -Eric's magnanimity or indifference that he chose this lady to be his -bride. However, the point is that in Gunhild we have a presumably -non-Ugrian woman, living in the most friendly way with a couple of -Lapp "magicians." - -Again, we find Harald Haarfager himself actually marrying a Finn -woman. We are told (chap. xxv of his _Saga_) how, one winter, when -Harald was moving about Upland "in guest-quarters," he was induced -by "the Fin Svase," who announced himself to the king's followers as -"the Fin[53] whose hut the King had promised to visit," to not only -fulfil the said promise, but then and there to marry Snaefrid, the -daughter of the Finn. Whether he took this step by reason of the -beauty of the Finn girl, or of the strength of the mead which she -poured out to him, or of the "magic" which she and her father -exercised upon him, is a matter of little moment. The fact remains -that she became his queen, and in course of time bore to him four -sons: Sigurd Hrise, Halfdan Haleg, Gudrod Liome, and Rognvald -Rettilbeine: who, consequently, were half-bred Finns--that is, -assuming that Harald himself was of pure non-Ugrian blood. - -These four sons of Harald's Finn wife are subsequently to be met -with in this Saga; which tells how "they grew up to be very clever -men, very expert in all exercises." When Harald was fifty years of -age, he gave to three of them, as to his other sons, "the kingly -title and dignity," assigning to them, as their portion of his -kingdom, the territories of "Ringerike, Hadeland, Thoten, and the -lands thereto belonging." But one of the four, Halfdan, did not live -to attain this dignity. Several years before, he, like Harald's many -other sons, had resented his exclusion from place and dignity, and -the advancement of mere "earls" instead; "for they [Harald's sons] -thought earls were of inferior birth to them." Consequently, Halfdan -and his brother Gudrod "set off one spring with a great force, and -came suddenly upon Earl Rognvald, Earl of Möre, and surrounded the -house in which he was, and burnt him and sixty men in it." Then, -leaving his brother in temporary possession of that earldom, -"Halfdan took three long-ships, and fitted them out, and sailed into -the West Sea." The Earl of Orkney at that time was Einar ("Turf" -Einar), and on Halfdan's unexpected appearance he fled. For six -months the Finn woman's son ruled over Orkney. But in the autumn, -Einar returned, and "after a short battle," totally defeated and put -to flight Halfdan and his followers. "Einar and his men lay all -night without tents, and when it was light in the morning they -searched the whole island, and killed every man they could lay hold -of. Then Einar said: 'What is that I see upon the Isle of -Ronaldsha?[54] Is it a man or a bird? Sometimes it raises itself up, -and sometimes lies down again.' They went to it, and found it was -Halfdan Haaleg, and took him prisoner." Einar thereupon killed -Halfdan, and he and his men raised a mound of stones and gravel over -the corpse; which mound, if not yet opened, will no doubt disclose -to some modern craniologist the exact ethnological status of this -semi-Finn.[55] - -With regard to another brother of Halfdan's, Rognvald Rettilbeine, -it is stated that he ruled over Hadeland, and became famous for his -skill in witchcraft, in which he was no doubt instructed by his Lapp -relatives. This, indeed, was the cause of his death. For, at the -instigation of their common father, his half-brother Eric -(Bloody-axe) "burned his brother Rognvald in a house along with -eighty other warlocks," on account of these same alleged -malpractices. - -These are only a few recorded instances, which reveal the Finns -and the non-Finns as sometimes closely allied not only by -association, but by blood. But from them it may be inferred that -many other intermarriages between the two races took place, and that -the Finns, although eventually conquered as a distinct people, were -frequently men of rank and importance among the Scandinavians of -eight or nine centuries ago. As an instance of a Finn occupying -an official position (certainly much inferior to that of the -semi-Finnish kings of Ringerike, Hadeland, and Thoten), we have the -"Finn Sauda-Ulfsson," who appears as "engaged in drawing in King -Inge's rents and duties" at Viken, Norway, in the twelfth century -("Heimskringla," Saga XIV, chap. vii). And a certain notable Ketill -flat-nose,[56] or Ketill Finn, whose memory is doubtless embalmed in -Ketill's-sæter (now Kettlester), in the island of Yell, Shetland, -was clearly of Finn blood. When he, and such as he--the semi-Ugrian -sons of Harald, for example--held sway in Shetland and Orkney, and -when men and women of either race occasionally, perhaps frequently, -lived together, a state of things existed that closely resembled -that described in Mr. Karl Blind's Shetlandic traditions--when -"Finns came ow'r fa Norraway" and practised magic and witchcraft, -and domineered over the people of the northern islands. - -Of course, it is impossible to say what proportion the Finn blood -bore to the other. Yet it is quite evident that the Finns, while -often at war with the race that overcame them, were also frequently -their allies, and that the two peoples became to some extent blended -in blood. Consequently, when one discovers among modern British -people physical traces of a race "not unlike the modern Eskimo," in -localities famed as the scene of many a Scandinavian raid, these -traces may reasonably be attributed to those very inroads. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[53] In the edition of 1844, the word "Laplander" is used instead of -"Fin" in these two instances, as also in the following chapter, -where "the cunning of the Fin woman" is referred to. But the -admirable edition of 1889 employs "Fin" in each case. Whatever may -have been the original distinction between "Fin" or "Finn" and -"Lapp," it is evident that these two terms have very often been used -indiscriminately, from an early period. - -[54] It is stated of Einar that, although "he was ugly, and blind of -an eye," he was "yet very sharp-sighted withal." - -[55] Mr. John R. Tudor, in his very interesting book on "The Orkneys -and Shetland" (London, 1883), indicates (p. 364) a certain district -in the island of North Ronaldshay as the scene of Halfdan's death; -and suggests that one of "three curious ridges, or mounds" is -probably that raised over Halfdan's body. The saga certainly says -that his death took place on that island. But, of course, there is -plenty of room for conjecture in the whole story. - -[56] Mentioned, for example, in Skene's "Celtic Scotland," i, -311-312. It is not out of place to refer here to a Mongoloid race of -"Flat-noses" of whom Mr. Howorth speaks. These are the Nogais, who -are known as "Manguts"; the word _Mangut_, or _Mangutah_, being -"merely an appellative, meaning flat-nosed." "Dr. Clark says of -them: 'They are a very different people from the Tartars of the -Crimea, and may be instantly distinguished by their diminutive form, -and the dark copper colour of their complexion, sometimes almost -black. They have a remarkable resemblance to the Laplanders, -although their dress and manner has a more savage character.' Pallas -enlarges also upon their specially Mongolian features. Klaproth -says: 'Of all the Tartar tribes that I have seen, the Nogais bear by -far the strongest resemblance in features and figure to the -Mongols'" (Howorth's "History of the Mongols," part ii, p. 2, and -part iii, p. 71). - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -The references made in the two preceding chapters bear specially -upon those Finns who "came ow'r fa Norraway" to the islands of -Shetland and Orkney. But if the assumption be correct that many of -the Finns who landed in Shetland and fished in Shetlandic waters -came thither direct from the Hebrides, it is to be presumed that -Gaelic as well as English tradition has something to say regarding -them. And as there are several words in use in Shetland which are -also in use among West Highlanders,[57] it is not unlikely that -these people may be known in the West Highlands by the same name as -in Shetland. - -It is quite clear that Highland tradition does bear testimony to -the former existence of a special race or caste of people known by a -name which resembles that of the Finns so closely that it may -reasonably be regarded as only a variant of "Finn." In a certain -charter of Alexander II. of Scotland (A.D. 1214-49), reference is -made to a well which is known in Gaelic as _Tuber na Feinn_, -_Feinne_ or _Feyne_; and an old gloss (date unknown) explains that -this term signifies "the Well of the grett or kempis men callit -Fenis."[58] Or, in more modern English, "The Well of the great men -or champions called _Feens_, _Fenns_, _Feenies_, or _Fennies_."[59] -Here, then, we have record of a certain race of "kempies" or -fighters, who were known in English as _Feens_, etc., and in Gaelic -as the _Feinne_. One does not require to know much of Gaelic -tradition--one need not know anything of it--to be well aware of the -fact that that legendary lore is fairly alive with stories of the -"Feinne," whatever may have been the ethnological position of the -caste thus named. And, just as in modern Shetland we have people -proclaiming with pride their descent from the _Finns_, so have we -West Highlanders and Hebrideans boasting that the _Feinne_ were -among their forefathers. Just as Mr. Karl Blind met with a modern -Shetland woman who asserted that she was "fifth from da Finns," so -did the late Mr. J. F. Campbell, in 1871, converse with a Skyeman, -"Donald MacDonald, styled Na Feinne"[60]--that is, "of the Feens." -If the "Feinne" of Gaelic story are really the same people as the -"Finns" of Shetlandic tradition, it will not be for lack of -statements made regarding them if we do not learn a great deal more -about these people through Gaelic channels. - -Without either hastily accepting or condemning this hypothetical -identification, let us look a little further into the circumstances -of the Gaelic _Feinne_. And it may be as well first to decide upon -an English equivalent of this Gaelic plural. Mr. J. F. Campbell -states that the singular is _Fiann_; but, even when writing in -English, he prefers to adhere to the Gaelic form of the -plural--thus, "the Feinn" or "the Feinne." However, both Dr. Skene -and another writer (the late Rev. J. G. Campbell, Tiree), have -Englished this into "the Fians." This approaches so closely to the -marginal "Fenis" of the old charter of Alexander II., that we may -take "the Feens" as a good enough modern English equivalent for the -Gaelic plural. (For the vowels in _Fians_ and _Feinne_ receive the -old or Continental pronunciation, these words having the sound of -"Feeans" and "Fane," or "Fayny," according to modern English -spelling.) In order, therefore, to avoid the confusion that might -arise from Englishing "the Feinne" into "the Finns" (although we are -tacitly assuming, in the meantime, that the latter really expresses -the ethnological position of the former), let us refer to "the -Feinne" of Gaelic story as "the Feens."[61] - -So lately as the latter part of the seventeenth century, certain -districts of Scotland were recognized as specially "the land of the -Feinne." Dr. Skene, on the page which tells us of the _Tobar na -Feinne_, or Well of the Feens, states that Kirke (the Rev. Robert -Kirke, minister of Balquhidder, in Perthshire), in his Psalter, -which was published in 1684, refers to the territory stretching from -Loch Linnhe north-west to, and inclusive of, the Outer Hebrides[62] -as "the generous land of the Feinne." - -"The land of the Feens," therefore, according to this Scotch writer -of the seventeenth century, embraced the Outer Hebrides and a -certain portion of the opposite mainland, known in the Highlands as -"the rough bounds." It is thus evident at the outset that we do not -obviously make a false start in assuming that the _Feens_ of Gaelic -tradition ought to be regarded as forming a section of the _Finns_ -who visited Shetland in the seventeenth century. In 1684 Kirke -regarded the Hebrides as the land of the Feens; in 1688 Wallace -records the occasional arrival of Finns or Finnmen on the coasts of -Orkney and Shetland. And we have already seen that skin kayaks, such -as those which bore the Finn visitors to the islands of the -north-east were employed at about the same period by inhabitants of -the Hebrides. Certain sections of the Hebrideans are recorded in -history as making warlike descents upon the fisheries of Orkney and -Shetland. And these Hebrideans dwelt in "the land of the Feens." - -But the seventeenth century is much too recent a date for studying -the Gaelic accounts of the Feens. These accounts go back to the -period when Gaelic was peculiarly associated with what seems to have -been its earliest home in the British Islands--Ireland. That they -also relate to the more recent period of the Irish or Gaelic -settlements in Scotland is manifest. But they are substantially -Gaelic (_i.e._, Irish), and they deal with events which cannot be -limited to the time of the Irish invasions of Scotland; and they -relate to localities which are not merely British, but European. - -"Who were the _Feens_ of tradition, and to what country and period -are they to be assigned?" is the question asked by one of the most -learned of the authorities from whom these statements are -obtained.[63] And his answer, after due consideration, is, that "we -may fairly infer that they were of the population who immediately -preceded the Scots [Gaels] in Erin [Ireland] and in Alban [Scotland, -north of the Forth and Clyde], and that they belong to that period -in the history of both countries before a political separation had -taken place between them, when they were viewed as parts of one -territory, though physically separated, and when a free and -unrestrained intercourse took place between them; when race, and not -territory, was the great bond of association, and the movements of -their respective populations from one country to the other were not -restrained by any feeling of national separation."[64] - -Distinct and important as this announcement is, it requires still -further consideration. Our guide in this question has shown us that -in such modern times as the seventeenth century, the Feens of -Scotland were restricted to a small corner of the West Highlands and -to the Hebrides; which territory was so far associated with them -that an intelligent writer of that century spoke of it as the land -of the Feens. But Dr. Skene points also to a much earlier period, -when the Feens inhabited, if they did not possess and exclusively -occupy, the whole of Ireland and Irish-Scotland. And he indicates -further that they had dwelt in these districts before the advent of -the Milesians (or Gaels). More than that, he shows us that the lands -in which they lived included a portion of the continent of Europe. - -In opposition to the theory manufactured by the Irish historians, -that the Feens were "a standing body of Milesian militia, having -peculiar privileges and strange customs," Dr. Skene holds the -conviction that, "when looked at a little more closely," they -"assume the features of a distinct race."[65] As a proof of this, he -quotes three verses from an old poem on the Battle of Gabhra (or -_Gawra_, as the more softened pronunciation has it). This battle of -Gawra is said to have been fought in Ireland, on the border of the -counties of Meath and Dublin, and it is placed by some in the third -century A.D. It appears to have been the outcome of the resolution -made by the High King of Ireland, Cormac Mac Art, to renounce for -ever the tributary position which he and other kings occupied -towards their over-lords, the Feens. The Irish monarch is said to -have aimed at the complete extermination of the race in one district -at least; to have "Great Alvin [apparently the modern Allen, near -Dublin] cleared of the Feens."[66] At any rate, whatever its -position in time and place, this battle clearly marks a crisis in -the history of that latter race. For to them the battle of Gawra was -a complete and crushing defeat; and thereafter their suzerainty was -ended. "The kings did all own our sway till the battle of Gaura was -fought," sings the bard of the Feens, "but since that horrid -slaughter no tribute nor tax we've raised." The chroniclers state -that the leader and an immense number of his warriors were killed, -and only two thousand of the Feens of Ireland were left alive when -the battle was over. And their bard sings thus: - - "Fiercely and bravely we fought, - That fight, the fight of Gaura; - Then did fall our noble Feinn, - Sole to sole with Ireland's kings."[67] - -But the Feenian army here engaged did not only consist of the Feens -of Ireland; and this, indeed, is the reason why attention is now -drawn to this battle. It is in regarding the battle of Gawra that we -recognize the force of Dr. Skene's contention, that however the -Feens may in later times have become restricted to this or that -locality, they at one time formed a very widely spread _race_, the -various divisions of which were ready to hasten to the aid of any -portion of this great confederacy in time of danger. Whether Dr. -Skene is precisely correct in stating that "race, and not territory, -was the great bond of association," is a mere question of words. -Because the Gaelic traditions emphatically show that although -Ireland and other neighbouring lands were occupied by people of -non-Feenic race, who were governed by their own kings, yet, as these -kings were _themselves_ subject to the Feens, who drew tribute from -them, the real owners of these various territories were the powerful -though scattered overlords, and not the races that were under their -sway.[68] Mr. J. F. Campbell also states that the Feenic king was -not distinguished by any _territorial_ title: "always 'Rìgh na Fînne -or F[=e]inne'" ("West Highland Tales," I, xiii). And in the pedigree -which he gives on page 34 of his "Leabhar na Feinne," and which was -compiled by a good archæologist, the title given to three successive -generations of the "royal family" of the Irish Feens is "General of -the Feens" of Ireland; not "King of Ireland" itself. - -This battle of Gawra, then, which seems to mark the period when the -great Feenic confederacy was on the point of breaking up, was -brought about by the evident resolve of the non-Feenic population of -Ireland to throw off for ever this intolerable yoke. And the three -verses which Dr. Skene extracts from the poem descriptive of the -battle disclose to us that other sections of the Feenic confederacy -had come to the help of that division which was resident in Ireland. -The poem is supposed to be sung by a Feen of Ireland; and he states -that - - "The bands of the Feens of Alban, - And the supreme King of Britain, - Belonging to the order of the Feens of Alban, - Joined us in that battle. - - "The Feens of Lochlin were powerful, - From the chief to the leader of nine men, - They mustered along with us - To share in the struggle. - - * * * * * - - "Boinne, the son of Breacal exclaimed, - With quickness, fierceness, and valour,-- - 'I and the Feens of Britain - Will be with Oscar of Emhain.'" - -"There was thus in this battle," says Dr. Skene, "besides Feens of -Ireland, Feens of Alban, Britain, and Lochlan."[69] Alban, he -explains, denoted the whole of Scotland lying to the north of the -Forth and Clyde. Britain, he states in this place, was South-Western -Scotland. But elsewhere[70] he tells us that "Britain" signified -"either Wales, or England and Wales together"; and again,[71] that -that term included "England, Scotland, and Wales." At the very -least, then, it denoted a part of Great Britain, then inhabited--not -necessarily to the exclusion of other races--by Feens. - -These two names, "Alban" and "Britain," do not, however, take us -outside of the British Isles. But the third term, "Lochlan," does. -"Lochlan," says our guide, "was the north of Germany, extending from -the Rhine to the Elbe." And the Feens of that territory, the poem -tells us, "from the chief to the leader of nine men," "mustered -along with us [the Feens of Ireland] to share in the struggle," on -this fateful day of Gawra. - -Why Dr. Skene should limit "Lochlan" to these dimensions is not -made quite clear. For Norway, Sweden, and Denmark constituted the -"Lochlan" chiefly known to Gaelic writers. However, he seems to be -of opinion that the term was "transferred" to Scandinavia in the -ninth century, and that previously (as, for example, when the battle -of Gawra was fought) it peculiarly denoted the more southern -territory. If he is right in this, we cannot assume the Lochlan -contingent as including the Feens of Norway. On the other hand, -there does not seem to be any strong reason for believing that, at -the date of Gawra, "Lochlan" did not take in the whole of -Scandinavia, as in the ninth century and afterwards. It is at least -noteworthy, in this connection, that in the pedigree previously -referred to,[72] the ruler of the Feens of Ireland, when the battle -of Gawra was fought, is stated to have been the grandson of a -_Finland_ woman. Quite apart from the assumed identity of _Feen_ and -_Finn_, this indicates a kinship that was not limited even by the -river Elbe.[73] - -But really the identity of _Feen_ and _Finn_ seems tolerably clear. -Indeed, a contemporary writer,[74] who has studied ancient Ireland -and its "Feinne" from his own point of view, appears to regard this -identity as a thing perfectly manifest. And when, as tending to -confirm this opinion, he embellishes his pages with several -illustrations from scientific authorities in modern Finland, in -which the ancient forms of art and dress are seen, it is plain that -these designs are the same as those which are strongly associated -with those portions of Scotland which were once known as The Land of -the Feens. - -Therefore, it appears probable that the "Feinne" of Lochlan, that -is, of the country lying between the Rhine and the Elbe, who -assisted their kindred in Ireland at the battle of Gawra, were -simply the Finns of that territory. And that, consequently, that -battle belongs to a period when the Mongoloid people, instead of -being cut up, as now, into small detachments here and there, or -amalgamated with other races, held a very distinct and important -position throughout a considerable area of Europe. - -However, this identity of "Feen" with "Finn" may not appear to some -people as even a probability, without a fuller investigation into -the circumstances of the people known to Gaelic tradition as the -_Feinne_. It may therefore be desirable to continue to refer to the -"Finns" of Gaelic folk-lore by the name of "Feens." - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[57] Such as _roo_ and _mûl_ (each used to denote a headland); -_skerry_, a reef; _couthe_, the "cuddy" or coal-fish, and _broch_; -all of which are found in Gaelic as _ru_ (_rudha_), _maol_, _sgeir_, -_cudan_, and _brog_. - -[58] _See_ p. lxxx of Dr. Skene's Introduction to "The Dean of -Lismore's Book," Edinburgh, 1862. - -[59] Perhaps the old Scotch termination "is" ought not to be -modernized into a separate syllable, as, whatever the force once -given to it, that termination represents the modern plural and -possessive "s." But if the "Fenis" of the gloss was dissyllabic, it -has an equivalent in Shetland in the alternative "Finny," sometimes -used instead of "Finn." - -[60] _See_ "Leabhar na Feinne," London, 1872, p. iv. - -[61] It may be added, that while Dr. Skene frequently speaks of "the -Fians," and at other times of "the Feinne," he occasionally refers -to "the Fenians." But, as this term has been recently usurped by a -quasi-political faction, and as it is, moreover, less accurate than -the other, we may at once reject it. The compound "Fingalian" has -also little to recommend it. - -[62] "The Rough-bounds (_Garbhcrioch_) and the Western Isles" is the -expression used. The former term denoted that portion of the -mainland between Loch Linnhe and Glenelg. Whether the Island of Skye -ought to be included as one of the "Western Isles" is not quite -clear. - -[63] Dr. Skene, p. lxiv of his Introduction to "The Dean of -Lismore's Book." (Here, as elsewhere, I take the liberty of -substituting _Feens_ for the Gaelic plural _Feinne_.) - -[64] _Op. cit._, Introduction, p. lxxviii. - -[65] _Op. cit._, Intro., pp. lxxiii-lxxiv. - -[66] _Op. cit._, p. 36. - -[67] For the above references, _see_ pp. 36, 37, and 40 of "The Dean -of Lismore's Book." - -[68] Just as modern India is _British_ India, although it is almost -exclusively occupied by native races. (In this instance, of course, -the position of _native_ and _alien_ is precisely the reverse from -that which this "Feen" empire seems to denote.) - -[69] "Dean of Lismore's Book," p. lxxv. The spelling is here -slightly modified. - -[70] _Op. cit._, p. 8, note 1. - -[71] _Op. cit._, p. 49, note. - -[72] "Leabhar na Feinne," p. 34. - -[73] The Gaelic traditions have a good deal to say regarding a race -of sea-rovers, styled _Fomorians_; which word is by some believed to -be a latinized form of a Gaelic term denoting a seafaring people. As -it is not improbable that this may be simply another name for the -people now under consideration, the following is worth citing here: -"That those adventurers whom our writers call Fomorians, have -arrived hither in multitudes from that country whence the Danes, -Swedes, and Norwegians came, is a circumstance that may be collected -from this account, that the father-in-law of Tuathal is said, in the -genealogy of the kings of Ireland, to have been king of the -Fomorians of Finland." (O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," Hely's translation, -Dublin, 1793, vol. i, p. 19.) - -[74] Mr. Charles de Kay, in the course of several learned articles -on early life in Ireland, contributed to _The Century Magazine_ -during the year 1889. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -"The Feens, then, belonged to the pre-Milesian races, and were -connected, not only with Ireland, but likewise with Northern and -Central Scotland, England and Wales, and the territory lying between -the Rhine and the Elbe.[75] Now, there are just two people mentioned -in the Irish records who had settlements in Ireland, and who yet -were connected with Great Britain and the region between the Rhine -and the Elbe. These were the people termed the Tuatha De Danann, and -the Cruithné." So says the learned annotator of "The Dean of -Lismore's Book."[76] - -These two last-named races, we are told, are both traditionally -brought from the Elbe and Rhine districts to Ireland and Scotland, -and both are eventually subdued by the later-arriving Milesian -Scots. The period given for the Milesian conquest of the Cruithné of -Scotland, is the ninth century of the Christian era. - -Leaving the "Tuatha De Danann" out of the question in the meantime, -let us look at the contemporary and probably kindred "Cruithné." The -Cruithné, Cruithneach, or Cruithnigh, are unquestionably deserving -of study, for Dr. Skene has shown us[77] that this is merely another -name for those people whom history chiefly knows as "the Picts." The -traditional "Feens," therefore, are to be identified with the -historical "Picts." - -Now, although these people are, as we have just seen, believed to -have come from the Continental country of "Lochlan" (Scandinavia, in -the largest acceptation of that term, or, in its most restricted -sense, the region lying between the Rhine and the Elbe), and -although there is every reason to believe that they spread -themselves all over the British Isles, yet they seem--regarded as -"Picts"--to be chiefly associated with North Britain. Their memory -is still preserved, topographically, by the name of _Pentland_ -(formerly _Petland_ or _Pehtland_, and _Pictland_), which is borne -by the stormy firth separating the Orkneys from Caithness, and also -by the range of hills lying to the south of Edinburgh. Both of these -names are unquestionably derived from the time when there was a -"land of the Picts" in either of these neighbourhoods. But the -Picts, as such, are remembered all over Scotland, in history and in -tradition. It is chiefly in connection with Ireland that they are -spoken of as Cruithné. - -If the "Feens" of tradition were _Cruithné_, or _Picts_, it is -evident that whatever is known with regard to the history, customs, -appearance, and language of the Picts will help us to decide as to -whether the _Feens_ were really one with the _Finns_ of history, -ethnology, and tradition. This, as already remarked, on general -grounds, seems very probable. But, when a very able historian -assures us that the historical Cruithné or Picts must certainly be -at least classed with the Feens of tradition, if these three terms -do not actually include one people, we are enabled, by proceeding -upon this assumption, to obtain further proofs in corroboration of -this belief. - -Whether regarded as Feens or as Picts, these people, we are -informed, had settlements throughout the British Isles during the -earlier centuries of the Christian era, and the country of their -origin was Northern Germany (or, more vaguely, Scandinavia); in -which country large sections of their kindred continued to dwell, -and to maintain a system of confederacy with the Western or British -section long after the latter had settled in their new home. This, -at any rate, when viewed as Feens. - -On the other hand, such a writer as Mr. H. Howorth demonstrates -that, during the same period, the Mongoloid races formed a most -important, and in some places a preponderating, portion of the -inhabitants of the countries of Northern Europe. But, during that -period, these Mongolian races have--he points out--been subjected to -an unceasing process of expulsion from their neighbours on the south -and south-east. If any race, therefore, arrived in the British -Islands from the neighbourhood of the Baltic in the centuries -immediately preceding or following the birth of Christ, the -probability is that that race belonged to one division or another of -these dispossessed Ugrian people. - -If this were so--if the Cruithné or Picts, who came to Britain from -the Baltic lands, were one with, or closely akin to, the Finns and -Lapps--their characteristics must have been those of such people. -For example, their religious beliefs. Now, one cannot read Dr. -Skene's references to the heathen religion of the Cruithné without -seeing that it strongly resembles that of the Lapps and Finns.[78] -Without quoting these references in detail, it may be pointed out -that the power of bringing on a snowstorm and darkness, and -unfavourable winds, was among the mysteries of the Pictish priests. -And this gift of commanding the elements was peculiarly associated -with the Finns and Lapps, as it still is with the Eskimo "sorcerers" -of Greenland. "In the Middle Ages," says a writer on sorcery,[79] -"the name of _Finn_ was equivalent to sorcerer." And as the same -writer observes that "the old authors often confounded the Finns -with the Lapps, and when they speak of Finns, it is very difficult -to know which of these two peoples they refer to" (a confusion of -terms which we have already had occasion to remark), we may here use -the term _Finn_ to denote both divisions. Tentatively, at any rate. -The actual Lapps appear to have been the most powerful magicians of -all that caste. "It is proved by numerous documents," continues M. -Tuchmann, "that the Finns called the Lapps sorcerers, although they -themselves were reputed to be great magicians; but they regarded -themselves as inferior to their neighbours, for they habitually -said, when speaking of their most famous sorcerers: 'He is a -veritable Lapp.'"[80] However, since "Finn" has so frequently been -used to denote the whole group, and since the most recent examples -of these people in the British Isles, namely, the magic-working -Finns of Shetland, have borne that title, we may adhere to the -practice of referring to both divisions as "Finns." - -The Picts or Cruithné, therefore, practised the magic of the Finns. -That is, the _Feens_ practised the magic of the _Finns_.[81] - -Again, when we look at certain weapons used by the _Feens_, a -similar resemblance is visible. According to a tradition, taken down -from the recital of an old Hebridean, the spears or darts of the -Feens, which were known in Gaelic as "_tunnachan_," were of this -description: "They were sticks with sharp ends made on them, and -these ends burned and hardened in the fire. They [the Feens] used to -throw them from them, and they could aim exceedingly with them, and -they could drive them through a man. They used to have a bundle with -them on their shoulders, and a bundle in their oxters [under their -arm-pits]. I myself have seen one of them that was found in a moss, -that was as though it had been hardened in the fire."[82] "This, -then," justly remarks Mr. Campbell, "gives the popular notion of the -heroes [the Feens], and throws them back beyond the iron period." - -While the fashion of referring to "periods" of iron, bronze, etc., -is very apt to mislead (since contiguous peoples have been, and are, -in different "periods" of this nature, at the same moment of time), -it is at least clear from the above tradition that the most -primitive form of dart was associated with the Feens. But, although -this species of weapon is of great antiquity, it does not follow -that a tradition which relates to people who employed it, is -necessarily of great antiquity also. Or that those javelin-men were -at all "prehistoric." We have already seen that a race of people -employed darts in exactly the same way when fishing--or, perhaps, -more correctly, when seal-hunting--within British waters, only two -hundred years ago. And the people who in this respect resembled the -_Feens_ of Gaelic folk-lore are themselves remembered as _Finns_. - -But perhaps the readiest and surest way of obtaining something like -a true conception of these legendary Feens, is to regard them from -the ethnological point of view, as well, that is, as our imperfect -information will allow. We shall therefore look at them in this -aspect, whether considered as _Picts_ or _Cruithné_ or as _Feens_. - -The great hero of the Feenic legends, and the "King" or "General" of -the Feens of Ireland, was the famous "Finn" or "Fionn." If the -battle of Gawra was really fought in the third century, as is -alleged, and if this "Fionn" was a real man, and not the type or -"eponymus" of his race, then he ought to be assigned to the third -century. For he is said to have been present at that battle, where -his grandson was slain and the supremacy of his race destroyed. At -any rate, whether he lived at that date or not, and whether he was -an individual or merely a personification of his race, Fionn figures -throughout the tales of these people as a very Feen of the Feens. - -Now, among the many stories told of him, there is one, entitled -"How Fin[83] went to the Kingdom of the Big Men." It is unnecessary -to give all the particulars of this tale. But Fin is pictured as -starting from Dublin Bay in his little coracle (_curachan_) on his -voyage to the country of the Big Men. Although he is described as -"hoisting the spotted, towering sails," they cannot have been very -large, or very many, for the coracle was so small that "Fin was -guide in her prow, helm in her stern, and tackle in her middle," and -when he landed on the coast of the Big Men's country, he drew his -tiny vessel, unaided, up into the dry grass, above the tide-mark. It -ought to be added, however, that this coracle was an open boat, -capable of holding at least four persons; as is shown on the return -voyage. - -After landing, Fin encountered a "big wayfarer" (_tais-dealach -mòr_), who informed him that his king had long been in want of a -dwarf (_troich_), and that Fin would suit him capitally. "He took -with him Fin; but another big man (_fear mòr_) came, and was going -to take Fin from him. The two fought; but when they had torn each -other's clothes, they left it to Fin to judge. He chose the first -one. He took Fin with him to the palace of the king, whose worthies -and high nobles assembled to see the little man (_an duine bhig_"). -And then and there Fin was installed as the royal dwarf.[84] - -In this story, then, we have the tacit admission that, not far from -Fin's home at the hill of Allen, Kildare, there was a country whose -inhabitants were so much taller than the race of Fin, that the -latter were mere dwarfs beside them. Now, this is precisely _the -most striking_ characteristic of the kayak-using Finns of Shetlandic -tradition. - -The _Finns_ of Shetland folk-lore are, says Mr. Karl Blind, -"reckoned among the _Trows_." The king of the _Feens_ was hailed in -the country of the big men as a _Troich_. And these are simply two -forms of the same word. _Troich_ or _droich_, among Gaelic-speaking -people, is softened into _trow_ or _drow_ among the English-speaking -Shetlanders.[85] In both cases it signifies "dwarf." - -And, just as the Shetlanders have memories of a race of small men, -who, in spite of their mean stature, were a terror to the taller -people, whom they oppressed and took tribute from, so have the -Gaelic-speaking people a mass of legends which also tell of similar -dwarfish but dreaded tyrants. The former designate their dwarfs -"Finns": if the Gaelic traditions are not equally definite, they at -least suggest that a caste of "Feens," who levied a tax upon the -Gaelic-speaking people, were themselves dwarfs in stature. And the -Highland tales abound in stories of fierce and tyrannical dwarfs. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[75] It is to be remembered that "Lochlan," the term used to denote -the territory last named, was ultimately applied to the whole of -Scandinavia, and _may_ have been used in its widest sense at the -period here referred to. - -[76] Introduction, p. lxxvi. In the above, I have again taken the -liberty of modifying the various designations. - -[77] "Celtic Scotland," vol. i, p. 131; vol. iii, chap, iii, etc. -_See_ also his "Chronicles of the Picts and Scots." - -[78] "Celtic Scotland," vol. ii, pp. 108-16. - -[79] M. J. Tuchmann, in "Mélusine," t. iv, no. 16. - -[80] Mr. Charles de Kay, in one of the valuable articles already -referred to, remarks ("Woman in Early Ireland," _Century Magazine_, -July 1889, p. 439): "Although in the Kalewala the tribes of Pohjola, -or the Lapps, are considered foul magicians, and ever the foe of the -heroes of Kaleva, or the Finns, yet it is from Pohjola that -Waïnamoïnen and his comrades always take their brides by force or by -purchase." This quotation not only confirms the above account of M. -Tuchmann, but it also illustrates the fact that even the most -antagonistic races do not refrain from mixing their blood. Thus it -may be seen how Lapps and Finns could eventually become almost -identified. And the "Heimskringla" shows us how, in turn, this -composite Finno-Lapp race could later on become blended with that of -the Haralds and Sigurds of the Sagas. - -[81] This has already been propounded by the late Mr. J. F. Campbell -("West Highland Tales," iv, 29-30). - -[82] "West Highland Tales," iii, 394-5. - -[83] So spelt in the English translation given by the Rev. John G. -Campbell, minister of Tiree, in _The Scottish Celtic Review_, -Glasgow, 1885, pp. 184-90. - -[84] Referring to the component parts of Fin's army on a certain -occasion, Mr. Charles de Kay remarks ("Early Heroes of Ireland," -_Century Magazine_, June 1889, p, 200): "The battalion of -'middle-sized men' and that of 'small men' we may understand as -recruited from the true hunter and fisher tribes, who gave the name -Fenian to the army itself, and Fion to the folk-hero." - -[85] _Trow_ is the favourite form among the Shetlanders; but other -forms are given by Edmondston in his "Glossary," such as _drow_, -_troll_, _troil_, _troilya_, and _trolld_. The Shetland terms are, -therefore, also variants of the Scandinavian _troll_, following a -common Scotch tendency, which modifies _boll_, _knoll_, _poll_, -_roll_, etc., into _bow_, _know_, _pow_, _row_, etc. (the vowel -sound being as in _now_). But whichever form may be the oldest, it -is manifest that _trow_ or _drow_, and _troich_ or _droich_, are -radically one. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -But, if the legendary "Feens" are identical with, or closely akin -to, the Picts of history, then the historical Picts must also belong -to this stunted Eskimo-like race. Let us look at the people called -"Picts." - -And, first of all, since the word "Pict" is admittedly the result of -a pun or a misapprehension on the part of Latin-speaking people, it -may be as well to discard that special spelling. The forms which the -word appears to have most commonly taken in the mouths of the -country-people of Scotland are _Pik_, _Pech_, _Pecht_, and _Peht_ -(the _ch_ being of course pronounced as in German). Doubtless, other -forms might be adduced; but perhaps the best compromise is _Pecht_. -What, then, are the accounts given with regard to the stature of the -Pechts? - -The question is practically answered at once in considering the -nature of the dwellings that the traditions of Scotland unanimously -assign to these people. - -"The only tradition which I heard current on the subject of the -former inhabitants of the country," says a writer on Shetland,[86] -"was, that the remains of old dwellings were Pechts' houses, and -that those who lived in them were little men." And, in reporting to -the Anthropological Society of London the result of an archæological -tour in Shetland, Dr. James Hunt[87] remarks of such "old -dwellings"--"These remains are called 'Pights' or Picts' houses.' -Mr. Umfray [a local archæologist] surmises that they were originally -'pights' or dwarfs' houses.' Dwarfs, in this locality, are still -called _pechts_."[88] And the present writer, when visiting a -"Pict's house" three or four miles north of the place just spoken -of, and which had also been inspected by Dr. Hunt, obtained similar -testimony. The place is known as Saffester, or Seffister, and its -antiquarian features consist of the remains of a chambered tumulus -and a separate subterranean gallery. The latter is referred to by -one writer as a "Pict's house," although it is only a passage. As, -however, local tradition alleges that it leads to the chambered -mound, the name may be correct enough. Now, this tumulus was opened -fifty or more years ago by the parish minister.[89] And an old man, -who was then a boy, informed the writer that the entrance was -effected by what he and his boy companions had always called "the -_trow's_ door." Another similar experience of the writer's yields a -like result. Near Hamna Voe, at the south end of the island of Yell, -there is a small loch and islet, with the remains of a "broch," the -loch being known as "the loch of Kettlester." The "broch" that once -stood there (for the ruins no longer retain their original shape) -was built by "the Pechts," said the intelligent lad (a native of the -district) who was the writer's guide, and these Pechts he described -as very small people.[90] - -The popular Shetland notions regarding the Pechts are again -repeated by a lady writer, who has the advantage of being herself a -Shetlander[91]: "The first folks that ever were in our isles were -the Picts.... They had no ships, only small boats.... They were very -small [people]." Indeed, so much has their small stature been -impressed upon the popular memory, that, as we have seen, "dwarfs, -in this locality, are still called _pechts_." Nor is it only in -Shetland that this word has such a meaning. In Aberdeenshire _picht_ -denotes a dwarfish person, and Dr. Jamieson, in recording the -fact,[92] suggests its connection with "the _pichts_ or _pechts_, -whom the vulgar view as a race of pigmies." In the south of Scotland -also, this signification appears to prevail; for the Ettrick -Shepherd, in the "Noctes Ambrosianæ," employs "pegh" as an everyday -synonym for "dwarf." In point of fact, although it has just been -stated that dwarfs "are still called _pechts_" in Shetland, because -of the small size of the race so known to history, it is really a -question whether the historical people did not so become -historically remembered _because_ a pre-existing word fitly -described their dwarfish stature. But this etymological point is of -little importance here. - -Although Shetland has been chiefly considered in these recent -remarks, it will be seen that the popular belief regarding the -stature of the Pechts is apparently common to the whole of Scotland. -Dr. Jamieson evidently thought so when he referred to "the Pichts, -or Pechts, whom the vulgar view as a race of pigmies." And he does -not stand alone. "Throughout Scotland," says another writer, "the -vulgar account is 'that the _Pechs_ were unco wee bodies, but -terrible strang'; that is, that they were of very small stature, but -of prodigious strength."[93] "Long ago," quotes the late Robert -Chambers,[94] and his quotation also applies to the whole of -Scotland, "there were people in this country called the Pechs; -short, wee men they were,"--and so on. - -Enough has been said to show that the ideas held by the "vulgar" -(whose traditions, once contemptuously rejected by scholars, are -nowadays being rated at their true value), throughout Scotland, with -respect to the Pechts, agree in describing those people as decidedly -dwarfish in stature. And this belief is most convincingly borne out -by the dwellings which the Pechts are believed to have inhabited; -the "Pechts' houses" which we glanced at a few paragraphs back, and -which speedily led us to consider the Pechts themselves. No man of -the average height of modern British people, who has personally -inspected these "Pechts' houses," can arrive at any other conclusion -than that they were built and inhabited by people of a stature very -much less than his own. This is a point so manifest that it need not -be emphasized to those who have stooped, squeezed, and crept among -the chambers and passages of a "Pictish broch." A few particulars of -measurement would quickly convince others; but such details need not -be entered into here. However, something may be said with regard to -the appearance of the dwelling which may best be regarded as the -typical "Pecht's house." - -In a "Notice of the Brochs and the so-called Picts' Houses of -Orkney," submitted to the Anthropological Society of London,[95] Mr. -George Petrie points out that "the name Pict's house is applied -indiscriminately, in the northern counties of Scotland, to every -sort of ancient structure." And as there is certainly a great -difference, in degree, between the various structures referred to, -we may here accept Mr. Petrie's guidance as to what constitutes the -typical "Pict's house." "The class of buildings to which I have for -many years restricted the appellation of _Picts' house_ have been," -says Mr. Petrie, "very different from the brochs,[96] both in -external appearance and general structure and arrangements. The -_Pict's house_ is generally of a conical form, and externally -closely resembles a large bowl-shaped barrow. It consists of a solid -mass of masonry, covered with a layer of turf, a foot or more in -thickness, and has a central chamber surrounded by several smaller -cells. The entrance to the central chamber from the outside is by a -long, low, narrow passage; while the cells are connected with the -chamber by short passages of similar dimensions to the long one. The -walls of the chambers and cells converge towards the top, where they -approach so closely that the aperture can be spanned by a stone a -couple of feet in length." - -Another writer[97] describes a Pict's house--that on Wideford Hill, -near Kirkwall--in these terms: "All that meets the eye at first is a -green, conical mound, with an indescribable aspect of something -_eerie_ and weird about it, resting silently amid the moorland -solitude. On closer inspection we discover an entrance passage, -about eighteen inches high and two feet broad, leading from the -lower side into the interior of the prehistoric dwelling,"--and so -on. - -The resemblance between this kind of dwelling, or its more modern -representative, the "bee-hive" hut of the Hebrides and Western -Ireland, to the dwellings of modern Eskimos has long been -recognized. But it may be permitted to quote here from the accounts -given by two Arctic voyagers of the early part of this century, -especially as these accounts, both relating to the most northern -tribes of Greenland, appear to describe with peculiar exactness the -"Pict's house" of Mr. Petrie. - -Captain Scoresby, in the account of his explorations in the year -1822, thus describes the deserted dwellings of some of those -northern Eskimos: - - "The roofs of all the huts had either been removed or had - fallen in; what remained, consisted of an excavation in the - ground at the brow of the bank, about 4 feet in depth, 15 - in length, and 6 to 9 in width. The sides of each hut were - sustained by a wall of rough stones, and the bottom - appeared to be gravel, clay, and moss. The access to these - huts, after the manner of the Esquimaux, was a horizontal - tunnel perforating the ground, about 15 feet in length, - opening at one extremity on the side of the bank, into the - external air, and, at the other, communicating with the - interior of the hut. This tunnel was so low, that a person - must creep on his hands and knees to get into the dwelling: - it was roofed with slabs of stone and sods. This kind of - hut being deeply sunk in the earth, and being accessible - only by a subterranean passage, is generally considered as - formed altogether under ground. As, indeed, it rises very - little above the surface, and as the roof, when entire, is - generally covered with sods, and clothed with moss or - grass, it partakes so much of the appearance of the rest of - the ground, that it can scarcely be distinguished from it. - I was much struck by its admirable adaptation to the nature - of the climate and the circumstances of the inhabitants. - The uncivilized Esquimaux, using no fire in these - habitations, but only lamps, which serve both for light and - for warming their victuals, require, in the severities of - winter, to economise, with the greatest care, such - artificial warmth as they are able to produce in their - huts. For this purpose, an under-ground dwelling, defended - from the penetration of the frost by a roof of moss and - earth, with an additional coating of a bed of snow, and - preserved from the entrance of the piercing wind by a long - subterranean tunnel, without the possibility of being - annoyed by any draught of air, but what is voluntarily - admitted--forms one of the best contrivances which, - considering the limited resources, and the unenlightened - state of these people, could possibly have been - adopted."[98] - -Scoresby's description fully corroborates that given by Captain Ross -a few years earlier, when relating his visit to the Eskimos living -about the north-eastern corner of Baffin's Bay. These people he -describes as "short in stature, seldom exceeding five feet," and he -mentions that their sorcerers alleged that it was in their power to -raise a storm or make a calm, and to drive off seals and birds." - -With regard to their dwellings, he says: - - "None of their houses were seen, but they described them as - built entirely of stone, the walls being sunk about three - feet into the earth, and raised about as much above it. - They have no windows, and the entrance is by a long, narrow - passage, nearly under ground. Several families live in one - house, and each has a lamp made of hollowed stone, hung - from the roof, in which they burn the blubber of the seal, - etc., using dried moss for a wick, which is kindled by - means of iron and stone. This lamp, which is never - extinguished, serves at once for light, warmth, and - cooking."[99] - -It is not out of place to refer here also to an instructive article -on "The Archæology of Lighting Appliances," read before the Society -of Antiquaries of Scotland by Mr. J. Romilly Allen, F.S.A.Scot., in -the course of which he describes the stone lamps found in the -habitations known as "brochs" (and popularly assigned to the Picts), -with regard to which lamps he states that although not quite -identical in shape with those used by modern Eskimos, they are -substantially identical, and must have been used in precisely the -same way. Comparing this with Baron Nordenskiöld's accounts, Mr. -Romilly Allen observes: "The picture here given of the domestic life -of the Eskimos at the present time enables us to form a tolerably -correct idea of the way in which the inhabitants of the Scottish -brochs lighted their dwellings during the long winter nights two -thousand years ago." ("Proceedings of Soc. of Antiq. of Scot." -1887-88, p. 84.) - -From all these remarks, then, it will be seen that the dwelling of -the dwarfish Eskimo and the "house" assigned by Scottish tradition -to the Pechts, or dwarfs, are substantially one. And a consideration -of the statements also demonstrates clearly that, whatever the age -of the word "pecht," none but a race of dwarfish stature would have -built such places of abode. Indeed, the stature of the dwellers in -the Pecht's house is doubly impressed upon the memory of the -Northern Islanders. When Mr. Gorrie describes its outward -appearance, he tells us (in similar terms to the Arctic voyagers), -that "all that meets the eye at first is a green, conical mound ... -resting silently amid the moorland solitude." But he really repeats -himself, although he is not aware of it, when he refers on another -page[100] to "the simple superstition (?) long prevalent among the -inhabitants of Orkney and Zetland, that the strange green mounds -rising by the sea-side and on solitary moors, were the abodes of -supernatural beings known by the name of Trows." Of the -"supernatural" attributes assigned to those people, or claimed by -them--in early Scotland, in Lapland, and in Greenland--much remains -to be said. But the people just referred to under two different, but -synonymous, names, are undoubtedly one and the same. - -The Pechts of history, then, were a race of dwarfs. Thus, when Dr. -Skene identifies the Feens of Gaelic folk-lore with the historic -Pechts, he reveals them to us as a race of dwarfs. Therefore, the -traditional story of the Feen chiefs visit to the "country of the -big men," where he was regarded by that latter race as a "droich," -is entirely in accordance with Dr. Skene's belief that the Feens -were of the same race as the historic Pechts. It is not at all -unlikely that this identity was taken for granted long before the -nineteenth century, and in Scotland. In Allan Ramsay's _Evergreen_, -a collection of Scottish poems written before the year 1600, there -is a certain "Interlude of the Droichs," also referred to as "The -Droichs' Part of a Play." Now, the spokesman of these droichs (or -trows, or dwarfs) announces himself as a grandson of Fin, the great -chief of the Feens of Ireland. And he makes a statement which is -identical with one contained in a Feenic poem on the battle of -Gawra. This statement need not be particularized here, but it tells -us unmistakably that these "droichs" were regarded as the -representatives of Fin and his Feens.[101] Therefore, it would -appear from this poem that Fin and his Feens were regarded by the -ruling class in Scotland, prior to 1600, as dwarfs. That is, as -_pechts_. - -So far, then, all that has here been said tends to show that the -_Feinne_ of Gaelic folk-lore, and the Finns of Northern history and -tradition, ought to be regarded as one and the same people. And that -one section, at any rate, of such people ought to be identified with -the Pechts, or Picts, of history. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[86] Rev. J. Russell, "Three Years in Shetland." Paisley and London, -1887, pp. 135-6. - -[87] _See_ the Society's "Memoirs," 1865-6, vol. ii, pp. 294-338. - -[88] The spelling _pight_, which Dr. Hunt uses above, must clearly -represent the guttural and vowel sound of _licht_, _micht_, _dight_, -etc., in "broad Scotch." Without this caution, the reader would -naturally infer the sound of _pite_. - -[89] Rev. J. Bryden: _see_ "Anthrop. Soc. Mem." _ut supra_. - -[90] Close to Kettlester there is a noted haunt of the "trows," -which bears the name of _Houlland_. With this may be compared -_Troil-Houlland_, which adjoins Seffister, of "trow" memory. This -very common Shetland termination "ster" or "setter" is the Icelandic -_setr_, a dwelling; and these two names resolve themselves -respectively into dwellings of _Kettle_ and _Seffi_. The former name -at once recalls the ninth century _Ketil Flat-nose_ of the Sagas, -and this "setr," still associated with dwarfs (otherwise _trows_ or -_pechts_), may have been one of his dwellings. - -[91] Mrs. Saxby, in "Folk-lore from Unst, Shetland" (part v), -contributed to _The Leisure Hour_, 1880. (For another reference to -the boats of the Picts, _see_ pp. 178-9, _post_.) - -[92] "Scottish Dictionary" (Supplement), _s. v._ "Picht." - -[93] "The Topography of the Basin of the Tay," by James Knox, -Edinburgh, 1831, p. 108. This writer adds that "they are said to -have been about three or four feet in height"; and it may be -mentioned that when I asked my young guide at Kettlester the exact -height of the small Pechts he had just been speaking of, he said, -"About that height," indicating at the same time a stature of three -feet or so. Whatever their height really was, this young -Shetlander's ideas were in agreement with those held "throughout -Scotland." - -[94] "Popular Rhymes of Scotland," 1870, p. 80. - -[95] _See_ the Society's "Memoirs," 1865-6, vol. ii, pp. 216-225. - -[96] The term "broch" has hitherto been used in a general sense in -these pages. This its etymology permits: for it is the same word as -_borough_, _burgh_, _burg_, _barrow_, etc. But the students of these -ancient structures have recently restricted "broch" to the more -elaborate and superior building of the round or "martello" tower -order. This definition is very convenient, and saves much confusion. -In spite, however, of the great difference that Mr. Petrie speaks of -as between the so-called "Pictish" broch and the humbler dwelling -that alone is recognized by him as a "Pict's house," it is yet -evident that the "broch" is to a very great extent evolved from the -more primitive and rudimentary "Pict's house." - -[97] Mr. Daniel Gorrie, in "Summers and Winters in the Orkneys," -London, 1869, p. 117. - -[98] This extract is quoted from the review in the _Scots Magazine_ -of 1823 (pp. 457-8) of Captain Scoresby's "Journal" (published -1823). - -[99] From an extract contained in the review (_Scots Magazine_, -1819, vol. iv, pp. 332-3) of Capt. Ross's account (published by John -Murray, London, 1819). - -[100] _Op. cit._, p. 119. - -[101] The fact that the "Interlude" is allegorical does not at all -affect the question. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -While the Picts, or Pechts, are remembered to a great extent as the -builders of the subterranean and half-subterranean dwellings with -which they are associated, these are far from being the only -structures which popular tradition has stamped as the work of their -hands. The architectural skill, of a kind, which they displayed in -the construction of their own "Pechts' houses" may be seen from such -a casual reference as this, gleaned from among certain specimens of -Clydesdale folk-lore: "Our milkhouse," says a Clydesdale peasant, -"whilk stude on the side of a dentie burn, and was ane o' thae auld -vowts [vaults] whilk the Pechs biggit langsyne, had wa's sae doons -strang that ane waud hae thocht it micht hae stude to the last day; -but its found had been onnerminit by the last Lammas-spait."[102] If -the "Pechts' houses" lacked, as they certainly did, evidences of -high culture in the designers, or outward beauty of design in -themselves, they were at least remarkable for their great strength -and durability; so that, were it not for such accidents as a -Lammas-flood, they might well have stood "to the last day." But the -great bodily strength of this race, and their turn for masonry, were -made use of in other ways than in the construction of the dwellings -referred to; that is, if there is any truth in the popular ideas -upon this subject. - -The late Robert Chambers, in putting together the popular Scotch -beliefs regarding these people,[103] not only states that they were -"short, wee men," but he adds, still speaking as a Scottish peasant: -"The Pechs were great builders; they built a' the auld castles in -the kintry; and do ye ken the way they built them? I'll tell ye. -They stood all in a row from the quarry to the place where they were -building, and ilk ane handed forward the stanes to his neebor, till -the hale was biggit." A special example of one of the buildings so -reared is the Round Tower of Abernethy in Perthshire, well known as -one of the two towers of this class still to be found in Scotland. -"The story goes," says the Rev. Andrew Small, in his "Antiquities of -Fife,"[104] "that it was built by the Pechts,... and that, while the -work was going on, they stood in a row all the way from the Lomond -Hill to the building, handing the stones from one to another.... -That it has been built of freestone from the Lomond Hill is clear to -a demonstration, as the grist or nature of the stone points out the -very spot where it has been taken from, namely, a little west, and -up from the ancient wood of Drumdriell, about a mile straight south -from Meralsford." That Abernethy was long a seat of Pictish power is -what no historian would deny, and the tower referred to is always -denominated "Pictish." Of the way in which it was built we have just -seen the local account. - -Similar ideas are current in Northumberland. "The erection of -several of these old castles [_e.g._, Dunstanborough Castle] is, by -popular tradition, ascribed to the Picts.... The building of the -Roman wall, which is by country people commonly called the Picts' -wall, is also ascribed to them; and they are said to have formed the -Catrail on the Scottish border, which is frequently called the -Picts-work ditch. The Picts are described as men of low stature, but -of superhuman strength; and on the moors of Northumberland the heaps -of stone, which are supposed by antiquaries to mark the spot where -'bones of mighty chiefs lie hid,' are sometimes pointed out to the -inquiring stranger as places where a Pict's apron-string had broken -as he was carrying a load of stones to his work."[105] - -Although the tower at Abernethy, and the "Pechts' houses" already -spoken of, may be classed together as having been built for the use -of the builders themselves, it is quite evident that if these people -actually reared the many other structures attributed to them, in -Scotland and in Northumberland, they did so in the character of -serfs, working for people of other races. If Dunstanborough Castle, -the Wall of Hadrian, and (perhaps also) the Catrail, not to speak of -"a' the auld castles in the kintry," were built by the Pechts, the -builders were evidently not working on their own behalf. This -clearly must have been the case in the instance of the "Roman Wall," -which was raised for the very purpose of checking the southward -inroads of these fierce warriors. That it actually was a "Roman -wall" is of course beyond question. But that fact does not interfere -with the supposition that the drudgery was performed by captive -Pechts, whose immense strength, and intimate acquaintance with the -art of building such structures, would render them of the greatest -use to their conquerors. That they, and not the Romans, were the -actual _builders_ of the wall, as Northumbrian tradition asserts, is -therefore far from improbable. Indeed, there are one or two -indications that the more northern "Wall of Antoninus" may also have -been reared by kindred hands. And as with these early examples, so -may the later buildings referred to have actually been unwillingly -built by Pechts, at the command of other people.[106] - -Not only walls and castles, or towers, but churches and cathedrals -are also said to have been reared by the same dwarfish but powerful -builders, as may be seen from the following instances. - -One part of Scotland that continued to be a "reservation" of the -Pechts, after that people had ceased to hold sway, is the hilly -country lying to the south of Edinburgh, and known as "the -Pentlands." Like the "Pentland Firth" on the north-east of Scotland, -this district was so called because it was associated with the -Pechts. We need not here concern ourselves as to the causes which -made the name, in both instances, assume the modern form of -"Pentland." But, in each case, the name was formerly "Pehtland," and -it signified "the land of the Pehts, or Pechts." According to Dr. -Skene, the Angles of Northumbria had, as early as the seventh -century, established themselves pretty securely as the ruling caste -throughout the south-east of what is now Scotland, then a part of -"Northumbria." This territory seems to have reached as far on the -north-west as the modern county of Linlithgow, and one of the chief -Northumbrian strongholds in that neighbourhood has ever since been -known by the name of the Northumbrian king, Edwin. Edinburgh, -therefore, in the seventh century, appears as a seat of the Anglian -race, which ruled from the Forth to the Humber. Three or four -centuries later, the steadily growing power of "Scotia" annexed the -whole of Northumbria lying north of the Borders. But the population, -no doubt, remained little affected by this political change, and its -speech and traditions continued the same.[107] - -But, although those Angles were the rulers of south-eastern -Scotland (in modern topography), there still remained a remnant of -the Pechts in at least one part of that northern Northumbria.[108] -And it was because of their residence there that the Angles spoke of -the hilly region lying to the south and south-west of Edinburgh as -"the Peht or Pecht land." How long the Pechts maintained some kind -of individuality in that neighbourhood it is impossible to say. It -is said that, after Kenneth's great victory over the Pechts at -Forteviot or at Scone, in the middle of the ninth century, many of -the fugitives sought refuge in England. And, as the Pentland Hills -were then in "England," it is likely that they found shelter among -their kindred there. In other parts of Scotland the Pechts are -historically visible long after the seventh and ninth centuries. At -the battle of the Standard, in 1138, the Galloway section formed one -division of the Scottish army.[109] A popular tradition, to be -presently referred to, also speaks of them as a distinct people in -the Clyde valley, during the same century. It is therefore quite -permissible to suppose that, once the people of the Midlothian -"Pecht-lands" had realized that they were a conquered remnant, with -no hope of ultimately recovering their lost power, they may have -continued to live, if merely as serfs, not only to the twelfth -century, but for several centuries longer. - -That they did so is to be inferred from the following bit of -"folk-lore," which relates to a locality that, though not strictly -included in the district of the "Pecht-lands," is quite near enough -to agree with this hypothesis. - -The hill of Corstorphine, situated a little to the west of -Edinburgh, is only about three miles north of the nearest point of -the "Pecht-lands." Now, the village church of Corstorphine is one of -the few churches in Scotland which are of interest to the antiquary. -"Ancient it most unquestionably is," says a modern writer in the -course of a description of the village and its church, and the -foundation of the latter is placed in the year 1429. The fifteenth -century is not very "ancient," as these things go, but perhaps the -site has been occupied by a church from a much earlier period. At -any rate, the writer just referred to, in visiting Corstorphine for -the purpose of inspecting both church and village, obtained this -piece of local tradition, believed to relate to the church of 1429. -"Of this [church], in November 1881, an intelligent native assured -the writer that it was 'wonderfully ancient, built by the -Hottentots, who stood in a row and handed the stones on one to -another from Ravelston quarry'"--on the adjacent hill of -Corstorphine.[110] - -Now, if one compares this account with the traditional description -of the _modus operandi_ of the Pechts, already instanced in the case -of Abernethy, and generally accepted throughout Scotland, one hardly -requires the historical testimony of the "Pecht-lands" to recognize -in these "Hottentots" the Pechts of tradition. It is not necessary -to take the expression here used by the Corstorphine villager as -absolutely correct. His statement, it may be remarked, succeeded a -conversation in which our various wars in South Africa had been -discussed,[111] and it is not unlikely that this had suggested to -the speaker the term "Hottentot" as aptly enough describing a race -that to his ancestors, whose ideas he inherited, had seemed savage -and inferior. That he absolutely believed the labourers who reared -the walls of the church to be of a different race from his own is -unquestionably indicated by the whole tenor of his remarks.[112] - -This Corstorphine tradition points to a body of Pechts still -surviving as a distinct type, in the Midlothian of 1429; and then -regarded by the general population as a caste of drudges. This, too, -is the position accorded to that race in one phase of Highland -tradition. "I am informed," says Dr. Jamieson,[113] "that in -Inverness-shire, the foundations of various houses have been -discovered, of a round form,... and that when the Highlanders are -asked to whom they belonged, they say that they were the houses of -the _Drinnich_ or _Trinnich_, _i.e._, of the _labourers_, a name -which they give to the Picts." They may be seen in the Clyde valley, -in the same position as those of Corstorphine, but three centuries -earlier, on the testimony of tradition. "Throughout Scotland," says -an antiquary previously quoted, "the vulgar account is, 'that the -_Pechs_ were unco wee bodies, but terrible strang'; that is, that -they were of very small stature, but of prodigious strength. It is -commonly added [he goes on] 'that the meal (oatmeal) was a penny the -peck when they built the _Hie_ Kirk [the Cathedral] of Glasgow;' for -the building of all the cathedrals, and in general everything very -ancient, is ascribed by the common people to the _Pechs_."[114] Now, -the present Cathedral of Glasgow is said to have been built in the -twelfth century, at which date the Pechts of Galloway formed a -distinct and separate population in south-western Scotland. -According to Reginald of Durham, as we have already seen, the town -of Kirkcudbright was situated in the "Pecht-lands" (_terra -Pictorum_), and the _sermo Pictorum_ was still spoken there. In the -same century the Galloway Pechts formed the van of the Scottish army -at the battle of the Standard; and the Pechts of this period are -remembered in the popular memory, assisted by a homely enough -detail, as having been employed in the building of the "High Church" -of Glasgow. Of course, the Clyde valley is not situated in Galloway; -but the presence of Pechts in twelfth-century Glasgow may easily be -explained by assuming that they belonged to another detachment of -the race, or that it was worth while sending to Galloway for such -famous builders. Belonging to a period less easily defined are the -Pecht masons of the famous Round Tower at Brechin. Regarding this -tower a local writer states: "Tradition, in Brechin, as well as at -Abernethy, ascribes the erection to the _Peghts_," and he adds, that -"it has stated they were only allowed a trifle for this work, and -were cheated out of part of this trifle."[115] In this instance, -also, the Pechts are remembered as working for people of another -race; which is somewhat remarkable, as the tower itself is one of -those which seem to have been built by the Pechts for _their own_ -purposes. - -Without going much out of the way, it may be as well to point out -that the popular idea of the Pechts being "men of low stature, _but -of superhuman strength_," "unco wee bodies, _but terrible strang_," -is not only supported by tradition on every side, but it is borne -out by a consideration of the mementos they have left behind them. -Much could be said on this subject; but it will perhaps be enough -here to point to a hill-fortress in Forfarshire, which history and -tradition agree in ascribing to these people. This is the stronghold -known as the White Cater Thun, situated a few miles north-west of -Brechin (which possesses the Pictish round-tower just referred to, -and which was once a seat of Pictish monarchy). The fort crowns a -hill which rises about 300 feet above the general level of the great -valley of Strathmore, and is thus referred to: - - "This is, perhaps, the strongest Pictish fortification - extant. It is surrounded by a double rampart of an - elliptical figure, being 436 feet long by about 200 broad, - and containing about two imperial acres.... But the most - wonderful thing that occurs in this Pictish fort is the - extraordinary dimensions of the ramparts, composed entirely - of large, loose stones, being 26 feet thick at the top, and - upwards of 100 at the bottom, reckoning quite to the ditch, - which, indeed, seems to be much filled up with the tumbling - down of the walls. The vast labour that it must have cost - to amass so enormous a quantity of large stones, and convey - them to such a height, is astonishing.... In conveying the - enormous quantity of large stones to the summit of White - Cater Thun, the natives must doubtless have expended great - labour, and much time. They seem, however, to have been - familiar with a method of removing immense masses from - considerable distances, and it is supposed they made use of - hurdles on such occasions; it is not improbable they might - have some kind of rude windlass for raising the larger - stones from the bottom to the top of the hill."[116] - -Whatever the method employed by the builders of this stronghold, -the description just given will show the reader, what he cannot fail -to be impressed with on a study of the Pechts, that these people and -their buildings belonged to what is known as the "Cyclopean" type, -and that they--the people--represented a race now quite extinct, in -its purity, but which must undoubtedly have been remarkable for a -prodigious strength of body, a strength that may well be spoken of -as "superhuman," if it is to be compared with that of any existing -race of men. It is this point that must always be borne in mind when -one considers the traditions regarding the buildings of the Pechts, -and this it is that justifies the very parts of those traditions -which would otherwise appear utterly wild and incredible. Beyond -question, there is much that demands criticism and inquiry in the -traditional description of the way in which such edifices as -Abernethy Tower and Corstorphine Church were reared. But two -important points must not be overlooked. The one is that an immense -number of people may have been simultaneously at work; the other is -that the workers were of vast muscular strength. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[102] _Scots Magazine_, vol. iii. 1818, p. 503. - -[103] "Popular Rhymes of Scotland," 1870, pp. 80-82. - -[104] Edinburgh, 1823, pp. 152-3. - -[105] "Rambles in Northumberland," by S. Oliver. London, 1835, p. -104. - -[106] The earliest instance which has come under my notice of such -work performed in the British Islands by a subject people, who -correspond in many ways with the Pechts, is that given by Lady -Ferguson ("The Story of the Irish before the Conquest," London, -1868, p. 32), with reference to the rebuilding of the fort of -Cruachan, in Connaught. - -[107] For Dr. Skene's accounts, on which these statements are based, -see "Celtic Scotland," vol. i. pp. 236-241; and p. cvii of his -Preface to the "Chronicles of the Picts and Scots." - -[108] It is not meant to be implied that Angles and Pechts were -exclusively the inhabitants of this territory at that time. But it -seems clear that the former predominated, and gave to the district -the impression of speech and custom which it yet retains. - -[109] "Celtic Scotland," vol. i. pp. 203 and 467. "Reginald of -Durham, writing in the last half of the twelfth century, mentions, -in 1164, Kirkcudbright as being in 'terra Pictorum,' and calls their -language 'sermo Pictorum.'" (_Op. cit._, p. 203, _note_.) Dr. Skene, -quoting various authorities, gives us an interesting description of -the Scottish army at the Battle of the Standard. It was composed, we -learn, of Normans, Germans, English, Northumbrians, Cumbrians, men -of Teviotdale and the Lothians, Picts (commonly called Galloways or -Galloway-men), and Scots. This is the statement made by Richard of -Hexham, a contemporary writer, and it seems to agree on the whole -with the other accounts. His "Cumbrians" are identified with the -"Welsh" of Strathclyde. No doubt his "Northumbrians" were those who, -living on the north of the Border, belonged to that part of -Northumbria which had then been Scottish for more than a century. -The Galloway Picts, it may be added, were in the front of the -battle, and "claimed to lead the van as their right." - -[110] _See_ the _Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland_, Edinburgh, 1882, -vol. i. p. 287. - -[111] This I am informed by the writer of the lines quoted. - -[112] "The tradition that certain buildings were erected by men who -stood in a row and handed the stones from one to the other is quite -familiar to me with regard to buildings in Ireland," writes a -correspondent (the Rev. J. Ffrench, of Clonegal, Fellow of the Royal -Society of Antiquaries of Ireland); and he furnishes one -example:--"Brash, in his 'Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland,' -when describing the Round Tower of _Ardmore_, tells us: 'I have -before stated that the materials of which this tower was built were -brought from the Mountain of Slieve-Grian, some four or five miles -distant. The local legend is that the stones were brought to the -spot without "horse or wheel," and laid without the noise of a -hammer, the meaning of which is that the stones were all dressed in -the quarry, and a line of men being stationed along from the quarry -to the tower, the stones were handed from one to the other.'" - -While this Irish tradition does not identify these builders with -any special race of men, it is noteworthy that their method of -building is that which Scottish tradition regards as peculiarly -characteristic of the Picts, or "Pechts." Moreover, the building -referred to by Brash is of precisely the same order as the Round -Tower of Abernethy, said to have been built after the same fashion. -And the builders of the Round Tower of Abernethy, as also the -builders of the Round Tower of Brechin, are alleged by local -tradition to have been "Pechts." - -[113] In the "Dissertation on the Origin of the Scottish Language," -prefixed to his Scottish Dictionary. - -[114] Knox's "Topography of the Tay," Edinburgh, 1831, pp. 108-9. - -[115] "History of Brechin," by David D. Black. Edinburgh and -Brechin, 1867, 2nd edition, p. 247. - -[116] Knox's "Topography," pp. 92-94. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -In the immediately preceding pages we have been considering the -people known as "Pechts." But it is contended that the "Feens" of -Gaelic story ought to be identified with the "Pechts." When the -leader of the "Feens" landed in "the country of the big men," he was -at once seized upon as eminently fitted to be the court dwarf, into -which office he was duly installed; from which it was reasonably -inferred that he was a "pegh," or dwarf. Now, in one of the many -songs ascribed to the son of this "pegh," Oisin, who is ever -bemoaning the departed glories of his race, he laments the fact that -he finds himself in his old age "wearily dragging stones along to -the church on the hill of the priest." "Here, where he is a drudge, -he has seen the Feinne in their glory.... Were they alive, -shavelings would not hold this mound." Thus laments Oisin, the -representative of the old heathen Feens, bitter in his denunciations -of Patrick the priest, and the new order which he represents, and -ever bewailing the vanished "glory of the Feinn." - -We find Oisin, therefore, accepted universally as the type of his -race, unwillingly occupied in "dragging stones for priests to build -churches," in his old age and after the downfall of his people. Nor -was it only as the serf of another race that he had so worked; -because, he explains to Patrick that this old age of drudgery had -been foretold to him by his leader, Fin, on a previous occasion, -before the coming of Patrick, and on that occasion not only Oisin, -but a great number of the Feens of Ireland, were engaged in a -similar task. The great difference was that then they were not -working as the drudges of another people, but for themselves, and at -the command of their leader. And it was not a church, but a -hill-fortress, that they were building, "on Cuailgne's bare and -rounded hill." Oisin speaks of it as Fin's "famous fort," and the -hill on which it was built is "said to be in the county of Armagh," -or, as another writer states, in County Louth. According to Oisin, -two-thirds of the materials for the fort were brought thither by the -Feens of Connaught and the west of Ireland, and the remainder by the -Feens of Leinster and the east of Ulster, to which section both -Oisin and Fin belonged. Assuming these traditional accounts to be -correct, we thus see the Feens, in the day of their independence, -"dragging stones" to the top of a hill, in order to build a -fortress; and later on we see them, personified by Oisin, occupied -in a similar manner, but as the drudges of Christian priests and the -builders of Christian churches. The one account applies to Scotland -and the other to Ireland; but the Pechts of the White Cater Thun -have their counterparts in the Feens who reared the "famous fort" -"on Cuailgne's bare and rounded hill;" and the Pechts who built the -churches of Glasgow and Corstorphine are also duplicated in the -conquered Feens, "weary dragging stones for priests to build -churches," in Ireland. Consequently, the traditional fame of the -Pechts of Scotland, as a great race of builders, is not at all at -variance with the belief that they and the Feens were of one -nation.[117] - -But, if Fin and his Feens were builders of the hill-forts of the -"Pechts," and were themselves veritable Pechts, it is evident that -the Feens built and inhabited the dwellings known as "Pechts' -houses." This is quite borne out when we regard that class of -building which, although an archæologist already quoted (Mr. Petrie) -does not hold it to be strictly entitled to the designation of -"Pecht's house," is nevertheless a variety of the same species, and -often receives the same title. The variety referred to differs from -what has been accepted as the true "Pecht's house," in that it has -no superimposed covering of earth or turf. But the two varieties -undoubtedly belong to the same general class. Now, with regard to -this second order of "Pecht's house," we have such a statement as -the following: "Glenlyon, in Perthshire, is remarkable for the great -number of remains of aboriginal works scattered through it, in the -shape of circular castles built entirely of dry stones. The common -people believe these structures to have belonged to their mythic -hero, Fion,... and have a verse to that effect: - - 'Bha da chaisteal dheug aig Fionn - Ann an Crom-ghleann-nan-clach.' - -That is, _Fion had twelve castles in the Crooked Glen of Stones_ -(such being an old name for Glenlyon)."[118] And a like belief -prevails in other Perthshire glens, such as Glenshee and Glenalmond, -beside the latter of which, as every reader of Wordsworth knows, -Oisin himself is said to be buried. - -The true "Pecht's house," however, is not this dry-stone circular -"castle," open to air and sun. These "castles" are, indeed, -popularly included among "Pechts' houses," but such an archæologist -as the one recently referred to prefers to speak of them as -"brochs." This word "broch" (akin to _burgh_, etc.) has been adopted -by Dr. Joseph Anderson and other eminent students of such buildings, -to distinguish this special structure; and although, etymologically -regarded, the distinction is arbitrary, it is very convenient. But -the "broch," standing visibly exposed like any other ruin, its stone -walls uncovered to the sun, is by no means the same thing as the -"Pecht's house" described by Mr. Petrie and others. This, it may be -remembered, is almost or altogether identical with the dwellings of -the North-Greenland Eskimos, as portrayed by the explorers of -seventy years ago. It is approached through a long, dark tunnel, -entered from the face of a bank or brae, so low that one has to -crawl along it, its sides and roofs composed of large stone slabs, -and the roof itself flush with, or even underneath, the surface of -the ground. At the end of this long, dark, narrow passage one enters -the central chamber of the dwelling of the North-Greenlander and the -ancient Pecht. It, too, would be in darkness, were it not for the -rude stone lamp, fed with the oil of seal or whale, soaking through -moss or the pith of rushes, which hangs from the roof and is always -burning. Here and there at the side of this central chamber are -openings in the wall which lead into small cavities used as -sleeping-places. Briefly and imperfectly, that is the interior of -the Pecht's house.[119] - -Viewed from the outside, what does it resemble? The underground -passage of approach is invisible. The "house" itself "is generally -of a conical form, and externally closely resembles a large -bowl-shaped barrow. It consists of a solid mass of masonry, covered -with a layer of turf a foot or more in thickness, and has a central -chamber surrounded by several smaller cells." Or, as another writer -describes it, "all that meets the eye at first is a green, conical -mound ... resting silently amid the moorland solitude." The entrance -to this seeming hillock, situated sometimes at its base, more -frequently, perhaps, at the extremity of a narrow, underground -tunnel, was never very conspicuous, since it was only about a couple -of feet high. In the days when the Pechts were actually inhabiting -these "green hillocks," it is likely they took the precaution to -conceal this outer orifice, small though it was, as well as -possible. Thus, the adventurer or colonist of another race, arriving -at a settlement of Pechts' houses, saw nothing but one or more -grassy, conical hillocks rising out of the surrounding moor. - -Since the Gaelic term _broch_ (for it is Gaelic, though not -exclusively so) is used to denote the one variety of these "Pictish" -dwellings, let us employ, if only temporarily, the Gaelic term which -denotes the other. That kind of _broch_, then, which is covered over -with earth and turf so as to resemble a conical green mound, is -known in Gaelic by the name of _sith-bhrog_, or _sith-bhrugh_; that -is to say, the broch of the _sith_. Still more commonly, it is -styled a _sithean_, or _sith_-place. When rendered in our modern -English spelling, according to its pronunciation, this distinctive -_sith_ becomes spelt _shee_; as in the case of _Gleann-sith_, which -is written "Glenshee." And, similarly, _sithean_ becomes _sheean_. -It is the "sheean," then, and not the "broch" proper, that is -regarded by such archæologists as Mr. Petrie as peculiarly the -dwelling of the Pechts. - -Now, if any Highlander were asked his opinion as to the former -inhabitants of the "sheeans," he would have but one answer to give. -And the nature of that answer is very clearly shown by those -Highlanders who have compiled the leading Scottish-Gaelic -dictionaries. _Brog_ (_i.e._, "broch") is itself defined as an -obsolete term for "a house"; but _bruth_ and other variants connect, -if they do not identify, the "broch" with the "sheean." The various -definitions are these: _Bruth_, "a house half under the surface," -"the dwelling of fairies in a hill"; _sith-bruth_, _sith-bhrugh_, "a -fairy hill or mansion"; _sith-bhrog_, _sith-bhruach_, _sith-bhruth_, -"a fairy hill," "a fairy residence," "fairyland"; _sithean_, "a -little hill or knoll," "a fairy hill"; _sithain_, "a green knoll or -hillock, tenanted, according to superstitious belief, by -fairies."[120] - -Thus, the houses of the Pechts or dwarfs were inhabited by the -people known as "fairies." As the fairies were "little people," -there is here no contradiction in terms. We have, moreover, seen -that the same "conical, green mounds" are remembered in Orkney and -Shetland as the homes of the "trows." "Trow," however, is itself -equivalent to _droich_, or dwarf. Therefore, the belief that those -outward-seeming "green hillocks" were the abodes of Pechts is quite -in agreement with the traditions that refer to those mound-dwellers -as _trows_ and _fairies_ (otherwise "the little people"). Because -_pecht_ (or _pech_), _trow_, and _fairy_ are all synonyms for -"dwarf." - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[117] For these references to Oisin and the Feens see Skene's "Book -of the Dean of Lismore," pp. 12-14 (English version), and 10-11 -(Gaelic). Also Mr. J. F. Campbell's "Leabhar na Feinne," pp. xiii, -47 and 49. - -[118] Chambers's "Popular Rhymes of Scotland," 1870, pp. 254-55. - -[119] Although the Pechts made use of stone lamps similar to those -of the northern Eskimos, it is perhaps too much to assume that the -dwellings of the former admitted nothing of the light of day. Mr. -Petrie states that the walls of the Pechts' houses "converge towards -the top, where they approach so closely that the aperture can be -spanned by a stone a couple of feet in length." If this aperture -remained open during the day, which seems quite likely, then the -above reference as to the ever-burning lamp is only applicable to -the dwellings of the northern Greenlanders. For the sake of safety, -while their lands were over-run by hostile forces, it is probable -that the Pechts did cover the two-foot hole in the roof with a large -stone, which itself would need to be hidden by earth and turf. But -the fact that such an aperture was left in the building indicates -that it was frequently uncovered; perhaps always at night, and also, -during times of safety, in the day. In the latter case, the interior -of this underground dwelling would thus receive, through the hole -overhead, enough light to fill the central chamber with a sort of -twilight, although the smaller cells might have been quite in -darkness. - -[120] See the dictionaries of Armstrong, McLeod and Dewar, and -McAlpine. McAlpine also defines the word _digh_ as a "conical -mound," "an abode of fairies"; and that more uncommon term is thus -employed in an Islay story of Mr. J. F. Campbell's (_West Highland -Tales_, ii, 48). - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -In a reference to the popular traditions of Northumberland, the -Picts are spoken of as "a race of people who are represented, in -such legends, as endowed with supernatural power, and holding, in -the scale of beings, an intermediate rank between men and -fairies."[121] Sir Walter Scott also corroborates this belief as -existent in Northumberland ("Rob Roy," ch. xxiii). And the writer -previously quoted, in describing the local tradition with regard to -the building of the tower at Abernethy by the Pechts, explains that -"the people always, when they speak of these Peghs, associate that -idea with a notion that they were a preternatural sort of beings, -such as fairies and brownies." Therefore, without entering into any -discussion as to what is or was meant by "supernatural power," we -have ascertained from these extracts that the Pechts were regarded, -in Northumberland and in Scotland, as a race of people possessing or -claiming "supernatural" attributes. And that they were akin to -"fairies and brownies," if they were not identical with them. This -also is the position of the "Feens" of Gaelic folk-lore, as the -following references will show. - -When the celebrated Irish king, Brian Borumha, defeated the Danes -of Dublin and their allies, in the year 1000 A.D., it is stated that -he appropriated all the vast treasures that the Danes had gathered -together:--"gold and silver, and bronze, and precious stones, and -carbuncle-gems, and buffalo-horns, and beautiful goblets," as well -as "various vestures of all colours."[122] And the chronicler -explains that "never was there a fortress, or a fastness, or a -mound, or a church, or a sacred place, or a sanctuary," which the -Danes had not plundered when it fell to their arms. The first three -terms, which in the Gaelic are _dún_, _daingean_, and _diongna_, are -closely allied, and each designates something akin to the "hollow -mounds" of which we have been speaking.[123] But the succeeding -sentence is quite explicit: "Neither was there in concealment under -ground in Erinn, _nor in the various solitudes belonging to Fians or -to fairies_, anything that was not discovered by these foreign, -wonderful Denmarkians, through paganism and idol worship." With -regard to which last allusion, Dr. Todd says: "The meaning is, that -notwithstanding the potent spells employed by the Fians and fairies -of old for the concealment of their hidden treasures, the Danes, by -their pagan magic and the diabolical power of their idols, were -enabled to find them out."[124] (The Gaelic from which Dr. Todd -translates the above sentences is as follows:--"Ni raibh imorro -_dún_ no _daingean_, no _diongna_, no ceall, no cadhas, no neimedh -do gabhadh ris an ngláim nglifidhigh, nglonnmair, ngnuismhir do bhí -ag teaglaim, ocus ag teaccar na hédala sin, óir ni raibhe ifolach -_fo thalmain_ in Erinn ina fá dhiamhraibh díchealta ag _fianaibh_ no -ag _síthcuiraibh_ ní na fuaratar na Danmargaigh allmardha ingantacha -sin, tre geintlidhecht, ocus tre iodhaladhradh.")[125] - -Like the Pechts in Northumbrian tradition, the Feens are here not -absolutely _identified_ with the fairies, although the two are so -closely associated that it is difficult to distinguish between the -one and the other. The traditions of the Feens themselves testify to -a distinction between the two. Thus, in the "Dan an Fhir Shicair," -or Ballad of the Fairy Man,[126] Fin and his six nobles, while -walking out one evening, see a fairy-man coming towards them, who -announces that he comes from the neighbouring Golden Doon (_Dún an -oir_), and that his purpose is to cause those Feens to come, by -enchantment, to dine that day with him and his people in their -"hill." Here, then, we have the Feens associating, to some extent -(though not, as it appears, on a very friendly footing) with -fairies, and yet not themselves regarded as identical with that -people. - -From the foregoing reference to the plunder of the Danes at Dublin, -in the year 1000, it is evident that "the Feens and Fairies" were -understood, in the traditional history of the Gaels, to be then -actually inhabiting those underground and half-underground -dwellings known as "Pechts' houses." There is another reference, -in the same history, that corroborates this belief. The date when -Brian Borumha became possessor of those "fairy-hoards," which the -Danes had previously obtained by their well-known process of -"how-breaking,"[127] was the close of the tenth century. Now, a son -of this same Brian, and also one of his father's chief warriors, are -both described as asserting (on a certain occasion, in the reign of -the same Brian)[128] that they had been tempted by the fairies to -forsake their ancestral cause. "Often," says Murchadh, "was I -offered, in hills and in fairy mansions [_i sithaib ocus i -sithbrugaib_], this world and these gifts; but I never abandoned for -one night my country nor my inheritance for them." As Murchadh's -response was evoked by a similar statement on the part of Dunlang, -it thus appears that, in rifling the abodes of the "how-folk," the -Danes were robbing a race _then alive_, and were not merely -appropriating unclaimed treasure. And, indeed, the Scandinavian -accounts of "how-breaking" distinctly point out that this pastime -involved a struggle of life and death with the armed inmate of the -"how." - -The evidence of Murchadh and Dunlang, then, shows that intercourse -with "the fairies" was not a matter for wonder; and, moreover, that, -for one reason or another, the latter desired to seduce the -Gaelic-speaking people from their allegiance. That they were -eventually successful with Dunlang seems pointed out by the -statement, made elsewhere, that this Dunlang was himself a fairy -(_sioguidhe_).[129] And it is well known that "Fairies," as well as -"Feens," while possessing distinct innate attributes, were not -averse to obtaining adherents from other races, who thus became -"Feens" and "Fairies" by adoption. - -In the instance of Murchadh and Dunlang, however, the _Feens_ are -not named; and it is a matter for conjecture whether they ought to -be included among the Fairies there spoken of. But, at any rate, the -incident shows that the Fairies (if not the Feens) formed an active, -existent caste or race, subsequent to the date of Brian's famous -victory over the Danes; and that the Danish inroads on their doons, -brochs, hows, etc., in the neighbourhood of Dublin had not by any -means annihilated them as a people. - -Of this robbery of the "how-folk" by the Danes in the Dublin -district, something further may be said in passing. The date of -these raids is stated to have been 861 or 862 A.D., when the Danes -overran the whole district of the Boyne and Blackwater (co. Meath), -and broke into the "fairy hills" of that region; one of which, that -of New Grange, is probably the most interesting example of its class -that is at present known to archæologists.[130] Therefore, the booty -which the Danes thus obtained in 862 must have formed a portion of -that captured by King Brian, after his victory, in the year 1000. -And it is clear enough that it was this special treasure that the -chronicler referred to when he spoke of the hoards which the Danes -sought out and discovered "in concealment under ground" and "in the -various solitudes (or secret places) belonging to Feens or to -Fairies." - -Ought "Fairies," then, to be identified with the "Feens" and -"Pechts" of history and tradition? We have already seen that, both -in Scotland and in Northumberland, the Pechts are classed with the -Fairies in the popular memory. And from the brief references just -made, one would be disposed at the first glance to say that the two -names applied to one people. But all the people who form the subject -of consideration in these pages belong, even in their most modern -and most modified phases, to the past; and in looking down that long -vista one is often deceived by the "foreshortening" effects of -distance, which seems to unite what is really distinct and separate. -Still, it is evident that "Fairies" have so many points in common -with "Feens" and "Pechts" that they must all, at least, be classed -together. - -The Ayrshire term _Fane_, which, according to Dr. Jamieson,[131] -signifies "a fairy," offers itself as very probably a variant of the -Gaelic _Fian_ (pl. _Feinne_). But Brittany affords even a better -instance. There, we are told, the peasantry have memories of a race -of _Fions_, who were dwarfs in stature, and are described as "living -with the fairies."[132] And although we have endeavoured, as far as -possible, to restrict these remarks to the British Islands, and even -to a few special districts, yet the folk-lore of Brittany coincides -so closely with that of the districts just referred to, and is so -corroborative of the theories here stated, that it may be -permissible to quote a few of the Breton beliefs bearing upon this -subject. - -Of those whom he states are called the _Christian_ fairies of -Brittany, M. Paul Sébillot gives several particulars.[133] These -so-called "Christian" fairies were, he says, "neither wholly -Christian nor wholly pagan," and in the traditions relating to them -he dimly recognizes their possible identification with the heathen -priestesses[134] of Brittany, at the time when they were gradually -becoming converted to Christianity. They are celebrated, like the -Pechts of Scotland, as the builders of churches. And just as local -tradition states that the Pechts who built the Round Tower of -Abernethy, in the manner already described, accomplished their work -in the course of a single night, so a certain chapel in the -Côtes-du-Nord is said to have been built in one night by the -"fairies." Moreover, in two of the instances referred to by M. -Sébillot, the top stone of the building is or was lacking, for the -reason that the daylight had surprised the builders at their -work.[135] Now, this is precisely what is stated of the Pictish -builders of the Round Tower at Abernethy, who are said to have been -much irritated because an early riser in the village discovered them -at work, and thus deprived the building and its builders of their -claim to a "supernatural" origin.[136] Further, these Breton -"fairies" are spoken of as carrying the stones in their aprons, like -the Picts of Northumberland, the castle-building "genii" of -Yorkshire, and the "witch" who helped to build the Forfarshire fort -of Cater Thun.[137] And, as in the two latter instances, as well as -in several of the others referred to, the stones were carried from -"a great distance" by the Breton fairies, on at least one occasion. - -To this Breton comparison one is tempted to add that of the -Netherlands. In referring to the dwarfs who once inhabited the -neighbourhood of Tienen, M. Pol de Mont states that "they were -uncommonly small of stature, but of extraordinarily great -strength"[138]; a statement which is paralleled by "the vulgar -account" in Scotland, "that the Pechs were unco wee bodies, but -terrible strang." And, in the Journal of Folk-lore just quoted from, -the same kind of people are again suggested by the _Gypnissen_; -"queer little women," who lived in a "castle" which had been reared -in a single night, and who, like the Scotch "brownies" (with whom -the Pechts are classed by the Scotch), were content to perform such -everyday drudgery as washing the clothes of the taller race living -near them, for no higher remuneration than their daily food.[139] -The "castle" in which they dwelt is not spoken of as visible at the -present day, but the probability is that it was of the same nature -as the _Aschberg_, near Casterlé, which M. Pol de Mont states[140] -is declared by tradition to be a chambered mound, capable of housing -as many as fifty _bergmannetjes_, or mound-dwarfs (the Dutch term -being equivalent to the Scotch "how-folk" or the English -"hill-men"). - -Nor can one omit the following testimony from the island of Sylt, -off the Schleswig coast, supplied by Mr. William George Black. -Referring to a story of "Finn, the king of the dwarfs," Mr. Black -explains as follows:--"These were an odd, small, tricky, people whom -the Frisians found in Sylt when they took possession. They lived -underground, wore red caps, and lived on berries and mussels, fish -and birds, and wild eggs. They had stone axes and knives, and made -pots of clay. They sang and danced by moonlight on the mounds of the -plain which were their homes, worked little, were deceitful, and -loved to steal children and pretty women: the children they -exchanged for their own, the women they kept. Those who lived in the -bushes, and later in the Frieslanders' own houses, like our own -brownies, were called 'Pucks,' and a sandy dell near Braderup is -still known as the Pukthal.... They had a language of their own, -which lingers yet in proverbs and children's games. The story of -King Finn's subjects is evidently one of those valuable legends -which illuminate dark pages of history. It clearly bears testimony -to the same small race having inhabited Friesland in times which we -trace in the caves of the Neolithic age, and of which the Esquimaux -are the only survivors." Mr. Black has himself visited one of those -"green mounds" which are said to have been inhabited by this Sylt -"Finn," and he states that when it was first scientifically -examined, in 1868, it was found to contain "remains of a fireplace, -bones of a small man, some clay urns, and stone weapons."[141] - -These Continental instances may be regarded as relating rather to -the "Feens of Lochlin" than to those of Ireland and Great Britain. -But one thing quite evident from the foregoing references is that -the "Fians and Fairies" of Ireland, the "Fions, or Feins, and -Fairies" of Brittany, and the similar people in the Netherlands and -in Friesland, were all nearly identical, if they were not quite -identical, with the "preternatural sort of beings" known to Scotch -folk-lore as Pechs, or Pechts, or Piks, and to history in general as -Picts. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[121] "Rambles in Northumberland," by S. Oliver, London, 1835, p. -104. - -[122] "The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill," edited by J. H. Todd, -D.D. London, 1867, p. 115. In the above quotation, the word -translated "bronze" is _finndruine_. This is referred to as "a -metal, the constituents of which are not well known. O'Clery -describes it as _prás go n-airgead buailte_, 'brass, with silver -hammered on to it.'" It is also referred to as "white silver," -"silver or white bronze," "brass," and "copper." It was employed to -furnish such various articles as "leg armour," the rim of a shield, -a royal chessboard, and, further, a bedstead--which surely ought to -have been royal also. (_Op. cit._, pp. ciii-civ. _note_, and 50 and -94; also Skene's "Celtic Scotland," ii. 507.) The passage relating -to buffalo-horns is given in the Gaelic version ("War of the -Gaedhil," p. 114), "_ocus do chornaibh buabaill_." The word _corn_, -of which _chornaibh_ is an inflection, is substantially the Latin -_cornu_. The Scotch-Gaelic dictionaries give it chiefly the -signification of "drinking-horn," and "sounding-horn or trumpet." -Armstrong states that the drinking-cups of the northern nations were -made from the horns of the "urus or European buffalo," referred to -by Latin writers: He adds--"One of these immense horns, at least an -ox-horn of prodigious size, is still preserved in the Castle of -Dunvegan, Isle of Sky." _Buabhall_ itself has the secondary meaning -of "trumpet," or "cornet"; but its true meaning is "buffalo." -Armstrong subjoins these comparisons--Armorican _bual_, French -_bufle_, Latin _bubulus_, Greek _boubalos_. Also Cornish _buaval_, -with the meaning of "trumpet." And also _buabhull-chorn_, "a -bugle-horn," with which he compares the Welsh _bual-gorn_. Halliwell -has _bougil_, "a bugle-horn," and _bugle_, "a buffalo"; and with -reference to the latter spelling he says, "hence bugle-horn, a -drinking-vessel made of horn; also a hunting-horn." Professor Skeat, -who cites Halliwell also, defines "bugle" as "a wild ox." It is -clear that these are all merely variants of one word, or rather of -two words. The _u_ in "bugle" has originally been broad. The hard -_c_ of "corn" has become a guttural in "chorn," and a mere aspirate -in "horn," although it is still found as "corn" both in English and -Gaelic dictionaries (with a very restricted meaning in the former -instance). - -[123] Dr. Todd (_op. cit._, p. 40, _note_), in referring to another -instance in which these terms occur, says:--"The words here used, -_Dún_, _Daingen_, _Dingna_, all signify a fort or fortress. It is -not easy to define the precise difference between them. _Dún_ ... -seems to signify a fortified hill or mound. _Daingen_ (dungeon) is a -walled fort or strong tower; hence _daingnigim_, I fortify. _Dingna_ -[which he translates 'mound' in the above instance] is apparently -only another form of the same word. Cf. 'Zeuss,' p. 30 n." - -[124] _Op. cit._, p. 115, _note_. - -[125] Even the expression "_fo thalmain_" may be held to denote the -"conical hill" of the fairies. _Talmhainn_ is certainly the genitive -of _talamh_, "the ground"; and so "_fo thalmain_" signifies "under -the ground." But _tolman_ particularly denotes "a mound." And it, or -the variant _tulman_, is used in a fairy tale of the island of Barra -(Campbell's "West Highland Tales," ii. 39) with special reference to -one of those abodes of the "little people." It may be added that the -word translated the "solitudes" of the Feens, etc., might also be -rendered the "secret places" or "concealed places." - -[126] "Leabhar na Feinne," pp. 94-95. - -[127] The "fairy mound" was also known as a "how" or "haug," and its -people as "how-folk." To "break," or break into a "how," in the hope -of obtaining treasure (an early form of burglary), was a well-known -custom of the Danes. - -[128] "The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill," pp. clxxviii-clxxix, -note 5, and pp. 172-173. - -[129] Dr. Todd, in mentioning this and the other relative -circumstances, refers the reader to "Mr. O'Kearney's Introd. to the -'Feis Tighe Chonain' (Ossianic Soc.) p. 98 _sq._"--and to -O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," iii. c. 22, p. 200. - -[130] _See_ Sir W. R. Wilde's "Beauties of the Boyne," Dublin, 1849, -p. 202. The same work refers (p. 24) to "sidh Nectain, the fairy -hill of Nechtain," where the river Boyne rises, but does not state -whether early Dane or modern archæologist has ever investigated it. -(It is now known as the Hill of Carbury.) - -[131] "Scottish Dictionary," s. v. _Fane_. - -[132] _See_ the "Revue des Traditions populaires," Nov. 1889, -p. 613. The reader is there referred to M. Paul Sébillot's -"Contes populaires de la Haute-Bretagne" for those _Fions_; and -also to Bézier's "Inventaire des monuments mégalithiques de -l'Ille-et-Vilaine," (p. 26) for certain _Feins_, who seem very -likely to be the same people. - -[133] "Revue des Traditions populaires," Oct. 1889, pp. 515-519. - -[134] These "Christian" fairies appear to be remembered as women; -like the _banshee_ or fairy woman of Ireland and Gaelic-Scotland. - -[135] Another illustration of these special features is afforded by -the church at Eckwadt, in Denmark, which is said to have been built -by a "hill-man," or dwarf. In this case, also, the last stone was -not put on. Of this builder, too, it is stated that "he worked only -during the night."--(Thorpe's _Northern Mythology_, III. 38-39). - -[136] In this mysterious method of working,--first preparing the -stones in a quarry at some distance off, and then conveying them to -the chosen site, and erecting them according to a pre-arranged -method, and all in the course of a single night (as the nature and -dimensions of the buildings rendered quite possible)--one seems to -discern one of the methods by which those dwarf tribes asserted and -maintained the "supernatural" qualities ascribed to them. - -[137] For these latter references, see pp. 99-100 _post_. Of course, -the "aprons" of the traditional dwarfs, it need hardly be added, -were _leather_ aprons. - -[138] _Volkskunde_: "Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsche Folklore," 2^e -Jaargang, 9e Aflevering, p. 182. - -[139] _Op. cit._, 2^e Jaar. 5^e Afl., p. 89. - -[140] _Op. cit._, 2^e Jaar. 5^e Afl., p. 89. - -[141] _Heligoland_; by William George Black, Blackwood & Sons, 1888, -Chapter IV. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -The Gaelic accounts do not, of course, refer to the "Fairies" under -that name. It is therefore unnecessary to add anything here to the -many attempted solutions of the etymology of "Fairy." But the Gaelic -records speak of these people as the _Fir Sithe_, or _Daoine -Sithe_--the _Sithe_-folk. As already pointed out, this word is -pronounced as if spelt _Shee_ or _Sheey[)e]_]. It is also written -_Sidhe_, and this brings us to the older spelling before the dental -had been aspirated out of existence. The older form of the word is -_Side_, presumably pronounced as _Sheed[)e]_. What are the -conclusions arrived at with regard to these _Fir Sidhe_? - -"We know now," says a recent writer, already quoted, "that the -Sidhe were early peoples and their gods, incorporated into the -following races.... We find under the Arctic Circle, and among the -Finns and other 'Altaic' or Turanian tribes of Russia, the same -belief in 'Tshuds' or vanished supernatural inhabitants of the land, -pointing to the same mixture of ideas we find in Ireland concerning -dispossessed peoples of a different tongue but high civilisation, -whose record remains only in legend. The 'Shee' of Ireland is the -same word we find in Asia, but softened down in pronunciation. Among -the early Russians and Irish we can safely infer the Turanian -underfolk with its myths and manners of life, its subterranean -dwellings and repute as magicians; in both we perceive remarkably -clever members of the Finno-Ugrian women-folk gaining a power over -chiefs of the conquering hordes, and going down into legend as -supernatural Sidhes or Tshuds."[142] According to this writer, then, -the "Fairies," whose treasures were seized by the Danes of Dublin in -the ninth century, belonged to the Turanian or Finno-Ugrian race of -the Tshuds. And the traditions current in Ireland and Scotland -regarding the _Fir Sidhe_, are counterparts of those current in the -north of Europe with regard to the _Tshuds_. It does not certainly -tend to the simplification of a very complex question to discover -that the North Europeans, who remember so much about those _Tshuds_, -are the very people who, of all modern Europeans, seem to have most -resemblance to the _Fir Sidhe_. In reviewing a recent collection of -Lapp folk-tales, Mr. Ralston states that "the traditions relating to -the constant struggle maintained between the Lapp aborigines and -their foreign enemies" forms an important portion of the collection. -"The first nine stories all refer to the foes known as _Tsjuderne_, -the _Tsjuder_--the Chudic Finns of the Baltic and other coasts. When -these dreaded enemies appeared, the Lapps would take refuge in their -underground retreats."[143] Thus, in accepting Tshud as identical -with _Side_ or _Sidhe_, we have to recognize that the people so -_named_ were the bitter foes of the very race that most resembles -them--the "underground" folk of Lapland. Perhaps the explanation of -this apparent contradiction is, that the fact of antagonism existing -between two nations is no proof of any great racial difference -between them. - -Whether the word "Tshud" is, or is not, a variant of _Sidhe_, there -seems good reason for believing that such a variant ought to be -recognized in the _seid_ of the Sagas. We are told by Thorpe that -witchcraft was _seidhr_, which word some derive from _siodha_ -(modern _seethe_), to boil. "Boiling 'seid,' or the witches' broth, -was the chief art in witchcraft," says Mr. Du Chaillu; who adds that -"the witchcraft songs which were used for the seid" were called -_Vard-lokur_,--"weird or fate songs." The "seid" platform and the -rites performed on and around it are described at the same place -(_Viking Age_, ii., 394-398):--"_Seid_ was to be performed. A -_Seid-hjall_, or platform consisting of a flat stone, was laid upon -three or four posts, and women were to be found who knew how to -recite or sing the so-called Vardlokur. When all this was ready, and -the _Volva_ [sibyl] on the platform, the women formed in a circle -round it, and the effective song was chanted while the seeress, with -the strangest gesticulations, made her conjurations and received her -revelations." "Once at a feast, according to ancient custom, Ingjald -prepared incantation (_seid_), that men might know their fates. -There was a Finn woman skilled in witchcraft.... The Finn woman was -placed high, and splendid preparations made for her; each of the men -went from his seat to inquire of her about their fates." - -Similar accounts are given by Thorpe, who states that it, _seid_, -"was regarded as unseemly for men, and was usually practised by -women only: we nevertheless meet with seid-men." And again:--"On -account of its wickedness, it was held unworthy of a man to practise -seid, and the seid-man was prosecuted and burned as an atrocious -trollman.[144] The seid-women received money to make men hard, so -that iron could not wound them." "The most remarkable class of -seid-women were the so-called Valas, or Völvas. We find them present -at the birth of children, when they seem to represent the Norns." -"That the Norns, who appeared at the birth of children, were of the -race of the dwarfs," is elsewhere suggested by Mr. Thorpe.[145] - -Scott, also (_The Pirate_, Note R), quotes from Kaspar Bartholin a -long account of one of those "Valas," as given in the _Saga of Eric -Rauda_. From which it is seen that, according to the custom -described by Thorpe and Du Chaillu, she stood "on a sort of elevated -stage," when delivering her prophecy.[146] Scott adds that Bartholin -"mentions similar instances" to that of "the little Vala" (as this -one was called), "particularly of one Heida, celebrated for her -predictions," who attended festivals for the purpose of telling -fortunes, accompanied by "thirty male and fifteen female -attendants." - -In all these accounts we see the fairies of tradition, notably the -"fairy godmother" who came to the birth or christening of children. -The man who practised _seid_ rendered himself liable to be -prosecuted and burned as a _trow_, "an atrocious trollman;" or, in -the Gaelic, a _fear-side_. If the words "seid" and "side" are not -practically one, it is at least evident that they relate to the very -same people. And the _bean-side_ (banshee) of Gaelic tradition is -simply the seid-woman, remembered chiefly in her less pleasing -aspect, as the foreboder of death or misfortune. - -Thus, whether _side_ ought to be held as primarily denoting the -incantations, or the enchanters themselves, it is this worship that -is indicated in the metrical life of St. Patrick, which says of him -(Skene's "Celt. Scot.," II. 108):-- - - "He preached threescore years - The Cross of Christ to the _Tuatha_ [people] of Feni. - On the _Tuatha_ of Erin there was darkness. - The _Tuatha_ adored the _Side_." - -Nor is there anything inconsistent with these deductions in the -appearance of a _Finn_ woman as a celebrated _seid_-woman. For, in -Shetland, the Finns are even yet "reckoned among the Trows."[147] - -To return, however, to the _Sidhe_ people of the British Islands. -The Blackwater valley of Leinster, whose "fairy" strongholds and -abodes were entered and plundered by the ninth-century Danes, -reminds one by its name that the Blackwater valley of Munster is -also famous for its fairy associations. In one of Mr. William -Black's novels ("Shandon Bells") there are frequent references to a -chief of the Fir Sidhe named _Fierna_,[148] who is remembered as the -leader of the "little people" of the south-west. His chief residence -appears to have been a certain _Knockfierin_, or Fierna's Hillock, -which has perhaps been investigated by local archæologists. Several -of the Limerick traditions relating to Fierna have been contributed -by Mr. David Fitzgerald to the "Revue des Traditions populaires" -(April 1889), and one of these tells how a mysterious stranger one -night aroused a poor cripple and gave him a letter to take to -Fierna. The messenger entered the fairy "hill," where he saw the -chief--an old, white-bearded man. On reading the letter, Fierna -declared it to be a challenge of battle on the part of the "King of -the Sidhfir of the North"; a challenge which Fierna was loath to -accept, because, as he explains, "my people of Munster are the -weaker party." - -This legend, then, shows the Fir Sidhe (or Sidhfir) as a people not -always friendly to each other, although of kindred race. Moreover, -it suggests that those of Ireland were divided into at least two -sections--the Sidhfir of Munster and those of "the North." When we -remember that in the ninth century "Feens and Fairies" were equally -regarded as owners of the "underground" dwellings which were then -plundered (and which still remain), it is noteworthy that in this -very detail we have another parallel between the two castes--if they -were two. For the Feens of Ireland were also divided into sections, -and it may be remembered that two of these--"the Feens of Leinster -and the east of Ulster," and those of "Connaught and the west of -Ireland," were referred to on a previous page as engaged in building -a famous hill-fort for their great leader, Fin. If the "Sidhfir of -the North" were not the same as the Feens of Leinster and the east -of Ulster, they occupied much of the same ground, and had so many -points in common, that it is difficult to say wherein they differed. - -Nor is this deduction at variance with the belief that the people -just named were one with the Pechts of history. For the _Cruithné_ -of Ulster formed a distinct division of the Pechts; and, indeed, to -be still more specific, were latterly associated with the _eastern_ -part of that province. And, as for internecine warfare, that forms -no obstacle to the identification of the historical Pechts, in their -later stages, with the _Sidhfir_ of popular legend.[149] - -Like the rivers of the same name in Leinster and Munster, there is a -Blackwater in Perthshire which has fairy traditions, and, in -consequence, the valley through which it flows is known as Glenshee -(_Gleann-sith_). It is also remembered as a favourite hunting-ground -of the Feens. Here they used to come, says an ancient poem,[150] to -chase the deer and elk. The stories of Fin and his Feens are full of -references to their hunting exploits. And an old poem[151] recites -how, even while Ireland was chiefly peopled and ruled by another -race, the ancient rights of the Feens, in this as in other respects, -were still duly acknowledged. Fin, we are told, - - "possessed the old rights - Which previously were his. - From Hallowmass on to Beltin, - His _Feens_ had all the rights. - The hunting without molestation, - Was theirs in all the forests." - -The "rights" possessed by these people between All Hallow-tide and -Beltin, or from the first of November to the first of May, were, -according to Keating,[152] that they were quartered upon the -country-people, who had to support them during all that period. But -from the first of May on to the first of November, the Feens were -obliged to support themselves, which they did by hunting and -fishing. It was during this latter period, therefore, that "the -hunting without molestation was theirs in all the forests." Perhaps -the expression "_all_ the forests" is too comprehensive. Mr. J. F. -Campbell, in referring to the Feens,[153] speaks of their -"maintaining themselves by hunting deer, extensive tracts of land -being allotted to them for that purpose." Perhaps, also, the word -"forest" ought to be understood much in the way that "deer forest" -now is. - -"It was said at that time," says a West Highland tale,[154] "that -Ireland was a better hunting-ground than the Scotch Highlands; that -there were many great beamed deer in it, rather than in the -Highlands. It was this which used to cause the Feens to be so often -in Ireland." Nevertheless, the poem by Allan MacRuaridh, already -referred to, states that the Perthshire Glenshee (or rather, the -more important of the two Perthshire glens so named) was famous as a -hunting-ground of the Feens, for the reason that it abounded in -"deer and elk." Whether the "elk" of the one writer, and the "great -antlered deer" of the other represent the same animal, or two -separate species now extinct in these islands, is uncertain. In the -account contributed to the (Old) Statistical Account of Scotland, -the minister of the parish of Clunie, Perthshire, which is not very -far from Glenshee, remarks (ix. 256-7, _note_): "The head of the -urus has been dug up in this neighbourhood, as also the palmated -horns of the elk, together with the horns and skeletons of large -deer, supposed to be the moose-deer."[155] One of the tales of the -Feens, which is common from County Mayo to Sutherlandshire, says Mr. -J. F. Campbell, has reference to the hunting of an animal called the -_lon-dubh_, which word Mr. Campbell, on the suggestion of his -collector (Mr. MacLean), believes ought to be translated "black -elk." This "black elk," then, which the Feens used to hunt, was an -animal of much greater size than the deer, on the testimony of these -tales, told in the degenerate days when the "black elk" and its -hunters had become only a memory. "These [tales] _may_ date from the -days when men hunted elks in Erin, as they now do in Scandinavia," -says Mr. Campbell.[156] It is to be remembered, however, that at the -battle of Gawra, and, indeed, long after that date, the Feens of -Scandinavia were in association with those of Ireland and of -Scotland; and traditions relating to animals long extinct in Britain -might really refer to incidents in Scandinavia, within comparatively -modern times. But, on the other hand, there is the visible testimony -of the "palmated horns of the elk, together with the horns and -skeletons of large deer, supposed to be the moose-deer," dug up in -the very neighbourhood which is famous as a favourite hunting-ground -of the Feens, where they came "to chase the deer and elk." The -inference is, then, that either the tales which relate to that time -are very old, or else that the animals referred to did not become -extinct in these localities at a very remote date. - -And the latter inference is, in point of fact, the right one; if we -do not restrict _lon-dubh_ to the precise meaning of "black elk." -Mr. J. F. Campbell not only tells us that certain "great antlered -deer" were formerly hunted by the Feens, but he also points out -Sutherlandshire traditions which tell how witches and fairies used -to _milk_ the female deer. And this statement forms one of the -reasons which lead him to believe that Fairies, Picts, and Lapps -were practically one people; for his deduction therefrom is -this:--"Fairies, then, milked deer, as Lapps do." Now, the point of -this is that the deer milked by the Lapps is the _reindeer_, and not -any variety of deer now existing in the British Islands. Mr. -Campbell's further reference to "a story published by Grant Stewart, -in which a ghost uses a herd of deer to carry her furniture," quite -bears out his belief that the reindeer was domesticated, as well as -hunted, by the little people. And it is an actual historical fact -that the reindeer was hunted in Caithness so recently as the twelfth -century. In a very full and exhaustive "Notice of Remains of the -Rein-Deer, _Cervus tarandus_, found in Ross-shire, Sutherland, and -Caithness,"[157] the late Dr. John A. Smith, Sec. S. A., Scot., has -pointed out that the seventeenth-century historian, Torfæus, -mentions that it was the custom of two earls of Orkney, during the -twelfth century, to cross over to Caithness from the Orkneys, for -the purpose of hunting the roe-deer _and the reindeer_. Dr. Smith -adds that the correctness of Torfæus' statement having been at one -time called in question, the matter was placed beyond all doubt by a -reference to the work of a learned annotator and editor of Torfæus -(of the year 1780), who shows that the original manuscript whence -Torfæus derived his information uses the words "rauddýri edr -_hreína_" to denote those roes and reindeer of Caithness. Indeed, -Dr. Smith's paper affords plenty of confirmation of this historical -statement, since it is chiefly devoted to a consideration of the -reindeer's horns found in various parts of the north of Scotland; -some of them in those very "brochs" which are so associated with -"the little people." And as, even at the present day, the higher -mountains of Scotland abound in reindeer-lichen, there is nothing in -the natural condition of the place to contradict the assertion of -the historian. Therefore, Mr. Campbell's hypothesis that the fairy -"herds of Glen Odhar" were herds of reindeer, receives every -confirmation from history, tradition, and fact. And, thus, the -figure of the reindeer incised on the monumental stone near -Grantown, in the same quarter of Scotland (of which a representation -is given on page 122 of Dr. Anderson's "Scotland in Early Christian -Times"), may have been "drawn from life" at that very place, and -need not be any older than the twelfth century.[158] - -"Hunting appears all along to have been a favourite amusement -of the _Seelie Court_," says a writer on the fairies of -Clydesdale,[159] "and innumerable are the stories which are told -concerning the magnificence and splendour of the royal retinue." -There is also a Highland tale[160] which describes how the dwarfs -used to be seen "hunting on the sides of Ben Muich Dhui, dressed in -green, and with silver-mounted bridles to their horses which jingled -as they rode." And a writer of the seventeenth century[161] tells -"how there was a King and Queen of Pharie, of such a Court, and -train, as they had, and how they had the teind [tithe] and dutie, as -it were, of all corn, flesh, and meale, how they rode and went -alongs the sides of hills, all in Green apparel." That green was the -special colour of the fairies, everybody knows. And that it was also -the colour of the Feens is what certain sections of the people of -modern Ireland do not allow one to forget. - -Thus, in regarding these people as hunters, any distinction between -"Feens and Fairies" seems to vanish altogether. Although it does not -appear to be stated in so many words that the Feens "had the tithe -and dutie, as it were, of all corns, flesh, and meale," yet the same -fact is practically stated when we are told that, during the six -months of autumn and winter, the Feens were kept in idleness by the -people of the country ("billeted upon the country," as Keating has -it), and this as a matter of right. The very dates upon which this -period began and ended--Hallow-E'en and Walpurgis-night--are -pregnant with "fairy" associations. And when the green-clad Feens, -typified by their dwarf chief, had the exclusive right of hunting, -during the spring and summer months, up till the end of October, -over "extensive tracts of land allotted to them for that purpose," -they could not have greatly differed from those little people who -are even yet remembered as "hunting on the sides of Ben Muich Dhui, -dressed in green." And it was distinctly understood that this right -was theirs "without molestation." There is a real matter-of-fact -meaning in the ballad, placed in the mouths of people of a taller -race, and relating to that period and those privileged hunters-- - - "Up the airy mountain, - Down the rocky glen, - We daren't go a-hunting, - For fear of little men." - -Of which the historical interpretation, as applied to Scotland, -apparently is, that these popular traditions relate to the time when -the Pechts, conquered by the Scots, who subsequently were reinforced -by various later immigrant races, still retained a certain amount of -independence, with special rights in certain districts, reserved to -them as "Pecht lands." Their dwarfish stature is seen from the very -word by which they are known, as well as from the dwellings they -inhabited. Their small horses are spoken of in the earliest accounts -of them,[162] and indeed still survive, though no doubt in blended -forms, as the small breeds of Galloway, Shetland, and various parts -of England. Their favourite colour gave them, in their earliest -days, the title of Green Men or _Virides_; although then the -colouring was applied in a more primitive fashion. - -Apart from all the resemblances specially referred to, there is a -general association in the popular mind between Pechts and Fairies. -Both are regarded as extinct races, and the date of their -disappearance, though vague, points to the one period; and -localities known as the abodes of Pechts are also known as the -abodes of Fairies. For example, an antiquary of that neighbourhood -(Sir Herbert Maxwell) states that "the fortified promontory of the -Mull [of Galloway] is locally believed to have been the last -stronghold to which the Picts of Galloway retired before an -overwhelming force of Scotic (?) invaders." In the same paper,[163] -and referring to the same promontory, the writer specifies "a small -fortification called the 'Dunnan,' credited with having been a -favourite haunt of the fairies." Again, the famous Pictish hill-fort -in Forfarshire, known as the "White Cater Thun," is equally famous -as a fairy stronghold. This celebrated fortress has been described -on a previous page. It crowns a hill in the neighbourhood of the -ancient city of Brechin, the centre of a district which was -indisputably a territory of the Pechts. Even yet one may discern in -the ruins of this fort the traces of the dwellings which so closely -characterize the architecture of the Pechts, the chambers made -within the thickness of the wall. Within the long elliptical -enclosure of the White Cater Thun there are, indeed, faint traces of -other buildings; but the great majority of its garrison must have -been housed, after the fashion of the race, in the chambers that are -traceable all along the actual rampart itself. And of this chambered -fortress local tradition states that it was "the abode of fairies, -and that a brawny witch carried the whole [of the stones] one -morning from the channel of the West Water [a neighbouring river] to -the summit of the hill, and would have increased the quantity ... -but for the ominous circumstance of her apron-string breaking, while -carrying one of the largest! This stone was allowed to lie where it -fell, and is pointed out to this day on the north-east slope of the -mountain! This tradition, it may be remarked," continues our -authority,[164] "however _outré_, is curious from its analogy to -that concerning the castles of Mulgrave and Pickering in Yorkshire, -the extensive causeways of which are said to have been paved by -genii named Wada and his wife Bell, the latter, like the Amazonian -builder of Caterthun, having carried the stones from a great -distance in her apron!" Among all the exaggeration and confusion of -these statements two things are quite discernible--the identity of -Pechts with fairies or other "supernaturals" in general--and (in -particular) the identity of the descriptions given of people so -denominated, in the region of Caterthun and of Yorkshire, and the -descriptions of the Northumbrian Pechts as quoted on a previous -page.[165] Indeed, the accounts given of the Pechts in the locality -last-named, as well as some features of the traditional builders of -Abernethy Round Tower, render it impossible to distinguish, in these -two cases, between "Pechts" and "Fairies," or "Witches." And this, -indeed, as we have seen, was the popular belief. - -The conclusion, therefore, to be drawn from what has been said upon -this subject is that, although the term _Pict_ or _Pecht_ has been -chosen by History as that by which a certain race of people, once -found in Scotland, ought to be remembered, yet that term indicates -nothing more[166] than _Trow_ or _Dwarf_, either of which names -might as reasonably have been chosen as their synonym _Pecht_. And -that when one speaks of _Pechts_, _Trows_, or _Dwarfs_, one is -speaking of the same kind of people--the mound-dwellers, or -"underground" races of the past. Further, that the people -traditionally remembered in Shetland as _Finns_ belonged to that -group; as also those whom Gaelic folk-lore styles the _Feinne_. And -that, along with many other popular terms not here enumerated, one -of the names by which such people have been widely known is that of -"the Fairies." - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[142] Mr. Charles de Kay, in _The Century_ of July 1889, p. 437. - -[143] See Mr. Ralston's review in _The Academy_ of May 11, 1889. - -[144] These trials and executions for "witchcraft" were the -precursors of those which were carried down almost into our own -times; and the above allusions to the "wickedness" of those rites -only serve to strengthen the growing belief that the relentless -persecution of "witches" was based upon most reasonable grounds, and -that the motives actuating the "persecutors" were far higher and -more sensible than a mere fanatical and narrow-minded hatred of -paganism. - -[145] For these extracts, see Thorpe's _Northern Mythology_, I., 14, -212, 213, 214, and 238. - -[146] The flat stone, supported on three or four posts, or pillars -(as Thorpe calls them), upon which the seid-woman stood, is very -suggestive of the _cromleac_ or _dolmen_. (Cf. the _grottes aux -fées_ of Brittany.) - -[147] The magical power of the Finns is still recognized by the -Swedish peasantry of to-day. An illustration of this appears in an -anecdote related in the London _Standard_ of 26 January, 1877, with -regard to a Swedish lady "who had been so ill-advised as to insult a -Finn, whose magical powers exceed those of the gipsies." - -[148] It is no doubt owing to the infusion of Spanish blood in -Southern Ireland, still visible in the complexion, as well as in the -surnames (such as Costello and Jago, _i.e._, Diego) of people in -that neighbourhood, that this Fierna receives the most un-British -title of "Don" prefixed to his name. - -[149] Compare this tradition, recorded by Thorpe (_Northern -Mythology_, III., 39):--"In very old times the dwarfs had long wars -with men, and also with one another." - -[150] "The Death of Diarmaid," by Allan MacRuaridh. _See_ the "Dean -of Lismore's Book," p. 30 (Eng. version), and p. 21 (Gaelic). - -[151] "Dean of Lismore's Book," pp. 141-43 (Eng.) and 108-11 (Gaelic -version). - -[152] "History of Ireland"; Reign of Cormac Ulfada. - -[153] "West Highland Tales," I. xiii. - -[154] The Lay of Osgar: "West Highland Tales," III. 304-5. - -[155] He adds:--"Some of these horns, which are of an amazing size, -are in the custody of the Duke of Athole, and of Mr. Farquharson of -Invercauld." - -[156] "Tales," II. 107. The story referred to is on pp. 102-6. - -[157] _See_ "Proc. of Soc. of Antiq. of Scot.": First Series, VIII. -p. 186, _et seq._ (with a special reference to pp. 205-6). - -[158] For Mr. Campbell's references, _see_ "West Highland Tales," -I., ci.-cix., and II., 46. This parallel has also been drawn by Miss -Gordon Cumming ("From the Hebrides to the Himalayas," Vol. I., p. -183). - -[159] _Scots Magazine_, Vol. III., 1818, p. 154. - -[160] One of Mrs. Ewing's "Old-Fashioned Fairy Tales": The Laird and -the Man of Peace. - -[161] George Sinclair, in "Satan's Invisible World Discovered." - -[162] _See_ Ritson's "Annals," Vol. I. p. 12 (quoted from Dion -Cassius, L. 76, c. 12). - -[163] Which appears in the "Proceedings of the Society of -Antiquaries of Scotland," 1885-86, pp. 76-90. - -[164] Mr. A. Jervise, "The Land of the Lindsays," Edinburgh, 1853, -p. 265. - -[165] Page 67. - -[166] The Latin term _Picti_, though pointing to another -characteristic of the dwarfs, is not here taken into account, as it -misinterprets the original word. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -There is one variety of the underground dwellings which, in the -northern counties of Scotland if not elsewhere, is more specially -indicated by the term "Earth House," or "Eirde House." With regard -to this class of structure, an experienced archæologist[167] makes -the following remarks:-- - - "The whole of these have been formed after one idea, viz. - to secure an unobserved entrance, and to preserve a curved - shape. From the entrance the first part of these structures - is generally a low and narrow passage, growing in width and - height from the point where the direction is changed, and - terminating in a rounded extremity. - - "The part of them last referred to is generally from five - to nine feet in width, with a height barely sufficient to - permit a man to stand erect. In some cases, however, they - have been found to be of much more contracted dimensions - throughout. The Eirde House at Migvie, in Cromar, only - admits a single person to pass along; while that at - Torrich, in Strathdonan, Sutherlandshire, is barely three - feet in width. - - "Dr. Mitchell has described another at Erribol, in that - county, which is more like a large drain than anything - else. - - * * * * * - - "These underground houses have occasionally smaller - chambers, as offshoots from the main one, which are entered - by openings of small size. - - "They occur at times singly, and at others in groups. On a - moor near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, a group of nearly - fifty were discovered. - - * * * * * - - "It has been doubted if these houses were ever really used - as places of abode, a purpose for which they seem in no - degree to be suited. - - "But as to this there can be no real doubt. The substances - found in many of them have been the accumulated _débris_ of - food used by man, and indicate his presence as surely as - the kindred kitchen-middens which have recently attracted - so much attention, while their occurrence in groups marks - the gregarious habits of the early people. The bones of the - ox, deer, and other like creatures have been found, as well - as the shells of fish, mixed with fatty earth and charred - wood. Ornaments of bronze have been found in a few of them, - and beads of streaked glass. In some cases the articles - found would indicate that the occupation of these houses - had come down to comparatively recent times, as in the case - of the Irish crannogs, where objects of the rudest times - are found alongside of those of the seventeenth century." - -These underground passages or galleries are also known as Pechts' or -Picts' houses; and they unquestionably belong to the same family as -the other structures so denominated. But they are the rudest and -most primitive of all. Between them and a chambered mound such as -Maes-how, in Orkney, the difference is great; and still greater is -the difference between them and a non-subterranean "broch," such as -that of Mousa, in Shetland. Yet all these are so united by -intermediate forms that it is difficult to say exactly where the one -passes into the other. The nature of the difference may be expressed -etymologically by saying that they are _burrows_, _barrows_, and -_brochs_, or _burgs_; the "drain"-like Eirde House belonging to the -first class, the chambered mound to the second, and the above-ground -structure, such as that of Mousa, to the third. The three terms just -used are radically one, as the buildings themselves are. But they -represent different phases of one idea; and the last phase is very -much in advance of the first. Whether the superiority of the one -class of building over the other has been caused by the gradual -advancement of one homogeneous race, during a long stretch of time, -or by the blending of a higher race with a lower, within a limited -period, must be regarded as an open question.[168] - -But, although that crude form of earth-house which we have -described as a burrow, is included among the Pechts' houses of -Scotland, it differs in several respects from that variety which has -been regarded as the typical "Pecht's house," namely, the chambered -mound, or "hollow hillock." One of the salient features of the -burrow, the "unobserved entrance," is equally a feature of the -hollow mound; and the latter has also the same narrow, low, -subterranean passage of approach, formed of huge stone slabs. In -each, too, as in the more advanced and elaborate "broch," it is seen -that the builders knew of no other kind of arch than that formed by -the gradual convergence of the walls, by means of each course -overlapping the course immediately below it, until only a single -slab was required to crown the whole by way of "keystone." The -better kind of "burrow," with its "smaller chambers, as offshoots -from the main one," is also closely akin, in that respect, to the -so-called "hollow hill." But, while having all these points of -resemblance, the latter differs from the former in that its passage -dispenses altogether with the curve which distinguishes the -"burrow;" and, greater difference still, in that it is not merely an -underground dwelling, but that the earth over it is heaped so high -above the level of the adjoining ground that it presents exactly the -appearance of a conical or rounded green hillock, when looked at -from the outside. Moreover, it is only rendered an "underground" -dwelling by the earth-heap imposed upon the original structure, -which itself was built upon what was then the surface of the ground. -Whereas the long, curved gallery, which has more specially been -styled an "earth-house," is below the surface of the surrounding -land, and is generally discovered by some ploughman whose plough -happens to break or disarrange the stone slabs forming its roof. - -There is no special reason for limiting the term "earth-house" to -the underground gallery just spoken of, because the chambered mound -is also as much an "earth-house." In either case, the structure -itself is of stone. Therefore, we need not here restrict the term -"earth-house" to one of these two varieties, but apply it equally to -both. Each variety is popularly known as a "Pecht's house," and the -one is as much an "earth-house" as the other. - -The "hollow hill," however, will be the variety of earth-dwelling -chiefly considered in this place. But, before leaving the ruder -structure, reference may be made to a Shetland specimen, examined in -1865. It is described as "of a semicircular form, two feet or so -beneath the arable land, about thirty feet in length, three feet in -breadth and height, widening out at the western extremity to the -form of a chamber of five feet square; ponderous slabs of mica-slate -form the lintels. These stones have been transported from Norwick, -which is the nearest depôt for such, and distant two miles." Like -other similar structures this was locally known as a "Fairy -Ha'."[169] - -Thus, the two varieties of earth-house, each known popularly as a -"Pecht's house," are also both remembered as the dwelling-place of -fairies. For the chambered mound is equally a "Fairy Knowe"; in -Gaelic, a "sheean" (_sithean_), or abode of fairies. - -And as the "little people" of Scotland have been chiefly chronicled -as "Pechts," or "Picts," we may further consider them in that -twofold character; continuing also to regard them in the territories -which have already been most frequently named. Of these, none are -more worthy of examination than the districts--insulated or -otherwise--in the neighbourhood of the Pecht-land Firth. - -"By an authentic record of Thomas, Bishop of the Orkneys, dated -1443, and published in Wallace's "Orkneys," edit. 1700; when the -Norwegians conquered these islands they found them possessed 'by two -nations, the Pets [Pehts, or Pechts] and Papas'"[170] (_i.e._, popes -or priests). The "popes" referred to are understood to have been the -Irish missionaries from Iona, and of them there seems to be no -distinct tradition surviving. But the other "nation" is well -remembered in both of the Northern groups. "The first folks that -ever were in our isles were the Picts," says Shetlandic folk-lore; -"they were very small [people]."[171] - -What appears to be a popular tradition relating to the time when -the territory of the mound-dwelling Pechts was beginning to be -invaded and settled by colonists of another race, is furnished us by -Sir Walter Scott. The ballad of "Alice Brand," in "The Lady of the -Lake," speaks of a "moody Elfin King, who won'd[172] within the -hill." And we are told in the _Appendix_ that this legend "is -founded upon a very curious Danish Ballad, which occurs in the -'Kæmpe Viser,' a collection of heroic songs first published in -1591." It begins "_Der ligger en vold i Vester Haf_," which is -rendered in English, "There lies a wold in Wester Haf." Scott -says:--"As _Wester Haf_ ... means the _West Sea_, in opposition to -the Baltic or _East Sea_, Mr. Jamieson inclines to be of opinion -that the scene ... is laid in one of the Orkney, or Hebride -Islands." Both in this old ballad, and in Scott's adaptation, there -is an element of the magical, or impossible, or, at least, -unexplainable kind; but some of the leading facts are these:--A -"husband," or yeoman, goes to this "wold in Wester Haf," taking his -wife and all his belongings with him, and there he proceeds to -settle down as a colonist. Like many other "backwoodsmen," he begins -by felling the trees of the forest[173] for his new home, much to -the indignation of the dwarfs who inhabit a certain "knock" (Gael. -_cnoc_), or chambered mound, in that district, and who, indeed, are -the owners of the soil. - - "He hew'd him kipples,[174] he hew'd him bawks,[175] - Wi' mickle moil and haste, - Syne speer'd the Elf i' the knock that bade, - 'Wha's hacking here sae fast?'"[176] - -The dwarfs are discomfited in their attempt to enter the "husband's" -house, but finally one of them succeeds:-- - - "The huswife she was a canny wife, - She set the Elf at the board; - She set before him baith ale and meat, - Wi' mony a weel-waled[177] word. - - "'Hear thou, Gudeman o' Villenshaw,[178] - What now I say to thee; - Wha bade thee bigg[179] within our bounds, - Without the leave o' me? - - "'But, an' thou in our bounds will bigg, - And bide, as well as may be, - Then thou thy dearest huswife maun - To me for a lemman gie.'" - -However, the husband is not even temporarily bereft of his wife; -and, indeed, after all the threatenings of the "how-folk," the -settlers are allowed to remain quietly in possession of their -homestead, and their daughter is afterwards married to the dwarf -visitor.[180] - -Though this song is from a Danish collection, there is another of -very similar nature in Unst, Shetland. It begins "Der lived a king -into da aste," and it recounts how a certain "wedded wife" was -carried off by "the King o' Ferrie." Her husband afterwards goes in -search of her; and "one day, in his wandering quest, he sees a -company passing along a hillside, and he recognizes among them his -lost lady." They go into "a great 'ha'-house,' or castle," which is -said to be _on_ the hillside; but as nothing is visible but "a grey -stane," after they have entered, it would seem that _the hill -itself_ was the castle, and the grey stone the entrance door, as in -the case of the Orcadian Maes-how, or many another residence of the -"how-folk." This assumption is quite borne out by the song itself. -The same writer[181] indicates that such abductions were quite -common in Shetland, when she states that a "witch" who married a -dwarf returned once to her mother's house, and, while imparting to -her various other counsels and warnings, "gave many instructions how -to provide against the enchantments used by Trows for the purpose of -decoying unsuspecting girls into their unhallowed domain." And her -parting injunction was to be sure and have the maidens "weel cöst -about" (? protected by charms) "when the grey women-stealers are -wandering." But instances of such intercourse between the dwarf -races and others, the abduction being by no means confined to one -side, could be quoted almost interminably. - -The celebrated "how" known as Maes-how, in Orkney, has just been -referred to. It is so admirable a specimen of the "Pecht's house" -proper that no better selection can be made for a more particular -description of such a dwelling. "It stands about a mile to the -north-east of the great stone ring of Stennis. Its external -appearance is that of a truncated conical mound of earth, about 300 -feet in circumference at the base and thirty-six feet high, -surrounded by a trench forty feet wide. Nothing was known of its -internal structure till the year 1861, when it was opened by Mr. -Farrer, M.P., but the common tradition of the country represented it -as the abode of a goblin, who was named 'the Hogboy,' though no one -knew why."[182] In Lincolnshire, this term "hog-boy" is pronounced -as "shag-boy."[183] The word pronounced _shag_ in one place and -_hog_ in another, is understood to be the same as _haug_ or _how_; -and the term is therefore a variant of the plural "how-folk." It was -one of those "shag-boys" or "hog-boys," then, that local tradition -remembered as the inhabitant of Maes-how. And nowhere is the -tenacity of the popular memory more strongly illustrated than in -this instance. For, during many centuries prior to 1861, this had -been nothing more, to the passing stranger, than a grassy hillock, -utterly void of any indication that its interior was "hollow," and -that the whole structure--stone-built dwelling, and super-imposed -earth--was entirely artificial,--the work of a vanished race. And -yet, so full of vitality is tradition, that the descendants of those -who had seen its inmate or inmates, knew, in spite of the lapse of a -thousand years, that this was no ordinary grassy mound, but that -once upon a time it had been the habitation of people of a certain -race, whose characteristics are even yet remembered, if only in a -confused and imperfect manner. - -However important and necessary a written description may be, it is -very incomplete without a personal inspection of the place -described, or in lieu of that, the "counterfeit presentment," which -is almost as serviceable. From the view here given of Maes-how, as -it appears from the outside, and also from the following diagrams, -one obtains an admirable idea of the exterior and interior of a -_sheean_, Fairy Hillock, or Fairy Ha'. - -[Illustration: SECTIONAL VIEW AND GROUND-PLAN OF MAES-HOW.] - -After examining these pictures of this famous "how," one is able -to fully understand the traditional accounts of the "hollow -hillocks" of the dwarfs. One can fit any of the many stories that -tell of visits paid to such "hills" into this particular scene. -There is the small, concealed entrance at the base of the hill (at -which, or beside which, the visitor used to knock until "the hill -opened"--revealing a low, narrow, dark passage). - -[Illustration: MAES-HOW, ORKNEY. -(The _Orka-haug_ of the Norsemen.)] - -In this instance the aperture is two feet four inches in height, and -of exactly the same breadth; and its dimensions continue the same -for the first twenty-two and a half feet into the hill (for it will -be seen that the mound of stone and earth that surrounded and -covered the actual building gave the habitation a fictitious base, -which had to be penetrated by this passage until the walls of the -main building were reached--in the centre of the "hill.")[184] - -[Illustration: THE INTERIOR OF THE "HOW."] - -In Maes-how the passage of approach is fully fifty-three feet long. -Its height, as already stated, is only two feet four inches, during -the first twenty-two feet of length; so that no one, unless an -actual dwarf, could walk erect along this portion. After this the -roof of the passage rises to four feet four inches; and it retains -this height during the next twenty-eight feet of length. The -remaining distance--scarcely three feet--is four inches higher; and -then the passage "enters the middle of one of the four sides of a -chamber which is fifteen feet square, and has, when complete, been -about twenty feet high in the centre. The walls of this chamber are -perpendicular for about six feet, after which the slabs, which -generally extend the whole length of a side, project beyond the -courses on which they rest, until in this way the roof has been -completed in the shape of an inverted pyramid formed of successive -steps."[185] In the three sides of this central hall (excluding the -side at which the long passage emerges) there are respective -entrances into three small chambers. The largest of these is less -than seven feet long, less than five feet broad, and its roof is -only three and a half feet from the floor. - -In assuming that the roof of this building, now open to the sky, -was "completed in the shape of an inverted pyramid formed of -successive steps," Colonel Leslie is at variance with the -description given by an eighteenth-century writer (in connection -with similar buildings), and at variance also with tradition. The -difference is a slight one, but it ought to be referred to. The roof -was not precisely _completed_ in such buildings, according to the -writer referred to; it "was carried on round about with long stones -[each successive course projecting, and thus gradually narrowing the -orifice], till it ended in an opening at the top, which served both -for light and a vent to carry off the smoke of their fire." Without -this opening the dwelling had very little light or air; for little -of either could have straggled in from the mouth of the narrow, -underground passage, which reached the open air at a distance of -fifty-three feet from the dwelling, and whose entrance (besides) was -nearly always closed during the day.[186] - -While tradition seems clearly to indicate that the roof of the -dwelling communicated with the open air above, there is necessarily -some uncertainty on this point. The writer who speaks of the roof of -such a building being "carried on round about with long stones, till -it ended in an opening at the top," may have had in view a structure -more resembling the open air "broch" than the _sith-bhrog_; although -he mentions that the kind of building he describes often "looks -outwardly like a heap without any design."[187] It is undoubted that -many such mounds, for example, those of New Grange and Dowth, in the -Boyne district, have their rude, "Pelasgian arch," crowned with one -large stone as keystone; and that, therefore, any upward exit from -the chamber must have led off in a slant from some portion of the -wall. On the other hand, there are several indications that when one -ascended the outside of a _sheean_, in the days when it was -inhabited, one found oneself at the edge of a hollow or crater, at -the foot of which was the narrow orifice that gave light and air to -the chamber below. More than one fairy-hill of the present day, not -yet explored, has a small hole on its summit, and when a stone is -dropped therein, it is heard to rumble and fall into some unknown -cavern below. And the existence of such "craters" was well known (we -are told by Scott, in his Introduction to the _Tale of Tamlane_) to -the people of Scotland. "Wells, or pits, on the top of hills were -supposed to lead to the subterranean habitations of the Fairies." -Legendary stories in connection with these there are many--of men -descending such "pits," sometimes well knowing what to expect, and -of having hand-to-hand fights with the natives of these abodes. At -other times the attack was made by those "hillmen" themselves; who -seem to have emerged by this entrance as often as by the other. "A -savage issuing from a mount" was once a well-known bearing in -Scottish heraldry. Mr. J. F. Campbell records a Ross-shire tradition -of a dwarf who inhabited _Tombuidhe Ghearrloch_, "The Tawny Hillock -of Gairloch," and who was the terror of the neighbourhood (whose -chief inhabitants, in his day, belonged to another race). Before he -was himself slain, this formidable dwarf had killed many of the -latter race; none of whom (with one exception) dared to venture near -his "hillock" after dusk. He was at length killed by a local -champion, still remembered as "Big Hugh" (Uistean Mor, MacGhille -Phadrig;) who was celebrated as a slayer of dwarfs; and who appears -to have devoted himself to their extermination in that particular -district. And in the story of the killing of this noted dwarf, it is -stated that Uistean climbed to the top of the hillock (_Tom-buidhe_) -and attacked its inhabitant, who emerged from the foot of its -"crater" or "pit"; in other words, from the roof of his -dwelling.[188] - -Such a "_sheean_" is the Denghoog in the Danish island of Sylt, one -of the mounds believed to have been the residence of Finn, the dwarf -king. Mr. W. G. Black, who has visited this "how," describes it -thus:[189]-- - -"Externally merely a swelling green mound, like so many others in -Sylt, entrance is gained by a trap-door in the roof, and descending -a steep ladder, one finds himself in a subterranean chamber some -seventeen by ten feet in size, the walls of which are twelve huge -blocks of Swedish granite; the height of the roof varies from five -feet to six feet. The original entrance appears to have been a long -narrow passage seventeen feet long and about two feet wide and high. -This mound was examined by a Hamburg professor in 1868, who found -remains of a fire-place, bones of a small man, some clay urns, and -stone weapons." - -This example, then, of the abode of one of the "Feens of Lochlan," -corresponds exactly with Maes-how and all similar "_sheeans_." And, -like them, it is locally remembered as the residence of a dwarf. - -This, of course, is tradition. But the northern sagas (though -"tradition" also) are accepted as "history," in some degree. And the -sagas bear a like record. Their heroes break into those dwellings, -make their entrance by the hole at the bottom of the "crater," and -attack the inhabitants, who, seizing their weapons, defend their -lives and (in many cases) their treasures. And before leaving the -"hollow hill" of Maes-how, it may be stated that this particular -_broch_, or _sheean_, is believed to have been invaded about a -thousand years ago. It was entered in the twelfth century by some of -those North-men who were on their way to the Holy Land; and these -have incised various inscriptions on its inner walls. But at that -date it was empty--and had been rifled many centuries before. One -legendary tale places the date of its original despoliation as far -back as the year 920; and states that "Olaf the Norseman" was its -invader; and that he encountered its possessor, whom he -overcame--after a deadly struggle. And, since "the common tradition -of the country [up to the year 1861, when it was reopened] -represented it as the abode of a goblin, who was named 'the -Hog-boy'," it would seem that the prevailing blood of the -country-people in that district is akin to that of this "Olaf the -Norseman;" and that, therefore, in this instance, the popular memory -reaches back for nearly a thousand years, with the most perfect -precision.[190] - -The Ross-shire _Tombuidhe_, the Sylt _Denghoog_; and this Orcadian -_broch_ are all specimens of the one class; and, both as regards the -character of the dwellers and the dwellings, they have many -counterparts. How many we do not yet know. It is probable that, in -the British Islands alone, they may be numbered by thousands (and we -need not here speculate as to the continent of Europe, and other -parts of the globe). Colonel Forbes Leslie, referring only to -Scotland, says that "even in the present day many a green mound ... -is shunned by sturdy peasants who would not fear the hostility of -any mortal"--and this because that mound once contained one or more -people of a race of whom that peasant's ancestors stood greatly in -awe. That the valleys of the Forth and Teith alone contain a great -number of those "green hillocks," as yet unexamined, has been stated -by an eminent investigator of the Scotch _brochs_, Dr. Joseph -Anderson. How many other districts can tell a similar story is a -problem that will some day be solved. - -The collector (who is, to a great extent, the exponent also) of the -"Popular Tales of the West Highlands," appends several very -interesting remarks to one of these stories: that of "The Smith and -the Fairies" (vol. ii. pp. 46-55). Among other things he says: "The -belief that the 'hill' opened on a certain night, and that a light -shone from the inside, where little people might be seen dancing, -was too deeply grounded some years ago to be lightly spoken of; ... -'In the glebe of Kilbrandon in Lorn is a hill called Crocan Corr ... -where the fairies ... were often seen dancing around their fire.'" -And reference is also made to "a certain hill in Muckairn, known to -be the residence of the fairies." The incident connected with it is -capped with a similar one "told of a hill called Ben-cnock in -Islay;" and "another hill, called Cnock-doun" (presumably in Islay), -has a like history. But such "hills" are too numerous to mention in -detail. - -Owing to the great mass of earth which was heaped over the -dwelling--the actual "kernel" of the mound--it will be seen that -new-comers of another race from the mound-dwellers might build -houses, or bury their dead, above the homes of the "little people," -without being aware that the hill they were so utilizing was -entirely of artificial origin. Nor are there wanting illustrations -of this in fact and in tradition. Legendary lore, indeed, is -full of incidents arising from the contact, often unexpected on -the one side, of the two races; and many such tales reveal the -mound-dwellers in a very homely light. The following story from the -Hebridean island of Barra, for example: - - "There was a woman in Baile Thangasdail, 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 the couple of - calves, and she was striking the tether-peg into it. The - knoll opened. She heard a gleegashing as if a pot-hook were - clashing beside a pot. She took wonder, and she stopped - striking the tether-peg. A woman put out her head and all - above her middle, and she said, 'What business hast thou to - be troubling this tulman in which I make my dwelling?' 'I - am taking care of this couple of calves, and I am but weak. - Where shall I go with them?' 'Thou shalt go with them to - that breast down yonder. Thou wilt see a tuft of grass. If - thy couple of calves eat that tuft of grass, thou wilt not - be a day without a milk cow as long as thou art alive, - because thou hast taken my counsel.'"[191] - -This story exemplifies the well-known prophetic or "supernatural" -powers of the dwarf races, while at the same time it presents the -"fairy abode" to us in a very matter-of-fact light. Equally homely -and matter-of-fact is this story from Wigtownshire:-- - - "A shepherd's family had just taken possession of a - newly-erected onstead, in a very secluded spot among 'the - hills o' Gallowa,' when the goodwife was, one day, - surprised by the entrance of a little woman, who hurriedly - asked for the loan of a 'pickle saut.' This, of course, was - readily granted; but the goodwife was so flurried by the - appearance of 'a neibor' in such a lonely place, and at - such a very great distance from all known habitations, that - she did not observe when the little woman withdrew or which - way she went. Next day, however, the same little woman - re-entered the cottage, and duly paid the borrowed 'saut.' - This time the goodwife was more alert, and as she turned to - replace 'the saut in the sautkit' she observed 'wi' the - tail o' her e'e' that the little woman moved off towards - the door, and then made a sudden 'bolt out.' Following - quickly, the goodwife saw her unceremonious visitor run - down a small declivity towards a tree, which stood at 'the - house en'.' [She passed behind the tree, but did not emerge - on the other side, and the "goodwife," seeing no place of - concealment, assumed she was a fairy.] In a few days her - little 'neibor' again returned, and continued from time to - time to make similar visits--borrowing and lending small - articles, evidently with a view to produce an intimacy; and - it was uniformly remarked that, on retiring, she proceeded - straight to the tree, and then suddenly 'ga'ed out o' - sight.' One day, while the goodwife was at the door, - emptying some dirty water into the _jaw-hole_ [sink, or - cess-pool], her now familiar acquaintance came to her and - said: 'Goodwife, ye're really a very obliging bodie! Wad ye - be sae good as turn the lade o' your jaw-hole anither way, - as a' your foul water rins directly in at my door? It - stands in the howe there, on the aff side o' that tree, at - the corner o' your house en'.' The mystery was now fully - cleared up--the little woman was indeed a fairy; and the - door of her invisible habitation, being situated 'on the - aff side o' the tree at the house en',' it could easily be - conceived how she must there necessarily 'gae out o' sight' - as she entered her sight-eluding portal." - -This story[192] relates to a district that is noted as being one of -the very latest to retain a population that was distinctively -Pictish, and it unquestionably offers a parallel to that of the -"Gudeman o' Villenshaw," and the "elves i' the knock that bade." In -either case, we have the arrival of a new-comer of another race, all -unconscious that the place is already inhabited by an earlier, -mound-dwelling[193] people. - -Of houses built upon the summit or the slope of a fairy hill a -modern instance is furnished by Hugh Miller, in his reminiscences of -Sutherlandshire ("My Schools and Schoolmasters," 1881 ed., p. 108), -wherein he mentions that a cousin of his had built his house -"half-way up the slope of a beautiful tomhan,"[194] which was -regarded as a fairy residence. This "tomhan" appears to have been -near Lairg, and in "the Barony of Gruids." The neighbouring -countryfolk had expected that "the little people" inside the hill -would resent this intrusion on their privacy, but, of course, -nothing of this kind happened--as this occurred in the present -century, when the mound-dwelling Pechts lived only in the memory of -those by whose forefathers they had once been greatly dreaded. But -there are various traditional accounts which point to a time when -members of the intruding race, unaware that the hillock on which -they began to build was itself a building, were obliged to desist by -reason of the opposition of the dwarfs. Thus, a former Grant of -Ballindalloch, in Strathspey, who attempted to build his castle upon -a mound, found every morning that the previous day's work had been -undone, and the stones removed from the site. One night, while he -watched for these disturbers, he heard a voice bid him to "build on -the Cow Haugh," or meadow, which he accordingly did, without further -interruption.[195] A similar account is given in connection with a -hill in Aberdeenshire. "When the workmen were engaged in erecting -the ancient church of Old Deer, in Aberdeenshire, upon a small hill -called Bissau, they were surprised to find that the work was impeded -by supernatural obstacles. At length the Spirit of the River (says -Sir Walter Scott, who tells the story[196]) was heard to say,-- - - "It is not here, it is not here, - That ye shall build the church of Deer; - But on Taptillery, - Where many a corpse shall lie." - -The site of the edifice was accordingly transferred to Taptillery, -an eminence at some distance from the place where the building had -been commenced." In this case the interruption merely took the shape -of a warning, but the midnight work in the former instance is -entirely in keeping with all that tradition says of the Pechts.[197] - -Hugh Miller again points out a fairy locality, when referring to a -boating excursion on Loch Maree, in 1823, on which occasion he -learned from the boatman that one of the islands, _Eilean Suthainn_, -was the annual rendezvous of the fairies, where they paid to their -queen the yearly "kain" or tribute, due to "the Evil One." This -reference is quoted by the author of "Gairloch,"[198] who also -states: - - "In Gairloch we have Cathair Mhor and Cathair Bheag, names - applied to several places; and the Sitheanan Dubha on Isle - Ewe and on the North Point. There is Cathair Mhor at the - head of Loch Maree, and Cathair Bheag (the Gaelic name of - the place) at Kerrysdale. These names mean respectively the - big and little seats of the fairies.... - - "The name Sitheanan Dubha signifies the black knowes or - hillocks of the fairies. It is applied to two places in - Gairloch, viz., to the highest hill-tops at the north end - of Isle Ewe, and to a low hill and small round loch a full - mile due north of Carn Dearg house." - -Further south than Loch Maree, and situated in the deer-forest of -Mamore, in the Nether Lochaber district, there is an alleged "hollow -hill" which is also exceptionally famous. It is thus described by a -local gillie:-- - - "Coming up the Ulnach, sir, you saw a corrie away to the - left? Well, that's Corrie-Vinnean; and the round hillock in - the centre, which you must also have noticed, is a Shiän or - fairy-knowe; and in all the _garbh-chnochan_ (rough-bounds) - around us, from Kinloch Leven to Ardverikie, there is no - other shiän so famous as this shiän, and it is the chief - palace of the fairies of all these upland wilds, and it is - always occupied by a company of them. It is never - altogether deserted even for a day, though many other - shiäns are sometimes unoccupied for weeks together."[199] - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[167] John Stuart, LL.D., "Proc. of the Soc. of Antiq. of Scot.," -1st Series, viii. 23 _et seq._ - -[168] Examples of those "burrows," or underground galleries, in -Ulster are given by Mr. S. F. Milligan, M.R.I.A. (_Jour. of Roy. -Hist. and Arch. Assn. of Ireland_, No. 80, Vol. IX., Fourth Series, -pp. 245-246), who remarks:--"These souterraines are good examples of -the dwelling-places of a very early race of settlers in this -country." - -[169] "Memoirs of Anthropological Society of London," vol. ii. -1865-6, p. 343. - -[170] Knox's "Topography," etc., Edin., 1831, p. 211, _note_. - -[171] Regarding the original home of the Picts, there is -considerable difference of opinion among ancient writers; but the -above traditional belief receives support from the statement that -"by Bede, by the 'Historia Britonum,' and by the Welsh traditions, -they appear as a people coming from Scythia, and acquiring first -Orkney, and afterwards Caithness, and then spreading over Scotland -from the north."--(Skene's _Chronicles of the Picts and Scots_, p. -xcvi.) - -[172] Dwelt (cf. Dutch _wonen_, Germ. _wohnen_). - -[173] This feature does not accord with the appearance of modern -Orkney or the Hebrides, but both groups were once thickly wooded. -Buchanan refers to various Hebridean islands as being "_darkened_ -with wood" in the sixteenth century. - -[174] Couples. - -[175] Balks (cross-beams). - -[176] From Jamieson's Scotch version, as given by Scott. - -[177] Well-chosen. - -[178] The dwarf is here addressing the settler by the name of his -new possession. - -[179] Build. - -[180] It ought to be added that he is only an "elf" by adoption; but -this does not affect the general situation. He bears all the outward -characteristics of the dwarfs. - -[181] Mrs. Jessie E. Saxby, "Folklore from Unst, Shetland" (_Leisure -Hour_, 1880). - -[182] Dr. Joseph Anderson, in his Introduction to the "Orkneyinga -Saga," p. ci. - -[183] In an article ("From the Heart of the Wolds") contributed to -the _Cornhill Magazine_ of August 1882, the following is stated with -regard to the traditions of this part of Lincolnshire:--"Ghosts, -bogies, and the supernatural generally have utterly vanished from -this commonplace district before schools and newspapers. Even an old -lady more than ninety years old said to us, 'Fairies and shag-boys! -lasses are often skeart at them, but I never saw none, though I have -passed many a time after dark a most terrible spot for them on the -road at Thorpe.'" The identity of "shag-boy" with "hog-boy" (as used -in Orkney) is asserted by the writer of the _Cornhill_ article; who -also states:--"In an adjoining field [near Beelsby] lingers one of -the few legends of this prosaic district. A treasure is supposed to -be hidden in it, and at times two little men, wearing red caps, -something like the Irish _leprechauns_, may be seen intently digging -for it." These little "red-caps" are not identified with the -"shag-boys," but popular tradition generally would pronounce them to -be the same people. - -[184] One is apt to talk of this introductory passage as though it -had actually _penetrated_ a previously existing mound. But the -construction of all those chambered mounds shows plainly that the -original stone structure, not only the central building but the long -passage of approach, was originally reared upon the surface of the -level ground, in the open air. And that the "fairy hillock" had no -existence at all until the builders of the stone structure had -heaped above it all--chamber and gallery--the mass of earth and -stones that afterwards transformed the whole exterior into a "green -hillock," and thus completely disguised its real nature from all but -the initiated. - -[185] For these details see Colonel Forbes Leslie's "Early Races of -Scotland," vol. ii. pp. 338-40. - -[186] Even with this roof-light the interior of the dwelling can -only have received a limited supply of daylight. And this explains -the statement made by a Scotch peasant who was taken by a "fairy" -woman into her abode. "Being asked by the judge [before whom he was -tried for 'witchcraft'] whether the place within the hill, which he -called a hall, were light or dark, he said '_Indifferent, as it is -with us in the twilight_.'" - -At night, when the abode of the "hillmen" was lit up with the glow -of the fire, the cavity above the building, and the atmosphere -overhead, must have also received some share of the firelight. This -would account for the statement made by Wallace (who wrote at the -period when "Evil Spirits also called Fairies" were "frequently seen -in several of the [Orkney] Isles dancing and making merry,") to the -effect that, "in the Parish of Evie, near the Sea, are some small -_Hillocks_, which frequently, in the Night time, appear all in a -fire." And when Mrs. Ewing, in her "Old-Fashioned Fairy Tales," says -that _shian_ is "a Gaelic name for fairy towers, which _by day_ are -not to be told from mountain crags," she evidently alludes to the -same feature. - -[187] See the description in an Appendix to Pennant's Tour, written -by the then minister of the parish of Reay, Sutherlandshire. - -[188] "Popular Tales of the West Highlands," vol. ii. pp. 97-101. In -the _Book of Clanranald_, a portion of which is translated by Dr. -Skene, a certain "Huisdinn," whose paternal grandfather was Donald -of the Isles, is stated to have been also the grandson (through his -mother) of "Giolla Phadraig." This "Huisdinn" appears to have lived -in the fifteenth century. (See _Celtic Scotland_, III., 408-409.) - -[189] "Heligoland," 1888, pp. 84-85. - -[190] For fuller information as to Maes-how, and references to more -detailed accounts, see Dr. Anderson's "Orkneyinga Sage," -Introduction, pp. ci-cviii. - -It may be added that one feature in the first of the Maes-how -diagrams conveys a wrong impression of the probable appearance of -the mound, when inhabited; because the "well or pit" ("or crater") -is represented as being as solid as the rest of the outer covering. -That it gradually became filled up with drift and rubbish, after the -dwelling ceased to be occupied, is evident. But when the edifice was -newly reared, and as long as people continued to inhabit it, the -upper part of the mound was probably a hollow shaft; admitting light -and air into the dwelling below; "carrying off the smoke of their -fire;" and occasionally serving as a way of ingress and egress. - -[191] "West Highland Tales," ii. 39. - -[192] Which will be found at pp. 30-32 of "Legends of Scottish -Superstition," Edinburgh, 1848. - -[193] The Wigtownshire tale perhaps relates rather to an example of -the rude underground Fairy Ha', or Pecht's house, described in the -beginning of this chapter. While the word "how" signifies in Orkney -a _haug_, or mound; the "howe" of other parts of Scotland means a -"hollow." In fact, the story says that the foul water ran _down_ to -the entrance of the dwarf's house, which was therefore either an -underground gallery of the kind referred to, or else a chambered -mound placed on a lower level than the shepherd's cottage. - -[194] Cf. _tulman_ in the Barra anecdote quoted above. See also p. -82 _ante_, note 2. - -[195] From "Grantown-on-Spey," by the Rev. A. Gordon (in a "Budget -of Holiday Letters," Edinburgh, 1889). - -[196] "Lay of the Last Minstrel," Note M. - -[197] Chambers, in his "Popular Rhymes" (241-2), has a story -corresponding in one feature to that of "Taptillery." This is of a -certain Laird of Craufurdland, who had dammed up a stream in order -to get at a treasure believed to be hidden in its bed, "when a -brownie called out of a bush: - - "Pow, pow! - Craufurdland's tower's a' in a low!" [_i.e._, on fire] - -which sent the laird home to save his tower; and when he returned -from his fool's errand the dam had been destroyed, and the stream -was flowing as before. - -[198] Mr. J. H. Dixon, F.S.A.Scot. See "Gairloch," Edin.' 1886, pp. -159-61. - -[199] See the modern _Scots Magazine_, Vol. I., No. 1, Dec., 1887 -("Damh Blàr Bheinn Chrulaist," a sporting story). - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - -So numerous are the mounds that, owing to the traditions attaching -to them, invite their own destruction at the hands of the -archæologist, that only a limited number of them can be specified in -these pages. Among these were, until recent years, two "fairy -knowes," long known by that term in the adjoining countryside. They -lie between the rivers Forth and Teith, about four miles to the -south of Doune. One of them was broken into a good many years ago, -and it is now known to antiquaries as the "Broch of Coldoch" (from -the estate on which it is situated).[200] It appears to be one of -those structures which form a connecting link between the open-air -broch, such as that of Mousa, and the more visible "hill," such as -Maes-how. It is circular in form, has the central chamber and three -small chambers in the thickness of the wall; and the lower portion -of a winding-stair, also in the wall, which shows it to be the -remains of an inferior "Mousa." Its dimensions are like those of -other "brochs," and these are such that, in this case, they evoked -the remark from the writer's guide (a native of the district) that -"it had never been built for men like him." This, indeed, is the -remark that naturally falls from any visitor to such buildings; as -the writer has noticed on several such occasions (nor can he forget -that one, at any rate, of his companions, in a recent visit to "the -hidden places of the Fians and fairies" in the valley of the Boyne, -was debarred from inspecting these interesting works for the simple -reason that the underground passage of entrance was so strait, in -every way, that for him to worm himself along it, as all visitors -must do, was a physical impossibility). The popular belief that such -mounds were tenanted by dwarfs has no stronger testimony than the -obvious fact that none but dwarfs would have thought of raising such -structures; or could have properly utilized them when erected. And -although the most famous of the Boyne mounds just referred to has -been styled "the firm mansion of the 'Dagda'" in ancient records, -and, by a modern singer, - - "The Royal Brugh, - By the dark-rolling waters of the Boyne, - Where Angus Og magnificently dwells," - -yet such a "mansion" would be a most impracticable kind of abode for -men of the ordinary height of modern Europeans, if any such felt -disposed to imitate the "magnificence" of Angus Og. - -Of this "Royal Brugh" the outward appearance is well delineated in -the engraving which constitutes the _Frontispiece_. All that has -been said as to the adaptability of Maes-how to any of the -well-known fairy stories is equally applicable to this Irish "how." -The Boyne mound, however, as will be seen from its measurements, is -much larger than the Orkney one; though the stone structure in its -interior is of much the same dimensions as the other. The interior -of the "Broch of the Boyne," however, represents a much ruder and -more primitive stage in such architecture, and compared with it, the -Orkney "how" is a most finished and elaborate work. - -This, then, is what a fairy hill, of the larger class, looks like to -the outsider. And it is clear that, when its entrance is concealed, -as it once was, no stranger, ignorant of such a thing as a -mound-dwelling, would ever think that this innocent-looking hill was -artificially made, and that the chambers within it were the -residence of a family or families. One might well begin to build, -and even to fell trees, upon the outer "walls" of such a "house," -without knowing that such a proceeding might be resented by "the -moody elfin king that won'd within the hill." - -The entrance to this underground hall, which has been rediscovered -for about two centuries, may be discerned almost at the base of the -hill, slightly to the left of the figures of the man and boy in the -foreground. - -[Illustration: SECTIONAL VIEW OF THE BRUGH OF THE BOYNE. -(_From the West._)] - -This entrance or doorway is represented below, and, like the -others of this series, it is the work of an artist who is also an -eminent Irish archæologist, than whom no one possesses a more -intimate acquaintance with the interior and exterior of the Boyne -mounds. This, then, is an Irish illustration of what the Shetland -boys used to call a "trow's door!"[201] - -[Illustration: DOORWAY OF THE BRUGH.] - -The (not too portly) explorer who enters this doorway and creeps, -sometimes laterally, along the passage, at one point very low and -narrow, works his way at length into the comparatively large chamber -that forms the main part of the structure. The relation which this -passage and chamber bear to the mound which was heaped over them -will be seen from the transverse sectional view of the "hill," which -is represented in the accompanying plate. The dimensions and general -appearance of this underground gallery and "hall" will also be fully -understood by an examination of this and the other designs. And one -point will be noticed, namely, that no access to the top of the -mound, as in such a case as Finn's dwelling in Sylt, or the Orkney -Maes-how, is here visible. But it must be borne in mind that, over -those portions of the mound which are represented as solid, the word -"Unexplored" might fitly be written. If this is like some of the -"fairy hills" of tradition, it ought to have a channel, or passage, -leading upward to the summit, and, indeed, the lower end of such a -passage, though at present choked up, is suggested at one side of -the inner chamber (on the right hand of the explorer), as may be -seen in the plan of the year 1889. - -It is necessary, however, to discriminate between one kind of -"fairy hill" and another. Maeshow and the Sylt Denghoog appear to -closely resemble the modern Lapp _gamme_, as regards the upper -portion of the structure, for access to both of these may be gained -from the roof. The "trap-door" to which Mr. Black refers in the Sylt -instance appears to have always existed in one shape or another; and -its original use may be guessed from the following notice of the -same portion of a Lapp _gamme_. The gamme "is generally circular, or -oblong, having the appearance of a large, rounded hillock, which -indeed it may be termed," says a Lapland traveller of sixty years -ago.[202] And he further states that "an opening in the roof, nearly -over the fire-place, served to let out the smoke; and might be -covered at times with a kind of trap-door, to retain the internal -warmth, when the fire is burnt out. This is always let down at -night." That this was the usage in the dwelling of Finn, or whatever -may have been the name of the Sylt dwarf whose bones were found in -the Denghoog, seems very probable. But to such chambered mounds as -the Broch of the Boyne, another traditionary egress, whether for the -dwellers or for the smoke, seems more applicable. It has already -been noticed that "pits on the top of hills were supposed to lead to -the subterranean habitations of the Fairies." - -[Illustration: ENLARGED SECTIONAL VIEW OF PASSAGE AND CHAMBER, BRUGH -OF THE BOYNE. (_From the West._)] - -But another version says that "pits on the tops of mountains are -regarded in the border [_i.e._, the Anglo-Scottish Borders] with a -degree of superstitious horror, as the porches or entrances of the -subterraneous habitations of the fairies; from which confused -murmurs, the cries of children, moaning voices, the ringing of -bells, and the sounds of musical instruments are often supposed to -be heard. Round these hills the green fairy circles are believed to -wind in a spiral direction, till they reach the descent to the -central cavern."[203] Assuming that "mountains" ought to read -"hillocks," and that the spiral passages are akin to those which -wind down the interior of the walls of such a "broch" as that of -Mousa, this tradition would lead one to believe that the Broch of -the Boyne has a winding passage to the upper air. A recent visitor -has observed that "on the exterior top of the mound there appears to -be a small crater-like depression,"[204] which he attributes to a -subsidence of the structure, but which, on the other hand, may have -always been there. The suggestion of an upward passage in the -interior has just been referred to. This latter is not indicated at -all in the plan of the year 1724; but as a matter of fact, this -detail was not known until quite recently, when the displacement of -a slab revealed this cavity (as well as some additional spiral -incisions on the slab). - -It will be observed that the plans of 1724 and 1889 differ -considerably as to the dimensions and outline of the central -chamber. Although the earlier one was "delineated with care and -accuracy, upon the place," by "Mr. Samuel Molyneux, a young -gentleman of the college of Dublin," one must rather accept the -testimony of so experienced and careful an archæologist as Mr. -Wakeman. But the plan of 1724 has this great merit, that it was -executed only twenty-nine years after the re-opening of the "brugh"; -and, consequently, it shows (marked with the letter H) "a pyramid -stone now fallen, but formerly set up erect in the middle of the -cave." Moreover, Mr. Molyneux was able to give a sketch of the -carvings above the right hand, or eastern recess, when these were -much fresher than at any period during this century. A fac-simile of -this picture is here given; and if the artistic style of the -draughtsman is not very admirable it will at least be admitted that -his work possesses a high archæological value. But before quitting -the subject of the drawing of 1724, it must be pointed out that -although Mr. Molyneux shows, in the northern recess of his -ground-plan, a rude basin similar to those still occupying the -eastern and western recesses, yet the account of Mr. Edward Llhwyd, -stated to have been written in 1699,[205] distinctly says that that -recess was _then_ vacant. If Mr. Llhwyd's statement is correct the -plan of 1724 is obviously misleading in this respect. - -The statements of those early writers are deserving of full -consideration, for they wrote before the effects of the outside air -and the unscientific tourist could have appreciably altered the -appearance of the chamber, since it was entered in 1695. Their -accounts, therefore, are quoted afterwards at greater length.[206] -But, from what has been said, and from an inspection of these -illustrations, a good idea may be gained of the exterior and -interior appearance of the habitation in which tradition states that -Angus Og "magnificently dwelt." - -Something may here be said regarding this personage, and the race to -which he belonged. He is said to have been the King of the Tuatha De -Danann, a race traditionally believed to have been the immediate -precursors of the Gaels in Ireland. They are sometimes spoken of as -"the Dananns" or "Danaans"; sometimes also as "the Tuatha De, or -Dea." _Tuatha_ merely signifies "people"; but the two other names do -not seem to have received any definite interpretation. It is said -that they migrated from "Lochlin" (Scandinavia, or perhaps also -Northern Germany) to the north-eastern Lowlands of Scotland; and Dr. -Skene notes that the topography of that district supports the theory -in several details.[207] - -[Illustration: GROUND PLAN OF PASSAGE AND CHAMBER, BRUGH OF THE -BOYNE. (_From a drawing by Mr. W. F. Wakeman_, 1889.)] - -[Illustration: GROUND PLAN OF PASSAGE AND CHAMBER, BRUGH OF THE -BOYNE. (_From a drawing by Mr. Samuel Molyneux_, 1724.)] - -After living there for several generations, they are understood to -have crossed to Ireland, then inhabited by the race of the -"Fir-Bolgs," whom they subdued.[208] Two centuries later the Gaels -(or Milesians) came to Ireland--from Spain, it is said. It was at -this period that "Aonghus Mac an Daogha," otherwise Angus, son of -"the Dagda," was king of the Tuatha De Danann. The story goes that -the Dananns, recognizing that the Gaels came as powerful and warlike -invaders, and as colonizers, told them on their first arrival that -if they could effect a landing in open day, and in spite of the -Dananns, then one-half of Ireland would be ceded to the new-comers. -The Gaels were successful; but the two parties could not agree as to -the division of Ireland,--apparently because the Tuatha De Danann, -while willing to surrender one-half of the island, wished to retain -the sovereignty of the whole. Then, after the simple fashion of the -heroes of ancient chronicles, the rival forces came to the agreement -that the matter should be laid before the first person whom a party -of deputies from either side should happen to encounter at the -outskirts of a certain town, on an appointed day, and this man's -decision should be held as final. Now, although the Dananns are -remembered as "adepts in all Druidical and magical arts," the Gaels -also had a _druidh_ (_i.e._, wizard or _magus_) among their number; -who proved more than a match for the Dananns. For, between him and -the leaders of his party it was arranged that the man whom the -deputies should accidentally meet at the appointed place should be -no other than this _druidh_ of the Gaels, whose person was unknown -to their opponents. The unsuspecting Dananns walked into the trap. -The first man that the delegates met was a strolling harper. "It is -a great thing thou hast to do to-day, good master of the sciences!" -was the greeting of Angus Mac Dagda, who was one of the company. -"What have I to be doing to-day?" quoth the wise man, "except to go -about with my harp, and learn who shall best reward me for my -music."[209] "Thy task is far greater than that," answered Angus, -"thou hast to divide Ireland into two equal portions." Thereupon the -_druidh_, having obtained the promise of either side that they would -abide by his decision, pronounced as follows:--"This, then, is my -decision. As ye, O magical Dananns, have for a long period possessed -that half of Ireland which is above ground, henceforth the half -which is underneath the surface shall be yours, and the half above -ground shall belong to the Sons of Miledh (the Milesians, or Gaels). -To thee, O Angus, son of the Dagda, as thou art the king of the -Tuatha De Danann, I assign the best earth-house in Ireland, the -white-topped _brugh_ of the Boyne.[210] As for the rest, each one -can select an earth-house for himself." Against this grotesque -decision there was, obviously, no appeal, and the Dananns -surrendered the surface of Ireland to the Gaels; "and retaining only -the green mounds, known by the name of Sidh, and then being made -invisible by their enchantments, became the Fir Sidhe, or Fairies, -of Ireland."[211] - -In this legend of the "halving" of Ireland, Dr. Skene recognizes the -memory of a historical fact,--the conquest of Ireland by the Gaels, -and the terms meted out by them to the natives. The tradition has of -course its defects, like most traditions. The "earth-houses" -referred to[212] must have already been in existence before they -could be spoken of, and particularized, by the magician of the -Gaels. - -[Illustration: EASTERN RECESS OF CENTRAL CHAMBER, AS DRAWN BY MR. -MOLYNEUX IN 1724. (_Fac-simile._)] - -The inference to be drawn from the story is that the Tuatha De -Danann were themselves mound-dwellers, and that the terms imposed -upon them by the Gaels restricted the conquered people to their own -habitations, presumably with the reservation of a small portion of -the adjoining territory. That, in short, the Gaelic conquest denoted -a state of things analogous to the European conquest and settlement -of North America, where the native races, having once submitted, -were allowed to live on "reservations," scattered here and there -throughout the country. Thus, as in America, the two races would -live side by side, though perhaps, as in America, presenting the -most opposite characteristics. - -The above story states that the Fir Sidhe, or Dananns, were confined -to those "hollow hills" by the Gaels, through the instrumentality of -their _druidh_. The version which Mr. William Black indicates as -current in Southern Ireland, ascribes this act to _the saints_. In -his novel of _Shandon Bells_, he introduces the hero and heroine as -standing in "the very headquarters of the elves and the pixies"; and -the girl asks "'Is this where you said the saints shut up Don Fierna -and the pixies?' 'No,' he said, 'that was away over there in the -mountains. But they say the little people can get out into this -valley; and you won't catch many of the Inisheen natives about here -after dark!'" Here, then, it is a Gaelic _saint_ and not a Gaelic -_druidh_ who was instrumental in confining "the little people" to -their homes; but, after all, there is perhaps not much difference -between _saint_ and _druidh_. The Fierna here referred to, it may be -remarked, is that King of the Sidhfir of Munster, who has been -spoken of on a previous page,[213] and whose dwelling, according to -tradition, was the hill of _Knockfierin_, in the neighbourhood of -Limerick. - -The Tuatha De Danann, therefore, are the Sidhfir, or Fairies, of -Irish tradition. But the Tuatha De Danann have been already referred -to in these pages.[214] "Who were the Feinne of tradition, and to -what country and period are they to be assigned?" This is the -question put by Dr. Skene. And after considering the various Irish -traditions relating to "the Feinne," his conclusion is this: "The -Feinne, then, belonged to the pre-Milesian races, and were -connected, not only with Ireland, but likewise with Northern and -Central Scotland, England and Wales, and the territory lying between -the Rhine and the Elbe. [This last-named territory, being "Lochlin," -ought perhaps to be held as including the whole of Scandinavia.] -Now, there are just two people mentioned in the Irish records -who had settlements in Ireland, and who yet were connected with -Great Britain and 'Lochlin.' These were the people termed the -Tuatha De Danann, and the Cruithne.... These two tribes were thus -the prior race in each country [Ireland and North and Central -Scotland]. Both must have been prior to the Low German population -of Lochlan. The Cruithne were the race prior to the Scots [Gaels] -in North and Central Scotland, and the Tuatha De Danann the prior -colony to the Milesian Scots in Ireland. The Feinne are brought -by all the old historic tales into close contact with the Tuatha -De Danann; a portion of them were avowedly Cruithne; and if they -were, as we have seen, in Ireland, not of the Milesian race, but -of the prior population, and likewise connected with Great Britain -and the region lying between the Rhine and the Elbe, the inference -is obvious, that, whether a denomination for an entire people -or for a body of warriors, they belonged to the previous population -which preceded the Germans in Lochlan and the Gaels in Ireland and -North and Central Scotland. This view is corroborated by the fact, -that in the old poems and tales the Feinne appear, as we have -said, in close connection with the Tuatha De Danann. They are -likewise connected with the Cruithne.... In answering, then, the -preliminary questions of who were the Feinne? and to what period do -they belong? we may fairly infer that they were of the population -who immediately preceded the Gaels in Ireland and in North and -Central Scotland."[215] - -The Feinne, then, belonged to the population which comprised the -Cruithne and the Tuatha De Danann, or Sidhfir, or Fairies. But the -Cruithne, as we have seen,[216] were the Picts of history, and the -"Pechts" of Scottish folk-lore. Thus, the Feinne were of the -population of "Pechts and Fairies." It has already been shown that -to draw a hard and fast line between these two divisions is -impossible. Nevertheless, there seems to have been once some kind of -distinction between the two. And if the Feinne must necessarily have -been "Pechts _or_ Fairies" (as the above conclusions of Dr. Skene's -seem to warrant), then they appear to have belonged to the former -division. Or, in other words, they were _Cruithne_ rather than -_Tuatha De Danann_. It may be remembered that in such a Fenian -ballad as the _Dan an Fhir Shicair_, or Song of the Fairy Man,[217] -the Feinne are represented as associating with the Sidhfir (say -Tuatha De Danann), but yet not as _identical_ with them. Again, the -same dubiety was seen in the references to the hoards of treasure -obtained by the ninth-century Danes from "the hidden places -belonging to Fians _or_ to Fairies,"[218] in the valley of the -Boyne. - -The Brugh of the Boyne is several times spoken of by Professor -Eugene O'Curry in his "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of -Ancient Irish History."[219] For example, as an illustration of the -use of the word _sidh_ to denote "a hall or residence" of the -_sidh_-folk Mr. O'Curry cites a stanza "taken from an ancient poem -by Mac Nia, son of Oenna (in the Book of Ballymote, fol. 190, b.) on -the wonders of _Brugh_ (or _Brog_) _na Boinne_ (the Palace of the -Boyne), the celebrated Hall of the Daghda Mór, who was the great -king and oracle of the _Tuata Dé Danann_. This poem," continues Mr. -O'Curry, "begins: '_A Chaemu Bregh Brig nad Breg_' ('Ye Poets of -Bregia, of truth, not false,') and this is the second stanza of that -poem: - - '_Fegaid in sid ar for súil - Is foderc dib is treb rig, - Ro guíd laisin Dagda ndúir, - Ba dinn, ba dun, amra bríg._' - - 'Behold the _Sidh_ before your eyes, - It is manifest to you that it is a king's mansion, - Which was built by the firm _Daghda_; - It was a wonder, a court, an admirable hill.'"[220] - -In the same work we read of an incident, placed in the time of St. -Patrick and subsequent to the Battle of Gawra, when the conquered -"Fianns" were only represented by a few straggling survivors, one of -whom was the well-known _Caeilté_ (as the name is here spelt). -"Saint Patrick, with his travelling missionary retinue, including -Caeilté we are told, was one day sitting on the hill which is now -well known as Ard-Patrick, in the county of Limerick." Questioning -Caeilté as to the former name of this hill, St. Patrick learned that -it had been called _Tulach-na-Feiné_, and obtained also an anecdote -suggested by it. "One day that we were on this hill," says Caeilté, -speaking of himself and his brother "Fianns," "Finn observed a -favourite warrior of his company, named Cael O'Neamhain, coming -towards him, and when he had come to Finn's presence, he asked him -where he had come from. Cael answered that he had come from _Brugh_ -in the north (that is the fairy mansion of _Brugh_, on the -Boyne).[221] 'What was your business there?' said Finn. 'To speak to -my nurse, Muirn, the daughter of Derg,' said Cael. 'About what?' -said Finn. 'Concerning Credé, the daughter of Cairbré, King of Kerry -(_Ciarraighe Luachra_),' said Cael?" And so on. At another -place[222] the dialogue goes thus:--"'Where hast thou come from, -Cael?' said Finn. 'From the teeming _Brugh_, from the North,' said -Cael. ('_As in Brug Braenach atuaid,' ar Cael_)." And so on, to the -same purpose as in the other version. In this story, then, we see -the "Fians and Fairies" associated with each other, as in _The -Ballad of the Fairy Man_; and the nurse of one of the Fians is -described as living in the "brugh" which was built by the celebrated -chief of the Tuatha De Danann, and was afterwards tenanted by his -son, Angus Og. - -Among Mr. O'Curry's notes there is this reference to Angus Og:[223] -"In the _Dinnsenchus_ it is stated that '_Eóin Bailé_' were Four -Kisses of Aengus of _Brugh na Boinné_ (son of the _Daghda Mor_, the -great necromancer and king of the _Tuatha Dé Danann_), which were -converted by him into 'birds which haunted the youths of Erinn.' -This allusion," remarks Mr. O'Curry, "requires more investigation -than I have yet been able to bestow on the passage." Whatever the -"_Eóin Bailé_" may have been, or have been assumed to be, this -passage brings into prominence the fact that the people known as -Tuatha De Danann, or Fir-Sidhe, were regarded by other races as -possessed of supernatural power, and were indeed actually revered as -gods at one era. As the biographer of St. Patrick says of him:-- - - "He preached threescore years - The Cross of Christ to the _Tuatha_ [people] of Feni. - On the _Tuatha_ of Erin there was darkness. - The _Tuatha_ adored the _Side_."[224] - -(Here, of course, the _Fir_ Sidhe, or people of the "sidhs" are -denoted; the word being sometimes used to indicate the dwellers, -sometimes the dwellings.) And the exalted character of the inmates -of the Brugh of the Boyne is indicated also in a verse of a Gaelic -poem entitled _Baile Suthain Sith Eamhna_, which dates back to the -year 1457 at least. The subject of the verse referred to is thus -apostrophized:-- - - "Thou, the son of noble Sabia, - Thou the most beauteous apple rod; - _What god from Bru of the Boyne_ - Created thee with her in secret?"[225] - -This exalted position "the little people" seem to have retained in -some measure long after their subjugation, and even the household -drudge or "brownie" was feared for his alleged "supernatural" power. -The fact that the common people of Ireland at the present day speak -of the inhabitants of the "brughs" or "sheeans" as "the gentry," may -also be regarded as a witness to the superior rank once held by that -caste whose mound-dwellings are exemplified by this "Brugh of the -Boyne" and others in its neighbourhood. - -Of the undoubtedly historic spoliation of those Boyne "hillocks" in -the ninth century, something more may be said here. "We have on -record," says Lady Ferguson,[226] "both in the Irish chronicles and -the Norse _Sagas_, that in the year 861 the three earls, Olaf, -Sitric, and Ivar, opened, for purposes of plunder, the sepulchral -mounds of New Grange, Dowth, and Knowth on the Boyne, and the mound -of the wife of the Gobaun Saer,[227] the mythic builder, or Wayland -Smith of the Irish Celts, still a conspicuous object at Drogheda." - -One of the Irish chronicles referred to by Lady Ferguson is that -known as the "Annals of Ulster" ("compiled in the year 1498," says -Dr. Skene), and the passage is as follows: "Aois Cr. ocht cced -seascca a haon, ... Amlaoibh, Iomhair, 7[228] h Uailsi, tri toisigh -Gall. 7 Lorcain me Cathail tigerna Midhe, do ionnradh ferainn Floinn -me Conaing. Uaimh Ach Alda hi Mugdhornaibh Maighen, Uaimh Cnoghbhai, -Uaimh Feirt Bodan os Dubath, 7 Uaimh mna an Gobhand ag Drochat atha -do croth 7 d orggain las na Gall cedna."[229] - -This is rendered into Latin by Dr. O'Conor thus: "Ætas Christi -DCCCLXI..... Amlafus, Imarus et Magnates trium Ducum Alienigenarum, -et Lorcanus filius Cathaldi Princeps Midiæ, vastant terras Flanni -filii Conangi. Crypta subterranea campi Alda in regione Mugdornorum -planitiei, Crypta Cnovæ, Cryptæ miraculorum Bodani supra Dubath, et -Crypta foeminæ fabri apud Droghedam, vastatæ et destructæ ab -Alienigenis iisdem." - -Neither Dr. Todd nor Dr. Skene, however, have a high opinion of -O'Conor's translation.[230] And his rendering of "Uailsi" by -"Magnates" is palpably a blunder based upon the acceptance of that -word as _uaillse_ or _uaisle_, a nobleman; whereas, Uailsi, Oisli, -Oisill, &c., was the name of a comrade (some accounts say a brother) -of the Olaf and Ivor referred to.[231] Thus, the Annals state that -in 861, Olaf (or Anlaf, or Aulay), Ivor and Uailsi (or Oisli), three -chiefs of the Foreigners, and Lorcan, son of Cathal, lord of -Meath,[232] devastated the lands of Flann, son of Conang; in other -words, the territory of "Bregia,--a district including the counties -of Meath, Westmeath, Dublin (north of the Liffey), and part of -Louth."[233] And these same "foreigners" pillaged and destroyed -certain underground chambers, which O'Conor refers to as "crypts." -The term is correct enough, signifying, as it does, an underground -place of concealment. But the Gaelic term is more suitable, if the -quickened pronunciation which in many parts of Scotland has -occasioned the spelling "weem" (_i.e._, _uaim_) be adopted. For by -"weem" is understood the subterranean gallery previously described, -if it is not at any time applied to the actual "hollow hill."[234] -Of the "weems" in the territory of Flann, which the _Annals_ state -were plundered, three are easily recognized;--viz., that of -"Cnoghbha," the modern "Knowth" (which is portrayed in the -accompanying plate), the still more celebrated "Uaimh Feirt Bodan," -described as "above Dubath,"[235] now known as Dowth, which is also -here represented, and thirdly, the "weem" of the wife of the _Gobban -Saor_, or "noble smith," at Drogheda. The first-named of all is said -to be that of the "Brugh of the Boyne," at New Grange; and no doubt -there is evidence for this identification, although the term -"Mugdhornaibh Maighen" would otherwise lead one to place this "weem" -at "Mugornn or Mugdhorn, now Cremorne,"[236] in the county of -Monaghan. - -Two of these "weems" are mentioned in the Gaelic poem of _Sith -Eamhna_, wherein, as has been seen, "the son of noble Sabia" was -assumed to be equally the son of some god "from Bru of the Boyne." -In this poem, whose meaning is somewhat obscure, there are several -references to the Boyne and to various "broghs," of which one is -"the cave of Ferna, the fair cave of Knowth (_uaim fhearna_, _uaim -chaomh cnodhbha_, or _chnoghdha_)." This _Sith Eamhna_ itself -appears to have been of the same order, and not improbably was that -Eamhain which was "the ancient palace of the kings of Ulster." "The -ruins of Eamhain, or, as it is now corruptly called, the Navan Fort, -are to be seen about two miles to the west of Armagh," says Mr. -O'Donovan, in a note to his "Book of Rights."[237] This is certainly -farther north than the territory of Flann Mc Conang, ravaged by the -"foreigners" in 861, as defined on a previous page; but one writer -states that that territory of "Bregia" (or _Breagh_) extended into -Ulster, in the eighth century;[238] and if the plundered "weem" -first-named in the _Annals_ was really in county Monaghan, that -would show that a portion of "Breagh" was situated in Ulster in 861. - -Eamhain, or Emania (in the Latinized form), appears to have given -its name to all Ulster, but in its proper application the term -refers to the stronghold itself. Dr. Skene speaks of "the fall of -the great seat of the Cruithnian kingdom called Emania, before an -expedition, led by a scion of the Scottish (_i.e._, Gaelic) royal -race, who established the kingdom of Orgialla on its ruins."[239] It -is this place that is associated with Oscar, the hero of the -"Fians," at the time of the Battle of Gawra; and it may be -remembered that, in a poem describing that battle, a chief of one -section of the "Fian" confederacy is made to exclaim:-- - - "I and the Fians of Breatan - Will be with Oscar of _Eamhain_." - -And as Oscar is stated to have been slain at the Battle of Gawra, -and the power of the "Fians" destroyed, one is tempted to believe -that the legendary battle of Gawra coincides with the historical -capture of Oscar's stronghold of Emhain, and the downfall of the -historical Cruithné of Ulster. However, _Sith Eamhna_ has been -mentioned here not for its own sake, but for the casual references -in that poem to the "Brugh of the Boyne" and "the cave of Ferna, the -fair cave of Knowth." - -The Gaelic records as well as the Scandinavian have many tales of -"how-breaking" exploits. For, although the accounts of the Feenic -"heroes" have been preserved to us in the Gaelic language, as those -of the Longobards have been preserved in Latin, it does not follow -in the one case more than in the other, that the language of the -chronicle was the language of the chronicled. Whatever may have been -wrought eventually, by time and intercourse, the Gaelic-speaking -people appear originally as the plunderers of "the hidden places of -the Fians and Fairies." Professor O'Curry states that among the -Historic Tales in the _Book of Leinster_, there are many which deal -specially with adventures in "caves" or, otherwise, "weems." Tales -of this class are called _Uatha_.[240] "These are tales respecting -various occurrences in caves; sometimes the taking of a cave, when -the place has been used as a place of refuge or habitation,--and -such a taking would be, in fact, a sort of _Toghail_ [the _Toghail_ -having been previously defined as a history 'which details the -taking of a fort or fortified palace or habitation by force ... the -term always implies the destruction of the buildings taken.']; -sometimes the narrative of some adventure in a cave; sometimes of a -plunder of a cave." Mr. O'Curry gives a list of the _uatha_ in the -"Book of Leinster"; and of these the most noteworthy is the _Uath -Uama Cruachan_, or the Plundering of the Weem of Cruachan. This is -referred to as "a very curious story," and the ravagers are said to -have been "the men of Connacht, in the time of Ailill and Meadhbh, -as told in the old tale of _Táin Bo Aingen_." This Meadhbh, or Maev, -of Cruachan, "the Semiramis of Irish history," as Lady Ferguson -calls her, has herself been identified with the "Queen Mab" of fairy -tradition. She appears to have occupied this "Uama Cruachan" after -it had been plundered; for it is stated that her husband "re-edified -the Rath of Cruachan, employing for the purpose a fierce tribe of -Firbolgic origin, the _Gowanree_, who were compelled to labour -unremittingly at the earthworks, and are said to have completed the -dyke in one day."[241] Mr. O'Curry has another reference to this -place. "I have in my possession," he says, "a poem in the Ossianic -style, which gives an account of a foot race between Cailté, the -celebrated champion of Finn Mac Cumhaill, and an unknown knight who -had challenged him. The race terminated by the stranger running into -the Cave of Cruachain, followed by Cailté, where he found a party of -smiths at work, etc. No copy of the full Tale has come down to us." -This incident is remarkable for its association of one of the -"Fians" with the underground smiths of tradition. Another _uath_ -mentioned by Mr. O'Curry is the _Uath Dercce Ferna_, regarding which -he says:--"There is an allusion to the trampling to death of some -sort of monster, in the mouth of this cave, by a Leinsterwoman, in a -poem on the Graves of Heroes who were killed by Leinstermen, -preserved in the Book of Leinster (H. 2. 18, fol. 27, Trin. Coll. -Dubl.)." - -[Illustration: DOWTH (_Uaimh Feirt Bodan os Dubath_), COUNTY MEATH. -(_From the West._)] - -The same place is the scene of the tale _Echtra Find an -Deircfearna_, "The Adventures of Finn in Derc Fearna"; but -unfortunately Mr. O'Curry has to add "This tale is now lost." It is -not clear why he should identify "Derc Fearna" with the "Cave of -Dunmore in the county Kilkenny." One would naturally, considering -its association with Finn and "Heroes who were killed by -Leinstermen," assume that this was the same as "the cave of Ferna, -the fair cave of Knowth."[242] - -[Illustration: PLAN OF DOWTH.] - -Of the plans and sectional views of these chambered mounds of the -Boyne valley which are here given, it is not necessary to say much -in these pages. "Dowth" has been explored and described by others, -although the accompanying pictures, being new, and the work of the -experienced archæologist referred to, add very considerably to the -knowledge of the subject. The main gallery and chamber of Dowth -resembles generally that of the "Brugh of the Boyne" at New Grange; -but the central chamber is not nearly so spacious. - -[Illustration: PLAN OF PASSAGE AND CHAMBER AT DOWTH, AND TRANSVERSE -SECTION OF CHAMBER (SAME SCALE).] - -The "bee-hive" chamber which the Dowth mound also contains has no -duplicate at New Grange, but it is quite possible that each of these -mounds has yet something to disclose. Dowth also reminds the -explorer and excavator, by the deep hollow made in the upper -portion, in the course of a fruitless and abandoned search, some -years ago, that to attack these mounds at random is to run the risk -of much useless and disappointing labour. It moreover shows that any -upward exit from the central chamber did not in this instance ascend -perpendicularly as in the Denghoog at Sylt, or the Orcadian -Maes-how. In trying to find the entrances to such "hollow hills," we -moderns have no light to guide us as the Danes had in the ninth -century. It will be remembered that there never was, "in concealment -under ground in Erinn, nor in the various secret places belonging to -Fians or to fairies, anything that was not discovered by these -foreign, wonderful Denmarkians, through paganism and idol worship." - -[Illustration: BEE-HIVE CHAMBER, DOWTH.] - -This is otherwise explained by Dr. Todd, "that, notwithstanding -the potent spells employed by the Fians and fairies for the -concealment of their hidden treasures, the Danes, by their pagan -magic and the diabolical power of their idols, were enabled to find -them out." What was the "magic" of those ninth-century Danes, or of -the order generally known as _Magi_, we only imperfectly know. But -what is tolerably evident is that if those ninth-century Danes did -not themselves rear similar structures (and Irish and Hebridean -tradition says they did), they had among them those to whom such -mound-dwellings were not "hidden" places; whether the entrances were -uniformly made at one side of the mound, or were otherwise indicated -to the initiated. In the case of "Knowth" there is less dubiety; as -what appears to be the entrance to its interior is known to Irish -archæologists. But local difficulties have hitherto stood in the -way, and the mound is said never to have been entered since the -ninth century; which, however, may be doubted. Dr. Molyneux, at any -rate, in the tract quoted in Appendix A, states that he had then in -his possession a stone urn which "was twelve years since [_i.e._ in -1713] discovered in a mount at _Knowth_, a place in the county of -_Meath_, within four miles of _Drogheda_." He does not actually say -that this urn, and the "square stone box, about five foot long and -four foot broad" which contained it, were situated in an interior -chamber of the mound. But very probably this is what he meant.[243] - -[Illustration: KNOWTH (_Uaimh Cnoghbhai_), COUNTY MEATH. -(_From the South._)] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[200] This "fairy knowe" is described in the "Archæologia Scotica," -vol. v. and the "Proc. of the Soc. of Antiq. of Scot.," 1st Series, -ix. 37-38. - -[201] Judging from memory, and also from the repellent smallness of -the hole into which one was expected to plunge, it seems to the -present writer that the human figure seated at the doorway has been -drawn too small. If one compares him with the standing figures in -the general view, and with the aperture there seen, this criticism -will be borne out. - -[202] A. de Capell Brooke; _A Winter in Lapland_, London, 1827, p. -320. - -[203] Jeffrey's "Roxburghshire"; 1859, I., 54-5. (Quoted from -Leyden.) - -[204] "Journal of Roy. Hist. and Archl. Assocn. of Ireland," No. 81, -Vol. IX., Fourth Series, p. 327. - -[205] See the "Jour, of Roy. Hist. and Archl. Assocn. of Ireland," -No. 81, Vol. IX., Fourth Series, p. 266. - -[206] See Appendix A. - -[207] _Celtic Scotland_, I., 220. - -[208] The Fir-Bolgs themselves, well known to all readers of Irish -tradition, have many points in common with the people under -discussion. Compare, for example, Lady Ferguson's reference to "a -fierce tribe of Firbolgic origin, the _Gowanree_, who were compelled -to labour unremittingly at the earthworks [the Rath of Cruachan], -and are said to have completed the dyke _in one day_." "The Story of -the Irish before the Conquest," London, 1868, p. 32. - -[209] The Dananns themselves were notably "professors of musical and -entertaining performances"; and indeed the term _druidh_, applied to -them also, seems to have indicated the possessor of many -accomplishments, in art and in a pseudo-science. - -[210] _Brugh barragheal na Boinne_ is the phrase given in "The -Glenbard Collection of Gaelic Poetry" (Haszard, Charlottetown, -Prince Edward Island, 1888, p. 78) where the above story is told. -The term "white-topped" is somewhat vague. Had the word been -_barrachaol_, "pyramidal," the meaning would have been quite clear. - -[211] 'Skene's _Celt. Scot._, III., 106-107. See also p. 93 of the -same volume, and pp. 178 and 220 of Vol. I. - -[212] The words translated "earth-house," as used by the _druidh_, -are "brugh" and "bruighin." These, as already mentioned, signify -"fairy hill" or "underground dwelling of the fairies." But the -alternative rendering of "earth-house" has been preferred, as being -rather less of an anachronism than the assumption that such -dwellings were styled _fairy_ hills before ever they had been -assigned to the "fairies." - -[213] Page 93, _ante_. - -[214] Page 51, _ante_. - -[215] _Dean of Lismore's Book_: Introduction, pp. lxiv, -lxxvi-lxxviii. (As in former quotations, I have slightly modernized -such terms as "Erin," according to Dr. Skene's own rendering of -these terms.) - -[216] Page 51, _ante_. - -[217] Page 82, _ante_. - -[218] The custom of the "earth-man" to bury his treasures is known -all over Europe. A special instance has been cited in these pages -(p. 107, _ante_, note^2), when "two little men, wearing red caps" -are remembered as "intently digging" for their lost treasure, in a -certain field in Lincolnshire. Mr. J. F. Campbell, in drawing his -Fairy-Lapp parallel, says (_Tales_, Introd. cviii.): "Fairies had -hoards of treasure--so have Lapps. A man died shortly before one of -my Tana trips, and the whole country side had been out searching for -his buried wealth in vain. Some years ago the old silver shops of -Bergen and Trondhjem overflowed with queer cups and spoons, and -rings, silver plates for waist belts, old plate that had been hidden -amongst the mountains, black old silver coins that had not seen the -light for years. I saw the plate and bought some, and was told that, -in consequence of a religious movement, the Lapps had dug up and -sold their hoards." Another writer (A. de C. Brooke: _A Winter in -Lapland_, London, 1827, pp. 109-111), in referring to this practice, -says that sometimes the Lapp "forgets himself where he has hidden -it, and his hoard of silver remains so effectually concealed, after -he has been absent some time, that he is unable to discover the -place, and it is consequently lost to him for ever." And this writer -refers to a Lapp of his acquaintance who had concealed his treasure -"so securely that, notwithstanding the regular searches he had made -for it," he could not recover it. This feature offers an explanation -of the traditions of dwarfs _seeking_ for treasures which they -themselves had hidden. It may be added that the custom of burying -money was still so prevalent in Shetland, in the beginning of last -century, that it was held to be illegal, and the offenders were duly -fined. - -[219] Dublin, 1861. - -[220] _Op. cit._, p. 505. - -[221] This parenthesis appears to be Mr. O'Curry's. - -[222] Pp. 596-7; the first version being at pp. 308-9. - -[223] _Op. cit._, p. 478. - -[224] _Celt. Scot._, II., 108. - -[225] _Celt. Scot._, III., 413. The above translation is by Mr. W. -M. Hennessy, from the following:-- - - Tusa (tussa) mac Sadhbha saoire, - As (is) tu an slat (intshlat) abhla as (ar) aille, - Ca dia do bhru na boinne - Do roine ria thu a taidhe. - -[226] "The Irish before the Conquest," p. 237. - -[227] More correctly, _Gobban Saor_ ("Free or Noble Smith"). From -the description given by Mr. Elton (_Origins_, p. 131) of "Wayland's -Smithy" at Ashbury, Berkshire, it is evident that it also belongs to -the same class as the Boyne mounds. - -[228] The symbol for the Gaelic _agus_--"and." - -[229] Dr. O'Conor's _Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores veteres_, 1824, -III., 363-364. - -[230] "Bad translation and wretchedly erroneous topography," says -the former; "by no means accurate," says the latter. - -[231] _Wars of the Gaedhill with the Gaill_, lxxii, 23. - -[232] Properly, of one-half only of Meath. (_Wars of the Gaedhill_, -lxx, n^3.) - -[233] _Op. cit._, lxxxviii, xci, _notes_. - -[234] For references to Scotch "weems" (specially so called), see -Col. Forbes Leslie's "Early Races of Scotland," 1866, Vol. II., pp. -351-354. Also _ante_, p. 101. - -[235] ? The "black ford." - -[236] _Wars of the Gaedhill_, xci, n^2. - -[237] Dublin, 1847, p. 22. - -[238] "Book of Rights," pp. 11-12, note. - -[239] _Dean of Lismore's Book_, Introd., p. xxiii. - -[240] "_Uatha_, plural of _Uath_, a word not easily translated. -_Uath_ is evidently "These are tales formed from _Uaimh_, a cave, or -cellar; and signifies some deed connected with, as the attack or -plunder of, a cave." (O'Curry, _op. cit._, p. 586, note.) - -[241] "The Irish before the Conquest," p. 32. - -[242] For Mr. O'Curry's various statements, see his _Lectures_, pp. -257-8, 283, 586-7 and 589. - -[243] A more particular description of the Brugh of the Boyne will -be found in Appendix A. The three mounds are also described in "A -Hand Book of Irish Antiquities," by William F. Wakeman, Dublin, -1848; in Wilde's "Beauties of the Boyne," Dublin, 1849, and two of -them (Knowth and Dowth) by T. N. Deane, in the "Proceedings of the -Royal Irish Academy," December, 1888. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - -Such barrows as these of the Boyne district belong to the largest -class of these structures at present revealed to us. What may be -taken as the average "fairy knowe" is very much smaller; therefore, -when it is said that houses have, in all likelihood, been frequently -built upon such artificial eminences, without the more modern -builders being aware of their real nature, it is to be understood -that the tumuli of the larger class are indicated. But, while it is -probable that newer races very often built thus unconsciously upon -the outer crust of the habitations of the mound-dwellers, it is -still more likely that, in course of time, the central chamber of -the mound became by slow degrees the dungeon of a fort or castle -that had evolved itself from it. When a "how" of the larger class -had been "broken" by invaders, and its inmates despoiled and killed -or enslaved, their conquerors would quickly realize that this -artificial mound, rising out of a level plain, formed an admirable -site for a stronghold; and, indeed, that the only thing immediately -necessary was to throw up a rampart round the top of the hill. To -races who had no fancy for the subterranean manner of living, the -strongholds of their predecessors would not suffice, although they -would still prove very serviceable as cellars, or dungeons, or as -forming a secret way of access to the castle which would eventually -tower above them. Where the subject race was not exterminated, the -former lord of the "broch" would still live on as the serf of his -conqueror, and, on account of his physical peculiarities, he would -be remembered as his master's "dwarf," or "brownie," while the women -of his race, still claiming their inherited "supernatural" power, -would be represented by the prophetic half-dreaded "banshee" -(_ban-sithe_, or fairy-woman) that foretold the destinies of the -house of her over-lord. It is a significant fact that the possession -of a family "banshee" in Ireland is restricted to these families who -trace their descent from the Milesians (Scots), the conquerers of -the Cruithné or Pechts. And we are told that, at one time, in -Shetland, where the Pechts became the subject race, "almost every -family had a _brownie_ ... which served them."[244] Innumerable -references of this kind might be given. There is, for instance, the -case of the "brownie" who was the attendant of Maclachlan of -Stralachlan, in Argyllshire, and who is said to have "inhabited a -vault in the dungeons of the castle" (Castle Lachlan), but who, like -other "brownies," was accredited with prophetic powers![245] Then -there is the "little chap with a red cap on his head," referred to -in a story told to the late J. F. Campbell;[246] and this "little -chap" is understood to occupy the cellar of a "haunted house"; -which, as it was inhabited by "ladies and gentlemen," and must be -assigned to the period when such "red caps" existed, was not -unlikely a "house" of the same order as the castles just spoken of. - -Such an example of a mediæval castle, the flower of a plant rooted -in the interior of such a mound, may be recognized in Kenilworth. -According to local tradition, the hill upon which Kenilworth Castle -is built was once inhabited by fairies, who are remembered by the -same characteristics as their kindred elsewhere. But the -consideration of a Warwickshire mound might lead us too far away -from the dwarfs more specially known as Picts or Pechts, and -therefore it is better to continue as much as possible within the -area already examined. It is enough to note that the Kenilworth -dwarfs, in the days when their mound was merely a subterranean vault -of the great castle overhead, and themselves nothing more than the -"Redcaps" of the cellar, formed a marked contrast to the once -dreaded "shag-boys" or mound-dwellers, as these are remembered in -Lincolnshire tradition.[247] - -However, if Kenilworth is too far south to be recognized as a home -of the historical Pechts, Ancient Northumbria has not the same -objection against it. And in East Lothian, which is a portion of -that province, a certain Castle of Yester was once famous for its -"Goblin Hall," which is thus described in the Appendix to "Marmion" -(note 2 P):-- - - "_The Goblin Hall._--A vaulted hall under the ancient - castle of Gifford or Yester (for it bears either name - indifferently), the construction of which has from a very - remote period been ascribed to magic.... 'Upon a peninsula, - formed by the water of Hopes on the east, and a large - rivulet on the west, stands the ancient castle of Yester. - Sir David Dalrymple, in his annals, relates that "Hugh - Gifford de Yester died in 1267; that in his castle there - was a capacious cavern, formed by magical art, and called - in the country Bo-Hall, _i.e._, Hobgoblin Hall." A stair of - twenty-four steps led down to this apartment, which is a - large and spacious hall, with an arched roof.... From the - floor of this hall another stair of thirty-six steps leads - down to a pit which hath a communication with - Hopeswater....'" - -In this instance, the "pit" which communicated with the -neighbouring stream was probably the original underground dwelling; -and if the arch of the "vaulted hall" above it is not of the -"Pelasgic" order, it is to be presumed that the "goblins"[248] who -built it had received fresh ideas from a race possessed of a more -advanced civilization. - -The castle of Doune, in Perthshire, is another probable instance of -the mediæval castle evolved from the primitive mound. What is -nowadays known as the castle of "Doune," was formerly spoken of as -"The Dùn (or Doon) of Menteith." "Doune (Dun, no doubt) had once, -where its castle now stands, an ancient fortress; but the name is -all that now remains to bespeak it," says a lady-writer on this -subject.[249] It is very probable, therefore, that the original -"Doon of Menteith" was the mound upon which the present building now -stands; and that this was at one time the chief stronghold of the -district of Menteith. One _doon_, which has apparently never -advanced from its earliest stage, is that of Rothiemurchus, in the -district of Badenoch (Inverness-shire). "A mound which has every -appearance of having been used in ancient times for purposes of -defence stands at the Doun of Rothiemurchus, and is properly the -_Doun_ or _Dun_," says a modern historian of that district.[250] -Such a structure as this seems to combine the dwelling and the -fort; the "hollow hill" having presumably been so constructed as -to render the "crater" on its summit a place of defence. That this -Doon of Rothiemurchus was once inhabited seems clearly indicated. -In speaking of the _ban-sithe_, or fairy woman, already referred -to as the appanage of old Milesian families, Sir Walter Scott -states that "most great families in the Highlands" were thus -distinguished, and that "Grant of Rothiemurcus had an attendant -called _Bodach-an-dùn_";[251] in other words, "The Goblin of the -Doon." And when Scott states, in the _note_ immediately preceding -that just quoted, that "a goblin, dressed in antique armour, and -having one hand covered with blood, called from that circumstance -_Lamh-dearg_, or Red-hand, is a tenant of the forests of Glenmore -and Rothiemurcus," he indicates a tradition that seems to be -connected with the "goblins" of the Doon of Rothiemurchus.[252] - -However, although referred to in passing, the Rothiemurchus mound is -not one of those on which a stone castle has been subsequently -reared. But of the latter class an example is furnished by the -"Castle Hill" of Clunie, in Perthshire. It is thus described in Sir -John Sinclair's "Statistical Account":-- - - "On the western shore of the loch of Clunie stands the old - castle-hill, a large, green mound, partly natural and - partly artificial, on the top of which are the ruins of a - very old building. Some aged persons still alive [in the - end of last century] remember to have seen a small - aperture, now invisible, at the edge of one of the - fragments of the ruins, where, if a stone was thrown in, it - was heard for some time, as if rolling down a staircase. - From this it seems probable that were a section of the hill - to be made, some curious discoveries might be the - consequence." - -Resembling Fierna's Hillock, near Limerick, in its having this -"small aperture," communicating with an unexplored vault below, this -Perthshire mound is also celebrated, like Knock-Fierna, for its -association with the "fairies." The castle which once crowned its -summit has more historical memories. - -Of this castle, in which, it is said, King Edward I. of England -passed a night, in the course of his triumphant progress through -Scotland in 1296, almost nothing now remains. But a tradition -relating to an earlier period asserts that this place was once a -hunting-seat of Kenneth McAlpin, the ninth-century conqueror of the -Picts (whose king he subsequently became). Although Kenneth, and his -son after him, bore the title of "King of the Picts," it is -tolerably clear that he was a Scot or Milesian by race, and it is -certain that he broke up the power of the Pechts in Central -Scotland. As he was not one of this latter race himself, it is -probable that any "hunting-seat" possessed by him at this place took -the shape of an above-ground building, and that therefore the -memories of the "supernatural" inhabitants of this mound date back -to the time when it was still an unconquered stronghold of the -Pechts. As, however, the suggested "section of the hill" has never -yet been made, nothing definite is at present known regarding the -interior of this mound. - -One of the incidents relating to the "goblin" of Rothiemurchus is -included by Mr. J. F. Campbell among the traditions obtained by him -from the district of Badenoch, in Inverness-shire. "The Badenoch -account of the fairies" is stated to be "much the same" as those -from other parts of the Highlands, and they show "that according to -popular belief, fairies commonly carried off men, women and -children, who seemed to die, but really lived underground." A tale -of this kind, "now commonly believed in Badenoch," is to this -effect:--A man who, returning home after a short absence, found that -his wife had disappeared and that another woman had taken her place, -demanded from the latter, on pain of death, to tell him where his -wife had been conveyed to. "She told him that his wife had been -carried to Cnoc Fraing, a mountain on the borders of Badenoch and -Strathdearn." "The man went to Cnoc Fraing. He was suspected before -of having something supernatural about him; and he soon found the -fairies, who told him his wife had been taken to Shiathan Mor, a -neighbouring mountain. He went there and was sent to Tom na Shirich, -near Inverness. There he went, and at the 'Fairy Knoll' found his -wife and brought her back."[253] - -Mr. Campbell adds that "the person who related this story pretended -to have seen people who knew distant descendants of the woman"--but -beyond indicating that the tradition is very old, this does not -place these events in any particular century. The localities named, -however, are full of suggestiveness. Of _Cnoc Fraing_, nothing is -known to the present writer. But "Shiathan Mor," to which the woman -is said to have been first taken, signifies "The Great Hill of the -Fairies." Such a name is of very frequent occurrence in the -Highlands. One who is well versed in these matters says: "There is -perhaps not a hamlet or township in the Highlands or Hebrides -without its _shian_ or green fairy knoll so-called. Within half a -mile of our own residence, for example, there is a _Sithean Beag_ -and a _Sithean Mor_, a Lesser and Greater Fairy Knoll."[254] In the -Hebridean island of Colonsay, where Martin, the eighteenth-century -traveller, found that "the natives have a tradition among them of a -very little generation of people that lived once here, called -Lusbirdan, the same with pigmies," one finds a "Sheean Mor" and a -"Sheean Beg," along with many other traces of those people.[255] But -it is unnecessary to multiply special instances. It was to a Great -Knoll of the Fairies, then, that the woman was taken, and thereafter -to "Tom na Shirich, near Inverness." This name also signifies "Hill -of the Fairies." _Shirich_, more correctly _Sibhreach_, is -apparently a less common form, equivalent to Sidhfear, Duine Sith, -etc., but it occurs more than once in the "West Highland -Tales,"[256] both as a singular and a plural. When the initial "s" -of _sibhreach_ or _sithreach_, becomes aspirated, after the common -Gaelic fashion, the sibilant is no longer heard; and this is -exemplified in the case of "Tom na Shirich," which is nowadays spelt -as it is pronounced--_Tomnahurich_ (or _Tomnaheurich_, etc.)[257] Of -this Inverness hill much has been written. - -It is sometimes called _Tomman-heurich_, and spoken of as a -_tomman_, which connects it with the word _tulman_ or _tolman_, -already referred to. Hugh Miller, in speaking of "that Queen of -Scottish tomhans, the picturesque Tomnahuirich," employs both forms -at the same time, which is contradictory. Pennant, who visited it -last century, refers to it also as a _tomman_. In his _Tour_ he thus -describes "the strange-shaped hill of Tomman heurich:"-- - - "The Tomman is of an oblong form, broad at the base, and - sloping on all sides towards the top; so that it looks like - a ship with its keel upwards.... It is perfectly detached - from any other hill; and if it was not for its great size, - might pass for a work of art." "Its length at top [is] - about 300 yards; I neglected measuring the base or the - height, which are both considerable; the breadth of the top - [is] only twenty yards." - -Captain Burt, in his "Letters from a Gentleman in the North of -Scotland" (Letter XII.) speaks of it as follows:-- - - "About a mile westward from the town [Inverness] there - rises, out of a perfect flat, a very regular hill; whether - natural or artificial, I could never find by any tradition; - the natives call it _tommanheurach_. It is almost in the - shape of a Thames wherry, turned keel upwards, for which - reason they sometimes call it Noah's Ark. The length of it - is about four hundred yards, and the breadth at bottom - about one hundred and fifty. From below, at every point of - view, it seems to end at top in a narrow ridge; but when - you are there, you find a plain large enough to draw up two - or three battalions of men. Hither we sometimes retire on a - summer's evening.... But this is not the only reason why I - speak of this hill; it is the weak credulity with which it - is attended, that led me to this detail; for as anything - ever so little extraordinary, may serve as a foundation (to - such as are ignorant, heedless, or interested) for - ridiculous stories and imaginations, so the fairies within - it are innumerable, and witches find it the most convenient - place for their frolics and gambols in the night time." - -Now, if this large hill, which "might pass for a work of art," was -really, as tradition states, the residence of the little people -known as dwarfs or Pechts, it was clearly an important seat of those -people. And, on regarding them from the historian's point of view, -one finds that this district was specially so distinguished. "When -we can first venture to regard the list of the Pictish Kings -preserved in the _Pictish Chronicle_ as having some claim to a -historical character, we find the king having his seat apparently in -Forfarshire; but when the works of Adamnan and Bede place us upon -firm ground, the monarch belonged to the race of the Northern Picts, -and had his fortified residence near the mouth of the river Ness" -[Inver-Ness]. And the same historian again observes:--"Adamnan, -writing in the seventh century, tells us of the fortified residence -of the king of the Picts on the banks of the river Ness, with its -royal house and gates, of a village on the banks of a lake, and of -the houses of the country people."[258] - -Hitherto, the place which has been regarded as most likely the site -of this seventh-century stronghold, is the vitrified fort which -crowns the summit of Craig Patrick (or _Creag Phadruig_), a hill not -far from Inverness. But the top of a hill more than four hundred -feet high can scarcely be referred to as a situation "on the banks -of the river Ness," from which river it is, moreover, two miles -distant.[259] The situation of Tomnahurich, on the other hand, does -exactly answer to the description given. And this "hill," whose -peculiar appearance has attracted the attention of several -travellers, is locally remembered as a celebrated home of the -"Pechts." Nor is it necessary to confine oneself to the -consideration of this hill alone. Adamnan speaks not only of a royal -residence, but also of "the houses of the country people." "The -country people" of whom he speaks were Pechts, and their "houses," -of course, were "Pechts' houses"; "houses" such as the Fairy Knowe -unearthed at Coldoch, near Doune, already referred to. In other -words _sheeans_. Now, when Hugh Miller speaks of "that Queen of -Scottish tomhans, the picturesque Tomnahuirich," he states that it -belongs to "a wonderful group" of similar mounds "in the immediate -neighbourhood of Inverness." The "houses" of the mound-dwelling -Pechts had one admirable characteristic; they were almost -indestructible. If the King of the Dwarfs had his residence at -Inverness during the seventh century, with "the houses of the -country people," of the same race, scattered all through the -immediate neighbourhood, their dwellings must be there still: and -any one who wanted to localize them would naturally turn to such -mounds as the "wonderful groups" of "tomhans" of which Hugh Miller -speaks.[260] - -Inverness, however, was not the only important centre of Pictish -power. Among others, there was Abernethy, a few miles south-east of -Perth. And at this place, says Small, in his "Roman Antiquities of -Fife," the spot wherein the treasures of the Pictish king are -believed to be hidden[261] was guarded by a _droughy_ (_droich_ or -_trow_) who fiercely assailed any invader. Of the Pechts in that -neighbourhood there are many traditions. - -A few miles to the west of Abernethy is Forteviot, where Kenneth -MacAlpin, the conqueror and ruler of the Pechts, died in the latter -part of the ninth century. Prior to the successful invasion of -Kenneth's race, this district--like that of Abernethy and all the -country north to Inverness--had been inhabited by Pechts: and -Forteviot is stated to have been a seat of Pictish royalty. Some -miles to the south-west of Forteviot there is a hill called -Ternavie, which has characteristics similar to those of -Tomnahuirich. "Ternavie has been pronounced 'the most remarkable -spot in this parish or neighbourhood.' It is a hill or mound of -earth of a very curious form, occupying, when the Old Statistical -Account was written, 'many acres of ground, covered with a fine -sward of grass, and striking the eye at a distance of several miles. -It resembles in shape the keel of a ship inverted.'" And local -tradition asserts, says the writer quoted from,[262] that once upon -a time, a countryman attempting to obtain turf on the side of this -hill, was suddenly confronted by an old man who emerged from the -hill, "and with an angry countenance and tone of voice asked the -countryman why he was tirring (uncovering) his house over his head?" -This story does not say that the mound-dweller was a dwarf, but here -we have a hill whose appearance suggests that it is at least partly -artificial, and local tradition alleges that it was once inhabited. -And this in the heart of Pictavia, or the country of the Pechts. - -In the same county, but farther to the west, there is a locality -which is remembered, like the island on the Ross-shire loch, as a -gathering-place or rendezvous of the little people. It is situated -in the valley of the Forth. The "Fairy Knowes" of Coldoch have -already been spoken of. One of them, it was stated, has been opened, -and its interior shows to the most sceptical that the tradition -which told that it was a home of the dwarfs was absolutely correct. -The other "knowe," some hundreds of yards distant, has not as yet -been touched.[263] But that it, too, was a dwelling of the same -"little people" is almost as certain as if the spade of the -excavator had already done its work. - -But the gathering-place referred to lies nearer the sources of the -Forth than the "Fairy Knowe" of Coldoch and the Doune of Menteith. -Like these places, it is situated in the district of Menteith, and -beside the lake of that name, on its south-eastern shore. This -hillock is known as _Cnoc nam Bocan_, or the Knowe of the Goblins, -and we are told that it used to be "the headquarters of the fairies -of the whole district of Menteith." These fairies, it is said, were -employed as the drudges of a former Earl of Menteith, in making the -small peninsula known as Arnmauk, which juts out from the southern -shore of the lake towards the small island of Inchmahome. The earl, -we are told, "in grateful acknowledgment of the work they had done -in forming the peninsula, and wishing to be on good terms with them, -made a grant to them of the north shoulder of Ben Venue; which is to -this day called Coir-n'an-Uriskin, that is, the Cove of the Urisks -or Fairies."[264] At this latter place, says another writer,[265] -"the solemn stated meetings of the order were regularly held"; -presumably at a later date. - -However, "the north shoulder of Ben Venue" ought probably to be -regarded as the latest "reservation" accorded to these little -people. For, among the many "knowes" in the district of Menteith -which are claimed as their homes, there is one pre-eminently -distinguished. Some miles to the west of the Lake of Menteith is the -village of Aberfoyle, celebrated by Sir Walter Scott, who says of -this locality: "The lakes and precipices amidst which the Avon Dhu -[_Abhainn Dubh_; _i.e._, Black-Water], or River Forth, has its -birth, are still, according to popular tradition, haunted by the -Elfin people.... An eminently beautiful little conical hill, near -the eastern extremity of the valley of Aberfoil, is supposed to be -one of their peculiar haunts, and is the scene which awakens in -Andrew Fairservice[266] the terror of their power." The passage in -"Rob Roy" to which Scott here refers is as follows:-- - - "A beautiful eminence of the most regular round shape, and - clothed with copsewood of hazels, mountain-ash, and - dwarf-oak, intermixed with a few magnificent old trees, - which, rising above the underwood, exposed their forked and - bared branches to the silver moonshine, seemed to protect - the sources from which the river sprung. If I could trust - the tale of my companion, which, while professing to - disbelieve every word of it, he told under his breath, and - with an air of something like intimidation, this hill, so - regularly formed, so richly verdant, and garlanded with - such a beautiful variety of ancient trees and thriving - copsewood, was held by the neighbourhood to contain, within - its unseen caverns, the palaces of the fairies--a race of - airy beings, who formed an intermediate class between men - and demons, and who, if not positively malignant to - humanity, were yet to be avoided and feared, on account of - their capricious, vindictive, and irritable disposition. - - "'They ca' them,' said Mr. Jarvie, in a whisper, '_Daoine - Schie_--whilk signifies, as I understand, men of peace; - meaning thereby to make their gudewill. And we may e'en as - well ca' them that too, Mr. Osbaldistone, for there's nae - gude in speaking ill o' the laird within his ain bounds.' - But he added presently after, on seeing one or two lights - which twinkled before us, 'It's deceits o' Satan, after a', - and I fearna to say it--for we are near the manse now, and - yonder are the lights in the clachan of Aberfoil.'"[267] - -To describe this as a "_little, conical_ hill," as Scott does, is -misleading. When viewed transversely, from the opposite bank of the -Blackwater, it has a conical appearance, certainly, as the gable of -a roof has. But when its true length is seen, as when viewed from -the west, this Fairy Knowe of Aberfoyle reveals itself as of the -"hog-back" order, or as was said of Tomnaheurich, like a "Thames -wherry, turned keel upwards." And as for its height, neither Scott's -"little" nor its local name of "Fairy _Knowe_" gives anything like a -true idea of its dimensions. How much of this "knowe" is artificial, -or whether _any_ of it is, remains to be discovered. But if it and -Tomnaheurich have truly had the origin that tradition assigns to -them, then they belong to a class of "hollow hills" which are as -much greater than New Grange ("The Brugh of the Boyne") as New -Grange is greater than Maes-how, or Maes-how than the Broch of -Coldoch. Such a mound as Maes-how may be held to represent the -ordinary Pecht's House or Fairy Hillock; a structure which, though -of artificial origin, may be correctly styled a hillock. But the -Brugh of the Boyne is a "hill," rather than a "hillock." What limits -the mound-builders set themselves is not known. But the people who -were capable of the ideas and the labour implied in such a structure -as "the Brugh of the Boyne" might as well have reared mounds that -were two or three times its size. - -This Fairy Knowe is not only known locally by that name, but also -as the Doon,[268] or Doon Hill. If that implies that it was a -fortification, the site was perfect. Protected on its north-eastern -side by the river, and on the south-west by its own almost -precipitous rampart, the Doon of Aberfoyle stands like a sentinel at -what is there called "The Gate of the Highlands." The little valley -which it protects teems with traditions of the dwarfs who are said -to have once dwelt there, and whose dwellings are yet pointed out. -Even yet the old people have many a tale of how the ruling family of -Graham won their possessions there; and one such tale is that which -has just been spoken of, wherein a Graham (Earl of Menteith) appears -as the overlord of the dwarfs. That this family, properly _de_ -Graeme, traces its origin to those Anglo-Normans, such as Bruce and -his chief nobles, who were the founders of the Neo-Scottish kingdom, -is quite compatible with the idea that De Graeme's dwarfish -labourers were, historically, Picts; a race distinguished as the -allies of the English and the enemies of Bruce. - -Enough has now been said to illustrate what is really the test of -the "realistic" theory of the fairy tales. Tradition has truly -stated, during many generations, that such apparently-natural -hillocks as Maes-how and Coldoch were inhabited by little people. -All archæologists are agreed that many artificial hillocks are at -present standing with their secrets unrevealed. But if, by following -the lead of tradition, we find it a reasonably safe[269] guide to -those primitive habitations, then its statements must deserve a much -fuller and more serious consideration than they have ever yet -received. Either the "realistic theory" is a vain imagination (as it -is believed to be by those who take the "mythological" view of such -traditions), or else it is something of the very greatest -importance; as others, of whom the present writer is one, believe it -to be. Should this method of interpreting the past be proved a true -one, the results which would flow from its acceptance would be -far-reaching indeed. But tradition has yet to establish its right to -be unquestionably regarded as a guide. It may be that every -chambered mound already opened had long had its real nature foretold -by the voice of local tradition. But the surest test of the -authenticity of tradition lies in its future application. It is -known to all archæologists in Western Europe that it is not -necessary to go so far east as Mycenæ to find the chambered mound, -with its dry-stone walls and "Pelasgic" arch. And tradition points -to many a seeming "hillock,"[270] and says that it, too, is a -"treasure-house of Atreus." The question to be decided is, How far -is tradition to be trusted? And the answer can be very easily -obtained. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[244] For such details see Scott's introduction to "The Monastery," -etc., etc.; Brand's "Description of Zetland;" and Armstrong's -"Gaelic Dictionary," s.v. "Uruisg." - -[245] "Legends of Scottish Superstition," Edinburgh, 1848; -"Maclachlan's Brownie." - -[246] "West Highland Tales," I., xlvii. - -[247] Although the dwarfs of central England may not rightly be -considered under the name of Picts or Pechts, a chain connecting -them with the people thus called is discernible. Scott says that, -"according to romantic tradition," Kenilworth "had been first -tenanted" by "those primitive Britons" who were "the soldiers of -King Arthur" ("Kenilworth," ch. xxvi). Thus, the early inhabitants -of Kenilworth are equally "fairies" and "primitive Britons." Again, -in Glamorganshire (according to Mr. Wirt Sikes, "British Goblins," -pp. 6 and 392), there is "a certain steep and rugged crag" which -bears "a distinctly awful reputation as a stronghold of the fairy -tribe," and, in a secret cavern underneath this crag, "Arthur and -his warriors" are believed to be sleeping. While an Edinburgh -tradition, given by Dr. Daniel Wilson ("Memorials," vol. ii. ch. -xix.), states that "King Arthur and the Pechts" have also withdrawn -to a subterranean retreat in the hill which is still known as -Arthur's Seat. Obviously, Arthur, if he ever lived, cannot have -retired into all of these places, but there is, nevertheless, a -vague agreement in these three traditions; and Kenilworth, Arthur's -Seat, and Craig y Ddinas all testify to an identification of Arthur -and his "primitive Britons," with the underground "fairies" and -"Pechts." It may be objected that the tradition of Barbarossa, as in -Rückert's ballad, asleep in his underground castle, with his dwarf -beside him, is evidently of the same origin as those just referred -to. This is manifest. But, before attempting to reconcile -Continental with British tradition, it is important to first -demonstrate, if that may be done, that the British traditions here -spoken of are _historical_ and not _mythological_. (The story of the -Kenilworth fairies will be found at p. 218 of "The Dialect of the -English Gypsies," by B. C. Smart and H. T. Crofton, London, 1875.) - -[248] It is impossible to refer here to the many terms used to -denote what is really one class of people; as these terms themselves -show when analyzed. But this term "goblin," although in recent -centuries it has been surrounded with much that is unreal and -fictitious, appears to have been once used in the most ordinary -matter-of-fact way. This will be seen from the following reference -quoted by Dr. Henry Rink ("Danish Greenland," 1877, p. 16), in the -narrative of a Norse visit to Greenland in the eleventh -century:--"One morning Thorgils went out by himself on the ice, and -discovered the carcase of a whale in an opening, and beside two -'witches' (or 'goblins,' evidently Eskimo women), who were tying -large bundles of flesh together. Thorgils instantly rushed upon one -of them with his sword and cut off one of her hands, whereupon both -of them took to their heels." In other words, the eleventh-century -natives of Greenland, whom Dr. Rink believes were Eskimos, were at -once classed by a Norwegian of that period in the same category as -those whom he had been accustomed to call "goblins" in Europe. - -[249] Miss C. MacLagan, "Proc. of Soc. of Ant. of Scot." (1st -series), ix. 39. - -[250] A. Mackintosh Shaw, "History of the Mackintoshes," 1880, vol. -i. p. 24, _note_. This writer also points out that the word -"Rothimurcus" itself indicates a "fortified mound" or _Rath_. - -[251] Appendix to "The Lady of the Lake," Note 2 H. - -[252] See also "West Highland Tales," II., 66, for a reference to -this personage. - -[253] "West Highland Tales," II., 67. - -[254] Rev. Alex. Stewart, F.S.A. Scot., in "Nether Lochaber," Edin., -1883, p. 20. - -He adds: "There is, besides, a _Glacan-t' Shithein_, the Fairy Knoll -Glade, _Tobaran-t' Shithein_, the Fairy Knoll Well; and a deep -chasm, through which a mountain torrent plunges darkling, called -_Leum-an-t' Shithiche_, the Fairy Leap." - -[255] See "Proc. of Soc. of Antiq. of Scot." 1880-81, 113 _et seq._ - -[256] See vol. ii. pp. 48 and 52. The latter page mentions a _Ruadh -na Sirach_, "the Fairies' Point," in the island of Kerrera, near -Oban. - -[257] Similarly, a "Fairy Loch" in Argyleshire is spelt _Loch na -Hurich_, and a like example is that of _Glennahuirich_, in Nether -Lochaber. - -[258] _See_ Skene's "Celtic Scotland," i. 232; ii. 105-6; and iii. -10. - -[259] This discrepancy is pointed out by Dr. Skene, who suggests "a -gravelly ridge called Torvean," and also "the eminence east of -Inverness, called the Crown," as more probable sites. ("Celtic -Scotland," ii. 106, note.) - -[260] Hugh Miller, although he confesses himself puzzled as to their -origin, undoubtedly regarded those "tomhans" as entirely natural. -And if it should appear that he was mistaken, there would, in that -event, be a new question opened up; because of the peculiar -characteristics of what he knew as "tomhans." - -It is an unfortunate circumstance that any practical attempt at -testing the accuracy of the local tradition regarding Tomnahurich -itself is out of the question, owing to the fact that for many years -its exterior has been used as a burying ground--as more than one -"hollow hill" is known to have been. But "the houses of the country -people" would afford a sufficient test. - -[261] A kettle of gold is specially mentioned, and in the "hidden -places" of the fairies of White Cater Thun, near Brechin, a kettle -of gold is also believed to be concealed. - -[262] Dr. Marshall, "Historic Scenes in Perthshire," Edinburgh, -1880, p. 263. - -[263] Owing, I believe, to the fact that it is on a different -estate. The following remarks by M. T. N. Deane, in his paper on the -"hollow hills" of Knowth and Dowth, in the Boyne valley -("Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Dec. 1888, p. 164), may -be aptly quoted here:--"For many years it has been the desire of -antiquaries to explore Knowth, but I regret to say the owner is -unwilling to permit a search being made. I am in great hopes that -when it is fully understood that the vesting of a monument does not -involve an infringement of territorial rights the difficulty will be -overcome, and monuments now neglected will be placed under -supervision." - -[264] Marshall's "Historic Scenes in Perthshire," pp. 383-84. Mr. -Grant Stewart, in his "Popular Superstitions" (as quoted in the -_Scots Magazine_, 1823, vol. 13, p. 40), states that "the workmen of -the great Michael Scott were all Fairies; and it is only in that way -that it could be accounted for, that some stupendous bridges in the -north country were built by him in the course of a single night." -With this compare the above statement as to the Earl of Menteith's -workmen, and all the foregoing references to "Pechts" and "Fairies" -in similar circumstances; as also the "fierce tribe of Firbolgic -origin, the _Gowanree_," who are said to have built the earthworks -of the Rath of Cruachan in a single day, working as the unwilling -serfs of an apparently Gaelic lord. - -[265] Dr. Graham, "Sketches of the Picturesque Scenery of -Perthshire," Edinburgh, 1806, p. 19. - -[266] A slip of Scott's for "Bailie Nicol Jarvie." - -[267] See "Rob Roy," chap. xxviii., and Note G. - -[268] This spelling is only tentative. On hearing it thus -pronounced, a resident in that district corrected the pronunciation -to _Doo'n_, or _Doo'an_, which may signify a quite different meaning -from _Dùn_. - -[269] One would like to regard tradition as infallible in this -respect. But, unfortunately, the age of the "sheeans" is so far -back, that the term may now be used to denote any "conical hill," by -Gaelic-speaking persons. However, a strong and persistent local -tradition would far outweigh this modern misuse of the term -_sithean_, in its general application, if such misuse (of which the -dictionaries give a hint) is really common. - -[270] The Continental examples are, of course, very numerous. In -Denmark alone, according to J. M. Thiele, tradition points out as -chambered mounds "two hills, Mangelbierg and Gillesbierg, in the -environs of Hirschholm, on Hösterkiöb Mark": "a hill called -Wheel-hill, at Gudmandstrup, in the Lordship of Odd": "a large knoll -called Steensbierg, at Ouröe, near Joegerspriis": "the high ridge on -which the church stands, at Kundebye, in the Bailiewick of Holbeck"; -and, in the same bailiewick, at a place between the towns of Mamp -and Aagerup, "near the Strand": Gultebierg also supplies another to -the list: while "between Jerslöse and Söbierg, lies Söbierg bank, -which is the richest knoll in the land." (For similar references in -this neighbourhood, see also Mr. W. G. Black's "Heligoland.") And -Thorpe's "Northern Mythology" specifies many such mounds. M. Pol de -Mont (in his Flemish "Volkskunde," ii. 5, pp. 89-90) points out an -"Aschberg," at Casterlé, in the province of Antwerp, which is said -to have held fifty _bergmannetjes_, or hill-dwarfs. (With this may -fitly be compared three Eskimo "mounds" at Hopedale, Labrador, -which, though they are now deserted, "more than one hundred persons -of both sexes and all ages are said to have inhabited.") But every -Continental "Venusberg," into which men of the taller race were -tempted by the attractions of the dwarf women, and every "berg" that -is affirmed to have been the residence of a "berg-fee," comes under -the same denomination as the special examples already cited. - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - -It is manifest that the traditions relating to "the little people" -contain many statements which at the first sight seem to be -irreconcilable with one another. In one aspect, the dwarf races -appear as possessed of a higher culture than the race or races who -were physically their superiors. They forge swords of "magic" -temper, and armour of proof; beautifully-wrought goblets of gold and -silver, silver-mounted bridles, garments of silk, and personal -ornaments of precious metals and precious stones, are all associated -with them. They are deeply versed in "magic" (a term generally held -to denote the science of the Chaldæan Magi), and this renders them -the teachers of the taller race, in religion, and in many forms of -knowledge. In short, it is only in physical stature that they are -below the latter people: in everything else they are above them. In -another aspect, the positions are reversed. The dwarfs are the serfs -and drudges of the taller race, to whom they are distinctly inferior -in intellectual capacity. The articles associated with them, such as -the primitive arrow-heads of flint, still spoken of as "elf-shot," -are all indicative of the rudest savagery. They themselves are -accustomed to go without clothes, which, when offered to them by -their masters, they reject indignantly. As great a contrast is -presented by their physique. In some tales, they are fair, and -beautiful in feature, and yellow-haired; in others they are swarthy -in complexion and hair; and again they are described as red-, or -russet-haired. From such conflicting evidence what is one to infer? - -Two or three solutions of this question may be offered. One that, -as the Icelander Gudmund said of these people, they were "subject to -poverty and wealth," like the members of any modern nation, which -contains in itself the most violent contrasts. Or, again, that the -fairy tales belong to various epochs, during a long stretch of time, -in the course of which those tribes, like any others, underwent -marked modifications. But what is probably the best solution is that -the dwarf races of the past, like those of the present, were of -various types. That as the South African Bushmen, the dwarfs of the -Congo region, and the Ainos of Japan, though all included among the -dwarf races, are really different from each other in many respects, -so the dwarf races of the past were not one but many. That then, -as now, there were black, yellow and white dwarfs; dissimilar in -their history and characteristics; but all alike in one important -respect. This last explanation, although the two others deserve -consideration, is the one that to the present writer seems the most -important. - -To state even a few of the inferences to be drawn from the -acceptance of these explanations, is more than can be attempted -here. It is enough to continue as far as possible to confine these -remarks within the limits already observed; and to keep specially in -view that race which is known to British history as that of the -"Picts." What, then, is the traditional idea of the outward -appearance of these people, apart from their stature? - -Scott's "Rob Roy," as he is described in the Glasgow prison, is said -to have greatly resembled the Picts, as they are remembered in -Northumbrian tradition. And when his appearance is again referred to -in a later chapter (ch. xxxii.), one point of this resemblance is -brought out; where it is stated that his legs were "covered with a -fell of thick, short, red hair, especially around his knees, which -resembled in this respect, as well as from their sinewy appearance -of extreme strength, the limbs of a red-coloured Highland bull." - -It matters little whether the historical "Robert MacGregor or -Campbell," really answered to Scott's various descriptions of him. -_Rob Ruadh_, or "Red Rob," may no doubt have been fitly applied to -many a native of the British Islands, descended from the race of the -Picts.[271] But this excessive hairiness of skin was one of the most -marked characteristics of the Pechts, and forms indeed one of the -most distinct clues to their ethnological position. - -Whatever the man was like himself, however, "Rob Roy's country" -contains, among its other features, that "shoulder of Ben Venue" -which we have seen a former Earl of Menteith is said to have -assigned to the dwarfs, and which is remembered in local tradition -as a great resort of theirs. And a spot specially known as their -gathering-place is called the Coire-nan-Uruisgean, which is rendered -"the Corri, or Den, of the Wild or _Shaggy_ men."[272] Now the same -word here held to represent a "shaggy" man is also a synonym for a -"brownie,"[273] and when we regard such a specimen of that class as -the particular "brownie" that was an attendant of the chief of the -Grants, we find her (for this was a _ban_-sithe, or fairy-_woman_) -known as "May _Mollach_," which signifies "hairy May"; it being -asserted by tradition that this May was distinguished for the -hairiness of her arms.[274] The adjective _molach_ signifies -"hairy,"[275] and, among other uses, it is appropriately given, as a -name, to many a shaggy little "Scotch terrier." But in that part of -Armstrong's "Dictionary" - -where this adjective is spelt _maildheach_ and _mailgheach_ (of -which the pronunciation is still _mâl'yach_), its meaning is -defined as "having large shaggy eyebrows." And this, it will be -seen, is specially a characteristic not only of the traditional -dwarfs, but of a race known to ethnology. But it is probable that -the general meaning of "hirsute" is signified when the derivative -noun _mailleachan_ is used as an equivalent of _brownie_ or -_uruisg_;[276] and that a _mailleachan_ was a "hairy one." -Similarly, a special brownie, known as _Pcallaidh an spùit_, or -"Peallaidh of the waterfall," once well known "at those congresses" -"in a certain district of the Highlands,"[277] may be Englished into -"The Shaggy One of the waterfall." Thus, although _uruisg_ does not -literally mean "a shaggy man" (as Scott says), yet there is nothing -wrong in saying that _Coir-nan-Uruisgean_, on Loch Katrine, was "the -Den of the Wild or Shaggy Men"; because various terms and -descriptions applying to those _uruisgean_ show that they were -actually "shaggy men."[278] - -No one had a better opportunity of imbibing the traditional idea of -a brownie than the late Mr. J. F. Campbell; whose birth and -upbringing, combined with his great studies in later life, gave him -every chance of learning the various Highland traditions regarding -the appearance of those people. And when, during his stay in -Lapland, he saw a certain Lapp "of the old school," he speaks of him -thus:--"He was an old fellow with long, tangled elf-locks and a -scanty beard, dressed in a deerskin shirt full of holes, and -exceedingly mangy, for the hair had been worn off in patches all -over. He realized my idea of a seedy Brownie, a grua-gach [another -synonym] with long hair on his head; an old wrinkled face, and his -body covered with hair."[279] Of course, - -it is not to be understood that the _Lapp_'s body was "covered -with hair." But the deerskin shirt, worn with the hair outwards, was -one of the things that helped out the "brownie" appearance of the -man; for Mr. Campbell's traditional brownie had _his_ body covered -with hair, like the other "shaggy men" we have just been speaking -of. Again, the traditional _brollachan_ or _fuath_ of Sutherland is -described as "rough and hairy."[280] Mr. Campbell also points out -that the _glashan_ of the Isle of Man[281] was the same as those -"shaggy men" of the Scotch Highlands. "He wore no clothes, and was -hairy; and, according to Train's history, Phynoddepee, which means -something hairy, was frightened away by a gift of clothes,--exactly -as the Skipness long-haired Grua-gach was frightened away by the -offer of a coat and a cap. The Manks brownie and the Argyllshire one -each repeated a rhyme over the clothes; but the rhymes are not the -same, though they amount to the same thing."[282] In a certain story -of South-Western Scotland, a brownie is described as a naked, hairy -man; and in a Scotch "chap-book" of the eighteenth century, an old -woman is made to state that the brownies are "a' rough but the -mouth," and that they "seek nae claes" (do not wish any -clothes).[283] The dwarfs of Northumbrian tradition, whether spoken -of by that name or as "Picts," are hairy; and, as just mentioned, -the Isle of Man contains similar evidence. The same thing is -recorded in Wales. In his "British Goblins," Mr. Wirt Sikes not only -describes the _coblynau_ as hairy of skin, but he cites the -well-known account of a sixteenth-century race of "Red Fairies" who -"lived in dens in the ground," and bore several other resemblances -to the Picts of Scotland. These "Red Fairies" have also been -recently cited by Mr. G. L. Gomme, in the course of an article which -points out the survival of savage customs and savage people, within -the British Islands, during recent centuries.[284] The "Red Fairies" -inhabited a certain part of Merionethshire, where it is said that -people inheriting some of their blood are still pointed out. They -are remembered as a race of much-dreaded marauders, their -depredations being carried on in the night time, "and scythes were -fixed in the chimneys of the nearest houses, to prevent the -nocturnal descent of these plundering ruffians." The writer whose -words have just been quoted, contributed an account of these people -to the _Scots Magazine_ of 1823,[285] and he states in this -connection, that "scythes were to be seen in the chimney of a -neighbouring farm-house about thirty years ago, but they have been -since removed." After referring to their various characteristics, -the same writer goes on:--"It appears that the enormities of the -Gwylliaid Cochion Mowddwy [the Red Fairies, or Banditti,[286] of -Mowddwy] had arrived at such a pitch as to render necessary the -interposition of the most prompt and vigorous measures. To this end, -a commission was granted to John Wynne ab Meredith, of Gwedir, and -Lewis Owen, one of the Barons of the Welsh Exchequer, and -Vice-Chamberlain of North Wales. These gentlemen raised a body of -men, and, on Christmas Eve, 1554, succeeded in securing, after -considerable resistance, nearly a hundred of the robbers, on whom -they inflicted chastisement the most summary and effectual, hanging -them on the spot, and, as their commission authorized, without any -previous trial."[287] - -A similar race to these "fairies" of Merionethshire seems to be -suggested by the "gubbings" or "gubbins" of Dartmoor. Those people -are described by Fuller, in his "Worthies of England," published in -1662. Readers of Kingsley's "Westward Ho!" will remember "how -Salvation Yeo slew the King of the Gubbings," and the description -given at that place. Mr. R. D. Blackmore seems also to have had the -same race in view in his "Maid of Sker"; although that novel is -placed in the eighteenth century. "Cannibal Jack," or "Jack -Wildman," the most civilized of those Devon savages, is made to -state:--"I was one of a race of naked people, living in holes of the -earth at a place we did not know the name of. I now know that it was -Nympton in Devonshire." As to the origin of the term "gubbing," -Fuller confesses himself ignorant.[288] But those Devonshire -gubbings were, like the Red Fairies of Wales and the Picts of -Scotland, underground people, or earth-dwellers. It does not seem to -be stated anywhere that the "gubbings" were hairy of skin; but both -in Devon and in Cornwall the underground people otherwise designated -are so described.[289] Altogether the savage "gubbins" of Dartmoor, -as described by Kingsley and others, seem to be practically the same -people as the cave-dwelling "pixies" of Dartmoor, whose occasional -raids into the town of Tavistock are still remembered in local -folk-lore. - -This nakedness of the brownie is referred to again and again in the -folk-lore of Scotland. The general belief seems to be that when he -was offered clothes in return for his labour he left the place where -he had been working, in high dudgeon. Other accounts indicate that -he accepted the clothes without demur. But the indications that the -"shaggy men" were naked men, are numerous. And when Mr. Campbell -says that "the Highlanders distinguish between the water and land or -_dressed_ fairies,"[290] he clearly infers that one section of the -little people was remarkable for the entire absence of dress. -Indeed, it was this peculiarity that, as the various stories show, -offended the delicacy of the womenfolk at those farms where -"brownies" worked, and so led to the offer of clothing, by way of -wages. And, of course, the reason why their special hairiness of -skin is so well remembered is because their own shaggy coats formed -all their clothing; and probably answered the purpose very well. - -Outside the British Islands there are plenty of similar traditional -accounts. The Scandinavian trolls, or dwarfs, of the Eddas were -hairy; and so was the German dwarf. The latter has one name, that of -_Bilwiz_, said to be derived from a word denoting matted hair; and -we are told that "the Bilwiz shoots like the elf, and has shaggy or -matted hair."[291] And he, there can be little doubt, is the same as -the "little forest-man." For the same authority[292] states that -"little forest-men, who have long worked in a mill, have been scared -away by the miller's men leaving clothes and shoes for them." And if -these nude and hairy "little people" were not of the same race as -the hirsute brownies of Scotland, they were remarkably like them in -several striking characteristics. With them also may be compared the -shaggy dwarfs remembered in Brittany under the name of _viltansou_, -who are doubtless the same as the long-bearded _barbao_ of the same -province. (_See_ M. Sébillot's list of such names in the "Revue des -Traditions Populaires," Feb. 1890, pp. 101-104.) - -The German traditional idea of the mound-dwelling, metal-working -dwarf people, is nowhere more perfectly given than in the etching -which is here reproduced, and which is the work of a German -engraver. It forms the base of a title-page, executed about thirty -years ago,[293] consecrated to the memory of the great Barbarossa, -whose figure occupies the centre of the title-page, and whose -achievements are otherwise symbolically indicated. It is understood -to be a facsimile of the base of Barbarossa's statue. The little -gnomes, then, underneath him, are clearly meant to represent his -companions in the "berg" where he and they are popularly believed to -be still living--whether that be the Thuringian Kyffhäuser, or the -Untersberg, near Salzburg. And the hairiness of skin, so -characteristic of the Scottish _brownie_ or _pecht_, is equally -marked in this case. The term "shaggy men" could be applied to them -with very great appropriateness. And if the artist has not made them -as destitute of clothing as the "brownies" and "forest-men" are said -to have been, yet what they do wear only serves to remind one of the -red-cap of the traditional Lincolnshire dwarfs, and others of the -same class, and of the "apron" so often mentioned in connection with -the dwarfish builders of England and Scotland. It is not to be -supposed that this picture represents in every detail the dwarfs of -German or other traditions, nor is it to be supposed that any single -account gives an absolutely correct idea of the appearance of those -primitive races, but this will be generally recognized as being, on -the whole,[294] a wonderfully good representation of the dwarfs of -German folk-lore. - -But this characteristic of the dwarfs of Scottish tradition and of -the "Picts" of history does not tend to show that such people were -_identical_ with the modern Lapps. Nor, indeed, is this to be looked -for. - -[Illustration: THE DWARFS OF GERMAN FOLK LORE.] - -A race which was in its prime two thousand years ago may have -many points in common with one or another of the modern races -(presumably its own descendants, in some measure); but absolute -identity of type can hardly be expected, if one considers the -crossing, re-crossing, and in some cases almost the extermination of -the various races of Europe during that period. At any rate, this -marked hairiness of skin, attributed to the Pict, or Pecht, or -dwarf, is not a Mongoloid characteristic. It is certainly not -_Mongolian_; and although some divisions of the Mongoloid -group--such as the Eskimos of Labrador--are described as wearing -moustaches and beards, this fact, even if it be not exceptional, -goes a very little way towards suggesting an actually hirsute -ancestor. Had there been less doubt about the matter, one might have -supposed that the hairy skin-garments of those Northern races had -been erroneously assumed in the traditional tales to be the natural -skin of their owners; and, indeed, the pictures of the modern -Eskimos in their winter dress of skins with the hair outside, gives -quite the appearance of a race of hairy little men. But the nudity -of the historical Picts, and certain sections of the traditional -dwarfs, or brownies, is beyond all doubt. To the Latin writers, as -to the housewives of legendary history, this was equally an -unmistakable and objectionable fact. - -There is, however, an existing race that offers itself as akin to -those traditional dwarfs in this respect, as well as in some others; -although the modern Lapps, in several of their characteristics, also -suggest that a not insignificant line of their ancestry is traceable -to the same origin. The race referred to is that of the "hairy -Kuriles," or Ainos of Japan; included by ethnologists among the -modern dwarf races. - -"Twelve hundred years ago," says Mr. E. B. Tylor, "a Chinese -historian stated that 'on the eastern frontiers of the land of Japan -there is a barrier of great mountains, beyond which is the land of -the Hairy Men.' These were the Aino, so named from the word in their -own language signifying 'man.' Over most of the country of these -rude and helpless indigenes the Japanese have long since spread, -only a dwindling remnant of them still inhabiting the island of -Yezo. Since the early days when a couple of them were sent as -curiosities to the Emperor of China, their uncouth looks and habits -have made them objects of interest to more civilized nations."[295] - -Of their own traditions, another writer states:--"To them the past -is dead, yet, like other conquered and despised races, they cling to -the idea that in some far-off age they were a great nation. They -have no traditions of internecine strife, and the art of war seems -to have been lost long ago. I asked Benri [a chief] about this -matter, and he says that formerly Ainos fought with spears and -knives, as well as with bows and arrows, but that Yoshitsuné, their -hero god, forbade war for ever, and since then the two-edged spear, -with a shaft nine feet long, has only been used in hunting -bears."[296] Yoshitsuné, it may be explained, is stated (_op. cit. -infra_, II. 94, _note_) to have been the brother of a Japanese -general of the twelfth century, famous for his victories over -"barbarians." This tradition, therefore, if accepted without -reserve, would place the conquest of the Ainos by the Japanese, with -the consequent disarming of the former, somewhere about the twelfth -century. And the scene of this struggle may be placed south and west -of their present home. "The inference from records and local names, -worked out with great care by Professor Chamberlain, is 'that the -Ainos were truly the predecessors of the Japanese all over the -Archipelago. The dawn of history shows them to us living far to the -south and west of their present haunts; and ever since then, century -by century, we see them retreating eastwards and northwards, as -steadily as the American Indian has retreated westwards under the -pressure of the colonists from Europe.'"[297] - -"As is well known, the hairiness of the Ainos marks them sharply -off from the smooth-faced Japanese. No one can look at photographs -of Ainos without admitting that the often-repeated comparison of -them to bearded Russian peasants is much to the purpose. The -likeness is much strengthened by the bold quasi-European features of -the Aino contrasting extremely with the Japanese type of face."[298] -"The expression of the face and the manner of showing courtesy are -European rather than Asiatic," says Miss Bird, who has lived among -these people; and she again remarks, on a later page, "I am more and -more convinced that the expression of their faces is European."[299] - -"The men are about the middle height,[300] broad-chested, -broad-shouldered, 'thick-set,' very strongly built, the arms and -legs short, thick, and muscular, the hands and feet large. The -bodies, and specially the limbs, of many are covered with short -bristly hair. I have seen two boys whose backs are covered with fur -as fine and soft as that of a cat." "The 'ferocious savagery' of the -appearance of the men is produced by a profusion of thick, soft, -black hair, divided in the middle, and falling in heavy masses -nearly to the shoulders. Out of doors it is kept from falling over -the face by a fillet round the brow. The beards are equally profuse, -quite magnificent, and generally wavy, and in the case of the old -men they give a truly patriarchal and venerable aspect, in spite of -the yellow tinge produced by smoke and want of cleanliness." "The -beard, moustache, and eyebrows are very thick and full." "At a deep -river called the Nopkobets," says the same writer, "we were ferried -by an Aino completely covered with hair, which on his shoulders was -wavy like that of a retriever, and rendered clothing quite needless -either for covering or warmth. A wavy, black beard rippled nearly to -his waist over his furry chest, and, with his black locks hanging in -masses over his shoulders, he would have looked a thorough savage -had it not been for the exceeding sweetness of his smile and eyes. -The Volcano Bay Ainos are far more hairy than the mountain Ainos." -Again--"These Lebungé Ainos differ considerably from those of the -eastern villages, and I have again to notice the decided sound or -_click_ of the _ts_ at the beginning of many words. Their skins are -as swarthy as those of Bedaween, their foreheads comparatively low -[the Aino forehead being in general remarkably high], their eyes far -more deeply set, their stature lower, their hair yet more abundant, -the look of wistful melancholy more marked, and two, who were -unclothed for hard work in fashioning a canoe, were almost entirely -covered with short, black hair, specially thick on the shoulders and -back, and so completely concealing the skin as to reconcile one to -the lack of clothing. I noticed an enormous breadth of chest, and a -great development of the muscles of the arms and legs. All these -Ainos shave their hair off for two inches above their brows, only -allowing it there to attain the length of an inch." "Their voices -were the lowest and most musical that I have heard, incongruous -sounds to proceed from such hairy, powerful-looking men.... These, -like other Ainos, utter a short, screeching sound when they are not -pleased, and then one recognizes the savage."[301] - -[Illustration: AN AINO PATRIARCH.] - -The picture of "An Aino Patriarch," which is here reproduced from -Miss Bird's book,[302] does not enable one to fully - -realize the purest type of Aino; partly owing to the fact that the -figure is clothed, and partly because this man appears to have -belonged to one of the more modified sections of the race. However, -as he is, he is not a very bad representative of the bearded dwarf, -with disproportionately large head, so familiar in tradition; and -that he is one of the race of "shaggy men," we know without fuller -evidence. His beard does not fall down to his waist, like that of -his kinsman who figures as a ferryman in the foregoing quotation; -but the heavy moustache and beard, and the shaggy eyebrows, strongly -characterize this living race as well as the legendary dwarfs. The -latter are again and again referred to as "little old[303] men, with -long beards"; and, indeed, in one of Grimm's tales ("Snow-White and -Rosy-Red"), a dwarf has a beard so long that it gets caught in the -trunk of a tree that has been felled. The artist who drew the -picture of Barbarossa's dwarfs has not forgotten this marked -traditional feature.[304] Such dwarfs are all remembered as -possessed of supernatural powers, enchanters, magicians, etc.; and, -conversely, the magicians (Gaelic _druidhean_) of early Britain are -famous for their flowing beards. - -An earlier Aino than those pictured by Miss Bird is that which -Baron Nordenskiöld gives in his "Voyage of the Vega." With regard to -it he says:--"The drawing is taken from a Japanese work, whose -title, when translated, runs thus--'A Journey to the North Part of -Japan (Yezo), 1804.'" - -[Illustration: AINO OF 1804.] - -In this picture, which is here annexed, there are several notable -features. Not only has this Aino of 1804 the short, thick-set -figure, heavy beard, and "bull-necked" appearance of the traditional -dwarf, but he is represented as driving a reindeer. Now, this seems -at once to connect the Aino with the Samoyed and the Lapp. For, -although the reindeer is hunted by the Eskimos of North America, -these people have never domesticated it. Moreover, the Aino is -standing on runners, which appear to be very similar to the "skies" -of the Lapps. Both of these details are distinctive of the Aino and -the Lapp (for although the "skies" are used to the south of Finmark, -they are peculiarly associated with the Lapps, who excel all other -Norwegians in this accomplishment). "The deer-hide moccasins which -they wear for winter hunting"[305] form another link of custom -uniting the Aino to the Lapp and the Eskimo. So also does the -harpoon and line which the Ainos use, or used, in seal-hunting, as -is evidenced by two of Professor Chamberlain's tales.[306] Thus, -although the Aino differs very much, in some respects, from the -Eskimo type of man, he cannot be regarded as wholly different from -him.[307] As regards stature, the two are - -much alike; and several usages have just been cited that distinctly -unite the two. If one might discriminate, it might be said that the -relationship extends westward from the Kurile Islands, rather than -eastward into North America. That the Aino should remind travellers -so strongly of certain European types, is very suggestive of a line -of ancestry which is shared by Europeans. Indeed, those hirsute -qualities which distinguish the Aino exist, though in much more -modified forms (even in the instance of Russian peasants) among the -people of Europe; sufficiently to mark off the average European from -the races of other continents. That one line of European ancestry -should lead back to a race strongly resembling the modern Ainos is -therefore a belief that the outward appearance of the modern -European rather tends to strengthen. - -In speculating upon the appearance of the European "cave-man" of -the past, a writer in the "Cornhill"[308] (? Mr. Grant Allen) states -as his opinion that "at any rate, he was distinctly hairy, like the -Ainos, or aborigines of Japan, in our own day, of whom Miss Isabella -Bird has drawn so startling and sensational a picture." Again, after -remarking that those cave-men "seem to have been in most essential -particulars almost as advanced as the modern Eskimo, with whom -Professor Dawkins conjecturally identifies them," Mr. Grant Allen -goes on to say[309]--"But if Professor Dawkins means us to -understand that the cave-men were physically developed to the same -extent as the Eskimo, it is necessary to accept his conclusion with -great caution. It does not follow because the Eskimo are the nearest -modern parallels of the cave-men, that the cave-men therefore -resembled them closely in appearance. Several of the sketches of -cave-men, cut by themselves on horn and bone, certainly show (it -seems to me) that they were covered with hair over the whole body: -and the hunter in the antler from the Duruthy cave has a long -pointed beard and high crest of hair on the poll utterly unlike the -Eskimo type." And although Mr. Allen admits, on a later page, that -"it is possible enough that the cave-man was the direct ancestor of -the Eskimo," yet he qualifies this admission by observing that "it -does not at all follow that in physical appearance the earlier -cave-men were the equals of the Eskimo, or, indeed, that the Eskimo -are any more nearly related to them than ourselves."[310] - -Of course, it is understood by the writer of these lines that the -remarks upon "cave-men" just quoted, were made in the belief that -all those cave-men lived at a period immensely removed from the -present time. But the classification of man's history into so many -"periods" and "ages" is admittedly vague. And the recognition of a -visible relationship between certain races of living men, and those -others who are called "pre-historic," is practically a recognition -of the possibility that the not very remote ancestors of such races -may be remembered with comparative clearness in the popular memory -of those who are mainly descended from races of a higher type. - -That this is really the case is what all the evidence adduced in -these pages tends to show. And, indeed, the actual picture of a -living Aino of about ninety years ago, reproduced above, is by no -means remarkably different from the traditional figure given below, -which represents the magician, or "good fairy," as he appears in the -popular memory, when arriving from the far North, on Yule Eve, laden -with gifts for his vassals. The annexed woodcut gives the idea of -"Santa Claus," as he figures in the American fancy, and that, as the -title given to him indicates, is really the German idea. The German -idea, then, of this good magician is that he is a thick-set, -bearded, little man, whose heavy furs denote that his home lies in -the North, and whose reindeer team, harnessed to the sledge in which -he has travelled, indicates that, like the Lapp and the Aino, he not -only lives in a country where reindeer abound, but he has learned to -tame them and make them serve his purposes. In this traditional -figure one seems to see the type of a race that was even more like -the Aino than the Lapp, or the Eskimo, although closely connected in -various ways with all of these. Neither this figure, nor those of -Barbarossa's dwarfs, need be regarded as absolutely correct; but in -both we see that the popular memory is wonderfully faithful to what -appears to be the actual truth. - -[Illustration: A "GOOD FAIRY" OF TRADITION.] - -The existence in Europe of such a race, neither Lapp nor Aino, -though akin to both, seems indicated by as recent a geographer as -Olaus Magnus. In his map of Northern Europe,[311] the extreme north -of Norway is neither "Lappia" nor "Finmarchia" (although both of -these are shown), but a country which borders them on the north, and -which he calls "Scricfinnia." This name appears to have been -otherwise spelt "Scritfinnia" or "Scridfinnia," and one writer -states that its people, the "Scridfinni," "derived their name from -the word _skrida_, which in the Danish and Swedish languages means -to slide."[312] This refers to the snow-skates, or "skies," which -they are described as using, but as Olaus Magnus pictures the people -of "Lappia" as also using "skies," it does not seem that that usage -was distinctive of the "Scridfinni." But what appears to be of much -more importance than this etymological point is the fact that the -gloss which Olaus Magnus places opposite "Scricfinnia" is to this -effect:--"_Hic habitant Pÿgmei Vulgo Screlinger dicti_." The -earliest cited mention of the _Screlinger_, or _Skrælings_, occurs -in the accounts of the Norse visits to North America, at the end of -the tenth century; and the people thus referred to are generally -identified with the Esquimaux. "The Northmen were used to call the -Esquimaux Skrælings, a term of contempt, meaning, says Crantz, -'chips, parings, _i.e._, dwarfs.'" And the North American Skrælings -of the tenth century, who are described as paddling about in -skin-canoes, "skimming the surface of the water in their swift -flight," are quite obviously either of the same race as the modern -Eskimos, or else closely allied to them.[313] In the course of eight -or nine centuries, the "Skrælings" may have become modified to some -extent; and, indeed, modern travellers[314] are wonderfully -unanimous in remarking upon the effect that nineteenth-century -intermixture has had upon Asiatic and Greenland Eskimos, and upon -the Ainos. But whatever the exact appearance of the tenth-century -"Skræling," the map of Olaus Magnus denotes that, five or six -centuries later, the extreme north of Norway was inhabited by a race -of "Skrælings"; and that these people were the same as the "pygmies" -of classical writers. It has already been pointed out[315] that the -Greenland "Skrælings" were also spoken of as "goblins," and this -again shows that that American type, whether most akin to the modern -Eskimo or to the Aino, was not a _new_ type to those European -explorers,--whose legendary history was already teeming with stories -of encounters with "goblins."[316] - -Whatever may have been the ethnical position of the tenth-century -"Skræling" of America, this sixteenth-century map of North Europe -certainly signifies that the "pigmies," "Screlings," or -"Scric-Finns" of the extreme north of Scandinavia were neither -"Finns" nor "Lapps," but a race that ultimately yielded place to -these. There are similar indications in the extreme north of Asia. -The Chukches of Siberia undoubtedly connect the Lapp in the west -with the Eskimo in the east. But these Chukches have traditions of a -race called _Onkilon_, _i.e._, "sea-folk," whom the Chukches, moving -northward, displaced or annihilated. "Tradition relates that upwards -of two hundred years ago these Onkilon occupied the whole of the -Chukch coast, from Cape Chelagskoj to Behring's Straits; and indeed -we still find along the whole of this stretch remains of their -earth-huts, which must have been very unlike the present dwellings -of the Chukches; they have the form of small mounds, are half sunk -in the ground and closed above with whale ribs, which are covered -with a thick layer of earth." Baron Nordenskiöld, who is here -quoting Wrangel's "Reise" (1825), gives himself a representation of -one of those Onkilon earth-dwellings, seen by him at Cape -North.[317] In these now-extinct "Onkilon," then, we have a race of -people who, like the Finns and sea-trows of Shetland, were famed as -"sea-folk," and who at the same time were underground-people or -mound-dwellers. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[271] There is a Rob Roy's Town in Lanarkshire, celebrated as the -scene of Wallace's capture, and even if the name is no older than -Harry the Minstrel (who uses it), it indicates a "Rob Roy" -ante-dating Sir Walter Scott's by a couple of centuries. - -[272] Scott, who gives this definition ("Lady of the Lake," Note 2 -Q), says it is the _literal_ one. This, however, is not the -_literal_ meaning of "Uruisgean." But it is enough to know that the -people so named were believed to be wild, "shaggy" men. - -[273] Armstrong's "Gaelic Dictionary," s.v. _Uruisg_. - -[274] _See_ Note 2 H to "The Lady of the Lake." This May Mollach is -well known in the legendary history of the Grants. Scott again -refers to her in his Introduction to "The Monastery," where he -asserts that she "condescended to mingle in ordinary sports, and -even to direct the Chief how to play at draughts." With this may be -compared Thorpe's statement ("Northern Mythology," I., 145) that the -Scandinavian dwarfs, who were also hairy, used to "play at tables." -There is also a story in the Island of Skye of a "brownie" who -watched over and instructed one of the players in a game of -"tables." (_See_ Defoe's "Duncan Campbell," London, 1856, p. 106.) -"Tables" seems to have been a comprehensive name for draughts, -chess, and other games played on a chess-board; and these remarks -recall the set of chessmen, carved out of walrus tusk, already -referred to as having been found in the Hebrides in 1826, and of -which eleven are in the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland. "Chess-playing was one of the favourite amusements of the -Irish chieftains," says O'Donovan ("Book of Rights," Dublin, 1847, -p. lxi), and he gives illustrations of an Irish chess-man, which he -states is exactly similar, "as well in style as in material," to the -Hebridean specimens just mentioned. - -[275] It may be seen again in the name given in former times to a -section of the Clan Mac-Ra, "Clann ic Rath _Mholach_" or "Hairy Mac -Raas." The surname _Malloch_ also represents the same word. - -[276] Armstrong's "Gaelic Dictionary," s.v. _Mailleachan_. - -[277] _Ibid._ s.v. _Uruisg_. - -[278] Scott says ("Letters on Demonology," London, John Murray, -1830, p. 115) that Rob Roy once gained a victory by disguising a -part of his men, by means of goat-skins, as "ourisks," and so -terrifying their opponents. But if that Rob Roy, or any section of -his followers, presented the appearance which Scott himself -portrays, or if any remnant of the ancient "Pechts" survived in that -neighbourhood, it does not seem that any disguise was necessary to -give them the appearance of "wild, or shaggy men." - -[279] "West Highland Tales," II., 386. - -[280] "West Highland Tales," II., 189-192. For further references to -the _fuath_, or _duine fuathasach_, see pp. 97-101 of the same -volume. It may be added that Armstrong simply defines _brollachan_ -as "a ragged person." Similarly, McAlpine states that in the West -Highlands _uruisg_ signifies "a savage, ugly-looking fellow." Both -of these definitions point to the _real_ and matter-of-fact aspect -of the traditional _uruisg_ or _brollachan_. - -[281] Gaelic _glaisean_, from _glas_, grey. Cf. the Shetland -allusion to the dwarfs as "the _grey_ women-stealers." - -[282] "West Highland Tales," Introduction, pp. liv, lv. - -[283] With the above use of "rough," as also in relation to the -_brollachan_, compare the statement in Defoe's "Duncan Campbell" -(London, 1856, p. 129) that the brownie "appeared like a rough man." - -[284] _The Archæological Review_, Jan. 1890, pp. 433, 434. - -[285] _See_ Vol. 13, pp. 424-6 (_Nugæ Cambrica_). - -[286] It is to be noted that this writer renders "Gwylliaid" by -"Banditti," and never refers to them as "goblins" or "fairies," -though this is the usual meaning given to the word. There is no good -reason for objecting to the less usual translation, except that, -while it denotes one recognized characteristic of the dwarfs, after -they had been cut up into small confederacies, it loses sight of -other notable features of such "banditti." - -[287] The difference between these people and the intangible -"fairies" created by the imagination (but originating in reality) is -nowhere brought out more strongly than in this passage. A hanged -fairy would be quite a novelty in poetry. - -[288] In her "Borders of the Tamar and the Tavy" (London, 1879, Vol. -I., Letter xiv.), Mrs. Bray speaks of these "gubbins," referring to -the account given by Camden as well as Fuller. Halliwell also cites -"Milles' MS." As for the derivation of the word itself, it seems -clearly to be connected with Welsh _coblyn_, English _goblin_ and -_gub_, and Italian _gobbo_--pigmy. Compare also _gobban_ (_ante_, p. -134); and note the etymology quoted by Fuller (_op. cit._) "that -such who did 'inhabitare montes gibberosos' were called Gubbings." - -[289] _See_ Mrs. Bray's work just cited, Vol. I., Letter x.: also a -reference to the goblin or "bucka" as hairy, in Mr. Whitley Stokes' -"Gwreans an Bys," pp. 124, 125. - -In Mr. Hunt's "Popular Romances of the West of England" (London, J. -C. Hotten, 2nd edit., pp. 217, 218), there is a weird story of a -wrestling-match by night, at a certain cairn near Penzance. The -wrestlers were believed by the two onlookers to be supernatural -beings:--"They were men of great size and strength, with savage -faces, rendered more terrible by the masses of uncombed hair which -hung about them, and the colours with which they had painted their -cheeks." They had appeared to issue out of the rocks of the cairn. -Although the term "great size," if it denotes _stature_, does not -include these men among dwarfs, yet they are represented as _Picti_; -and as "supernatural," hirsute cave-dwellers. - -[290] "West Highland Tales," II., 64. (For a general reference to -the nudity of those drudges _see_ Ritson's "Fairies," London, 1831, -p. 46.) - -[291] Thorpe's "Northern Mythology," I., 244. - -[292] Thorpe: _op. cit._ I., 252. - -[293] In Edinburgh, for the firm of Messrs. Schenck and McFarlane, -lithographers. - -[294] There is at least one detail overlooked in this picture by the -artist. And another detail, which he has introduced, has not been -referred to in these pages, viz., the miner's lamp worn by the -dwarfs. In Cornwall, the earliest miners are understood to have been -those "little people," whose subterranean habits would undoubtedly -render them early acquainted with the use of metals. And the miner's -lamp may reasonably be regarded as an inheritance from the dwarf -races. It is noteworthy that the typical miner's dress, in -seventeenth-century England, appears to have been "canvas breeches, -red waistcoats and red caps," a garb closely in agreement with some -versions of the dwarf attire. (See Hone's "Ancient Mysteries," p. -259.) - -[295] Introduction to "Aino Folk Tales," by Basil Hall Chamberlain, -Professor of Philology at the T[=o]ky[=o] University. (Privately -printed for the Folk-Lore Society, 1888.) - -[296] "Unbeaten Tracks in Japan," by Miss Isabella L. Bird. London, -1880, II., p. 103. - -[297] Introduction to "Aino Folk Tales," vi.-vii. - -[298] _Ibid._, v. - -[299] "Unbeaten Tracks in Japan," II., 9, 107. (Also p. 75.) - -[300] The writer here refers to a less pure type of Aino. - -[301] See "Unbeaten Tracks in Japan," II., 9, 75-6, 106, 118, 136-7, -and 143-4. - -[302] For the use of this block I am indebted to Mr. John Murray, -Albemarle Street. - -[303] This adjective can be otherwise accounted for. - -[304] One might multiply special instances without end. But it is -appropriate to notice that the "Arabian Nights" tales are, in this -respect, in keeping with those of the West. For example, Schaibar, -the brother of the fairy Pari-Banou, is a powerful dwarf, possessing -a tremendous beard and moustache (his strength, the smallness of his -stature, and his beard are all vastly exaggerated, but they are all -distinguishing features). And again, in the Third Voyage of Sindbad, -his vessel approaches an island of which he says:--"The captain told -us that this island was inhabited by hairy savages, who would come -to attack us; and although they were only dwarfs, we must not -attempt to make any resistance; for, as their number was -inconceivable, if we should happen to kill one, they would pour upon -us like locusts, and destroy us. No sooner had he said this than we -saw coming towards us an innumerable multitude of hideous savages, -entirely covered with red hair, and about two feet high. They threw -themselves into the sea, and swam to the ship, which they soon -completely encompassed. They spoke to us as they approached, but we -could not understand their language. They began to climb the sides -and ropes of the vessel with so much swiftness and agility, that -their feet scarcely seemed to touch them, and soon reached the -deck." - -[305] "Unbeaten Tracks in Japan," II., 143. - -[306] xxvii. and xxxiii. The harpoon tip is said, in one tale, to -have been "made half of iron and half of bone." - -[307] Miss Bird met with some Ainos of whom she says (II., 37):--"I -thought that they approached more nearly to the Eskimo type than to -any other." This, of course, was exceptional; but the remark is -noteworthy. - -[308] March, 1885, "A Very Old Master." - -[309] _Fortnightly Review_, September, 1882, p. 312. - -[310] Opinions still more antagonistic to those of Professor Dawkins -were expressed by Professor Flower, in commenting upon a paper read -by Dr. John Rae at the Anthropological Institute, July 7th, 1886, -wherein Dr. Rae had referred to this subject. - -[311] A reprint of which is appended to Mr. Elton's "Origins" (Plate -IV). - -[312] Brooke's "Travels in Lapland," London, 1827, p. 3. - -[313] For these references see Appendix B and the "Antiquitates -Americanæ" (Copenhagen, 1837), conveniently condensed in W. C. -Bryant and S. H. Gay's "History of the United States," Chap. III. - -[314] Such as Nordenskiöld, Carstensen, Joest, &c. - -[315] _Ante_, p. 144, _note_. - -[316] Further statements upon this point will be found in Appendix -B. - -[317] "Voyage of the Vega," I. 443. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - -There is yet another characteristic of the modern Aino which -suggests the dwarf of the British Isles. "Mention must also be made -of an anatomical peculiarity of the Aino skeleton, consisting of a -remarkable flattening of the arm-and leg-bones."[318] This -peculiarity, which is known scientifically as "platycnemism," forms -a part of Herr von Siebold's "Ethnologische Studien über die Aino, -auf der Insel Yesso."[319] Much may be learned with regard to -platycnemism in a paper "On the Discovery of Platycnemic Men in -Denbighshire,"[320] by Professors Busk and Boyd Dawkins; and the -subject of platycnemism generally has been very fully discussed in -Dr. L. Manouvrier's "Mémoire sur la Platycnémie."[321] The question -is full of interest; but what we are here concerned with is the fact -that, characterizing the dwarfish, hairy Ainos of the nineteenth -century, this flattening of the leg-bones is also associated with -the dwarfs of Britain. Those cave-dwelling, "platycnemic men" of -Denbighshire, though not actually dwarfs, were of no greater height -on an average than five feet, or a trifle over. Again, the skeletons -found in the underground dwellings of Wiltshire, which have been so -closely studied by General Pitt-Rivers, exhibit marked platycnemism -in several instances, and of these the average height was 5 ft., -1^.3 (among eleven males), and (among three females) 4 ft., 10.[322] -In Wigtownshire, also, the bones of certain cave-men have yielded at -least one tibia which has been pronounced to be "highly -platycnemic." The locality where these remains were found has been -spoken of on a previous page,[323] as a locality famed as the last -refuge of the "Pechts," and, at the same time, as a home of the -"fairies." These are a few special instances; but if once we -recognize the probability that platycnemism was specially a -characteristic of "the little people," then there will be small -difficulty in accepting as true the forecast with which Mr. Boyd -Dawkins concludes his remarks in the paper above mentioned:--"I have -not the slightest doubt that platycnemism will be recognized in -remains from chambered tombs in many parts of Britain, and that -eventually the men found in Denbighshire will be proved to belong to -a race that spread over Britain and Ireland, and a large area on the -Continent." - -The effect of this flattened tibia or leg-bone is to give to the -"platycnemic man" an unusual degree of agility. Thus one reads that -the Ainos who drew Miss Bird's _kuruma_ raced "for a considerable -distance" with some mounted Japanese, drawing the _kuruma_, of -course, at the same time. Similarly, the mountain-ponies of the -Picts "could hardly excel the speed of the troops on foot."[324] The -traditional accounts of the "Fians" have much to say of their -marvellous swiftness of foot. The same thing is noted of the -Dartmoor _gubbins_ of the sixteenth century: "Such their fleetness, -they will outrun many horses."[325] And the earth-dwelling "Red -Fairies" of Merionethshire "were also remarkable for their swiftness -and agility."[326] There is a Scotch story of a brownie who -successfully "herded" a hare; and the lightness of foot of the fairy -in general is proverbial. From all these references, then, there is -every reason for believing that the little people were "platycnemic -men." - -This identification of the traditional dwarfs with the Ainos on the -one hand and the Eskimos on the other, amounts to an assumption that -the dwarfs were not only hirsute like the first of these, and -mound-dwellers like the second, but also that, like the extinct -_Onkilon_ of Siberia, they were in a distinct sense "sea-folk." In -other words, that, while showing a strong _affinity_ with the two -modern types chiefly referred to in these pages, they were -nevertheless not _identical_ with either. That they were the -ancestors of both seems probable, bequeathing to each division some -of the qualities and customs of the original stock; which might be -described as Aino-Eskimo. - -So far as tradition goes, there is every indication that the hairy -dwarf was of a sea-faring race. The Gaelic _ur-uisg_ was rightly -called a "wild or _shaggy_ man" by Sir Walter Scott, but literally -he was a "_water_-man"; which term has many equivalents, such as -wasser-man, mer-man, and others. The Guernsey "King of the -_Auxcriniers_" previously mentioned,[327] may also denote this -identification of the _zee-woner_ with the "shaggy man"; unless the -name _auxcriniers_ bears a less obvious meaning than it appears to -do. But no better illustration of this union can be found than the -historical Picts. Tradition has told us of their shaggy skins, and -the "small boats" which they used. And both of these are indicated -by the sixth-century Gildas, in his account of the inroads of the -Picts and Scots, after the withdrawal of the Romans, where he -says:--"Itaque illis ad sua revertentibus, emergunt certatim de -curicis, quibus sunt trans Cichicam[328] vallem vecti, quasi in alto -Titane incalescenteque caumate de arctissimis foraminum cavernulis -fusci vermiculorum cunei, tetri Scotorum Pictorumque greges, moribus -ex parte dissidentes, sed una eademque sanguinis fundendi aviditate -concordes, furci-ferosque magis vultus pilis, quam corporum pudenda, -pudendisque proxima, vestibus tegentes."[329] - -There is complete agreement among the commentators of Gildas that -the word "curicis" is a Latinized form of the Celtic _curach_, a -skin-boat. And the expression "de arctissimis foraminum cavernulis" -is singularly confirmative of the assumption that the variety of -skin-boat denoted was the narrow kayak with its small round -man-hole, and covered "hold," out of which the invading Pict -"eagerly emerged" in his haste to attack the Romanized and civilized -people in the neighbourhood of the Wall. The reference to their -appearance generally is, moreover, very much like the terms used by -the Norse writers in speaking of the tenth-century "Skrælings." - -That the historical Picts were as "amphibious" as any other -"sea-folk" of the kind here discussed, is further testified by such -a statement as this:--"They passed their days in the water, swimming -in the northern estuaries, or wading with the stream as high as the -waist. Dion Cassius adds, with his characteristic vivacity, that -they would hide in the mud for days together, with nothing but their -heads out of the water."[330] Although the custom of hiding from an -enemy in the fashion just described was practised quite recently by -the "bog-trotters" in Ireland (see _Rokeby_, Note 2 R), it is -doubtful how far these statements ought to be accepted literally. -But at least they point to the Picts as a race as much at home on -sea as on land; and the reference to their "wading" in the water -waist-high is again suggestive of the traditional mer-man or Triton, -and the actual Eskimo (as he appears at a distance). - -Thus, although the dwarfs of Shetland tradition are separately -remembered as "sea-trows" and "hill-trows" (otherwise "hill-people," -or "högfolk"), it seems quite evident that these two names simply -refer to two different aspects of one race. The memory of them, in -connection with their homes in chambered mounds ("hows," "högs," or -"pechts' houses"), has gradually become dissociated from the memory -of them in their character of sea-rovers, when in their swift -"sea-skins" they darted after and easily overtook the heavy wooden -boats used by the rival race. Nevertheless, although popular -tradition, in thus remembering them, has almost transformed them -into an actually amphibious race, it yet asserts that these -seafaring "Finns" "are reckoned among the Trows." - - * * * * * - -Such are some of the deductions to be drawn from a comparison of -traditional accounts with those of history, taken in connection with -the ethnical features and the customs of certain races of people. -There are many more inferences which could be made, but these may -reasonably be deferred until the true value of tradition has been -tested. The way in which this can be done has been pointed out in -the foregoing pages. Should tradition prove itself reliable as a -guide to the dwellings of "the little people," then _all_ its -statements regarding them will merit the closest consideration. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[318] This statement, made by Professor Tylor in his Introduction to -the "Aino Folk-Tales," is based upon the accounts of others; for a -reference to one of which (Von Siebold's) I am indebted to Mr. -Tylor. - -[319] Berlin, 1881. - -[320] Jour. Ethnol. Soc. of London, Jan. 1871. - -[321] Paris, 1888. - -[322] See General Pitt-Rivers' "Excavations in Cranborne Chase," -1887. (Privately Printed.) II., 206-7. - -[323] Page 99. See specially pp. 87-8 of the volume quoted (1885-86) -of the Proc. of the Soc. of Antiq. of Scotland. - -[324] Elton's "Origins," p. 169; quoted from Dion Cassius. - -[325] Fuller, as quoted by Kingsley. - -[326] _Scots Magazine_, 1823, Vol. 13, pp. 424-6. - -[327] Page 16. - -[328] This is variously spelt "Aticam," "Styticam," and "Tithicam" -(Petrie's _Monumenta historica Britannica_); and the solutions are -as various as the spellings. If by "Tithicam vallem" is denoted the -valley of the River Teith, this variant appears preferable to any; -and the district referred to would be the whole of the Teith or -Forth basin, which at that period was probably a mixture of land and -water,--a northern Bedford Level, or fen-country. - -[329] Gildas' "De Excidio Britanniæ," Stevenson's edition, London, -1838, pp. 24-25. - -[330] Elton's "Origins," p. 169. The first sentence is from -Herodian. - - - - -APPENDIX A. - -THE BRUGH OF THE BOYNE, NEW GRANGE. - - -The descriptions of the New Grange mound given by Llhwyd and -Molyneux are of much importance, since they both belong to about the -beginning of the eighteenth century; and as they are not very -accessible to the general reader they may suitably be quoted here. -The two writers do not altogether agree in their account of the -appearance of the chamber, and their theories as to its origin are -certainly different; but whatever may be the value of the latter, -there can be no doubt that descriptions which were made at a time -when the interior of this mound was fresher by two centuries than it -now is have a value that is lacking in the descriptions of modern -writers, however accurate. The following is - -"_An Account of a large Cave nigh_ Drogheda, _by Mr._ Edward -Llhwyd."[331] - -"The most remarkable curiosity we saw by the way, was a stately -mount at a place called _New Grange_ near _Drogheda_; having a -number of huge stones pitch'd on end round about it, and a single -one on the top. The gentleman of the village (one Mr. _Charles -Campbel_) observing that under the green turf this mount was wholly -composed of stones, and having occasion for some, employ'd his -servants to carry off a considerable parcel of them; till they came -at last to a very broad flat stone, rudely carv'd, and placed -edgewise at the bottom of the mount. This they discovered to be the -door of the cave,[332] which had a long entry leading into it. At -the first entering, we were forced to creep; but still as we went -on, the pillars on each side of us were higher and higher; and -coming into the cave, we found it about twenty foot high. In this -cave, on each hand of us, was a cell or apartment, and another went -on straight forward opposite to the entry. In those on each hand was -a very broad, shallow bason of stone, situated at the edge. The -bason in the right hand apartment stood in another; that on the left -hand was single; and in the apartment straight forward there was -none at all. We observed that water dropt into the right hand bason, -tho' it had rain'd but little in many days; and suspected that the -lower bason was intended to preserve the superfluous liquor of the -upper, (whether this water were sacred, or whether it was for blood -in sacrifice) that none might come to the ground. The great pillars -round this cave, supporting the mount, were not at all hewn or -wrought; but were such rude stones as those of _Abury_ in -_Wiltshire_, and rather more rude than those of _Stonehenge_: but -those about the basons, and some elsewhere, had such barbarous -sculpture (_viz._, spiral like a snake, but without distinction of -head and tail) as the forementioned stone at the entry of the cave. -There was no flagging nor floor to this entry nor cave; but any sort -of loose stones everywhere under feet. They found several bones in -the cave, and part of a stag's (or else elk's) head, and some other -things, which I omit, because the labourers differed in their -account of them. A gold coin of the emperor _Valentinian_, being -found near the top of this mount, might bespeak it _Roman_; but that -the rude carving at the entry and in the cave seems to denote it a -barbarous monument. So, the coin proving it ancienter than any -invasion of the _Ostmens_ (_sic_) or _Danes_, and the carving and -rude sculpture, barbarous; it should follow, that it was some place -of sacrifice or burial of the ancient _Irish_." - -From the account given by Dr. Thomas Molyneux,[333] the following -extracts may be taken:-- - -"'Tis situated in the county of _Meath_ and barony of _Slaine_, -within four miles of the town of _Drogheda_; from its largeness and -make, from the time and labour it must needs have cost to erect so -great a pile, we may easily gather 'twas raised in honour of some -mighty prince, or person of the greatest power and dignity in his -time. I have not heard of any thing of this kind that equals it in -_Ireland_: 'tis a thousand foot in the circumference at the bottom, -and round the flat surface at the top measures three hundred foot, -it rises in the perpendicular about a hundred and fifty foot; and is -seated so advantageously upon a rising ground, that it is seen from -all parts round at a vast distance, and from its top yields a -delightful prospect of all the adjacent country. - -Round the bottom of the mount, at some distance from it, are raised -in a circular order, huge unwrought stones, rudely expressing -pyramids, fixt with their basis in the ground, now at unequal -distances, because some I suppose have been removed in length of -time, and others faln down; neither do they answer one another in -height, some being eleven, others not four foot high;... - -The mount it self is composed of small round paving stones, heapt -together so as to form a pyramid, within whose center lies a cave -that's somewhat round in figure: to this you can only pass through a -narrow hole placed on the north[334] side of the mount, so strait, -it does allow an entrance but to one man, and that when on his hands -and feet: it seems they industriously contrived this hole should lye -concealed, for 'twas but lately discovered, and that by accident in -removing part of the stones to make a pavement in the neighbourhood. - -This strait entrance leads into a narrow gallery of 80 foot in -length, 3 foot wide, gradually rising in height, still the further -it advances from the narrow passage where you enter, there 'tis -about 4 foot high, and from thence rises slowly till it is 10 foot -in height: the differing heights in this gallery at several -distances from the first entrance, must be occasioned by the passage -suiting its figure to the outward conical shape of the mount, which -obliged the contriver to make the gallery lower as it was nearer the -outside of the pyramid, but the farther it advanced from thence -allowed him still to raise its height more, and most of all about -the middle of the mount.[335] The walls or sides of this strait -gallery are made of large flag stones set broad-ways with their -edges close to one another, not hewn or shaped by any tool, but rude -and natural, as when they were at first dug from the quarry; they -differ in their sizes as the several heights of the gallery require, -the top of which is covered over with the same flag stones laid -along; some of those in the covering measure full nineteen foot in -length. - -The furthest end of this long narrow passage lets you into the dark -hollow cave, of an irregular figure, nineteen or twenty foot high, -and in the middle about ten foot broad. As you enter the vault, on -each hand you have a hollow cell or nich, taken out of the sides of -the cave, and a third straight before you, these three cells each -are about five foot every way, and ten in height: the walls round -the circumference of the cave, and of these side apartments are -composed like those of the long gallery, of huge, mighty flag stones -set end-ways in the ground, of seven or eight foot high; these -upright stones support other broad stones that lay along or -horizontally, jetting their ends beyond the upright stones; and over -these again are placed another order of flat stones in the same -level posture, advancing still their edges towards the center of the -cave, further than those they rest upon, and so one course above -another approaching nearer towards the middle, form all together a -rude kind of arch, by way of roof, over the vault below; this arch -is closed at top by one large stone that covers the center, and -keeps all fixt and compact together: for through the whole work -appears no sign of morter, clay, or other cement, to join or make -its parts lye firm and close, but where a crevise happens, or an -interstice, they are filled up with thin flat stones, split and -wedged in, on purpose with that design. - -The bottom of the cave and entry is a rude sort of pavement, made of -the same stones of which the mount is composed, not beaten or joined -together, but loosely cast upon the ground only to cover it. Along -the middle of the cave, a slender quarrey-stone, five or six foot -long, lies on the floor, shaped like a pyramid, that once, as I -imagine, stood upright, perhaps a central stone to those placed -round the outside of the mount; but now 'tis fallen down.... - -When first the cave was opened, the bones of two dead bodies entire, -not burnt, were found upon the floor.... - -In each of the three cells was placed upon the ground a broad and -shallow cistern, somewhat round, but rudely formed out of a kind of -free-stone; they all were rounded a little at the bottom so as to be -convex, and at the top were slightly hollowed, but their cavities -contained but little; some of their brims or edges were sinuated or -scolopt, the diameter of these cisterns was more than two foot wide, -and in their height they measured about eighteen inches from the -floor. - -The cell that lay upon the right hand was larger, and seemed more -regular and finish'd than the rest; for rude as it was, it shewed -the workman had spent more of his wild art and pains upon it, than -the other two: the cistern it contained was better shaped, and in -the middle of it was placed another smaller cistern, better wrought, -and of a more curious make; and still, for greater ornament, the -stone that lay along as lintal, o'er the entrance of this cell, was -cut with many spiral, circular, and waved lines, that with their -rude and shallow traces, covered the surface of the stone. This -barbarous kind of carving I observed in many other places of this -cave, promiscuously disposed of here and there, without the least -rule or order; but it was exprest no where with so much industry and -profuseness, as on the stones belonging to this cell: yet tho' they -were so lavish of their art, not the least footsteps of writing, or -any thing like characters were found in the whole work.... - - * * * * * - -But the true genuine figure of the cave, and the description of the -niches in its sides, and the long entry leading to it, will be far -better understood by a plan which Mr. _Samuel Molyneux_, a young -gentleman of the college of _Dublin_, delineated with care and -accuracy, upon the place, last summer.[336] - -_A_ is the entrance, from _A_ to _B_ the long narrow gallery or -passage, eighty foot in length, leading to the cave _C_. _D D D D D_ -the great flag-stones that make the sides or wall both of the cave -and entrance. _E E E_ the three cells or apartments let into the -sides of the cave, for the convenient reception of the three altars -or shallow cisterns, _F F F_. _G_ a second altar, raised upon the -lower altar in the right hand cell. _H_ a pyramid stone now fallen, -but formerly set up erect in the middle of the cave. The situation -of the cave, as to its length, stands north and south, its entrance -lies directly south; but whether this position may be observed in -laying out the caves, and passages that lead to them, in other -_Danish_[337] mounts, and so may be some mark or direction to find -out the hidden entrance, to other sepulchres of this kind, further -enquiry may inform us. - -Figure the 7th [reproduced p. 126, _ante_] shows more particularly -the manner and contrivance of the altar in the right hand cell, ... -expressing all the rudeness of its work, _a a a a_ the upright -flag-stones that compose the side-walls. _b b b_ the lintal-stone -that's laid a-cross over the entrance of the cell; upon the surface -of this stone, the artist has exprest abundance of rude barbarous -sort of sculpture, _c c_ a lower altar serving as a basis to _d_, -another lesser altar raised upon it." - -Dr. Molyneux also describes "two _Roman_ golden coins" (Llhwyd only -mentions _one_) which "about ten or twelve years since" were found -"near the surface," on the exterior of the mound; but these have -practically as little to do with the structure itself as if they had -been found in the neighbouring meadow. - -In comparing these two eighteenth-century accounts, one observes a -few points calling for observation. But, before referring -particularly to these, it may be convenient to add some of the -statements made by Col. Forbes-Leslie with regard to the same mound. -This writer, in his "Early Races of Scotland" (Edin., 1866, Vol. -II., pp. 331-341), makes several interesting remarks upon the mound -of New Grange, and others of a similar nature, and among his -illustrations are two of New Grange, drawn by himself. These, -however, do not supply any additional information. On the subject of -this and similar mounds, Colonel Leslie remarks thus:-- - -"Neither historical evidence, nor that derived from an examination -of these monuments, appears sufficient warrant for the decision that -all these chambers were exclusively intended for places of -sepulture. Certainly in some of these chambers the massive materials -used in their construction have apparently been designed and -employed for other purposes. The following questions are suggested -by peculiarities in these specimens of chambered tumuli--Were they -intended to be occupied by the living, or as sepulchres for the -dead? Were they originally used as temples, and afterwards turned -into tombs? Or, on the contrary, although raised for tombs, were -they afterwards used as habitations?... - -"An examination of the remarkable tumuli above mentioned gives rise -to the above questions, and they are not answered by any theories or -explanations regarding these monuments which have yet been offered -to the public. It may be admitted, although it cannot be proved, -that all or most of these monuments have at some period been used as -sepulchres, and that the mound of stones or earth in which they are -enveloped is sepulchral." But, in a foot-note, Col. Leslie adds: -"There is no authentic record of human remains having been -discovered either in New Grange, in the tumulus of Gavr-Innis -[Brittany], or in that of Maeshow." - - * * * * * - -"What are usually called sarcophagi in the chamber at New Grange may -more correctly be designated as very shallow trays of a circular or -rather oval form. In the eastern recess there are two--one placed -above another of somewhat larger dimensions, the uppermost being 3 -feet long. The position and appearance of all of them are very -unlike anything intended for the reception of sepulchral deposits." - -... "New Grange cairn is about 70 feet in height, and is said to -cover an area nearly two acres in extent. Composed of loose stones, -slightly covered with earth and partly overgrown with trees, this -mound formerly had little appearance of being artificial, except -that at a few yards' distance it was encircled by a line of single -stones of great size fixed upright in the ground. The entrance to -the chamber in this mound was accidentally discovered in 1699 by -labourers who were removing stones to repair a neighbouring -road."... - -"In each of the three recesses of the chamber were the shallow trays -already mentioned, which by different writers have been variously -designated as 'basins,' 'rude bowls,' 'urns,' 'typical urns,' -'sarcophagi.'[338] There was one in the northern and one in the -western recess, but the most remarkable are two in the eastern -recess. The uppermost of these is somewhat oval in shape, slightly -concave on its surface, and 3 feet in length: in it are two small -artificial cavities. This tray lies on another, which is rather -larger and less concave than that which rests on it. The tray in the -western recess, although but slightly hollowed, has a well-defined -rim on the edge of the upper surface.... - -"New Grange was first described by Edward Llhuyd the antiquary, -who, writing in 1699, makes no mention of any human remains being -found in it, but notes 'a great many bones of beasts and some pieces -of deers' horns' lying under foot." - -It will be seen that these accounts vary in several respects. One -curious discrepancy is that relating to the shallow stone "trays" in -the recesses of the central chamber. Dr. Molyneux states that the -northern recess contained one of these, and his young namesake shows -such a "tray" in his plan; and yet Llhwyd, writing twenty-five years -earlier, distinctly says that "in the apartment straight forward -there was none at all." That this is the case at the present day -will be seen from the plan by Mr. W. F. Wakeman. It is noteworthy -that Colonel Leslie also gives the number as three; but he speaks in -the past tense when referring to the north recess, and he probably -only echoes Molyneux. But Llhwyd's statement is so distinct that, -considering his priority of date, his version must be accepted as -the true one, in spite of the fact that young Molyneux (who, -although he is stated to have drawn his plan "on the place," may -have supplemented it from memory) represents the inner "apartment" -as occupied by one of those "trays." - -As for the theories of the two earlier writers, on the subject of -the origin and purpose of this "mount," it will be observed they -differ widely. Molyneux has no doubt about its being the work of the -ninth-century Danes, while Llhwyd, arguing from the discovery of -Roman coins on the outer crust, infers that it was erected by "the -ancient Irish." Although the coins cannot be held to constitute a -strong reason for accepting Llhwyd's conclusions, other good grounds -for doing so are obvious to every reader of the foregoing pages. - -Again, while Molyneux states very definitely that "when first the -cave was opened, the bones of two dead bodies entire, not burnt, -were found upon the floor," Llhwyd merely remarks that "they found -several bones in the cave, and part of a stag's (or else elk's) -head, and some other things," and Forbes-Leslie asserts that "there -is no authentic record of human remains having been discovered" in -this chambered mound. - -All of the writers quoted differ also as to the uses to which this -structure was put. It was "some place of sacrifice or burial," -according to Llhwyd; Molyneux is sure that it was a "sepulchre"; and -Forbes-Leslie regards the whole matter as undecided. But, although -the last-named writer is of opinion that this, and similar mounds, -may have been dwellings, he nevertheless admits that undoubtedly -many of them, if not all, have also been used as places of burial. -And these two beliefs are quite reconcilable, if one accepts what -Professor Boyd Dawkins refers to as "the hypothesis of the origin of -chambered tombs invented by Prof. Nilsson." "Chambered tombs, -according to that great authority, were originally the subterranean -houses in which the deceased lived, and there the dead were laid -literally each 'in his own house.'" Whether human skeletons were -really found in "the Brugh of the Boyne" or not, it seems clear that -the mound at Dowth was ultimately, at any rate, a place of -sepulture. "The most remarkable difference" between it and its more -famous neighbour was, says Colonel Leslie, "that in Dowth fragments -of burned human bones were discovered." And it is to be noted that -tradition speaks of this place as "the cave (or 'weem') of the -_grave_ of Bodan, above Dowth:" (_Uaimh Feirt Bodan os Dubath_). -Dowth, or Dubath, may have denoted the mound itself; in which case -the word signifying "above" or "upon" might refer to an exterior -burial, in the "crust" of the mound, of which there are many -examples. For instance, although tradition speaks of the Inverness -_Tomnahurich_ as an inhabited "brugh," yet its exterior was used as -a place of burial at a very early date, as is testified by the -discovery, a few years ago, of a stone "kist," containing a human -skeleton, buried some feet below the surface of the mound.[339] -However, the word _Dubath_ (conjectured on a previous page to have -signified _dubh-ath_, "the black ford") probably did not originally -denote the mound itself, and _it_ therefore was "above Dubath," and -the central chamber of the mound constituted "the weem of the grave -of Bodan," who was presumably the owner of the "burned human bones" -referred to by Colonel Leslie. - -But, while a description of the "Brugh of the Boyne" would be very -imperfect without a reference to the subject of burial in chambered -mounds, the various traditions which have been collected in these -pages (themselves a minute fraction of the whole) show that such -mounds, whatever their secondary use, are pre-eminently -distinguished in the memory of the people as the _dwelling-places_ -of a certain peculiar "underground" race. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[331] This paper forms the last of "A Collection of such Papers as -were communicated to the _Royal Society_, Referring to some -_Curiosities_ in Ireland. _Dublin_: Printed by and for George -Grierson, at the Two Bibles in Essex-Street, M, DCC, XXVI." (The -"Collection" forms Part II. of "A Natural History of Ireland," -issued from the same press.) - -[332] Either this describes a slab which was subsequently destroyed -or carried away, or it relates to the carved slab fixed in the -ground below the doorway (as portrayed by Mr. Wakeman, at p. 121, -_ante_). - -[333] In the volume already referred to as containing Llhwyd's -description, and other papers. - -[334] A slip for "south." - -[335] The writer has evidently overlooked his previously expressed -belief that the whole "mount" was artificial; or else he has assumed -that the builders _first_ raised a solid "pyramid" of stones, and -then burrowed into it; which is obviously absurd. - -[336] This tract was published in 1725. The "young gentleman's" -illustrations have been re-produced in the present volume, in the -plates facing pp. 124 and 126. - -[337] Dr. Molyneux assumes throughout that such "mounts" were -erected by the Danes; and this origin is very often ascribed to them -by Irish and Hebridean tradition. But Lady Ferguson's observation -that the "Danes" and the "Dananns" or "Tuatha De Danann," are -evidently confounded in the popular memory, is worth considering -here. It is clear, at any rate, that the "Danes" of the year 861 who -plundered those Boyne mounds cannot have been the people who reared -them. - -[338] Of all these terms the "shallow tray" (or "saucer," if a new -one may be added) is the most appropriate. From the plan of the -Dowth mound (_ante_, p. 138) it will be seen that the central -chamber there also has one of those large stone "trays." No -satisfactory solution has yet been offered of the purposes for which -these "trays" were made. - -[339] Described in the Edinburgh _Courant_ of January 6, 1886. - - - - -APPENDIX B. - -THE SKRÆLINGS. - - -There are many references to the North American Skrælings in Rafn's -great work entitled "Antiquitates Americanæ: sive Scriptores -Septentrionales Rerum Ante-Columbianarum in America," published -under the auspices of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries -(Copenhagen, 1837). This is a collection of the accounts in the old -Northern chronicles, relating to the Northmen's (_gamle Nordboers_) -voyages of discovery to America, between the tenth and fourteenth -centuries. And from these accounts it is seen that the tribes then -inhabiting the territories on either side of the Gulf of St. -Lawrence, and as far south as Massachusetts, were the Skrælings; -with whom the Northmen occasionally fought, and at other times -traded, giving them pieces of red cloth in exchange for furs. - -That the term by which they are chiefly known to modern writers was -not the only one given to them by the Northmen is seen from a remark -made by one of the chroniclers of Thorfinn Karlsefne, who states -that "these people are called Lapps in some books (_thær thjódhir -kalla sumir bækr Lappa_)."[340] On the other hand, the map of Olaus -Magnus, referred to in the foregoing pages, shows that the northern -corner of Norway was then inhabited by a race of _Scric-Finni_, -"commonly called 'Screlings,'" who at least were the neighbours of -Lapps. - -In connection with the North American "Lapps" or "Skrælings," the -editor of _Antiquitates Americanæ_ supplies the following note (p. -45):--"Skrælingos appellatos autumat Bussæus ob humilem staturam; -quam ob rem et interdum ab Islandis _Smælíngjar_ (homunculi) -audiunt. Hæc vero communis appellationis ratio vix esse potest. -Arnas Magnæus in collectaneis ad novam editionem Schedarum Arii -polyhistoris, vocem _Skrælíngjar_ interpretatur errones, incertum -qua ratione, cum ipse nullam attulerit. Suhmius (_Kjöbenhavnske -Selskabs Skrifter_, VIII., pag. 81) eos ita propter vilem armaturam -appellatos putat. Nonne potius nomen istud ob ora macilenta adepti -sunt, ab _at skræla_, arefacere? Nota, Petrum Clausenium Undalinum, -in descriptione Norvegiæ, ed. Hafn. 1632, pag. 375-6, hoc nomen -scribere _Skregklinge_ et _Skreglinge_, qs. a _skrækja_, clamare, -ejulare, cfr. Partic. de Karlsefnio, cap. 10 infra." - -Whatever may be the etymology of this word (which in some of its -forms approaches the "_Scric_-Finni" of Norway), it is quite clear -from the _Antiquitates Americanæ_ that those tenth-century natives -of what is now New England and New Brunswick strongly resembled the -modern Eskimos. "Hæc descriptio Skrælingorum accurate quadrat in -hodiernos Grænlandos sive Eskimoos," is the observation made by the -editor (p. 149, _n_.) on a description of some of those people -encountered by the Northmen. And, similarly, the note relative to -their skin-canoes, or kayaks, is as follows:[341]--"_húdhkeipr_, -species navigii, acatium coriaceum vel corio contextum, quo usi sunt -indigenæ, ut etiamnunc Grænlandi ex genere Eskimoorum; itaque per -carabum redditum, qui secundum Isidorum Hispal. in Orig. Libr. 19, -cap. 1. est 'parva scapha ex vimine facta, qui contexta crudo corio -genus navigii præbet.'--Vocem illustrat vir doctissimus Gunnar -Pauli, f. in annotationibus, insertis indici vocum _Orkneyinga sagæ: -'Húdhkeipr_, navis sutilis, vel, si mavis, corio obducta vel -circumdata. Nam phocarum ad hunc usum pelles adhibere Grænlandos -notum est, quorum naves _húdhkeipar_ nostratibus olim sunt -appellatæ.'" - -In these references there is much that is suggestive. One would like -to know the occasions on which the Latin term "acatium" was used; -and also the circumstances which induced an editor of the -_Orkneyinga Saga_ to enlarge upon the appearance of the _húdhkeipr_. -Taken in connection with the existence of kayak-using Finnmen, in -the Orkney Isles, less than two centuries ago, this latter allusion -is very striking. Similarly, an explanation of the term -"Skregklinge" or "Skreglinge," occurring in a description of -_Norway_, of the year 1632 (above referred to), arouses equal -interest in that work. - -That the Skrælings, wherever situated, were "pigmies," is evident -from the testimony of Olaus Magnus,--and the accounts of the -eleventh-century Northmen fully corroborate this. One of their -references is as follows: "They were small, ugly men, with horrible -heads of hair, great eyes, and broad cheek-bones: (_Their voru smáir -menn ok illiligir, ok íllt höfdhu their hár á höfdhi, eygdhir voru -their mjök ok breidhir í kinnunum_)."[342] Another description -occurs in the _Saga of Thorfinn Karlsefne_ which relates how, -in the year 1011 A.D. (three years after his first encounter -with the American Skrælings), he and his people arrived at -Markland,--a country identified with the modern New Brunswick and -other lands lying round the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Here they -encountered five Skrælings, one man, two women and two boys: -("... _ok funnu thar Skrælingja 5, ok var einn skeggiadhr; konur -voru 2, ok börn tvö_;" in which passage it may be noted that the man -was distinguished by the term "bearded,"--_skeggjadhr_). They -captured the two boys, "but the others escaped, and sank beneath the -ground:" ("_Verosimile est, Skrælingos in cavernas subterraneas se -abdidisse_," is the explanation given by the commentator in -_Antiquitates Americanæ_).[343] Karlsefne's people took the boys -away with them, had them baptized, and taught them Icelandic. These -stated that their father and mother (no doubt, the "bearded one" and -one of the two women, then lamenting them in their underground -dwelling) were respectively named Uvæge and Vethillde;[344] and that -their people had no houses, but lived in dens and caves: ("_í hellum -edha holum_"). The country of the Skrælings, they said, was governed -by two kings or chiefs, one named Avalldamon (or Avalldumon) and the -other Valldidida." - -It will be seen from these references that although those Skrælings -of nine centuries ago are rightly regarded as probable progenitors -of modern Eskimos, there were some differences between the two. The -term "shaggy" or "bearded," used to distinguish the man from his two -female companions, certainly does not indicate that the latter were -themselves hirsute. But the previous reference to the "ugly" or -"horrible" heads of hair, and the description of their eyes as very -large, are two points that seem to denote a race not wholly -identical with modern Eskimos. - -Moreover, the rapid disappearance of the adults underground, on the -occasion when the two boys were captured, is more suggestive of the -dwarfs of tradition (such as those who similarly escaped from -Suafurlami when he attempted to smite them with his magic sword) -than of the Greenlanders of to-day. - -Although the accounts of the two boy prisoners might be held to -denote that the manners they described were new to the Northmen, -yet an incident of earlier date shows clearly that the latter -quite understood the subterranean ideas of those North American -"Lapps." The incident referred to is this: In the year 1004, -Thorwald Ericson and his followers had surprised a small party of -nine Skrælings at the entrance to Plymouth Harbour, on the coast of -Massachusetts,[345] and of these they killed eight. The ninth sped -away in his skin-canoe to the inner end of the bay, out of which -there presently emerged an infuriated swarm of kayakkers. But before -they appeared, the Northmen had had time to note a group of -"hillocks" on the beach (apparently on the interior curve of the -promontory terminating in the modern "Gurnet Point,") and these -"hillocks" they assumed to be the abodes of the Skrælings.[346] This -was seven years before the capture of the boys by Karlsefne's party, -and the inference clearly is that they were accustomed to regard -kayak-using dwarfs as mound-dwellers. Indeed, the very fact that -they styled the natives "Lapps" and "goblins,"[347] as well as -Skrælings, shows that they regarded them as belonging to the same -race as similar people well known to them in Europe. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[340] _Antiq. Amer._ p. 182_n_. - -[341] P. 43, note _a_. - -[342] Pages 180-1. It ought to be added that the version which is -given on p. 149 has _svartir_ ("swarthy" or "black") instead of -_smáir_. But whichever of these versions has the correct word, the -small stature of the Skrælings is beyond dispute. - -[343] Page 162, note _a_. The account above referred to is given at -pp. 161-2, and again at pp. 182-3. - -[344] According to the version on p. 162. That of p. 182 makes both -names feminine, and indicates that the boys were not sons of one -mother. A footnote on p. 162 gives many variants of these names, -_e.g._, Ægi, Ovægi, etc., Weihilldi, Veinhildi, etc. - -[345] That, at any rate, is the locality agreed upon by those who -have tracked the routes of the Northmen. - -[346] _Op. cit._, p. 43. - -[347] See p. 144_n._, _ante_. - - - - -INDEX. - - -Aagerup, Denmark: - reputed chambered mound near, 155. - -Aberfoyle, Perthshire: - reputed chambered hill at, 152-3. - -Abernethy, Perthshire: - Round Tower of, said to have been built by Pechts, 67, 86. - A. district a former territory of the Pechts, 150. - -Ainos: - A dwarfish race, 165; - their past history, 165-6; - their characteristic hairiness, 166-172; - their platycnemism, 176; - their speed, 177; - their "short, screeching" cry, 168; - A's. make use of reindeer, moccasins, "skies," and harpoons, - all of which show affinity of custom, if not of blood, - with Eskimo families, 169-171. - -Alaskan, or Aleutian Eskimos, 9_n_, 22. - -All-Hallows. (_See_ Hallowmas.) - -_Almhain_ or Allen, Hill of, Kildare: - Fin's dwelling at, 56. - -_Almhain_ or Almond, Glen, West Perthshire: - resort of Fians, 77. - -Ardmore, Waterford: - Round Tower of, said to have been built in the manner ascribed - to the Pechts, 71_n_. - -Argyleshire. (_See under_ Mounds.) - -Arthur, and "primitive Britons" or "Pechts," 142-3_n_. - -Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, 143_n_. - -Aschberg, Casterlé, province of Antwerp. - A reputed chambered mound, 86-7, 155. - -Ashbury, Berkshire. A chambered mound, 132_n_. - -_Auxcriniers_ of Guernsey tradition, 16, 178. - - -_Baile Thangasdail_, Island of Barra: - story of a chambered mound near, 82_n_, 115. - -Ballindalloch (near), Banffshire: - reputed chambered mound, 117. - -Beelsby, Lincolnshire: - tradition of dwarfs wearing red caps, 107_n_. - -Beltin. - A Fian date, 94. - A Fairy date, 98. - -Ben-cnock, Islay: - reputed chambered mound, 114. - -Ben Muich Dhui, Aberdeenshire: - Dwarfs of, 97. - -Bergen, Norway: - a celebrated resort of the Shetland Finns, 5, 13: - suzerainty of B. over N.E. Scotland, 37. - The _Strils_ of B., 7_n_. - -Bissau, Aberdeenshire: - reputed chambered mound, 117. - -Blackwater, Leinster, 92. - -Blackwater, Munster, 92, 127. - -Blackwater, East Perthshire, 94-5. - -Blackwater, West Perthshire, 152. - -Bolg. (_See_ Fir-Bolg.) - -Braderup, Sylt: - the _Pukthal_ at, 87. - -Brechin, Forfarshire: - Round Tower at B. said to have been built by the Pechts, 72. - -Brittany: - church in B. said to have been built by Fairies, 85-6; - _Feins_ or _Fions_ of B., 85. - -_Broch_, _Brog_, etc., 43_n_, 61, 77-79. - -Broch of Coldoch, Perthshire: - a chambered mound, 119, 149-151, 153. - -Brownies, 80, 141-2, 158-164. (_See_ also Fairies, etc.) - -Brugh of the Boyne, County Meath, 84, 111, 119-133, 153. - -Bugle, Buffalo, or Urus, 80-81_n_, 95. - -Buildings said to have been reared in a single night: - Abernethy Tower, 85-6; - Chapels in Brittany, 85; - Castle of the _Gypnissen_, 86. - -Burray, Orkney. Finnman's boat once preserved there, 6. - All trace of it now lost, 17_n_. - - -Canoe. (_See_ Skin-Boat.) - "Dug-out," 31. - -Cassiterides. (_See_ Oestrymnic Isles.) - -Cater Thun, Forfarshire: - said to be Pictish, 73, 76, 86, 99; - alleged to have been built by a witch, and inhabited by - Fairies, 99-100: - a kettle of gold believed to be hidden there, 150_n_. - -Cathair Mhor } Gairloch, Ross-shire: fairy residences, 118. -Cathair Bheag } - -"Catrail" in S. of Scotland, said to have been built by - Pechts, 67. - -Cave-Men: - in Uist, Hebrides, during 17th century, 29. - -"Cavern" at Yester, or Gifford, East Lothian, 143. - -Chambered Mounds. (_See_ Mounds.) - -Chessmen of Walrus Ivory, found in Hebrides, 32, 158_n_. - -Clunie, Perthshire, Castle Hill of: - reputed chambered mound, 145-146. - -Clydesdale. - Pecht's house in C., 66; - Glasgow cathedral said to have been built by Pechts, 72; - traditional description of dwarfs of C., 97. - -Cnock-doun, Islay: - reputed chambered mound, 114. - -Cnoc Fraing, Inverness-shire: - a home of fairies, 146. - -_Coir-nan-Uruisgean_, Perthshire, 151-152. - -Coldoch _broch_, Perthshire, 119, 149-151, 153. - -Colonsay, island of: - Macphail of C. and his (?) Finn lover, 15-16; - tradition of dwarfs living in C., 147; - _Sithean Mor_ and _Sithean Beag_, 147. - -Connaught, Fians of, 76, 93. - -Corryvreckan, Argyleshire: - The (?) Finn woman of C. and her Colonsay lover, 15-16. - -Corstorphine Church, near Edinburgh; - said to have been built by the "Hottentots," 70-71. - -Craig Patrick, Inverness-shire, 149. - -Craig y Ddinas, Glamorganshire, 143_n_. - -Crocan Corr, Kilbrandon, Argyleshire: - reputed chambered mound, 114. - -Cromar, Aberdeenshire; - underground gallery at, 101. - -Crown, Inverness, 149_n_. - -Cruachan _rath_: - re-built by a servile race, 68_n_, 125_n_, 136, 152_n_; - "a party of smiths at work" in its interior, 136. - -Cruithne. (_See_ also Picts, etc.) - Were pre-Milesian, 51. - Were connected with the "Lochlin" territory, 51. - Their connection with Feens and Fairies, 128-9. - -Cuailgne: Fin's fort on, 75-76. - -"Cyclopean" character of Pictish buildings, 73. - - -Dananns (_Tuatha De Danann_): - classed with the Cruithne as of Continental origin, and - "pre-Milesian" in settling in British Isles; and - consequently to be classed with the Fians, 51. - Known also as the _Fir Sidhe_ or Fairies, 126; - account of their rivalry with the Milesians, 124-127; - description of the dwelling assigned to the King of the - Dananns, 120-130 and Appendix A. - -Danes; - their ravages in the Boyne Valley in 861, when they plundered - the underground chambers of the "Fians and Fairies," 81-84. - -Danish ballad of dwarfs and colonists, 105-6. - -Dartmoor; - its gubbins and pixies, 161-2. - -Davis Straits. - Conjectured by some to be the home of the Orkney Finnmen, 7. - Eskimo of D. S. at Leith in 1816, 8, 12. - -Deer. (_See_ also Reindeer and Elk.) - Hunted in Glenshee, East Perthshire, by the Fians, 94-5; - "great-beamed" D., 95; - D. milked and used as beasts of burthen, 96. - -Denghoog: - chambered mound in Sylt, 87, 112-113, 122. - -Denmark. (_See_ also Lochlin.) - Eckwadt church said to have been built by a "hill-man," - 85-86_n_. - (_See_ also "Mounds reputed to be chambered.") - -Devonshire, 161-2. - -_Digh_; - an equivalent for _sithean_, 79_n_. - -Donegal. - Skin-boats used by natives of "The Rosses," 18; - Finn Town, D., 23. - -Doon, or Doo'n, of Aberfoyle, 152-154. - -Doon of Menteith, 144. - -Doon of Rothiemurchus, 144-145. - -Dornoch Firth: - Fairies ferried themselves across D. F. in - "cockle-shells," 17, 22. - -Dowth, or Dubath; chambered mound, 84, 111, 119, 132-3, 137. - -_Drinnich_, or _Trinnich_, a Gaelic term applied to the Picts, - signifying "labourers," 71-72. - -Drudges. - Cruachan _rath_ re-built by an enslaved race, 68_n_, - 125_n_, 136, 152_n_. - Similar references, 68-74, 151-2. - _Gypnissen_, 86. - -Druids, 125-127. - -Dunnan, in Galloway; - a fairy fort, 99. - -Dunstanborough Castle, Northumberland, said to have been built by - the Picts, 67. - -Dwarfs. (_See_ also Pechts or Picts.) - D's of Shetland tradition, otherwise Finns, 56; also 59. - D's of Scottish tradition generally, otherwise Pechts, 58-60; - D's of Highland tradition, 57, 97; - D's of Clydesdale, 97. - D's of Northumberland, 67, 80, 86, 99. - D's of Yorkshire, 100. - D's of Lincolnshire, 107_n_. - D's of Wales, 160-2. - D's of Cornwall, 162. - D's of Devon, 161-2. - Fin of the Fians a D., 55-56. - D's of Brittany (_Fions_, etc.), 85. - D's of Antwerp, 86-87. - D's of the Netherlands, 86. - D's of Denmark and Danish tradition, 85-86_n_, 105-106. - D's of Sylt, 87, 112-113. - D's of Scandinavia, 91. - D's of Germany, 163-4, 172-3. - D's of Greenland and North America, 63. - D's of Japan, 157, 165 _et seq._ - D's of Africa, 157. - Great bodily strength ascribed to the Scotch Pechts, 72-73; - to the Northumbrian Picts, 67, 73-4; - to the dwarfs of Tienen, in the Netherlands, 86. - D's at war with each other, and with men, 94_n_. - Green the colour of the D's, 97. - Tribute exacted by the D's, 97. - Magic of the D's, 106. - Hidden treasures of the D's, 107_n_, 129_n_, 150_n_. - D's as serfs or drudges, 151-2. - D's in one aspect civilized, in another savage, 156-7. - Hairiness of skin of D's, 157-164, 169_n_. - - -Eamhain, or Eamhna, 49, 133-4. - -Eckwadt, Denmark; - residence of a "hill-man" near, 85_n_. - -Eday, Orkney: - Finnman seen there in 1682, 5. - -Edinburgh. - Finnman's skiff preserved there 6; - Corstorphine church said to have been built by the - "Hottentots," 70-71; - Pecht lands near E., 68-71; - King Arthur and the Pechts believed to have entered a - subterranean chamber at Arthur's Seat, 143_n_. - -Eilean Suthainn, Loch Maree; - a fairy resort, 118. - -Elk. - Hunted in East Perthshire by the Fians, 94-95; - horns of E. found there, 95; - _lon-dubh_="black elk," 95. - -Erribol, Sutherlandshire: - Weem, Pecht's House, or Fairy Hall at, 101. - -Eskimos. - Compared with Shetland Finns, 7-8; - with Pechts, 53, 77-78; - with Finns and Lapps, 53; - with "Skraelings," Appendix B; - with Ainos, 169-171. - E. or Skraeling chambered mounds in Greenland, Labrador, and - Massachusetts, 62-4, 77-78, 155, and Appendix B. - Kayaks: - their speed, 8; - feat of oversetting kayak, 12. - Kayakker, at some distance, resembles triton or mer-man, 13. - Open skin-boats of E., 22. - Dwarfish stature of E., 63. - E's of Alaska, 9_n_, of Greenland, 12-13_n_, 53, 62-4, 142_n_. - E. magicians believe they can control the winds, 53, 63. - An E. type in modern Britain, 37-8. - -Eu, island, Ross-shire; - a haunt of 17th c. "pirates," 29. - -Evie, Orkney: - reputed chambered mounds at, 111_n_. - - -Fairies. (_See_ Dananns, Fians, Pechts, Dwarfs, &c.) - F's inhabited the _bruth_, _sith-bhrugh_ or _sheean_, - otherwise the "Pecht's house," 79. - F's associated with Pechts, 80; - with Fians, 81-84; - with Fions, 85. - As Dananns (_q. v._), F's associated with Cruithne, 51, - 127-129. - Builders of a church in Brittany in circumstances suggestive - of the Pechts, 85. - Inhabitants of the White Cater Thun, an alleged stronghold of - the Pechts, 99-100. - "Dancing and making merry" in the Orkneys, c. 1700 (cf. - Shetland Finns, 3), 14, 111_n_. - Frequently seen at Fitty Hill, Westray, at same period, 33. - "Fairy Ha'" in Shetland, 104. - "In armour" in Orkney, 14; - at war with each other in Ireland, 93. - Tithes due to F., 97. - "Good" F's of christenings, etc., 91-2; - "Christian" F's, 85. - F's of Clydesdale, 97. - F's as serfs or drudges, 151-2. - -Fairy Knowe of Aberfoyle, 152-4. - -Fairy Knowe beside Broch of Coldoch (itself a _çi-devant_ Fairy - Knowe), 119, 149, 151. - -Fearna, Weem of, 136-7. - -Fens Fiord, Bergen, 7_n_. - -Fians, or Feens, or Feinne of Gaelic lore: - The Land of the F's, 45. - The Well of the F's, 43. - The Hillock of the F's, 130. - Other F. localities, 46, 49, 51, 52. - Dr. Skene's belief as to the historical position of the F's, 46. - F's preceded the Milesians in Ireland, 46, 51. - F. Confederacy not restricted to Ireland, but included the - following divisions:-- - F's of England and Wales; - of Northern and Central Scotland; - and of Lochlin, understood to be the Rhine-Elbe region, 47-51. - Irish F's divisible into:-- - F's of Connaught and West; - F's of Leinster; - and F's of Eastern Ulster, 76, 93. - F's referred to in Scotland in Perthshire (Glenlyon, - Glenal-main-with-Glenshee, and Glenshee or Blackwater) 77, - 94-95. - Outer Hebrides and part of West Highlands specially the Land - of the F., 45. - (?) Referred to in Ayrshire, 85. - F's exacted tribute from Irish kings, 47. - Their ancient rights of hunting and of free-quarters, 94. - Overthrow of F's at Battle of Gawra, 47. - Vanished glory of the F's, 75-76, 130. - Fin, their chief, court dwarf to the king of the "big men," 56. - F's as the drudges and serfs of another race, 75. - F's inhabited "Pechts' houses," 76-77. - F's as builders of stone forts, 75-76. - F's regarded as dwarfs, 65. - F's associated with Dananns, Fir Sidhe, or Fairies, 51, 81-84. - F's regarded as Cruithne or Picts, 51-2, 54. - Their assumed identity with historical and traditional Finns, - 44-50, 54-5, 65. - Their magic identified with that of the Finns, 54. - Their "great-antlered deer," 95. - Their darts, 54-5. - Their swiftness of foot, 177. - A descendant of the F., 44. - -Fierna, or Fierin, King of the Sidhfir of Munster, 93, 127. - His "hillock" near Limerick, 93, 145. - -Fin, Finn, or Fionn, a chief of the Feens of Gaelic tradition: - Grandson of a Finland woman, 49-50. - Described as going in his skin-boat to the Kingdom of the Big - Men, where he became the court dwarf, 55-6. - A dwarf in a Scotch poem of _ante_ 1600, styled a grandson - of F., 65. - His stone fort on Cuailgne, 75-6, 93. - His "castles" in Glenlyon, Perthshire, 77. - -Finland. - Alleged to be the home of the Orkney Finnmen (6), - of the grandmother of "Fin" (49-50), - of the Fomorians (50_n_). - -Finn, a chief of the dwarfs of Sylt tradition, 87, 112-113. - Chambered mound of Denghoog said to have been his dwelling, - 87, 112-113. - -Finnmen of Orkney: - Used to fish in Orkney waters in 17th century, 5-6. - Their seal-skin boats described, 6. - The great speed of these skin-boats, 5-6. - Specimens of their boats at Burray and Edinburgh, 6, 10, - 11_n_, 17_n_. - F's said to have come from Finland, 6. - Regarded as "barbarous men" by Edinburgh physicians of 1696, - 10, 30-31. - "The Dart he makes use of for killing fish," 6. - -Finns of Shetland tradition: - Their "sea-skins or seal-skins," 1. - The great speed of these "skins," 4-5. - F's said to have come from Norway, and also from "Shool - Skerry," 2-4. - Sea-rovers or pirates, 3, 34-35 - Magicians, soothsayers, and doctors, 1-5. - Inter-married with Shetlanders, 1-4, 34-35. - Descendants of such marriages "lucky," and proud of their - descent, 1, 2, 5. - Cattle of the F's, 4. - F's regarded as dwarfs, 56, 92. - Dancing on the sands "every ninth night," 3 (cf. Fairies, - 14, 111_n_.) - Identified with Feens, 43-44, 54, 65. - -Finns and Lapps: - Their territory formerly greater than now, 35. - Inter-marriages with non-Finnish races, 39-42. - A semi-Finn lord of Orkney, 40-41. - F. or L. type in modern Britain, 37-38. - F's of Lofoten neighbourhood in 12th century, 21, 39. - Boats made by them, 21. - Skiffs of modern L's, 22_n_. - Swedish-F. settlement in Pennsylvania, U.S. in 17th - century, 36-37. - "Lapp" natives of North America in 10th century, Appendix B. - F's or L's as magicians, "selling winds," etc., 16, 41, 53, - 91-92. - Identified with Fairies, 96-97; - with Feens, 50; - with Dwarfs, 129_n_ and Appendix B. - -Fions, etc. on the Continent: - Fions of Brittany (dwarfs who lived with the fairies), 85. - Feins, 85_n_. - -Fir-Bolg, or Firbolgs. - Cruachan _rath_ re-built by a race of F., 68_n_, 125_n_, - 136, 152_n_. - -Fitty Hill, Westray. (_See_ Westray.) - -Forteviot, Perthshire, 69. - -Forth, River. - Chambered mounds of Forth valley, ascertained and reputed, 114, - 119, 151-154. - - -Gabhra, or Gawra, Battle of, 47-50. - -Gaels. (_See_ Milesians.) - -Gairloch, Ross-shire. - _Tombuidhe Ghearrloch_, 112; - Big and Little "Cathairs" of G., 118; - _Sitheanan Dubha_, 118. - -Galloway: - probable Finns in G., 25; - Picts commonly called "Galloway-men," 69-70_n_; - last stronghold of Picts in G., 99; - stronghold of Fairies in G., 99. - -_Garbhcrioch_: - translated as "the rough bounds," and defined as the country - between Loch Linnhe and the Hebrides, formed a portion of - the "Land of the Feens," 45. - Called also _Garbh-chnochan_, 118. - -Germany. (_See_ under Lochlin.) - -Gillesbierg, Denmark: reputed chambered mound, 155_n_. - -Glac-an-t-Shithein, Nether Lochaber, 147_n_. - -Glasgow Cathedral, said to have been built by the Pechts, 72. - -Glenlyon, Perthshire, a home of the Feens, 77. - -Glen Odhar, Sutherlandshire: - its fairy herds believed to have been reindeer, 97. - -Glenshee and Glen Almain, West Perthshire, a home of the - Feens, 77. - -Glenshee, East Perthshire, a favourite hunting-ground of the - Feens, 94. - -Glen-na-Shirich, Nether Lochaber, a glen of the Fairies, 147_n_. - -Gobban, Goblin, Gubbin, etc., 113, 144_n_, 162_n_. - -Gobban Saor (The Noble Smith), 84, 132-3; - his chambered mound, 132. - -Goblin Hall, East Lothian, 143. - -Goblin Knowe (_Cnoc nam Bocan_), Perthshire, 151-152. - -Goblins of Greenland, 144_n_. - -Gowanree. - An enslaved tribe of Firbolgic origin, 68_n_, 125_n_, 136, - 152_n_. - -Green, the colour of the Fairies or Dwarfs, 97; - of the Feens, 97-8; - of the Pechts, 99. - -Gruids, near Lairg, Sutherlandshire; - reputed chambered mound at, 116-117. - -Gruinard, Ross-shire: - resort of 17th-century pirates, 30. - -Gubbins of Dartmoor, 161-2; - their swiftness of foot, 177. - -Gultebierg, Denmark: - a reputed chambered mound, 155_n_. - -Gurnett Point, Massachusetts: - reputed chambered mound near, Appendix B. - -_Gwylliaid Cochion Mowddwy_, an underground race in - Wales, 160-1; - "their swiftness and agility," 177. - -Gypnissen, or Dwarf-women of the Netherlands, 86. - - -Hadeland, Norway, ruled by a semi-Finn, 40-42. - -Hadrian's Wall said to have been built by the Picts, 67. - -Hairy Men. (_See_ Shaggy Men, Ainos, etc.) - -Halfdan Haleg, a semi-Finn noble: - was lord of Orkney for some months: slain at North - Ronaldshay, 40-41. - -Hallowmas. - A Feen date, 94. - A Fairy date, 98. - -Hebrides: - Outer H. regarded as part of the "Land of the Feens," 45. - Some parts of H. thickly wooded in 16th century, 105_n_. - Raids made by Lewismen on Orkney and Shetland in 15th - century, 33-35. - Certain Hebrideans not properly subjects of British monarch - in 1608, 26-32. - Some of the Hebrideans styled "savages" by James I. (28), - and by Skyemen (29); - and these, or others, referred to as "robbers" or - "pirates" by a 17th-century writer (29-30). - Chessmen of walrus ivory found in H., 32, 158_n_. - Wigwams of Jura islanders in 1772, 24. - "The Harrisian physiognomy" and stature, 24. - -Hill-men, how-folk, _bergmannetjes_, hog-boys, shag-boys, - etc., 85_n_, 107, 111-113. - -"Hottentot," builders of Corstorphine church, 70. - - -Iberians: - used skin-boats, 19-20; - Iberian type in modern Britain, 38. - -Inverness, 146-149. - - -Jura, island of; wigwams of islanders, 24. - - -Kaempe Viser, 105. - -Kayaks. (_See_ Skin-boats.) - -Kempies or Champions, 43. - -Kenilworth, Warwickshire; - underground dwarfs of, 142-3. - -Kettlester, Shetland; - remembered as a dwarf abode, 59. - -Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire; - group of Weems, Pechts' Houses, or Fairy Halls at K., 101. - -Kirkcudbright: - "_in terra Pictorum_," 69_n_. - (_See_ also Galloway.) - -Knowth (_Cnoghbha_), County Meath; - chambered mound, 84, 132-4, 137, 140, 151_n_. - -Kundebye, Denmark; - reputed chambered mound at, 155_n_. - - -Lapps. (_See_ Finns and Lapps.) - -Leinster: - Feens of, 81-2; - Fairies of, 81-2, 92. - -_Leum-an-t'-Shithiche_, 147_n_. - -Limerick: - Knockfierin, 93, 145. - -Lincolnshire; - shag-boys, fairies and red-caps in, 107_n_. - -Lochlin or Lochlan; - believed to denote the territory between the Rhine and the Elbe, - but also applied to Scandinavia, 49. - -Lofoten; - Finns or Lapps of L. neighbourhood in 12th century, 21, 39. - - -Maes-how, Orkney. (_See_ Mounds.) - -Magic: - of the Shetland Finns, 1-5, 14; - of the Norwegian Finns or Lapps, 16, 41, 53; - of Manx women, 16; - of Picts, 53; - of Eskimos, 53, 63; - of traditional dwarfs, 91, 106. - -Man, Isle of: - Inter-marriages of land-folk and sea-folk, 15; - witches selling winds to sailors, 16; - traditional description of departure of fairies, 17. - -Mandans of Upper Missouri; - skin-boats of, 18. - -Mangelbierg, Denmark. (_See_ Mounds.) - -Mer-men and Mer-women. (_See_ Sea-Folk.) - -Migvie, Aberdeenshire; - Weem, Pecht's House, or Fairy Hall at, 101. - -Milesians: - A name given to the Gaelic-speaking race, 46, 51; - conquered the "Cruithne" or "Pechts" of Scotland in the - ninth century, 51; - conquered the "Dananns" of Ireland at an earlier period, as - described in tradition, 125-126; - the possession of a dwarf restricted in Ireland and - Gaelic-Scotland to families of Milesian descent, - 141-142, 144. - -Mounds. - Chambered M's of the Pechts described, 61-2, 64; - of the Eskimos, 62-3; - of both, 77-8. - The _sithean_, _sithbhrog_, etc., 78-79. - The "Pelasgic arch" of the chambered mound, 62, 78_n_. - -Mounds ascertained to be chambered: - Brugh of the Boyne, county Meath, 84, 111, 119-133, 153. - Dowth mound, County Meath, 84, 111, 119, 132-3, 137. - Maes-how, Orkney, 106-110, 113, 114, 121, 153. - Mound on Wideford Hill, Orkney, 62. - Coldoch "broch," Perthshire, 119, 149-151, 153. - Ashbury, Berkshire, 132_n_. - Denghoog, Sylt, 87, 112-113, 122. - Eskimo Mounds in Labrador and Greenland, 62-4, 155. - Mycenæ "treasure house," 153. - -Mounds reputed to be chambered: - In the British Isles:-- - "Some small hillocks" in Evie, Orkney, 111_n_. - "Tomhan" near Lairg, Sutherlandshire, 116-117. - _Tombuidhe Ghearrloch_, Ross-shire, 112, 114. - _Sitheanan Dubha_, Gairloch, Ross-shire, 118. - Specimens of the "Cathair Mhor" and the "Cathair Bheag" - in the district of Gairloch, Ross-shire, 118. - _Tomnahurich_, Inverness-shire, 146-149, 153. - _Cnoc Fraing_, Inverness-shire, (? "mountain"), 146. - _Shiathan Mor_, Inverness-shire, (? "mountain"), 146. - Doon of Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire, 144-5. - _Sithean_ in Corrie-Vinnean, Nether Lochaber, - Inverness-shire, 118. - _Sithean Mor_ and _Sithean Beag_, in Nether - Lochaber, Inverness-shire, 147. - "Tulman" near Baile Thangasdail, Barra, Inverness-shire, 115. - At Ballindalloch, Banffshire, 117. - Bissau, Aberdeenshire, 117. - _Sithean Mor_ and _Sithean Beag_, in island of Colonsay, - Argyleshire, 147. - "Digh" at Borra-cheill, in island of Islay, Argyleshire - (? the "_Digh mhòr Thallanta_" of McAlpine's Dictionary), - 79_n_. - _Ben-cnock_, island of Islay, Argyleshire, 114. - _Cnock-doun_, (?) island of Islay, Argyleshire, 114. - _Crocan Corr_, Kilbrandon, Lorn, Argyleshire, 114. - "Hill" at Muckairn, Argyleshire, 114. - "Fairy Knowe" or "Doon" of Aberfoyle, Perthshire, 152-154. - "Goblin Knowe" (_Cnoc nam Bocan_), Menteith, Perthshire, - 151. - "Fairy Knowe" beside Broch of Coldoch, Perthshire, 119, - 149, 151. - Ternavie, Perthshire, 150-151. - "Castle Hill" at Clunie, Perthshire, 145-146. - Kenilworth, Warwickshire, 142-143. - Knowth (_Cnoghbha_), County Meath, 132-140, 151_n_. - _Sidh Nectain_, or Hill of Carbury, (? its summit), W. - Meath, 84_n_. - Knockfierin, County Limerick, 93, 145. - In Denmark:-- - Mangelbierg, Hirschholm, Hösterkiöb Mark, 155_n_. - Gillesbierg, Hirschholm, Hösterkiöb Mark, 155_n_. - Wheel-hill, Gudmandstrup, Lordship of Odd, 155_n_. - Steensbierg, Ouröe, Joegerspriis, 155_n_. - Kundebye, Holbeck, 155_n_. - Gultebierg, 155_n_. - Söbierg, 155_n_. - Mound (or underground gallery) between Aagerup and Mamp, - 155_n_. - The residence of a certain "hill-man" near Eckwadt, 85_n_. - In Belgium:-- - Aschberg, Casterlé, province of Antwerp, 86-7, 155_n_. - In North America:-- - Group of "hillocks" situated, it is believed, on the - northern side of Plymouth Harbour, assumed to be the - residences of tenth-century "Skraelings" or "Lapps" of - America, Appendix B. - -Mounds, and other localities, referred to as homes or resorts - of dwarfs, fairies, Feens, gubbins, etc.:-- - Norwick, Shetland, 103-4. - Unst, Shetland, 106. - Villenshaw, (?) Orkney, 105, 116. - _Eilean Suthainn_, Loch Maree, 118. - _Tobar na Feinne_, 43. - _Tobar an t' Shithein_, Nether Lochaber, 147_n_. - _Glac an t' Shithein_, Nether Lochaber, 147_n_. - _Leum an t' Shithiche_, Nether Lochaber, 147_n_. - _Glen-na-Shirich_, Nether Lochaber, 147_n_. - _Ruadh na Sirach_, Kerrera, 147_n_. - White Cater Thun, Forfarshire, 99, 150_n_. - Abernethy, Perthshire, 150. - Glenshee (2) and Glen Almond, Perthshire, 77, 94-5. - _Coir-nan-Uruisgean_, Perthshire, 151-2. - "Cavern" at Yester, 143. - Hill-country of Galloway, 115-6. - Thorpe, Lincolnshire, 107_n_. - Beelsby, Lincolnshire, 107_n_. - Mowddwy, Merionethshire, 160-1. - _Craig y Ddinas_, Glamorganshire, 143_n_. - Nympton, Devonshire, 162. - Dartmore, Devonshire, 162. - Penzance, Cornwall, 162_n_. - _Sith Eamhna_, Armagh, 133-4. - Cruachan _rath_, Connaught, 68_n_, 125_n_, 136, 152_n_. - Tienen, The Netherlands, 86. - (_See_ also "Underground Galleries.") - -Mulgrave Castle, Yorkshire, 86, 100. - -Munster. Fairies of M., 93. - - -Netherlands. Resemblance of Tienen dwarfs to Scotch and - Northumbrian Picts, 86. - -Nine. - Shetland Finns held festival every ninth night, 3. - "Nine men" apparently the smallest division of a Feenian - army, 48. - -Norns identified with dwarfs, 91. - -Northumberland. - Traditional ideas regarding the Picts, 67, 157. - -Norway. - Finns from N., 2-5; - Annual of N., 37; - Lofoten Finns, 21, 39; - Ringerike, Hadeland, and Thoten governed by semi-Finns, 40-42. - - -Oestrymnic Isles; skin-boats used by natives of, 19-20. - -Oisin, 75-77. - -Orkney. - Picts were early inhabitants of O., 104; - O. governed by a semi-Finn in tenth century, 41. - (_See_ also Burray, Eday, Evie, Finnmen, Maes-how, - Ronaldshay, Stronsay, Westray.) - -Oscar of Emhain, 49. - - -Pabbay, Hebrides, a haunt of 17th-century pirates, 29. - -"Pelasgic arch" of chambered mound, 62, 78_n_, 103, 110-111. - -Pickering Castle, Yorkshire, 86, 100. - -Picts, Piks, Pechs, Pechts, etc. (_See_ also Cruithne.) - P's said to have been first settlers in Orkney and Shetland, - 59, 104. - Their small boats, 59, 178-179. - Their dwarfish stature, 58-60, 65. - Their great strength, 60, 66-7, 74. - Their mounds or underground houses, 58-66, 77-78. - Their method of building, 67. - White Cater Thun, Brechin Tower, Abernethy Tower, Glasgow - Cathedral, Dunstanborough Castle, the Catrail, the Wall - of Hadrian, and many old castles, popularly believed to - have been built by P's, 67-74, 99-100. - Their last stronghold in Galloway, 99. - P's, or Gallowaymen, at the Battle of the Standard, 69-70_n_. - P's popularly regarded as magicians and supernatural beings, 53, - 79-80, 99. - P's associated with Feens, 51, 64-5; - with Fions, Feins, and Fairies of Brittany, 85; - and with a Danish "hill-man," 85-6_n_. - P's as serfs or drudges, 67-74, 76. - P's identified by J. F. Campbell with Lapps and Fairies, 96. - P's and King Arthur, 143_n_. - Hairiness of P's, 157-8. - Their swiftness of foot, 177. - -Pict or Pecht-land, 52, 68-73. - -Pixies of Cornwall and Devon, 162. - -"Pucks" of Sylt, 87. - - -Red-caps. - In Sylt, 87. - In Lincolnshire 107_n_. - (_See_ also 129_n_ and 142.) - -Reindeer in Scotland, 96-97. - -Ringerike, Norway, 40-2. - -Rona, Hebrides, and its "pirates," 29. - -Ronaldshay (North), 41. - -Ross-shire; - in 17th century, 29-30, 45; - a legendary mound in, 112. - - -Samoyeds. - Bergen _Strils_ conjectured to have linguistic affinity with - S., 7_n_. - Skin-boats of S., 18. - -Savages: - Orkney Finnmen spoken of as S., 10, 30-31. - Certain Hebrideans referred to as S., 28, 29, 31. - Strathnaver people in 1658 "barbarous," 30. - Term "Hottentot" applied to traditional builders in - Mid-Lothian, 71. - -Sea-Folk. - Their inter-marriages with land-folk:-- - In Shetland, 1-5, 15; - in Hebrides, 15; - in Ireland, 2, 15; - in Isle of Man, 15; - in Wales, 2, 15. - Mer-women as wives and mothers of land-folk, 1-5, 13, 15. - -Seal-men and Selkie-wives, 1-5, 12, 13, 15_n_, 34_n_. - -Seelie court, The, 97. - -Seffister, Shetland, and its "trow's door," 59. - -Shag-boys, hog-boys, or how-folk, 107. - -Shaggy Men. - Pechts, 157-8; - Traditional dwarfs generally, 158-164; - Ainos of Japan, 166 _et seq._ - -Sheeans or _Sitheanan_. (_See_ Mounds.) - -Shetland. - Dwarf abodes in S., 59, 102-3, 106. - Picts early inhabitants of S., 104. - (_See_ also Finns of S.) - -Shool Skerry, or Sule Skerry, 3, 34_n_. - -Sithe-folk. (_See_ also Fairies.) - _Sidhe_ and _Tshud_, 89-90. - Seid-men, 90-91. - Worship of S., 92. - S. of North of Ireland and Munster, 93. - Identified with Dananns, 126. - Associated with Feens, 128-9. - Former high rank, 132. - -Skin-boats: - "Sea-skin or seal-skin" of Shetland Finns, 1-5, 8. - Kayaks of Orkney Finnmen, 5-11, 18-19. - Skin-boats of Iberians, Hebrideans, Irish, Welsh, Scotch, - Samoyeds, Skraelings, Eskimos, Mandans, 8, 12-13, 18-22. - Fin's skin-boat, 55-6. - Skin-boat of Picts, 178-9. - Skin-boat of North American "Lapps" or "Skraelings," 7, - Appendix B. - -Skraelings, 7, Appendix B. - -Smiths, Underground: - The "Noble Smith" and his chambered mound, 132-4; - Wayland Smith's chambered mound, 132_n_; - Smiths working in "cave" of Cruachan, 136; - German traditional idea of such people, 163-4. - -Stronsay, Orkney. - Finnman seen there about year 1700, 6. - - -Teith valley. - Mounds of, 114. - Assumed to be the "vallis" referred to by Gildas, as - traversed by the Picts, 178_n_. - -Thorpe, Lincolnshire; shag-boys at, 107_n_. - -Thoten, Norway, 40-2. - -Tialdasund, Norway, 21. - -Tienen, Netherlands; dwarfs of, 86. - -_Tombuidhe Ghearrloch_; - a reputed chambered mound, 112. - -Trows, Trolls, or Trollmen. (_See_ Dwarfs.) - -Tshuds, 89-90. - - -Ugrians. (_See_ Finns, Lapps, Skraelings, etc.) - -Uist, Hebrides 29. - -Ulster. - Feens of, 76, 93; - Cruithne or Picts of, 93; - skin-boats of, 18. - (_See_ also Eamhain.) - -Underground Chambers. (_See_ also Mounds.) - Indications, apart from those of tradition, that these were - dwelling-places, 101-2, 113 (fire-place). - -Underground galleries, not having mounds over them, 101-4. - -Unst, Shetland, 106. - -_Ur-uisg_, or Water-man, 142_n_, 158-164, 178-9. - -Urus. (_See_ Bugle.) - - -Valas, or Völvas, 90-2. - -Villenshaw: (?) a locality in Orkney, 105. - - -Walpurgis Night. (_See_ Beltin.) - -Weems. (_See_ Mounds and Underground galleries.) - -Westray, Orkney. - Finnman seen near W. _circa_ 1700, 5, 6, 33-4; - Fairies said to be seen at Fitty Hill _circa_ 1700, 33; - defeat of Hebrideans at Fitty Hill, 33. - -Wideford Hill, Orkney; chambered mound at, 62. - -Witchcraft. (_See_ Magic.) - - -Yorkshire tradition as to "supernatural" labourers at Mulgrave - and Pickering Castles, 86, 100. - - -Zee-Woners. (_See_ Sea-Folk.) - - -Woodfall & Kinder, Printers, 70 to 76, Long Acre, London, W.C. - -.... - -Transcriber's Note: - -Many words in this text have alternate spellings due to language -differences or variations within languages. - -Original spelling has been preserved, as have any inconsistencies. - -Minor punctuation errors have been repaired. - -In this etext a superscript character is represented by ^ - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Testimony of Tradition, by David MacRitchie - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TESTIMONY OF TRADITION *** - -***** This file should be named 40290-8.txt or 40290-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/2/9/40290/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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