Am Fear Liath Mòr (“The Big Grey Man”) has been seen and heard on Ben MacDhui since 1891. First written about by scientist and mountaineer J. Norman Collie in 1925, the tall ghostly spectre has caused many rational folk to sprint downhill in fear of their lives
In the 19th C., fishermen in Nairn believed that wood was either “he” or “she”. Boats made with “she-wood” sailed faster at night than during the day. Boats made with wood that had been stolen, “stealt-wood” also went faster at night.
In the 1670s Gallovidian, Jock Mulldroch of Craigwaggie was understood to “cackle as he laid eggs, bigger than a goose’s, on a truff laft amang a wheen breckans”. The eggs were black-speckled yellow. He was known as “Craigwaggie’s meikle chuckie”.
I definitely need to say more on this later, it’s such a bizarre folk tale.So many other bizarre details. Eggs took a fortnight to lay. His sons hatched from his eggs that were placed under his wife’s actual chicken.
I haven’t even found where Craigwaggie was, if it was a real place at all.
Nechtan, King of Picts asked a saint to build Dargie Kirk at Invergowrie. The devil (in Fife) threw 2 sheeplike boulders at the site, but hit the Tay river instead. This was the basis of Thomas the Rhymer’s prophecy on the Yowes o Gowrie.
Dundonians argue that the devil lives in Fife, but Fifers take a different stance.
Every Halloween until 1671, folk from Lewis (the Leòdhasaich) offered a cup of specially-brewed beer to the sea-god Seonaidh (Shoney) in return for lots of washed up seaweed to fertilise crops. The remaining beer fueled an all-night dance party near Eòropaidh.
Unsurprisingly it was the church that spoiled the fun. It took father and son Donald and Kenneth Morrison, ministers, at least 20 years to stop the tradition. The latter always preached with a sword in his belt and his church had two armed guards on Sundays.
In parts of Sutherland, a cure for toothache was carrying a live earthworm in your mouth, walking to the next parish without speaking, and safely returning the poor worm to the earth. Usually done at night so to not offend folk by not saying hello!
In fishing communities many words were taboo and would curse ship and crew if said aloud. Here are some “safe” alternatives:
keys: SNUTTLES
sheep: BLITTER
milk: SKUBBA
church: MUNGER-HOUSE
pig: MUDVITE
cat: FOODIN
knife: RAGGER
eel: SMONGIE
crab: SNIFFLE
For instance, if a fisher or a gutter accidentally said “gie tae me the knife” and didn’t call it a “ragger”, the knife had to immediately be thrown into the sea.
In 1500, at Glenconie, Hugh Fraser (Hutcheon Friseal) shot a beast “mair nor twa eln o length, without feet, having ane mickle fin on ilk side, ane tail, an ane terrible head”.
It “brint all to the eird, as it had been muirburn”.
“they callit it ane DRAGON”
(c. 1900):
rats = bad luck, enemies
eggs = arguments, fights
laundry = moving house
loss of teeth or fingers = death
scissors = heartache
and wake up with an itchy nose someone you know will die today!
PUDDOCKSTANES. n. Fossilised teeth from ancient fish. Folk believed they grew in the heads of toads and were magical. Used to cure/detect poisoning. Swallowed for constipation, retrieved and reused (and handed down over generations…)
