Manx Fairy Tales - free ebook by Sophia Morrison

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Manx Fairy Tales

Sophia Morrison

49 chapters

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49 chapters

PREFACE

PREFACE

There is at least one spot in the world where Fairies are still believed in, and where, if you look in the right places, they may still be found, and that is the little island from which these stories come—Ellan Vannin, the Isle of Mann. But I have used a word which should not be mentioned here—they are never called Fairies by the Manx, but Themselves, or the Little People, or the Little Fellows, or the Little Ones, or sometimes even the Lil’ Boys. These Little People are not the tiny creatures

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I

I

Here is a true story that was told me by a man named James Moore when I was sitting with him by the fire one evening. He said: ‘I’m not much of a believer in most of the stories some ones is telling, but after all a body can’t help believing a thing they happen to see for themselves. ‘I remember one winter’s night—we were living in a house at the time that was pulled down for the building of the Big Wheel. It was a thatched house with two rooms, and a wall about six foot high dividing them, and

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II

II

‘“Listen!” I said. “An’ you’ll hear mother in bed, it’s not her at all; it must be the Little Ones that’s agate of the wheel!” ‘And both of us got frightened, and down with our heads under the clothes and fell asleep. In the morning when we got up we told them what we had seen, first thing. ‘“Aw, like enough, like enough,” my Father said, looking at the wheel. “It seems your mother forgot to take the band off last night, a thing people should be careful about, for it’s givin’ Themselves power ov

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III

III

There was once a woman living near Glen Meay, and she was the wife of a decent, quiet, striving man of the place. There was no one but herself and the man, and they had a nice little cottage and owned a bit of a croft on which they grazed a cow and a few sheep and grew enough potatoes to do them the winter out; and the man had a yawl and went to the fishing when things were slack on land. But for all that they were not comfortable, for work as hard as the man might at his farming and his fishing

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THE BUGGANE OF GLEN MEAY WATERFALL

THE BUGGANE OF GLEN MEAY WATERFALL

‘What Buggane?’ said she. ‘Ax me no questions,’ said he, ‘an’ I’ll tell thee no lies. But it’s the big, black, hairy fellow that lies under the Spooyt Vooar that I’m meanin’.’ ‘Aw, houl yer tongue, man; thou don’t frecken me wi’ thy Bugganes,’ shouted the woman. In the evening the man left the house to go out to the fishing. As soon as he had gone the woman took a notion in her head to bake, as she had only the heel o’ the loaf left for breakfast. Now, Themselves can’t stand lazy ways, and bakin

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HOW THE MANX CAT LOST HER TAIL

HOW THE MANX CAT LOST HER TAIL

Thousands of years ago, at the time of the Battles of the Giants in Ireland, Finn Mac Cooil was fighting with a great, red-haired Scotch giant who had come over to challenge him. He beat him and chased him eastwards towards the sea. But the Scotch giant was a faster runner and began to get ahead of him, so Finn, who was afraid that he would jump into the sea and escape, stooped down and clutched a great handful of the soil of Ireland to throw at him. He cast it, but he missed his enemy, and the

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THE MAKING OF MANN

THE MAKING OF MANN

And there is proof of the truth of the saying to this day, for while such nasty things do live in England they cannot breathe freely on the blessed soil. The island was much larger then than it is now, but the magician who for a time ruled over it, as a revenge on one of his enemies, raised a furious wind in the air and in the bosom of the earth. This wind tore several pieces off the land and cast them into the sea. They floated about and were changed into the dangerous rocks which are now so mu

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THE COMING OF SAINT PATRICK

THE COMING OF SAINT PATRICK

‘Come to us—come, come!’ Then said Patrick: ‘I believe on me sowl I’m back of Peel Hill.’ And with that he took one leap on to the little island and put his horse up the sheer rock. Soon he stood, sure enough, at the top of Peel Hill. As he stood there he cried out: ‘Me blessing on the curlew. No man afther this is to find her nest!’ ‘Me blessing on the goat, an’ no man is to see her bring forth her young!’ ‘Me blessing on the cock, an’ he shall crow at dawn ever afther at this same hour!’ He cu

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HOW THE HERRING BECAME KING OF THE SEA

HOW THE HERRING BECAME KING OF THE SEA

And, maybe, it’s because the Herring is King of the Sea that he has so much honour among men. Even the deemsters, when they take their oath, say: ‘I will execute justice as indifferently as the herring’s backbone doth lie in the midst of the fish.’ And the Manx people will not burn the herring’s bones in the fire, in case the herring should feel it. It is to be remembered, too, that the best herring in the world are caught in this place off the Shoulder, where the fish held their big meeting, an

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THE SILVER CUP

THE SILVER CUP

He heard, too, the laughing of Themselves. Then one of them would be singing out to the dogs, calling them up by name, giving a call out of him: ‘Ho la, ho la, la!’ Colcheragh followed these sounds, keeping close at their heels. On and on they went, helter-skelter over hedges and over ditches till they got to the Fairy Hill, and Colcheragh was still following them, though on any other night he would not have gone within a mile of the great green mound. When the Little Fellows came to the hill th

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THE CHILD WITHOUT A NAME

THE CHILD WITHOUT A NAME

The shoemakers and tailors and chance spinners used to go round on people’s houses, making things and spinning rolls of wool for the people. One time the tailor went to Chalse Ballawhane. Long enough they were waiting for him, and, as luck happened, he caught Chalse at home. Now Chalse had power over the fishes of the sea and the birds of the air as well as over the beasts of the field. Himself and the Little Ones got on well together too, but somehow or other he was never able to get the power

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THE FAIRY DOCTOR

THE FAIRY DOCTOR

The tailor was so taken up with the chance of seeing the Little People for himself that he promised faithfully, no matter what took place, never to speak a word, and he knew he would be right enough with Chalse. Ballawhane then took his hat from the latt , and when he was going out he said: ‘I’ll be back for thee just now; side thee things a bit while thou ’re waitin’.’ In a while there was a noise of horses coming up the street—it was awful. Then they stopped on the street and in came Ballawhan

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JOE MOORE’S STORY OF FINN MACCOOILLEY AND THE BUGGANE

JOE MOORE’S STORY OF FINN MACCOOILLEY AND THE BUGGANE

‘That’s our baby,’ says she. ‘An’ in the name of the Unknown Powers, what sort of a man is he Himself if his baby is that big?’ ‘He’s very big an’ powerful,’ says she. ‘An’ the child is favourin’ the father.’ She was baking barley bread, and when the baking was done at her, she took the griddle and put it between two cakes of bread, and gave it to the Buggane to eat, with a quart of buttermilk. He went to try and eat, and he couldn’. ‘Aw, man-alive! But this is the hard bread,’ says he. ‘What so

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THE FYNODEREE

THE FYNODEREE

Old Song. There was one time a Fynoderee living in Gordon. Those persons who saw him said that he was big and shaggy, with fiery eyes, and stronger than any man. One night he met the blacksmith who was going home from his shop and held out his hand to him to shake hands. The blacksmith gave him hold of the iron sock of the plough which he had with him, and he squeezed it as if it had been a piece of clay, saying: ‘There’s some strong Manx-men in the world yet!’ The Fynoderee did all his work at

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THE FYNODEREE OF GORDON

THE FYNODEREE OF GORDON

The woman got away while he was trying to fill the sieve, and when he came back to the mill he found it in darkness. The Fynoderee was working very hard for the Radcliffes, who owned Gordon then. Every night he was grinding their corn for them, and often he would take a hand at the flails. If they put a stack into the barn in the evening and loosed every sheaf of it, they would find it thrashed in the morning, but he would not touch one sheaf of it unless it were loosed. In the summer time he wa

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THE LHONDOO AND THE USHAG-REAISHT

THE LHONDOO AND THE USHAG-REAISHT

Then the poor Ushag-reaisht wails: ‘T’eh feer feayr, t’eh feer feayr!’ It’s very cold, it’s very cold. Then the Blackbird goes his ways. Not far from Dalby, Billy Beg and Tom Beg, two humpback cobblers, lived together on a lonely croft. Billy Beg was sharper and cleverer than Tom Beg, who was always at his command. One day Billy Beg gave Tom a staff, and quoth he: ‘Tom Beg, go to the mountain and fetch home the white sheep.’ Tom Beg took the staff and went to the mountain, but he could not find

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BILLY BEG, TOM BEG, AND THE FAIRIES

BILLY BEG, TOM BEG, AND THE FAIRIES

‘I am surely,’ said Tom. ‘Then,’ said the king, ‘it will be your duty to take the password. You must stand at the foot of the glen, and as each regiment goes by, you must take the password: it is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.’ ‘I’ll do that with a heart and a half,’ said Tom. At daybreak the fiddlers took up their fiddles, the Fairy army set itself in order, the fiddlers played before them out of the glen, and sweet that music was. Each regiment gave the password to Tom

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THE LAZY WIFE

THE LAZY WIFE

‘Keep count thyself, and fling the balls back again to me,’ says she to the man. And as fast as he flung the ball up to her, so fast she flung it down to him again. When he had counted the ball, maybe, two score times, she says to him: ‘That’s all that’s in.’ ‘Aw, ’deed, you’ve spun well, woman, for all,’ says he; ‘there’s plenty done at thee for the weaver.’ Aw, then she was in a great fix, and didn’t know in her senses what to do to save herself. She knew she would sup sorrow if she was found

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THE MERMAID OF GOB NY OOYL

THE MERMAID OF GOB NY OOYL

The very next time the young chap went, he took some apples with him, and when he got to the place where he had seen the beautiful woman, he went, as usual, on the hunt among the rocks. Then he heard sweet singing, and when he turned round what should he see but the Mermaid leaning over the boat and smiling pleasantly. She took an apple and began to eat and chant: The luck o’ the sea be with you, but don’t forgetful be Of bringing some sweet lan’ eggs for the children of the sea. From that time

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THE LOST WIFE OF BALLALEECE

THE LOST WIFE OF BALLALEECE

The second wife had heard what had passed and had hidden the straw, and turned the bushel upside down so that it would not be seen. The young wife was never heard of any more. The speckled hen and the little chicken were scratching under an apple tree in the garden, and an apple fell off the tree and it hit the little chicken on the head. And says he to the speckled hen: ‘Let us go to Rome, for the world has fallen.’ ‘Who said that to you, little chicken?’ said the speckled hen. ‘It fell on my h

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SMEREREE

SMEREREE

‘Who said that to you, little chicken?’ So they went their ways together until they met a gander. ‘Where are you going, cock?’ said the gander. ‘Going to Rome, for the world has fallen.’ ‘Who said that to you, cock?’ said the gander. ‘The speckled hen said it to me.’ ‘Who said that to you, speckled hen?’ So they went all together until they met a bull. ‘Where are you going, gander?’ said the bull. ‘Who said that to you, gander?’ ‘The cock said it to me.’ ‘Who said that to you, cock?’ ‘The speckl

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KEBEG

KEBEG

The Fairies who live in Nikkesen’s had pulled her in, and carried her to their own home. She was never heard of again. One time there was a woman named Colloo, in Close ny Lheiy, near Glen Meay, and she had a child that had fallen sick in a strange way. Nothing seemed wrong with him, yet crosser and crosser he grew, nying nyanging night and day. The woman was in great distress. Charms had failed, and she didn’t know rightly what to do. It seems that when about a fortnight old, the child, as fine

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THE FAIRY CHILD OF CLOSE NY LHEIY

THE FAIRY CHILD OF CLOSE NY LHEIY

‘Drop that, Hom Beg, I tell ye, an’ give us something light an’ handy,’ said the little fella back to him, middling sharp. ‘Aw, anything at all to plaze thee,’ said the tailor, whistling a jig. ‘Hom,’ said my lad, ‘can thou dance anything to that?’ ‘I can,’ said the tailor. ‘Can thou?’ ‘I can that,’ said my lad. ‘Would thou like to see me dance?’ ‘I would,’ said the tailor. ‘Take that oul’ fiddle down, then, Hom, man,’ he said; ‘an’ put “The tune of the Big Wheel” on it.’ ‘Aw, I’ll do that for t

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THE LITTLE FOOTPRINTS

THE LITTLE FOOTPRINTS

Juan was trembling all over, and at first he was blinking his eyes and could see nothing. But after some minutes he saw a great stone in the midst of the cave and the floor of fine white sand. And on the sand around that stone there were little footprints—marks of tiny clogs they were, no bigger than his thumb! Tom Craine was going home at midnight from Bradda mine to his home at Colby. The road was lonely and he met no person, but the full moon was shining and it was as light as day. As he bega

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THE TALL MAN OF BALLACURRY

THE TALL MAN OF BALLACURRY

When I was a little boy, we lived over by Sloc. One day, when I was six years old, my mother and my grandmother went up the mountain to make hay and I was left by myself. It was getting rather late, and they had not come back, so I was frightened, and started off up the mountain to try and find them. I had not gone far when I saw running before me a little snow-white pig. At first I thought it was some neighbour’s pig and I tried to catch it, but it ran from me and I ran after it. As it went I s

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NED QUAYLE’S STORY OF THE FAIRY PIG

NED QUAYLE’S STORY OF THE FAIRY PIG

Blackbird sings to Innkeeper’s pretty daughter. Kione jiarg, kione jiarg, Apyrn doo, Apyrn doo, Vel oo cheet? Vel oo cheet? Skee fieau, skee fieau, Lhondoo, Lhondoo. Red head, red head, Black apron, black apron, Are you coming? Are you coming? Tired waiting, tired waiting, Blackbird, Blackbird....

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SCENE: A VILLAGE

SCENE: A VILLAGE

It was more than eight hundred years ago, in the days of Olaf Goddardson, that Baron Kitter, the Norwegian, lived in Mann. He had his castle on the top of Barrule, and he spent all his time in hunting the bisons and elks that were on the island then, until he had killed them all. Then the people began to be afraid that he would chase their cattle and the purrs of the mountains, and leave them no beasts at all, so they went to the wisest witches of the island, to see what they could do. One day B

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KITTERLAND

KITTERLAND

When the Dark Smith heard how the power of the great sword Macabuin had been stayed by witchcraft, he was very angry, and called for his Hammer-man, Hiallus-nan-urd, who had lost one leg when he was helping to make the sword. He sent him off at once to Peel Castle to challenge King Olaf, or any of his men, to a walking race from Peel to Drontheim. King Olaf himself took up the challenge, and off they set. Over mountains and through gills they walked, as fast as they could go, and the one-legged

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TEEVAL, PRINCESS OF THE OCEAN

TEEVAL, PRINCESS OF THE OCEAN

Then she awoke and opened her eyes, which were blue as the sea, and when she saw that she was bound, she cried out with terror, ‘Loose me, man, loose me!’ Conchubar did not answer, so she said again, ‘Loose me, I beg thee!’ in a voice as sweet as the music of Hom Mooar, the Fairy Fiddler. By this time Conchubar was feeling that he would give all he had to keep her. He answered, trembling, ‘Woman, my heart, who art thou?’ ‘I am Teeval, Princess of the Ocean,’ said she. ‘Set me free, I pray thee.’

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THE WIZARD’S PALACE

THE WIZARD’S PALACE

‘Aw, that place is too gran’ for the likes of me!’ said he. He sat down on one of the marble seats outside, saying: ‘I’ll stretch meself here till mornin’, it’s a middlin’ sort of a night.’ That day meat and bread had been given to him at the last town he had passed through. He was hungry and he thought he would eat, so he opened his wallet and took out a piece of bread and meat, then he put his hand into his pocket and drew out a pinch of salt in a screw of paper. As he opened the paper some gr

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THE ENCHANTED ISLE

THE ENCHANTED ISLE

Two Ravens met once, and one asked the other in Bird language: ‘Is there nothing new at you?’ ‘The white Horse is dead,’ said he. ‘Is he fat? Is he fat?’ said the other. ‘Delicious, delicious,’ said he. Then he repented that he had told him that, and called out: ‘Bare bones, bare bones!’ Old Robin Quirk one fine morning was sitting sunning himself before his cottage door, when the Blackbird, living in the Tramman Tree in his garden, flew down, settled near Robin, and began to talk to him in Manx

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I. The Ravens

I. The Ravens

Old Robin Quirk one fine morning was sitting sunning himself before his cottage door, when the Blackbird, living in the Tramman Tree in his garden, flew down, settled near Robin, and began to talk to him in Manx: ‘Irree, Robin, as gow smook.’ ‘Rise, Robin, and take a smoke.’ ‘Cha nel thombaga aym.’ ‘I have no tobacco,’ said Robin. ‘Kionn eh, kionn eh.’ ‘Buy it, buy it,’ cried Blackbird. ‘Cha nel ping aym.’ ‘I have not a penny,’ poor Robin said. ‘Gow er dayl, gow er dayl.’ ‘Credit it, credit it,’

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II. Blackbird’s Morning Song

II. Blackbird’s Morning Song

A long, long time ago, before you and I were born, the birds of the air gathered at Tynwald from all airts of the wind. The meeting was to settle once and for all the squabbling and fighting among them as to which of them was the cleverest, and it was agreed that the cleverest bird should be king. The sky was black with them, big and little, and soon all had gathered together. Everywhere groups of birds sat-a-row, cooishing, scolding, or sleeping. Some were in fine, black Sunday coats like old P

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III. How the Wren became King of the Birds

III. How the Wren became King of the Birds

‘Ta mish Ree ny Ein, Ree ny Ein.’ ‘I am King of the Birds, King of the Birds.’ But little Jinny Wren was one too many for him there again. She had taken tight hold of him by a feather under his great, broad wing and hidden herself. And as he cried ‘Ta mish Ree ny Ein,’ she flew on top of his head and called out, ‘Cha nel, cha nel, ta mish er-y-skyn.’ ‘Not so, not so, I’m above him, I’m above him.’ Down dropped the Eagle, and down dropped the Wren, breathless, but King of the Birds. And that’s wh

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THE MODDEY DOO OR THE BLACK DOG OF PEEL CASTLE

THE MODDEY DOO OR THE BLACK DOG OF PEEL CASTLE

The Black Dog has never been seen again. Little red bird of the black turf ground, Where did you sleep last night? I slept last night on the top of the briar, And oh! what a wretched sleep! Little red bird of the black turf ground, Where did you sleep last night? I slept last night on the top of the bush, And oh! what a wretched sleep! Little red bird of the black turf ground, Where did you sleep last night? I slept last night on the ridge of the roof, And oh! what a wretched sleep! Little red b

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LITTLE RED BIRD

LITTLE RED BIRD

Little red bird of the black turf ground, Where did you sleep last night? I slept last night on the ridge of the roof, And oh! what a wretched sleep! Little red bird of the black turf ground, Where did you sleep last night? I slept last night between two leaves As a babe ’twixt two blankets quite at ease, And oh! what a peaceful sleep! An old Manx Lullaby. Long hundreds of years ago there was a witch in the island who made herself the finest and cleverest-looking young woman in it. Her like for

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TEHI TEGI

TEHI TEGI

John-y-Chiarn took the biggest journey in his life without meaning to do it at all. One night he was going towards Ballaquirk, taking his time and thinking of his younger days, when all of a sudden he heard a great murmur of people coming up behind him, and, before he had time to look round him, he felt himself getting jostled and a voice asked him—middling sharp, too: ‘What business have you here in our way at this hour of the night?’ ‘I am sorry to give anyone trouble,’ said John; ‘I’ll get ov

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JOHN-Y-CHIARN’S JOURNEY

JOHN-Y-CHIARN’S JOURNEY

Again he blew at Ballagorry and they slacked down a bit, and you would have thought the whole glen would have wakened up with the echoes. Down at the bridge they could see the lights going about like will-o’-the-wisps. Then the leader shouted: ‘Get into your lines there, my boys,’ and the Maughold Lil Fellas put themselves in rows on the walls of the bridge, just under the big cherry trees, holding their coloured lanthorns on the points of their sticks to give light round that dirty turn; then w

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A BAD WISH

A BAD WISH

What if the spotted water-bull, And the Glashtan would thee take, for all And the Fynoderee of the glen, waddling, To make of thee a bolster against the wall . The Fairy of the Glen and the Buggane, Finn MacCool and all his company; May they gather together about thy bed, And in a straw-rope creel run off with thee. From an old Manx Ballad. It was Midsummer Day, and the Peel Herring Fleet, with sails half set, was ready for sea. The men had their barley sown, and their potatoes down, and now the

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THE WITCH OF SLIEU WHALLIAN

THE WITCH OF SLIEU WHALLIAN

‘Aye, no herring, no wedding. Let’s go an’ chonce it,’ said young Cashen. So hoisting sails they left the port and when the land was fairly opened out, so that they could see the Calf, they headed for the south and stood out for the Shoulder. Soon a fine breeze put them in the fishing-ground, and every man was looking out for signs of herring—perkins, gannets, fish playing on the surface, oily water, and such like. When the sun was set and the evening was too dark to see the Admiral’s Flag, the

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THE OLD CHRISTMAS

THE OLD CHRISTMAS

Always after that, when the neighbours would ask her if she believed in the wonders of the Old Christmas Eve, she would say: ‘I know it’s true, for I’ve seen it myself.’ A long time ago there came some monks to the broad, rough meadow which is between dark Greeba Mountain and the high road, and they chose a nice place and set up a church to St. Trinian on it. But they reckoned without the power of the Buggane, who had his haunt in the mountain. The Buggane was mighty angry, and he said to himsel

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THE BUGGANE OF ST. TRINIAN’S

THE BUGGANE OF ST. TRINIAN’S

But at that very minute the ground heaved under him and rumbling sounds came up from below. The sounds grew louder underneath, and Timothy glanced quickly up. All of a sudden a great big head broke a hole through the pavement just before him, and came slowly rising up through the hole. It was covered with a mane of coarse, black hair; it had eyes like torches, and glittering sharp tusks. And when the head had risen above the pavement, the fiery eyes glared fiercely at Tim; the big, ugly, red mou

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KING MAGNUS BAREFOOT

KING MAGNUS BAREFOOT

‘Choose, I tell you, one of two things, either to lose your kingdom and life within thirty days, or to leave Norway and never see it again.’ Magnus awoke and called his chiefs and great men to tell them of his vision. ‘Oh king,’ they cried in fear. ‘Leave Norway with all speed, and keep thy life and kingship.’ So Magnus, who was the last of our great Sea Kings, got together a fleet of 160 long ships, each with twenty or thirty rowers’ benches, and with bows carved in the shape of dragons. He lov

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MANANNAN MAC Y LEIRR

MANANNAN MAC Y LEIRR

He’d set a man upon a brow, You’d think there were a hundred there; And thus did wild Manannan guard That island with all its booty. The rent each paid out of the land Was a bundle of green rushes; And that was on them for a tax Throughout the country each John’s Eve. Some went up with the rushes to The great mountain up at Barrule; Others would leave the grass below, With Manannan above Keamool. In this way, then, they lived, I think Myself their tribute very small, Without care or anxiety, Or

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MANANNAN MAC Y LEIRR

MANANNAN MAC Y LEIRR

There was a time in the olden days when the cormorant and the bat took counsel together to do something for the poor, as they had compassion on them, and they went into the glens gathering wool to make clothing for them. When they had a quantity gathered they took a boat and put out to sea. It happened as they were sailing that a storm came on, and the waves were breaking over the vessel, insomuch that the poor bat had to leap from place to place to escape the water, and in the darkness he was c

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THE CORMORANT AND THE BAT

THE CORMORANT AND THE BAT

In the old days when there were wizards and witches in the Isle of Mann, the greatest Wizard of all was Caillagh-ny-Faashagh. He did not live above ground, but in a quarry, in a hole under the rock on the lonely mountain side, and that is why the people called him the Prophet Wizard of the Wilderness. At dark he would roam over the mountains, and people walking there, when night was drawing on, would hear him crying ‘Hoa, hoa, hoa!’ like the bellow of a goat, in a voice so terrible and strong th

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CAILLAGH-NY-FAASHAGH, OR THE PROPHET WIZARD

CAILLAGH-NY-FAASHAGH, OR THE PROPHET WIZARD

The Prophet Wizard foretold, too, the finding of Foxdale lead mines. A man came to him and asked: ‘How will I get rich, O Caillagh-ny-Faashagh?’ And the Wizard answered: There’s a butt in Ballafesson worth the whole of Balladoole. But the riches of the Isle of Mann lie hid behind Barrule. He also gave this prophecy to old Juan the weaver, who asked him for one: At the foot of Barrule there will be a market town, Mullin-y-Cleigh with blood for twenty-four hours will turn roun’. Now the village of

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THE CITY UNDER SEA

THE CITY UNDER SEA

Peace of God and peace of man, Peace of God on Columb-Killey, On each window and each door, On every hole admitting moonlight, On the four corners of the house, On the place of my rest, And peace of God on myself. THE END...

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Corrections

Corrections

The following corrections have been applied to the text:...

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