THE FOLK LORE
OF THE
ISLE OF MAN,

INTRODUCTION.

I, - MYTHS CONNECTED WITH THE LEGENDARY HISTORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN:

Mananman Mac Lir - Lug - The Story of the Isle of Falga - Culann - Finn - Oshin - The Stories of Sigurd Fafni's Bane, and of the Punishment of Loki

1-18

II. - HAGIOGICAL. AND MYTHO--HISTORICAL LEGENDs:

Introductory - Stories: The Conversion of the Manx; the Conversion of St. Maughold; St. Maughold's Fish; St. Maughold and Gilcolum; A Legend of Myrescogh lake; The Stone Cross of Ballafletcher; Goddard Crovan's Stone; Olave Goddardson and the Sword Macabuin; Alswith the Swift; Ivar and Matilda

19-32

III: - FAIRIES AND FAMILIAR SPIRITS:

Introductory - Stories: Origin of the Arms of the Island; The Discovery of the Island; The Fairy Horn; The Fairy Saddle; The Fairy Horse Dealer; Fairy Music; The Fairy Lake; The Unfortunate Fiddler; Objection of Fairies to Noise; The Fairy Cup of Kirk Malew; Fairy Elf; The Kidnappers; A Fairy detected in Changing an Infant; Abduction of a Boy by Fairies; The Christening; The School Boys; Fairy Punishment; The Whipping of the Little Girl; Mischief done by Fairies; Fairy Dogs; The Cup of the Lhiannan-Shee; The Fairy Sweetheart; The Dooiney-ole

33-51

IV. - HOBGOBLINs. MONSTERS, GIANTS, MERMAIDS, APPARITIONS, &c.

Introductory - Stories: The Phynnodderee; The Glashtin or Glashan; The Water Bull, or Tarroo-Ushtey; The Buggane; The Black Dog, or Moddey Door The Spell bound Giant; The Old Man; The Three-headed Giant; Jack the Giant Killer; The Captured Mermaid; The Mermaid's Courtship; The Mermaid's Revenge; Dwellings under the Sea; The Apparition of Castle Rushen; Ben Veg Carraghan; A Legend of the Sound; The Chasms; The Spirit " Hoa Hoa."

52-75

V. - TRIAGE, WITCHCRAFT, &c.

Introductory - Cases of Witcheraft from Insular Records--stories : The Magician's Palace; Origin of King William's Sands; The Devil's Den; The SubmergedIsland; Tehi-Tegi, the Enchantress; Caillagh-ny Ghueshag; The Glencrutchery Well; The Effigy; TheWitch of Slieu-Whallian ;- The Burnt Besom; ButterBewitched: The Manx Glitch; Popular Antidotes toWitchcraft; The Evil Eye; Dust as an Antidote; Charmers and their Charms

76-101

VI - CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS CONNECTED WITH THE SEASONS:

Introductory - New Year's Day; Twelfth-day; St. Paul's Feast-day; Bridget's Feast-day; Candlemas Day;Shrove Tuesday; Periwinkle Fair; Weather Sayingsfor March and April; Patrick's Feast-day; GoodFriday; Easter Sunday; St. Mark's and Maughold's Feast-day; May-day Eve; May-day; Spitlin's Summer Feast-day; Perambulation of Parish Boundaries; Midsummer-eve; Midsummer-day; Luanys'sDay; Harvest Festival; Maughold's Feast-day;Hallowe'en; The Twelfth of November; Spitlin's Winter Feast-day; Catherine's Feast-day; Thomas's Feast-day; Christmas-eve; Christmas-day; The White Boys; Stephen's Feast-day ("Hunt the Wren"); John's Christmas Feast-day; Feast-day of the Children; New Year's Eve :

102-140

VII.-SUPERSTITIONS CONNECTED WITH THE SUN, ANIMALS,TREES, PLANTS, SACRED EDIFICES, &c.

Nature Worship; The Sun; The Moon and the Stars; Animal Worship; Totemism; Sacrifices; Blood; Nail and Hair Cuttings; Criminals hung by Hair Ropes;Tree Worship; Adoration of Re-productive Power of Nature; May-day, Midsummer, and Harvest Celebrations; The Hare, Herring, Cow, Cock, Bonan;Animals' Weather Wisdom - Stories: The Ushag-reaisht; The Lhondoo; The Blackbird and the Thrush; How the Herring became King of the Sea;The Seven Sleepers; The Thorn, Elder, Shamrock, &c.;Virtues of Iron and Salt; The Sin of Sacrilege and its Punishment; Piety of the Manx, &c

141-155

VIII.-CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS CONNECTED WITH BIRTH, MARRIAGE, AND DEATH:

Birth. - Precautions taken to Preserve Women after Child-birth and Children before Baptism front Evil Influences and Fairies; Powers of a Posthumous Child, &c,; Virtues of Salt, and of a Caul.
Marriage. - Waldron's Description of a Manx Wedding; Blowing of Horns; The Doeinney-Moy~ Train's and Harrison's Descriptions of a Manx Wedding.
Death. - Omens which preceded it; Preparations for Burial; Bishop Merick's Mistake about the Windingsheet; Waldron's Description of Death and Funerals;Road Crosses; a Funeral Entertainment; Further Death Signs; Modern Custom after a Funeral; Second Sight; A Supernatural Warning; Mock Funerals.,..

156-164

IX.- CUSTOMS FORMERLY ENFORCED BYLAW.

Introductory - Watch and Ward; Customs connected with Land Tenure; Jury for Servants; Custom about Servants Giving Notice; Yarding; The Deemster's Oath; Legal Purgation; The Stocks; The Pillory; The Wooden Horse; Bishop Wilson on Peculiar Laws and Customs; Other Curious Laws; Manx Ecclesiastical Law;Excommunication; Penance; The Nuns' Chairs; The Bridle; The Punishment of being Dragged Other a Boat; Bowing to the Altar; Observation of Sunday; The Three Reliques; Games, &c

165-180

X.- PROVERBS AND SAYINGS-

Introductory-
(1) Proverbs relating to General Truths;
(2) Proverbs inculcating Caution Contentment Thrift Independence Industry and Charity;
(3) Proverbial Weather-Lore; (Miscellaneous Sayings and Proverbs

181-192

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor
HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2000