Myths and Superstitions - Fionnsgeòil is Giseagan
Mermaid of the North
The Highlands is steeped in myths and legends that date from the time when Celts, Picts, Norse and Gaels fought over and occupied the fertile lands of Easter Ross. The area abounds in elaborate and mysterious carved stones at Hilton, Shandwick and Nigg and the lore of the sea is embodied in the “Mermaid of the North’’ statue that sits upon “Clach Dhubh” (the black rock) on the shore opposite the Seaboard Centre.
Legend tells that once a fisherman stole a beautiful mermaid or “Selkie” away to be his wife and hid her tail. Years later, after bearing his children, she found her tail and escaped back to sea, returning regularly to the shore to bring fish to her hungry children. The story of the Selkie can be found all over the Northern Hemisphere.
Fairy Hill
Within a short distance of John Ross’s family home at Easter Rarichie is the remains of a circular Iron Age hill fort surrounded by defensive rampart walls with views along the coast to the Pictish coastal fortress at Burghead, in Moray. It’s locally known as “Fairy Hill”; the home of the mythical “Faeries” of European folklore. John and his siblings would have explored its grassy slopes in their youth.
Curious Cure for Cattle
The rearing of cattle in the Highlands was an important part of the area’s economy in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially milk for dairy products including cheese and butter. If a cow was underproducing it was thought to be under an evil spell that could only be broken after the farmer or crofter consulted the local witch, usually a woman with knowledge of herbal medicine who could advise on the course of action.
In certain instances, the owner of the sick cow was required to milk it at midnight on the night of a new moon in the hope that it would remedy the situation.
Roof Spirits
It was the missionary’s role to dismiss superstitions and bring new enlightenment and moral understanding through the teachings of Christianity. This often caused conflict and discontent among the unconverted, interrupting the work of the missionary. John had an open attitude and an appreciation for other cultures making it easier for him to communicate with people through preaching and spiritual work. In his early travels across northeast China he noted that “every hill and road, river, house, room, and tree has its little devil or deity”. A commonly held belief was in roof spirits.
“The roofs of the houses never slope straight down; they are tilted up at the eaves. The reason for this is that when all those mischievous spirits slide down the roof, the tilt at the edge of the roof propels them into the neighbour’s garden, where they melt like a hailstone.”
The Queen Magazine, 1910
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