Sacred Texts  Legends/Sagas  Celtic  Index  Previous  Next 

p. xi

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAP.

 

PAGE.

 

INTRODUCTION

i-vi.

I.--

MYTHS CONNECTED WITH THE LEGENDARY HISTORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN:

Manannan 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.--

HAGIOLOGICAL 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-oie

33-51

 

p. xii

 

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 Doo; 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.--

MAGIC, WITCHCRAFT, &c.

Introductory--Cases of Witchcraft from Insular Records--Stories: The Magician's Palace; Origin of King William's Sands; The Devil's Den; The Submerged Island; Tehi-Tegi, the Enchantress; Caillagh-ny-Ghueshag; The Glencrutchery Well; The Effigy; The Witch of Slieu-Whallian; The Burnt Besom; Butter Bewitched; The Manx Witch; Popular Antidotes to Witchcraft; 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 Sayings for March and April; Patrick's Feast-day; Good Friday; 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's Day; 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

 

p. xiii

 

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, Bollan; Animals' Weather Wisdom--Stories: The Ushagreaisht; 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 from Evil Influences and Fairies; Powers of a Posthumous Child, &c.; Virtues of Salt, and of a Caul.

Marriage.--Waldron's Description of a Manx Wed-ding; Blowing of Horns; The Dooinney-Moyllee; Train's and Harrison's Descriptions of a Manx Wedding.

Death.--Omens which preceded it; Preparations for Burial; Bishop Merick's Mistake about the Winding-sheet; 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 BY LAW.

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 after a Boat; Bowing to the Altar; Observation of Sunday; The Three Reliques; Games, &c

165-180

 

p. xiv

 

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; (4) Miscellaneous Sayings and Proverbs

181-192

 

 


Next: Chapter I. Myths Connected with the Legendary History of the Isle of Man