Sharp County record., 1879-02-06
Scotch SuperStitiOns.

Mr.. James Napier has published in
London very interesting book entitled
"Folk's Lore" in which he deals with
the superstitions of the humble classes
of Scotland. Many of these are recog-
nized as in full vogue at the present day
in this country, though in somewhat
modified form.
Mr.. Napier begins with the superstl-
tions connected with birth and child
hood. These are naturally very numer-
Gus. The ancient view Of life, the view
which survives in the changeless classes
of the people, regards it as the battle
field of the spiritual agencies. There
are invisible powers always about Us
and there are streams of mysterious
tendency which can be diverted by this
or that piese of popular ritual. The
entrance into lite is specially beset by
strange powers. Women in child birth
fall easily prey to the fairies, though
Mr.. Napier's own scrap of legend as to
this is given, we regret to say, on the
authority of ga correspondent in Long
Aqo." That is not evidence, but what
follows is evidence. 81 have known" !"
says Mr.. Napier, "of an instance in
which the baby was born on Satur
day, and carried TWO miles to church
next day rather than risk weeks
delay" This superstition was a COM
pound, apparently, of theological be-
| lief and of vague dread of fairies and the
evil eye. "It is unlucky to name the
child by any name until the baptism
has been performed" AS an example
! of the truth of this belief we may in
stance, though Mr.. Napier does not do
so, the Scotch marchen of Nicht,
Nought, Nothing. The hero of that
legend was called Nicht, Nought, Moth
ing, before he was baptized, because in
his royal fathers absence, his mother
did not dare to christen him. Ill luck
followed. A giant came for Nicht and
carried him away to his den, and
though the hero at last married the gi-
ants daughter and lived happily, it was
only after terrible trials and adventures.
Superstitions beset the first visit of the
baby to the church. He has to be pro-
tected from the" evil eye," an influence
which we thought had died out in Scot
land. Mr.. Napier himself was in child
hood the victim of gettatura, "got a
blink o. the i'll e'e," and was cured by a
wise old woman.
have quite vivid remembrance of
being myself believed to be the unhappy
victim of an evil eye. had taken what
was called a dwelling which bafled all
ordinary experience; and, there
fore, it was surmised that l
had got ga blink of an i'll
e'e" To remove this evil influence, l
was subjected to the following opera
ton, which was prescribed and super
intended by neighbor "skilly" in
such matters A sixpence was borrowed
from a neighbor, good fire was kept
burning in the CRATE, the door was lock-
ed, and was placed upon chair in
front of the fire. The operator, an old
woman, took a tablespoon apd filled it
with water With the sixpence she then
lifted as much salt as it would carry,
and both were put into the water in the
spoon. The water was then stirred
with the forefnger till the salt was dis
solved. Then the soles of my feet and
the palms of my hands were bathed
with this solution thrice, and after these
bathings l was made to taste the solution
three times. The operator then drew
her wet forefnger across my brow
called scoring aboon the breath. The
remaining contents of the spoon she
then cast right over the fire, into the
hinder part Of the fire, saying, as she
did so, "Guid preserve frae a skaith. ~
These were the first words permitted to
be spoken during the operation. | was
then put in bed, and, in attestation of
the efficacy of the charm, recovered. To
my knowledge this operation has been
performed within these forty years,
and probably in many outlying
country places it is still practiced The
origin of this superstition is probably to
be found in ancient fire-worship, The
great blazing Hre was evidently an I'M
portant element in the transaction; nor
was this a solitary instance in which re-
gard was paid to fire. remember be
ing taught that it was unlucky to spit
into the fire, some evil being likely
shortly after to befall those who did so.
Crumbs left upon the table after meal
were cerefully gathered and put into the
fire. The cuttings from the nails and
hair were also put into the fire, These
freaks certainly look like survivals Of
fire-worship.
In. customs connected with marriage
are less interesting than we might have
expected. 1t is dangerous to marry a
person whose name begins with the
same initial letter as your own. Is this
revival from a time OF ''exOgamy,'
when it was forbidden TO marry within
the limits of the same stock-name