Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-08-11
F1shermen's Fancies.

Western Isles of Scotland" published
in ZIG. says that the fishermen OF the
town of Barvac in the Isle OF St
Lewis were in the habit OF sending
one of their numbers to cross the
river of Barvas early on May Day, be-
fore any women could be hkeiy 10
cross 1t. If the latter happened, they
declared that it would hinder the sal
mon from coming into the river All
the year round. The fishermen among
the Firms were careful not to be
riotous on st. Georges Day, believ-
ing that a tempest would follow the
violation. The fishermen on the coasts
of Baltic never used their nets be-
tween All Saints Day and st. Mar
TINS Day. If they did so they would
have a miserable catch for the rest
of the wear, st. Peter was declared
the sailors patron, and on st. Peters
Dav. June %, the fishermen OF Eng.
land "painted their boats, garlanded
the masts, and sprlnkled the bows with
good liquor"
The custom of setting nets on Christ
mas Eve Is still observed throughout
Sweden. The fishermen Of Orkney, on
AIl-Hallow E'en, sprinkle what they
call fore-spOken water over their boats
and make the sign OF the Cross upon
them with tar. Among hshermen,
Candlemas Day, the first Monday IN
April (s'the day on which cam was
born and Abel was slain"l, the second
Monday in August (''the day on winch
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed,
and Eecember 31st (''the day upon
which Judas WAS born'D, were regarded
as evil days. at Prestonpans 1t was so
common TO set sail for the fishing To-
calities on Sundays that the clergymen
of the town preached against 1t. The
fishermen, to avoid any evil conSe-
uuences, made rag-babies and burned
them on the tops of their chimneys.
In scarborough Folklore" 1t Is
stated that the Flley fishermen Will not
90 to sea upon any day upon winch
they have seen or met a pig the first
thing IN the morning. In Forfarshire
there are fishermen who will not put
out to sea If hare crosses their path
while they are on the way TO their
boats. Among the fishermen OF Grsen-
ocL an idea prevailed that If fly ieil
into a glass when one OF the men was
about TO drink it, was an indisputable
omen of good luck TO him for the day.
Before the Reformation it was usual
for the priests of Yarmouth to bless the
fishing boats once year, and 1t was
customary for the Protestant minister
of the parish to preach an annual ser
mon upon fishing.
At Peel, in the Isle of Man, there IS q
tradition that an old witch, after some
'sflummeryn over basin of water, pre-
dicted that the herring fleet would not
return. The prediction turned out
true, and the incensed people thrust
her into a barrel lined with spikes,
which they rolled down steep hill
The latter was remarkable for its ver-
dure, but to this day no grass has grown
upon the path made by the barrel IN
its descent
The fishermen regarded the appear
ance of certain birds as omens OF good
luck-the English hailing the gannef,
the Americans tho osprey, and the
Morse Vikings the tern. Wilson makes
allusion to the osprey in his Fisher
mems Hymn:
The osprey sails above the sound.
The geese are gone, the gulls are
flying;
The herring shoals swarm thick around,
The nets are launched, the boats are
plying.
According TO some Norwegian
writers, the fishermen ''often see large
and frightful Holsters which they do not
attack, the tips OF their claws being a
Eo4l hQ
dredging season, the fishermen keep up
q wild, monotonous chant, which they
assert charms the oysters into the
dTedge:
The herring loves the merry moonlight,
The mackerel loves the wind,
But the oyster loves the dredger's song,
For he comes of a gentle kind.
Sir George Grey in his "PolynesIan
Mythology" states that the New Zeal.
anders learned the art of netting mack
erel from the fairies. One Of the chiefs
Of the Maori race passed spot where
some people had been cleaning mack
erel. Spirits were at work here Sur
ing the night" was his mental COM
ment. Had they been men, some OF
the reeds and grasses which they sit
upon in their canoes would be lying
about" He secreted himself near the
place on the following night. The
fairies began hauling in their nets dur
ing the darkness, constantly calling out:
'sThe net herei The net therel" He
mingled with them, and helped them.
The first CLEANS of dawn revealed him
to be a man, whereupon the spirits fled
in great confusion, leaving their nets
behind them. He studied the construc-
ton of the nets at his leisure, and
taught the Maori race to make them.
The Burmese fishermen erect small
shed, called a ''natsin," near their
fishery, in which they every morning
offer fruit, rice, ETC., to spirit whom
they call Nat. An omission of the
daily tribute would bring bad luck.
FISHERMEN, says Mr. Hunt, ''dread
TO walk at night near those parts Of the
shore where there have been wrecks.
The souls of the drowned sailors appear
to haunt those spots, and the calling of
the dead has frequently been heard. l
have been told that under certain cir
cumstances, especially before the COM
ing of storms, or at certain seasons,
but always at night, these calllDgs are
common
The Swedish anglers say, that if a
woman strides the rod, no trout win be
caught that day. They also consider it
unlucky to turn the PROV of boat to-
ward the shore. Pins found in church,
and made into hooks. brought good
luck; tackle, stolen from friend or
neighbor, brought better luck than that
bought with money. A sneezs on the
left side of the boat is bad omen; a
sneeze on the right side of the boat. was
a good omen. Children on board the
vessel brought good luck; cats on board
brought bad luck. Fishermen, while
standing or walking, considered it un.
lucky to be numbered. To see the
print Of a fiat foot in the sand was al
most enough to dishearten them, and 1t
was considered unlucky to sell the first
fish for the day TO the person with
broad thumbs.