Morning journal and courier., 1890-01-11

posite manner. In the latter countries one
accused of guilt may move a rocking stone
by the gentlest touch If innocent. Here
ones innocence is alone certified to if the
application of his greatest strength fails to
cause its vibration. In number OF dis.
tricts in Brittany there still exists the tradi-
ion of olden pagan summer time religious
ceremonies, alec still preserved in Cornwall.
Each Saturday in June the youths and lasses
repair to pagan dolmen, vigorously exclu-
ding all married folk, for long and vigorous
dances about the ancient and sepulchral
monument. The men are provided with
green wheat-ears in their hat-bands, the
maidens with fax blossoms pinned to their
high, white caps. On arriving at the place
those whose affections or troths have been
plfghted lay their wreaths of wheat and fax
upon the gray old stones. If during the
festivities their loves remain unchanged the
offerings will for weeks remain green and
fresh; but If their affections be diverted
the withering of the wreaths will instanta-
neously follow. A "rocking stone'' not q,
mile from this town possesses powers of far
more dreadful import; though I could not
discover reason for the injustice Of their sp-
plicability to women alone. It ia called
"The rock of the betrayed spouses." It is
consulted to this day by husbands who sus-
pect their wives of infidelity. The partner
of a faithless wife finds himself unable to
move it; and it will rock violently if she be
innocent.
These are but few instances among scores
could cite of Breton belief in the SUPER
natural powers, in common with like or
similar belief Of the Irish and Cornwall
s,x1o
monuments. When we come to the demo-
nology, legendary lore and treasured every
day superstitions and portents, the affinity is
quite as marked and entertaining. The gen.
eric term for all fairies and elves of active
viciousness or geniality In Cornwall is
''pixy;" in Ireland, ''sidh," Anglicized into
'sshee," as "far-shee," and "ban-shee," man
and woman of the mountains or fairy man.
sions; in Brittany, 'Korrigans," Of which
representing respectively good and evil spir-
its, being the sTeuz" and the "Korils.n
The pagan sepulchral and Druidic monu-
ments as we'll as Christian church-yards are
invariably the headquarters of all these lit
tie people; but for some inexplicable reason
the wild moors strewn with dolmens and
pillar stones are especially the domain of
powerful evil Spirits The "Teuz" issue
from their abodes in friendly benefcence to
assuage all manner of ills at the humble Bre-
ton freside, and to exert the kindliest Offices
with the sodden peasant in his interminabIe
toll in the fields, or to aid the fisherman in
his hazardous labors along the bowling coast;
but the "Korils," those malevolent imps of
Breton superstition, are ever on the alert to
annoy and distress. They dance and per-
form The widest orgies around dreary dol
mems and pillar-stones from night-fall until
day break; and all manner of evil will be-
fall him who chances upon their enchanted
ground during these witching hours. The
least penalty he will suffer is to be COM
PEELED to dance with such fury that every
bone in his body seems breaking, until the
growing of the cock at the first streak of
dawn; disbslieving ones who have braved
their powers have been whisked through the
air never to reappear in mortal form; drunk
en- pipers, desecrating their roadside haunts
with saucy rondeaux and roulades, when re-
turning from the village fetes, have paid
penance with their lives; and these elm enc
mics of mankind are at the bottom of every
manner of mischief and misfortune befalling
the humber classes of Brittany.
Breton folk have no sad and mournfxl
"banshee" as have the Irish, but what could
be more touching than the universal super
stition that on the eve of the Fete des Morris,
in November, the souls of the departed are
allowed to visit their loved ones upon earth
and reinhabit the places they once occupied,
all in benignancy and content. On that
night there is not an humble home in Brit
tany where, on the awed and hushed retiring
of the occupants, the Fireplace is not banked
high with blazing fir, and the table set with
the best viands ths household possesses, for
the possible use of the ghostly company, sso
numerous in the house." Souvestre tells, Gas
the leaves in the deep Breton lanes" Out
of this belief and practice has grown q su-
perstitiop of the grimmest character. The
- rrst oaS t1A o1o he
appearance of a grisly retinue. These at
tendants are known as "Lavandieres de
Mutt" washerwomen of the night. These
phantoms wash the shrouds of the dead.
They work with incredible zeal and fury,
and force luckless passers, under penalty of
death, to help them, never failing to dislo-
cate their arms if they wiring the linen the
wrong way. There is also in Brittany nu-
merous brood of monsters, dragons and un-
happy spirits whose Offices are especially to
| watch over the untold treasures concealed
beneath pillar stones and dolmens. Once
| each year at the hour of midnight mess OF
Christmas eve these tortured spirits are
| freed from sntagonisms to fraternizs with
| each other, or to quench their burning thirst
| at wells and streams. At this moment all
| these wonderful treasures lie unguarded, and
| if the places are approached with certain
herbs entwined with cinquefoil, q chance is
given mortals to obtain the coveted wealth.
The difficulty in securing it, however, has
always been the fear on the part of the peas
ants that the stony hosts would rush back
pell NELL from their yearly diversions to sem
tinel their posts, and claim the Treasures
searcher's spirit as their own.
Brittany, always rich in heroic legends, is
| especially 80 in those ever delightful ones
which wreathe the memory of Britain's IS
| ssstain1ess king" Arthur of the Table
Round. Though Cornwall lays claim to Ar
thurs birthplace, and place of death, al
Camelford, Brittauy's tenderest heritage Of
| legend and song is in the imperishable tradi-
| tions of his heroic exploits upon her soil.
There is rock in Finistere to which for
seventeen years he fastened his steed. On
! the strand at Lannion he slew the dragon.
At Mont St. Michael dwelt the terrible giant
| who fell by Arthur's arm. From the sum-
NIT of the Menez Arrez mountains HE
shadowy hosts is seen to deale at break of
day whenever war is impending:
"Horsemen all mounted on war-stseds of gray,
Coursers that snort with the cold the heights of
the mountains
That shadowless isle Of Avalon. to which
he was conveyed after his mortal hurt, is
Cottes du Nord. And among the peasantry
there is an almost universal loving belief in
good Arthur's final return, in ful6llment of
Merlin's prophecy.
Along down this line of Breton wrath,
mystery and portent come countless troops
of every day superstitions. Many books
might be filed with them. Here are a few
any one can gather in this quaint land with
in fortnight. Blight will! come upon all in
fants unless blessings are bestowed before
they are fed, or If passers fail to call out,
"God bless you!" to its mother. Passing a
sick person through the split trunk of live
Ar tree will remove disease. To shoot a
raven will bring down cnrse, as King Ar
thurs spirit went into the Breton raven.
The oxen at midnight of Christmas eve may
be found upon their knees groaning in pray
er. The souls of fishermen lost at sea, with
out grace, "hail their names" along the coast
at each anniversary of loss of life. To put
| wooden shoes on the wrong feet is certain
presage of coming temptation to great crime.
As In Cornwall in the departments of Morbi-
han and Finistere bullock calves are still se-
cretly burned to drive evil spilits from the
| herds. Hundreds repair annually to q men