The record-union., 1892-12-17

his same handy elf possesses the in
mite drollery of the Irish dullaghan, who
IS generally found with his head under
his arm, in his pocket, or, where num-
Der are together, tinging 1t merrily at
some olher duIlaghan, or again engaged
with 1t IN games of football. 1t also pos
sesses the power of nulnberless devices
ana DISCUSSES of that most eXasperatingly
lmplsh practical joker of all Irish fairies,
the Ieprachaun, or the imp in green"
everywhere in little Mainland where
hquor is in and wit is out, where I'M
couth folly meets with retributive hum
ping, and in all those sluggish rustic
channels OF forgivable mischief and ner-
rlment where penalties are light as coun-
tryside laughter, the kindly, helpful
avenglng 'phynnodderee" is ever ready
with helping hand.
one traditional spOok which represents
the evil genius of dull despair, OF dumb
inevltabilIty and Of rank fatalism, glowers
through ManX tradition as black and
dreadful as the gloom of the halls of
Eblls. This IS the Moody Dhoo." Tan
gibly and as crystalliZed in tradition it
took on the form OF a huge, Yoiceless
black spaniel which haunted ancient Peel
Castle, the daring Of whose satanic power
by drunken soldier terminated in the
tragic death OF the latter, AS made famous
in fiction and song. Generalized, the
Moody DhOO" is the sable spirit of
Loneliness, of impending danger, of ire
vocable despair. To people barren of
book lore, impressonable with thou
sand misty shadows from the past, whose
mental activities are chiefly in contem-
platlon Of the saddenng sea and the
keenIng voices Of mGdntain winds, some
form OF mental MOODY Dhoo'' is a
logical and inevitable presence.
1 have never been able to discover
among the peasants Of Brittany. of Eng
land M mr. Scotland no nv ct or
alent OF a curious sort of elf of dark
ness which the ManX people still pos
SeSs. 1t is called the ''dOvlnney-oie" or
night-man. He meets certain belated
persons along the highway, or in lonely
spots, tOreIellIng dismal events with great
volubility, but always without personal
maleVolence. Indeed his hints of i'm
pending danger are regarded as invalua-
bic. lie provides the only weather bu-
reau the ManX people possess, and on all
parts Of the coast his weird cry OF chow
laa, howlaap' toretells an approaching
storm.
All evil spirits in Mainland are known
under the universal term OF "buggane."
Ii the cream fails to rise" if the crops
are poor, if the catch OF herrings be
worthless, if harm belall the sheep upon
the mountains or the kline and fowls at
home, if a love affair goes wrong, or any
i'll Whatever betides for which there is
not a present clear and unquestionable
explanation, the "buggane" is held re-
sponsible. Useless veXatiOn and anxiety
are thus dispensed with, and as good
ManX dame pleasantly explained:
'Aw, mon, tn buggane doan't mind
aw blame, an its better M 1astnin' t.
ueeDors!i'
Fairy doctors and hermits are still pop
ular in the little island. n olden times
the person and home, usually a cave, of
the ManX hermit, were so Venerated that
the person Of a mortal enemy was sacred
against harm when in hermitS presence.
These cunny old loaters are no longer
proof against scepucism, but they are
well liked by the peasantry who hospi-
taDly tolerate them. / have made the
acquaintance OF several. one was in
quite respondent mood and threatened
to leave his vocation forever. He admit
ted that the countryside people were
friendly enough, but the Liverpool holi-
day eXcursi0nists guyed him unmerci-
fully, and the Douglas hotel landlords.
VINO had engaged him to unexpectedly
appear to tourists IN lonely g ems, were
not prompt about paying his contract
stipend OF SIX ShlIlIngs per week.
The EVIL eye" IS still possible to be
cast upon horses and cattle, and even
upon children in unfrequented places
where old superstiuons die hardest.
Fairies also work mischief in butter aud
who prepare and sell charms not only to
remedy but to ward of such ills. An but
the most ignorant OF ManXmen regard
fairy Doctors in a jOcose spirit if it's ex-
preston emanates from themselves. But
among the best there fingers genial toll
Grafton for all these olden Vagaries, and
should foreigner first offer the sceptical
allusion, the inherent stubborn resent
ment to iconOclasm would instantly find
expression i'll something like: law,
mon, safe sides no harms sides.'
Naturally among people where folk
lore largely takes the place of book lore
omens, portents and what might, with
much eXactitude, be called WITNESSES"
are exceedingly frequent among Manx-
men. The birds of the island and their
habits provide as many of these as among
their Irish neighbOrs with quicker inven-
ton and warmer fancy. A raven hover
ing near herd of cattle is an unwelcome
sign. The plant OF the linnet is assoc
ciaJed with the cry of a lost soul. When
the robin Will not sing in church-yard
trees the place is said to be haunted. A
line is still imposed III Man ii Il seagull
be killed during the fishing season, and
the feathers OF the poor wren, which is so
mercilessly hunted here on st. Stephens
day, are sold for tritling sums as charms.
There is throughout the island an ac-
tual dread regarding publicity of we'd
dings. Though all the neighbors may be
aware of little details leading up to the
ceremony, households directly interested
affect the greatest secrecy. Cooking for
the feast, dressing and the like, is often
done with closely-curtained windows at
night, and when all is ready the wedding
party will mount an open car and gallop
away to the nearest church in the gray of
morning as though all the witches were
after them. But the arrival of the Manx
baby brings host OF traditional supersti-
tons, safeguards and Ominous portents
into immediate acJiyity.
No one must step over it or walk en-
tirely around it, lest it becomes dwarfed
and weakened. Amulets of undyed
wooden cord are often worn around the
mothers neck until the babe is weaned
TO ward off fevers. Until baptism all
babes are quite at the mercy of the fair
les. The baby viii remain lucky through
life if IL first handles a spoon with its left
hand, but it will come to perfect estate if
it shall have repeated tumbles out OF its
mothers arms, its cradle or bed before it
has attained its first birthday.
One of the most winsome of half super
stitiOuS customs in Mainland is for the
family on stormy nights to retire to rest
AT very early hour so that the good
fairies may, unObserved, enter to find
shelter and repose. \ very ancient ira
dltlon that fairy, in the guise OF beau
titul woman, once bewitched host of the
best men Of the island and then led them
ali over cliff to their death in the sea.
prevails so unyieldingly to this day that
a ManX wife or sweetheart will on no oc-
casion precede her husband lest her char
acter for correct womanly attributes be
impugned. The same fairy which estab-
lished this custom is the one which, in its
efforts TO escape ManN vengeance, was
transformed into a wren and has ever
since, on St. Stephens Day, been hunted.
stripped Of its feathers and beaten to
death in countless numbers. The same
unaccountable mercilessness toward the