The record-union., 1899-08-21
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IBSCERJTELx PURE
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ton of the Western Islands of Scot
land (1I02), mentions the common
practice of carrying fires deisul, or sun
wise, around persons or property in
order to preserve them from the malig-
nant influence. For the same reason
boatmen rowed their boats round sun
wise before proceeding in the direct
course. To insure happiness in mar
riage the bride was conducted deisul
toward her future spouse, and it was in
the same manner that a corpse was
conveyed to the grave or funeral pyre.
In short, while this custom of deisul
endured among the Highlanders there
seem to have been few events in their
lives at which it was not performed
But the most common rite was that
whose object was to call down bless
ings upon an individual by making a
sunwise circuit around him. Scott af-
fords numerous instances in his novels.
Thus, he describes how the Highland
doctor came when Waverley had been
wounded: .He observed great cere-
mony in approaching Edward, and,
though our hero was writhing with
pain, would not proceed to any opera
ton which might assuage it until he
had perambulated his couch three
times, moving from east to west,
according to the course of the sun.
This, which was called making the
deisul' both the leech and his assist
ants seemed to consider as matter OF
the last Importance to the accomplish
ment of a cure" And in a note he
adds: ITO go round person in the op-
posite direction. or withershins, is un-
lucky, and a sort of incarnation"
SURVIvALS OF THE DEISUL.
Miss Constance T. Gordon Cumming,
in her book From the HeElides to the
Himalayas," has recorded some survi-
walls of the deisu1 rite even n our
times. One is at Inverness. A long
hill looking not unlike a boat turned
upside down and known as the Fairies
HILL was some years ago made into a
modern cemetery, with winding walks
leading to the graves. 1T 50 chanced
that the turn in the principal path
went sunwise but the portion of the
cemetery in which the poor were buried
could be reached by shorter cut. At
first this route was taken, but it was
observed that this path turned in the
opposite direction 10 what is sllnwise,
AID this raised such an outcry that the
pocr are now taken by the longer way
to saye them from the dire results of
being carried "withershins" to the
grave.
The bonfires which in many parts Of
Great Britain and The European con-
tineat are still lighted on ST. Johns
eve and other occasions furnish more
analo:,;e< 1t is frequently the custom
for the celebrants 70 dance around
them in sunwise direction. Blazing
torches, barrels or disks are carried
around a field or a town in similar
fashion in order to bless it and keep It
from harm during the ensuing season.
quaint survival in the very heart
of English civilization is that Of pass
ing the bottle sunwise' at table, which
is insisted upon by all good topers.
Perhaps another may be found in the
well-nigh universal gamblers habit of
turning chair or walking round it in
order to bring about a change of luck.
1t may be noted that this turning is al
WAYS SunWise In Ireland, when any
one falls, he springs up and turns
about three times to the right.-New
York Herald.