The dangers of collecting young gannets on the end of a rope on a sheer rockface, the dangers of the open sea in bad weather and of isolation from one’s fellows, all contribute to creating the ideal atmosphere of excitement, suspense, anticipation and high tension in this well-crafted supernatural tale. The story’s treatment of the supernatural shows the influence of Hogg, Scott and the ballads, and it stands well alongside some of Stevenson’s other atmospheric masterpieces, such as ‘Thrawn Janet’, ‘The Bottle Imp’, ‘The Body-Snatchers’, The Master of Ballantrae and Weir of Hermiston.
Stevenson was brought up in Edinburgh, attending the city’s Academy and University. He suffered much from ill-health, and as a boy was regularly sent to recuperate at North Berwick; so he knew the shoreline of East Lothian and its offshore islands very well. Indeed, the nearby island of Fidra is said to have been the model for his first novel, Treasure Island (1881), and he almost certainly also visited the Bass. His father or grandfather had built many of the lighthouses around this coast.
Betsy Whyte (1919–88)
Betsy Whyte was born at Blairgowrie into a family of travelling folk, and her classic autobiography The Yellow on the Broom (1979) and its sequel, Red Rowans and Wild Honey (1990), tells with clarity and freshness the story of her childhood and growing up in this culture, moving around the farms of Perthshire. She gave up the travelling life when she married and had her own family to raise, but she continued to narrate her travellers’ stories at readings and ceilidhs until the end of her life. She was also a regular contributor to Tocher magazine.
‘The Man in the Boat’ is a recording of an oral folk tale, as told by Betsy to students at the School of Scottish Studies, Edinburgh University, in 1981. The idea that everybody should be able to tell a story to help pass an idle hour may seem strange in an age of instant canned entertainment, but it is a very old one that crops up in many world literatures. An older and more traditional version of the same topic is ‘Why Everyone Should Be Able to Tell a Story’, by John Lorne Campbell of Canna, on pp. 209–10 of this collection.
puddock, frog.
won, dwell
gin, if
gloaming, evening light
maun, may
ae, one
laith, loath
sic, such
reive, steal
hie, speed
brake, hollow
opes, opens
sae, thus, so
sue, beg
Or, Ere
beal, fever
dander, stroll.
brownies, spirits who were on the whole friendly and domesticated. They were associated with farms and steadings, and in some areas the householder would leave some food or milk – or even clothes – for them in order to gain their protection.
knowe, hilltop.
a’, all
gowd, gold
gae, go
nane, none;
gaes, goes
wad, pledge, wager
kirtle, skirt
aboon, above
bree, brow
hie, go, speed
fand, found
pu’d, pulled
twa, two
a’, all
wand, baton (symbolizing rule)
nae, no
snooded, bound
Aince, Once;
amang, among
ony, any
spak, spoke;
auld, old
Haud, Hold
bairn, baby
nane, none
siller, silver
gowd, gold
bide, live
aince, once
wae, woe
snell, bitter cold
frae, from
tiend, tithe, fee
the night, tonight
the morn, tomorrow
ken, know
mirk, dark
maun bide, must wait
ken, know
unco, unfamiliar
syne, then
renoun, privilege
kaim’d, combed
thae’s, these are
esk, newt
sae, so
het, hot;
gaud, bar;
airn, iron
taen, taken
kend, known
een, eyes
tree, wood
ferlie, a strange sight
ilka tett, each tuft
siller, silver
lowted, bowed
Harp and carp, play and recite (as a minstrel)
weird, fate;
daunton, daunt
Syne, Thereupon, Then
maun, must
taen, taken
rade, rode
gaed, went
braid, broad
leven, lawn
gae, go
aboon, above
mirk, dark
stem, stars
pu’d, pulled
wad gie, would give
dought, could
tryst, market
gane, gone
Black Art, magic, the devil’s work. The devil was often referred to as ‘the black man’.
ceilidh, Gaelic name for a social gathering, often involving dance, music, songs, storytelling and other entertainment.
pappies, breasts.
claes, clothes.
pit a glamourie ower him, cast a spell over him.
kist, wooden chest, box.
hirples, hobbles, limps.
thrapple, throat.
chapman billies, tradesmen laddies
drouthy, thirsty
gate, road
nappy, ale
fou, mellow;
unco, very
slaps, gaps (in the hedges)
fand, found
skellum, rascal
blellum, noisy drunk
ilka melder, every meal-grinding
naig, horse;
ca’d, shod
fou, drunk
warlocks, wizards
mirk, dark
gars, makes;
greet, weep
bleezing, blazing
reaming swats, foaming new beer
Souter, Cobbler
thegither, together
rair, roar
lades, loads
maun, must
black arch, midnight
key-stane, centrepiece
sic, such
’twad it would have
Deil, Devil
skelpit, hurried;
dub, puddle
Whiles, Sometimes
bogles, goblins
houlets, owls
smoor’d, was smothered
birks, birches;
meikle stane, big stone
brak’s, broke his
bairn, child
abune, above
ilka bore, every chink
John Barleycorn, Whisky
tippenny, cheap (tuppenny) ale
usquabae, whisky (Gaelic)
swats… ream’d, beer so frothed
noddle, head
car’d… boddle, he didn’t care tuppence
vow, wow;
unco, extraordinary
Nae cotillion, brand-new dance step
A winnock-bunker, (On) a window-sill
towzie tyke, dishevelled beast
skirl, shrill
dirl, clatter
presses, cupboards
shaw’d, showed
cantraip, weird trick
haly, holy
airns, irons
span-lang, hand-long
rape, rope
stack, stuck;
heft, haft
cleekit, linked hands
carlin, witch;
reekit, steamed
coost, cast aside;
duddies, clothes
wark, work
linket, went arm in arm;
sark, vest
queans, young lasses
flannen, dirty flannel
seventeen-hunder, fine-woven
breeks, trousers
hurdies, buttocks
Rigwoodie, Wizened
wad spean, would wean
Lowping, Leaping
crummock, walking-stick
fu’ brawlie, quite well
winsome, pleasant
wawlie, nimble
core, corps (de danse)
kend, known
dead, death
meikle, much
bere, barley
cutty sark, short shift;
Paisley harn, coarse cloth
vauntie, proud (of it)
ken’d, knew
croft, bought
maun cour, must cover
lap, leapt;
flang, kicked
hotch’d, jerked
syne, then
tint…
theqither, altogether took leave of
bizz, bustle;
fyke, fuss
herds, herd-boys
byke, hive
pussie’s, the hare’s
eldritch, horrible
hollo, shout
fairin’, just deserts
herrin’, herring
key-stane, top or mid-stone
The fient…, Never a tail
ettle, effort
hale, whole
claught, clutched
soucht, sought.
chairge, custody.
kent the gate, knew the way.
solans, solan geese, gannets.
Forby, moreover, besides.
Tod, Fox (sometimes a nickname).
dwallin, dwelling.
lang loan, long street.
benorth, to the north of.
uncanny, eerie, creepy.
deevil’s cantrips, devil’s tricks. Folklore had it that the Devil tried to shipwreck Anne of Denmark here, as she sailed to Leith in 1589 after her marriage to King James VI of Scotland in Oslo.
mirkest, darkest.
kenned, knew.
on the sneck, unlatched, unlocked.
wabster, weaver.
but, kitchen.
creish, tallow-fat.
gart me scunner, made me sick.
cawed, pulled, moved.
steeket, stuck shut.
skirled, yelled.
deid lug, dead ear.
Nae mainner o service!, Nothing doing!
dowp, backside.
jimp, hardly.
blythe, happy.
fa’ into a bit dwam, fall into a bit of a daydream.
stamach, stomach.
crack, chat.
twined, parted.
brunt far, burnt for.
sinsyne, since then.
craigsman, rock climber.
speldering, sprawling.
craig face, rockface.
hieest and steighest, highest and steepest.
tenty, watchful, attentive.
mindin for, looking out for.
claught, dragged.
swat, sweat.
keeked, looked.
muckle, big.
pyking, pecking.
by-ordinar, extraordinary, unusual.
neb, beak, nose.
unco, (1) exceedingly, very; (2) strange, not right.
ae keek, one look.
wroucht, worked.
warstl’t, wrestled.
dementit, gone crazy.
brawly, well.
birzing, grinding.
crunkled, wrinkled.
gaed, went.
stend, thrill.
spried, spread.
straucht, straight.
een, eyes.
gart, made.
laigher, lower.
flegged, flew.
corp, body.
dadding, bouncing.
broucht, brought.
Rin, Run.
at ither, at each other.
whilly-wha, coax.
Sawtan, Satan.
ower muckle, too much.
won, reached.
speiring for, asking after.
ilka, each.
I kenna for that, I don’t know about that.
I wanted but to gang, I wanted only to go.
take, catch of fish.
quo, said, quoth.
yett, prison-gate.
press bed, box-bed.
crap, crept.
gless, telescope.
smack, small fishing boat.
crunkle, fold.
a wee below, just below.
chaipel, chapel.
aw by his lee lane, all by himself.
lowped, leapt.
flang, flung.
daft quean, silly lass.
waddin’, wedding.
warlock, male witch.
a wee thing set ajee, slightly disturbed.
bide, stay.
Thon, That.
crack, word, chat.
clum, climbed.
best of the employ, best of the action.
siller tester, silver sixpence.
leid draps, lead shot.
bogles, evil spirits.
ae, one.
wanchancy, dangerous, scary.
span like a teetotum, spun like a top.
skelloch, screech, cry.
elbock, elbow.
dinnling and stending, tingling and throbbing.
creishy, flabby.
fa’n, fallen.
duddy, ragged.
wrunkl’t, wrinkled.
forgie, forgive.
at the hinder end, in due course, later.
yirk, jerk.
that dispensation, that outcome.
grawn, adult, grown-up.
severals, several (people).
ae dreidfu’ skelloch, one dreadful shriek.
hinderlands, backside.
wab, web.
puddock, frog.
thole, tolerate.
braeside, hillside.
∗ ‘We drove our own cattle home, and perhaps some others that were not ours. And we took all the goods out of the hall at Hardriding, and a pretty load of tapestries, and rugs, and other things we have to show for our ride.’
speering, asking.
bogle, ghost, spectre.
Whuppity Stoorie, the name of a witch or bad fairy in Border folklore.
mavises, song-thrushes.
loon, rascal.
bannocks, oatcakes.
tint, lost.
Debatable Land, a no-man’s land at the head of the Solway Firth, between England and Scotland.
smoored, smothered.
pulses, lentils.
kin-cough, whooping cough.
ayont, beyond
sweir, scared
aa,
kelpie, water horse;
fit, foot, bottom
whiles, sometimes
gin, when;
na, no;
manes, moans
arn-tree, alder
licht, light
claes, clothes;
lugs, ears
nicht, night
fell, fierce, cruel
schule, school
daurna, dare not
fa’s, falls;
buss, bush
Martinmas, II November
crusie, oil-lamp
abune, above
douce, good, pleasant
fechtiní, fighting
dominie, teacher;
pawmies, canings
mony, many;
Sawbath, Sabbath
a’body, everybody
Dod, God
hae to gang, have to go
sic-like, suchlike
Afore, Before
guid, good;
couthie, biddable, agreeable
leein’, lying
ken, know
fowk maun dree, folk must dread
no like to shift, unlikely to move
Sae, So;
gin, if
deith, death
kye, cattle
breith, breath
oot-by, outs
ide
mind, remember;
lang, long
een, eyes
fleggit, terrified;
wean, child
whaup, curlew
dee, die
fitstep, footstep
airm, arm
a’thing, everything
blast, gale
dreid, dread;
daurna, dare not
shilpit, feeble, unreliable
fa‘in’, falling
all joco, all jovial (jocose) and pleased with oneself.
m’eudail, my dear (Gaelic, a term of endearment).
jinking, dodging, ducking.
eachd uisge, water horse (Gaelic). This was a beast with magic powers, a sprite or kelpie. Given the chance, kelpies were said to drag their victims under the water and drown them.
snood ribbon, worn by young, unmarried women, bound around the brow and tied at the back under the hair.
carriage and pair, carriage driven by two horses.
peat-hag, ledge of peat, cut for fuel (often from a bog).
Table of Contents
Cover
About the Editor
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Further Reading
Note on the Texts
Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales from Burns to Buchan
PART ONE: MAGIC LORE
THE MILK-WHITE DOO
Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales from Burns to Buchan (Penguin Classics) Page 23
