Golspie. Contributions to its Folk-lore by Anna and Bella Cumming,
Jane Stuart, Willie W. Munro, Andrew Gunn, Henri J. MacLean, and Minnie Sutherland (when Pupils of Golspie School). Collected and edited, with a Chapter on "The Place and its Peopling," by Edward W. B. Nicholson, M.A., Bodley's Librarian in the University of Oxford. With Illustrations, chiefly from Photographs by A. M. Dixon. (D. Nutt. 7s. 6d. net )— Daring a visit to Golspie, a village on the east coast of Sutherland, it occurred to Mr. Nicholson to offer prizes to the school children for essays on the folk-lore of the neighbour- hood, and the present volume is the result. It will probably appeal rather to those interested in the locality, and to specialists in folk-lore, than to the general public ; and the sections on superstitions, rimes (as our author spells the word), and games are among the most important. The illus- trations are very good, and consist of a map, local views, and antiquities. The philological notes will also be found interesting, and the author's suggestion that the word " Kelpie " may be derived from kelp is very ingenious, his idea being that floating seaweed, which is liable to entangle swimmers, and which we believe is actually called "Dead Men's Ropes" in some places, suggested the idea of the floating mane of a water-horse. On the other hand, we are surprised at the importance which he attaches to the red colour of rowan-berries and live coals in dis- solving witchcraft, apparently forgetting the magical properties always ascribed to the rowan-tree, and the purifying influence of fire. Many other details in the book might admit of comment or illustration, but could not be adequately discussed in a short notice like the present.
Previous page
