The Testimony of Tradition

by David MacRitchie

THE SKRÆLINGS.

There are many references to the North American Skrælings in Rafn's great work entitled "Antiquitates Americanæ: sive Scriptores Septentrionales Rerum Ante-Columbianarum in America," published under the auspices of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries (Copenhagen, 1837). This is a collection of the accounts in the old Northern chronicles, relating to the Northmen's (gamle Nordboers) voyages of discovery to America, between the tenth and fourteenth centuries. And from these accounts it is seen that the tribes then inhabiting the territories on either side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and as far south as Massachusetts, were the Skrælings; with whom the Northmen occasionally fought, and at other times traded, giving them pieces of red cloth in exchange for furs.

That the term by which they are chiefly known to modern writers was not the only one given to them by the Northmen is seen from a remark made by one of the chroniclers of Thorfinn Karlsefne, who states that "these people are called Lapps in some books (thær thjódhir kalla sumir bækr Lappa)."[340] On the other hand, the map of Olaus Magnus, referred to in the foregoing pages, shows that the northern corner of Norway was then inhabited by a race of Scric-Finni, "commonly called 'Screlings,'" who at least were the neighbours of Lapps.

In connection with the North American "Lapps" or "Skrælings," the editor of Antiquitates Americanæ supplies the following note (p. 45):—"Skrælingos appellatos autumat Bussæus ob humilem staturam; quam ob rem et interdum ab Islandis Smælíngjar (homunculi) audiunt. Hæc vero communis appellationis ratio vix esse potest. Arnas Magnæus in collectaneis ad novam editionem Schedarum Arii polyhistoris, vocem Skrælíngjar interpretatur errones, incertum qua ratione, cum ipse nullam attulerit. Suhmius (Kjöbenhavnske Selskabs Skrifter, VIII., pag. 81) eos ita propter vilem armaturam appellatos putat. Nonne potius nomen istud ob ora macilenta adepti sunt, ab at skræla, arefacere? Nota, Petrum Clausenium Undalinum, in descriptione Norvegiæ, ed. Hafn. 1632, pag. 375-6, hoc nomen scribere Skregklinge et Skreglinge, qs. a skrækja, clamare, ejulare, cfr. Partic. de Karlsefnio, cap. 10 infra."

Whatever may be the etymology of this word (which in some of its forms approaches the "Scric-Finni" of Norway), it is quite clear from the Antiquitates Americanæ that those tenth-century natives of what is now New England and New Brunswick strongly resembled the modern Eskimos. "Hæc descriptio Skrælingorum accurate quadrat in hodiernos Grænlandos sive Eskimoos," is the observation made by the editor (p. 149, n.) on a description of some of those people encountered by the Northmen. And, similarly, the note relative to their skin-canoes, or kayaks, is as follows:[341]—"húdhkeipr, species navigii, acatium coriaceum vel corio contextum, quo usi sunt indigenæ, ut etiamnunc Grænlandi ex genere Eskimoorum; itaque per carabum redditum, qui secundum Isidorum Hispal. in Orig. Libr. 19, cap. 1. est 'parva scapha ex vimine facta, qui contexta crudo corio genus navigii præbet.'—Vocem illustrat vir doctissimus Gunnar Pauli, f. in annotationibus, insertis indici vocum Orkneyinga sagæ: 'Húdhkeipr, navis sutilis, vel, si mavis, corio obducta vel circumdata. Nam phocarum ad hunc usum pelles adhibere Grænlandos notum est, quorum naves húdhkeipar nostratibus olim sunt appellatæ.'"

In these references there is much that is suggestive. One would like to know the occasions on which the Latin term "acatium" was used; and also the circumstances which induced an editor of the Orkneyinga Saga to enlarge upon the appearance of the húdhkeipr. Taken in connection with the existence of kayak-using Finnmen, in the Orkney Isles, less than two centuries ago, this latter allusion is very striking. Similarly, an explanation of the term "Skregklinge" or "Skreglinge," occurring in a description of Norway, of the year 1632 (above referred to), arouses equal interest in that work.

That the Skrælings, wherever situated, were "pigmies," is evident from the testimony of Olaus Magnus,—and the accounts of the eleventh-century Northmen fully corroborate this. One of their references is as follows: "They were small, ugly men, with horrible heads of hair, great eyes, and broad cheek-bones: (Their voru smáir menn ok illiligir, ok íllt höfdhu their hár á höfdhi, eygdhir voru their mjök ok breidhir í kinnunum)."[342] Another description occurs in the Saga of Thorfinn Karlsefne which relates how, in the year 1011 A.D. (three years after his first encounter with the American Skrælings), he and his people arrived at Markland,—a country identified with the modern New Brunswick and other lands lying round the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Here they encountered five Skrælings, one man, two women and two boys: ("... ok funnu thar Skrælingja 5, ok var einn skeggiadhr; konur voru 2, ok börn tvö;" in which passage it may be noted that the man was distinguished by the term "bearded,"—skeggjadhr). They captured the two boys, "but the others escaped, and sank beneath the ground:" ("Verosimile est, Skrælingos in cavernas subterraneas se abdidisse," is the explanation given by the commentator in Antiquitates Americanæ).[343] Karlsefne's people took the boys away with them, had them baptized, and taught them Icelandic. These stated that their father and mother (no doubt, the "bearded one" and one of the two women, then lamenting them in their underground dwelling) were respectively named Uvæge and Vethillde;[344] and that their people had no houses, but lived in dens and caves: ("í hellum edha holum"). The country of the Skrælings, they said, was governed by two kings or chiefs, one named Avalldamon (or Avalldumon) and the other Valldidida."

It will be seen from these references that although those Skrælings of nine centuries ago are rightly regarded as probable progenitors of modern Eskimos, there were some differences between the two. The term "shaggy" or "bearded," used to distinguish the man from his two female companions, certainly does not indicate that the latter were themselves hirsute. But the previous reference to the "ugly" or "horrible" heads of hair, and the description of their eyes as very large, are two points that seem to denote a race not wholly identical with modern Eskimos. Moreover, the rapid disappearance of the adults underground, on the occasion when the two boys were captured, is more suggestive of the dwarfs of tradition (such as those who similarly escaped from Suafurlami when he attempted to smite them with his magic sword) than of the Greenlanders of to-day.

Although the accounts of the two boy prisoners might be held to denote that the manners they described were new to the Northmen, yet an incident of earlier date shows clearly that the latter quite understood the subterranean ideas of those North American "Lapps." The incident referred to is this: In the year 1004, Thorwald Ericson and his followers had surprised a small party of nine Skrælings at the entrance to Plymouth Harbour, on the coast of Massachusetts,[345] and of these they killed eight. The ninth sped away in his skin-canoe to the inner end of the bay, out of which there presently emerged an infuriated swarm of kayakkers. But before they appeared, the Northmen had had time to note a group of "hillocks" on the beach (apparently on the interior curve of the promontory terminating in the modern "Gurnet Point,") and these "hillocks" they assumed to be the abodes of the Skrælings.[346] This was seven years before the capture of the boys by Karlsefne's party, and the inference clearly is that they were accustomed to regard kayak-using dwarfs as mound-dwellers. Indeed, the very fact that they styled the natives "Lapps" and "goblins,"[347] as well as Skrælings, shows that they regarded them as belonging to the same race as similar people well known to them in Europe.

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INDEX.

Aagerup, Denmark:
reputed chambered mound near, [155].
Aberfoyle, Perthshire:
reputed chambered hill at, [152]-[3].
Abernethy, Perthshire:
Round Tower of, said to have been built by Pechts, [67], [86].
A. district a former territory of the Pechts, [150].
Ainos:
A dwarfish race, [165];
their past history, [165]-[6];
their characteristic hairiness, [166]-[172];
their platycnemism, [176];
their speed, [177];
their "short, screeching" cry, [168];
A's. make use of reindeer, moccasins, "skies," and harpoons, all of which show affinity of custom, if not of blood, with Eskimo families, [169]-[171].
Alaskan, or Aleutian Eskimos, [9]n, [22].
All-Hallows. (See [Hallowmas].)
Almhain or Allen, Hill of, Kildare:
Fin's dwelling at, [56].
Almhain or Almond, Glen, West Perthshire:
resort of Fians, [77].
Ardmore, Waterford:
Round Tower of, said to have been built in the manner ascribed to the Pechts, [71]n.
Argyleshire. (See under [Mounds].)
Arthur, and "primitive Britons" or "Pechts," [142]-[3]n.
Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, [143]n.
Aschberg, Casterlé, province of Antwerp.
A reputed chambered mound, [86]-[7], [155].
Ashbury, Berkshire. A chambered mound, [132]n.
Auxcriniers of Guernsey tradition, [16], [178].
Baile Thangasdail, Island of Barra:
story of a chambered mound near, [82]n, [115].
Ballindalloch (near), Banffshire:
reputed chambered mound, [117].
Beelsby, Lincolnshire:
tradition of dwarfs wearing red caps, [107]n.
Beltin.
A Fian date, [94].
A Fairy date, [98].
Ben-cnock, Islay:
reputed chambered mound, [114].
Ben Muich Dhui, Aberdeenshire:
Dwarfs of, [97].
Bergen, Norway:
a celebrated resort of the Shetland Finns, [5], [13]:
suzerainty of B. over N.E. Scotland, [37].
The Strils of B., [7]n.
Bissau, Aberdeenshire:
reputed chambered mound, [117].
Blackwater, Leinster, [92].
Blackwater, Munster, [92], [127].
Blackwater, East Perthshire, [94]-[5].
Blackwater, West Perthshire, [152].
Bolg. (See [Fir-Bolg].)
Braderup, Sylt:
the Pukthal at, [87].
Brechin, Forfarshire:
Round Tower at B. said to have been built by the Pechts, [72].
Brittany:
church in B. said to have been built by Fairies, [85]-[6];
Feins or Fions of B., [85].
Broch, Brog, etc., [43]n, [61], [77]-[79].
Broch of Coldoch, Perthshire:
a chambered mound, [119], [149]-[151], [153].
Brownies, [80], [141]-[2], [158]-[164]. (See also [Fairies], etc.)
Brugh of the Boyne, County Meath, [84], [111], [119]-[133], [153].
Bugle, Buffalo, or Urus, [80]-[81]n, [95].
Buildings said to have been reared in a single night:
Abernethy Tower, [85]-[6];
Chapels in Brittany, [85];
Castle of the Gypnissen, [86].
Burray, Orkney. Finnman's boat once preserved there, [6].
All trace of it now lost, [17]n.
Canoe. (See [Skin-Boat].)
"Dug-out," [31].
Cassiterides. (See [Oestrymnic Isles].)
Cater Thun, Forfarshire:
said to be Pictish, [73], [76], [86], [99];
alleged to have been built by a witch, and inhabited by Fairies, [99]-[100]:
a kettle of gold believed to be hidden there, [150]n.
Cathair Mhor } Gairloch, Ross-shire: fairy residences, [118].
Cathair Bheag }
"Catrail" in S. of Scotland, said to have been built by Pechts, [67].
Cave-Men:
in Uist, Hebrides, during 17th century, [29].
"Cavern" at Yester, or Gifford, East Lothian, [143].
Chambered Mounds. (See [Mounds].)
Chessmen of Walrus Ivory, found in Hebrides, [32], [158]n.
Clunie, Perthshire, Castle Hill of:
reputed chambered mound, [145]-[146].
Clydesdale.
Pecht's house in C., [66];
Glasgow cathedral said to have been built by Pechts, [72];
traditional description of dwarfs of C., [97].
Cnock-doun, Islay:
reputed chambered mound, [114].
Cnoc Fraing, Inverness-shire:
a home of fairies, [146].
Coir-nan-Uruisgean, Perthshire, [151]-[152].
Coldoch broch, Perthshire, [119], [149]-[151], [153].
Colonsay, island of:
Macphail of C. and his (?) Finn lover, [15]-[16];
tradition of dwarfs living in C., [147];
Sithean Mor and Sithean Beag, [147].
Connaught, Fians of, [76], [93].
Corryvreckan, Argyleshire:
The (?) Finn woman of C. and her Colonsay lover, [15]-[16].
Corstorphine Church, near Edinburgh;
said to have been built by the "Hottentots," [70]-[71].
Craig Patrick, Inverness-shire, [149].
Craig y Ddinas, Glamorganshire, [143]n.
Crocan Corr, Kilbrandon, Argyleshire:
reputed chambered mound, [114].
Cromar, Aberdeenshire;
underground gallery at, [101].
Crown, Inverness, [149]n.
Cruachan rath:
re-built by a servile race, [68]n, [125]n, [136], [152]n;
"a party of smiths at work" in its interior, [136].
Cruithne. (See also [Picts], etc.)
Were pre-Milesian, [51].
Were connected with the "Lochlin" territory, [51].
Their connection with Feens and Fairies, [128]-[9].
Cuailgne: Fin's fort on, [75]-[76].
"Cyclopean" character of Pictish buildings, [73].
Dananns (Tuatha De Danann):
classed with the Cruithne as of Continental origin, and "pre-Milesian" in settling in British Isles; and consequently to be classed with the Fians, [51].
Known also as the Fir Sidhe or Fairies, [126];
account of their rivalry with the Milesians, [124]-[127];
description of the dwelling assigned to the King of the Dananns, [120]-[130] and [Appendix A].
Danes;
their ravages in the Boyne Valley in 861, when they plundered the underground chambers of the "Fians and Fairies," [81]-[84].
Danish ballad of dwarfs and colonists, [105]-[6].
Dartmoor;
its gubbins and pixies, [161]-[2].
Davis Straits.
Conjectured by some to be the home of the Orkney Finnmen, [7].
Eskimo of D. S. at Leith in 1816, [8], [12].
Deer. (See also [Reindeer] and [Elk].)
Hunted in Glenshee, East Perthshire, by the Fians, [94]-[5];
"great-beamed" D., [95];
D. milked and used as beasts of burthen, [96].
Denghoog:
chambered mound in Sylt, [87], [112]-[113], [122].
Denmark. (See also [Lochlin].)
Eckwadt church said to have been built by a "hill-man," [85]-[86]n.
(See also ["Mounds reputed to be chambered."])
Devonshire, [161]-[2].
Digh;
an equivalent for sithean, [79]n.
Donegal.
Skin-boats used by natives of "The Rosses," [18];
Finn Town, D., [23].
Doon, or Doo'n, of Aberfoyle, [152]-[154].
Doon of Menteith, [144].
Doon of Rothiemurchus, [144]-[145].
Dornoch Firth:
Fairies ferried themselves across D. F. in "cockle-shells," [17], [22].
Dowth, or Dubath; chambered mound, [84], [111], [119], [132]-[3], [137].
Drinnich, or Trinnich, a Gaelic term applied to the Picts, signifying "labourers," [71]-[72].
Drudges.
Cruachan rath re-built by an enslaved race, [68]n, [125]n, [136], [152]n.
Similar references, [68]-[74], [151]-[2].
Gypnissen, [86].
Druids, [125]-[127].
Dunnan, in Galloway;
a fairy fort, [99].
Dunstanborough Castle, Northumberland, said to have been built by the Picts, [67].
Dwarfs. (See also [Pechts or Picts].)
D's of Shetland tradition, otherwise Finns, [56]; also [59].
D's of Scottish tradition generally, otherwise Pechts, [58]-[60];
D's of Highland tradition, [57], [97];
D's of Clydesdale, [97].
D's of Northumberland, [67], [80], [86], [99].
D's of Yorkshire, [100].
D's of Lincolnshire, [107]n.
D's of Wales, [160]-[2].
D's of Cornwall, [162].
D's of Devon, [161]-[2].
Fin of the Fians a D., [55]-[56].
D's of Brittany (Fions, etc.), [85].
D's of Antwerp, [86]-[87].
D's of the Netherlands, [86].
D's of Denmark and Danish tradition, [85]-[86]n, [105]-[106].
D's of Sylt, [87], [112]-[113].
D's of Scandinavia, [91].
D's of Germany, [163]-[4], [172]-[3].
D's of Greenland and North America, [63].
D's of Japan, [157], [165] et seq.
D's of Africa, [157].
Great bodily strength ascribed to the Scotch Pechts, [72]-[73];
to the Northumbrian Picts, [67], [73]-[4];
to the dwarfs of Tienen, in the Netherlands, [86].
D's at war with each other, and with men, [94]n.
Green the colour of the D's, [97].
Tribute exacted by the D's, [97].
Magic of the D's, [106].
Hidden treasures of the D's, [107]n, [129]n, [150]n.
D's as serfs or drudges, [151]-[2].
D's in one aspect civilized, in another savage, [156]-[7].
Hairiness of skin of D's, [157]-[164], [169]n.
Eamhain, or Eamhna, [49], [133]-[4].
Eckwadt, Denmark;
residence of a "hill-man" near, [85]n.
Eday, Orkney:
Finnman seen there in 1682, [5].
Edinburgh.
Finnman's skiff preserved there [6];
Corstorphine church said to have been built by the "Hottentots," [70]-[71];
Pecht lands near E., [68]-[71];
King Arthur and the Pechts believed to have entered a subterranean chamber at Arthur's Seat, [143]n.

Eilean Suthainn, Loch Maree;
a fairy resort, [118].
Elk.
Hunted in East Perthshire by the Fians, [94]-[95];
horns of E. found there, [95];
lon-dubh="black elk," [95].
Erribol, Sutherlandshire:
Weem, Pecht's House, or Fairy Hall at, [101].
Eskimos.
Compared with Shetland Finns, [7]-[8];
with Pechts, [53], [77]-[78];
with Finns and Lapps, [53];
with "Skraelings," [Appendix B];
with Ainos, [169]-[171].
E. or Skraeling chambered mounds in Greenland, Labrador, and Massachusetts, [62]-[4], [77]-[78], [155], and [Appendix B].
Kayaks:
their speed, [8];
feat of oversetting kayak, [12].
Kayakker, at some distance, resembles triton or mer-man, [13].
Open skin-boats of E., [22].
Dwarfish stature of E., [63].
E's of Alaska, [9]n, of Greenland, [12]-[13]n, [53], [62]-[4], [142]n.
E. magicians believe they can control the winds, [53], [63].
An E. type in modern Britain, [37]-[8].
Eu, island, Ross-shire;
a haunt of 17th c. "pirates," [29].
Evie, Orkney:
reputed chambered mounds at, [111]n.
Fairies. (See [Dananns], [Fians], [Pechts], [Dwarfs], &c.)
F's inhabited the bruth, sith-bhrugh or sheean, otherwise the "Pecht's house," [79].
F's associated with Pechts, [80];
with Fians, [81]-[84];
with Fions, [85].
As Dananns (q. v.), F's associated with Cruithne, [51], [127]-[129].
Builders of a church in Brittany in circumstances suggestive of the Pechts, [85].
Inhabitants of the White Cater Thun, an alleged stronghold of the Pechts, [99]-[100].
"Dancing and making merry" in the Orkneys, c. 1700 (cf. [Shetland Finns], [3], [14], [111]n.
Frequently seen at Fitty Hill, Westray, at same period, [33].
"Fairy Ha'" in Shetland, [104].
"In armour" in Orkney, [14];
at war with each other in Ireland, [93].
Tithes due to F., [97].
"Good" F's of christenings, etc., [91]-[2];
"Christian" F's, [85].
F's of Clydesdale, [97].
F's as serfs or drudges, [151]-[2].
Fairy Knowe of Aberfoyle, [152]-[4].
Fairy Knowe beside Broch of Coldoch (itself a çi-devant Fairy Knowe), [119], [149], [151].
Fearna, Weem of, [136]-[7].
Fens Fiord, Bergen, [7]n.
Fians, or Feens, or Feinne of Gaelic lore:
The Land of the F's, [45].
The Well of the F's, [43].
The Hillock of the F's, [130].
Other F. localities, [46], [49], [51], [52].
Dr. Skene's belief as to the historical position of the F's, [46].
F's preceded the Milesians in Ireland, [46], [51].
F. Confederacy not restricted to Ireland, but included the following divisions:—
F's of England and Wales; of Northern and Central Scotland; and of Lochlin, understood to be the Rhine-Elbe region, [47]-[51].
Irish F's divisible into:—
F's of Connaught and West; F's of Leinster; and F's of Eastern Ulster, [76], [93].
F's referred to in Scotland in Perthshire (Glenlyon, Glenal-main-with-Glenshee, and Glenshee or Blackwater) [77], [94]-[95].
Outer Hebrides and part of West Highlands specially the Land of the F., [45].
(?) Referred to in Ayrshire, [85].
F's exacted tribute from Irish kings, [47].
Their ancient rights of hunting and of free-quarters, [94].
Overthrow of F's at Battle of Gawra, [47].
Vanished glory of the F's, [75]-[76], [130].
Fin, their chief, court dwarf to the king of the "big men," [56].
F's as the drudges and serfs of another race, [75].
F's inhabited "Pechts' houses," [76]-[77].
F's as builders of stone forts, [75]-[76].
F's regarded as dwarfs, [65].
F's associated with Dananns, Fir Sidhe, or Fairies, [51], [81]-[84].
F's regarded as Cruithne or Picts, [51]-[2], [54].
Their assumed identity with historical and traditional Finns, [44]-[50], [54]-[5], [65].
Their magic identified with that of the Finns, [54].
Their "great-antlered deer," [95].
Their darts, [54]-[5].
Their swiftness of foot, [177].
A descendant of the F., [44].
Fierna, or Fierin, King of the Sidhfir of Munster, [93], [127].
His "hillock" near Limerick, [93], [145].
Fin, Finn, or Fionn, a chief of the Feens of Gaelic tradition:
Grandson of a Finland woman, [49]-[50].
Described as going in his skin-boat to the Kingdom of the Big
Men, where he became the court dwarf, [55]-[6].
A dwarf in a Scotch poem of ante 1600, styled a grandson of F., [65].
His stone fort on Cuailgne, [75]-[6], [93].
His "castles" in Glenlyon, Perthshire, [77].
Finland.
Alleged to be the home of the Orkney Finnmen [(6)], of the grandmother of "Fin" [(49)]-[(50)], of the Fomorians [(50)]n.
Finn, a chief of the dwarfs of Sylt tradition, [87], [112]-[113].
Chambered mound of Denghoog said to have been his dwelling, [87], [112]-[113].
Finnmen of Orkney:
Used to fish in Orkney waters in 17th century, [5]-[6].
Their seal-skin boats described, [6].
The great speed of these skin-boats, [5]-[6].
Specimens of their boats at Burray and Edinburgh, [6], [10], [11]n, [17]n.
F's said to have come from Finland, [6].
Regarded as "barbarous men" by Edinburgh physicians of 1696, [10], [30]-[31].
"The Dart he makes use of for killing fish," [6].
Finns of Shetland tradition:
Their "sea-skins or seal-skins," [1].
The great speed of these "skins," [4]-[5].
F's said to have come from Norway, and also from "Shool Skerry," [2]-[4].
Sea-rovers or pirates, [3], [34]-[35].
Magicians, soothsayers, and doctors, [1]-[5].
Inter-married with Shetlanders, [1]-[4], [34]-[35].
Descendants of such marriages "lucky," and proud of their descent, [1], [2], [5].
Cattle of the F's, [4].
F's regarded as dwarfs, [56], [92].

Dancing on the sands "every ninth night," [3] (cf. [Fairies], [14], [111]n.)
Identified with Feens, [43]-[44], [54], [65].
Finns and Lapps:
Their territory formerly greater than now, [35].
Inter-marriages with non-Finnish races, [39]-[42].
A semi-Finn lord of Orkney, [40]-[41].
F. or L. type in modern Britain, [37]-[38].
F's of Lofoten neighbourhood in 12th century, [21], [39].
Boats made by them, [21].
Skiffs of modern L's, [22]n.
Swedish-F. settlement in Pennsylvania, U.S. in 17th century, [36]-[37].
"Lapp" natives of North America in 10th century, [Appendix B].
F's or L's as magicians, "selling winds," etc., [16], [41], [53], [91]-[92].
Identified with Fairies, [96]-[97];
with Feens, [50];
with Dwarfs, [129]n and [Appendix B].
Fions, etc. on the Continent:
Fions of Brittany (dwarfs who lived with the fairies), [85].
Feins, [85]n.
Fir-Bolg, or Firbolgs.
Cruachan rath re-built by a race of F., [68]n, [125]n, [136], [152]n.
Fitty Hill, Westray. (See [Westray].)
Forteviot, Perthshire, [69].
Forth, River.
Chambered mounds of Forth valley, ascertained and reputed, [114], [119], [151]-[154].
Gabhra, or Gawra, Battle of, [47]-[50].
Gaels. (See [Milesians].)
Gairloch, Ross-shire.
Tombuidhe Ghearrloch, [112];
Big and Little "Cathairs" of G., [118];
Sitheanan Dubha, [118].
Galloway:
probable Finns in G., [25];
Picts commonly called "Galloway-men," [69]-[70]n;
last stronghold of Picts in G., [99];
stronghold of Fairies in G., [99].
Garbhcrioch:
translated as "the rough bounds," and defined as the country between Loch Linnhe and the Hebrides, formed a portion of the "Land of the Feens," [45].
Called also Garbh-chnochan, [118].
Germany. (See under [Lochlin].)
Gillesbierg, Denmark: reputed chambered mound, [155]n.
Glac-an-t-Shithein, Nether Lochaber, [147]n.
Glasgow Cathedral, said to have been built by the Pechts, [72].
Glenlyon, Perthshire, a home of the Feens, [77].
Glen Odhar, Sutherlandshire:
its fairy herds believed to have been reindeer, [97].
Glenshee and Glen Almain, West Perthshire, a home of the Feens, [77].
Glenshee, East Perthshire, a favourite hunting-ground of the Feens, [94].
Glen-na-Shirich, Nether Lochaber, a glen of the Fairies, [147]n.
Gobban, Goblin, Gubbin, etc., [113], [144]n, [162]n.
Gobban Saor (The Noble Smith), [84], [132]-[3];
his chambered mound, [132].
Goblin Hall, East Lothian, [143].
Goblin Knowe (Cnoc nam Bocan), Perthshire, [151]-[152].
Goblins of Greenland, [144]n.
Gowanree.
An enslaved tribe of Firbolgic origin, [68]n, [125]n, [136], [152]n.
Green, the colour of the Fairies or Dwarfs, [97];
of the Feens, [97]-[8];
of the Pechts, [99].
Gruids, near Lairg, Sutherlandshire;
reputed chambered mound at, [116]-[117].
Gruinard, Ross-shire:
resort of 17th-century pirates, [30].
Gubbins of Dartmoor, [161]-[2];
their swiftness of foot, [177].
Gultebierg, Denmark:
a reputed chambered mound, [155]n.
Gurnett Point, Massachusetts:
reputed chambered mound near, [Appendix B].
Gwylliaid Cochion Mowddwy, an underground race in Wales, [160]-[1];
"their swiftness and agility," [177].
Gypnissen, or Dwarf-women of the Netherlands, [86].
Hadeland, Norway, ruled by a semi-Finn, [40]-[42].
Hadrian's Wall said to have been built by the Picts, [67].
Hairy Men. (See [Shaggy Men], [Ainos], etc.)
Halfdan Haleg, a semi-Finn noble:
was lord of Orkney for some months: slain at North Ronaldshay, [40]-[41].
Hallowmas.
A Feen date, [94].
A Fairy date, [98].
Hebrides:
Outer H. regarded as part of the "Land of the Feens," [45].
Some parts of H. thickly wooded in 16th century, [105]n.
Raids made by Lewismen on Orkney and Shetland in 15th century, [33]-[35].
Certain Hebrideans not properly subjects of British monarch in 1608, [26]-[32].
Some of the Hebrideans styled "savages" by James I. [28], and by Skyemen [29];
and these, or others, referred to as "robbers" or "pirates" by a 17th-century writer [29]-[30].
Chessmen of walrus ivory found in H., [32], [158]n.
Wigwams of Jura islanders in 1772, [24].
"The Harrisian physiognomy" and stature, [24].
Hill-men, how-folk, bergmannetjes, hog-boys, shag-boys, etc., [85]n, [107], [111]-[113].
"Hottentot," builders of Corstorphine church, [70].
Iberians:
used skin-boats, [19]-[20];
Iberian type in modern Britain, [38].
Inverness, [146]-[149].
Jura, island of; wigwams of islanders, [24].
Kaempe Viser, [105].
Kayaks. (See [Skin-boats].)
Kempies or Champions, [43].
Kenilworth, Warwickshire;
underground dwarfs of, [142]-[3].
Kettlester, Shetland;
remembered as a dwarf abode, [59].
Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire;
group of Weems, Pechts' Houses, or Fairy Halls at K., [101].
Kirkcudbright:
"in terra Pictorum," [69]n.
(See also [Galloway].)
Knowth (Cnoghbha), County Meath;
chambered mound, [84], [132]-[4], [137], [140], [151]n.
Kundebye, Denmark;
reputed chambered mound at, [155]n.
Lapps. (See [Finns and Lapps].)
Leinster:
Feens of, [81]-[2];
Fairies of, [81]-[2], [92].
Leum-an-t'-Shithiche, [147]n.
Limerick:
Knockfierin, [93], [145].
Lincolnshire;
shag-boys, fairies and red-caps in, [107]n.
Lochlin or Lochlan;
believed to denote the territory between the Rhine and the Elbe, but also applied to Scandinavia, [49].
Lofoten;
Finns or Lapps of L. neighbourhood in 12th century, [21], [39].
Maes-how, Orkney. (See [Mounds].)
Magic:
of the Shetland Finns, [1]-[5], [14];
of the Norwegian Finns or Lapps, [16], [41], [53];
of Manx women, [16];
of Picts, [53];
of Eskimos, [53], [63];
of traditional dwarfs, [91], [106].
Man, Isle of:
Inter-marriages of land-folk and sea-folk, [15];
witches selling winds to sailors, [16];
traditional description of departure of fairies, [17].
Mandans of Upper Missouri;
skin-boats of, [18].
Mangelbierg, Denmark. (See [Mounds].)
Mer-men and Mer-women. (See [Sea-Folk.])
Migvie, Aberdeenshire;
Weem, Pecht's House, or Fairy Hall at, [101].
Milesians:
A name given to the Gaelic-speaking race, [46], [51];
conquered the "Cruithne" or "Pechts" of Scotland in the ninth century, [51];
conquered the "Dananns" of Ireland at an earlier period, as described in tradition, [125]-[126];
the possession of a dwarf restricted in Ireland and Gaelic-Scotland to families of Milesian descent, [141]-[142], [144].
Mounds.
Chambered M's of the Pechts described, [61]-[2], [64];
of the Eskimos, [62]-[3];
of both, [77]-[8].
The sithean, sithbhrog, etc., [78]-[79].
The "Pelasgic arch" of the chambered mound, [62], [78]n.
Mounds ascertained to be chambered:
Brugh of the Boyne, county Meath, [84], [111], [119]-[133], [153].
Dowth mound, County Meath, [84], [111], [119], [132]-[3], [137].
Maes-how, Orkney, [106]-[110], [113], [114], [121], [153].
Mound on Wideford Hill, Orkney, [62].
Coldoch "broch," Perthshire, [119], [149]-[151], [153].
Ashbury, Berkshire, [132]n.
Denghoog, Sylt, [87], [112]-[113], [122].
Eskimo Mounds in Labrador and Greenland, [62]-[4], [155].
Mycenæ "treasure house," [153].
Mounds reputed to be chambered:
In the British Isles:—
"Some small hillocks" in Evie, Orkney, [111]n.
"Tomhan" near Lairg, Sutherlandshire, [116]-[117].
Tombuidhe Ghearrloch, Ross-shire, [112], [114].
Sitheanan Dubha, Gairloch, Ross-shire, [118].
Specimens of the "Cathair Mhor" and the "Cathair Bheag" in the district of Gairloch, Ross-shire, [118].
Tomnahurich, Inverness-shire, [146]-[149], [153].
Cnoc Fraing, Inverness-shire, (? "mountain"), [146].
Shiathan Mor, Inverness-shire, (? "mountain"), [146].
Doon of Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire, [144]-[5].
Sithean in Corrie-Vinnean, Nether Lochaber, [118].
Sithean Mor and Sithean Beag, in Nether Lochaber, Inverness-shire, [147].
"Tulman" near Baile Thangasdail, Barra, Inverness-shire, [115].
At Ballindalloch, Banffshire, [117].
Bissau, Aberdeenshire, [117].
Sithean Mor and Sithean Beag, in island of Colonsay, Argyleshire, [147].
"Digh" at Borra-cheill, in island of Islay, Argyleshire (? the "Digh mhòr Thallanta" of McAlpine's Dictionary), [79]n.
Ben-cnock, island of Islay, Argyleshire, [114].
Cnock-doun, (?) island of Islay, Argyleshire, [114].
Crocan Corr, Kilbrandon, Lorn, Argyleshire, [114].
"Hill" at Muckairn, Argyleshire, [114].
"Fairy Knowe" or "Doon" of Aberfoyle, Perthshire, [152]-[154].
"Goblin Knowe" (Cnoc nam Bocan), Menteith, Perthshire, [151].
"Fairy Knowe" beside Broch of Coldoch, Perthshire, [119], [149], [151].
Ternavie, Perthshire, [150]-[151].
"Castle Hill" at Clunie, Perthshire, [145]-[146].
Kenilworth, Warwickshire, [142]-[143].
Knowth (Cnoghbha), County Meath, [132]-[140], [151]n.
Sidh Nectain, or Hill of Carbury, (? its summit), W. Meath, [84]n.
Knockfierin, County Limerick, [93], [145].
In Denmark:—
Mangelbierg, Hirschholm, Hösterkiöb Mark, [155]n.
Gillesbierg, Hirschholm, Hösterkiöb Mark, [155]n.
Wheel-hill, Gudmandstrup, Lordship of Odd, [155]n.
Steensbierg, Ouröe, Joegerspriis, [155]n.
Kundebye, Holbeck, [155]n.
Gultebierg, [155]n.
Söbierg, [155]n.
Mound (or underground gallery) between Aagerup and Mamp, [155]n.
The residence of a certain "hill-man" near Eckwadt, [85]n.
In Belgium:—
Aschberg, Casterlé, province of Antwerp, [86]-[7], [155]n.
In North America:—
Group of "hillocks" situated, it is believed, on the northern side of Plymouth Harbour, assumed to be the residences of tenth-century "Skraelings" or "Lapps" of America, [Appendix B].
Mounds, and other localities, referred to as homes or resorts of dwarfs, fairies, Feens, gubbins, etc.:—
Norwick, Shetland, [103]-[4].
Unst, Shetland, [106].
Villenshaw, (?) Orkney, [105], [116].
Eilean Suthainn, Loch Maree, [118].
Tobar na Feinne, [43].
Tobar an t' Shithein, Nether Lochaber, [147]n.
Glac an t' Shithein, Nether Lochaber, [147]n.
Leum an t' Shithiche, Nether Lochaber, [147]n.
Glen-na-Shirich, Nether Lochaber, [147]n.
Ruadh na Sirach, Kerrera, [147]n.
White Cater Thun, Forfarshire, [99], [150]n.
Abernethy, Perthshire, [150].
Glenshee (2) and Glen Almond, Perthshire, [77], [94]-[5].
Coir-nan-Uruisgean, Perthshire, [151]-[2].
"Cavern" at Yester, [143].
Hill-country of Galloway, [115]-[6].
Thorpe, Lincolnshire, [107]n.
Beelsby, Lincolnshire, [107]n.
Mowddwy, Merionethshire, [160]-[1].
Craig y Ddinas, Glamorganshire, [143]n.
Nympton, Devonshire, [162].
Dartmore, Devonshire, [162].
Penzance, Cornwall, [162]n.
Sith Eamhna, Armagh, [133]-[4].
Cruachan rath, Connaught, [68]n, [125]n, [136], [152]n.
Tienen, The Netherlands, [86].
(See also ["Underground Galleries."])
Mulgrave Castle, Yorkshire, [86], [100].
Munster. Fairies of M., [93].
Netherlands. Resemblance of Tienen dwarfs to Scotch and Northumbrian Picts, [86].
Nine.
Shetland Finns held festival every ninth night, [3].
"Nine men" apparently the smallest division of a Feenian army, [48].
Norns identified with dwarfs, [91].
Northumberland.
Traditional ideas regarding the Picts, [67], [157].
Norway.
Finns from N., [2]-[5];
Annual of N., [37];
Lofoten Finns, [21], [39];
Ringerike, Hadeland, and Thoten governed by semi-Finns, [40]-[42].
Oestrymnic Isles; skin-boats used by natives of, [19]-[20].
Oisin, [75]-[77].
Orkney.
Picts were early inhabitants of O., [104];
O. governed by a semi-Finn in tenth century, [41].
(See also [Burray], [Eday], [Evie], [Finnmen], [Maes-how], [Ronaldshay], [Stronsay], [Westray].)
Oscar of Emhain, [49].
Pabbay, Hebrides, a haunt of 17th-century pirates, [29].
"Pelasgic arch" of chambered mound, [62], [78]n, [103], [110]-[111].
Pickering Castle, Yorkshire, [86], [100].
Picts, Piks, Pechs, Pechts, etc. (See also [Cruithne].)

P's said to have been first settlers in Orkney and Shetland, [59], [104].
Their small boats, [59], [178]-[179].
Their dwarfish stature, [58]-[60], [65].
Their great strength, [60], [66]-[7], [74].
Their mounds or underground houses, [58]-[66], [77]-[78].
Their method of building, [67].
White Cater Thun, Brechin Tower, Abernethy Tower, Glasgow Cathedral, Dunstanborough Castle, the Catrail, the Wall of Hadrian, and many old castles, popularly believed to have been built by P's, [67]-[74], [99]-[100].
Their last stronghold in Galloway, [99].
P's, or Gallowaymen, at the Battle of the Standard, [69]-[70]n.
P's popularly regarded as magicians and supernatural beings, [53], [79]-[80], [99].
P's associated with Feens, [51], [64]-[5];
with Fions, Feins, and Fairies of Brittany, [85];
and with a Danish "hill-man," [85]-[86]n.
P's as serfs or drudges, [67]-[74], [76].
P's identified by J. F. Campbell with Lapps and Fairies, [96].
P's and King Arthur, [143]n.
Hairiness of P's, [157]-[8].
Their swiftness of foot, [177].
Pict or Pecht-land, [52], [68]-[73].
Pixies of Cornwall and Devon, [162].
"Pucks" of Sylt, [87].
Red-caps.
In Sylt, [87].
In Lincolnshire [107]n.
(See also [129]n and [142].)
Reindeer in Scotland, [96]-[97].
Ringerike, Norway, [40]-[2].
Rona, Hebrides, and its "pirates," [29].
Ronaldshay (North), [41].
Ross-shire;
in 17th century, [29]-[30], [45];
a legendary mound in, [112].
Samoyeds.
Bergen Strils conjectured to have linguistic affinity with S., [7]n.
Skin-boats of S., [18].
Savages:
Orkney Finnmen spoken of as S., [10], [30]-[31].
Certain Hebrideans referred to as S., [28], [29], [31].
Strathnaver people in 1658 "barbarous," [30].
Term "Hottentot" applied to traditional builders in Mid-Lothian, [71].
Sea-Folk.
Their inter-marriages with land-folk:—
In Shetland, [1]-[5], [15];
in Hebrides, [15];
in Ireland, [2], [15];
in Isle of Man, [15];
in Wales, [2], [15].
Mer-women as wives and mothers of land-folk, [1]-[5], [13], [15].
Seal-men and Selkie-wives, [1]-[5], [12], [13], [15]n, [34]n.
Seelie court, The, [97].
Seffister, Shetland, and its "trow's door," [59].
Shag-boys, hog-boys, or how-folk, [107].
Shaggy Men.
Pechts, [157]-[8];
Traditional dwarfs generally, [158]-[164];
Ainos of Japan, [166] et seq.
Sheeans or Sitheanan. (See [Mounds].)
Shetland.
Dwarf abodes in S., [59], [102]-[3], [106].
Picts early inhabitants of S., [104].
(See also [Finns of S.])
Shool Skerry, or Sule Skerry, [3], [34]n.
Sithe-folk. (See also [Fairies].)
Sidhe and Tshud, [89]-[90].
Seid-men, [90]-[91].
Worship of S., [92].
S. of North of Ireland and Munster, [93].
Identified with Dananns, [126].
Associated with Feens, [128]-[9].
Former high rank, [132].
Skin-boats:
"Sea-skin or seal-skin" of Shetland Finns, [1]-[5], [8].
Kayaks of Orkney Finnmen, [5]-[11], [18]-[19].
Skin-boats of Iberians, Hebrideans, Irish, Welsh, Scotch, Samoyeds, Skraelings, Eskimos, Mandans, [8], [12]-[13], [18]-[22].
Fin's skin-boat, [55]-[6].
Skin-boat of Picts, [178]-[9].
Skin-boat of North American "Lapps" or "Skraelings," [7], [Appendix B].
Skraelings, [7], [Appendix B].
Smiths, Underground:
The "Noble Smith" and his chambered mound, [132]-[4];
Wayland Smith's chambered mound, [132]n;
Smiths working in "cave" of Cruachan, [136];
German traditional idea of such people, [163]-[4].
Stronsay, Orkney.
Finnman seen there about year 1700, [6].
Teith valley.
Mounds of, [114].
Assumed to be the "vallis" referred to by Gildas, as traversed by the Picts, [178]n.
Thorpe, Lincolnshire; shag-boys at, [107]n.
Thoten, Norway, [40]-[2].
Tialdasund, Norway, [21].
Tienen, Netherlands; dwarfs of, [86].
Tombuidhe Ghearrloch;
a reputed chambered mound, [112].
Trows, Trolls, or Trollmen. (See [Dwarfs].)
Tshuds, [89]-[90].
Ugrians. (See [Finns, Lapps,] [Skraelings], etc.)
Uist, Hebrides [29.]
Ulster.
Feens of, [76], [93];
Cruithne or Picts of, [93];
skin-boats of, [18].
(See also [Eamhain].)
Underground Chambers. (See also [Mounds].)
Indications, apart from those of tradition, that these were dwelling-places, [101]-[2], [113] (fire-place).
Underground galleries, not having mounds over them, [101]-[4].
Unst, Shetland, [106].
Ur-uisg, or Water-man, [142]n, [158]-[164], [178]-[9].
Urus. (See [Bugle].)
Valas, or Völvas, [90]-[2].
Villenshaw: (?) a locality in Orkney, [105].
Walpurgis Night. (See [Beltin].)
Weems. (See [Mounds] and [Underground galleries].)
Westray, Orkney.
Finnman seen near W. circa 1700, [5], [6], [33]-[4];
Fairies said to be seen at Fitty Hill circa 1700, [33];
defeat of Hebrideans at Fitty Hill, [33].
Wideford Hill, Orkney; chambered mound at, [62].
Witchcraft. (See [Magic].)
Yorkshire tradition as to "supernatural" labourers at Mulgrave and Pickering Castles, [86], [100].
Zee-Woners. (See [Sea-Folk].)

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