Page:Shetland Folk-Lore - Spence - 1899.pdf/159

 he was crossing Valafell in the gloaming of an autumn day, and being weary, he sat down to rest at the foot of Gulla Hammar. Not a breath of wind stirred the air; nor sound was heard, save the murmuring of the gentle waves that laved the adjacent shore. Presently he heard the strains of sweet music vibrating among the crevices of the rocks overhead. So distinct and continuous were the sounds that he learned the piece by ear, and subsequently taught it to a fiddler, who classed it among his best dance music, under the name of “The Trowie Reel.”

A few legends of the fabled race of giants have come down to us. These stories are usually connected with the standing stones, or remarkable rocks or boulders.

A story is told of two giants called Herman and Saxe, who once lived in Unst. The former resided in a capacious helyer (cave) in the neighbourhood of Hermaness, called Herman's Ha', while