Page:Shetland Folk-Lore - Spence - 1899.pdf/29



The following are the words of an ancient spell for laying the wind at sea:

A Finn man could cross from Norwick in Unst to Bergen in Norway and return between the hours of sunset and sunrise, the traditional speed being nine miles to the warp (stroke of the oar). They were adepts at recovering things lost in the sea which to ordinary mortals were irrecoverable.

A story is told in Unst of a Finn whose two sons had a winter boat. They had been off at the handline, and on their return one evening after dark were recounting the day’s adventures to the old man. Among other things they mentioned their ill-luck in being fast to da baldin (i.e., a turbot) which had broken a skoag that the father had prepared. A little later he told them to put on the