Page:West Irish folk-tales and romances - William Larminie.djvu/287

 Rh Page 76. “Blauheen Blöye” appears to mean simply “smooth blossom.” “The Amber Bracelet.” Amber is not found in Ireland. It was formerly believed to have magical qualities. Pliny says, “True it is that a collar of amber beads worn about the necks of young infants is a singular preservative to them against secret poison, and a counter-charm for witchcraft and sorceries"; also, “The price of a small figure of it exceeds that of a healthy living slave.”

Page 77. “Owas.” The “owas” must be regarded as a distinct personage in Gaelic mythology. They appear to have been human in shape at least. They are met with several times in the Scotch stories, where the word is written “amhus,” pronounced “owas.” They have sometimes definite names, of which an example occurs a little farther on.

Page 78. “Criers” (of the kitchen). I am not sure this is the meaning of “clafirj.” It may mean “gluttons.”

Page 82. This makes the fourth time the hero is killed and revived.

Page 86. “The Champion of the Red Belt.” The general tone of the story is wild and barbarous.

Page 86. “Providence.” The Irish is “an rjï,” a word frequently used in these Donegal stories in this sense.

Page 87. Lochlann is usually supposed to mean Denmark, but is by some held to be a purely mythical country.

Page 91. Another sea-run. See note to Bioultach.

Page 95. “Yard round the court.” Yard is the word in the original; it means wall apparently. There are numbers of English words in this story, such as strain (of music), bride, cupboard, apron, destroy, alley playing ball, slaughter.

Page 100. The description of the hag corresponds closely with that of the “fachan” in the Scotch stories. It is interesting to compare the brief popular description of this monster with the laboured style of the written literature, as may be seen in the description of the hags in the “Cave of Kesh-corran,” Mr. S. H. O'Grady's “Silva Gadelica.”

Page 106. The story of “Jack” has been given as a sample of the humorous story—quite different, it will be seen, from the style of Kennedy, or of any writer who uses “broken English.” I have many others. I do not understand how they come so often to be called “Jack,” as they are, in the Irish.

Page 107. Cleeve, an Irish word for basket.