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Gaelic Ghosts, Tales of the Supernatural from Scotland - Sorche Nic Leodhas
This was a great collection of Scottish tales, none of which I had ever read before. A lot of the stories are more funny than scary and that makes them more of a light read. According to the author's introduction some of the tales are collected from friends and family of the author and some are local legends. I have to say that all put together they make for a lovely and entertaining bunch of tales to read. Not too long so you can read several in one session and not too scary either. All of them reviewed below:
The Wicked House of Duncan MacBain
It seems that for the wicked Duncan the party never ends and now he has found a nice surveyor from London to try and trap in the house. The locals try to discourage the lad from going walkabout at night without giving too much away but the stubborn, know-it-all Londoner does what he wants and gets into a slight bit of trouble. Nobody dies... phew.
Sandy MacNeil and his Dog
Sandy loves dogs and they love him. All the dogs in the village follow him around and love him. When he finally does get a dog of his own it is a very special breed! They live happily enough but when the dogs annoys Sandy he lashes out at it and the beast jumps through a wall and is gone forever. Not without leaving a little present for Sandy though!.... the golden kind.
The Man who didn't believe in Ghosts
A young lad is left a house which is haunted. He is the rational kind who does not believe in ghosts and wants to settle there but his fiancee is having none of that. He has to convince her that there are no ghosts in the house. Being the young lad he is, he moves in and gets to the bottom of the ghostly goings on. At the base of this one is a story of a pair of lovers kept apart after death by a vengeful Laird. Once they are reunited peace and tranquillity is restored.
The Giant Bones
A warning for inquisitive strangers not to go and wander off into Scottish caves. Especially not ones previously inhabited by giants. Apparently they do not like it when you try and mess with their bones.
The Gambling Ghosts
A young lad learns that hard way it is best not to gamble with ghosts gathering in a graveyard if you want to hang onto your soul. He is transformed from a lay-about lad to an upstanding citizen in the course of one game.
The Man who walked widdershins round the Kirk
A man disappears into the spirit world by walking the wrong way (anti clockwise) round a church. Everyone panics but all is resolved in the end... by him walking the other way round.
The Tale the Crofter Told
This is a really touching story about a crofter and his wife who keep hearing a child crying at night. Also, the cows don't seem to be giving as much milk as they used to. Once the crofter's wife gets on the case they discover a sad, young lass with a small child wandering the fields. The child is real enough but the woman disappears once she has left her child with the crofter's wife.
The Grateful Old Cailleach
A story that shows it really does pay to be kind to your fellow man... and woman. A happy go lucky farmer cares for an old lady. In turn she makes sure he stays safe on the roads when it matters most.
The Wild Ride in the Tilt Cart
A lad hitches a ride in a cart and gets a bumpy ride. He gets out just in time. Turns out that the driver is a local man who was too careless and went over a cliff... and still does every night.
The Man who helped to carry the Coffin
Two friends, Jamie and Andrew have their own reasons for longing to spend time on land or sea. Jamie gets his bounty from the sea and Andrew likes to keep his feet on solid ground. They agree to disagree and remain good friends. One night Andrew has a premonition and his worst fears are confirmed as he helps a ghostly party of sailors bury their friend.
The Walking Boundary Stone
The fun thing about this one is that the stone actually does not wander... just the river along it!
Nevertheless it becomes the cause for an argument between two friends. One moves it one way and then the other moves it again. The Stone has a mind of its own and does what is right but the friends are initially blind to this fact. Fortunately the friends realise their mistake and all ends well.
The Lady's Loaf-field
A lady makes her husband promise to provide bread and food for the poor on the estate but greed gets the better of the man. She then decides to let him know what she feels about that even from beyond the grave.
The Holy Relic of Bannockburn
A chaplain wishes to keep a local relic safe but the relic has other ideas!
The Old Laird and his Dogs
A monument by the grave of an old Laird makes an unexpected move.
An old Laird has two doting dogs, a good son, a sweet grandson and a bad see for a nephew. First the son dies (allegedly) and the old laird follows him shortly afterwards, as do the dogs. The laird is buried with his dogs carved in stone by his side. The nephew now thinks he can get at the family fortune and thinks up a cunning plan to get the little grandson out of the way. But it seems the dead have other ideas.
The Man o' the Clan
This story seems to indicate that you can take the Scot away from his land but you cannot take the Scot out of the Scotsman. A lad goes back after many generations have lived in America only to discover the family roots are still very close to the surface of the land.
The Ghost that didn't want to be a Ghost
A ghost is letting the side down by being miserable about being a ghost. He gets a choice of what type of ghost he wants to come back as and goes on a few trial job-experiences before making his final choice.
Two lads get held up on their way back from a fair. Serves them right for walking round the glens in the dark in stead of spending money on a hotel to stay the night. Fortunately for the lads the highwayman has been holding up people for a long time but seems to have a problem hanging on to their money once he takes it from them.
How Tammas MacIvar MacMurdo MacLennen met his match
Tammas is not afraid of anything. Nonetheless, the old kings of Scotland give him a bit of a fright. The sight of lots of giant men clad in war clothes tends to throw one off I guess.
The House that lacked a Bogle
Apparently a house without a ghost is valued less in Scotland so the inhabitants try all the tricks in the book to temp ghosts away for other houses. to no avail. Then the son issues an unfortunate invitation walking past a graveyard. Now they have a ghost.. a noisy one at that!
The Young Irish Lad from the Hiring Fair
A young lad decides to seek his fortune abroad. He goes to a fair and gets hired to a cunning crofter. The crofter works him hard but the crofter's wife is a bit more of a kind soul and they get on well. The lad works hard but misses his homeland. He asks for fair pay when he wants to leave but the stingy crofter denies him. He then comes back to haunt the crofter.... or does he?
Title:Gaelic Ghosts, Tales of the Supernatural from Scotland
Author: Sorche Nic Leodhas
188 pages
The Bodley Head Ltd
ISBN #0-370-01074-4
Books to be read: 144
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