Part 32 (2/2)

[680] August Witzschel, _Sagen, Sitten und Gebrauche aus Thuringen_ (Vienna, 1878), pp. 171 _sq._

[681] Jules Lecoeur, _Esquisses du Bocage Normand_ (Conde-sur-Noireau, 1883-1887), ii. 289 _sq._

[682] Joseph Train, _Historical and Statistical Account of the Isle of Man_ (Douglas, Isle of Man, 1845), ii. 124, referring to Cregeen's _Manx Dictionary_, p. 67.

[683] R. Chambers, _The Book of Days_ (London and Edinburgh, 1886), ii.

789-791, quoting _The Banffs.h.i.+re Journal_; Miss C.F. Gordon c.u.mming, _In the Hebrides_ (London, 1883), p. 226; Miss E.J. Guthrie, _Old Scottish Customs_ (London and Glasgow, 1885), pp. 223-225; Ch. Rogers, _Social Life in Scotland_ (Edinburgh, 1884-1886), iii. 244 _sq_.; _The Folk-lore Journal_, vii. (1889) pp. 11-14, 46. Miss Gordon Gumming and Miss Guthrie say that the burning of the Clavie took place upon Yule Night; but this seems to be a mistake.

[684] Caesar, _De bello Gallico_, vii. 23.

[685] Hugh W. Young, F.S.A. Scot., _Notes on the Ramparts of Burghead as revealed by recent Excavations_ (Edinburgh, 1892), pp. 3 _sqq_.; _Notes on further Excavations at Burghead_ (Edinburgh, 1893), pp. 7 _sqq_.

These papers are reprinted from the _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, vols. xxv., xxvii. Mr. Young concludes as follows: ”It is proved that the fort at Burghead was raised by a people skilled in engineering, who used axes and chisels of iron; who shot balista stones over 20 lbs. in weight; and whose daily food was the _bos longifrons_. A people who made paved roads, and sunk artesian wells, and used Roman beads and pins. The riddle of Burghead should not now be very difficult to read.” (_Notes on further Excavations at Burghead_, pp. 14 _sq_.). For a loan of Mr. Young's pamphlets I am indebted to the kindness of Sheriff-Subst.i.tute David.

[686] Robert Cowie, M.A., M.D., _Shetland, Descriptive and Historical_ (Aberdeen, 1871), pp. 127 _sq._; _County Folk-lore_, vol. iii. _Orkney and Shetland Islands_, collected by G.F. Black and edited by Northcote W. Thomas (London, 1903), pp. 203 _sq._ A similar celebration, known as Up-h.e.l.ly-a, takes place at Lerwick on the 29th of January, twenty-four days after Old Christmas. See _The Scapegoat_, pp. 167-169. Perhaps the popular festival of Up-h.e.l.ly-a has absorbed some of the features of the Christmas Eve celebration.

[687] Thomas Hyde, _Historia Religionis veterum Persarum_ (Oxford, 1700), pp. 255-257.

[688] On the need-fire see Jacob Grimm, _Deutsche Mythologie_*[4] i. 501 _sqq._; J.W. Wolf, _Beitrage zur deutschen Mythologie_ (Gottingen and Leipsic, 1852-1857), i. 116 _sq._, ii. 378 _sqq._; Adalbert Kuhn, _Die Herabkunjt des Feuers und des Gottertranks_*[2] (Gutersloh, 1886), pp.

41 _sqq._; Walter K. Kelly, _Curiosities of Indo-European Tradition and Folk-lore_ (London, 1863), pp. 48 _sqq._; W. Mannhardt, _Der Baumkultus der Germanen und ihrer Nachbarstamme_ (Berlin, 1875), pp. 518 _sqq._; Charles Elton, _Origins of English History_ (London, 1882), pp. 293 _sqq._; Ulrich Jahn, _Die deutschen Opfergebrauche bei Ackerbau und Viehzucht_ (Breslau, 1884), pp. 26 _sqq._ Grimm would derive the name _need-_fire (German, _niedfyr, nodfyr, nodfeur, nothfeur_) from _need_ (German, _noth_), ”necessity,” so that the phrase need-fire would mean ”a forced fire.” This is the sense attached to it in Lindenbrog's glossary on the capitularies, quoted by Grimm, _op. cit._ i. p. 502: ”_Eum ergo ignem_ nodfeur _et_ nodfyr, _quasi necessarium ignem vocant_”

C.L. Rochholz would connect _need_ with a verb _nieten_ ”to churn,” so that need-fire would mean ”churned fire.” See C.L. Rochholz, _Deutscher Glaube und Brauch_ (Berlin, 1867), ii. 149 _sq._ This interpretion is confirmed by the name _ankenmilch bohren_, which is given to the need-fire in some parts of Switzerland. See E. Hoffmann-Krayer, ”Fruchtbarkeitsriten im schweizerischen Volksbrauch,” _Schweizerisches Archiv fur Volkskunde_, xi. (1907) p. 245.

[689] ”_Illos sacrilegos ignes, quos_ niedfyr _vocant_,” quoted by J.

Grimm, _Deutsche Mythologie_,*[4] i. 502; R. Andree, _Braunschweiger Volkskunde_ (Brunswick, 1896), p. 312.

[690] _Indiculus Superst.i.tionum et Paganiarum_, No. XV., ”_De igne fricato de ligno i.e._ nodfyr.” A convenient edition of the _Indiculus_ has been published with a commentary by H.A. Saupe (Leipsic, 1891). As to the date of the work, see the editor's introduction, pp. 4 _sq_.

[691] Karl Lynker, _Deutsche Sagen und Sitten in hessischen Gauen_,*[2]

(Ca.s.sel and Gottingen, 1860), pp. 252 _sq._, quoting a letter of the mayor (_Schultheiss_) of Neustadt to the mayor of Marburg dated 12th December 1605.

[692] Bartholomaus Carrichter, _Der Teutschen Speisskammer_ (Strasburg, 1614), Fol. pag. 17 and 18, quoted by C.L. Rochholz, _Deutscher Glaube und Brauch_ (Berlin, 1867), ii. 148 _sq._

[693] Joh. Reiskius, _Untersuchung des Notfeuers_ (Frankfort and Leipsic, 1696), p. 51, quoted by J. Grimm, _Deutsche Mythologie_,*[4] i.

502 _sq._; R. Andree, _Braunschweiger Volkskunde_ (Brunswick, 1896), p.

313.

[694] J. Grimm, _Deutsche Mythologie_, *[4] i. 503 _sq._

[695] J. Grimm, _op. cit._ i. 504.

[696] Adalbert Kuhn, _Markische Sagen und Marchen_ (Berlin, 1843), p.

369.

[697] Karl Bartsch, _Sagen, Marchen und Gebrauche aus Mecklenburg_ (Vienna, 1879-1880), ii. 149-151.

[698] Carl und Theodor Colshorn, _Marchen und Sagen_ (Hanover, 1854), pp. 234-236, from the description of an eye-witness.

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