LL-L "Folklore" 2001.12.05 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 05.DEC.2001 (06) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Folklore"

> Also, if in the old days a farmer had closed up the
> stable too well and found the horses all sweaty and
> unrested in the morning, it was said that the Mare had
> come into the stable and had ridden them all night.

There's an interesting thread of local history here in
Somerset (SW England) involving farmers finding their
horses sweating an ridden out in the morning. However,
it was taken to be the activity of witches (meaning
simply local women who practiced witchcraft).

It was believed that witches, needing to get to a meeting
miles away in dead of night, would break into stables and
steal horses, returning them exhausted in the morning.
There are various stories naming actual witches, meeting-
places and farmers who found their horses thus used, so
perhaps there was some sort of basis in truth, though I
don't presume to be able to say how much was actual
witchcraft and how much was simply the imaginings of a
society terrified of the mere idea of witchcraft.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
A dinna dout him, for he says that he
On nae accoont wad ever tell a lee.
                          - C.W.Wade,
                    'The Adventures o McNab'

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From: Strunk at t-online.de (strunk)
Subject: LL-L "Folklore" 2001.12.05 (01) [E]

Dear Lowlanders,

Just a small bit about "walrieder(sche)".
When Ron said, that he suspects a Frisian background,
it came to my mind that my Scandinavistics professor has once
talked about Old Frisian "wal" meaning staff, wand.
I think pilgrims where called something like "walbera", i.e. staff-bearer.

I don't know, it might be possible that "walriedersche" means someone
riding on a staff (like witches riding on a broom today). But
the gender or declension class might be entirely wrong and I don't
know whether they thought about witches riding on something through the
air in the olden times.

Maybe I've time to take a look at the Old Frisian dictionnary at
the university tomorrow.

Laot et ju good gaon,

Jan Strunk
strunk at linguistics.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
strunk at t-online.de

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Folklore

Lowlanders,

À propos Sandy's mention of "witch" ...

In some Low Saxon (Low German) dialects the word is _Hex(e)_ ~ _He(c)ks(e)_
['hEks(e)], and in others the word is _Töversch(e)_ ['t9.Iv3S(e)] ("(female)
magician").  However, there is also the use in many dialects of _Wickersch(e)_
['vIk3S(e)], _Witsch_ [vItS] and, in Eastern Friesland, _Wickwief_.

Besides in English (_wicce_ > _witch_), Scots (_witch_) and Low Saxon (see
above), are there any other Lowlandic language varieties that preserve such
pieces of reference to the Wicca religion that came to be maligned and
suppressed under Christian domination?  Is there a common Saxon connection, or
is this more widespread?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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