LL-L "Folklore" 2001.12.10 (01) [E/S]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 10.DEC.2001 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Folklore"

> From: "Dawn Work" <dawn_work at uswest.net>
> Subject: Folklore
>
> Second, a comment. I have been keeping my eyes open in the last half-year
> for stories of "White Ladies" or "The White Lady." I have seen

By coincidence, I came across a story of a White Lady today
in "The Yelpin Stane" by William C Fraser. This is subtitled
"Tales of Scottish Village Life" but there are no accompanying
notes to say whether these places exist or whether the stories
are from local lore or just invented by the author. Perhaps
you will be able to judge for yourself.

It occurs as a brief story told by one of the characters to
another as they are walking home at nightfall:

"Weel, there's the Caulky Nick ower yonder between the Glespin
Hill an the Richie Ferry. They say they've seen folk that's
seen folk that saw an awfu sicht there. It's a nun gaun up an
doon the pass cled in white an yae hauf o her heid lyin on her
shouther. It was split richt doon to the chin wi a sword. They
say her faither got her shut up in a Nunnery owerby there
against her will, an her sweethert took her oot. They cam ower
the hills an her faither cam on them wi a lang sherp sword in
his han. He stoppit them, an then there wad be a fecht, for the
ither man had a sword tae. Sic a fecht ye never saw. The puir
lassie stood glowerin wi fear, shakin like a aspian leaf, till
in the end the taen o them lost his sword. I think it was her
faither, an the ither ane brocht doun his sword wi sic an awfu
birr--but ah! peety me! she jumped inatween an he sliced her
heid in twa. What cam o the twa men I never heard, but nae doot
they're deid langsyne, but she's aye lookin for them."

> Rhine come to the New World. There is a small Catholic parish in between
> several tiny towns that features shrines to the "White Lady of
> Starkenburg." There is even a white wine of the same name. It is evidently
> a pilgrimage site even in modern times. I expect these settlers to have
> come more from Southern Germany, with their Catholic background. I have

The mention of a pilgrimage site reminds me of when I stayed
in Halstock ("Holy Place") in Dorset a few years ago. This
was a pilgrimage site and a local woman called Juthware kept
infuriating her brother by letting pilgrims lodge at the house
for free. While the this lady (now known as Saint Juthware or
Saint Judith) isn't described as "white" as far as I know, what
happened was that her brother decided he'd had enough of
pilgrims traipsing through the house at Juthware's invitation
and cut off her head. Whereupon she picked her head up and
walked to church, laying her head on the altar before expiring.

I must say, the whole stay at this village required strong
nerves - my bed and breakfast was called "The Quiet Woman"
after her, and there was a picture of St Juthware carrying
her head in her arm on the wall of my room (which had me
puzzled and slightly alarmed the first night). The locals
were happy to tell you where best to go if you wanted to
see the lady herself. But since it was winter and I didn't
get home from work until after dark AND there was no street
lighting at all in the village - I decided to give her a miss!

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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