Irish Superstitions and Legends of Animals and Birds

132 Pages·1991·16.115 MB·English

by  Patrick V. O’Sullivan

IRISH
Superstitions
BOSTON
PUBLIC
LIBRARY
IRISH SUPERSTITIONS AND LEGENDS
OF ANIMALS AND BIRDS
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2015
https://archive.org/detaiis/irishsuperstitioOOosui
Irish Superstitions
and Legends
of Animals and Birds
PATRICK O'SULLIVAN
V.
THE MERCIER PRESS
The MercierPress Limited
4 BridgeStreet,Cork
24 Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1
©P. V. O'Sullivan, 1991
ISBN 0 85342 957X
Toanimal lovers everywhere
-199^
AUG
J
C To
.
Acknowledgements
The author and publisher wish to thank the Head of the Department of
Irish Folklore, University College Dublin for permission to publish
material from the archives of the Irish Folklore Commission.
Printed in Ireland by Litho Press.Co.,Midleton Co. Cork
Contents
Introduction 7
1. Animals in Irish Mythology 9
Cattle 9
Horses 12
Dogs 14
Pigs 15
Cats 19
2. Birds in Irish Mythology 21
3. Weather Lore 28
4. Bird Superstitions 30
The Robin and the Wren 30
The Crow Family 35
Migrant Birds: Cuckoo, Corncrakeand Swallow 38
The Blackbirdand the Thrush 40
Geese, Swansand Ducks 41
The Eagle 44
The Kingfisher 47
The Plover 48
The Pigeon 48
The Curlew 49
The Dove 49
TheHeron 50
The Lark 50
Other Birds 50
The Cockand theHen 50
Curesfor Poultry 54
5. Animal Superstitions 56
The Stoat 56
The Badger 58
TheHedgehog 60
The Shrew 60
The Otter 60
TheFox 61
TheMouse 66
Rats 70
Deer 73
Rabbits 74
Hares 75
The Goat 78
Sheep 80
«
Horses 82
The Donkey 91
TheDog 97
ThePig 102
Cats 107
Cows 112
Other Creatures 124
Introduction
Why should you never ask a question of a dog? With what
charms might you protect the cow house from influence of
malevolent fairies and spirits? What would happen if you
interfered with a swallow's nest? What were 'cuckoo oats'?
Why are the first three days of April called 'the borrowed
days'? Why should you never remove the shoes from a dead
horse? Why were the hare and the hedgehog disliked in the
pastures?Whatwassignificantwhentwohensbegantofight?
Whywastheweaseldescribedas'thelady'or'thenoblelad/?
Whatwasthe'capalluisce'?Whichanimalsdid thefishermen
notliketoseewhensettingoutforthestrand?Whathapp>ened
whenthemouseand thefrogfellinto thegallonofmilk?How
might you rid yourselfof rats by writing them a letter? How
might you effect a cure for baldness using the bladder of a
goat? AtwhatgreatIrishcastlewerefoxesalwaysseenbefore
adeathinthefamily?Howmightyoucureananimalthathad
beenoverlookedbya neighbour with theevil eye?Whywere
the cows driven through a fire on Mid-Summer's Eve? Why
wasforgewaterheldtohavecertaincurativeprop>erties?How
wastheworkofthechumprotected?Howdidthecockoutwit
the fox? Why is the black hen smarter than the white hen?
Whatdid theeagledowhenshefound thesoldierrobbingher
nest?WhichbirdwasheldtobesacredtoStBrigid?Wheredid
barnacle geese originate? How might you curse your neigh-
bour's stock? From which bird did the wren learn its nest
building techniques? What would happ>en if you saw a rook
looking down the chimney? How did the wren betray the
Irish? With which ear was it lucky to hear the cuckoo for the
first time? What was the cure for red murrain in cattle? What
arethethreeblessingsofthecat?Whyshouldyouneverbring
the cat when moving to a new house? How would you make
an aphrodisiac with the liver of a black cat? Why was the
donkey a blessed animal? Why was it lucky to meet a white
lamb firstthingin themorning?
These questions and many, many more are about to be
8 IRISH SUPERSnnONS ANDLEGENDSOFANIMALS ANDBIRDS
answered in the following pages of superstitions concerning
animals, riddles, folk cures,proverbsand tales.