Fishing superstitions and sea names of Foula.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1958.184.3
Original Tape ID
Summary
Fishing superstitions and sea names of Foula.
In "ancient times" fishermen had to beware of meeting the bad foot [unlucky person] on their way to sea. According to Robbie Isbister, that is nowadays rightly dismissed as superstition. Certain taboo things were not to be referred to by their normal names at sea and had special sea names instead, e.g.
yongers [horse],
scaffin (or fittin) [cat],
klibna [tongs],
blethers [sheep],
hyuncie [hen],
tounskerrie [cock],
rakki [dog],
cunning [rabbit].
Foula women did not bait lines as they did in other places, but were involved in agriculture.
Item Notes
With yongers, cf. 'The Scottish National Dictionary' s.v. younker. For scaffin, see s.v. skaave (scrape, scratch). With clibna, cf. clivin; with hyuncie, cf. yonsi; for tounskerrie see s.v. toun. With 'blether', cf. the East Coast fishermen's sense 'a buoy'.
See:
'The Scottish National Dictionary', available online [[http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/]] (accessed 19 January 2009)
Recording Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Walls and Sandness
Island - Foula
Item Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Walls and Sandness
Island - Foula
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good