The Project Gutenberg eBook, Folk Lore, by James Napier

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Title: Folk Lore
Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within This Century

Author: James Napier

Release Date: May 7, 2005 [eBook #15792]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOLK LORE***

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FOLK LORE

Or, Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within This Century

With an Appendix,

Shewing the Probable Relation of the Modern Festivals of Christmas, May
Day, St. John's Day, and Hallowe'en, to Ancient Sun and Fire Worship

by

JAMES NAPIER, F.R.S.E., F.C.S., &c.,

Author of _Manufacturing Art in Ancient Times_, _Notes and Reminiscences
of Partick_, &c., &c.

Paisley: Alex. Gardner.

1879

CONTENTS.

PREFACE, v.
Introduction, 1
Birth and Childhood, 29
Marriage, 43
Death, 56
Witchcraft, Second Sight, and the Black Art, 67
Charms and Counter Charms, 79
Divining, 105
Superstitions Relating to Animals, 111
Superstitions Concerning Plants, 122
Miscellaneous Superstitions, 132

APPENDIX.

Yule, Beltane, and Hallowe'en Festivals, 145
Yule, 149
Beltane, 161
Midsummer, 170
Hallowe'en, 175

PREFACE

The doctrine taught concerning Satan, his motives and influence in the
beginning of this century, supplied the popular mind with reasons to
account for almost all the evils, public and private, which befell
society; and as the observed ills of life, real or imaginary, greatly
outnumbered the observed good occurrences, the thought of Satan was more
constantly before the people's mind than was the thought of God.
Practically, it might be