Ward & Lock's descriptive and pictorial guide to the Isle of Man ...

14 Guide to the Isle of Manbe so, has frequently given me mucli matter of reflection,yet left me in the same uncertainty as before."Many legends about mermaids were quite at the service ofWaldron, or anybody else who chose to believe them. Oneof these composite beauties was, he tells us, caught in afisherman's net, but returned to the sea. Another venturedon land, and immediately fell in love with a young shepherd,to whom she brought corals, pearls, and shells of great beauty.She meant to drag him into the sea, but he, not being ambitiouslydisposed, resisted, and broke away. Then theloving mermaid turned spiteful, and threw a stone at him,inflicting an injury from the effects of which he soondied.The all-believing Waldron had heard, too, of a phantombull of enormous size, with eyes shooting forth flame, andwhich ran with such force that the ground shook under it asin an earthquake ; and of a portentous Avolf which " filledthe air with its terrible bowlings." We have reason to believethat, out of consideration for the interests of the island, andthe convenience of tourists, these fearful monsters have nowretired from business. Waldron ends his book with an assertionwhich many visitors will perhaps endorse, making aliberal discount of course for limited knowledge and generousenthusiasm, " I think it will not be loss of time to thosewho travel in search of the wonders of nature, to take a tripto it [the island] , since I believe there is no place whateverin the known world which abounds with more than the Isleof Man."A very long period of time, much intercourse with the world,and the work of education spread over many generations, arerequired to eradicate superstitions and the legends of folklorein places even less isolated than the island we are on theway to visit. Some of the beliefs, long cherished, have atouch of imagination and pathos in them which makes thempoetical. Even now (or at any rate, not long ago) in manycottages in the more secluded districts, the housewife, beforegoing to bed on New Year's Eve, spreads the ashes of thegrate smoothly on the floor, and on awaking next morning,looks for the track of a foot. Should it be found with the(oes pointing towards the door, it is believed a member ofthe family will die within the year ;but should the heel ofthe fairy foot point in that direction, then it is firmlybelieved that the family will be augmented within the samejicriod. With such an issue of death or life in the balance.Low wearily the long winter night must be passed, and how