This fact was
elicited in court, where the countryman had to appear as a witness. From
that time onward his mind ought to have been disabused of his hasty
belief. But a man so stupid as to assume that a showman's marionettes
were anything else than lifeless dolls, might continue for the rest of
his life to recount his marvellous meeting with "the fairies."
Similarly, to a tipsy man returning homeward from market, many common
and every-day objects take on a weird and superhuman aspect, due to no
other spirits than those he has consumed. From this cause, a large
number of odd stories (such as one told by Mr. William Black of a tipsy
Hebridean) has doubtless arisen. Further, the belief in the existence of
"supernatural" beings has been much utilised by rustic humourists, and
no doubt also by smugglers and other night-birds, in comparatively
recent times. The prolonged absence of a husband, or it may be of a
wife, could be explained by some wild legend of having been "stolen by
the fairies," when a more frank avowal dared not be offered. And
although "strange tales were told" regarding the paternity of "Brian,"
in _The Lady of the Lake_, and although Scott adheres to those legends
in his poem, he does not fail to point out in his appended _Note_ that
the story could be explained in a much more rational manner.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25