Shetland Fireside Tales

Shetland fireside tales or, The hermit of Trosswickness This book, "Shetland fireside tales," by George Stewart, is a replication of a book originally published before 1892. It has been restored by human beings, page by page, so that you may enjoy it in a form as close to the original as possible.

Excerpt from Shetland Fireside Tales: Or the Hermit of Trosswickness When about I4 years ago the Author of shetland fireside tales had such misgivings regarding his first literary effort that even the initials attached to the work were a little misleading, be little thought that ever a second edition would be asked for. Not only, however, was the first edition readily taken up, but for many years past a desire for a second has been expressed, both in this country and America. This affords another example of how an Author, who writes for fame, sometimes does not obtain it, while another with no such expectations, but being simply and humbly desirous to express what he knows and feels, finds in the community of human thought and feeling a response to his own. It adds not a little to the Author's satisfaction that in issuing a second edition native publishers can share in any credit due to this as a native effort. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The two island groups of Orkney and Shetland have much in common. In each the grey stone houses and treeless landscapes are scoured in winter by stinging gales, and in summer lie under the endless days of the 'simmer din'. Originally Norwegian, they have been part of Scotland for five hundred years, but their many and varied legends, folk tales and customs are still saturated with Norse influences. While this book tells tales and discusses beliefs that are known throughout the northern isles, it also outlines those elements which are unique to each island group. The Folklore of Orkney and Shetland is the standard account of what to this day is one of the richest repositories of lore and custom in Britain. Ernest Marwick not only recounts countless tales which have been transmitted aurally and by writing, but also places these tales within geographical and historical contexts, thus enabling a deeper appreciation of this wonderful material. A bibliography is also included, together with an index of tale types and motifs.