Water horses that haunted the Eshaness area.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1960.219.A7; SA1960.219.A8
Original Tape ID
Summary
Water horses that haunted the Eshaness area.
A black water horse would appear before bad weather and vanish down a hole near the cliffs in a streak of blue flame. Once, a local man mounted the horse and narrowly avoided going over the rocks. [The story is repeated in Shetland dialect.]
The mill where the man encountered the water horse had a square hole in the floor. Rosabel Blance's grandfather, who was born in the year of Waterloo, was told as a child that the hole was for dropping burning brands onto a water kelpie [water horse] if it jammed the water-wheel of the mill, as they were reputed to do.
Item Notes
In the traditional Shetland watermill, the wheel was laid horizontally and the mill was built over it.
Recording Location
County - Shetland
Item Location
County - Shetland
Island - Shetland Mainland
Parish - Northmaven
Village/Place - Tangwick Haa
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good