A man was changed into a woman and had a family before being...
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1981.64
Original Tape ID
Summary
A man was changed into a woman and had a family before being changed back and winning a lying contest.
Betsy Whyte's mother used to tell stories like the following to put the children to sleep.
A laird of the black arts held a gathering for his workers, and served sowans [which Betsy explains]. Everybody had to: "Tell a story, sing a sang, / Show your bum, or oot ye gang." There was a golden guinea for whoever told the biggest lie. One cattleman couldn't make up anything, so the laird sent him to clean out his boat, but he floated away in it. He discovered that he had turned into a woman. When 'she' landed, she met a young man, who took her home to his mother. In the course of time, they got married and had children. One day they were out walking and saw the boat. The woman stepped into it, and it carried her off. She turned back into the cattleman and returned to find that no time had passed. Greetin [weeping] for his lost family, he told them what had happened, and won the guinea. The Black Laird had made him imagine it all so that he would have something to tell.
Recording Location
County - Midlothian
Parish - Edinburgh
Village/Place - Edinburgh
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good