FAERIES

Faeries live everywhere and in or under anything.
Most cultures have folklore about faeries. In Norse mythology, there are Light Elves and there are the Dark Elves. They are suppose to have come from maggots that were spewing from Ymir, a Norsk Mythological giant.

In Scotland the gaelic word for faerie is Sidhe(Shee). Which in translation means "People of the hills".

There are many types of faeries that live in many types of places. The most well known of all the faeries is the Leprechaun. They are a part of Irelands mythology. Their hats usually have three corners to them. And they have been known to spin like tops when standing on their heads.

Asrai a Waterfaerie

ASRAI's are female waterfaeries that are very delicate and tiny.
They can melt away, creating a pool of water when they are caught and are exposed to sunlight.

Below is a old story about a fisherman that captured an Asari.

A fisherman was out with a drag-net on the lake at the dark of the night.
As the moon rose, he moved his boat into the shadows. His net grew heavy, and he had trouble to pull it in. When the full moon shone out he saw that he had caught an Asrai. It was a wonderful beautiful, gentle creature to look at. He had heard old people say these fairies only came up from their cool, deep homes below the water once in a hundred years, to look at the moon, and to grow. As this one seemed about the size of a twelve-year maid, the man could not guess how very very old it must be. He spoke to it, for it did not make him afraid, and it seemed to beg him to let it go, but its speech only sounded to him like the ripples among the lake-side sedges. The fisherman had half a mind to set it free, but he wanted to show it to his children, and then he began to think how the rich folk in the castle might like to show it in their fish-ponds, and would pay him well. So he hardened his heart, and began the long row homewards. The Asrai got one arm out of the net, and pointed again and again to the waning moon, and then laid a hand on his arm--"like cool foam, the touch was," he said later. But it seemed that his human warmth hurt it, for it shrank away from him, and huddled down in the bottom of the boat, covering itself with its long green hair. He was afraid the light of day might be too strong for it, and covered it with wet rushes. The lake was long, and the sun had risen by the time he got to his creek. He drew the boat ashore, and lifted the rushes away from where the Asrai had lain. His net was empty, and a damp patch was all there was left of it. But the arm that it had touched was icy cold all the rest of his life, and nothing could warm it.

{Story of the Faeries is under construction}
More will be added very soon. Hopefully by January 1999.

Until then ~~

"May the Wind always be to your back."

Old Irish proverb

LEGEND OF EDINBURGH
and the CASTLE

Edinburgh, records go back as far 900 AD, originally known as Edwins Burg.
The site of the castle was once used by the Romans, due to the high ground, there is thought to be a tunnel running the full length of the Royal Mile from the castle, to Holyrood House ( the palace ).
The small chapel called St. Margarets, inside the castle, allows any girl named Margaret {in Edinburgh} to be married there, also members of the Armed Forces can be married there.

Soldiers stationed in the castle, must leave all the windows open, even in winter, to allow the air to flow through.
Any soldier caught with a window shut, is put on charge.

Edinburgh, was the first city to build, what is known today as "Sky Scraper" buildings, the original High Street.
Under the present one, which was laid by an Italian chap, all on his own, and no helpers, he died just before it's completion, and he was buried under it, a sort of monument. Further down is The Cannon Gate, this has nothing to do with Cannons, the word gate is a misspelling, it should be Gait, meaning a way of walking. The local Cannon would walk up the hill every day, hence the name Cannon Gait {Cannon Gate}.

Arthur Seat was once a volcano, and had farms on it, at the top is Dunsappie Loch, thought to be bottomless, at the bottom is Duddingston Loch, it is here that the Ice game of Curling was thought to have started.
It is also thought that King Arthur came from here, hence the name, Duddingston Village has a 13th Century Pub.

The statue, dedicated to the Duke of Wellington, at the east end of Princess Street, in front of Register House, has a built in mistake,the chap who made it commited suicide, after he saw what he had done, the mistake is, the horse has no fetlocks.
What is now the meadows, was once the South Loch, and a forest. It took about forty years to cut down all the trees and drain the loch, now it is a park.
The trees were cut into planks and sold to the public for adding or building on to their houses,{The High Street}. Things got out of hand and the High Street was narrowed down to 10 feet wide, the "City Fathers" had to put a stop to this action, as the houses were mainly wood, a great fire engulfed it,causing many deaths and destruction.

While the Tron Kirk on High Street was being renovated, in the 1980s, workmen found part of the original High Street under the foundations.
Princess Street Gardens was once a Loch, {The North Loch}, it was filled in due to people throwing themselves in, commiting suicide, then made into the gardens, as it is now, but only the gentry were allowed in. The "City Fathers" decided that the working class people should be allowed to walk through them,
this caused an uproar by the gentry.
The first Fire Station in the world was situated on Grass Market,it is still there, but now used as a public house. The chap who started the fire station left after a few years, and started the London Fire Service.

The Royal Bank of Scotland was started by an Englishman, and the Royal Bank of England was started by a Scotsman.
Newington was designed by a local surgeon called Dr. Benjamin Bell, from the Royal Infirmary.
William Burness Gardener to the Hope family, was the Father of Robert Burns, Robert dropped the letters " e and s" from his name in 1786.

By Archibald Young ~ a resident of Edinburgh, Scotland

Links to Lots at this website with a number of links to other sites. Place to visit over and over...

Tune: Greensleeves