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The Folklore of Orkney and Shetland
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 centuries, 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.
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.
Originally Norwegian, they have been part of Scotland for centuries, 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.
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.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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111 people want to read
About the author
Ernest W. Marwick
6 booksErnest Walker Marwick (1915 - 1977) was an Orcadian writer noted for his writings on Orkney folklore and history.
Marwick's father was a travelling salesman who had a smallholding in the parish of Evie, to the north of Mainland, Orkney. Diagnosed with scoliosis in 1925 when he was ten years old, Marwick could no longer attend school as his days had to be spent lying on a wooden board. He used the time of illness to read extensively.
After Marwick's marriage his home provided a meeting-place for local intellectuals, including George Mackay Brown and Robert Rendall. His Anthology of Orkney Verse was published in 1949.
From 1955 to 1960 he was on the staff of the Orkney Herald newspaper. He subsequently moved to The Orcadian, his writing covering literary subjects. Other media work undertaken by Marwick included broadcasting on local and Scottish national radio programmes.
Ernest Marwick was a founder member of the Orkney Heritage Society.
He died in July 1977, having swerved off a straight road and crashed into a farm steading when driving. In 2015, one hundred years after his birth, Orkney International Science Festival focused attention on the contributions he made to Orkney's heritage.
Marwick's father was a travelling salesman who had a smallholding in the parish of Evie, to the north of Mainland, Orkney. Diagnosed with scoliosis in 1925 when he was ten years old, Marwick could no longer attend school as his days had to be spent lying on a wooden board. He used the time of illness to read extensively.
After Marwick's marriage his home provided a meeting-place for local intellectuals, including George Mackay Brown and Robert Rendall. His Anthology of Orkney Verse was published in 1949.
From 1955 to 1960 he was on the staff of the Orkney Herald newspaper. He subsequently moved to The Orcadian, his writing covering literary subjects. Other media work undertaken by Marwick included broadcasting on local and Scottish national radio programmes.
Ernest Marwick was a founder member of the Orkney Heritage Society.
He died in July 1977, having swerved off a straight road and crashed into a farm steading when driving. In 2015, one hundred years after his birth, Orkney International Science Festival focused attention on the contributions he made to Orkney's heritage.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 17, 2022
Hard to start
This book for me was hard to start great facts though. If you are a deep fact finder this is your bookk
This book for me was hard to start great facts though. If you are a deep fact finder this is your bookk
Want to read
September 14, 2013I bought this as a resource, and haven't read it through, but there is a lot of fascinating information here.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews