Tue Scoto-NorsE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 179 
I now pass to a group of words to be found in common Scotch 
speech, and which I take almost at random. ‘They all betray 
their Norse origin—“ smiddy, reek, nieve, nab, hansel, redd.’’ 
Those who wish to develop that part of the subject will find 
abundant material in the list furnished by Professor Veitch, of 
words common to the south of Scotland, and also by that careful 
student, Mr Anderson, who has gone over the ground of the Lake 
district. These are the best lists to be studied, because they 
have been carefully prepared and collated with the Icelandic. 
We have now glanced at the characteristics associated with the 
Border ballad, and also at the associations connected with the 
less literary form—the more common Scots. I think we see that 
they render intelligible the verdict of an authority on philology, 
to the effect that, wherever vou get Lowland Scots differing from 
- the accepted English pronunciation, you may be very sure you 
are near the Scandinavian root. I have already indicated in 
outline the process of the Norse occupation, and it was in the 
main pastoral, not a military, like the Roman. Although they 
were a fighting race, the Norse occupation of our country became, 
in consequence, peaceful. They elected to make their home here 
in the south of Scotland. In view of all this, the question rises 
naturally as to whether or not the ties between Scotland and 
Norway might not have been drawn much closer. At one point 
it seemed, indeed, as if the destinies of Norway and Scotland were 
to be linked for good or evil. At that period Thorfin, son of 
Sigurd, ruled the whole of Galloway and Carrick, and one gets 
from that fact some idea of the influence of a Norse chief in the 
south of Scotland. What put an end to their development of 
power was (1) that their supremacy in Ireland was broken in the 
great battle of Clontarf, and (2) that there arose, on the Scottish 
throne the “ Tamer of the Ravens,’’ Alexander. An effort was 
being made by Hago of Norway to emphasise his claims to the 
over-lordship not only of the western isles but of other parts of 
Scotland. ‘That precipitated a long due conflict, and the famous 
fleet set out from the shores of Norway to argue the claim out. 
The operations of Harold Fair Hair had already familiarised the 
people of Scotland with the heavy hand of the Norse, and they 
contemplated the approach of the Norwegian fleet with gloomy 
forebodings. The battle of Largs, however, was decisive. We 
usually regard the battle of Bannockburn as preserving intact our 
