The seaweed - rite survives in the propitiatory 



Gar 



oft: 



Sea 



Gardens offerings (now but a pastime of island children) 

 to the Hebridean sea-god Shony at Samhein 



(Hallowmass). This Shony, whose favours 

 were won by a cup of ale thrown into the sea 

 in the dark of the night, is none other than 

 Poseidon, Neptune, Manan ; for he is the 

 Scandinavian sea -god Sjoni, viking -brought 

 from Lochlin in the far - off days when the 

 Summer - sailors raided and laid waste the 

 Gaelic Isles. 



It is singular how rarely seaweed has 

 entered into the nomenclature and symbology 

 of peoples, how seldom it is mentioned in 

 ancient literature. Among our Gaelic clans 

 there is only one (the M'Neil) which has sea- 

 ware as a badge. Greek art has left us a few 

 seaweed-filleted heads of Gorgons, and to sea- 

 wrack the Latin poets have once or twice made 

 but passing and contemptuous allusion. In 

 the Bible ('whaur yell find everything frae a 

 bat to a unicorn,' as an old man said to me 

 once) there is one mention of it only, in 

 Jonah's words : ' The depths closed me round 

 about, the weeds were wrapped about my 

 head.' 



220 



