FOLK-LORE FROM UNST. 201 



rather think the shrewd old dame was making fun of 

 me, for when I repeated to my father what she had 

 said, he laughed heartily, and called the spells nursery 

 rhymes "allied to Norse, as dog-Latin is allied to 

 Latin." Be that as it may, I venture to give the 

 rhymes, hoping that some one may be able to make 

 sense out of them. Here is old Janet's antidote for 

 cursing one's enemies: 



" Bis, Bis, Byo ! 

 Bulva reeka tyo 

 Tak laigen, 

 Slogan veggin ; 

 Bulva reeka tyo." 



The following is the verse which I was told would 

 preserve young people from being led by evil spirits 

 into the way of sinners : 



*' Clapa, clapa sxida 

 Boochs ina schol ina Bjoda 

 Bauta deema kjota schin 

 Swala clovena vjenta in 

 Eoompan poman soda." 



Some tunes are supposed to have been taught by 

 Trows, and are known as the Ferry-tilns. One sweet, 

 simple, fanciful reel was learned by a man one night 

 when he was passing over a hill in Unst. He heard 

 the Trows playing inside of the hill, and he listened 

 until he had mastered their melody. Little did the 

 tiny misty spirits guess that an earth-born fiddler was 

 stealing their music. Of another tune Xurse says it 

 was learned thus : — " An old man, sitting out of doors 



