50 LANDSCAPE AND IMAGINATION 



parts of Britain and the countries bordering the Baltic 

 Sea. Ailsa Craig, that stands so picturesquely in the 

 middle of the Firth of Clyde, was the handiwork of a 

 carline, who, for some object which is not very clear, 

 undertook to carry a huge hill from Scotland to Ireland. 

 Before she had got half-way over, her apron-strings 

 broke and the rock fell into the sea, whence it has 

 projected ever since as the well-known island. In proof 

 of the legend a hollow among the Carrick hills is 

 pointed out as the place from which the mass of rock 

 was removed. 



Along the Baltic coasts many similar tales are told. 

 Thus the island of Hven was dropped where it stands 

 by the giantess Hvenild, who wished to carry some 

 pieces of Zealand over to the south of Sweden. Sex 

 seems to have counted for little in the nature or amount 

 of work accomplished, for witches and warlocks, giants 

 and giantesses, were equally popular and equally power- 

 ful. A mighty giant in the Isle of Rugen, vexed that, 

 as his home stood on an island, he had always to wade 

 from it when he wished to cross over to Pomerania, 

 resolved to make a causeway for his greater conveni- 

 ence. So, filling his apron with earth, he proceeded to 

 carry out his purpose, but soon the weight of his burden 

 broke an opening in the apron, and such a quantity 

 of stuff fell out as to form the nine hills of Rambin. 

 Stopping the hole, however, he went on until another 

 bigger rent was torn open, from which earth enough 

 tumbled to the ground to make thirteen of the other 

 little hills that now appear in that district. But he 

 succeeded at last in reaching the sea with just enough 

 of earth left in the apron to enable him to make the 



