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MAGUS

51 carefully deposited in the original place. If the animal does not on this recover, the wizards are immediately besought to apply the usual remedy.’ O/S Memoirs, Parishes of County Londonderry XI, vol. 31, Parish of Lissan, J. Bleakly, 1836. (p.105) ‘James Lunnon of Tintagh (a farmer) declares that on foggy days he has often heard the gentle folk or fairies on the face of the mountain a little above his house, knocking, as it were, 2 stones together and afterwards laughing hearty; and believes with many others of his neighbours that the flint arrowheads (some of which are in his possession) are all made by the fairies and thrown by them at the cattle which is called by the people elf-shooting. From James Lunnon, James Harkness and Martha Heaney. The Presbyterians are equally superstitious in this parish, which is evident from their desire to preserver the fairy bushes which are in various parts of the parish.’ O/S Memoirs, Parishes of County Antrim XI, vol. 29, Parish of Antrim, James Boyle. May 1838. (P.29) ‘They have not got any legendary tales nor ancient music among them. The lower class are almost all superstitious having an implicit belief in the existence of fairies and of ghosts, in witchcraft and charms, and perfectly convinced that cows are blinked and deprived of their milk by the fairies and can only be cured by a charm. Old thorns and forts are held as sacred and considered “gentle places”, that is, that fairies assemble about them. To remove either is considered as sacrilegious and the person who would do so is looked upon as insane, for he is sure never to prosper. The favourite punishments for such transgressions seem to be the death of the offender’s cattle, sickness of some of his family or the burning of his house. These superstitious notions do not seem to be much on the decline.’ O/S Memoirs, Parishes of County Antrim III, vol. 10, Parish of Islandmagee, James Boyle, April 1840. (p. 67) ‘The flint arrowheads and perforated druidical amulets or “elf-stones” are held in extreme reverence. The mist rude amulets are the most prized, and with them they will on no

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