The Loaghtan Beg

The Loaghtan Beg

Wed, 08 Apr 2020

A story from Sophia Morrison's Manx Fairy Tales (1911):

The Fynoderee of Gordon

It happened one winter’s night that there was a great snow-storm. Juan Mooar got up to see after the sheep, but the Fynoderee came to the window.

‘Lie, lie an’ take a sleep, Juan,’ says he; ‘I’ve got all the sheep in the fold, but there was one loaghtan (brown native sheep) yearling there that give me more trouble till all the res’. My seven curses on the little loaghtan! I was twice round Barrule Mooar afther her, but I caught her for all.’

When Juan went out in the morning all the sheep were safe in the cogee house and a big hare in with them, with two short lankets on him, that was the brown yearling!

This story connects to an image in the project, Whispering in the trees: Images of Manx folklore by Mark Kinrade.