Shetland Folk-Lore/Prehistoric Remains
PREHISTORIC REMAINS
PREHISTORIC REMAINS
F the early inhabitants of Shetland the brochs and earth-houses are not the only memorials which have come down to us. The implements they used in peace or war are from time to time unearthed in field or moor, and their rubbish heaps, consisting chiefly of the shells of shellfish, are often seen by our shores. Their burial mounds, round which fanciful legends cluster, are frequently met with; and many tall, moss-grown standing-stones remain, mute yet eloquent witnesses of the mystery of the past. But of these rude monuments we are left with the poet to ask in vain:
“In what age wast raised? at whose command?
If Pictish, or if Scandinavian hand
Sank deep thy base, and bade thee time withstand?”
From the great number of stone implements found in Shetland, it might be supposed that the Stone Age extended over a very long period in these islands. It is probable, however, that even after metal implements were introduced, they did not come into common use for a long period, and that the primitive stone implements were only very gradually displaced. This, it is quite reasonable to suppose, would have been likely to happen in the case of a remote group of islands where we find, even in the present day when there frequent communication with the mainland, that the bismar is still often employed as a weighing machine, and an old world iron fish-oil lamp (the kollie) is still used in out of the way places. Though there is no proof that the primitive stone implements were made and used by the early people who raised the brochs and dwelt in the ancient earth-houses, tradition attributes them to the Picts. Most of the implements which have been found are rude in form, but may for all that have been well adapted to the purposes for which they were intended. Many, however, are remarkable for the rare skill with which they have been formed, for the beauty of their outlines and the high finish of their polished surface, indicating that the people who fashioned them were possessed of remarkable mechanical skill and exquisite taste.
Primitive man, when he required the use of tools or war weapons, no doubt at first made use of what he found ready to his hand, and accordingly we find water-worn stones which bear traces of having been so employed. In most cases, however, the implements have been chipped or polished into the form required. Some of these rude implements are of considerable size and weight. The most common type perhaps, is seen in the flat, oblong implement shown in Fig. 2. It is 20 inches in length and 6 inches wide, and was found at Watsness, Walls. Usually examples of this class are much smaller, and very frequently polished at one or both ends.
Fig. 2.—Rude Stone Implement.
They are usually composed of sandstone or clay slate, and present great diversity both as regards form and size. Formerly only the finely polished axes were much noticed, but in recent years, since attention has been directed to these rude archaic implements, in some localities considerable quantities have been found, proving them to have been extensively used in early times. It is not easy to conjecture with any certainty to what uses they were put. Occasionally club-like handled implements, such as that represented in Fig. 3, are met
Fig. 3.—Club-like Handled Implement.
with. This specimen is of unusually large size, measuring 13½ inches in length by 4 inches wide, and was found in a moss at Burrafirth, Unst. This type of implement is usually made of sandstone with a smooth surface.
These rude stones, evidently shaped by human hands, are found in such numbers that it is evident they must once have been in daily use. Could information be obtained regarding the purposes for which they were employed, it would reveal to us much of the mode of life of the early people at present hidden from us.
It is, however, in the polished celts or axes that the wonderful artistic skill of the Stone Age people is to be seen. In Shetland these finely formed, polished weapons have for ages been looked upon with a kind of superstitious regard, and treasured up from the idea that the possession of one brought luck to the family that possessed it. They were known as thunderbolts or battle-axes, and were generally believed to have fallen from the sky during a thunderstorm. It used to be thought that to have a battle-axe in a house protected it from being struck by lightning, and it was said that, though at other times dry, during a thunderstorm the stone became quite moist.
These weapons are axe or adze shaped and vary considerably as regards size, specimens as small as 4 inches in length and some as large as 14½ inches having been met with. They are frequently composed of serpentine, porphyry, or other hard, finely grained stone suitable for taking a keen edge and high polish. Many of these instruments when found show no traces of having been in use, the cutting edges being as smooth and sharp as when first ground. From the great care evidently displayed in the selection of material and in the finishing of these implements, it is believed that they have been devoted to special use as weapons of war. It is, however, probable that they were also employed as hatchets for hewing wood. When large pieces of timber had to be dealt with, fire was likely used to assist the process, the charred portions being cut away with these axes. In the peat bogs of Denmark old stems of trees have been found which appear to have been felled in this way, and the American Indians are reported to have hollowed out canoes 30 feet long by means of stone tomahawks, assisted by the use of fire.
When used, the axe was probably fitted into a slot cut through a wooden haft, or into the split end of the wood, and secured by thongs of hide or term (cord made from entrails of animals). No traces of any such handles have been found in Shetland, which is not surprising, as the wood was certain to be decomposed lying in the ground. That this, however, is the manner in which these weapons have been used is almost certain from the fact that the stone axes of the South Sea Islanders, which bear an extraordinary resemblance to the weapons of the north, are mounted in this fashion.
It must be remembered that in the early times, when the stone implements were in use, trees were growing in the islands, and traces of these ancient woods and thickets survive in the roots which are still found in our peat bogs. That this was the case even after the arrival of the Norsemen seems proved by the appearance of place-names of Norse origin referring to woods and trees. Dr. Jakobsen mentions Skooin Brenda, a place in Quarff, which he derives from Old Norse skoginn brenda—the burnt wood; Brennya, a croft in Fladabister, from brenna—burnt land; Rees (Quarff), a croft, from hriss—brushwood; Krapp, a croft at Gulberwick, from Norwegian Krape—brushwood; Hoolin Brenda, a croft at Norwick, Unst, meaning the burnt knoll; and Ribrendadelds, in Setter, North Roe, from deild—a portion of land, brend—burnt, ryden—brushwood. Bruntland, Brunthammarsland, and possibly Lund (Icelandic Lundr—a grove) are other examples. The story of the burning of a wood in Foula by the Lewis men in order to prevent the inhabitants fleeing to it for concealment, is quite in keeping with the customs of the marauding bands of the time, and probably is a tradition of an event which actually occurred. That the Norsemen introduced the art of peat-cutting when wood became scarce is probable, and the bold Jarl Einar likely merited the eke-name he received—Torf Einar. Although the trees growing in Shetland may not have been of very large size, they would have afforded material for agricultural and domestic implements and utensils, for roofs of huts, and for building the frames of coracles or skin boats. The brushwood would also furnish fuel for the inhabitants, and the stone hatchet must have been of as much importance to the Stone Age Shetlander as the tusker (spade for cutting peats) is to the crofter of our own day.
The beautiful specimen of a polished axe shown in Fig. 1 (Frontispiece) is from a group of three found lying together in 
Fig. 4.—Stone Axe.
Fig. 5.—Axe of Porphyrite.
little above the cutting edge, being slightly hollowed out. This shape was no doubt chosen to make it suitable for being used as an adze. Though the axe form is probably the most common, distinctly adze-shaped specimens are frequently met with.
Another example of a stone axe, shown in Fig. 5, is thus described by Dr. Anderson in his valuable work, “Scotland in Pagan Times”: It “is of greyish porphyritic stone, 10 inches in length, and 3 inches across the centre where it is widest, oval in section, tapering both ways from the middle, upwards to a pointed butt, and downwards to an oval cutting edge. It was found under six feet of peat on the hill above Grimister, called Mount Braa, about two miles from Lerwick.”
Another type known as perforated stone battle-axes have occasionally been found. They are hammer shaped, and unlike the ordinary form of stone axes, which were secured in an opening made in the wooden handle, they are pierced with a shaft hole to receive a haft. This variety is, however, rare. Two examples are in the possession of Mrs. Tulloch, of Leog, Lerwick. The smaller of the two answers closely to the description given by Dr. Anderson, in his “Scotland in Pagan Times,” of one found in a barrow in Shetland. It is of a finely mottled stone, beautifully polished, and having a shaft hole ¾ inch in diameter, drilled through the parallel sides. It measures 4½ inches in length, by 1½ inches in width, and in the cross section is a slightly flattened oval. The other axe seems to be composed of finely grained sandstone, and is smoothly finished. It is 5 inches in length, and differs from the smaller specimen in that it tapers slightly from 1½ inches across the face at one end to 1¾ inches at the other. The shaft holes are drilled through the centre of the stone, but nearer one end than the other. These perforated axes also differ from the unperforated, in that the ends are not sharpened. Evidently they were not intended to cut, but they may have been used as war weapons. It is wonderful to think of the patience and skill required by the man who fashioned such a weapon with the imperfect mechanical contrivances at his disposal.
In concluding this brief sketch of the implements belonging to the Stone Age, mention should be made of the stone knives, which are of special interest. Of this class Dr. Anderson remarks: “A series of large, flat, irregularly oval blades of porphyritic stone or madreporite found only in Shetland, have sharper edges, sometimes continued round the whole circumference, sometimes with slightly thickened and blunted backs. They are ground to a smooth, even surface on their flat faces. Another form of knife of which only one complete example exists in the Museum appears also to be peculiar to Shetland—at least, it has not yet been found in any other British locality, though the type is known in the northern parts of Norway. It is a long blade of fissile shale or slaty sandstone, with a more or less convex edge, a thickened back, and a projecting tang-like handle. This specimen is 9½ inches in length by 2½ inches across the widest part of the blade. Its surface is ground smooth all over, and the edge is sharpened by grinding from both faces. This variety of implement appears to have been very abundant, though owing to its extreme thinness and consequent fragility it is but seldom that an entire specimen is met with." A fine specimen of the former class of stone knife is in the possession of Mr. Mathewson, Lerwick. It measures 8¾ inches in length by 5½ inches across the broadest part. When it is remembered that these cutting implements were the knives, spokeshaves, and planes of their original owners, it is easy to understand how valuable they were, and with what care they would be fashioned and ground by this early people.
The aborigines made many domestic articles out of clebber, or bairdal, as steatite is also called. There are stone lamps which bear some resemblance to the later kollie, whorls used as weights for yarn spindles, and perforated stone sinkers for lines. Knocking stones and bowls made out of sandstone are found, but most of the smaller vessels that turn up from time to time are of steatite. In several places where the soft soap-stone is found, traces may be seen of the manner in which these vessels were carved out. A good instance of this is to be found in the bed of a burn a little to the south of Vestanore, Cunningsburgh. As the potter's art was practised by the early inhabitants, many of their domestic vessels were made of clay, but owing to the fragile nature of their rude pottery, few specimens of clay dishes have come down to us.
BURIAL MOUNDS.
It would appear that the primitive inhabitants practised cremation as well as earth-burial in the disposing of their dead, both customs having the authority of high antiquity. It is not certain that both methods were adopted at the same period, but it is not impossible. Round the graves of this vanished race fancy and curiosity linger, though “when the funeral pyre was out, and the last valediction over, men took a lasting adieu of their interred friends, little expecting the curiosity of future ages should comment upon their ashes; and having no old experience of the duration of their relicks, no opinion of such after considerations.” Yet their graves appeal to the popular imagination, and the belief that these fairy knowes, as they are called, are the scenes of the nocturnal gambols of the hillfolk is widespread Many of these grass-covered mounds which lie heavy on the forgotten dead are doubtless as old as the brochs, and have been used as places of sepulture by the ancient inhabitants. They are chiefly met with in the neighbourhood of brochs—are low, flattish, circular mounds composed of black-coloured mould mixed with small stones that show the action of fire. Some of these contain in the centre a stone cist. An example of this kind was opened near the burn of Catfirth while cutting for a road. The enclosed cist was formed of four rough flagstones, apparently from a quarry in Bressay. It is very noticeable that they are all found near water, the bank of a burn or the margin of a loch being the common site. The small stones thrown upon the burning heap as offerings for the dead, and copious libations of water from the brook at hand, sometimes formed the rude obsequies at these primitive graves.
There are other ancient mounds of considerable size, perhaps tombs of the great and the wealthy, for—
Though mean and mighty, rotting
Together, have one dust, yet reverence,
That angel of the world, doth make distinction
Of place 'tween high and low.”
So it may be that, under such a great mound as that reared at Safester, in “some remote and dateless day” a gallant chief was laid to rest with barbaric dignity and pomp,—
“Whose gallant deeds
Haply at many a solemn festival
The Skald hath sung; but perish'd is the song
Of praise, as o'er these bleak and barren downs
The wind that passes and is heard no more.”
In some of the large mounds, such as in the Muckle Hjoag, along with considerable quantities of human bones, numbers of cinerary urns have been found, some formed out of stone, others of baked clay. Several large clay specimens have also been discovered in Papa Stour. One of these, which unfortunately is incomplete, a considerable portion of the upper part having been broken away, is made of coarse clay, and exhibits no appearance of decoration. It is 13½ inches in height, but has doubtless been taller when complete. The base is narrow, measuring 5 inches in diameter, and it widens out at the shoulders to a diameter of 13 inches; from the shoulders the lip is curved inwards, It appears to contain ashes, calcined bones, and vitrified stones, indicating the intense heat of the funeral pyre. This urn is in the possession of Mr. James M. Goudie, Lerwick, as is also a large steatite vessel found at Burra, which was probably used as a cinerary urn, as it was said when discovered to have contained ashes. It is square in shape, with slightly sloping sides, and has the corners rounded off; some portions of the top are broken away. It measures 14 inches square and is 5 inches deep, the thickness varying from ¾ inch to 1¼ inches. On the top, as if for a cover, was also found a curious triangular implement of clay slate, the sides measuring about 12 inches and the thickness being about half an inch. Two of the corners are rounded off, and between them an opening has been cut at a slight angle for a hand-grip. The two sides from the point have been chipped to make the edge thinner. Along with these a polished celt 1 inches in length was also found.
In the New Statistical Account of Zetland, the Rev. John Bryden, who made an extensive examination of grave mounds in the parish of Sandsting, mentions similar finds: “I have one (an urn) in my possession, which I found under the foundation of the glebe dyke. It measures twelve inches over the mouth, ten inches over the bottom, and is ten inches deep. It contained a quantity of half-burnt bones, and was covered with a pretty heavy stone, flat on the side next to the urn; unfortunately, it was partly broken before I discovered it. There is, however, enough remaining to show its shape and workmanship. I have discovered two other urns on the glebe, filled with a black unctuous earth, but so much decayed that no part of them could be lifted. Out of one of them I removed the earth, and found lying at right angles in the bottom four pieces of broken stone axes.”
These rude sepulchral urns suggest nothing of the “flowery tale” which the poet Keats fancied he saw expressed in the Grecian Urn. They speak rather of a state of society rugged and devoid of luxury, where man in sterile, storm-swept isles had too ceaselessly to maintain the mere struggle for existence to devote much attention to Art. They suggest, however, the preparation of the body by weeping women, the solemn procession to the place of burning, the laying of the body upon the tall funeral pile, and the touch of the flaming torch held by the son of the departed, amid the lamentations of sorrowing friends standing around. Then, when the red flames cease to shoot upwards and the body is consumed, careful hands reverently gather the ashes and charred bones into the urn and deposit it in the prepared grave. A flat stone being placed above, the mourners perform the last rite in honour of the dead by heaping up stones to form his cairn, which may not be complete at nightfall when men return to the funeral feast.
In a note to the “Corpus Poeticum Boreale,” Dr. Vigfusson mentions the interesting circumstance that “Funeral urns of steatite (and sometimes of sandstone) are especially characteristic of wicking funerals in the Orkneys, and in those parts of Norway from whence the wickings came and whither they went home to die; they are only met with in Norway just at the Wicking Period.” It may then have been that their intercourse with the people of the west, including the mainland as well as the isles, may have induced the Vikings to make a change in their funeral customs. As the burial rites of a people are the customs to which they usually most persistently cling, perhaps some other suggestion is needed to account for such a change.
In Shetland the barrows are found upon the hillside and by the seashore, and even beside the refuse heaps of the early inhabitants. Many of them probably belong to a more remote past, but some must have been raised over Vikings who fell in fight, or who, thinking themselves unlucky in this, died a “straw death.” When the body was buried uncremated in ancient times, it must have been, in most cases, placed in a bent position with the knees raised up, as the cists are usually from three to four feet in length. The barrows are said to be modelled on the primitive house, and in them the Norsemen believed the dead to dwell. The family tomb was usually near the homestead, and at its side the patriarch sat to learn wisdom from the ancestral spirit buried within.
In the Sagas many stories are told of great and terrible sights witnessed at some of the howes. One of these is found in the Eyrbyggja Saga. It tells of the apparition seen on the death of Thorstein Codbiter, who was drowned about the year 938. He was the son of Rolf, one of the early settlers in Iceland, a great friend of Thor's and guardian of his temple, for which reason he was called Thorolf, and on account of his magnificent beard (for names had always a meaning in those days), Mostbeard. His son Stein he dedicated to Thor, and called Thorstein. When Thorolf died he was buried in a howe upon Holy Fell, which was a place so sacred that it was not considered fitting that men should even look towards it, and pray with unwashen face. Thorstein one harvest had fared to Hoskuldsey to the fishing, and on an evening while he was away, a shepherd, seeking after his sheep north of Holy Fell, saw the fell open. Inside the fell “he saw mighty fires and heard loud clangour therein and the clank of drinking horns: and when he hearkened, if perchance he might hear any words clear of others, he heard that there was welcomed Thorstein Codbiter and his crew, and he was bidden to sit in the high-seat over against his father.” When the shepherd returned, he told what he had witnessed. Next morning men came with the tidings that Thorstein had been drowned at the fishing.
The guardian spirits of the ancient heroes, which in the olden days protected their graves from defilement, in later times have been replaced by the fairies, who should not be angered by the folk contaminating their dwelling places. It is not considered right to drive a stake into one of these mounds, in order to tether an animal; and the same reason has prevented many a howe from being removed, lest the fairies might wreak their revenge by taking the lives of the cattle.
A common belief exists that in these mounds there are hidden “pots of money,” and in many cases avarice must have been stronger than superstition, for many of the grave mounds have been already explored. Whatever treasures were discovered were only such as might have enriched the antiquary, but could never repay the searcher after wealth.
STANDING STONES.
The standing stones, unlike the brochs and the fairy knolls, remain unimpaired by the hand of time, and will stand as mute witnesses of a byegone time for ages yet to come, if let alone by the hand of man. One or more of these may be found in almost every parish of Shetland. They may be seen on the hilltop, as in Burra Isle and in Bressay; or on the sloping hillside, as at Skillister in Nesting, and Clivocast in Unst; and they are also found in low-lying situations, as at Succamires, near Lund. Some of these stones are of great size, and we can only guess by what power, physical or mechanical, they have been transported or erected. The standing stone last mentioned is 12 feet high and measures 24 feet in girth at the base, and will weigh from 20 to 30 tons.
Regarding the purpose of the standing stones we know nothing. They may have been of a commemorative character, erected on the occasion of some remarkable event, as a battle; or they may have been set up to perpetuate the memory of some brave chief. Perhaps they have been raised as witnesses to some covenant between contending or stipulating parties; or lastly, they may have been to the ancient Picts what the Parish Kirk is to the modern inhabitants—a place of worship, where they devoutly assembled under the canopy of heaven to offer their devotions to the Sun-god.
The worship of Baal was perhaps the most widespread of all the ancient beliefs. Its mysteries and bloody rites were observed in the plains of India and on the “high places” of these remote islands. Still a faint memory of it lingers in the fires the children in some places light on midsummer night (Johnsmas), and as of old the priests of Baal danced round their sacred fires, so the boys leap over the flame—thus passing through the fire to Baal. On the other hand, the standing stone was a form of memorial familiar both to Celt and to Norseman, and “The Guest's Wisdom,” perhaps the earliest of the Eddic poems, contains the lines: “Few roadstones stand by the wayside that were not raised by son to father.” In the popular mind they are usually attributed to the giant race, of whom a faint tradition lingers. It was the giant of Roenis Hill who, in his combat with the giant of Papa Stour, threw a stone at his opponent in the distant island, which fell short and is now known as the Standing Stone of Busta. Similar tales are told of other standing stones.
There are no great circles of standing stones in Shetland, such as is found at Brogar, in Orkney. There are, however, circles composed of comparatively small stones. One of the most complete is found in one of the Whalsay Skerries, and is called the “Battle Pund.” Doubtless only a modern tradition associates it with the scene of a conflict which Hibbert describes between two parties of fishermen regarding fishing rights. The best known stone circles are those found at Crucifell and Balliasta, Unst, which are preserved in the same condition as in 1774, when they were examined and described by Mr. Low. He gives the dimensions of these circles:
LARGE CIRCLE AT CRUCIFELL.
|
|
Ft. | In. |
|
Diameter of outer stone circle,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
55 | 0 |
|
Second or outer earth circle,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
45 | 0 |
|
Inner earth circle,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
33 | 6 |
|
Nucleus,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
10 | 6 |
SMALLER CIRCLE.
|
Diameter of outer circle,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
22 | 0 |
|
Diameter of the second,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
17 | 0 |
|
Nucleus,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
7 | 6 |
CIRCLE AT BALLIASTA.
|
Diameter of the stone circle, little of which now remains,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
67 | 0 |
|
First earth circle,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
54 | 9 |
|
Second earth circle,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
40 | 0 |
|
Nucleus,
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
12 | 0 |
Such places have commonly been held in superstitious dread. The person who had the hardihood to walk the Rounds o' Tivla (Crucifell) alone at midnight was proof against fear arising from the presence of trows.
Another formation generally consists of three stones. They are commonly called in the districts where they are found cross stanes, often pronounced craw's stanes. The centre stone is higher than the other two, which form a sort of seat, one at each side of the middle stone. Examples occur, one near the berg of Venstrie, another at Millya Gorda, Unst, and elsewhere throughout the islands.
It may be remarked that the number three enters largely into the superstitions of the Shetlander, as is commonly the case in all mythic lore. For instance, three corbies flying over a house was considered an evil omen, and foreboded a death. Three wishes expressed during the visibility of a shooting star were sure to happen. A fire-brand borne three times round a person or an animal gave them immunity from the influence of trows. Three kinds of food offered by three times three mothers was the last and best restorative for a patient that had been rescued from the trolls. The bite of an otter was healed by the application of three hairs from its tail. Live coals falling three times on the hearth was an infallible evidence that statements made at that time were true. These examples may suffice to show how this mystic number is inwrought with our folk-lore.
SCULPTURED STONES.
In addition to the rude obelisks which bear no trace of the workman's chisel, two beautiful examples of sculptured stones have been met with. One of these was found in the ancient churchyard of Collinsburgh, Bressay, and the other discovered in the churchyard of Papil, Burra, in 1877.
The latter (Fig. 6) is a slab of finely 
Fig. 6.—The Burra Stone.
height, 1 foot 7½ inches wide at the top, and contracting slightly towards the base. The designs are boldly carved, incised lines, except in the case of the four ecclesiastical figures beside the shaft of the cross which stand out in relief. The grotesque animal within the panel in the middle of the stone is said to bear some likeness to the conventional figure of a lion, and probably the resemblance is quite as strong as may be found in many heraldic drawings of the king of beasts. The two semi-human figures at the base are even more strange, the heads having a kind of human look, in spite of the enormous beaks with which they are provided, and the legs which terminate in claws resembling a bird's. Otherwise the figurse are evidently intended as human, and each holds an axe which is not of the Stone Age type. The beaks of these creatures, it will be noticed, are fixed in a human head placed between them, but from the stone having been scaled away it is impossible to determine whether a human figure has been represented or the head only. Though this part of the design is boldly carved and in the same manner as the upper portion, it is not in line with the rest and may have been added by an inferior artist. Though to us it appears grotesque and meaningless, it is possible that it is not a mere example of the ponderous humour of the Stone Age, but that under these quaint forms is concealed some ancient and forgotten myth.
Mr. Gilbert Goudie, Edinburgh, who discovered this interesting relic and had it removed to the National Museum for preservation, considers, no doubt justly, that this monument dates back to early Celtic Christian times. The beautiful form of the cross, as well as the ornamentation, is distinctly of the Celtic type of art, and though there is no inscription upon this monument, yet its resemblance to the Bressay stone, which bears an inscription in Ogam characters, would indicate that it probably belongs to the same period.
The Bressay stone is smaller, being only 3 feet 9 inches in length, 16 inches wide at the top, and tapering to less than a foot at the bottom, but it is richly carved on both sides. It also bears the figure of the cross formed by interlacing lines, and on each side there are two ecclesiastical figures similarly dressed to those on the Burra stone, with long tunics and hoods (cuculla), and also holding pastoral staves. These figures have a further resemblance in that two of them are also shown as bearing wallets at their sides, in which probably the Service-Books were carried. The lion-like animal has also its counterpart on the Bressay stone, upon which is also represented, along with some other figures of animals, a man on horseback. Another resemblance is seen in the representation of the figure of a human being between the mouths of two grotesque creatures who appear about to devour it. The inscription which is carved on the edge of the Bressay stone has been found difficult of interpretation, as not only are the Ogam characters obscure, but there is uncertainty about the language, which is said to be a mixture of Celtic and Norn. One reading gives for the inscriptions on the edges:
“The cross of Natdod's daughter here.
Benres of the sons of the Druid here.”
It has been pointed out that Naddod was the name of the Viking who discovered Iceland about 861, and that he had a grandson named Benir. If the Natdod of the Bressay stone is identical with the discoverer of Iceland, the age of the monument would be about a thousand years. It will be remembered that Floki called at Shetland on his voyage to Iceland in 867, and that his daughter Geirhild was drowned in the Loch of Girlsta. It would be a curious coincidence if both the discoverer of Iceland and the man who followed him and gave the island its name each lost a daughter in Shetland.
Two other stones have also been found in Shetland inscribed with the same Celtic characters. One of these, a large flat slab from Lunnasting, has the inscription on its face; and another, lettered at the edge, was found at St. Ninian's Churchyard, near Bigtown. These are also probably Celtic Christian memorials, but no satisfactory interpretation of the inscriptions has been made, so far as I am aware.
It is very remarkable that while so much has come down to us from the mysterious people who first inhabited the islands, and of whose race and language we know so little, so few traces have survived of the Vikings, who stamped their impression in the place-names of every hill and dale, every rock and skerry, and whose language still forms the main element in the dialect of the islands. While the ruins of the massive towers built by the early people and the weapons with which they encountered the Norse invaders in battle still endure, the halls of the sea rovers have disappeared, and the swords and the battle-axes they wielded in many a fierce foray upon the southern coasts are turned to rust.
Perhaps the reason why only a few fragments of runic inscriptions have been found in Shetland is to be found in the fact that the Vikings were too actively engaged in the pursuit of fame and fortune to give much heed to letters, and were content when they sat at home in their high seats to listen to the Skaldic lays and stories of famous fights in far distant lands. Two rune-inscribed stones have been found in Cunningsburgh, but they are incomplete. Another runic inscription is mentioned by Low, who visited the islands in 1774, as having been seen by him at Cross Kirk, Braken, Northmavine, but it has disappeared, as has also the slab which Hibbert stated he found built into the wall of the Church of Sandness. Hibbert, however, was mistaken in describing the stone he found at Sandness as runic, as it was in reality a stone with mirror and crescent symbols carved upon it.
SPEAR HEAD OF BRONZE.
Bronze weapons are reported to have been found in former times, but they have disappeared—either cast aside or given away to visitors from the south, and so as good as lost. That such finds have been made is proved by the following extract from the Diary of a Gentleman specially well informed in all matters relating to the islands. Under date October 1809, he says: “Mr. Arthur Harrison found the following antiquities at Eastness, Northmavine, in digging for a small office-house (skoe) he intended to build on a small knoll—(1) a Sword and Dagger; (2) a Stone Hone; (3) a curious instrument, the use of which is unknown [a sketch is given]. All these were lying between three flat stones, along with a human thigh bone. He [Mr. Harrison] says the
Fig. 7.—Spear Head of Bronze.
Sword and Dagger are neither iron nor steel, but of a similar metal and similarly blown.” The Diarist added that the sword and dagger were unfortunately broken in digging, but that he saw some fragments which he recognised as bronze.
The spear head shown in Fig. 7 is the property of Mr. James W. Cursiter, Kirkwall, who is possessed of a most extensive and valuable collection of Orkney and Shetland antiquities. It “measures 10¾ inches in length, the socket projecting 3⅝ inches beyond the blade, which is 6⅜ inches in length by 2¾ inches in extreme breadth. The blade is strengthened by two ribs nearly parallel to the edge. On each side of the socket is a loop of peculiar character, flat, and formed of a lozengeshaped projection 1 inch long and ¾ of an inch broad.” It was found under a depth of about 4 feet of moss, by a man casting peats at the east side of Sweening Voe, Lunnasting. The spear head is specially interesting as proving that weapons of the Bronze Period found their way to Shetland, though very few traces of them now remain.
OVAL BROOCHES OF BRONZE.
The brooch, Fig. 8, illustrated here is
Fig. 8.—Oval Bowl-shaped Brooch of Bronze.
one of a pair of oval, shell-shaped breast clasps, 4 inches in length and 2½ inches in breadth, found at Clibberswick, Unst. The design consists of six projecting and pierced ornaments, within which are the indications of six studs, to which stones or glass ornaments were probably originally attached. The whole being enclosed by mouldings and rope design. The brooches were probably worn by women, one on each breast, and the trefoil-shaped ornament (Fig. 9) shown below may have been used as a clasp. They probably belong to the close of the ninth century.
Fig. 9.—Trefoil-shaped Broach of Bronze.