Please listen for an audiobook edition of Once Upon an Island
A Treasury of Guernsey Folklore by Penny Dawes
Read below for the abbreviated version and full audio telling of each tale and its origin.
There is No Evil Without a Remedy
Dark sorcery could be counteracted with the help of a white witch. In this tale a white witch helped a family living on a farm who had been under the influence of dark magic and a curse.The white witch used a magic potion in a cauldron on the fire with the remedy inside. When it began to simmer six mice entered the room, once the water began to boil, little droplets ran off the edge of the cauldron and as they hit the ground the mice vanished. In their place stood the evil witch who had cursed the family.
The full tale of There is No Evil Without a Remedy can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Fairy Invasion
A fairy king fell in love with a beautiful girl from Guernsey, who he brought back with him to fairyland. Once there the fairy king’s men were captivated and they too wanted a bride from Guernsey. They invaded as a swarm and the Guernsey men fought heroically but alas were no competition for supernatural powers. Their blood ran down ‘Rouge Rue’. However, fairies can only live amongst human folk for so long and after a few years they waved a tearful goodbye and returned to fairyland.
The full tale of The Fairy Invasion can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The May Queen
Midsummer’s eve was always a big celebration. A way to bring good luck was to use flowers as a form of worship. Islanders would make a ‘lit de fouaille’ (green bed) which was decorated with the most beautiful fresh flowers. Every parish would elect a girl to symbolise the May Queen ‘La Môme’ and she would sit on the throne to be worshipped as a goddess.
The full tale of The May Queen can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Mermaids of Petit Bôt
On his cliff walk an old man of the Forest spotted six mermaids at Petit Bôt. They were incredibly beautiful and their scales sparkled like the brightest silver. But when they spotted the old man they slid in to the sea and disappeared. Guernsey fisherman reported seeing both beautiful and hideous mermaids.
The full tale of The Mermaids of Petit Bôt can be found in Once Upon an Island.
To Dance with the Devil
A dolmen called ‘Le Trépied’ was known for being the favourite midnight haunt of the island’s witches and wizards. They would meet every Friday to pay worship to their master the Devil at a dancing even called ‘Sabbat’. If you were not born into it, to become a sorcerer you had to take a black ointment given to you by the Devil. The Devil and his worshipers would attend Sabbat in their animal disguises and would dance, curiously back to back.
The full tale of To Dance with the Devil can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Miller and the Duck
One day a Miller walking past his mill-pond heard the quacks of a struggling duck. He saw a very beautiful duck tangled in some reeds. He quickly helped her untangle herself. He took her to the mill house and made her comfortable. When he later returned he was astonished to see a beautiful lady in in the ducks place. As a reward the beautiful lady gave him a secret treasure to thank him.
The full tale of The Miller and the Duck can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Wren and the Robin
The Robin first brought fire to the island by carrying a piece of lighted torch in his beak across the water. This burnt his breast feathers and all the other birds were so sorry for him that they gave him a feather, except the owl who as a result no longer dare shows his face by day. The Robin brings good luck and it is bad luck to ill treat his nest or eggs. The Wren brought water to the island and must also be respected.
The full tale of The Wren and the Robin can be found in Once Upon an Island.
Saint George and the Boy
The English St George and Irish St Patrick happened to meet in Guernsey, which they both wanted to make their home. However, they realised that they needed to reach a peaceful arrangement, so they each gave the island a blessing. St Patrick declared that no poisonous insect, snake or toad would ever live in Guernsey. He filled his pockets with these creatures and took them to Jersey. St George drew a stream of water out of the ground and made a well which had healing powers. The owner of the Estate where the well was had a little boy, who had a canary bird as a pet. One day it flew into the well. The child almost fell into it trying to retrieve the bird but as he was about to reach out he was distracted by the sounds of a horse and turned around to see St George on a White Horse disappearing amongst the trees. When he turned back around the bird was sitting on his finger.
The full tale of Saint George and the Boy can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Magpies’ Luck
In the olden days, to see three magpies was considered good luck, all other numbers were a sign of impending misfortune. Some birds always symbolised good luck such as the robin, wren and lark. However, birds such as the crow or cormorant were considered bad luck, no matter what number of them was seen.
The full tale of The Magpies’ Luck can be found in Once Upon an Island.
Little John
A couple in Guernsey had a tiny son, no larger than a thumb, who could be easily lost. One day he went out with his mother who put him safely inside a foxglove in the field and told him to stay there. But he didn’t listen to her and began to explore. As he did so he was terrified to see a giant Guernsey bull rushing towards him. He tried to hide, but alas the bull gulped down the cabbage he was hiding under. His cries from the stomach of the bull lead his mother to believe it was bewitched and she asked her husband to kill it and took home some meat to eat. An old woman found some leftovers and inside was Petit Jean, who, when she cut it open, ran home happily to his parents.
The full tale of Little John can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Fairies’ Hollow
Dolmens make good fairy homes, such as ‘Lé creux és fâïes’. On a full moon the fairies would came out to dance. Any person who moved the fairy stones risked bad luck. Fairies love silver and gold and kept treasure in their homes. There were also house fairies who would make themselves useful by finishing work such as knitting. But they had to have a reward of a bowl of milk porridge. The last fairy in Guernsey was spotted over 100 years ago.
The full tale of The Fairies’ Hollow can be found in Once Upon an Island.
Do Not Wander Alone
If you wandered alone you risked meeting a large black dog known as ‘La Bête de la Devise de Sausmarez à Saint Martin’ or a spirit trapped within a ball of fire called ‘Le Faeu Bélengier’. Merry men returning home would be entranced by the ball of fire and it would lead them to the wrong place. The ball of fire also indicated hidden treasure.
The full tale of Do Not Wander Alone can be found in Once Upon an Island.
Two of a Trade Cannot Agree
There were ways to protect yourself against dark magic, such as carrying a charm or nailing an upright horseshoe to your door. Other ways to protect your home were to hang a wreath of bramble from any window ledge or doorway (as this would tangle and trap witches and wizards travelling through the air). Another way was to own a black cat as they warded off any wizard or witch. The cat would be left alone in case it was a wizard or witch in disguise as ‘two of a trade cannot agree’.
The full tale of Two of a Trade Cannot Agree can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Fisherman Who Caught No Fish
A man called Collas de la Rue, suspected of being a wizard, put a charm against Thomas Behot as he had refused to give some fish to his son. The curse was that Behot would not catch anymore fish. Behot and his wife decided to ask for the help of a white witch to break the curse. Despite the curse Behot went out fishing during a storm, which almost drowned him. His wife found another curse. This time it was taken to the judge and Behot was never bothered again. Jean Falla also offended a witch and went fishing. He fell asleep but was awakened by a terrifying storm and he could see an old woman on top of the mast. He got back to shore and ran home. From that day on he was all always careful to treat old women with great respect.
The full tale of The Fisherman Who Caught No Fish can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Nanny Goat
Farmers love their goats, however there was a ghost of a goat called ‘La Biche’. She would appear under moonlit skies. She was very large with big glowing eyes, long twisted horns and a shaggy fur coat. Locals avoided the area where she was seen. But as she hadn’t been seen for a while people started using the shortcut. One day two farmers were using the shortcut from collecting vraic (seaweed). In the twilight as they returned home one started to feel uneasy and lit a flaming torch. Suddenly, they saw the huge nanny goat! She dug her hooves into the cart, stopping it. The men unharnessed their animals and sprinted home. They returned at sunrise, where the cart was still there and the oxen and horses were waiting. From that day they never went down the lane after dark.
The full tale of The Nanny Goat can be found in Once Upon an Island.
Jackdaw, a Spirit of the Cliffs
A common disguise that wizards and witches took was a jackdaw. Like Ravens and crows they would nest and live on the rugged cliffs. These location were where witches and wizards could blend into their surroundings during their night time meetings. Islanders also believed that the souls of the departed would sometimes revisit places that were specially important to them in their past list in the form of a bird.
The full tale of Jackdaw, a Spirit of the Cliffs can be found in Once Upon an Island.
Wizard in Disguise
A common disguise for wizards and witches was a hare. The Devil himself was also known to appear as a hare, especially if he was trying to lure people to join him. He would invite them to his party called ‘Sabbat’. The wizard in disguise would visit dolmens in darkness of night to meet other witches and wizards. One remedy to stop an evil sorcerer in his tracks was silver.
A farmer being bothered by a hare, who had been suckling milk from his cows took a silver button from his shirt and fired it from his gun. Seconds later he found his neighbour behind a hedge, his leg was bleeding heavily. The farmer never had trouble again once he had discovered his neighbour’s disguise.
The full tale of Wizard in Disguise can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Useful Bee
Bees are one of the most useful insects for humans. They are intelligent and well organized. Beekeepers believed they were so intelligent they could recognise their master and families and could approach without the risk of being stung. As a result, a custom arose that on any significant event, such as a wedding or death, the beekeeper had to tell the bees by whispering what event had taken place. This would avoid the bees taking offence and leaving. As bees were so important they could only be sold for gold. The sight of a bee by a fisherman also had significance depending on which direction it was flying in.
The full tale of The Useful Bee can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Hare and the Cow
Near Vazon, Collas Roussel and his wife Nancy Guille would transform into hares. One day a farmer saw a handsome hare in his field dancing around his cows. The farmer suspected it really was Collas Roussel trying to cast a spell to spoil the milk. A friend of his, Pierre, helped catch the hare and rubbed its fur the wrong way as punishment. They were seen another day and this time Pierre gave them a jump and shouted at them that they should be ashamed of themselves. From that day on the cows were never bothered.
The full tale of The Hare and the Cow can be found in Once Upon an Island.
The Little Pig gets the Biggest Parsnip
As the old Guernsey saying goes, ‘Aen p’tit pourché, grosse pânais”, meaning ‘the little pig gets the biggest parsnip’.
This is another way of saying the youngest child is always the most petted or the baby of the family is the most spoilt.
The full tale of The Little Pig gets the Biggest Parsnip can be found in Once Upon an Island.
