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Tree arch and bridge near Shiskine
on the Isle of Arran, Scotland
Image by Andy Jamieson via Creative Commons |
I have joined a discussion group where most of the participants are college professors or members of the foreign service. In late May of 2024, I was charged by leading a discussion. I decided to talk about psychological models of growth in late life using elder tales as illustrations of those points.
(See Related below for some details about the psychologists / psychiatrists that I referenced.)
I ended up sharing about eight tales, many of which are retold here on this blog. (Again, see Related for the root post about elder tales.) However, I had not yet retold this tale from Scotland.
I enjoy it because it demonstrates resiliency in the protagonist. It also illustrates how older adults who have achieved wisdom are more comfortable with the topic of death and the notion of having a connection with those who are already deceased.
But enough of the "explaining." Let me just retell this tale, which I found in this 1999 collection by Jane Yolen: Gray Heroes: Elder Tales from around the World. Penguin Books.
On the Scottish isle of Arran there lived an old woman named Mary Hendeson who had a reputation of being smart and brave despite her small stature. One night, she was walking home when it was quite late, and she decided to cross a bridge that the locals claimed was haunted. Many who had crossed that bridge reported encountering an apparition of Finlay, a local farmer who had died some years before. Even young, stout, and strong men had trembled when this apparition appeared on the bridge.
That night, Mary approached the bridge with her head held high and her eyes wide open. Sure enough, a mist appeared that took a human form. Mary asked, "An tu Fionla?" [Art thou Finley?] She had known him when he was alive, but it had been several years since she saw him in his mortal form.
He confirmed that he was indeed Finlay.
Mary asked, "Why are you alarming me by blocking my path over this bridge. I am just a little old woman. What business could you possibly have with me?"
Finlay replied, "For night after night, season after season, and year after year, I have appeared before many including young strong lads, but they have all fled from me without addressing me. You are the first to stop and face me without fear. I am eager to find someone to help me right some wrongs that I committed before I died. I had stolen some plough-irons from farmer MacClerie, and my spirit cannot rest until they are returned to their rightful owner."
Mary inquired on how she might accomplish this.
Finlay explained, "Will you go tomorrow to a ditch in this yonder field and place the plough-irons in the path leading to MacClerie's farm.
While she had his attention, she asked Finlay more questions, which he readily answered. He told her about the state of several of her dear and departed friends and kinfolk. He told her how long she and her husband would live. And because she demonstrated so much interest in helping, Finlay asked her to warn a mutual acquaintance, merchant Campbell, to give up his evil doings for he was in great danger.
Mary promised that she would honor all of his requests. He then vanished, which allowed her to cross the bridge and return safely to her own home.
The next morning, she went to the ditch that Finlay described and found the plow-irons hid underneath some overgrowth. She dragged them to the path near MacClerie's farm where they were soon found. She gave warnings to merchant Campbell, who was so amazed to hear Mary detail his misdeeds that he repented of his sins. Both she and her husband died at the time that had been foretold.
After her interview with Finlay's spirit, the bridge was no more haunted by Finlay's apparition, which helped Mary and others travel uninterrupted even during the darkness of night.
Related:
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Great story!
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