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'''Nicneven,''' '''Nicnevin''' or '''Nicnevan''' is a witch or [[Fairy Queen|fairy queen]] from [[Scottish folklore]]. She is often conflated with the Gyre-Carling or [[Hecate]], but some scholars dispute this and debate whether the name originally referred to a real woman or a mythical goddess.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Simpson|first=Jacqueline|date=1995|title=‘The Weird Sisters Wandering’: Burlesque Witchery in Montgomerie’s ‘Flyting.’|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/1260748|journal=Folklore|volume=106|pages=9–20|via=JSTOR}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Hanham|first=Alison|date=1969|title="The Scottish Hecate": a wild witch chase|journal=Scottish Studies|volume=13|pages=59-64}}</ref> |
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== Etymology == |
== Etymology == |
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| ⚫ | The name may derive from a [[Scottish Gaelic]] [[surname]] Neachneohain, meaning "daughter(s) of the divine," and/or "daughter(s) of Scathach," or NicNaoimhein, meaning "daughter of the little saint").<ref name="scotsleid">"nic" meaning "daughter" and "naoimhein" meaning "of little saint" ( > the proper name [[Niven]]) http://www.dsl.ac.uk/</ref> |
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The woman known as "Niknevin" accused of witchcraft in 1569 told her interrogators that the apothecaries had caused her arrest because of her superior healing powers. She was said to be over 100 years old.<ref>''HMC Eglinton'' (London, 1885), p. 43.</ref> |
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== Legend == |
== Legend == |
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The first known mention of Nicneven was by [[Alexander Montgomerie]] around 1580. Montgomerie and [[Patrick Hume of Polwarth]] were two court poets under [[King James VI of Scotland]]. In a "flyting" or exchange of comical insults in verse, Montgomerie described the birth of Patrick Hume (referred to as Polwart throughout the poem). In his story, Polwart is the hideous offspring of an elf and an ape, conceived during the [[Halloween]] procession of the King and Queen of the Fairies. The infant Polwart is found by the [[Moirai|Weird Sisters]] and then passed on to Nicneven and her group of nymphs or witches, who dedicate him to Hecatus (Hecate) and Pluto in an unholy ritual.<poem style="margin-left: 2em"> |
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She was sometimes thought of as the mother witch, [[Hecate]], or a Habundia figure of [[Scottish mythology|Scottish fairy mythology]].<ref>[[Joseph Mallord William Turner]], ed., ''The poetical works of [[Sir Walter Scott]]'' (Robert Cadell, 1833), [https://books.google.com/books?id=dT0qAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA280&dq=%22Nicnevin%22+-inpublisher:icon&as_brr=0&ei=zjUhS7e2FIS-yQSKluCUCg&hl=fr&cd=10#v=onepage&q=%22Nicnevin%22%20-inpublisher%3Aicon&f=false v. 2 pp. 279-280].</ref> This guise is frankly diabolical.<ref>[[Katharine Mary Briggs|Katharine Briggs]], ''A Dictionary of Fairies'' (Penguin, 1977; {{ISBN|0-14-004753-0}}), p. 310</ref> [[Sir Walter Scott]] calls her: |
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| ⚫ | Whose cunning consists in casting a clew.<ref>James Miller, ''St. Baldred of the Bass: a Pictish legend. The siege of Berwick: a tragedy: with other poems and ballads founded on the local traditions of East Lothian and Berwickshire'' (Oliver & Boyd, 1824), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pzmdQTiB09UC&pg=PA267&dq=%22Nicnevin%22+-wikipedia&num=50&cd=22#v=onepage&q=%22Nicnevin%22%20-wikipedia&f=false 267]</ref></poem>After Montgomerie’s poem, the next known mentions of the name Nicneven date from the early 1800s. John Jamieson's ''Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language'', published in 1808, defined Nicneven as “the Scottish Hecate or mother-witch; also called the Gyrecarlin."<ref name=":2">''An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language: Illustrating the Words in Their Different Significations by Examples from Ancient and Modern Writers, Volume One'' by John Jamieson, Printed at the University Press for W. Creech, 1808, p. 374</ref> |
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Robert Cromek also connected Nicneven to the Gyre-Carling:<blockquote>"We will close our history of witchcraft with the only notice we could collect, of a celebrated personage, called the Gyre Carline; who is reckoned the mother of glamour, and near a-kin to Satan himself. She is believed to preside over the ‘Hallowmass Rades’ and mothers frequently frighten their children by threatening to give them to McNeven, or the Gyre Carline. She is described as wearing a long gray mantle, and carrying a wand, which, like the miraculous rod of Moses, could convert water into rocks and sea into solid land."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cromek|first=Robert Hartley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uv4_AAAAYAAJ|title=Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway song: with historical and traditional notices relative to the manners and customs of the peasantry|year=1810|pages=292}}</ref></blockquote>Writers such as [[Sir Walter Scott]] conflated Nicneven not only with Hecate but with other queens of fairies and witches like Diana and Herodias.<ref>[[Sir Walter Scott]], ''Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft'' (1831), ch, [http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/scott/lodw04.htm 4]</ref> |
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== Gyre-Carling == |
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[[Alexander Montgomerie]], in his ''[[Flyting]]'', described her as: |
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| ⚫ | The Gyre-Carling is a witch- or ogress-like figure, with variants such as Gyre-Carlin, Gy-Carling, and Gay-Carlin.<ref>''A Glossary of North Country Words, with Their Etymology, and Affinity to Other Languages: And Occasional Notices of Local Customs and Popular Superstitions'' by John Trotter Brockett, William Edward Brockett, E. Charnley, 1846, page 203</ref> ''Gyre'' is possibly a cognate of the [[Old Norse|Norse]] word ''geri'' and thus has the meaning "greedy,"<ref name=":2" /> or it may be from the Norse ''gýgr'' meaning "ogress";<ref name="scotsleid" /> ''carling'' or ''carline'' is a [[Scots language|Scots]] and [[Northern England English|Northern English]] word meaning "old woman" which is from, or related to, the [[Old Norse|Norse]] word ''kerling'' (of the same meaning).<ref>''A Dictionary of North East Dialect'' by Bill Griffiths, Northumbria University Press, 2005, {{ISBN|1-904794-16-5}}, {{ISBN|978-1-904794-16-5}}, page. 28</ref><ref>''Scandinavian Loan-Words in Middle English, Part 1'' by Erik Bjorkman, BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2008, {{ISBN|0-559-15368-6}}, {{ISBN|978-0-559-15368-6}}, page 142</ref> |
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| ⚫ | One satirical depiction from the 16th-century [[Bannatyne Manuscript]] described "an grit Gyre-Carling," who "[[cannibalism|levit vpoun]] Christiane menis flesche.” After a love-quarrel with her neighbour, she left Scotland to to become wife of "[[Muhammad|Mahomyte]]" and queen of the "[[Jew|Jowis]]."<ref>David Laing, William Carew Hazlitt, ''Early popular poetry of Scotland and the northern border'' (Reeves and Turner, 1895), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=b8hCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA18&dq=%22Nicnevin%22+Montgomery&num=50&cd=3#v=onepage&q=%22Nicnevin%22%20Montgomery&f=false 18]</ref> In [[Fife]], the Gyre-Carling was associated with spinning and [[knitting]], like [[Habetrot]]. There it was believed to be unlucky to leave a piece of knitting unfinished at the New Year, lest the Gyre-Carling steal it.<ref>Briggs, above, p. 213</ref> |
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==Nicneven as Historical Figure== |
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<poem style="margin-left: 2em"> |
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Some scholars theorize that Nicneven was inspired by a real woman condemned to death for witchcraft. Others, such as Sir Walter Scott and C. K. Sharpe, have alternately suggested that these women were nicknamed in honor of the legendary figure.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Walter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XpMnAQAAMAAJ|title=The Works of Sir Walter Scott: The abbot|year=1913|pages=322}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Law|first=Robert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vcU_AAAAcAAJ|title=Memorialls, Or, The Memorable Things that Fell Out Within this Island of Brittain from 1638 to 1684|year=1818|pages=lxxxiii}}</ref> |
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In May 1569, an accused witch known as Nicneven or Nic Neville was condemned to death and burnt at the stake at St. Andrews. She told her interrogators that the apothecaries had caused her arrest because of her superior healing powers.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jr_UAAAAMAAJ|title=Reports on the Manuscripts of the Earl of Eglinton, Sir J. Stirling Maxwell, Bart., C. S. H. Drummond Moray, Esq., C. F. Weston Underwood, Esq., and G. Wingfield Digby, Esq|year=1885|pages=5, 43}}</ref> This woman may have been the same as Nikneveing of Monzie, mentioned in the 1643 witchcraft trial of John Brughe of Fossoway. Brughe’s teacher, Neane NcClerith, was Nikneveing’s “sister daughter.” |
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| ⚫ | Whose cunning consists in casting a clew.<ref>James Miller, ''St. Baldred of the Bass: a Pictish legend. The siege of Berwick: a tragedy: with other poems and ballads founded on the local traditions of East Lothian and Berwickshire'' (Oliver & Boyd, 1824), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pzmdQTiB09UC&pg=PA267&dq=%22Nicnevin%22+-wikipedia&num=50&cd=22#v=onepage&q=%22Nicnevin%22%20-wikipedia&f=false 267]</ref></poem> |
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There is another legend of a nurse, Catherine Niven or [[Kate McNiven]] of Monzie, who was also burned to death for witchcraft. Sources give widely varying dates including 1563, 1615, or 1715.<ref name=":1" /> |
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== Analysis == |
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Some scholars such as Alison Hanham have expressed skepticism on Nicneven’s conflation with the Gyre-Carlin. Hanham refers to Montgomery’s ''Flyting'' as “Nicneven’s earliest, and indeed only authentic, literary appearance." Jacqueline Simpson pointed out that the term “gyr-carlings” does appear in Polwart’s response to Montgomerie and could possibly refer to Nicneven and her witches, but also noted the extreme gap of "over two hundred years" between Montgomerie's poem and the much later sources describing Nicneven as a fairy queen or goddess.<ref name=":0" /> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 00:12, 9 December 2021
Nicneven, Nicnevin or Nicnevan is a witch or fairy queen from Scottish folklore. She is often conflated with the Gyre-Carling or Hecate, but some scholars dispute this and debate whether the name originally referred to a real woman or a mythical goddess.[1][2]
Etymology
The name may derive from a Scottish Gaelic surname Neachneohain, meaning "daughter(s) of the divine," and/or "daughter(s) of Scathach," or NicNaoimhein, meaning "daughter of the little saint").[3]
Legend
The first known mention of Nicneven was by Alexander Montgomerie around 1580. Montgomerie and Patrick Hume of Polwarth were two court poets under King James VI of Scotland. In a "flyting" or exchange of comical insults in verse, Montgomerie described the birth of Patrick Hume (referred to as Polwart throughout the poem). In his story, Polwart is the hideous offspring of an elf and an ape, conceived during the Halloween procession of the King and Queen of the Fairies. The infant Polwart is found by the Weird Sisters and then passed on to Nicneven and her group of nymphs or witches, who dedicate him to Hecatus (Hecate) and Pluto in an unholy ritual.
Nicnevin with her nymphes, in number anew
With charms from Caitness and Chanrie of Ross
Whose cunning consists in casting a clew.[4]
After Montgomerie’s poem, the next known mentions of the name Nicneven date from the early 1800s. John Jamieson's Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, published in 1808, defined Nicneven as “the Scottish Hecate or mother-witch; also called the Gyrecarlin."[5] Robert Cromek also connected Nicneven to the Gyre-Carling:
"We will close our history of witchcraft with the only notice we could collect, of a celebrated personage, called the Gyre Carline; who is reckoned the mother of glamour, and near a-kin to Satan himself. She is believed to preside over the ‘Hallowmass Rades’ and mothers frequently frighten their children by threatening to give them to McNeven, or the Gyre Carline. She is described as wearing a long gray mantle, and carrying a wand, which, like the miraculous rod of Moses, could convert water into rocks and sea into solid land."[6]
Writers such as Sir Walter Scott conflated Nicneven not only with Hecate but with other queens of fairies and witches like Diana and Herodias.[7]
Gyre-Carling
The Gyre-Carling is a witch- or ogress-like figure, with variants such as Gyre-Carlin, Gy-Carling, and Gay-Carlin.[8] Gyre is possibly a cognate of the Norse word geri and thus has the meaning "greedy,"[5] or it may be from the Norse gýgr meaning "ogress";[3] carling or carline is a Scots and Northern English word meaning "old woman" which is from, or related to, the Norse word kerling (of the same meaning).[9][10] One satirical depiction from the 16th-century Bannatyne Manuscript described "an grit Gyre-Carling," who "levit vpoun Christiane menis flesche.” After a love-quarrel with her neighbour, she left Scotland to to become wife of "Mahomyte" and queen of the "Jowis."[11] In Fife, the Gyre-Carling was associated with spinning and knitting, like Habetrot. There it was believed to be unlucky to leave a piece of knitting unfinished at the New Year, lest the Gyre-Carling steal it.[12]
Nicneven as Historical Figure
Some scholars theorize that Nicneven was inspired by a real woman condemned to death for witchcraft. Others, such as Sir Walter Scott and C. K. Sharpe, have alternately suggested that these women were nicknamed in honor of the legendary figure.[13][14]
In May 1569, an accused witch known as Nicneven or Nic Neville was condemned to death and burnt at the stake at St. Andrews. She told her interrogators that the apothecaries had caused her arrest because of her superior healing powers.[15] This woman may have been the same as Nikneveing of Monzie, mentioned in the 1643 witchcraft trial of John Brughe of Fossoway. Brughe’s teacher, Neane NcClerith, was Nikneveing’s “sister daughter.”
There is another legend of a nurse, Catherine Niven or Kate McNiven of Monzie, who was also burned to death for witchcraft. Sources give widely varying dates including 1563, 1615, or 1715.[2]
Analysis
Some scholars such as Alison Hanham have expressed skepticism on Nicneven’s conflation with the Gyre-Carlin. Hanham refers to Montgomery’s Flyting as “Nicneven’s earliest, and indeed only authentic, literary appearance." Jacqueline Simpson pointed out that the term “gyr-carlings” does appear in Polwart’s response to Montgomerie and could possibly refer to Nicneven and her witches, but also noted the extreme gap of "over two hundred years" between Montgomerie's poem and the much later sources describing Nicneven as a fairy queen or goddess.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b Simpson, Jacqueline (1995). "'The Weird Sisters Wandering': Burlesque Witchery in Montgomerie's 'Flyting.'". Folklore. 106: 9–20 – via JSTOR.
- ^ a b Hanham, Alison (1969). ""The Scottish Hecate": a wild witch chase". Scottish Studies. 13: 59–64.
- ^ a b "nic" meaning "daughter" and "naoimhein" meaning "of little saint" ( > the proper name Niven) http://www.dsl.ac.uk/
- ^ James Miller, St. Baldred of the Bass: a Pictish legend. The siege of Berwick: a tragedy: with other poems and ballads founded on the local traditions of East Lothian and Berwickshire (Oliver & Boyd, 1824), p. 267
- ^ a b An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language: Illustrating the Words in Their Different Significations by Examples from Ancient and Modern Writers, Volume One by John Jamieson, Printed at the University Press for W. Creech, 1808, p. 374
- ^ Cromek, Robert Hartley (1810). Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway song: with historical and traditional notices relative to the manners and customs of the peasantry. p. 292.
- ^ Sir Walter Scott, Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft (1831), ch, 4
- ^ A Glossary of North Country Words, with Their Etymology, and Affinity to Other Languages: And Occasional Notices of Local Customs and Popular Superstitions by John Trotter Brockett, William Edward Brockett, E. Charnley, 1846, page 203
- ^ A Dictionary of North East Dialect by Bill Griffiths, Northumbria University Press, 2005, ISBN 1-904794-16-5, ISBN 978-1-904794-16-5, page. 28
- ^ Scandinavian Loan-Words in Middle English, Part 1 by Erik Bjorkman, BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2008, ISBN 0-559-15368-6, ISBN 978-0-559-15368-6, page 142
- ^ David Laing, William Carew Hazlitt, Early popular poetry of Scotland and the northern border (Reeves and Turner, 1895), p. 18
- ^ Briggs, above, p. 213
- ^ Scott, Walter (1913). The Works of Sir Walter Scott: The abbot. p. 322.
- ^ Law, Robert (1818). Memorialls, Or, The Memorable Things that Fell Out Within this Island of Brittain from 1638 to 1684. pp. lxxxiii.
- ^ Reports on the Manuscripts of the Earl of Eglinton, Sir J. Stirling Maxwell, Bart., C. S. H. Drummond Moray, Esq., C. F. Weston Underwood, Esq., and G. Wingfield Digby, Esq. 1885. pp. 5, 43.
