Book Review - The Foy and other folk tales

'The Foy, and other folk tales'

by

Lawrence Tulloch

A foy, as I'm sure that most of you are aware, is a feast or celebration, and it is a fitting title for this book of Shetland folk tales. It is a veritable cornucopia of delights! Lawrence Tulloch has drawn on his lifetime love of stories to produce this collection of tales, which are mostly from his native island of Yell. They deal with every aspect of life, from tales of the supernatural to the lives and hardships or ordinary Shetlanders. Lawrence is well known in Orkney as a storyteller, and his ability to transfer his tales from the spoken to the written word without losing any of their spontaneity or charm is much to his credit. Many of the stories in this book Lawrence learned from his father, Tom Tulloch (a well respected storyteller who was recorded by the School of Scottish Studies in the 1970s), and have never before appeared in print. As there are 37 stories in 'The Foy' it is imposible to give an account of all of them, but I shall try to summarise a few as best as I can.

Tales of the supernatural include the escapades of the trows (fairy folk), who seem to share much of the characteristics of their Orcadian cousins. The Shetland trows love music, as the fiddle player 'Robbie Anderson' discovered when he was persuaded to go in secret to play for them every Owld Yul Een. He was rewarded with exceptional good luck, until the prayers of a newly appointed minister drove the trows to emigrate to the Faroes. 'Essypattle and the Blue Yow' is a Shetland version of Cinderella, while 'Da Boy an Da Brunnie' has shades of Jack and the Beanstalk, with the boy outwitting and killing two giants. 'The Selkie Boy of Breckon' sees a young woman seduced by a selkie man, who then provides for his son by leaving silver buried in the sand. Ghost stories thrill the reader with dire warnings not to steal from the dead...or else! In 'The Skull' a young bridegroom is persuaded to leave his wedding feast by a mysterious stranger, with fatal consiquences. Witches too play their part in the Shetland lore, with storms being raised and the luck of a fishing boat being stolen. The delightful tale 'London Again' portrays them in a comical light, as a young man finds himself transported by magic to a London wine celler.

Tales of Shetlanders, real or imagined, not only entertain the reader but gives a glimps into a hard and often unforgiving past. Lawrence's signature story has to be 'Jan Tait and the Bear', about a headstrong man who kills the King of Norway's tax collector and is given the task of ridding a Norwegian forest of a ferocious bear. You can also find out how a small connonball caused the destruction of Muness Castle, Unst, in 1627. 'Long Willie Henderson' fought at Waterloo, and was the cause of great anxiety to both Napoleon and Wellington. Life at sea is a common theme, from a young boy's daydream of sailing the world to another boy's comic escape from a hungry polar bear. The haaf fishing was a hugely important source of income, but the Gloup disaster of 1881 saw it go into decline when six boats with all 36 men on board were lost during a July gale. It is shameful to read how the wives and parents of the victims were persecuted by the lairds, who seized any valuables the families had to compensate themselves for the loss of their boats. 'Life on the Springbank' tells of a horrendous voyage around Cape Horn by that sailing ship in 1908-09. Lawrence's great-uncle, Nicky Tulloch, sailed on her, although most of the crew were Orcadian. One of them, Willie Leslie from Huip, Stronsay, died while they were trying to round the Horn and was buried at sea. The captain's wife was also a victim of the voyage, and despite her final pleas to be buried on land, she too eventually had to be buried at sea.

A few of the stories are of Lawrence's own creation, or based on events and real people. His ability to hold the reader spellbound is without doubt, as I was unable to put the book down when I started to read it. I was very honoured when Lawrence asked me to contribute a foreword about our adventures together as storytellers. An introduction by Professor Bo Almqvist (himself no stranger to Orkney) places the tales in their world context. The fine coloured cover illustration and line drawings by Sheila Faichney (former resident of Orkney) compliment the stories very well. I heartily recommend this book to both lovers of folk tales and of oral history, it is a pure joy!

Tom Muir.

'The Foy, and other folk tales' by Lawrence Tulloch is published by The Shetland Times (www.shetland-books.co.uk), priced £10.99.