Broceliande forest The golden tree Source : Wikipedia

Changing times also, it seems ! Imagine my surprise when, on turning on the radio, I heard that the first “Dragon Week” has opened this week-end in Ploermel. Where is that, you may ask yourself. Not at all in China as you might have thought first considering that the Chinese already have the Dragon Year in their calendar.

Ploermel coat of arms - Source : Wikipedia

No, Ploermel is a French commune which is situated in Bretagne, in the Morbihan department. It is set just on the edge of mythical Broceliande, the enchanted forest which the Arthurian legend proclaims to be home of Merlin the Magician  ! For having been there once I can tell you, this forest is really enchanting !

Broceliande forest Merlin's grave - Source : Wikipedia

Anyway, what a good introduction to my coffee-reading ! I had come with Reverend Kirk’s book The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies and I was now invited to “l’antre du dragon”. Well, folk-tales, myths and legends are gaining popularity these days and dragons seem to have the wind in their sails…

Doon Hill Scotiana.com 2004

But now back from Broceliande to Doon Hill which, if we believe Reverend Kirk who used to haunt its wooded slopes a long time ago, is sheltering a community of fairies. Had the very adventurous Reverend really found the hidden gate to their realm ? I wonder… anyway I’m going to read what he says about the question in his book and what eminent writers or critics think about his strange experience.  I’ve just received two beautiful editions of The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies.  One of them contains the original text as it had been written in the 1691 original manuscript and the other one a modern version of it. Guess which one I’m going to read !

Reverend Kirk The Secret Commonwealth Facsimile I.H.O. Books 2005

The Secret Commonwealth Reverend Kirk Facsimile I.H.O. Books 2005

This edition of The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies by Robert Kirk appears to contain a facsimile of Andrew Lang’s 1893 edition.  It was published in 2005 by I. H. O. Books. I’ve noticed that the publishers’ logo, a red cross on a white background, is  the symbol of the Templar Knights. After searching the web I’ve found that this publisher specializes in esoterism. Quite appropriate ! On the endpaper of this edition there is a reproduction of an old watercolour drawing by Sir D.H. Cameron R. A.  entitled  “The Hill of Fairies at Aberfoyle”,  but I’ve found no information about this artist nor about the beautiful illustrations which ornate the front and back covers of the book. I wonder if these illustrations did appear in Lang’s edition. We can see a reverend clothed in his black robe commanding to creatures hardly visible amidst foliage. Reminds me of the green men sculptures we tried to find in the magnificent stone lace decor of the famous Rosslyn chapel, south of Edinburgh. Below is an interesting Amazon description of the book but I fear this edition is now out of stock.

Originally written in 1691 this is a truly remarkable text. It describes a parallel world to ours which interpenetrates ours at certain places. The denizens, the faeries, elves and faunes “are of a Middle Nature betwixt Man and Angel” with “Bodies of congealled Air” There relationship with humanity is complicated, whilst they have their own agendas they also reflect mundane human life with banquets, marriages, births and so forth, though the author notes these may be for “.. Mock-show, or to prognosticate some such Things amongst us”. The mirroring of human life can extend to there being “a Double Man”, or “Reflex-man or Co-walker”, in the land of Faery for a living man. The writer of this text was a Scottish minister. It is said that in 1692 he set off in his nightshirt to Doon Hill a nearby faery mound. He was found dead. After his funeral Kirk appeared in a dream to a relative to say the body was not his but his Reflex-man, and that he was trapped in the world of Faery. But his wife was pregnant and he would appear at his sons Christening, if an iron knife was thrown over his head the human Reverend Kirk would be released. Sure enough his ghost appeared at the service but congregation were too shocked to follow his instructions and he was left forever. Occult tradition has it that the Reverend Kirk now acts as a guide between our world, the “midle-earth” and that of “the Subterraneans”. This edition reproduces the Comment by folklorist Andrew Lang from the 1893 edition, plus an Introduction by R.B. Cunninghame Graham. There is also a new Prolegomenon by Alan Richardson, author of the Magical Life of Dion Fortune and other works, which places the text in the context of modern occultism. A facsimile of the 1933 edition of “The Secret Commonwealth”.

The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies by Robert Kirk1893 edition

The following 2007 New York Review Book edition of The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies by Robert Kirk which lies open on my desk is a beautiful little hardback edition too. The ivory acid free paper used for the pages as well as for the cover gives it a pleasant hand-crafted touch. I’ve found it quite interesting to learn that the back cover illustrations have been reproduced from Robert Kirk’s student notebook. A multi-talented man, this reverend !  Maybe one day we’ll have the opportunity to go and see the original manuscripts in the archives of the Scottish libraries.

The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies by Robert Kirk NY Edition

The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies by Robert Kirk NY Edition 2007

First published in 1815 by Sir Walter Scott, then re-edited in 1893 by Andrew Lang, with a dedication to Robert Louis Stevenson, The Secret Commonwealth has long been difficult to obtain—available, if at all, only in scholarly editions. This new edition modernizes the spelling and punctuation of Kirk’s little book and features a wide-ranging and illuminating introduction by the critic and historian Marina Warner, who brings out the originality of Kirk’s contribution and reflects on the ongoing life of fairies in the modern mind.

“A slim quarto-size book (like a paperback novel in boards) and less than a hundred pages of text, this New York Review of Books edition is the first in more than a century and contains a well-written introduction and end notes by Marina Warner. Also included is Kirk’s own glossary of “difficult words,” in which we learn the 17th-century meanings of adscititious, defaecat, lychnobious and noctambulo.” –The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Kirk is a magnificent dish to set before any student of either folk-lore or folk-psychology”–The Times Literary Supplement

“The importance of Robert Kirk’s manuscript for a deeper understanding of late seventeenth-century Scottish beliefs about fairies and second sight is hard to exaggerate. There is simply no other source with such fulsome detail about the Guid Neighbours…”–Folklore

“Kirk’s ‘Secret Commonwealth’ is one of those books which are well known but hard to come by…His little treatise is a most careful and thorough piece of work, made the more so by the spirit in which it was written…The result is one of the completest descriptions extant of that special phase of popular belief.”–The Times Literary Supplement

“[F]illed with delightful maunderings on seers and second-sighters and ‘glimpses of the moon’…”–The Critic

“[A] cult classic.”–The Glasgow Herald

ROBERT KIRK was born in Scotland and studied at Edinburgh University and at St. Andrews. Ordained as a minister, he was the first author to produce a complete translation of the Scottish metrical Psalms into Gaelic, translated many other religious works into the Scots Highland dialect, and was the editor of a new Irish edition of the bible. He served at the parish of Aberfoyle until his early death in 1692. Legend says he collapsed on “fairy hill” south of the village, where today his spirit is entombed in a tree, known as “The Minister’s Pine.”

MARINA WARNER is the author of a number of works of fiction and non-fiction. In 1994 she became only the second woman to deliver the BBC’s Reith Lectures, published as Managing Monsters: Six Myths of Our Time, and was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France) in 2000. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature since 1985, she lives in London.

Now time for me to disappear with Reverend Kirk into the strange world  “Of the subterranean inhabitants”. I hope to be back with you soon. Bonne lecture !

France Brittany Quiberon beach dragon sand sculpture, photo by Manu18e’s flickr

Aberfoyle Cemetery Gate - Scotiana.com - 2006

Mairiuna, I did made some research about the inscriptions showing on the grave of the most famous resident of the city of Aberfoyle, native clergyman Robert Kirk, born in 1644, who mysteriously disappeared in 1692.  He was considered a very eccentric man as he believed in the existence of a world inhabited by faeries, goblins and other mysterious creatures.

To get more insight into his life, our readers can refer to previous posts, where we also talked about his book written just  before his mysterious death :  The Secret of the Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies in which he explains why the nearby Doon Hill, sometimes called Fairy Knowe, is a sacred place.

The Secret Commonwealth Reverend Kirk fac simile

The website Sacred Texts has a long essay about Reverend Kirk’s book, and here’s a very interesting quote from it:

He died (if he did die, which is disputed) in 1692, aged about fifty-one; his tomb was inscribed–

 

ROBERTUS KIRK, A.M.

Linguæ Hiberniæ Lumen.

 

The tomb, in Scott’s time, was to be seen in the cast end of the churchyard of Aberfoyle; but the ashes of Mr. Kirk are not there. His successor, the Rev. Dr. Grahame, in his Sketches of Picturesque Scenery, informs us that, as Mr. Kirk was walking on a dun-shi, or fairy-hill, in his neighbourhood, he sunk down in a swoon, which was taken for death. ” After the ceremony of a seeming funeral,” writes Scott (op. cit., p. 105), “the form of the Rev. Robert Kirk appeared to a relation, and commanded him to go to Grahame of Duchray. ‘Say to Duchray, who is my cousin as well as your own, that I am not dead, but a captive in Fairyland; and only one chance remains for my liberation. When the posthumous child, of which my wife has been delivered since my disappearance, shall be brought to baptism, I will appear in the room, when, if Duchray shall throw over my

 

p. xiii

 

head the knife or dirk which he holds in his hand, I may be restored to society; but if this is neglected, I am lost for ever.’” True to his tryst, Mr. Kirk did appear at the christening and “was visibly seen;” but Duchray was so astonished that he did not throw his dirk over the head of the appearance, and to society Mr. Kirk has not yet been restored. This is extremely to be regretted, as he could now add matter of much importance to his treatise. Neither history nor tradition has more to tell about Mr. Robert Kirk, who seems to have been a man of good family, a student, and, as his book shows, an innocent and learned person.

Reverend Kirk Gravestone in Aberfoyle Cemetery Scotland - Scotiana.com - 2004

His earthly grave can be seen in the churchyard near the old roofless kirk ruins.

Aberfoyle Churchyard - Reverend Kirk Tomb - Scotiana.com - 2004

The inscriptions mentions his work in translating the Psalms of the Bible into Gaelic, but no reference is made to his fairy work, but we have to keep in mind that we are in a period of time when witches were still being condemned.

Symbols on Reverend Kirk tomb - scotiana.com - 2004

I was wondering what meaning had the symbols that we can see on the gravestone. Happy was I to find an explanation on Sophie’s Fantastic Castel website:

Down the track, past the manse, across the bridge,(…) there is a ruined church. There is a graveyard at its back, which faces the hill. We wander amongst the stones, noting the names: McGregor–for this is McGregor country; Macintyre; Mac Donald; MacLaren, MacFarlane, Menzies, Primrose, Swan, Keir..And Kirk. Robert Kirk. Here he is, commemorated in a slab of red sandstone, and these Latin words, written, according to local historians, in what appears to be 18th century script:

Hic Pultis Ill Evangeli Promulgator Accuratus et Linguae Hiberniae Lumen M.Robertus Kirk Aberfoile Pastor Obiit 14 Maii 1692 Aetat 48.

Here lies the accurate promulgator of the Gospels and luminary of the Hibernian tongue, Mr Robert Kirk, pastor of Aberfoyle, who died 14 May 1692, aged 48.

There are also three designs on the stone: an etched thistle, to represent his proud Highlands background; a shepherd’s crook, to represent his calling; and a dagger, to represent–well, we shall see. No mention on this slab of stone of the Minister’s Pine, or the other life of Robert Kirk of Aberfoyle. No mention of the strange story surrounding his death. No mention of the strange book he wrote a year before his death, which ensured his immortality in more ways than one. Nothing ambiguous about this stone, pinning Kirk firmly to the earth, to time, to death, to sensible pursuits.

Only in recent times has a small plaque been erected on the wall of the graveyard, noting discreetly that the gravestone of Robert Kirk, the ‘Fairy Minister’, was to be found within. The modern tourist authority knows that it is not Kirk’s prowess in evangelism or translating the Bible into Gaelic that attracts modern pilgrims from far away. But it doesn’t want to be too closely connected with the strangeness of the other thing, the ambiguous, elusive nature of just what it was Kirk did, and how he came to be both beneath that firm slab of stone, and in the lone pine on the hill.

Sophie Masson also posted a customer book review on Amazon for The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies in which she mentions;

And for those interested in reading novels inspired by this book, the greatest is Australian writer Christopher Koch’s ‘The Doubleman

Another book that will soon be on Scotiana’s bookshelf.

By the way Mairiuna, funerary Art is a subject that really intrigues me and I took ” tons” of photographs during our sightings of cemeteries. You took many as well, and Jean-Claude has maybe more shots that us two together. It would be interesting to blog about this peculiar art in a near future. When you have a minute, I’d like to hear your thoughts .

Gotta go for now.

Talk soon.

Janice

Doon Hill Fairies - Scotiana.com - 2004

Take a look at the photos we’ve taken on Doon Hill.  Aren’t they a most touching expression of folk beliefs in our very materialistic world?  The Scottish touch of magic!  Mind you, that does not mean that the Scots are not a rationalistic people ! Think about their scientific performances.

Doon Hill Fairies Fairies-Scotiana.com-2004

To the question “Do you believe in fairies?”, I would certainly have answered YES to save the life of Tinker Bell in the story of Peter Pan and I’m inclined to believe that there is more beyond appearances than what we generally believe …

Doon Hill mysterious woodland-Scotiana.com-2006

In Scotland the frontier between the visible and invisible worlds seems to be thinner than elsewhere.  I remember asking our way to Doon Hill to a young man working at the Tourist Office in Aberfoyle. “You’re not going there at night ?”, he asked us with some anxiety.

Doon-Hill Trail - Scotiana.com -2004

In 2004, we went to Doon Hill at about 5 p.m. and we met nobody on our way up the hill and when we climbed it up again, in 2006,  it was past 9 pm and we were alone or, at least,  we didn’t see anyone, which doesn’t mean that there was nobody around us in the woods. The wind played gracefully on the little bells hanging in the trees. The atmosphere was silent and quiet. Quite pleasant. We’ve made a little film there. It’s not a very good one but it gives an idea of the place. We’ll insert it soon in our blog.

Doon Hill Hanging Bells -Scotiana.com-2004

Now, if we want to understand better the local legend we must  go back to its source and that leads us to Reverend Kirk’s life and writings.  Not only does the Reverend seem to have been a very learned man (he is the first one to have translated the Psalms in Gaelic)  but he also appears to have been a very open-minded minister. The Reverend used to listen to and note down  all his parishioners’ accounts of their supernatural experiences. This must have not only aroused the Reverend’s curiosity but also confirmed what he had always believed about the Other World.  Reverend Robert Kirk spent more than 20 years in Balquhidder parish,  from 1664 (aged 20)  to 1685 (aged 41) before moving back to the family manse, in Aberfoyle, where he stayed until his death, seven years later.

Balquhidder New & Ancient Churches - Scotiana.com- 2004

We first went to Balquhidder in 2004. It’s a very picturesque place and rich in history too. A nice little church has been built near the ruins of the ancient one and you can walk among very old graves (some of them are very beautiful)  in a most romantic churchyard. Of course, the most famous grave is that of  Rob Roy, just in front of the ancient church. Inside the church, we found many old religious memorabilia and also a book entitled Robert Kirk, Walker Between Worlds edited by R. J. Stewart.

Walker Between Worlds-R J Stewart-Ed 1990-Scotiana.com-2004

After our first incursion “au pays des fées”, at Doon Hill (or Fairy Knowe as the place is more commonly known), we wanted to know more about Reverend Kirk  but we didn’t find his book The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and  Faeries. The book had  not been published until 1815,  first by Sir Walter Scott and then by Andrew Lang. In Wigtown Byre Books shop we were said that the only book available there was a very expensive one. Of course, we didn’t buy it. Only recently did we search the web for the book and finally  found several interesting editions of The Secret Commonwealth.  Here are some of them.

Walker Between the Worlds-Edition 2007

First a new edition (2007) of the book we had seen in Balquhidder church. On the cover there is the coat of arms which can be seen on Robert Kirk’s grave, in Aberfoyle cemetery. We’ll try to know more about it.

The Secret Commonwealth Reverend Kirk- Facsimile Edition 2005

The above facsimile edition of the book has become rare but some other ones are still available.

A New Edition of The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies

It’s not easy to make an idea about this Scottish legend though Janice has already said a lot of things about it in her last post. What we must try to keep in mind is that the facts date back to the 17 th century. That was a long long time ago and life must have been quite different from what we live today. The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Faeries is supposed to have been based on Reverend Kirk’s own experiences and observations. So, to begin let us read his book.

Bonne lecture ! A bientôt.

Doon Hill - Scotiana.com - 2006

Aberfoyle is only 30 miles away by road of Glasgow and as such, there is no reason one should not stop by to contemplate splendid views and discover the area that inspired Walter Scott ‘s Rob Roy novel.

But coming back to the 17th century and to Reverend Kirk, he was a firm believer of faeries. In 1681, to express his beliefs, he wrote a book : “The Secret Commonwealth Of Elves, Fauns and Faeries“, an essay on the nature of supernatural beings. This book was neither fiction and not for children.

Do you have this book Mairiuna? If not, we definitely need it  in Scotiana’s library.

The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies by Reverend Kirk, 1681

To give a brief overview of the life and work of Reverend Kirk, it was said that being born in 1644, the 7th son of a 7th son, it gave him psychic powers. He had the ability to call upon the supernatural beings at will.

Like his father, he became a minister, preaching at Balquhidder and then taking on the Aberfoyle ministry. His fascination for the magical world of Fairies is what he is remembered for even though he provided the first translation to Gaelic of the book of Psalms.

As per the legend, the inhabitants of the Secret Commonwealth, Fairies and others, were not happy about Reverend Kirk disclosure to their secrets and they planned revenge.

Each day, Reverend Kirk walked from the manse to Doon Hill and one day, in May 1692, very mysteriously, he did not return.

The story tells us that he was taken to the underground world of the Fairies through the pine tree that still exists at the summit of Doon Hill.

It is said that the tree contains his imprisoned spirit.

Doon Hill Pine Tree - Scotiana.com - 2004

The Reverend was out walking one day, upon the faerie knoll known as Doon Hill when he died. His family took his body and laid it to rest. However with the Reverend being so closely involved with the faeries people thought it was too much of a coincidence the location of where he died.

Instead they believed that the faeries had taken his body and left a changeling posing as Reverend Kirk.

It was said that Kirk appeared before his cousin and told him that at the Christening of his child, he would appear. This was the only chance for him to come back to our world. His cousin, Graham, had to throw an iron dagger over Kirk when he appeared.

However at the Christening, Graham was too scared at the sight of the ghostly Kirk and failed to keep his promise. It is now believed that the Reverend Kirk’s soul is still tormented within the Caledonian pine tree which stands on top of Doon Hill.

A place which people still visit to this day to make wishes and leave presents for the faeries.

Gifts to Fairies at the foot of the Pine tree - Scotiana.com - 2006

As well as many interesting and ancient graves (including Rev Kirk’s earthly grave) the local graveyard contains heavy iron coffin covers, a strange thing to find so far from a major city.

Aberfoyle Cemetary - Reverend Kirk Grave - Scotiana.com - 2004

To access the site, up manse road, watch for the signs for Fairy Hill after about 1/4 mile.

Doon Hill Fairy Trail, Aberfoyle - Scotiana.com - 2006

At the top of the hill amongst the trees you can see prayer ribbons that people still leave.

Doon Hill - Ribbons - Scotiana.com - 2004

Doon Hill - Ribbons - Scotiana.com - 2006

A very enchanting walk…by the way, do you believe in Fairies?

…