Folklore & legend

The Dancer Under the Iona Fairy Hill

Sithean Mor (Fairy Hill), Iona

Recorded 1900

Two young men were coming in the evening from fishing on the rocks and found the fairy mound of that island open. One joined the dancers without laying down the string of fish in his hand. The other stuck a fish hook in the doorway, which kept the entrance from closing, and made his escape when he wished. He came back for his companion that day twelvemonth and found him still dancing with the string of fish in his hand. When taken into the open air the fish dropped from the string rotten.

The hook is the iron that fairy lore requires. In his Clan Traditions Campbell also mentions spells said to have been used to dry up the wells of the Fairy Hill of Iona.

This site is private property or has no public access. Coordinates shown are rounded and no directions are offered.
Evidence
Long-standing local tradition
Access
No public access
Location
56.329, -6.408 (Parish-level only, treat as an area)

Sources: John Gregorson Campbell, Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (1900), Project Gutenberg [public-domain]; John Gregorson Campbell, Clan Traditions and Popular Tales of the Western Highlands and Islands (1895), Project Gutenberg [public-domain]

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