05-04-2022, 06:00 PM
My direct paternal ancestry comes from an area of Essex, around Kelvedon Hatch and Wrightsbridge, but we've been on this side of the ocean for nigh on to 400 years now. Still, your mention of no ocean nor mountain being a barrier to Black Shuck's nightly forays struck a cord.
A tale is told of my paternal grand dad having a meeting with a mystery mutt in the wildernesss of West Virginia. Walking home on a moonlit night, he had occasion to cross a bridge that ran across a fork of the Little Kanawha River, but when he set foot on the near end of the bridge, a large black dog with glowing red eyes suddenly appeared at the far end of the bridge, blocking his way, snapping and snarling.
Now gramps was not one to brook any bullshit. He once whipped the sheriff of the adjoining county, bare knuckles and boot heels, for trying to delay his journey homeward. If he was willing to fire up the constabulary, a grouchy-assed mutt was all in a day's work for him. So, with curses and imprecations upon his lips notifying the hound in no uncertain terms that it's day was about done, and casting aspersions on it's parentage and whatnot, gramps sallied forth across the bridge intent on doing battle with the beast.
As he neared the red-eyed cur, and had almost reached striking distance, the dog suddenly vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. Some say that a puff of acrid smoke was involved, but who knows now, all these years later.
So has my paternal lineage brought our own pet Shuck across the ocean from the Old Country, in the same way that the O'Brien branch brought the Banshee Eibhlinne with them? I will note here that according to the paternal DNA ("Y-DNA"), the line originated somewhere in the Balkans millennia ago, a place sort of famed for it's irascible magical canines. Or was gramps just too deep into his cups and possibly hallucinating in an alcohol induced haze?
I reckon everyone will have to reach their own decision in the matter, to their own satisfaction.
.
A tale is told of my paternal grand dad having a meeting with a mystery mutt in the wildernesss of West Virginia. Walking home on a moonlit night, he had occasion to cross a bridge that ran across a fork of the Little Kanawha River, but when he set foot on the near end of the bridge, a large black dog with glowing red eyes suddenly appeared at the far end of the bridge, blocking his way, snapping and snarling.
Now gramps was not one to brook any bullshit. He once whipped the sheriff of the adjoining county, bare knuckles and boot heels, for trying to delay his journey homeward. If he was willing to fire up the constabulary, a grouchy-assed mutt was all in a day's work for him. So, with curses and imprecations upon his lips notifying the hound in no uncertain terms that it's day was about done, and casting aspersions on it's parentage and whatnot, gramps sallied forth across the bridge intent on doing battle with the beast.
As he neared the red-eyed cur, and had almost reached striking distance, the dog suddenly vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. Some say that a puff of acrid smoke was involved, but who knows now, all these years later.
So has my paternal lineage brought our own pet Shuck across the ocean from the Old Country, in the same way that the O'Brien branch brought the Banshee Eibhlinne with them? I will note here that according to the paternal DNA ("Y-DNA"), the line originated somewhere in the Balkans millennia ago, a place sort of famed for it's irascible magical canines. Or was gramps just too deep into his cups and possibly hallucinating in an alcohol induced haze?
I reckon everyone will have to reach their own decision in the matter, to their own satisfaction.
.
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’