In 1937, Alasdair Alpin MacGregor, Scottish photographer, writer and poet, published his book "The Flame Peat-Fire - Folk-tales and Traditions of the Highlands and Islands", a collection of Scottish folklore stories and traditions.
Among many stories, he tells about an "extraordinary tale" of fairies who would have visited the Island of Muck he got from Alexander Fraser, recent minister of the parish of the Small Islands; which include Muck.
Returning from an island "approximately twenty-five years ago", Fraser was in the boat of two lobster fishermen called Campbell and MacDonald, when Campbell said:
"Well, Mr Fraser, I would give a thousand pounds to have seen the faeries Sandy MacDonald's boys saw the other morning."
"Do you really mean to say that Sandy's boys, aged ten and seven, actually saw faeries?" inquired Mr Fraser.
"Yes, they did for certain, without any doubt!" urged Campbell.
"Well, then, tell us all about it," said Mr Fraser.
And so Campbell proceeded to narrate the following tale:
On Friday morning Sandy MacDonald's two boys went to search the beach for driftwood and things lost by ships in storms. Situated above a green knoll by the beach, just where a small peninsula juts out toward Ardnamurchan, is a narrow cove, in which they found a tin that never had been opened. Anxious to discover what the tin contained, the lads took it up to a crevice near at hand. On commencing to strike it open with a big stone, lo! two tiny boys with green vests appeared beside them, and inquired of them in excellent English what they were trying to do. They replied that they were endeavouring to break open the tin, which they believed to contain paint. Evidently Sandy MacDonald's lads were "under spell." They were simply "charmed" by the little fellows in the green vests, who questioned them regarding their home and their family, and who also could speak the Gaelic.
Then the lads perceived that, lying alongside the little cove was a tiny boat with a beautiful cabin aft. In the doorway of the cabin stood a wee woman. By her side barked a fully-grown dog, about the size of a rat. MacDonald's boys also noticed that the cabin contained a number of pots and pans and other kitchen utensils.
Said the little woman, charmingly attired in green raiment, to the lads:”
"Come into the cabin and have your tea with us before you go home."
However, the lads were loth to step aboard the faery boat; and so the little woman handed out to them a few loaves of faery bread, each about the size of a walnut. These they ate, and enjoyed.
Then said the little green boys to MacDonald's lads: "We are departing now. When you see our boat out at the Dubh Sgeir (a certain black rock out a little from the shore), you must return home. We will not be coming back here any more; but others of our race will be coming."
Not long after the faery boat had left the shore, Sandy MacDonald's daughter came on the scene, while looking for her young brothers. Suddenly she noticed them sitting on a rock by the shore, gazing out to sea or gazing presumably at the faery boat, which appeared to be steering for Ireland.
"What are you doing here?" she shouted. The sound of her voice broke the spell that the faeries had put on the lads ; and immediately they went home with their sister. While ' under spell ' they had been "awfully happy," to use their own words: now they trembled with a strange fear.
At intervals during the next few years the lads narrated this experience to their parents, and also to several neighbours on the Island of Muck, without any variation.
And the conclusion was:
"Truly, Sandy MacDonald's boys communed with faeries on this occasion, and ate of faery bread."
In modern ufology, some thought this must have been a close encounter of the third kind of 1912 and published shortened versions of the story in which for example the "two tiny boys in green vest" became "small creatures" and with speculation that their boat "was perhaps round" like a flying saucer is supposed to be.
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[Ref. an1:] ALASDAIR MACGREGOR:
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Two Tiny Boys with Green Vests. Let me conclude this chapter with an account of an extraordinary story of faeries who visited the Island of Muck about twenty-five years ago. I had this story from the Rev. Alexander Fraser, a recent minister of the Parish of the Small Isles, which includes Muck. Returning by the S.S. Plover from the neighbouring Isle of Canna early one autumn morning about twenty-five years ago, Mr Fraser went ashore in a small boat belonging to a couple of lobster-fishermen named Campbell and MacDonald, who had rowed out to the steamer with a number of lobster-boxes destined for the south. When rowing back to the shore with their passenger, Campbell, who was an elder in Mr Fraser's church, said: "Well, Mr Fraser, I would give a thousand pounds to have seen the faeries Sandy MacDonald's boys saw the other morning." "Do you really mean to say that Sandy's boys, aged ten and seven, actually saw faeries?" inquired Mr Fraser. "Yes, they did for certain, without any doubt!" urged Campbell. "Well, then, tell us all about it," said Mr Fraser. And so Campbell proceeded to narrate the following tale. On Friday morning Sandy MacDonald's two boys went to search the beach for driftwood and things lost by ships in storms. Situated above a green knoll by the beach, just where a small peninsula juts out toward Ardnamurchan, is a narrow cove, in which they found a tin that never had been opened. Anxious to discover what the tin contained, the lads took it up to a crevice near at hand. On commencing to strike it open with a big stone, lo! two tiny boys with green vests appeared beside them, and inquired of them in excellent English what they were trying to do. They replied that they were endeavouring to break open the tin, which they believed to contain paint. Evidently Sandy MacDonald's lads were "under spell." They were simply "charmed" by the little fellows in the green vests, who questioned them regarding their home and their family, and who also could speak the Gaelic. Then the lads perceived that, lying alongside the little cove was a tiny boat with a beautiful cabin aft. In the doorway of the cabin stood a wee woman. By her side barked a fully-grown dog, about the size of a rat. MacDonald's boys also noticed that the cabin contained a number of pots and pans and other kitchen utensils. Said the little woman, charmingly attired in green raiment, to the lads:” "Come into the cabin and have your tea with us before you go home." However, the lads were loth to step aboard the faery boat; and so the little woman handed out to them a few loaves of faery bread, each about the size of a walnut. These they ate, and enjoyed. Then said the little green boys to MacDonald's lads: "We are departing now. When you see our boat out at the Dubh Sgeir (a certain black rock out a little from the shore), you must return home. We will not be coming back here any more; but others of our race will be coming." Not long after the faery boat had left the shore, Sandy MacDonald's daughter came on the scene, while looking for her young brothers. Suddenly she noticed them sitting on a rock by the shore, gazing out to sea or gazing presumably at the faery boat, which appeared to be steering for Ireland. "What are you doing here?" she shouted. The sound of her voice broke the spell that the faeries had put on the lads ; and immediately they went home with their sister. While ' under spell ' they had been "awfully happy," to use their own words : now they trembled with a strange fear. At intervals during the next few years the lads narrated this experience to their parents, and also to several neighbours on the Island of Muck, without any variation. Truly, Sandy MacDonald's boys communed with faeries on this occasion, and ate of faery bread. |
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[Ref. ts1:] TOBY SMITH:
The author says that according to the UFO Encyclopedia, in the island off Scotland called Muck in 1912 two children were accosted on a beach by small people dressed in green who according to the children spoke Gaelic and English and cast a spell.
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
Albert Rosales indicates that in the Island of Muck, Highland Region, Scotland, in 1912, in the morning, two young boys were looking for driftwood along the beach when two small men wearing green vests suddenly appeared and asked them what they were doing. They spoke to the witnesses in both English and Gaelic. The boys then saw a "tiny boat" alongside the cove and onboard they saw a tiny woman in red and a tiny dog. She invited them onboard but they refused, she then gave them small pieces of bread, which they ate. Before leaving, the little men told the boys "others of our race will be coming." The two boys were found sitting on the rocks staring at the sea in a state of shock.
Albert Rosales indicates that the source is Janet and Colin Bord, Modern Mysteries of Britain,
He comments that Who are "the others of our race" the modern Grays? Nordics? Etc...
[Ref. js1:] JEAN SIDER:
The author indicates that in 1912 the morning in the Island of Muck, in Scotland, there was a CE3 which is a very revealing case on "the method used by the entities to operate their stratagem."
Two children saw a "strange boat" not far from the island, then two small creatures emerged and approached them, a third remained on board."
The very frightened witnesses were suddenly calmed by something which put them in a transe-like state, the famous "Oz factor" as the source says, referring to the "Wizzard of Oz".
The small beings questioned the witnesses about their life and what they did in the family home. When it was asked to them whether they would agree to come on the vessel they refused, and then the entities asked them to look at their boat up to a certain point, then they would be able to return on their premises.
By chance the sister of the two children came and saw only her brothers staring at the sea, where there was no boat. Their glance seemed without expression but when the young girl call them, it broke the spell, and they started at once to tremble with terror.
Jean Sider indicates that the source is Randles p.33 quoting Alastair McGregor in "The Peat-Fire Flame", Ettrick Press, 1937.
He comments on that the initial source is dated 1937, 10 years before the flying saucers, that the air vessel is replaced here by a "strange boat"; which besides was perhaps round. He comments on that the spirit of the witnesses was manipulated "to facilitate an operation of lure of virtual reality", the young girl not having seen the boat strongly validating this interpretation. He lists other cases where witnesses see something while others do not see anything.
[Ref. pr1:] PETER ROGERSON:
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1912 (approx year) - Morning ISLE OF MUCK (HEBRIDES : SCOTLAND) The two sons of Sandy MacDonald were beachcobming when they found a can inside a cave. As they attempted to break it open with a stone, two figures like tiny boys in green vests appeared beside them, and spoke to them in excellent English and Gaelic. Alongside the cove was "a tiny boat with a beautiful cabin aft", inside which was a small woman, also dressed in green and "a dog the size of a rat". The boys were invited into the cabin where they saw pots and pans but refused to go in. The woman then handed them some food which resembled walnut sized bread. The two "boys" then told the brothers that they were leaving but that others of their race would return. As the boat sailed away, the McDonald’s sister called to them, breaking a kind of spell. During the experience the brothers felt very happy but now they were stricken by fear. John Michell 1967 p 61 and Janet Bord in FSR 20,6 p11-both citant A. A. MacGregor’s Peat Fire Flame. |
The date is without guarantee. It is true that the MacGregor's book was published in 1937 and he says that the story goes back approximately 25 years, at the moment when it was told to him perhaps more than at from the year his book was printed. A ufologist decided that 1937-25 = 1912, without "approximately", but that is nothing certain.
Let's also that the source is not "Alastair McGregor" but "Alasdair MacGregor". These typographic errors do not facilitate research and checking...
And of course the story from the man who heard it from the man who heard it from the man has nothing to do with UFOs and aliens.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
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| None. | ||||||||
Fairy tale, folklore, not UFO-related.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
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| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | February 22, 2013 | Creation, [am1], [ts1], [ar1], [js1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | February 22, 2013 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | March 6, 2013 | Addition [pr1]. |
