Nicnevin
Encyclopedia
Nicnevin or Nicneven Scottish Samhain Goddess(whose name is from a Scottish Gaelic surname
meaning "daughter of the little saint") is a Queen of the Fairies in Scottish folklore. The use of the name for this meaning was first found in Montgomerie
’s Flyting
(c.1585) and was seemingly taken from a woman condemned to death for witchcraft before being given, in Scotland, to the Fairy Queen
. In the Borders
the name for this archetype was Gyre-Carling whose name had variants such as Gyre-Carlin, Gy-Carling, Gay-Carlin amongst others. Gyre is possibly a cognate of the Norse
word geri and thus having the meaning of "greedy" or it may be from the Norse gýgr meaning "ogress"; carling or carline is a Scots
and Northern English
word meaning "old woman" which is from, or related to, the Norse
word kerling (of the same meaning).
She was sometimes thought of as the mother witch, Hecate
, or Habundia figure of Scottish fairy mythology. This guise is frankly diabolical. Sir Walter Scott calls her:
Alexander Montgomerie
, in his Flyting
, described her as:
Nicnevin with her nymphes, in number anew
With charms from Caitness and Chanrie of Ross
Whose cunning consists in casting a clew.
Even so, the elder Nicnevin or Gyre-Carling retained the habit of night riding with an "elrich" entourage mounted on unlikely and supernatural steeds. Another, satirical popular depiction made her leave Scotland after a love-quarrel with her neighbor, to become wife of "Mahomyte
" and queen of the "Jowis". She was an enemy of Christian
people, and "levit vpoun
Christiane menis flesche"; still, her absence caused dogs to stop barking and hens to stop laying. But in Fife
, the Gyre-Carling was associated with spinning and knitting
, like Habetrot
; here it was believed to be unlucky to leave a piece of knitting unfinished at the New Year, lest the Gyre-Carling should steal it.
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
meaning "daughter of the little saint") is a Queen of the Fairies in Scottish folklore. The use of the name for this meaning was first found in Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie , Scottish Jacobean courtier and poet, or makar, born in Ayrshire. He was one of the principal members of the Castalian Band, a circle of poets in the court of James VI in the 1580s which included the king himself. Montgomerie was for a time in favour as one of the king's...
’s Flyting
Flyting
Flyting or fliting is a contest consisting of the exchange of insults, often conducted in verse, between two parties.-Description:Flyting is a ritual, poetic exchange of insults practiced mainly between the 5th and 16th centuries. The root is the Old English word flītan meaning quarrel...
(c.1585) and was seemingly taken from a woman condemned to death for witchcraft before being given, in Scotland, to the Fairy Queen
Fairy Queen
The Fairy Queen was a figure from English folklore who was said to rule the fairies. Fairy Queen may also refer to:*The Faerie Queene, a poem by Edmund Spenser*Fairy Queen , an Indian steam locomotive...
. In the Borders
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
the name for this archetype was Gyre-Carling whose name had variants such as Gyre-Carlin, Gy-Carling, Gay-Carlin amongst others. Gyre is possibly a cognate of the Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
word geri and thus having the meaning of "greedy" or it may be from the Norse gýgr meaning "ogress"; carling or carline is a Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and Northern English
Northern English
Northern English is a group of dialects of the English language. It includes the North East England dialects, which are similar in some respects to Scots....
word meaning "old woman" which is from, or related to, the Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
word kerling (of the same meaning).
She was sometimes thought of as the mother witch, Hecate
Hecate
Hecate or Hekate is a chthonic Greco-Roman goddess associated with magic, witchcraft, necromancy, and crossroads.She is attested in poetry as early as Hesiod's Theogony...
, or Habundia figure of Scottish fairy mythology. This guise is frankly diabolical. Sir Walter Scott calls her:
- a gigantic and malignant female, the Hecate of this mythology, who rode on the storm and marshalled the rambling host of wanderers under her grim banner. This hag (in all respects the reverse of the MabMabMab or MAB may refer to:* Queen Mab, a fairy in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and later works of English literature.* Mab , one of the moons of Uranus, named after Queen Mab* Manufacture d'armes de Bayonne, a French firearms manufacturer...
or Titania of the Celtic creed) was called Nicneven in that later system which blended the faith of the Celts and of the Goths on this subject. The great Scottish poet Dunbar has made a spirited description of this Hecate riding at the head of witches and good neighbours (fairies, namely), sorceresses and elves, indifferently, upon the ghostly eve of All-Hallow Mass. In Italy we hear of the hags arraying themselves under the orders of Diana (in her triple character of Hecate, doubtless) and HerodiasHerodiasHerodias was a Jewish princess of the Herodian Dynasty. Asteroid 546 Herodias is named after her.-Family relationships:*Daughter of Aristobulus IV...
, who were the joint leaders of their choir, But we return to the more simple fairy belief, as entertained by the Celts before they were conquered by the Saxons.
Alexander Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie , Scottish Jacobean courtier and poet, or makar, born in Ayrshire. He was one of the principal members of the Castalian Band, a circle of poets in the court of James VI in the 1580s which included the king himself. Montgomerie was for a time in favour as one of the king's...
, in his Flyting
Flyting
Flyting or fliting is a contest consisting of the exchange of insults, often conducted in verse, between two parties.-Description:Flyting is a ritual, poetic exchange of insults practiced mainly between the 5th and 16th centuries. The root is the Old English word flītan meaning quarrel...
, described her as:
Nicnevin with her nymphes, in number anew
With charms from Caitness and Chanrie of Ross
Whose cunning consists in casting a clew.
Even so, the elder Nicnevin or Gyre-Carling retained the habit of night riding with an "elrich" entourage mounted on unlikely and supernatural steeds. Another, satirical popular depiction made her leave Scotland after a love-quarrel with her neighbor, to become wife of "Mahomyte
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
" and queen of the "Jowis". She was an enemy of Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
people, and "levit vpoun
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
Christiane menis flesche"; still, her absence caused dogs to stop barking and hens to stop laying. But in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, the Gyre-Carling was associated with spinning and knitting
Knitting
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
, like Habetrot
Habetrot
Habetrot is a figure in folklore of the Border counties of Northern England and Lowland Scotland associated with spinning and the spinning wheel...
; here it was believed to be unlucky to leave a piece of knitting unfinished at the New Year, lest the Gyre-Carling should steal it.