{"id":5772,"date":"2019-05-20T11:02:18","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T11:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?p=5772"},"modified":"2019-05-24T15:15:28","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T15:15:28","slug":"fiddlers-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/fiddlers-green\/","title":{"rendered":"Fiddler’s Green"},"content":{"rendered":"

We had the pleasure of receiving a journal new to us last week \u2013 Fiddler\u2019s Green Peculiar Parish Magazine<\/em>, a beautiful thing unto itself – and felt inclined to say something about both the journal and the folklore behind the name. So we have, with mention of Fredrick Marryat, Neil Gaiman<\/strong>, sea shanties, irrelevant trivia and all. We\u2019re like that \u2013 shameless.<\/p>\n

\"fiddler's<\/a><\/p>\n

SIDENOTE: We should say that this particular parish magazine is stylish, informative and relevant, and thus utterly unlike those produced by our own Yorkshire parish of St. Botolph-in-the-Wolds \u2013 do not confuse the two.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always important to go backwards, and so we start with answering the question you didn\u2019t ask: What the heck is Fiddler\u2019s Green<\/strong><\/span>? Well, dear listener, it is either a mythical location or a state of mind, or both, but don\u2019t be put off. We shall explain…<\/p>\n

THE MYTH<\/h2>\n

The term comes from the lore of 18th<\/sup> and 19th<\/sup> century mariners, and the hope that after being crippled, shot at and exposed to various sicknesses at sea for years, there\u2019s somewhere better at the end of it all. A non-denominational place which avoids questions of heavenly harps and infernal torments, and which suits the weary sailor.<\/p>\n

An excellent outline is given in the work of writer Frederick Marryat (1792-1848), who was also a Royal Navy officer, and who we mentioned a while back with regard to the origins of the Flying Dutchman legend – http:\/\/greydogtales\/blog\/well-ill-be-a-flying-dutchman\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Fiddler’s Green appears in Frederick Marryat’s novel Snarleyyow; Or The Dog Fiend<\/em>, which was published in 1856:<\/p>\n

\u201cCome, Jemmy, my hearty, take your fingers off your fiddle, and hand in your pot,\u201d continued Coble; \u201cand then, if they are not going to dance, we\u2019ll have another song. Bill Spurey, wet your whistle, and just clear the cobwebs out of your throat. Here\u2019s more \u2019baccy, Short.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Short made no reply, but he shook out the ashes, and filled his pipe. The music did not strike up again, so Bill Spurey sang as follows:\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n

Says the parson one day, as I cursed a Jew,<\/em>
\nDo you know, my lad, that we call it a sin!<\/em>
\nI fear of you sailors there are but few,<\/em>
\nSt. Peter, to heaven, will ever let in.<\/em>
\nSays I, Mr Parson, to tell you my mind,<\/em>
\nNo sailors to knock were ever yet seen,<\/em>
\nThose who travel by land may steer \u2019gainst wind,<\/em>
\nBut we shape a course for Fiddler\u2019s Green.<\/em><\/p>\n

For Fiddler\u2019s Green, where seamen true,<\/em>
\nWhen here they\u2019ve done their duty,<\/em>
\nThe bowl of grog shall still renew<\/em>
\nAnd pledge to love and beauty.<\/em><\/p>\n

Says the parson, I hear you\u2019ve married three wives,<\/em>
\nNow do you not know that that is a sin?<\/em>
\nYou sailors, you lead such very bad lives,<\/em>
\nSt. Peter, to heaven, will ne\u2019er let you in.<\/em>
\nParson, says I, in each port I\u2019ve but one,<\/em>
\nAnd never had more, wherever I\u2019ve been;<\/em>
\nBelow I\u2019m obliged to be chaste as a nun,<\/em>
\nBut I\u2019m promised a dozen at Fiddler\u2019s Green.<\/em><\/p>\n

At Fiddler\u2019s Green, where seamen true,<\/em>
\nWhen here they\u2019ve done their duty,<\/em>
\nThe bowl of grog shall still renew,<\/em>
\nAnd pledge to love and beauty.<\/em><\/p>\n

Says the parson, says he, you\u2019re drunk, my man,<\/em>
\nAnd do you not know that that is a sin?<\/em>
\nIf you sailors will ever be swinging your can,<\/em>
\nTo heaven you surely will never get in.<\/em>
\n(Hiccup.) Parson, you may as well be mum,<\/em>
\n\u2019Tis only on shore I\u2019m this way seen;<\/em>
\nBut oceans of punch, and rivers of rum,<\/em>
\nAwait the sailor at Fiddler\u2019s Green.<\/em><\/p>\n

At Fiddler\u2019s Green, where seamen true,<\/em>
\nWhen here they\u2019ve done their duty,<\/em>
\nThe bowl of grog shall still renew<\/em>
\nAnd pledge to love and beauty.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
1847 frontispiece to marryat’s the phantom ship<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Herman Melville<\/strong> (1819-1891) also cogitates on the place in Chapter Two of his book Billy Budd, Sailor<\/em> (begun in 1888 but not published until 1924):<\/p>\n

But are sailors, frequenters of fiddlers\u2019 greens, without vices? No; but less often than with landsmen do their vices, so called, partake of crookedness of heart, seeming less to proceed from viciousness than exuberance of vitality after long constraint\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Back to the Land<\/h3>\n

A later iteration of the concept is given in a poem associated with the American cavalry, and used at memorial services. The origins of this are said to go back to the previous century:<\/p>\n

Halfway down the trail to Hell in a shady meadow green,<\/em>
\nare the Souls of all dead troopers camped near a good old-fashion canteen,<\/em>
\nand this eternal resting place is known as Fiddlers’ Green.<\/em><\/p>\n

Marching past, straight through to Hell, the Infantry are seen,<\/em>
\naccompanied by the Engineers, Artillery and Marine,<\/em>
\nfor none but the shades of Cavalrymen dismount at Fiddlers’ Green.<\/em><\/p>\n

The First Cavalry Division Association has this to say on their website:<\/p>\n

“The cavalry paradise reference seems to be associated with the 7th US Cavalry from the post Civil War era and the Indian Wars period (circa 1860-1870). Now, there is a link between the 7th US Cavalry and Ireland. Many Troopers of the 7th Cavalry were of Irish origin, and the 7th Cavalry\u2019s own insignia has the phrase \u201cGarryowen\u201d on it. \u201cGarryowen\u201d is a derivative of the Irish Gaelic Garra\u00ed E\u00f3in which means Owen\u2019s Garden. Owen\u2019s Garden was a commons (open field) in Limerick, Ireland that gave rise to a drinking ballad of the same name. The 5th Royal Irish Lances, an Irish cavalry unit, used that drinking ballad.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“The story of Fiddler\u2019s Green was first published in the 1923 volume of the Cavalry Journal. According to this article, it was inspired by a story told by Captain \u201cSammy\u201d Pearson at a campfire in the Medicine Bow Mountains of Wyoming.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Which reminds us of the concept of the path to the Fernie Brae, or Elfland, a place between Heaven and Hell for the Chosen and the Taken, as given in the ballads about Thomas the Rhymer<\/strong>, or Thomas of Erceldoune, the 13th<\/sup> century Scots seer:<\/p>\n

\u201cO see ye not yon narrow road<\/em>
\nSo thick beset with thorns and briars?<\/em>
\nThat is the path of righteousness,<\/em>
\nTho’ after it but few enquires.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd see ye not that braid, braid road<\/em>
\nThat lies across that lily leven?<\/em>
\nThat is the path of wickedness,<\/em>
\nTho’ some ca’ it the road to heaven.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd see ye not that bonny road<\/em>
\nThat winds about the fernie brae?<\/em>
\nThat is the road to fair Elfland<\/em>
\nWhere thou and I this night maun gae.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Naturally, many readers will be more familiar with the Neil Gaiman<\/strong> haunt and character from the Sandman comics and graphic novels. Fiddler’s Green is a location in the Dreaming (as the result of sailors\u2019 dreams for centuries) and is also personified in a character given a great likeness to G K Chesterton<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"fiddler's<\/a>
c. DC comics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The character is addressed as Gilbert, and\u2026 well, Gilbert K Chesterton. The illustrations tell you the rest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
g k chesterton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a peculiar addendum, there is a well-known and very popular folk song about Fiddler\u2019s Green which is not, as many believe, a traditional ballad revived. It was penned anew by John Conolly<\/strong>, of Grimsby on our belov\u2019d North Sea coast \u2013 in 1966, we believe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
john conolly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We have written much of our upbringing by that cold grey sea – http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/whale-road-widow-maker\/<\/a> – and so were delighted to find a recording of John performing his song in Bridlington, in a pub that old greydog<\/em> remembers well from the nineteen seventies. Small world, and all that sort of thing (for those youngsters in a rush, the song starts around 1min50).<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AhMjZtMdKb4<\/a><\/p>\n

More about John here:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.johnconolly.co.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n

And a little more on the origins of the myth and the tune can be found here:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.oldsaltblog.com\/2008\/12\/fiddlers-green\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

THE MAGAZINE<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fiddler\u2019s Green Peculiar Parish Magazine<\/em>, on the other hand, emanates from a real location in Berkeley, California, via the kind offices of Clint Marsh<\/strong>, editor and publisher, who says:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn ecclesiastical terms, the word \u2018peculiar\u2019 refers to a district outside the jurisdiction of the Church. It\u2019s also a good word for describing my own view of reality, and likely yours as well. And so here is a \u201cpeculiar parish magazine\u201d for anyone who doesn\u2019t feel the need to have their inner life directed by others. If it is peculiar that we wish to govern our bodies and souls ourselves, then let us be peculiar.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Which is cool, as our own Editor-in-Chief\u2019s favourite beer is Old Peculier, from Theakston Brewery in Yorkshire. And that is named \u201cafter the peculier of Masham, a peculier being a parish outside the jurisdiction of a diocese.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Anyhow, the journal is a high quality production, delightfully laid out and printed on lovely stock, which is a pleasure to leaf through, especially as it contains numerous black and white illustrations by talented artists and photographers. We hold Issue Six in our paws, and it\u2019s obvious a lot of love has gone into it. However, we wouldn\u2019t have sounded so gushy had we not found the content to be neat as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Museum of Witchcraft and Magic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This issue includes, for example:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Illustrated details of acquisitions at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Boscastle in the UK (by Lara C Cory<\/strong>). Known as \u201cthe world’s largest collection of paraphernalia and artifacts related to folk magic, witchcraft, Wicca and ritual magic\u201d, the museum appeals to our particular interest in the Cunning Folk, those practitioners of \u2018low\u2019 and folk magic who once offered their skills in villages across Europe to avert curses and thwart other malevolent workings.<\/li>\n
  • \u2018The Confederacy of the Green Door\u2019 – the reflections of Eldred Wormwood<\/strong>, a folklorist from London, on a most curious door at the back of a bookshop basement (illustrated by Gerhard).<\/li>\n
  • An introduction to Megalithic Donegal by illustrator Sean Fitzgerald<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  • \u2018Musings of an Urban Herb Hunter\u2019 – practical advice and commentary on searching for useful herbs, by Chicago-based writer and illustrator Johnny Decker Miller<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \"\"<\/a>
    copyright gerhard 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    More of Gerhard\u2019s fine art can be investigated at http:\/\/gerhardart.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

    Along with other articles in this packed 52 page issue, there is also a nice \u2018Books Received\u2019 section which covers a wide range of publications, including, funnily enough, England\u2019s Dark Dreaming<\/em> by artist Paul Watson<\/strong>, who we interviewed on greydogtales<\/em> a while back: http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/the-dark-folk-arts-of-paul-watson\/<\/a><\/p>\n

    As you can see, the content ranges widely, so there should be something for everyone. Our copy also came with a teensy but stylish booklet by Clint Marsh and Gerhard, on the smoking of pipes, and more surprisingly, a flexidisc, entitled Kilgour\u2019s Tale<\/em>, by Kitchen Cynics and Grey Malkin. Now we have to go into the loft to get out a turntable…<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    In summary: Fascinating and well worth getting hold of a copy. Find out more at their website.<\/p>\n

    https:\/\/www.fiddlersgreenzine.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

    \n
    \n

    IN OTHER NEWS, old greydog<\/em> himself is interviewed\u00a0 by Holmesian author Hugh Ashton on his website – learn all the things you didn’t want to know about weird fiction, Mr Bubbles, and even a\u00a0 bit about the lurchers:<\/p>\n

    John Linwood Grant \u2013 Interview<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n