Many of our objects speak to the rich heritage of the Scots language. Perhaps you came to see our ‘flauchters’ or were ‘conflummixt’ by our collection of ‘creepies’ or ‘crusies’. Many of these object names have a charming origin and unexpected uses far removed from their original purpose. 

The Scottish history collection is filled with ‘ordinary’ objects, many of which we still use today. However, the Scots words for them may be unfamiliar to us. For example, if you were to enjoy a bowl of porridge in western Fife, you might ask for it in a ‘coggie’. If you were in Shetland you’d ask for it in a ‘bicker’. Coggie likely gets its name from the old Norse ‘kaggi’ (meaning ‘keg’ or ‘cask’). ‘Bicker’ comes from the Latin ‘bickerium’ (a vessel for drinking or storing liquor). These variations reflect how the language has been shaped by how different communities across Scotland used an object. They also show how interactions with people from outwith Scotland determined what word it became known by. For example, the Norse who settled in Shetland.

Many objects that were once part of daily life became part of superstitious practices. Sometimes this was because they were objects that were always to hand.
 

1. The riddle

Take the ‘riddle’ (in Scots, ‘riddil’) a large sieve. Unsurprisingly, the word’s meaning comes from ‘to sift’. The riddle was used in the field for dressing potatoes and in mines for sifting ore. This item played an important role in the everyday life of Scottish households. The spelling of the word varies depending on where it was spoken in Scotland, but seems to have been fixed at riddle, the same as in English, after 1700.

Several sources reference the riddle’s use in divination - the practice of seeking knowledge by supernatural means. Called ‘turning the riddle’, the use of the riddle and shears has a long legacy. It was originally practiced in Ancient Greece, and is known as ‘coscinomancy’. 

To perform the ritual, the riddle was placed on its side and a pair of scissors fixed in it so that it could be held aloft. Two people held the scissors at each handle and said, “By St. Paul and St. Peter, did they steal my yarn?”. If the riddle moved, then the named person was guilty. 

In early 19th century Fife, an individual was said to have 'turned the riddle' to work out if their yarn had been stolen. Violet Brown of Perth was tried at court for turning the riddle in 1591 to find a gold coin. This act warranted a trial as it was regarded as witchcraft and as devilry against the word of God. These were serious misdemeanours in a society influenced by the Kirk (‘kirk’ is Scots for a Presbyterian place of worship).

In Shetland, the riddle could be used to find a husband. If someone were to ‘sifter the siller’, (sift silver) they would go into a darkened room and place a few silver coins onto a riddle. To ‘sifter’ means to fumble around in the dark or to feel your way. The sifter would then stand by a window and move the riddle in a circular motion whilst repeating, “I, if I be ta get a man, may he pass by”. If a man passed by the window of the utterer of the rhyme, they would get the man.

2. The creepie

Consider the creepie stool, also known as a ‘currie’ stool. Like the riddle, their use exceeded their traditional role. 

There are differing ideas on where the word creepie comes from. One theory is that it comes from the old French word ‘trepied’ which itself comes from the Latin ‘triped’ or three footed. Many examples of creepies do have three feet. French had a significant influence on Scots vocabulary as it did with English, though many words remained in use in Scots but not in English. ‘Houlat’ (owl), and ‘ashet’ ( a large plate) are two examples.  

Another theory suggests the name comes from the Scots word ‘coor’ for crouch. Given how low to the ground they are, you would almost be crouching when you sat upon it. These stools were small so that they could be manoeuvred easily. They were arguably low enough to comfortably sit below the smoke that used to fill some homes from the burning coal or peat.  

The creepie’s transportability was part of its charm. Worshipers would take them to church to sit on. It wasn't until the 18th century that fixed pews were introduced to kirks 

In 1637, one creepie found fame after allegedly being flung in protest by Jenny Geddes at the minister in St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. This was an event which epitomised the widespread grievances that led to the War of the Three Kingdoms (often, erroneously, called the ‘English Civil War’). The phrase, “to have your hair combed with a creepie”, may allude to this incident, as it means to be hit over the head with a creepie. 

Robert Burns, one of the best-known Scots writers, was all too familiar with the creepie. They were used as repentance stools in the kirk. When someone had sinned, they were made to sit on the creepie chair in front of their community and atone. He included a special mention to the creepie in his poem, 'The Rantin’ Dog':

Given how common they were, it’s unsurprising that creepies feature in some unusual practices. In the Highlands, people were known to visit a crossroads with their creepie. When it got to midnight, it was said the individual would hear the names of those in the parish that wouldn’t make it to their next birthday. If the person with the stool carried clothes of those poor souls named and threw them away, they could save them from their fate.  

In Fair Isle, rituals associated with the creepie were less a matter of life and death. Children would put their fingers in the hole in the top of the seat and sing a rhyme. 'Pit de finger in da craw’s hol e tha craw’s no’ hame, da craw’s at the back dor pickin on a been' ('Put the finger in the crow’s hole that the crow’s not home, the crow’s at the back door picking on a bean'). 

Creepies from places such as Fair Isle, and the other Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland, were often made from a range of different woods. They were often made with found objects, as there was a lack of material growing naturally on the islands. An example in the museum’s collections is a box for milk powder. They were often painted in one colour to disguise their rudimentary construction.  

Given their seafaring connections, the Northern Isles were awash with material from other countries. These items were given their own Scots names that reflected their origins. In Shetland for example, a ‘Norwaladie’ is a plain wooden item from Scandinavia. Russian wooden bowls, typically painted black and red, were known as ‘Scovieware’ as they were from Muscovy.  

3. The cruik

Ideally your creepie would be as close to the hearth as possible, potentially in the ‘inglenook’. The inglenook is the recess in front of the fire and comes from the Scots word for a domestic fire. Its origin is the Gaelic word, ‘aingeal’. Gaelic is another language that has left an impression on Scots.  

Other Gaelic words that have been incorporated into Scots are the more familiar ‘loch’ and the less familiar ‘spleuchan’ meaning 'tobacco pouch'. Stories were shared in the closeness of the inglenook as the cooking pot bubbled away. The cooking pot was suspended on a ‘cruik’. A cruik or ‘cruke’, is a type of cooking pot hook which has linguistic roots in the old Icelandic word ‘krōkr’. 

A person’s wealth could be expressed by the strength of their cruik, since it showed off how much money they could lavish on a blacksmith. The blacksmiths would demonstrate their skill by decorating cruiks with unique designs. Many of the cruiks in our collections are from ruined crofts in the northern Highlands. At abandoned dwellings, these robust cruiks are often one of the few reminders that someone had once lived there. 

Owing to their importance in the household, the ordinary cruik became the focus of much attention. Many came to believe that the cruik was the home of a mischievous fairy, or ‘brownie’, known as , ‘The-wag-at-the-wa’. It got its name as it would wag on the cruik, making it swing back and forth. If there was a death in the family the brownie would stop their wagging. Many were wary of the brownie’s presence and would avoid moving the cruik excessively as it encouraged them to return. To discourage the brownie further, people took to marking the symbol of the cross onto the cruik. 

Such was the cruik’s power that it was used in practices to to prevent any evil acts by spirits or witches. New-born babies were sometimes placed in a basket along with bread and cheese and were moved three times around the cruik. People may have used the cruik for this purpose because items of iron and steel were believed to be effective against harmful forces. This is one of the reasons that people used to put nails into their bedframe. It was believed that these nails would prevent elves from reaching women and babies.  

Scottish parents may have perpetuated the tale of a mischievous brownie to keep their children away from the danger of a hot pot over a fire. Despite this, it was common for children to swing off the cruik for fun when they were left alone. 

4. The rantle tree

In many homes the cruik did not act alone but was suspended from inside the chimney, or ‘lum’ from a ‘rantle-tree’. This one is hidden out of sight inside the chimney of the Shandwick Hearth.   

A rantle-tree is a Scots words with Scandinavian origins, like the cruik. The word most likely comes from the word ‘randa-tre’, meaning space and tree, therefore tree in the space above the fire. Rantle-trees were commonly made of wood, often oak. They could be made from iron as well depending on what material was available. The rantle-tree was suspended well above the fire so that it wasn’t affected by the flames. Instead, the chain and cruik took the brunt of the heat,   

The rantle-tree was immortalized in the Doric poem ‘Muckle Spate’ by the Scottish poet David Grant in 1884. In the poem a woman tries to escape flood waters by clambering up her chimney. Unable to get any further she ‘She reestit o' the rantletree’.  

However, for those coming down a chimney the rantle-tree could cause issues. In 1879, a soldier in Aberdour failed to get access to his girlfriend’s house the conventional way and instead went down the chimney. He got stuck on the rantle-tree and could not go up or down. Eventually he made so much noise and dislodged enough soot that the house’s inhabitants came to his rescue.