Kitterland ( gv, Famman Kitterland) is an
islet in the
Calf Sound between the
Isle of Man and the
Calf of Man in the
Irish Sea.
Kitterland is currently owned by the
Manx National Trust and has a wealth of bird and marine
wildlife. Kitterland is uninhabited and is in the parish of
Rushen. It is called ''Famman Kitterland'' in
Manx
Manx (; formerly sometimes spelled Manks) is an adjective (and derived noun) describing things or people related to the Isle of Man:
* Manx people
**Manx surnames
* Isle of Man
It may also refer to:
Languages
* Manx language, also known as Manx ...
, which roughly translates as "Tail of the Rocky Isle." Its area is less than .
Background
Legend says that the islet was named after the
Norwegian Baron Kitter who supposedly ruled the Isle of Man. After killing all the
deer,
bison
Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised.
Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...
and
elk
The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...
on the
mainland, he sailed to the Calf of Man to hunt there. While on the Calf his castle at
Barrule was accidentally set on fire. Seeing his house in flames across the water he rushed back, but his boat foundered and he drowned. The islet was named after this accident.
According to a Manx legend, Baron Kitter's hunting wiped out all the animals of the Calf, and the people of Mann were afraid he would begin hunting their own beasts. So, they asked the wisest witches of the island to help them. One day while Baron Kitter was on the isle of Calf, his cook Eaoch of the Loud Voice fell asleep. The witch Ada put a spell on the pot so that it boiled over, setting the castle on fire.
Kitter's friends, who had stayed on the Calf, decided that Eaoch had plotted with the witch to kill off the Norwegians and had him brought before the Norwegian-born
King Olaf, who sentenced him to death. Norwegian custom allowed him to choose the manner of his own death, so Eaoch said he wished to have his head laid across the king's legs and cut off with the king's own sword, which was named Macabuin. It was made by
Loan Maclibuin the Dark Smith of
Drontheim, and could cut the through hardest granite just by touching it. The Norwegians begged the king to refuse, but he would not break his word and gave orders to proceed. However, the witch Ada was there, and told them to lay nine times nine toads' skins,
cuirn tree twigs and adders' eggs across the king's legs. When the sword was laid gently on Eaoch's neck, it instantly cut it off and cut through the adders' eggs and the cuirn tree twigs as well - only the toads' skins saved the king's legs.
External links
The legend of Baron KitterInformation on Kitterland at Britlink
Notes
{{coord, 54.0623, -4.7967, display=title, region:IM_type:isle
Islands of the Isle of Man
Uninhabited islands of the United Kingdom