Fairy List
Waff
The wraitli is an apparition exactly like a living person, and
its appearance, whether to that person or to another, is commonly
thought an omen of death. These apparitions are called
" fetches" throughout the sister island, in Cumberland " swarths,"
and in Yorkshire " waiFs." Of waif I have two examples from
the East Riding of Yorkshire. The first was narrated to the
clergyman from whom I received it by an old man of Danby, in
Cleveland, eighty-two years of age, and highly respectable as to
character. Some years before, he was passing one evening by an
uncle's house, and, seeing the glow of firelight streaming through
the window, looked in. To his great surprise he saw his uncle,
who had long been " bed-fast " in the room above, seated in his
former place in the "neukin." He was astonished — still there
could be no mistake ; the form and features were those of his rela-
tion, and he further assured himself of the fact by a second look.
He entered the house to obtain an explanation ; but the room was
dark, the seat empty, and the old man lying upstairs in his bed;
But his uncle's death took place before long.
A second case of this kind is said to have happened, at Whitby,
to a tradesman suffering from stone, and ordered to the hospital
at York for an operation. Before he set out, the patient said it
was in vain, he should not return alive ; he had seen his own
waff, and knew he should die during the operation, or after it.
His belief was verified : the operation was performed, but he did
not long survive it. Either he was ignorant how to avert the
ill-consequences of the apparition or he lacked courage at the
moment. Had he spoken to it all would have been well. Thus
a native of Guisborough, on going into a shop at Whitby, saw
his own "waff," and boldly addressed it thus: "What's thou
doin'here? What's thou doin' here? Thou's after no good,
I'll go bail ! Get thy ways yom wi' thee- Get thy ways yom !"
The result of his thus taking the initiative was perfectly satis-
factory.
The Vicar of Stamfordham has kindly communicated to me
two cases of "wraiths," or apparitions, from his parish. The
first is of a poor woman,' called Esther Morton, of Black Heddon,
who went out gathering sticks on the ground of a neighbouring
farmer. Looking up, she saw him before her, and turned quickly
to get out of his way. Then she remembered he was ill in bed
and could not possibly be there, so she went home much alarmed,
and found he had just died.
Again, one William Elliott, of the same place, saw his neigh-
bour Mary Brown cross the fold-yard and disappear' in a straw-
house. Knowing her to be very ill, he made instant inquiries,
and discovered that she had died at the moment of his seeing
her.
Mr. Robinson, of Hill House, Eeeth, writes thus on the sub-
ject: "We have in Wensleydale frequent instances of second
sight, the people so gifted foretelling the deaths of their neigh-
bours. For instance, some years back a man told me that he had
met Mr. (a respectable inhabitant of the next village, and
then in perfect health) walking on the road ; ' but,' added he ' it
was nobbut his shadow, and I don't think he'll live long.' He
died within a short time. This is only one instance of many."
These Yorkshire stories recall to my memory an incident in
which the "waff" was no prophet of death, but an instrument
for saving life. The musician Gluck, Piccini's rival in Paris
about 100 years ago, made some stay in one of the Belgian cities
— Ghent, I believe. While there he was accustomed to spend the
evening with friends, and, returning late to his lodging, to let
himself in with a key. One moonlight evening, while going
home as usual, he observed before him a figure resembling him-
self. It took every turn through the streets which he was ac-
customed to take, and finally, on reaching the door, drew out a
key, opened it, and entered. On this the musician turned round
in some perturbation, went back to his friends, and begged to be
taken in for the night. The next morning they accompanied
him to his lodging, and found that the heavy wooden roof of
Gluck's sleeping-room had fallen down in the night and covered
the floor. It was plain that had he passed the night there he
must have been killed.
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