Habetrot
Encyclopedia
Habetrot is a figure in folklore
of the Border counties
of Northern England
and Lowland Scotland
associated with spinning
and the spinning wheel. A well known folktale to feature this character was recorded in Selkirkshire
and featured her along with two other spinsters, who in compliment to Habetrot's deformed lips feature a splayed foot and a flat thumb respectively. This tale is related to tales found in countries such as Germany (such as The Three Spinners
) and Norway (The Three Aunts
).
According to the folklore of the borders it was considered unlucky to step upon "unchristened ground" (the graves of stillborn or unbaptised children) and any who did were said to catch "grave-merels" (or "grave-scab") an illness that causes difficulty of breathing and trembling limbs as well as the burning of the skin as if touched by an hot iron. The only way for this to be relieved was for the unfortunate to wear a sack made from lint grown in a field using manure from a farmyard that has not been disturbed for forty years, spun by Habetrot, bleached by an honest bleacher in an honest miller's milldam
and sewed by an honest tailor.
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
of the Border counties
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...
of Northern England
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
and Lowland Scotland
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
associated with spinning
Spinning (textiles)
Spinning is a major industry. It is part of the textile manufacturing process where three types of fibre are converted into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. The textiles are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. There are three industrial processes available to spin yarn, and a...
and the spinning wheel. A well known folktale to feature this character was recorded in Selkirkshire
Selkirkshire
Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Berwickshire to the north-east, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south...
and featured her along with two other spinsters, who in compliment to Habetrot's deformed lips feature a splayed foot and a flat thumb respectively. This tale is related to tales found in countries such as Germany (such as The Three Spinners
The Three Spinners
The Three Spinners is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It is tale no 14 and Aarne-Thompson type 501. It is widespread throughout Europe.It has obvious parallels to Rumpelstiltskin, and obvious differences, so that they are often compared....
) and Norway (The Three Aunts
The Three Aunts
The Three Aunts is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norske Folkeeventyr.-Synopsis:A poor man made his living by shooting. He had lost his wife, and one day, his pretty daughter decided to go seek her fortune. She got a place with the queen, and...
).
According to the folklore of the borders it was considered unlucky to step upon "unchristened ground" (the graves of stillborn or unbaptised children) and any who did were said to catch "grave-merels" (or "grave-scab") an illness that causes difficulty of breathing and trembling limbs as well as the burning of the skin as if touched by an hot iron. The only way for this to be relieved was for the unfortunate to wear a sack made from lint grown in a field using manure from a farmyard that has not been disturbed for forty years, spun by Habetrot, bleached by an honest bleacher in an honest miller's milldam
Milldam
A milldam is a dam constructed on a waterway to create a mill pond.Water passing through a dam's spillway is used to turn a water wheel and provide energy to the many varieties of watermill...
and sewed by an honest tailor.