Kitterland
Encyclopedia
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
, which roughly translates as "Tail of the Rocky Isle." Its area is less than 4 hectares (9.9 acre).
says that the islet was named after the Norwegian Baron Kitter who supposedly ruled the Isle of Man and, after hunting down all the deer
, bison
and elk
on the mainland
, sailed to the Calf of Man to hunt the deer there. While on the Calf his castle at Barrule
was accidentally set on fire. Seeing his house in flames from the Calf he rushed back, but his boat floundered against the islet in Calf Sound
and he drowned. The islet was then named after this accident.
According to Manx legend, Baron Kitter's hunting had wiped out the animals of the Calf, and the people of Mann were afraid he would begin hunting their own beasts. They asked the wisest witches of the island to help them. While Baron Kitter was on the 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 King Olaf, who sentenced him to death. Norwegian custom allowed him to choose the manner of his 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. This sword Macabuin, made by Loan Maclibuin the Dark Smith of Drontheim, could cut the 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 leg.
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....
in the Calf Sound
Calf Sound
Calf Sound is a body of water which separates the Calf of Man island from the mainland of the Isle of Man. The sound - technically a strait - is about 700 yards in width, and contains the small islet of Kitterland .A visitor centre overlooking the Calf Sound holds multimedia exhibits giving...
between the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and the Calf of Man
Calf of Man
Calf of Man, sometimes known as the Calf of Mann , is a island , off the southwest coast of the Isle of Man. It is separated from the Isle of Man by a narrow stretch of water called the Calf Sound. Like the nearby rocky islets of Chicken Rock and Kitterland, it is part of the parish of Rushen. It...
in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
.
Kitterland is currently owned by the Manx National Trust and has a wealth of bird and marine wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
. Kitterland is uninhabited and is in the parish of Rushen
Rushen
Rushen , formerly Kirk Christ Rushen , is a parish in the sheading of the same name in the Isle of Man. The parish is a fishing and agricultural district at the south-westernmost point of the island. The parish is one of three in the sheading of Rushen...
. It is called Famman Kitterland in Manx
Manx language
Manx , also known as Manx Gaelic, and as the Manks language, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, historically spoken by the Manx people. Only a small minority of the Island's population is fluent in the language, but a larger minority has some knowledge of it...
, which roughly translates as "Tail of the Rocky Isle." Its area is less than 4 hectares (9.9 acre).
Background
LegendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
says that the islet was named after the Norwegian Baron Kitter who supposedly ruled the Isle of Man and, after hunting down all the deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
and elk
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
on the mainland
Mainland
Mainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
, sailed to the Calf of Man to hunt the deer there. While on the Calf his castle at Barrule
Barrule
Barrule may refer to:-*MV Barrule, an Empire F type coaster in service with Southern Shipping Ltd, 1950-54*North Barrule, hill on the Isle of Man lying mainly in the parish of Maughold*South Barrule, hill on the Isle of Man...
was accidentally set on fire. Seeing his house in flames from the Calf he rushed back, but his boat floundered against the islet in Calf Sound
Calf Sound
Calf Sound is a body of water which separates the Calf of Man island from the mainland of the Isle of Man. The sound - technically a strait - is about 700 yards in width, and contains the small islet of Kitterland .A visitor centre overlooking the Calf Sound holds multimedia exhibits giving...
and he drowned. The islet was then named after this accident.
According to Manx legend, Baron Kitter's hunting had wiped out the animals of the Calf, and the people of Mann were afraid he would begin hunting their own beasts. They asked the wisest witches of the island to help them. While Baron Kitter was on the 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 King Olaf, who sentenced him to death. Norwegian custom allowed him to choose the manner of his 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. This sword Macabuin, made by Loan Maclibuin the Dark Smith of Drontheim, could cut the 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 leg.