Editing Isle of Man (section)

=== Myth, legend and folklore ===
[[File:Isle of Man Peel Castle.jpg|right|thumb|[[Peel Castle]]]]
In Manx mythology, the island was ruled by the sea god [[Manannán mac Lir|Manannán]], who would draw his misty cloak around the island to protect it from invaders. One of the principal folk theories about the origin of the name ''Man'' is that it is named after Manannán.

In the Manx tradition of [[folklore]], there are many stories of mythical creatures and characters. These include the {{lang|gv|[[Buggane]]}}, a [[malevolent spirit]] which according to legend, blew the roof off St Trinian's Church in a fit of rage; the {{lang|gv|[[Fenodyree]]}}; the {{lang|gv|[[Glashtyn]]}}; and the {{lang|gv|[[Moddey Dhoo]]}}, a [[black dog (folklore)|ghostly black dog]] which wandered the walls and corridors of [[Peel Castle]].

The Isle of Man is also said to be home to [[mooinjer veggey|fairies]], known locally as "the little folk" or "themselves". There is a famous [[Fairy Bridge (Isle of Man)|Fairy Bridge]], and it is said to be bad luck if one fails to wish the fairies good morning or afternoon when passing over it. It used to be a tradition to leave a coin on the bridge to ensure good luck. Other types of fairies include the {{lang|gv|[[Arkan Sonney]]}}.

An old Irish story tells how [[Lough Neagh]] was formed when Ireland's legendary giant [[Fionn mac Cumhaill]] (commonly anglicised to Finn McCool) ripped up a portion of the land and tossed it at a Scottish rival. He missed and the chunk of earth landed in the [[Irish Sea]], thus creating the island.

Peel Castle has been proposed as a possible location of the Arthurian [[Avalon]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Avalon's Location |url=http://www.electricscotland.com/history/avalon.htm |access-date=28 February 2015 |website=Electricscotland.com |archive-date=23 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323023956/http://www.electricscotland.com/history/avalon.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> or as the location of the Grail Castle, site of [[Lancelot]]'s encounter with the sword bridge of King [[Maleagant]].<ref>King Arthur, Norma Lorre Goodrich, Harper and Row, 1989, p. 318</ref>

One of the most oft-repeated myths is that people found guilty of witchcraft were rolled down Slieau Whallian, a hill near St John's, in a barrel. However, this is a 19th-century legend derived from a Scottish legend, which in turn comes from a German legend. Separately, a witchcraft museum was opened at the Witches Mill, Castletown in 1951, despite there never being a witches' coven on that site; the myth was only created with the opening of the museum.<ref>{{cite web |title=Manx witchcraft and sorcery probed by academic – Isle of Man Today |url=http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/manx-witchcraft-and-sorcery-probed-by-academic-1-1744837 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227154121/http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/manx-witchcraft-and-sorcery-probed-by-academic-1-1744837 |archive-date=27 December 2015 |access-date=10 November 2017 |website=Iomtoday.co.im}}</ref> However, there has been a strong tradition of herbalism and the use of charms to prevent and cure illness and disease in people and animals.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Nisbet |first1=Robert A |title=Yn Lioar Manninagh: The Journal of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society |last2=Rhys |first2=John |date=1897 |publisher=Brown & Sons |volume=3 |location=Douglas |pages=303–314 |chapter=Folk-Medicine in the Isle of Man – A. W. Moore, M. A. |oclc=1110392917 |chapter-url=http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/iomnhas/lm3p303.htm |access-date=20 June 2019 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225083154/http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/iomnhas/lm3p303.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chiverrell |first1=R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yjHHVG_aiOAC&pg=PA353 |title=A New History of the Isle of Man: The modern period 1830–1999 |last2=Belchem |first2=J. |last3=Thomas |first3=G. |last4=Duffy |first4=S. |last5=Mytum |first5=H. |publisher=Liverpool University Press |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-85323-726-6 |page=353 |access-date=15 August 2019 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803113305/https://books.google.com/books?id=yjHHVG_aiOAC&pg=PA353 |url-status=live}}</ref>