The Sprightly Tailor is a humorous supernatural tale about a tailor who accepts a dangerous challenge in exchange for a handsome reward. Employed by Macdonald, the laird of Saddell Castle, the tailor is asked to make a pair of trews inside an old ruined church at night. The building has a frightening reputation, as people believe that strange and terrifying things appear there after dark.
Although the tailor knows about the church’s reputation, he refuses to be intimidated. He takes his sewing materials, lights a candle and begins working among the gravestones. His courage is soon tested when an enormous supernatural figure begins rising through the stone floor.
The creature attempts to frighten him by revealing its enormous body piece by piece. However, the tailor remains focused on completing his work. His unusual replies, quick movements and determination turn a frightening encounter into a memorable contest between a supernatural creature and an ordinary working man.
The Laird’s Challenge
A sprightly tailor was employed by the great Macdonald at his castle in Saddell. The laird required a pair of trews, a garment worn in earlier times. Trews combined a vest and breeches into one piece and were decorated with fringes. They were considered comfortable clothing for walking and dancing.
Macdonald wanted the garment made during the night inside an old ruined church. He promised the tailor a handsome reward if he completed the work there.
The challenge was not an ordinary request. The church was believed to be haunted, and frightening appearances were said to occur inside it after dark. Many people would have refused to enter such a place alone, especially when they had to remain there throughout the night.
The tailor understood the danger associated with the building. Nevertheless, he was a lively and courageous man who did not allow fear to overcome him. He accepted the laird’s challenge because he wanted to earn the promised reward.
The Tailor Enters the Ruined Church
When night arrived, the tailor set out from the castle and travelled up the glen towards the old church. The building stood about half a mile away from Saddell Castle.
He entered the ruined church and selected a suitable gravestone on which to sit. He then lit his candle, put on his thimble and arranged his sewing materials.
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With everything prepared, he began making the trews.
The tailor worked carefully, moving his needle quickly through the material. He was conscious of the reward waiting for him and concentrated on finishing the garment before the night was over.
For some time, everything went smoothly. The church remained quiet, and he continued sewing without interruption.
However, the silence did not last.
A Strange Figure Rises Through the Floor
As the tailor worked, he suddenly felt the floor trembling beneath his feet.
He looked around while keeping his fingers busy with the sewing. To his astonishment, he saw the appearance of an enormous human head rising through the stone pavement.
The head gradually emerged above the surface. Once it was fully visible, a tremendous voice came from the frightening figure.
The creature called the tailor’s attention to its enormous head.
The tailor did not abandon his work. He calmly acknowledged what he could see and declared that he still had sewing to do.
He continued stitching.
The supernatural figure was not satisfied. It continued rising through the pavement until its neck appeared.
Again, the creature spoke in a thunderous voice and drew attention to its enormous neck.
The tailor gave another calm reply. He acknowledged the creature’s appearance but insisted that he had to continue sewing.
His attitude was unusual. Instead of running away or allowing the creature to interrupt him, he treated each frightening display as a distraction from the task he had accepted.
The Creature Reveals Its Enormous Body
The creature continued rising.
Its head and neck were followed by enormous shoulders and a broad chest. The frightening figure displayed its upper body and again demanded that the tailor notice its size.
The tailor remained focused on his work. He acknowledged what he saw and continued moving his needle through the trews.
The supernatural appearance grew more terrifying as the figure revealed additional parts of its body.
It then raised a pair of enormous arms and shook them in the tailor’s face.
The creature’s actions were clearly intended to frighten him. Its size, powerful movements and thunderous voice would have terrified many people.
However, the tailor refused to surrender to fear.
He continued sewing, knowing that he had limited time to complete the garment. His replies remained calm, and he did not allow the creature’s threats to make him abandon his work.
The Enormous Leg Appears
The frightening figure continued rising through the church floor until one enormous leg emerged.
It lifted the leg and stamped it against the stone pavement. The creature then drew attention to its size with another thunderous declaration.
The tailor acknowledged the enormous leg and continued sewing.
By this time, he had begun taking unusually long stitches. He understood that he could not afford to work slowly. The creature was still rising, and there was no certainty about what it might do once its entire body had emerged.
The tailor’s fingers moved quickly as he worked through the remaining part of the garment.
The supernatural figure was now preparing to bring its other leg out of the pavement.
The tailor knew that his opportunity to escape was almost gone. He concentrated on the final stitches, determined to finish the trews before the creature could complete its appearance.
The Tailor Escapes with the Trews
Just as the creature began lifting its other leg from the stone pavement, the tailor completed the trews.
He immediately blew out his candle, jumped from the gravestone and gathered the finished garment.
Holding the trews under his arm, he hurried towards the church entrance.
The frightening creature responded with a loud roar. It stamped both feet against the pavement and rushed after him.
The tailor did not stop to examine what was happening behind him. He had finished the task and was determined to reach the castle with his reward.
He ran out of the ruined church and began racing down the glen.
The Chase Through the Darkness
The tailor and the supernatural creature raced through the darkness towards Saddell Castle.
Their speed was remarkable. The narrator compares their movement to a stream rushing during a flood.
Although the creature was enormous and terrifying, the tailor had already gained an advantage. He had started running before the creature could fully emerge from the church, and he possessed a nimble pair of legs.
The creature roared at him and ordered him to stop.
However, the tailor had no intention of obeying. He held the trews tightly under his arm and continued running. He was determined not to lose the reward promised by the laird.
The chase continued until the tailor finally reached Saddell Castle.
He hurried through the gate and shut it behind him. At last, he was safely inside the castle grounds.
The Mark Above the Castle Gate
The supernatural creature arrived at the castle shortly after the tailor had entered.
It was furious because the tailor had escaped, and it had failed to catch him before he reached safety.
In its anger, the creature struck the wall above the castle gate with one of its enormous hands.
The blow left the impression of five great fingers on the wall.
According to the tale, the marks remained visible long afterwards. Anyone who looked closely at the wall could still see the place where the creature had struck it.
The supernatural figure had failed to capture the tailor, but it left behind a physical mark associated with the frightening encounter.
The tailor, meanwhile, had succeeded in completing his work and escaping from the haunted church.
The Tailor Receives His Reward
The tailor returned with the finished trews and presented them to Macdonald.
The laird was pleased with the result and paid him handsomely, as he had promised.
Macdonald did not discover that some of the stitches were unusually long. The tailor had worked quickly during the frightening encounter, and the long stitches were evidence of his haste.
The story ends with the tailor receiving his reward. He had accepted a challenge that many people would have considered impossible, completed the garment in the presence of a terrifying supernatural figure and escaped with his life.
His courage and quick thinking had helped him succeed where fear might have defeated another person.
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Moral Lessons
The story demonstrates the importance of courage when facing difficult situations. The tailor knew that the ruined church was believed to be haunted, but he accepted the challenge and continued working even when a terrifying creature appeared. His actions show that fear does not always have to prevent someone from completing an important task.
It also highlights the value of quick thinking and determination. The tailor understood that he could not defeat the enormous creature through physical strength, so he concentrated on finishing his work and escaping at the right moment. His success reminds readers that intelligence, preparation and the ability to remain focused can be more useful than relying on strength alone.
Knowledge Check
1. Who employed the sprightly tailor?
The tailor was employed by Macdonald, the laird of Saddell Castle.
2. What garment did Macdonald ask the tailor to make?
He asked him to make a pair of trews, a garment that combined a vest and breeches into one piece.
3. Why was the tailor required to work inside the ruined church at night?
Macdonald challenged him to complete the work there because the church was believed to be haunted.
4. What appeared while the tailor was sewing?
An enormous supernatural human-like figure began rising through the stone pavement of the church.
5. How did the tailor escape from the creature?
He completed the trews just before the creature emerged fully, blew out his candle and ran out of the church with the garment under his arm.
6. What mark did the creature leave on Saddell Castle?
It struck the wall above the gate with its hand, leaving the impression of five enormous fingers.
Source
This retelling is based on “The Sprightly Tailor,” included in Joseph Jacobs’ Celtic Fairy Tales (1892).
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