The Cutty Sark gets her name from garment
worn by a young Scottish witch called Nannie in the Robert Burns poem Tam
O'Shanter written in 1790. In the poem a drunk farmer called Tam while
riding home happens upon a group of Witches and Warlocks dancing within the
Churchyard (or Kirkyard) of Kirk Alloway, a derelict church. The Devil himself
was sat there playing the bagpipes to which they danced around. Tam watched them
discreetly and after they stopped Tam carelessly applauded Nannie who had caught
his eye, calling out to her 'Well done Cutty Sark' ...not knowing her name he
had addressed her by her attire, a Cutty Sark ..Scottish for short shirt
or shift, this of course betrayed his presence to them and they immediately gave
chase.
Tam fled on the back of his horse Maggie
(sometimes named Meg) toward the bridge over the nearby river Doon, folklore had
it that Witches could not cross running water, that this be rubbish we won't
discuss. Nannie was right behind him and managed to grab and pull off the horses
tail just before Tam reached the bridge, and this is what is held in the
figureheads outstretched hand. Tam's escape was a narrow one!
The story puts paid to any idea the figurehead might cause that
Nannie was a white Witch , actually white figurehead's were a trend
among Tea clippers that may have been started by the Ariel , I would need
more research to be sure. The dress worn by the figurehead may have
offered a view of lovely tit's to generations of commuters emerging from the
nearby Rotherhithe foot tunnel but it's not the short shift described in
the poem, that garment is better represented by the ships weathervane . I'm sure it was expedient for the
carver
of the original figurehead , one E. Hellyer to have this dress to make
a form that would fit the ships bow well ,
replaced by the current replica on the bow in 1956 after losing it's head
and an arm in a storm in the late nineteenth century , it was found on board and
repaired in 1970. The original figurehead within the
ship holds real horse tail in it's hand, but the one on the bow, holds one made
from rope as was the case at sea, as the ship approached port an apprentice
would be tasked with making one from rope. I have made one myself from a
piece of rope rescued from the bottom of the dry dock the ship sits in, I use it
as a scourge, one that is certainly ceremonial as you could barely swat a fly
with it, if I really wanted to hurt myself I have many options , however it
certainly looks good on the altar of a Sea Witch!
The current figurehead on the bow is of Columbian pine and
carved by Arthur
Levinson
The Cutty Sark's weathervane , and right, my scourge, made
of rope from the ship, is a replica horses tail!
