The Supernatural

[Graham]

But sure we all live in that kind of terror everyday. Wars/Genocide. Forces alive today can do all that anyway.

For me it's not about ''believing'' in what might possibly be. It's about attempting to explain what is.

I understand you and others will view the existance of say the Trow as a detatchment from reality and i could never convince you over the net. Just as in the same way you or no-one else will ever convince me that i have never seen one.

And no it does'nt suck living with that kind of terror once you know how to deal with it. Simple Science bringing in the theory of Realitivity, if you dont want the Trow to get you simply dont be in a certain ''Space'' at a certain ''Time.'' Unless you take protection.

Take it up with Einstien. Sure if we could time travel we'd all be Ghosts of sorts in other dimensions.

Nah, wars and famines and earthquakes and volcanoes are just stuff. They're not pleasant but they're normal. Some of them are controllable and some of them are not but they're all quantifiable and certain.

In your world nothing is certain. The computer you're typing on could turn into a tiger and eat you at any moment. The floor beneath your feet could disappear and drop you into hell, there could be a demon in your kitchen, or a flesh-eating zombie in your bathroom.

You can't protect yourself against trows, you don't know anything about them. You believe one thing, someone else believes another. You believe iron will protect you but someone else believes it's only iron in the shape of a horseshoe and who knows what the trow believes. You'd better hope he believes the same thing as you though and not the same thing as that other guy.

Your bit about the theory or relativity is entertaining though - kind of like when Buffy uses an upturned sunbed to toast a vampire.

[Sidewinder]

Sweet suffering Bob, I need to find myself a new planet to live on. I don't know how much more interaction with you humans I can take!

[Trow]

Nah, wars and famines and earthquakes and volcanoes are just stuff. They're not pleasant but they're normal. Some of them are controllable and some of them are not but they're all quantifiable and certain.

In your world nothing is certain. The computer you're typing on could turn into a tiger and eat you at any moment. The floor beneath your feet could disappear and drop you into hell, there could be a demon in your kitchen, or a flesh-eating zombie in your bathroom.

You can't protect yourself against trows, you don't know anything about them. You believe one thing, someone else believes another. You believe iron will protect you but someone else believes it's only iron in the shape of a horseshoe and who knows what the trow believes. You'd better hope he believes the same thing as you though and not the same thing as that other guy.

Your bit about the theory or relativity is entertaining though - kind of like when Buffy uses an upturned sunbed to toast a vampire.

Hey, you're funny too. I dont take any protection when i visit the Trow, nor do i accept his rewards.

There are no evil Spirits active in my Home. No Zombies in the bathroom and no tiger in the computer.

And no-one knows why iron is supposed to repel the Trow. When you encounter one you should draw a circle around you on the ground or lay down sticking a dagger into the ground beside your head.

All bollocks of course becuase the damage is done the instant you see the Trow. That year and a day will have passed in a heartbeat.

I tried Jesus last time i encountered the Trow, did'nt work. And i did'nt take the treasure he guided me too either. Never will.

Trow knows me as i know him. He knows material things mean nothing to me and he has no concern for the woes of man. Old as he is, he has mellowed with age and has retired himself to a mound on a hill to see out his days. That's why i let him be. I could use a Celtic ritual to send him back permanently to the UnderWorld and i could run those hills unhindered. Prefer to wear my Flint and Silver Arrowhead when i dont want taken by him.

Not into Buffy and Co, sunbeds to kill vampires and such, wee bit too far fetched for me. Tv Crap.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

I have heard of iron being used to ward off evil spirits- but that goes back a long way. How did you find out about iron ... did you read it somewhere?

[Graham]

Hey, you're funny too. I dont take any protection when i visit the Trow, nor do i accept his rewards.

There are no evil Spirits active in my Home. No Zombies in the bathroom and no tiger in the computer.

And no-one knows why iron is supposed to repel the Trow. When you encounter one you should draw a circle around you on the ground or lay down sticking a dagger into the ground beside your head.

All bollocks of course becuase the damage is done the instant you see the Trow. That year and a day will have passed in a heartbeat.

I tried Jesus last time i encountered the Trow, did'nt work. And i did'nt take the treasure he guided me too either. Never will.

Trow knows me as i know him. He knows material things mean nothing to me and he has no concern for the woes of man. Old as he is, he has mellowed with age and has retired himself to a mound on a hill to see out his days. That's why i let him be. I could use a Celtic ritual to send him back permanently to the UnderWorld and i could run those hills unhindered. Prefer to wear my Flint and Silver Arrowhead when i dont want taken by him.

Not into Buffy and Co, sunbeds to kill vampires and such, wee bit too far fetched for me. Tv Crap.

So your Trow is just one person, as in "The Trow" rather than "A Trow"? That's a new one.

Anyhoo, you almost had me going until the "Celtic ritual" bit. Gaelic or Scots I might have bought, or even "Pictish" at a stretch, though I'm sure that should be Pictic. On the other hand Pictic sounds like a rather unpleasant venereal infection so maybe not.

Anyway, the next time you meet the/a trow/Trow I suggest that you catch him in a small cage (made of silver, obviously) and then take him to the nearest television studio.

The fortune you'll make from delivering such a creature to the world will far, far dwarf ("little" pun intended of course, see what I did there?) and supposed golden shiny things he might have in his wee hill (and again!).

It's a shame you don't approve of Buffy, there's a . . . mound . . . treasure . . . taken by . . . nope, I can't even bring myself to say it.

[Trow]

I have heard of iron being used to ward off evil spirits- but that goes back a long way. How did you find out about iron ... did you read it somewhere?

Yes, i found reference to it in The Celtic Calendar and recieved that info via word of mouth when i was first told what i was encountering.

Some Farmers i know still carry the Iron bar to outhouses and fields because Trow are known to shelter in byers and affect cattle. The Farmer will rattle the iron bar to scare the Trow off.

The Ioron is said to have magical properties dating back to Celtic times, latter explainations for its power link the iron to the nails Jesus was crucified with but that's likely Christianity putting in their tuppence worth.

Fact is the Celts believed in the healing and magical properties of Iron in many forms.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

It was more widespread than that even ... I believe that tribesmen in Britain used to carry a small amount of iron as well and for the same reason.

[Trow]

So your Trow is just one person, as in "The Trow" rather than "A Trow"? That's a new one.

No, it's just one Trow. And if you'd been paying attention at the back of class there you'll have heard me say an ''Old One.''

If you knew anything about them then there'd be no need for me to tell you that the sight of an old Trow on a hill is a sign that a battle has already taken place amongst his group for leadership and he has basically been exiled to see out his existance.

You pick away there Graham, i'm off to prepare for an ancient Celtic ritual. Cant give you the details, forbidden by the local Druid.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Its extraordinary that farmers still carry some at night... just goes to show that as I was saying earlier the christian thing is only a thin veneer over other buried beliefs. Look at the St Brigid cross made out of reed. That was originally a sign of respect to a goddess in the Irish pantheon and I suspect it was turned into a christian cross to try to overlay a belief the priests couldn't shift.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

You'll know about spancils I assume? I wonder whether 'bad' spancil were placed in byres to call a Trow. I'm told that spancil-belief still exists in some areas of the country as well.

I can't find an explanation online but as far as I know it was a weave of some kind to protect against curses and evil spirits ruining the milk of a dairy cow. I'm told that some byres still have spancils in them.

[Graham]

No, it's just one Trow. And if you'd been paying attention at the back of class there you'll have heard me say an ''Old One.''

If you knew anything about them then there'd be no need for me to tell you that the sight of an old Trow on a hill is a sign that a battle has already taken place amongst his group for leadership and he has basically been exiled to see out his existance.

You pick away there Graham, i'm off to prepare for an ancient Celtic ritual. Cant give you the details, forbidden by the local Druid.

No, you're confusing yourself now Trow.

See here you use "the Trow" to mean one of a multiple:

And no-one knows why iron is supposed to repel the Trow. When you encounter one you should draw a circle around you on the ground or lay down sticking a dagger into the ground beside your head.

All bollocks of course becuase the damage is done the instant you see the Trow. That year and a day will have passed in a heartbeat.

"the Trow. when you encounter one. Then here, "the Trow" becomes "he"

I tried Jesus last time i encountered the Trow, did'nt work. And i did'nt take the treasure he guided me too either. Never will.

In the next bit he's still he but you start using "Trow" like a proper noun, as though it's "his" name.

Trow knows me as i know him. He knows material things mean nothing to me and he has no concern for the woes of man. Old as he is, he has mellowed with age and has retired himself to a mound on a hill to see out his days. That's why i let him be. I could use a Celtic ritual to send him back permanently to the UnderWorld and i could run those hills unhindered. Prefer to wear my Flint and Silver Arrowhead when i dont want taken by him.

Then suddenly it's back to one of many again:

No, it's just one Trow. And if you'd been paying attention at the back of class there you'll have heard me say an ''Old One.''

If you knew anything about them then there'd be no need for me to tell you that the sight of an old Trow on a hill is a sign that a battle has already taken place amongst his group for leadership and he has basically been exiled to see out his existance.

"An Old One", "them" and referring to leadership of a group. So which is it? Is it "Trow", "The Trow" or "A Trow"?

You get an Iron Star for "pick away" though - that was a good one

[Trow]

Graham, to save confusion the word Trow can mean singular or multiple. If you seek clarity, i've never seen multiple Trow. Just this old one, singular, himself.

Thanks for the grammar lesson.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Enjoy the evening Trow and the ceremony.

[Trow]

You'll know about spancils I assume? I wonder whether 'bad' spancil were placed in byres to call a Trow. I'm told that spancil-belief still exists in some areas of the country as well.

I can't find an explanation online but as far as I know it was a weave of some kind to protect against curses and evil spirits ruining the milk of a dairy cow. I'm told that some byres still have spancils in them.

No, hav'nt come across Spancil as yet. Many Farmers know of/believe in the existance of Trow and cattle always seem to be on the recieving end of mischief by elves and Fairies also.

The Devil himself is no stranger to cattle.

[Sidewinder]

Course none of this would have anything at all to do with the importance of cattle herds in ancient semi-nomadic Ireland, or the arrival of the iron-wielding Gaels around 500BC overthrowing the older bronze-age chiefains....