George Borrow
Letters to his mother, Ann Borrow and Other Correspondents
Letter I.
To
Ann Borrow
Spain,
[
Post-mark February
9
th
, 1838.]
My Dear Mama,
As I am afraid that you may not have received my last letter in consequence of several couriers having been stopped, I write to inform you that I am quite well.
I have been in some difficulties. I was selling so many Testaments that the Priests became alarmed, and prevailed on the government to put a stop to my selling any more. They were likewise talking of prosecuting me as a Witch, but they have thought better of it.
I hear it is very cold in England. Pray take care of yourself. I shall send you more in a few weeks.
God bless you,
My Dear Mama,
G. B.
Letter II.
To
A Correspondent
Oulton,
Lowestoft,
Suffolk.
August
11
th
, 1843.
My Dear Sir,
Many thanks for your interesting and kind letter, in which you do me the honour to ask my opinion respecting the pedigree of your island goblin,
le feu follet Belenger
; that opinion I cheerfully give, with a promise that it is only an opinion; in hunting for the etymons of these fairy names we can scarcely expect to arrive at any thing like certainty.
I suppose you are aware that the name of Bilenger, or Billinger, is of occasional though by no means frequent occurrence both in England and France. You have heard of Billings-gate, and of Billing-ham, the unfortunate assassin of poor Percival. Likewise of Billing-ton, all modifications of the same root: Belingart, Bilings-home or Billing-ston. But what is Billin
ger
? Clearly that which is connected some way or other with Billing. You will find
ger
, or something like it, in most European tongues – Boulan
ger
, horolo
ger
, tal
ker
wal
ker
, ba
ker
, bre
wer
, beg
gar
. In Welsh it is of frequent occurrence in the shape of
ur
or
gwr
– hin
ur
(an elder), her
wr
(a prow
ler
); in Russian the ger, gwr, ur, er, appears in the shape of
ik
or
k
– Sapojgn
ik
, a shoemaker, Chinobu
ik
, a man possessed of rank. The root of all these, as well as of
or
in Senator, victor, etc., is the same as
ker
or
kir
; which means, Lord, master, maker, doer, possessor of something or connected with something.
We want now to come at the meaning of Beling or Billing, which probably means some action, or some moral or personal attribute. Bolvile in Anglo-Saxon means honest, Danish Bollig; Wallen, in German, to wanken or move restlessly about; Baylan, in Spanish, to dance, connected with which are to whirl, to fling, and possibly Walloon and Fleming.
Belenger therefore may mean a Billiger or honest fellow, or it may mean a Walter-
ger
, a whirl
enger
, a flinger or something connected with restless motion.
Allow me to draw your attention to the word “Will” in the English word “Will of the wisp.” It must not be supposed tha