Beetle's Horn - We Have a Winner!

This Beetle’s horn question will just not go away.  “My Lagan Love” is on the program of the MCE concert at Kirkland Performing Arts Center--March 11, 2012 at 3:00 pm. The ballad makes a mysterious reference to “the beetle’s horn which lulls the eye to sleep” (“When the beetle’s horn hath lulled the eye to sleep, I steal unto her shieling lorn...”).

I was procrastinating on providing the promised prize for the best answer. One of our basses asked today at rehearsal if anything had come of our research into the Beetle’s horn.  That was enough to jog my conscience to follow through on the promised prize--which goes to.........Catherine Haddon!

Catherine has sung with MCE for several quarters, although she is on a temporary leave-of-absence right now. She is from England, and we really miss her this quarter when the program emphasizes music of the British Isles. I don’t know whether it is politically correct to say that she is “English” or “British”, but I am pretty sure that she is both. You can tell by the way she talks. This means that we can enthusiastically believe anything Catherine has to say about this topic. It has the ring of truth. The information she provides has just the right mix of science and magic.

I was procrastinating on following up on the beetle, because Catherine’s research raises many other questions and imaginative speculations, and I was trying to formulate a sensible, reasonable, logical response. Now I think it is best to just give you the straight shot of what Catherine had to say, and here it is:

The beetle in question could be the Devil’s Coach Horse Beetle. It’s found in Britain and Ireland and has a horn-like spike.

Visiting this site, I discovered that it has a long history, and lots of mystery and superstition about it. On other sites I’ve seen the poem written as ‘lulled the EVE to sleep’. So maybe our spooky, horned, nocturnal beetle friend, working on behalf of the devil, comes out to play at night and sets every goodly thing to sleep.... Meanwhile, our author can get to work seeking out his lenanshee.

From the absolute astronomy site:

This beetle has been associated with the Devil since the Middle Ages, hence its common name. Other names include Devil's footman, Devil's coachman and Devil's steed. In Ireland the beetle is known as a deargadaol (literally Devil's beast) and it is said that the Devil assumes the form of this beetle to eat sinners. As with many supposed bringers of ill-luck superstition holds that people can turn the creature's powers to their own advantage and it is said that reapers used to enclose the body of a Devil's coach horse beetle in the handle of their scythes to improve their skill. The origins of these beliefs can perhaps be explained by the beetle's threatening appearance, and its habit of eating carrion.

Another web site, suggests that you could be cursed if the beetle raised its tail in your direction. So maybe just a quick glance from the beetle was enough to curse you to sleep! Nice.

But it would make a good name for a pub too.

Roberta DeBruler

MCE Musical Correspondent